Happy Hour

[Christophe]

What? There's only one discussion going on in the Pub?

That's definitely not enough. Barman! Another drink for me and the boys!

In the meantime I'll choose a song from the Jukebox:

www.youtube.video

[Edward theurj Berge]

On a related note:

[DavidM58]

"It’s only day 3 of the meetings, but I’ve already come to one conclusion: As a society, we’re still stuck in the bargaining phase of Kübler-Ross’s Stages of Grief.

Yes, there’s actual bargaining taking place between climate negotiators at COP21. But I’m talking about a larger, more systemic bargaining that’s occurring: Our attempts to respond to the existential threat of climate change while holding desperately to our extractive, growth-and-consumption-based way of life. But as PCI Fellow Bill McKibben likes to say, “Physics and chemistry don’t bargain.” "

- Asher Miller, Post-Carbon Institute: La Grande Negociation 

[Edward theurj Berge]

Good article. With reservations about the meeting not doing enough he is still hopeful that the movement generally is making slow progress. Granted we do have to address and reduce the consumptive lifestyle and a never-ending growth-based economy. But again I see some small hope in the neo-Commons movement, which is doing exactly that. Now if we can just elect leaders committed to the cause we might make more significant progress at summits like this.

[Edward theurj Berge]

Merry Christmas.

[Ambo Suno]

t, lovely, moving vulnerability in self-explanation. Beautiful music played. Awesome leaps and spins. Merry Christmas.

theurj said:

Merry Christmas.

[DavidM58]

Thanks Ambo.  Lovely instrumental of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, with moving care and concern for humanity.

A while back I went on a little Hallelujah craze and watched numerous videos...

I think this is my favorite, from the mature Leonard Cohen (2009):

Interview with Leonard Cohen about the song:

This rendition by Rufus Wainwright is one of the better covers (of the many you can find on YouTube):

[Ambo Suno]

DM - Agreed. But you may have typo'ed ambo instead of t :)



DavidM58 said:

Thanks Ambo.  Lovely instrumental of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, with moving care and concern for humanity.

A while back I went on a little Hallelujah craze and watched numerous videos...

I think this is my favorite, from the mature Leonard Cohen (2009):

Interview with Leonard Cohen about the song:

This rendition by Rufus Wainwright is one of the better covers (of the many you can find on YouTube):

[Ambo Suno]

Rufus does very fine, sweet-voiced rendition. I think it would be interesting to have him open for Cohen on this one, the contrast, ahh, but it might be unfair to Rufus.
Awesome.

I loved all the accompaniment with some keen affinity for the keyboard playing - and the rest.

[Ambo Suno]

in the interview it was pointed out how many renditions have been done by other singers and Leonard said maybe they should take a break from the song for a while.

None the less, in my nano craze, following your lead, I saw this one. Amusement and appreciation:
https://vimeo.com/106259119

[DavidM58]

Funny - I originally read it that Ambo posted the video and the T. wrote the reply.  It was probably because I saw Ambo's name in the email link that brought me to the page. The organ playing in the Cohen video is inspired.

[Balder]

What did I just watch?? 

[Ambo Suno]

Hi - yesterday I posted a less edited version of this piece that I am a bit attached to on the Integral Metta thread of Balder and Layman.

I want to post this improved draft here:

At moments of self-critique and sometimes in ordinary reflective instances I have felt bored, perhaps, by my strong, tidy, correct rational capacities, by my semi-enlightened pluralistic, relativistic perspectives, and occasionally by my apparent integrative cognitive skills, along with other trailings of recent inner growth. Lately I have, perversely, been self-critical for seeming to have little affinity or manifestation of mythic or magic strands. Given that I have been studying these ‘stages’ of cultural and individual development, I have been able to see some very tips of what may be the heads of man’s early unfolding, in myself. Survival instincts are still rowdy within me, but where’s the overt awe of hidden magic, and where’s the authoritarian, the feudalistic, the submissive reverence for mythic figures, I have wondered? I am on the lookout for these vestigial organs of psyche and culture.

I think I was taken by and whirled around in these about an hour ago, and still my interior is mildly aflutter - could be atwitter. I feel in love. Smiling. I’m almost a wreck.

Driving home from the small quaint town to where I sometimes return, it was as though I were in love. My mind talking to myself effusively. Particular and detailed variations on general questions like, “How did I look?” And, “What did she think of me?” “I wish she could have seen the surfboards on my jeep roof and thought I was cool.” Other embarrassing inner dialogue caught me quite by surprise. I thought I was past that sort of awe. I thought I had grown into a personality with apparent poise, social ease, and an available-as-needed touch of gravitas.

Meanwhile, with left hand on the steering wheel, I was tenderly kissing the tips of my three middle fingers on the free hand, and equally tenderly touching my chest in various places with that soft grouping of digits. Then kissing my forehead, and then back repeatedly for more felt-tenderness in lips, fingertips, and chest.

Hah!

For the last hour I have been reminded also of the fullness of heart, feelings, and relatively innocent thoughts that I have experienced a few times surfing this week’s dawn patrol, and not infrequently, prior. Such beautifully formed waves and lines, solidly within my skill-set and comfort zone. One after the other. The sun approaching the horizon starting to inform the eyes of color and greater acuity. The emptiness from competitors for the predawn waves. There, on the water, after some vigorously active time, maybe with the build-up and release of endorphins and other intrinsic joy juices, I seem to be overflowing. As I have paddled back from a long sweet ride into the cove, I am probably as reverently irreverent as I get. I am saying things to myself, really, I am - quite loudly in my mind - like, “Holy Shit!” and, “Oh My Fucking God!” I, apparently, am rather ecstatic. I mutter these sorts of sacred extollations to myself for minutes on end, confined within the brain cavity and aloud, after that ride and that return trip to the line-up, the next, and the next. When I get to shore, post-session, I might neaten up some of my language, or exhort more conventional bro-stoke vernacular.

There are sometimes even hours of high and fullness and gratitude that, were I a religious man, I’d likely be saying things like, “God is good.” Surfing is a blessing. We are graced. Oh, thank you lord!! Instead, I feel what I feel strongly and I say things in my dude-like and language-playful ways.

Holy fucking shit. Oh my bloody god. We are so frickin lucky!

Well, there was some analogy to that fullness and feeling driving home today, and even as I left the take-out counter with my burrito.

Let me tell this story going backwards.

In front of her, now, I was self-consciously aware of my voice and my engagement with the food-maker as I was asked about “black beans or pintos?”, “everything?”, “cheese?”

She said, looking at me, something like, “Would you like to go in front of us, since you may have just one thing to order? We (meaning the man with her and herself) have six orders.” I didn’t stammer, yes, but with an appropriate hesitation of cordiality and good manners and further effort at cool, said something like, “Sure.”

I stood behind them and vaguely admired her long legs in tight blue jeans, noticing, while appearing not to notice, also her trim light blue utility blouse with some darker blue layer beneath that. I noticed her smooth refined face, short straight blond hair, and somewhat perky manner and easy fast-twitch movements and energy.

As she stood to the side and in front of me waiting for her and their turn at the order counter, inside the tiny storefront, I reached forward with the Christmas card that I was going to send my sister, and lightly and with playful casualness, slapped her on her right deltoid. She may have retreated a little reflexively as if making room in a crowded public place, or it may have been a small muted wince of anxiety to intrusion. It was a minor response to my seemingly confident and friendly presumption to a stranger, as though I were not a stranger. She glanced at me tentatively, I’ll say (as though I can remember all of these details clearly), and then held the visual spacial contact when I asked, “Do you get a lot of, ‘You look a lot likes...?’” There may have been a slight smile with her nod, and a hint of amusement when she answered, “Yes.” I then said, maybe a slight smile on my face, “Is that because you are?” She said, “Yes”, with a modest or self-conscious glancing down and away. I replied with something like, “Too cool!” with maybe a too big and free smile. I quickly wondered how big a dork I might have just seemed, but fortunately I wasn’t yet into full mythic thrall mode. Yet. That mode came on me and grew to stoke proportions mostly on the ride home. Holy shit, I was just with her!

As I entered, my eyes took in the tall, steady, youngish woman with clear complexion and the brown bearded man next to her with a few fidgets in his standing. Organically, gradually, I let my vision take in her appearance and followed the accompanying perceptual processing. Hmm, she looks familiar.

The hole in the wall burrito joint was almost shoulder to shoulder, and, uncharacteristically, I decided to enter anyway. I had had a good rich morning with people and within the adventures of my own mind at the coffee shop’s 20th business anniversary, free cake and lively amplified guitar music on tap, stoking the social fires with a fracquaintance, beside the little circular table.

So, I ask you, the reader, would you be gobsmacked and revert to a prior developmental stage, let’s say, if you were to unexpectedly come next to one of your favorite actresses, actors, celebrities, archetype carriers, goddesses or gods? For me, it was Gwyneth Paltrow. “Hi, Gwyneth - hey, how’s it going today?” all caszh-like. In my dreams :)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000569/