I thought all our photos were being transferred to Xanga 2.0. I can't seem to find mine. Sure the ones that appear in my old posts are still there, but all the other ones that I had exclusively uploaded into my photo blog are missing.

Here is an old one, an early painting of mine.

Is that a bird I see?

Is that a bird I see?

Little bird
Little bird
up in the tree
come closer
come closer
and sing a song for me

Is that a bird I see
up in the tree
looking down
longingly at me?

A bright sunny day in Rochester.

I just sent John my list...

I was awake for two hours in the middle of the night and composed a complete musical score, sets, costumes, lighting, dance and story line for a stage show in my head. If only I knew how to get it out of my head and onto the stage it would be really cool. I have a drawing...

Actually I have several drawings, but I think I shall keep some of them secreted.

 Maybe by this time next year I will have it  ready to be published...

My wife wants to know why I just don't sleep and dream normal dreams like normal people.

I want to know too.

It has been a very busy week.  A roofing project to set up, the new bus station, downtown.

We are preparing to close on my new property,  and adventure, "The Artists Cave". Also I have been working on designing and constructing the shower and fireplace for camp. Lots of yard work to catch up on. I try to draw and practice the piano everyday.

All the while the cats just sit and watch. They stare out the window, yearning to play tag with the birds and squirrels. Bishop purrs.

I hope to be visiting many of you soon.

In the meantime, enjoy the day.

Lately I have been contemplating the nature of the Xangaverse. I believe Xanga is a microcosm of our own universe. In our universe we thinking human beings have come to understand the concept of an almighty deity. We model our understanding of this divine being based on our own perceptions of ourselves. Phrases like, God is good, God is Love or God is angry are based on our own perceptions of our own emotions. We can't even begin to fathom an aspect of God which is imperceptible to our own self awareness. So in this vein of thinking I began to wonder, what other human characteristics does YHWH possess?

And thus my theological question for the intellectually curious Xangan; Does God ever get hungry?

What do you think? There are different types of hunger to consider too. People hunger for knowledge or hunger for power or wealth. What would an ultimate divine being hunger for? In the Xangaverse what does the ultimate Xangan hunger for? What do you hunger for the most?

Maybe I should stop thinking and just go fix something to eat.

I don't really have anything blog worthy to say. But that never stopped Dan Theologian. So what ever happened to Mr. Theo? I was looking at an old post, "Cell Phone Zombies". It was one of the few I ever wrote that had over 100 individuals comment, 227 e-props. I started visiting all the sites of those who left comments only to discover nearly half of them haven't posted in over a year. Many others had shut down their sites.

Xanga seems a lot like a chess board these days. Fewer and fewer pieces to keep track of. I never was good at closing in a chess match. I enjoy the board better when all the pieces are scattered about engaging each other in intricate relationships. I like it when my paintings and music have the same feel.

My job is like that most of the time, 20 to 30 men all engaged in a different aspect of the roofing process. Today our crew was much smaller, 10 men. Sometimes I like the intimate atmosphere of a small crew. I can keep busy actually working with my hands. And so I sit here and type, just as I roofed, in a smaller more intimate environment.

It isn't really a bad thing. I get to read a few blogs more carefully, comment more thoughtfully. Well perhaps I will do just that tomorrow night. All the fresh air and sunshine, working with my hands and trying to fill the void Theo Dan has left behind really has me ready to lie back and close my eyes for a while...

Maybe I will get a second wind and get to your site tonight. Leave a comment and I promise I will stop by and visit with you very soon, maybe tonight, more likely though tomorrow. Yeah. I have no other plans for my Friday night, than to visit my Xanga friends...

I don't drink much coffee

But when I do, I want it to be epicurean.

The key to the perfect cup of coffee is the setting.

In the right setting, even a bad cup of coffee can taste good, a good cup of coffee can taste great and the perfect cup of coffee like a sip of heaven.

This is why I don't drink much coffee. The uniqueness of our existential nature is lost when we become creatures of habit. A fresh cup of fine brewed coffee must be appreciated and not merely swigged down like some cheap Tennessee whiskey. There is a coffee bean processing plant locally which required a new roof, and yours truly had the great honor and privilege of installing several roofs at the facility. Really, nobody knows coffee like a professional coffee bean roaster. These guys brewed fresh coffee after every batch of beans was prepared. The rooftop vents emitted the ceaseless aroma of roasting beans. Just breathing the air throughout the work day had the effect of drinking several liters of Jolt soda.

I enjoy a cup of coffee most when I am outside, on a cool sunny morning. Saturday mornings at the cabin are the absolute best. I boil the water slowly on the wood stove. The cold water is drawn by a hand pump from a hand dug 19th century well and prepared in a stainless steel pot. I put about a tablespoon and a half of fresh ground coffee into a mesh basket and pour the hot water slowly through the grounds, letting it gather the rich full flavor of the roasted beans. I like my coffee a little sweet, but not so sweet that the body of the coffee flavor is lost. Usually a half a teaspoon of raw sugar strikes the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness. The sugar goes into the mug first so there will be no need to stir the coffee afterwards. The water transforms as it fills the ceramic mug.

Coffee is very acidic. A tinsy pinch of salt helps to neutralize the acidity.

I take my warm mug outside while the sun is warming the forest and watch the mist rise from the glade. The steam swirls off the negra drink and I slowly drink it all in, the air into my lungs, the sun into my skin, the birdsongs, the fluttering of shadows playing in the lights, the colors and smells of morning, the sweet saline flavor of dark bitter java, the perfect cup of coffee.

Do you drink coffee? How do you take your coffee? Coffee, tea or me?