A Lazy Sunday Morning

If you and your spouse spent Friday baby sitting four grand kids five and under, trying to entertain some

while the others just kept coming and going

If you’ve spent the weekend cleaning up your computer room, attempting to clean up your hard drive while wondering where the hell all those strange files come from, not to mention innumberable cookies that have violated your personal space, and finally adding memory to your computer.

Then you might be ready to take a brief break from such activities.

I certainly am. If so, here’s a couple of neat places to spend some time.

First, there’s the National Gallery of Art which offers some splendiferous online exhibits, my favorite so far being the Mayan exhibition, but also offers, if you’re into indulging your inner child like I am, the mobile maker,not to mention a number of art projects for those of us still finding our way.

Then, courtesy of via negativa I spent awhile visiting truetao.org listening to the music while reading some refreshing quotations from the Tao Te Ching which somehow seemed appropriate on a moody, cloudy morning here in the Pacific Northwest.

21 thoughts on “A Lazy Sunday Morning”

  1. Sounds like a great way to spend the day. I watched some of the coverage about the Pope, and felt moved by his humanity. I read some poems by Milosz, who was, I understand, a friend of his.

    Gift

    A day so happy.
    Fog lifted early, I worked in the garden.
    Hummingbirds were stopping over honeysuckle flowers
    There was no thing on earth I wanted to possess.
    I knew no one worth my envying him.
    Whatever evil I had suffered, I forgot.
    To think that once I was the same man did not embarrass me.
    In my body I felt no pain.
    When straightening up, I saw the blue sea and sails.

  2. “not to mention innumberable cookies”

    Perhaps you meant to write “innumerable”. An interesting mistake when made by an English teacher, don’t you think?

  3. I guess you must not read these pages very often if that’s the first error you’ve found.

    If you’re a former student hopefully you’re not under the silly illlusion that teachers are somehow perfect. I don’t remember ever trying to propagate that particular myth.

    A more interesting question is why that spendy new spell catcher I just bought didn’t beep and tell me that it was misspelled when I typed it . (But just found it when I had it check the whole article, suggesting “numberless” instead.

  4. “If you’re a former student hopefully you’re not under the silly illlusion that teachers are somehow perfect.”

    Not at all. Let’s take [deleted] for example….

    “I don’t remember ever trying to propagate that particular myth.”

    The only thing I can really recall propagating from you was the acrid stale stench of a thousand cigarettes wafting from your leather elbow patched corduroy jackets.

  5. Loren, this particular person has been by before — has a real thing for your leather elbow patches. Must be a fetish.

    Sad, frustrated, and looking for others to blame, he or she comes into your comments anonymously and mocks and jibes in the best passive aggressive manner.

    I’m sure this student thought that they created great art, which you probably gave a grade of ‘C’ to, and ever since has felt that his or her life was destroyed by said event–without realizing that a true artist wouldn’t even care.

    There’s nothing I despise more than a moral coward, and that’s what this person is. The worst kind of human trash.

    Delete his or her comments (and mine in response). Save your space for something besides the petty retributions of a ‘former student’ who even now doesn’t have the guts to say who they are, and why they are so angry with you–but who can’t seem to leave you alone.

  6. Naw, Shelley, I’m sure one day this former disgruntled student will leave a link to his/her own web site, and we’ll be delighted to see how much s/he has grown and accomplished since leaving high school.

  7. Allow me a few thoughts before I flee forever back into the ether…

    Shelley:

    We’re being a tad melodramatic, aren’t we? As much as it may disappoint you I’m not sad or frustrated or looking to blame others. My life wasn’t destroyed by a lack of positive attention from Loren. Interesting theories, though. Experience?
    Your line about me being the worst kind of human trash made me laugh out loud. A couple of anonymous shots at an old teacher makes me worse than, say, child molesters or terrorists or a genocidal world leader? Human Trash. The Worst Kind. Wow. Get a grip.

    Loren:

    What makes you think I’m disgruntled? Because the only memories of you I have after two years in your classroom is of a slender bearded corduroy ashtray speaking a Charlie-Brown’s-Teacher dialect?

    Are you really concerned about my growth and accomplishments since high school? The truth is probably not what you seem to expect. Does your website give you what you’ve been lacking all these years.. a feeling of relevance? If I ever need to go that route, I’ll drop you a link.

    In conclusion, I bid you peace. I won’t be back to visit as it seems Shelley’s apoplectic nature won’t stand for it.

  8. You will, of course, not be reading this anonymous student because you won’t be back, but yes, you are the worst form of human trash. You are a moral coward, hiding behind an anonymous comment to take a shot at a man who at least puts his name to his writing. And you did so in a comment thread that reflects Loren’s personal life — as if you can’t stand to see that he is happy in any shape or form.

    Not in one of the others about photoshop or a poem — but in a very personal one.

    And why no name? Loren has no power over you — why don’t you say who you are if you’re proud of what you write?

    Someone coming along and getting upset at what Loren writes and responding in kind and doing so anonymously is the price we pay for an open discussion. But you know Loren. You were a student with him. Sad.

    The only thing I regret is that I didn’t help this thread by getting so angry at you, but I don’t regret the anger, or the statement.

    And I doubt you’ll stay away, either. Your kind never does.

    (Sorry Loren.)

  9. Nice article, Tom. Somehow seems appropriate.

    Truthfully, I don’t mind criticism directed at me (you’ll notice that I deleted the other teacher’s name, though).

    Since I don’t delete the positive comments from ex-students, it would seem unfair to delete negative comments unless they stepped over the bounds of good taste or were actually slanderous.

    Realistically, it’s just as impossible to make all students happy as it is to be a good teacher for all students, or even to be a good teacher all the time. There are just too many factors which one has little or no control over. I was always amazed how a particular teacher, no matter how the majority of students felt, was someone’s favorite.

  10. Your comment about unlikely objects of admiration brought to mind Albert Finney’s movie “The Browning Version,” which I found so touching. If you taught English, you might enjoy it. I understand you to be retired (either that or you don’t sleep very much). I suspect you were a good teacher, Loren.

  11. There are people in this world that will take offense and others that give offense. You seem to take it all in strides and I like that. I also like your site. Thank you

  12. Excellent connections and feelings – I suggest two words for the ‘Poets’ section to validate all of the Beat foundation: Bob Kaufman.

  13. I really don’t know Bob Kaufman at all, Jaime, but I’ve put his book on my wishlist at Amazon, a very long wish-list I must confess, and will try to get to him after I’ve read several poetry books that I’ve already purchased.

  14. Loren,

    I am so impressed by your writings, pictures, and sensitive understanding of nature that I take liberty to reach you through this attempt.

    I have been a student of Zen, Haiku, and Japanese artforms. I have travelled wide and deep in Nippon ,in all four seasons.

    One I wrote @ Nikko :(1984-April)

    “Sakuras Weep Birds cry
    Tired Spring wants to rest,summer smiles
    I stand,stare, wondering why !!!”

    Wishing to establish contact with Loren,

    Amol

  15. It’s nice to know that you read my site and I realize you probably have some insights that would add much to my commentary on Chinese and Japanese poetry, and I’ve even added the novel you suggested to my Amazon wish list, but I don’t allow links to commercial sites, particularly when nothing seems to appear on the page when you hit the link.

    As a result, I’ve deleted the link to your site for now, at least until I know what will appear on those pages, Amol.

  16. Loren,
    Thanks for your response. I read and saw your recent entries too. All of them just fab.
    I am just lucky to have hit upon your blog when seasrching for more on Basho.

    Well ! I appreciate your comments on my site, which ofcourse is my consulting companies home site…..and it works harmlessly !

    Keep posting the great pics and your writings.
    Thanks,
    Amol

  17. Was googling something haiku and came across your site and reading your reviews wondered what you might think of my work (Rise, Ye Sea Slugs! and Fly-ku!) and thought to mention that i got another Loren’s Night Country translated into japanese (and wrote the postscript in lieu of the translators (standard practice in japan)) and sorry not to comment on anything in particular other than to say a rose is not a rose by any name except for people sharing a common culture and that my next next book will be Cherry Blossom Epiphany and hopefully Usanians will soon not only be walking through but sitting under their bloom . . . and please do visit paraverse.org. The “Winter Art” pics are my favorite but i fear the best is a bit too large for the monitor…

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