Good one, Scott! I truly enjoy the sharp wit and subtle humor woven throughout this story. I love their playful banter and differences in movie choices. Great ending too!
I discard my rose-colored lenses for pixelated CMOS photovoltaic chips to receive photons that penetrate firmly closed eyelids. Thus, visual data is filtered. Where some see leadership, I see bullying. Where some see genius, I see vainglory. Where some see patriotism, I see jingoism, solipsism, and one-upmanship. Where some see fact, I see confabulation. Where some see history, I can't read invisible ink. Where some see opportunity, I see exploitation, then discarding. Where some see enemies, I see us. Where some see theirs, I see ours no more. Where some see themselves in the mirror, I'm blinded by the tears.
Well done, Gerard! You always surprise me! I didn't expect a deep exploration of how our perceptions and interpretations of the world can impact our lives. A beautiful and emotional ending.
Beautifully done, Lois! I could almost feel the struggle between what the eyes perceive and what the mind chooses to avoid. I especially liked the metaphor of the mirage. You gave us a subtle, yet powerful piece on the challenge of facing reality.
Ah, Theresa! You had me from the start! Your mix of honesty and raw energy makes it feel like a conversation I'd love to join. Yes, sometimes we need to face uncomfortable truths to imagine a better future. Great rallying cry at the end!
Chase: Professional TV Critic and Part-time Cow Whisperer
Chase was a schnoodle with a soul far bigger than his small and joyful body.
He watched TV like a tiny old man, head tilted, fully invested.
Every creature who entered our home became his friend; even a fragile kitten once curled against him, believing he was its mother.
Outside, he greeted the world with wonder. One morning, he approached the fence where cows grazed, and a gentle cow stepped forward. They touched noses, quiet and curious. Moments like that revealed his spirit: open, tender, impossibly good.
He left us in 2020, but his kindness still echoes through every memory.
Thanks for the warm hug for my soul, Missy! Chase comes alive so vividly, not just as a pet, but as a gentle spirit whose kindness touched everything around him. I love the way his personality shines through the little details: the head tilt in front of the TV, the kitten’s trust, and that quiet moment with the cow. Lovely!
Thank you! So much. He had a wonderful soul. Out of all my fogs so far, he is my favorite. Don’t get me wrong I loved all my dogs and the one I have now, but he was extra special. And it will probably never find another dog like him.
Augie stared at his computer, his mind whirling with immense displeasure at what he had just witnessed. “Such anger. Such sadness,” he said with conviction. The blithe indifference evidenced in the utterings of his fellow man was becoming untenable.
“I don’t understand how we have gone from love, peace and harmony to hating each other with such intensity,” he said, his voice rising in anger. “What happened to ‘back the earth to set my soul free?’”
Augie balled his fists in frustration. “Eyes wide shut,” he muttered crossly. "Why do people have to live their lives with eyes wide shut?”
Very nicely done, Bill! Thanks for the glimpse into Augis’s quest for understanding in a confusing world. It was easy for me to connect with Augie’s journey. You captured that disconnect between what could be and what actually is, brilliantly.
Powerful
Thanks, Scott!
Here’s Johnny
Frannie had a suggestion for movie night. Can’t go wrong with Kubrick. The master.
He wanted “The Shining” as she knew he would. She had other ideas.
“Great,” he said with an eye roll after hearing her pitch. “Tom and Nicole at an orgy.
“So I get horror anyway,” he continued.
She waited for the lame sexual punchline. But he surprised her. On the low side. “Working with your wife,” he shuddered, flashing his perma- smirk.
She smiled like she always did. Her own inner blink wide open to the hand she’d dealt herself. Wishing her ears were wide shut.
Good one, Scott! I truly enjoy the sharp wit and subtle humor woven throughout this story. I love their playful banter and differences in movie choices. Great ending too!
Thank you, loving this series!
Title: Follow the Data
I discard my rose-colored lenses for pixelated CMOS photovoltaic chips to receive photons that penetrate firmly closed eyelids. Thus, visual data is filtered. Where some see leadership, I see bullying. Where some see genius, I see vainglory. Where some see patriotism, I see jingoism, solipsism, and one-upmanship. Where some see fact, I see confabulation. Where some see history, I can't read invisible ink. Where some see opportunity, I see exploitation, then discarding. Where some see enemies, I see us. Where some see theirs, I see ours no more. Where some see themselves in the mirror, I'm blinded by the tears.
Well done, Gerard! You always surprise me! I didn't expect a deep exploration of how our perceptions and interpretations of the world can impact our lives. A beautiful and emotional ending.
Eyes Never Can Shut Out . . .
I see it so clearly through my eyes and yet my mind does not want to look,
I can not stand what has come to confront me.
It is not right.
These retinas burn with images I must reject, deny, even destroy.
Nothing good can come from this despite the saying.
Despite a world of good.
Pupils dilated under the hot sun, denying functions of the biological body,
I can not stop the mirage painted on the desert floor,
Painted into my brain.
Eyelids burdened with the duty of a threshold as if hoping to monitor entrance.
Beautifully done, Lois! I could almost feel the struggle between what the eyes perceive and what the mind chooses to avoid. I especially liked the metaphor of the mirage. You gave us a subtle, yet powerful piece on the challenge of facing reality.
Thank you.
I haven't seen the movie
Reality is here
When art resembles truth
We should be scared
The news is making me sick
Powerful men with greedy dicks
Are hiding it all from you .
You know what you must do
Or keep those eyes wide shut
Like Bondi and Blanche , Trumps mutt
We need a hero to break their spell
Where justice knows what to tell
That evil 's time is almost up
Drink from the Lord 's cup
Where righteousness grows
And everyone knows
That the world can be better
Keeping to the letter
Of the law
all right , y'all !
Thank you , Caro !
Ah, Theresa! You had me from the start! Your mix of honesty and raw energy makes it feel like a conversation I'd love to join. Yes, sometimes we need to face uncomfortable truths to imagine a better future. Great rallying cry at the end!
Chase: Professional TV Critic and Part-time Cow Whisperer
Chase was a schnoodle with a soul far bigger than his small and joyful body.
He watched TV like a tiny old man, head tilted, fully invested.
Every creature who entered our home became his friend; even a fragile kitten once curled against him, believing he was its mother.
Outside, he greeted the world with wonder. One morning, he approached the fence where cows grazed, and a gentle cow stepped forward. They touched noses, quiet and curious. Moments like that revealed his spirit: open, tender, impossibly good.
He left us in 2020, but his kindness still echoes through every memory.
Thanks for the warm hug for my soul, Missy! Chase comes alive so vividly, not just as a pet, but as a gentle spirit whose kindness touched everything around him. I love the way his personality shines through the little details: the head tilt in front of the TV, the kitten’s trust, and that quiet moment with the cow. Lovely!
Thank you! So much. He had a wonderful soul. Out of all my fogs so far, he is my favorite. Don’t get me wrong I loved all my dogs and the one I have now, but he was extra special. And it will probably never find another dog like him.
Our dog, which we lost last fall, was like that. She was also a gentle and kind soul. Your piece brought me to tears. I miss my girl!
I am so happy you could relate. Dogs like this are special stars.
Eyes Wide Shut
Augie stared at his computer, his mind whirling with immense displeasure at what he had just witnessed. “Such anger. Such sadness,” he said with conviction. The blithe indifference evidenced in the utterings of his fellow man was becoming untenable.
“I don’t understand how we have gone from love, peace and harmony to hating each other with such intensity,” he said, his voice rising in anger. “What happened to ‘back the earth to set my soul free?’”
Augie balled his fists in frustration. “Eyes wide shut,” he muttered crossly. "Why do people have to live their lives with eyes wide shut?”
Love the ending.
Very nicely done, Bill! Thanks for the glimpse into Augis’s quest for understanding in a confusing world. It was easy for me to connect with Augie’s journey. You captured that disconnect between what could be and what actually is, brilliantly.
Thank you.