My thoughts on the Sandy Hook Shooting

I must start by saying that I wish I did not have to write about this horror, but it has only been 2 days since the tragedy and I am already fed up with the platitudes and out pouring of false well wishes and outward miss-direction of causalities. I am not, in any way trying to anger or infuriate, but rather wish well to those affected by this event, and to tell others who would use this as a soap box to shut the hell up !

I am one who spends probably way too much time on Facebook, and I have many friends and followers, as well as follow the online exploits of others. I see so many posts on this and other subjects and I have, until now, held my tongue – but it has gone too far. I saw a post where a person wrote a poem about the children who, through no action of their own or for any reason, died at the hand of a disturbed person, the post went on to say how it was “wonderful that these poor souls were called unto heaven by god, and the lord Jesus would now care for them, and for those who died trying to save them”, this is such a load of bull!

All the miscreants and self-proclaimed voices of the masses on Facebook that would use this to preach of God and of how we should no fear the government would use this to take away our guns, or that it is the fault of the Gays or other “heathens” YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED! This was not some clandestine act of holy authority, it was not “a good thing”, and this is an abomination, a horror of outrageous proportion. The children of Sandy Hook lost their lives, teachers lost their lives, people died long before their time. God did not “Call them home” a highly disturbed individual decided he wanted to do something vile, and to try to say “he was sick”, no sick is having a clod, or having and illness and being under some treatment, this person was deranged, killed their own parent and then killed others who left behind a world that will now never know what great things they would have done and families that will never get past this or ever stop feeling the sorrow of their loss.

Some will now say “oh, now the government will take away our rights” or “the president sheds fake tears” or “if we had so and so in the white house”- get off it! I heard that a group plans to picket the school, a church group will picket the school and hold signs saying “God killed your kids because of the Gays”, how the (explanative) can a church do that? Where is their respect for god? Where their respect for life is that god grants to all.

Writing poems and shedding tears of Facebook love just adds to the lie that is perpetrated, that if we say nice enough things often enough, the pain will go away, tell that to one of the sandy hook parents and you will lose some teeth or using this to further hate or fear will make one no less disturbed than the shooter, and no less vile.

All the news and press are going on and on, forcing everyone involved to relive the day’s events, or “look into the mind of the shooter” or what were his issues or what was done, let’s just accept the fact that there was no good reason and that several children, and those that would protect them died, let us remember them, mourn them and reach out to their loved ones without words of advice, or reason or preaching, let’s just say “ I am so sorry for your loss” or “I wish this never happened to you” or even not say anything, just reach out and hold them close, anything other than try to find something good in all of this, there is no good.

NONE!

Let their healing begin in silence, let them cry or scream or beat their chests. I was born in NY, in my youth I went to funeral with a friend, it was at a synagogue, the family had lost a uncle in an accident, he was a very good man, his father wept so loud and screamed, he ripped open his shirt and fell forward on the casket and begged god to take him instead, all at once I felt like I wanted to scream and weep and cry out, the rage and the feeling of loss was so great that everyone cried for days following.

I can only imagine what the families of Sandy Hook are feeling now, and I wish I could not.

Let the people of Sandy Hook Mourn and heal, let’s leave them alone, let us let them to their time, shut the mouths of the online demagogy and let the dead rest, let us not raise them up only to cast them further down.

Like if you wish, share if you must, scroll past if you need, but let Sandy hook heal, I beg of you, let us end this cycle of pain and remember the children as their families would, forever alive, forever loved and forever un-martyred.

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Pictures say it all

 

So far this year: an update

 

Hello friend, it’s been a while since we had the time to talk and “chew the fat”, how have you been-Well, sit down and relax, I will tell you a story of my life, as it is, and what I have been doing for the past few months. I may sound a bit down, but life has its ups and downs and it is very cathartic to just let it all go. So, if you don’t mind, I will use this moment to do a bit of self-therapy.

This year, so far has been very exciting. I have been working very hard on several projects and things are going very well, so far. My day job, as it were, has been ok, but the hours have been dropped down, the company felt that, rather than lay people off, they just cut hours – having some work is better that not having a job. So I find myself writing more and doing the odd jobs around the house. I am going to be building a studio in my garage, for painting and working on some furniture projects I want to do, as well as organizing all of my stuff. It is amazing how one can collect so much stuff over the course of the years. Some of it is important and cannot be replaced, but I will admit – some is just pure junk I cannot seem to part with. I guess I am the “pack rat” my mother said I was.

I have been working on my writing and painting… well more writing than painting actually. I am getting more time to go out and writing on location, like café’s and public places, watching life stride by, and getting some photography work done, it’s not so bad having some time to write or just do something for myself. It gives me a chance to be more introspective, work on the “me-projects” that I don’t always get to complete.

I have been hired by Blog Critics (http://www.blogcritics.org) to write for them, their online news source is very popular and it gives me an opportunity to get my work seen by more people. My blog RantBabble (http://www.rantbabble.wordpress.com) has started getting some popular feedback and is getting more readers – I find that writing for 4 different web sites is allot of work but it is also many different outlets, so what may not work well for one site may be great for the other ones. I am going to the Paso Robles Wine Festival in May to do some review work for my food and wine columns and I may have a chance at getting some connections there to get material for my magazine Groove Studio One.

My Online Style and Entertainment Magazine, Groove Studio One is doing very well, the site http://www.yourgrooveonline is in “beta” and I am working out the bugs that come with web page design, but the blog side http://www.groovestudio1.blogspot.com is getting multiple hits per day, sometimes in the thousands, this gives me a way to get involved with writing about fashion, food, wine and style – one would not know it, looking at me, but I am very interested in the elements of personal style, and I like writing about it. I have been able to meet many interesting people and I was even invited to take my wife with me to be on an episode of Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay.

My book “Rants and Ravings of a Modern Day Cave Dweller” was officially published this year on http://www.lulu.com, it is a self-publishing site, but they work like the normal publishers, you have to submit material, go through the process and if they like it, they publish your book and market it for you. I look forward to it doing well, the publisher said it was “unique” and had potential, so we will see what come of it.

I have put together a concept for a Television Show, and I am working with local cable TV and public access television to get it put together. I have not come up with a title yet, but it will be connected with my magazine, I will do live interviews, “news” style coverage of local events. I have asked my longtime friend David Jay to help me on this project, he is a producer and a very popular “on air” personality in local radio. I have so great friends who are willing to help me achieve my goals, get some friends, I know you’ll like it.

I have made the acquaintance of a very famous artist, John Landon who lives here in the Central Coast; he has worldwide appreciation of his work and he said he thought my paintings were good, so I take the compliments where I can, and if he likes my painting, well I guess that means it is worth looking at. I also met another very talented artist, Neal Breton, whom owns San Luis Art Supply in San Luis Obispo; he is both a business owner and an artist, so he never gets to sleep, but there is hope.

The wife and kids are fine, my wife has been working on her stitchery and has a shop on Etsy, where she has been growing in popularity and making sales. My littlest one, Vera, was recently in a musical pageant where she sang in the final act; I don’t know who was more excited, her or myself. I felt so nervous with her on stage, I was hoping that she would not get stage fright, but she was wonderful, I felt so proud. My daughter Rita has won awards at school just before this spring break and she is turning into quite a little actress, she is working on jokes and impersonating TV stars, she wants to be an actress when she grows up, she does a great job at making her mother laugh.

All of my life I have wanted to be something special, not so much as “famous” or “rich” but to be someone remembered, and I have never seemed to find it. I now find that I have been memorable for some time now, I have a great family, I am a writer and an artist, I have great friends and my blogs get readers, like you, who come back from time to time so see what I am up to.

So if you get a chance, stop by my blogs, my Online Magazine and if you see me in person, try not to run me down with your car, I’ll buy you a cup of Java and we can talk a while, I got time.

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Blatant Plug for an Art Store

Recently I had the chance to find an Art Supply Store in San Luis Obispo which is more than what it looks like.

San Luis Art Supply is owned and operated by Neal Breton, a great guy and a great artist, working with local artists to promote art shows, displays and events, Neal looks to creating an Artist atmosphere that has not been seen in the area since the 60’s. When I have gone into the store it is always a meeting place for some of the local artisans, both well known and new to the craft, Neal serves the art community not only with affordable wares but a place to meet and exchange ideas, forming an arena of free thought and expression. 

Originally from the East Coast, Neal spent time in Los Angeles and was very connected to the trade and did a lot of work in Hollywood, but moved to the Central Coast to explore new thoughts and provide his vision to our community. San Luis Art Supply has sponsored many community events and looks to do more in the near future.

Visit Neal at

San Luis Art Supply, 1116 Morro St. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401- Phone: 805-787-0348 

Neal’s artwork is on display at The Claassen Gallery, 785 Mash Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93401 – 805-541-3932

Peace

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Fueling Bitterness

Regular unleaded gas is 4.90 a gallon, and climbing. the economy is spiraling downward and, even though the government swears otherwise, the unemployment level is climbing. the average American spends most of the day worrying about where the next car payment will come from and if their house will still be theirs in a month.

These are not happy thoughts, and everyone could come up with more things to inflame and enrage themselves. I would like to propose thinking positively about these issues. we have seen in the news how other countries are having protests and revolutions when they are sick and tired of how their perspective governments are ruining their lives with overly strict laws and the lack of respect for basic human rights. I am not advocating protests in the streets or revolution, but referring to the fact that we do have the ability to make change in how our government runs this country and how they need to listen to the people.

I could express on the already well known rules and laws of this country, but that would digress from the point of this commentary, it is through diligence on our part, watching and objecting when needed to make it possible for “we the people” to be happy in our own land. many have worked, struggled, fought and even died for the right to be either happy or unhappy with the way things are in the USA, and we should never forget this, nor should we seek to have any more pain and suffering. it is a confusing issue, do we let the powers that be continue to run things without our watching, or do we bounce the prats from office and hope the next bunch would and could do better.

So, with the hopes of positive change I propose we let the government know that we want change, boycott gas stations that gouge the pumps, vote against politicians who seek to fatten their pockets and leave our tables bare. write and call public officials so much that they either have to listen or change their phone numbers, become a non-violent, law abiding pain in the but, make them aware that you are watching them, they watch us, so why not turn the tables. Use the rights and privileges we know we have to make them change. Call the talk shows and make your point known, don’t just demand change, but demand change with an example of what the change should be, so often we say “ this should be different” but we do not often give a “and this is what should be done”. If you want the right to be married, don’t just complain about it, tell them why. Don’t just complain about environmental issues, do something at the local level and grow to global considerations. I often see people complain about the pollution issues, but still drive SUV’s  just to go to the store 3 blocks away, or buy at large “big box stores” when small markets have better prices, but not the prestigious packaging.

Get on your bike and ride to the local mom/pop market, buy the weeks groceries and make your dollar stretch, have more parties at home and watch less TV, having an active social life in the comfort of your home is much more fun than a night at the bar, and costs much less.

So, Revolt without being revolting and do your part to piss off the government, be part of something grander than grandstanding for something less rewarding. If you do decide to have a party, invite me, I love a good party.

Joseph Timmons

Artist, Author and all around “weird old man”…

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Sponsored By:

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Family Time

Family time, the moments that pass through the day and are all too often forgotten, or trapped within photographs that keep a brief moment in time the same way forever, yet is never remembered for what it is. I have a wife and 5 children, whom I try to spend as much time with as possible. The children grow and grow and change, they become people different than what we know or expect. My wife, who tries to understand me, often looks at me with disbelief or even mild contempt when I offer resolutions to situations contrary from her own, yet I love here more and more each day, to which she sometime flinches when I tell her so.

My wife has admitted to me that her life is not what she wanted, and that she sometimes regrets not being more true to her original plans. The boys grow older and do the things that drive us both nuts, all too often than not. Our daughters are still very young, and very innocent, and very much like their mother; they adore puppies and kittens and listen to everyone, except us, unless they want something, which is often. I dearly enjoy being a husband and father, and I regret nothing, but I feel that I am at times the target of regret, though I am not at fault. Do not think that I am moaning about not “being respected” or that “I don’t feel loved”, I do, I am much loved, and I know this, I dearly praise every moment I have with them.

My siblings, whom often put me at odds with each other, whom often try to let me know, that even at 45, they know “what’s best” and push and pry into my life, but even with that, I smile and let the winds blow, until it is calm again. I have friends, some I see everyday day, and some that are friends in name only, but never in action. So everyone has these aspect in their life, I am no different than anyone else who wakes up every day and goes to sleep every night, but why am I writing this, read on.

I am the last of the optimists, I wake up every morning thinking it is going to be a brand new day with brand new adventures; Peter Pan has nothing on me. I read the same books I did when I was young, and yes, I do think I still believe in Santa Clause, and the tooth fairy, which I have personal and factual knowledge, has a back door to my wallet every time my kids loose a tooth. I feel that every day, we have a new chance to be something or someone special, I believe everyone deserves a chance, 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd.

The other day, I went out with my wife and daughters, I took my camera, and the photos I was able to take at just the right moments show me that I have been blessed with everything I ever wanted. So whether my wife is happy, or my children content or all hell has come up from below, I know why I am happy, and always will be. Family Time is all the time, and always will be. Most people feel that if they die tomorrow, they would leave great works undone, me, my great works are already here.

Think about all you have, and be content, because some have less than you, and you have more than you know.

Life has a way of being just a little more perfect everyday, if you take the time to notice.

Joseph Timmons

Artist, Author, Husband, Father, Grateful Human Being

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A Holiday Wish For You

To all of you in the Blogosphere, to friends and family, to all of you young and old, may you have a Happy Thanksgiving, and a wonderful holiday season.

Take time to remember loved ones both lost and found, and do 1 random act of kindness per day, if possible. Be charitable and kind, wise and playful, but above all be happy.

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So what do you say when you have nothing to say?

 

It is Sunday night and I am bored beyond belief, I have had a great weekend, had fun with my kids and my wife was wonderful. I have nothing to specifically talk about and I feel I need to say it here. I want to know what is the reason for this, why blog about nothing. Well everyone does it, everyone has something to say and feel that it needs to be shared here, on the blog-o-sphere, where everyone has a voice and scream as loud as they can above everyone else. Rambling seems to be a favorite past-time of all bloggers, so I ask this question, why do you feel that what you have to say in no more or no less important that everyone else, and / or why do you feel what you say has to matter.

I don’t think that what bloggers have to say is “no important” but I have seen that all bloggers (even myself) feel that what they say is enlightening and everyone else is “less that mediocre”.

Educate Me

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Labor Day, My New Favorite Day

I have had an received an acceptance for publication to Leaf Garden Press, which is an Online and Print Publication. This is one of several acceptance letters I received today, 4 in total. I have been working on my writing for some time without luck, but as of today I feel that is changing.

Being a writer is not easy, hell, I often don’t think of myself as a writer, my wife is very supportive, and I have had the support of my friends, which combined has kept me working on both my writing and my painting.

Leaf Garden Press can be found online at http://leafgardenpress.blogspot.com/ and I encourage you, if you have a blogger account to follow their publications.

My writing will be published in Issue 12 is due out in November of this year, The publication will be in print and online, so look for it.

To all of you who have supported me, again, thank you.

Technorati Tags: print,published,publication,writing,garden leaf press,great,great news

The Great Dumbing Down of America

 

Ok, I know I have said this many times before, and I run the risk of repeating myself again and again, but this needs to be said.

 

The United States leads the world in technological advances, we have created computers that can do everything up to and including the creation of other computers, we have developed A.I. and system functionality that controls our infrastructure and we have a mobile phone system that has been blended with PDA technology so we are constantly connected, tethered to each other through the world wide web.

We as a country have created a system that keeps the wheels of this great nation rolling, however, I feel we have thrown ourselves under the bus we are driving.

I have noticed, as many of you may have, that when I log into the various social networks I am connected to that conversations have dwindled down to random blurbs like “LOL” and OMG”, nobody really tries to have full conversations, or try to communicate in a fashion that does not need a code book.

I read books, I like books, I do think that the E-Book is an interesting development, a great resource for travelers, but I was driving down the street yesterday and I saw a man walking, against the light at the intersection reading one of the e-book devices, unaware of traffic, he was not “mowed down” but there was a near miss, ironically the driver that almost hit him was a young lady who was too busy texting to notice she was about to cream the techno-bot that was in from of her car. I looked at my wife and asked if she saw what almost happened, her reply was “I see that at least once a day”.

What is it that causes what was once a very intelligent person to become a modern Neanderthal, we have in all of our attempts to enrich ourselves, instead to become less intelligent than the chairs we sit on. I would believe that in our desire to be more connected to each other, we have distanced ourselves from our ability to actually think and speak rationally and coherently. We have created tools that have a natural ability to make us impatient, nothing is fast enough, I have stated that in the time it takes to text a person, you could just call them, and the response I get is “well this way I can leave a message”, I thought that was what voicemail is for ? the time it takes to type a message on the touch pad is actually longer than the time to dial a phone, and either talk to the responder or leave a message.

On Facebook, the status update allows up to 435 characters, enough for a short and effective comment, yet most people leave a message like “OMG I cant Blv she did tht”, what?  who did what? or “I luv my bby” what is that ? people sit at a computer or text in with unintelligible statements that make the viewer more confused than informed. I have Facebook and Twitter accounts, and I use them, but I guess I don’t see the need to confuse or stupefy the persons whom take time from their lives to actually read what I have to say. Like this blog entry, some of you will read further, some may stop here or some may have already moved on to the next blog with pictures of kittens and puppies, which my 9 and 7 year old daughters really like, but they are 7 and 9, not C.E.O’s or college professors.

Recently, I went into Starbucks and I met with 2 associates who were siting at the table, laptops out and texting feverishly on their cell phones and making merry digitally, however, after sitting with them and taking a brief look at what was going on, I noticed they are looking at each other’s social sites and texting each other while texting others and their coffees are getting cold because they have been too busy with their daily technological online affirmations of abbreviated subtexts, suddenly one of their phones actually rings and the poor fool cant figure out how to actually answer the phone, which is why to get a cell phone, to get calls. In a fevered pace she sees who is calling, opens the social site for her connection and texts them a message to call again, and sips her coffee, the phone is still ringing. Neither of them were even looking at each other, but would take a moment to look up at me every now and then because I did not have a laptop with me and my phone is so old it does not have internet or text features, I was the odd man out and not the focus of their attention, because I was not connected with their online circle jerk, and I apologize for that moment of profanity, but again, online rather than use proper grammar, I notice that people with interject F-bombs and @!$$%#@*& between the “OMG” and “LOL”, far too much cursing for my desires. After about 30 min I left, I did not have a keypad or 17 wide screen so I was not socially important to them, I instead went to a small coffee house down the block that did not have WI-fi and had a pleasant game of chess with a friend I ran into, who luckily, did not own a cell phone.

I know this is just me ranting, and it serves no purpose other than giving me a venue to vent, but I would propose that if you have spent hundreds of dollars on a device, use it the way it is supposed to be used, then stop, actually read a book, or the paper, even if it is online, take that e-book and sit-down to read it, absorb and lock in the information, have actual conversations with people, talk in full sentences and don't actually say “LOL” when you are facing a person, leave the “LOL” for AOL, and use the brain you are given. If more people actually knew about what they were talking about, they would make sense, and put the phone down before your coffee gets too cold to enjoy.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Technorati Tags: Dumb,Rant,Cyber Space,America,Technology,simpleton

New Poem

Stillness

Quiet now, listen to

The Stillness

Be at one, all within

With the dark and brooding

Silence of the night

My soul, turning, spinning, twisting

Weeping with the wind

Cold and bitter, now

Depress and suppress the feelings of

Pain, if that is what it is or more than that

I am not sure,How “It” began

But I live it now, my life it is

And I want to be free

Come to me now

And show me there is life in this time I gasp for breath

Show me there is hope

Show me

Love

 

 

Technorati Tags: Poem,Poetry,Stillness,Dark

Thoughts of a Displaced New Yorker

Sunday, March 14, 2010: First Entry

I would start by asking, “What makes a New Yorker?”, is it just the simple act of living in the big apple, scratching and surviving in the midst of down town Manhattan, or living the supple suburban life of Long Island? Well, I would think that it is much more than that, as Billy Joel said, “New York is a State of Mind”

I moved to California in 1990 for what was supposed to be a short period to care for my mother who was ill, she moved to California just 4 years prior, once out here I found myself feeling lost and without my tether to reality, the pace of living is slow and without depth, the people, albeit nice, were without solid measure, in New York, you could tell what a person was thinking, the tone and inflection of voice and body language spoke volumes and there was a sense of familiarity, you knew your neighbors, often by name, and you knew who you could trust. I would like to think that I am not just being melancholy but realistic in my memories.

To me, being a New Yorker means being a part of something bigger than yourself, a community of souls that move in and around each other in a surreal and flawless dance of expressionism. New Yorkers have that special something that makes them unique and tangible, I am going to, over a period of time try to decipher what it is that makes us what we are. I am not one to think that I am all knowing or extensively witty in my writing style, if that is what a style is these days, but I am a writer, of sorts and I will write to you this text based imagery of my life as a misplaced / displaced New Yorker, I am going to write this serial of opinion pieces, submitting them to you, via the internet for your reading and vexing.

I encourage those of you who read these entries to leave comment on my blogs http://josephtimmons.blogspot.com and http://www.rantbabble.wordpress.com after each entry, and please don’t just leave comments like “I love your work” or “Puppies and Kittens are cute” , I want real discussion and notes of what you think, and if you, like me are a displaced New Yorker, please leave a comment about your experiences.

My entries will be dated and at least one complete thought, once you see what I write about and how I write, you will see what I mean, I think you will enjoy being part of my experiment in Ranting. I am also in the process of taking these entries and responses to create articles to submit to “The New Yorker” and “The New York Times”, if I include your responses, you will be credited, however I offer no compensation, you are part of an experiment in self exposure and communications across the rift of time and space.

I will be putting together Video pieces on my YouTube site http://www.youtube.com/user/CCVisualArt , these video parts will be verbal blog entries and response to comments, I may also ask other writers to add to the mix, these writers will be displaced new Yorkers and resident new Yorkers who may give some additional insight to the idea of “ you can take the New Yorker out of New York, but you cannot take the New York out of the New Yorker” but no matter which, you can make them drink.

Until the next entry, stay east coast real.

Joseph Timmons

Artist, Writer and New Yorker.

What’s Been Going On,….

 

Well, here is my update, as you may have noticed I have not been posting recently, I have not been on my Facebook or Social Pages and I have been a bit reclusive, you see my life has fallen apart and I am trying to get the pieces back together and I am quickly running out of super-glue. So I will fill you in and hopefully you will not desire to jump off the roof in sympathetic depression.

P.S.. Yes i am Still Not taking meds for my depression, I am holding firm to my belief that I can survive without them.

 

 

On December 4th I flew out to NY for the funeral of my nephew who passed from cancer, The next day, on the 5th, while I was in NY, my son Alexander, 13 yrs old, whom has been suffering form ADHD and some Mental Health Issues had a psychotic break and attacked my wife, his stepmother, with a knife, slashing at her and disfiguring her hands, she was able to fend him off and snap him out of it just before the police arrived and he does not remember any of the event, he is in Juvenal hall, where he as been now since December 5th and has still to be placed in a mental health facility, he turned 14 in Juvenal hall and it is breaking my heart.

My 3 sisters blame my wife, as if she asked to be attacked and we are not on speaking terms, we have had to move, the landlord of the hose we were in did not appreciate or situation and asked us to move.

My wife and I are trying to get things back on track, we are all taking this time to try to heal, and yes, therapists are involved, for what is is worth, not that they are giving us any definitive advice, just allot of “how does that make you feel”, we have learned whom are true friends are, those of our friends whom have been there for us and have supported us, thanks, and for those whom have not been, I hope you fare well, for this is farewell and do not call me again.

Many of my friends from High School and College, some whom are following my exploits on Facebook have helped financially, when I was run off the road on Highway 154 in San Yenez and my car was damaged, costing 5,400.00 to fix, many of them helped and sent money to help, which was greatly apreciated.

Recently went to the Museum of Art in Santa Barbara, was very impressed with the resident art exhibits as well as some of the special displays.

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I enjoy finding new art exhibits and visiting museums, I am still planning to re-do and upgrade my website http://www.ccvisiualart.com, but it is getting hard for me to find the time to do so, but I think I will fid some time this summer and by September my new site version will be up and running.

 

My wife is healing and is getting back the use of her hands and will be working on her cross-stitch work and may either go back to school or work, but we are still working on it. My wife is working on a new project “Celtic Lady- Summer”

I think it is coming along very nicely :)

Her Blog http://www.astitchingtime.blogspot.com, it has some of her recent postings as well as pictures of her recent work and a link to her Etsy Shop.

 

Recently, the local Cafe Monet was sold to new owners and is now called Cafe’ Noir, and I have secured gallery space and will have my paintings on exhibit for the next several months,Cafe Noir is located at 1555 South Broadway in Santa Maria, California, if you want to check them out it is a nice cafe and the new owners are very interested in community functions and serving the public, they roast their own coffee beans and baked goods.

I am a little distracted right now, if you know the Actor Corey Haim died recently at 38, I am 44, only 6 years older, I remember him from many movies I liked when I was younger and I have sort of been following what has been going on with him and Corey Feldman, Corey’s blog has a post about Corey Haim ( http://coreyfeldman.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/r-i-p-corey-ian-haim-1971-2009/ ) and he, from my point of view is really holding back emotion, so if you get a chance, let him know he is supported, we have all lost a loved one from time to time and it never gets easier, Cory Feldman has had it hard and has had troubles that we would never want to ever have, Hollywood has not been kind to him, nor kind to Corey Haim, so give them a hand, if you could.

Work is going well and I am secure in the knowledge that as long as I do my job well, I get to keep it, so I make sure that I follow all the rules and do as expected, I like working for Microsoft and I want to keep working for them. I am going to be in Orlando Florida in April, so I will blog an entry from there.

I am going to be mirroring this post on all of my blogs, I am now using Live writer to put together my Blog Posts and it sends the exact same thing to all my Blogs and twitter posts, so I'm liking that, makes it easy to post. Well I must go now, will be back soon to annoy you again… Late !

Joseph Timmons

Artist and Author, all around stranger in general

and the winner is…………

 

I though this was extremely funny, in the beginning of the Obama Campaign, there was one image, and now… this is the image that so many of us think of.

Who’s Laughing Now….

Blogging: A medium for expression or a medium for therapy?

I have been working on my blog, this blog, for several days, and in this time I have taken liberty to divulge to you thoughts that I have had regarding love and personal expression, as well as key you, the reader, into what I feel is important. I have been looking at my writing, as well as the writing of others and I have come up with some new thoughts regarding the art of the blog.

As a writer, I take time to note my thoughts on many subjects, mostly it is poetic or short stories, but writers use the written word to permanently imprint their views and opinions on the world, in books their words are held and then shared with those who seek out their opinion or "wisdom", but on the Internet, a medium that can stream information into the homes of millions all at once, the writer becomes a voice of thought that can impact many lives at once, as well as educate or infuriate. the writer can become more than just a person who writes, but almost an archetype of lost voices of all those he connects with and comes into contact with.

I would also state that now, with this medium, anyone can be a writer, to write and be published, to be used as a opinion or to be the subject of research, to be thought of as an expert or quoted, what does this do to the medium? I feel that this gives rise to the ability of any and all persons to be heard, and whether it is just a person sharing an aspect of their life, or a professor annotating their life's work, all this holds merit. Writing has long been an accepted practice in therapy, one can write down their most inner thoughts, of sorrow or joy, chaste thoughts or perverse fantasy, and get feedback or just to vent, the blog can give us all a way to work through our individual issues and find solace in the minds of those who read this work. to be able to connect with like minds and feel" I am not the only one" there as those like me out there that have similar feelings, and we could reach out to each other, and either be our own salvation, or be together in damnation, either way we would not have to ever feel alone. The blog may be a personal journal, but remember that anyone, anyone can happen across your work and then check back and see everything, when you "Blog" do you realize that you are potentially opening your heart and souls out to millions of people?

I go to my library and I find what I am looking for and sometimes I do not, having to check back to see if it has been returned, but on the Internet, I can go to Google and look up an author, or go to the Google Book Search and find the actual book, scanned and loaded to be retrieved and read, or I could go online to Libraries around the world and find the book in digital form, instant data location, and instant gratification, the blog is the same, you can search, locate and collect any thought anytime and anywhere, this could be good, or it could be yet another way the spoken and written word can be lessened into just another blurb in a data vault, but I hope that this medium can be used for its altruistic and Nobel advantages.

The search for knowledge, to know all things is part of the human condition, the art of faith and belief that we, as living, breathing and sentient beings can archive greatness though the power of our minds is that which can be great and lead to greatness, or take greatness and level it to mediocrity. Lets consider education, one can register online at a college, take classes and graduate, never entering a classroom, some facilities, or companies offer educational classes for free, the opportunity to expand ones mind, in just a few short years has multiplied ten fold, yet it is still not taken full advantage of. I am personally trying to learn Russian, so I can share in my beloved wife's culture, and I find so many opportunities that I am stunned and do not know where to start, but I feel that is a good thing, because I can be stunned, I have not yet become prey to my indulgences and I have not yet become complacent to the "instant gratification" of the Internet.

I plan to work on a Knol, which is considered a unit of knowledge, or so it is said as to be by Google. My Knol is called "The History of Art, and it's effect on Modern Art", now I am an "Artist" but I do not consider myself an expert, but I will write as if I were, this is to serve 2 purposes,

1: to see if I can write a piece that effectively illustrates how Art from the past affect Art of today

2: to see if I am taken as an expert, without proof of accreditation.

I want someone to either tell me I am a genius or call me a quack.I want to see how much my thoughts matter. I would like to see if I can inspire a rational and logical appreciation for my contribution to the collective consciousness and knowledge of the vast universe within my omnipresent, omnipotent and all knowing computer.

"And what of Perversity" I state this because we all have our kinks, we all have something about us, that deep dark secret about ourselves that we don't want anyone else to know, whether it is the fact that we want to be "handled" a certain way by our lover or we have a desire that society deems unacceptable, we can find it on the Internet, blogging is also an opportunity to find this. I have found blogs on almost every subject dealing with sex and sexuality, either exemplifying it, admonishing it or rationalizing it, but in every case, the writer has no doubts about his or her opinion, nor do they ask for any leniency, we can find everything and anything in which to satisfy even the most base and carnal desire, professional or amateur, on YouTube or any of the other myriad of video sites, you can find it all. I do not say that this is a bad thing, if anything at all it is probably one of the best solutions to wipe away the taboo, the "dirtiness" of the individuals desire to obtain their personal pleasure or darkest gratification.

I may have strayed from my original concept, but that's exactly why I am following this derailed train of thought, the art of the "Blog" allows us, as a people to openly exchange all thoughts, good, bad or indifferent. I plan on making many entries, and many thoughts I have open to you, my reader, I claim you and take possession of you, you are mine to entertain and be praised or hated by, I want you to read my work, view my words and my art and let me know what you think, because I feel that you can think and can feel and that it is by inciting thought in you that I am doing what I am supposed to and need to be doing, making you think about life, in any way possible. I hope that you can enjoy my words, and take them to heart, and I hope you will comment and let me know what you need to know next.

I await your reply, my friends.

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