#JusJoJan 31 January 2016

Thought I’d share a thought with you, my dear reader, can you believe that January ends today? Seems like yesterday it was the New Year and here we are at the other end of the month. February still makes me shiver and this is the 57th anniversary of the death of the King of Rock and Roll (Buddy Holly) as fate would have it, my cousin had been teaching me to read and introduced me to the exciting sounds of Buddy and The Crickets, when my uncle came in with the newspaper I decided to put what I’d learned to use and started to read the back page story about the death in a plane crash of Buddy, the Big Bopper and Richie Valance. I knew all 3 stars through their records and enjoyed listening to them all. When I read that no one had survived the crash I had to ask my cousin what that meant, I was only 4 at that time.

Seems people have been dying ever since (I know they weren’t the first musicians to die but they were the first I’d heard of). Anyway so far we’ve lost David Bowie, Natalie Cole, Lemmy and the actor Alan Rickman. All since Xmas. Could this be the year we lose so many of our heroes?

#1LinerWeds from Lawrence Block (#JusJoJan)

Only early if read early. Bang on time here 😃

The Sound of One Hand Typing

Those of us who are driven to produce great quantities of manuscript don’t necessarily get any real pleasure out of the act. It’s just that we feel worse when we don’t write.

Lawrence Block

So, I saw the word Linda picked for Just Jot It January, mendaciloquent, and I said, “What the…?” So I went to the Grandiloquent Dictionary and learned that it means “able to tell artful or skilled lies.” And I immediately thought of Lawrence Block, who, in addition to having written more than a hundred novels and many short stories, has written a few books on writing, one of which is Telling Lies For Fun And Profit: A Manual For Fiction Writers.

I know that most of you are fiction writers, or have tried writing fiction in the past, and are always in the market for writing books. This is one of my favorites…

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Remember

A shoutout to elfkat for the original post, please remember to leave comments there, thank you for reading this.

Adventures and Musings of an Arch Druidess

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More truth

Hate may be an energy, but it’s wasted energy. As always I would ask that comments be left on the original post. Thank you for reading and a huge shoutout to elfkat for the post.

Adventures and Musings of an Arch Druidess

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#JusJoJan 14 January 2016 part 2

Listening to David Bowie always makes me feel better, even though he’s not here anymore. Like Under Pressure asks, can’t we give love another try. Now the celestial group has a new addition they must be reeling and rocking all the time up there. David joins those who went before, Buddy, John (all three), Freddie, Elvis, George and Roy. Some supergroup don’t you think?

#JusJoJan Muse and Music

I’ve been sitting here wondering what is going on today. My friends gran passed yesterday morning (13th) and that got me thinking again about music, listening to and enjoying or listening to and becoming inspired.

Of course on Sunday we lost another icon in New York, a month over 25 years since we lost the greatest Beatle of them all in that same city. David Bowie helped me to discover who I was, taught me that it’s alright to drift for a while but you need to climb back on the horse eventually. John Lennon may have provided the soundtrack to my early years (I was 8 when the Beatles started out in 1962) but David Bowie provided me with space sounds (more so than Hawkwind). I saw him live twice in Edinburgh and once in London in the 1970’s, I wanted to go backstage to meet him but by the time I arrived at the stage door the lack of fans told me I was too late. I had never wanted to meet any other star before then but there was something about this man that just struck me (and thousands of others as well).

He wrote songs about films, for films and for us, he took us to new planets, new galaxies and strange worlds. We didn’t have to look far as the lyrics were the catalyst. I know how I’ve been feeling since Monday when I found out he was dead and I can imagine how much worse it is for his family who knew the man I loved from afar. I would not want to intrude on their grief but I just hope that at sometime in the future they can find all the words and posts that have been written about the man and the myth of some comfort.

For myself, I would just like to finish off by reminding everyone that death is not an end, merely the end of life. Birth is the end of incubation in the womb then we are born. After death comes the spiritual life which waits for us all. Some believe in a God of love (we aren’t seeing much love in the world these days) others believe in a God of vengeance (we are seeing a lot of that today). I don’t believe in a God who is the same (or similar) in appearance to us, I believe there is a Supreme Being who made everything and we should try to gain his attention by spreading love and joy everywhere we go. I don’t have any reason for my belief, I have no proof that anyone is creating planets, stars, galaxies, life out there in the wider beyond. No-one has proof that God exists either, no matter what name they call him. If all the religious people are correct and there is one God out there who created everything then surely everyone is worshiping the same God, regardless which name they give him?

In that case why is there so much fighting being done in his name? Whether you call him Jahweh, Jehovah, Allah or God the Father doesn’t his teaching tell you to love all men as you love your brothers and sisters? Shouldn’t we give that a try now instead of fighting wars, no matter what pretence we use to fight them? John Lennon was the first to sing about Love is all you need, David Bowie said that it doesn’t matter whether you are a man or woman, black, white, yellow, brown or gold with purple spots. We are all the same under the skin, we all love the same, whether we love men or women, whether we are straight, gay, transgender, lesbian, or anything in between. We all share the same air, eat the same crops, live in countries where the rich rule the poor. Let’s please work together to make the 21st century the one where famine ends for everyone, where people talk to their neighbours and where we are free to love one another, to worship our Gods as we see fit and to feel that those who break the law will be punished regardless of who they are, how much power they think they have and who they think they have bought off. Sorry for ranting on a bit but I tend to get carried away by my passion.

#JusJoJan 13 Jan 2016

Well, it’s been 2 days since I found out that David Bowie died from Cancer in New York with his wife (Iman) and son (Duncan) at his side. I still can’t believe it at all, his new album came out 2 days before (on his birthday) and it is the best album I’ve heard this year.

If his life proved anything it is merely that you can achieve anything you put your mind to, he was a fantastic showman, brilliant actor and I’m just proud to say I saw him on the Ziggy Stardust tour, the Aladdin Sane tour and also the Thin White Duke tour. I missed the later tours due to lack of funds but his movie roles were astonishing. On the broadway stage as the Elephant Man he would have been absolutely fantastic (John Lennon commented that he took Yoko to see the play and Bowie was playing it theatre, as an actor, and not as a rock star trying to act – praise indeed).

The man was always aware of his fans, and that fame was not a good mistress, I think that’s why, once he had come off all his crutches (alcohol and drugs) he was always down to earth. I shook his hand at a concert in Edinburgh because he came down off the stage and he looked at me which made me feel as though he appreciated the adulation. I never understood why he was always experimenting and changing his take until the late 70’s and then I totally got it. If you don’t reinvent yourself (Gary Glitter and Alvin Stardust proved that standing still lost your fan-base and killed your career) you would lose in the end.

He lost two friends in 3 years when Marc Bolan died in London and then John Lennon was shot in New York, no-one asked him how he felt at the time but I seem to remember him saying that Marc was a great loss to the world of music at the time in late 1977 when Marc was buried. When Lennon died it affected everyone across the planet in different ways. I’m not sure how David felt at the time but he had been in the studio with John just before Sean’s birth and that led to one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll tracks of all time: Fame.

Goodbye David, Rest in Peace and may you watch over us all from whichever heaven you have been called to.

#JusJoJan You’ll like this one

Not a lot, but you’ll like it. I’m suffering from a mystery illness at the moment, I have a flu jab every Autumn and either I’m coming down with a very heavy cold or the strain of flu going around isn’t the one I was given. I started feeling bad on Friday but yesterday I felt worse and today I seem to be worse again. Just wish I could get back to full health, sleep for the entire night without waking due to a coughing fit. Not good at the moment when all I want to do is stay in bed.

#JusJoJan I’m dreaming

Never thought this day would ever come. Thank you to everyone who is following my humble blog. I only ever post thoughts which may be regretted a day later, but post and be damned right?

Thank you thank you thank you my dear friends, old and new, when I started this blog I was trying to come to terms with my illness and decided that I would blog regularly. That didn’t happen, then I decided to post something new every week. That also didn’t happen, when I failed in both of these attempts I decided that if 50 people followed me then I would continue. That came within the first year. My goal then was to repost anything which moved me, entertained me or struck a chord with me. I also feel compelled to speak out against anyone who threatens, bullies, or poses a threat to anyone.

I am not in favour of segregation, no matter what form it takes, I want to make this world better for everyone, man, woman, black, white, yellow, brown, green with purple spots, transgender, transsexual, straight, gay or bisexual. I started with me (the man in the mirror) and now I want to spread love and try for peace as there has been too much in the news about war and hatred to last for eternity.

This planet is dying and we are killing it, we need to work together to halt the destruction, end poverty and hunger (we can do this together but not alone) stop killing each other over petty land rights. Oil is not the answer to our energy needs we have to find another way, a cheaper way, to provide energy for our needs. Solar, nuclear, tidal these can provide part of the solution and science is working on long term resolution to provide cheap electricity. Science fiction is becoming science fact today but we don’t need more and more powerful weapons we need more and cheaper energy. Let’s work together and make this planet safe for us, our children and our children’s children. We can find ways to get along with our fellow man and resolve disputes without resorting to violence so let’s pledge that within the first half of this first century of the new millenium that we will at least look for a way to make this happen, for all our sakes.

I’m not advocating that we don’t bring criminals to justice (even the un-Islamic State should be forced to stand trial for crimes against humanity) but do we have to wage war with ourselves in order to achieve a settlement with our neighbours? No, we do not. We are united against this un-Islamic State, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Agnostics and Atheists because they are evil. We have to fight against evil in order to stop this evil from perpetrating ad infinitum. Every Empire that ever existed was won with bloodshed, let’s say now that enough is enough. Let’s create a world where everyone is willing to help where they can, anyway they can, to prevent suffering and wanton destruction.

Anyway, I thank each and every one of you, my 200 followers and I hope I can keep you entertained, informed and educated (sic) throughout the remaining time I have here on this planet.

Why?

I don’t understand why in the 21st century there is so much distrust, war and famine around us. Why not just accept that we’re all the same even though we’re all different and unique. So what if my skin is paler than yours, my eyes blue when yours are green. I don’t care about any of that and no one else should either. We grow enough to feed everyone so why don’t we? We know enough to see that one God is enough no matter what name we give Him. We don’t even have to worship if we choose not to, that’s the power of us.

We make advances during wartime, but isn’t it time to come together for the benefit of all? Let’s see what we’re capable of doing without fighting and killing each other, try giving peace a chance and let’s see if we can’t make this planet safer, secure and disease free by working together to end poverty, hunger and save not just ourselves but the planet as well.

I’m wishing everyone a Happy, peaceful and prosperous year no matter what God you worship (or don’t) no matter your financial situation and no matter what your health is, if you’re ill I hope we can cure you soon.