why komodo dragon exists

the past three weeks or so have not been the best part of my life by far, and that is, in itself, an understatement.

but then again, aided by fried meat (with onions), some decent drink and a friend who knows little of the lizard world, i came to a solution.

yes, the komodo dragon. (for some reasons, one of the most respectable lizard species in the known universe)

photo by Tim Knight

the komodo dragon is an overkill of evolution. it is huge (3m or 10 ft+). ir can run real fast (about 20 km/h or 12.5 mph), it can climb trees and attack from above, it can dig holes, AND its saliva is poison to most living organisms on earth. the komodo dragon likes human meat (killing the carrier of the meat prior to consumption, lol). in addition, it is hard not to describe it as a beautiful specimen of the lizard race.

so, you might ask here, what’s the point?

but you see, there is some.

pregnant trees amidst blizzard (or maybe it is only snowing)

maybe except the birds, there is hardly anything fascinates me more than trees. their magnanimity. their patience. how they treat the birds. their quiet, but distinctive voices, different each season. trees never bore me. i can walk among them, talking and listening to them almost endlessly.

a few days ago i noticed that the faster trees looked .. pregnant. there was something definitely thicker, redder and .. more about the branches extended towards the pale grey skies. and then i thought, if they did not mind, i’d like to take a few photos, for memory. today i asked. they did not.

unfortunately the falling snow made it quite impossible to use my camera, and i used the nokia camera instead. and here’s the irony – the snow thinks itis winter, but the voices of the trees know and sing the advent of the next season. the snow can fool nobody, not in the tree department.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

translation attempts

this one is almost the most brilliant song of all i have ever heard.

here, my faint attempt at translation to latvian (see below) . the eng version – one of them – here.

Es žēlastības pasargāts un svētīts -
viss pārējais ir pēkšņi nesvarīgs;
Dievs ir ar mums no vakara līdz rītam,
Viņš mūs ik dienas samīļo un sveic.

Kad ienaidnieks nāk manu sirdi plosīt
Un sāpju dienas sakrājas un nomāc, -
Nāc, dod mum bailēs Tavu spēku saņemt;
Būt gataviem, kā mācīja Tavs Vārds

Un kad šis kauss ir pārpildīts līdz malām
Kad sāpju rūgtumu prāts nesaprot,
Mēs ņemsim to un izdzersim līdz galam,
Jo tava mīļā roka visu dod.

Lai kā nu būtu, Tu vēl šajā saulē
Mums devi prieku, gaismu iepazīt,
Tad ļauj mums atcerēties visu labo,
Lai mūsu dzīve Tavējai iet līdz.

exactly my feeling (minus the bourbon, unfortunately)

“If you can heat some bourbon, I can drink it,” said the kzin. “If you cannot heat it, I can still drink it.”

Larry Niven. Ringworld

 

a thought about stars, and over them, and further up and deeper in

this is the only instance of the song in the whole wide youtube world…. i paste the text (in german) below. because this song roams my dreams. and this is also my hope, and ultimately, the end of this journey.

Über den Sternen, da wird es einst tagen,
Da wird dein Hoffen, dein Sehnen gestillt;
Was du gelitten, und was du getragen,
Dort ein allmächtiges Wesen vergilt.

Über den Sternen, da schwindet die Täuschung,
Da siehst du Alles enträtselt, enthüllt,
Was du erwartet, des Himmels Verheißung,
Dort wird es ewig und herrlich erfüllt.

Über den Sternen, da finden sich wieder
Wesen, die feindlich das Schicksal getrennt,
Dort sinkt die hemmende Scheidewand nieder,
Seele und Seele sich freudig erkennt.

Über den Sternen,da wehen die Palmen
Himmlische Kühlung, o Dulder, dir zu;
Engel begleiten mit heigen Psalmen
Todtmüde Herzen zur ewigen Ruh’.

on the flying spaghetti monster* side

this is a counterweight to the monstrous beginning of this day.

if god were a control freak, he’d go insane from the insanity of the things under-evolved humanity is capable of. i will treasure my free will at all times, and thank god i have it.

*those who are interested in the FSM idea, click the banner below:

another conjunction

even if

living here, one is supposed to be proud of the winters with their cold and snow and blizzards and ice and whatnot, and sort of look down on the ‘southern softies’,

i sometimes think that a more temperate climate would be an advantage.

i am bored by monochrome.

i want daffodils.

but the only green-yellows i see are the tom-tits at the bird feeder. they do not lack in beauty or courage, of course. but their presence by my window only confirms the absolute rule of winter.

and just like i wished for snow in the dark side of the year, i long for the smell of melting earth, of the first grass blades, the change of pitch in the twitter of birds.

even if this spring is time i do not want to live through.