Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
‘Boats imitating geese, lying on the water in a row’ The bottom half of this photo of boats at rest in a salt pond, is green like an old worn-out pool table. The grass is full green and there are parallel lines that appear white, as the blades are uniformly bent by the weight of a mower, changes how much of their greenness we can see. The left half of the green area is worn down to dirt, from cars parking, coming and going over the grass that is clearly not designed to stand up to such wear and tear. Not completely dirt-brown, the worn area shows faded green every where except the areas that most frequently is driven on. At the top of the green is a sharp line and then the water begins. The line is very sharp because instead of there being a gradual transition down into the water from the level of the grass, someone built a wall. That way, the dry land goes right to the water. There are ducks (or geese, I refuse to make the effort to learn the difference)…. petulant birds that have more strength than they should, but appear, for all the world, to be too lazy to take advantage of their (relative) physical superiority. They compensate for their lack of evolutionary ambitions by exhibiting a remarkably surly attitude. Anyway, the ducks (or geese), are standing along the wall that overlooks the water. The title of the photo comes from the similarity of appearance in the boats that lie in the water, tied to poles, in rows all facing in the same direction… very much like the geese (or ducks) except without the attitude. If anything, the boats project a dog-like hopefulness and patience. You know they want you to come down, cast off the lines and go out on the ocean, but if you don’t, even if they see you looking at them and still don’t do anything, they’re still content and happy…. as opposed to those fricken ducks.
This is…the Ten Things of Thankful.
The TToT is a bloghop with, (the sharing), of, (experiences), of gratitude as it’s theme, raison d’être (far be it from me to not use a less used word or phrase, thats why god invented the internet…isn’t it?). Each week, our host, Josie Two Shoes makes available her website along with a linking tool, so that those of such mind, not only might make available their reflections upon, insights into and general thoughts on how this mysterious thing, this emotion, ‘gratitude’ permeates the world. Provided, of course, you are able to perceive it. (And no, I did not just have a brief visual that included Marie Curie and several apocryphal stories (from college days) about how her coffin is lead- lined, but, under certain conditions, at night, one can detect a greenish glow around here gravesite. I’ve included the link to her wikipedia entry for the clarks out there. (Hey! according to the entry, Marie coined the word, ‘radioactive’. Hard to be cooler than that! I know that fact is certainly important to ‘The Firm‘.))
So, lets begin.
1) the Internet.
2) technology in general. I don’t go out on much a limb if I say there is no area or aspect of our experience of the world that we do not feel the effects of technology; from baby monitors to CCTV cameras staring at intersections, keyboards and computers, (there’s an old joke/advertisement from back in the day, when magazines were the manifestation of the social media… admittedly uni-directional and passive, but you might sit in a barbershop on a Saturday morning amid the aroma of morning sweat and Brylcreem and pick up a magazine and share (or, rather have a common experience), with countless others in the luridly optimistic articles of Popular Mechanics or Hunting Life or (here courtesy of Item 1:)
3) (Hey is it just me* or does that advertisement remind you of ‘the Facebook’? You know, that constant emotion-numbing drumbeat of the imaginary underdog, the linchpin of the new mythos of the secret/imaginary power of the individual?…. lol no, really, I mean the posts that always end with “when she started to sing/his comeback floored/the judges’ reactions….” It, (the underlying pitch), here in the ad is the same as it is today, except then it was a one-way, passive media.
4) *lol… zoe not a whisper about, experiential-lensing of megalomaniacal curiosity**
5) ** not a ‘real’ word… this, btw, is a genuine Item of Thankful. The atmosphere that Josie and the others nurture, here each weekend, totally freedom hall. Which is a good thing for those of us less…. organized in our thinking, coherent in our writing and sensitive to the shades of emotion. Thanks!
6) Shout out to the Graviteers! Every day, (except on Sundays), we send in photos of our scale readouts and, through the magic of technology, lend (and take) support from each others’ experiences as we all alter the degree of attraction to the center of the earth that our bodies possess.
7) ‘Home and Heart‘ Chapter 13 (and probably Chapter 14) will be out early this week. [Teaser: Sister Margaret is (somewhat reluctantly) on a mission to do something about her mother’s home being foreclosed on… her reluctance in no small part due to the fact that she must draw upon skills acquired in the part of her life that preceded finding peace and happiness in the company of the Sisters at St. Dominique’s. Sister Ryan is surprised to learn of an ally in her effort. Arlen and Drusilla arrive in Miami and meet with the owner of the Bernebau Company… they learn that, to no surprise, many of the rumours*** about Cyrus St Loreto are un-founded, tales to frighten junior executives. They, Drusilla and Arlen do, however, confront the less common observation, that ‘truth is sometimes better disguised as lies.’] Join us at jukepop and don’t forget to vote!
8) Una and Phyllis of course! 9) Garden Update! (photo to follow this afternoon, hopefully the rain will stop long enough to get us some photation.)
combined in a video (sorta)
10) SR 1.3
Click on this here icon here and join us the TToT!
*** spelling for Founderess Lizzi
About clarkscottroger
We must have sent all the rain up the eastern seaboard. :D Nice pic at the top there and fun caption. I’m grateful for the internet and blogs and connecting with folks, such as yourself. :) I’ve fallen a bit behind in my reading, but hopefully I’ll have some time to catch up this week. It’s the last week – 23 June is my last day. Surreal. But interesting and awesome times lie ahead. :)
Hope you have a great rest of your weekend!
You are so wonderfully entertaining, Clark! I laughed at your opening remarks about ducks/geese and such. They can indeed be cantankerous critters, and swans are even worse! While I adore all of them, those who inhabit public places and have become accustomed to being fed are known to become “a bit” noisy and demanding if you dare to proffer a few morsels and they desire more! It is much like feeding a seagull, surely two hundred more will instantly appear aloft and zooming in!
It really wasn’t all that many years ago that the Internet was a new thing in our lives, just becoming popular on the home front and approached with caution. I would be hard-pressed to give it up now, on my phone, my tablet, and my laptop. The ability to check out anything, learn new things, and share with people world-wide is just to attractive to us more reclusive types. I love technology in all the good ways it has been put to use, I deplore the reality that many have found it a substitute for relationships and experiences beyond the flickering screen.
I smiled at your comments on the online advertising ads, so repetitive as to totally lack creativity or credence. “You would be amazed by….” No, I probably won’t be that amazed, even if I do manage to navigate the twenty ad links require to get to the meat of the promised article. Advertising in all formats just leaves me is dismay. Does this garbage really appeal to people, and does it inspire them to buy? Lord I hope not, it’s geared to the level of a moron.
I really do enjoy the freedoms we’ve created with our TToT link up, in posting time, format, and even the not really required items ten. I am happiest when people feel free to bring themselves and their own approach to gratitude, be it in a concise and well done word or phroase, or in rambling paragraphs of narrative such as my own. The more variety we share the more we relate the message that gratitude is all around us in so many forms and situations, we only need to open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to realize it!
Your gravity challenge is another very positive example of how coming together enhances awareness, motivation, and the desire for change. It’s been going on for some time now and folks are still participating, that shows that accountability works!
I am happy that you writing Home and Heart progresses weekly, you are obviously finding it not that difficult to write, and I so admire that! I love your weekly expression of gratitude for Una and Phyllis, they form the foundation of your wellbeing, just as Papa Bear and the furkids do mine.
I will be back first of week and eagerly hoping to see the progress of the Una garden, our weeds are flourishing in all the rain we’ve experienced here, followed by the daily course of baking sun.
Have a truly awesome week ahead, Clark, may it bring you sweet surprises!
thank you, the photo exercise has been a challenge especially staying focused on the conveying of the image, I suspect this week I allowed myself to convey my feelings about the image as opposed to the image itself…
can’t say enough about the technology that is commonplace today, it is way more than convenience, it (technology) has created new ways of relating to the world around us, this ‘blogging’ and the virtual communities are a small example of the difference between today and yesterday.
The Gravity Challenge has been quite satisfying, it’s amazing how long we’ve been doing it!
You are so right about the impact of technology on our lives, especially the Internet. I cherish the ability to meet and connect with all of you, people that I never would have encountered in my daily life, and shared experiences and friendships I would have missed entirely. It has been a wonderful gift… top of my list of blessings right after special people!
I loved this video glimpse of your yard and the delightful garden, and Phyllis and Una too! Such beautiful surroundings, so peaceful, and so GREEN. I am green with envy. :-)
Its safe to say there, imo, there’s been nothing quite like the blogsphere before… sure, brick and mortar clubs and groups, even pen pals and other common interest gatherings of people, but to be able to interact with people on all levels barring one, the physical, technology makes possible the Town Commons as it’s never existed before, or the potential for it, at any rate.
So, came by for share a random WD revelation. Nothing to do with this post, though I’m grateful for this post and a place to comment. Haha.
I was at a qigong class earlier today. I seem to much prefer qigong to yoga, for example. I was trying to figure out why – they both involve physical movement and breathing.
I recall holding off on the yoga thing for a long time before I ever attended a class. Perhaps it was because it seemed like “everyone else is doing it.” But, I’ve tried it out time and again and always feel good afterwards. I’m just not drawn to it like I am with meditation, for example.
Well, so I figured it out – what it is that keeps me from being a yogini: it’s turned into an activity where all the rogers go. Don’t get me wrong: this is great. But once the rogers all participate in something, the clarks then need to find something else that is not as well-known. All the rogers do yoga. When I was at the qigong class today, well, I have a feeling it was a class of many clarks: the way they held themselves and the different vibe that I got from that class compared to a yoga class. But, I have to say it wasn’t ME who figured this out. I was discussing with John who then drew that conclusion. He’s getting good at the Doctrine vicariously through me. lol.
totally agree.
can’t say I’ve ever done ‘the yoga’ but have gone the t’ai chi route (and encountered) qigong. The instructor was so a clark
I enjoyed reading the description of the photo several times. Some ducks and geese certainly do have attitudes, but the ones that do seem to have gotten that surly attitude by being fed one too many times by park attendees. They come running and demanding food!
Your mention of Brylcreem took me back to Brylcreem commercials. If you want a laugh, check out some of the Youtube Brylcreem commercials from yesteryear.
Now you can’t even find magazines in some medical clinics, etc. because of the fear of spreading germs. Most people sit there looking at their phones. LOL
they are truly scotts!*
*actually I should qualify that assessment, or expand on why their behavior might be labeled scottian… aggression for it’s own sake, aggression as the primary response to (everything)…. there! that should clarify things! lol
Today i will join you in being thankful for the internet (i’m thankful for it most of the time, actually) because it has introduced me to so many people i would not otherwise meet — like you!
I totally agree, it is such a remarkable plce, this virtual world, in general, and the blogosphere, in particular
The Internet is definitely a place where I find myself in a love/hate scenario. I hate the constant stream of news, mostly bad. I hate social media. Truly. I hate the feeling that the world is constantly pawing at me.
But.
I’m learning to keep it compartmentalized, only use it the way I want to use it. I click away from ugly stuff. Yes, I keep informed enough about events, issues, etc. But I don’t sit and dig and wallow in it. Move along, nothing more to see here… But I do love the Internet and SM for the friendships, connections, and opportunities it has brought me. Definitely.
Love the video.
I totally agree about having to maintain vigilance against attack by the energy thieves that roam the virtual world.
Love the video of Una. She reminds me of a circus animal, in a good way, though. She seemed very proud of herself for jumping up on the bench so neatly!
Yeah, she does that jumping in the bench thing with a certain grace. Just something she started doing, she has remarkable muscles for the levitating into the air kind of jumping.