Two updates in a week?!
Madness.....
or just participation.
Either way.
Now, make with the readin'.
Round Two: Complete
Strategies employed:
12..Seize The Opportunity To Lead The Sheep Away.
While carrying out your plans be flexible enough to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself, however small, and avail yourself of any profit, however slight.
14..Borrow A Corpse To Raise The Spirit.
Take an institution, a technology, or a method that has been forgotten or discarded and appropriate it for your own purpose. Revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or to reinterpret and bring to life old ideas, customs, and traditions.
32..The Strategy Of Open City Gates.
When the enemy is superior in numbers and your situation is such that you expect to be overrun at any moment, then drop all pretence of military preparedness and act casually. Unless the enemy has an accurate description of your situation this unusual behavior will arouse suspicions. With luck he will be dissuaded from attacking.
35..The Strategy Of Combining Tactics.
In important matters one should use several strategies applied simultaneously. Keep different plans operating in an overall scheme; in this manner if any one strategy fails you would still have several others to fall back on.
THANK YOU CK!
Your timing was better than you know.
Monday was the second anniversary of my dad's death. Above all else, he was my closest friend. Yes, I absolutely count myself among the lucky ones. The only other relevant tidbits are that it was sudden, natural, and that it was the first time, ever, that I'd experienced death; so I've been flying fairly blind on this one.
It came and it went. Friends were gathered. Glasses were raised. His name was invoked only in thanking him for bringing us together that evening. Nothing somber. Nothing morose. Just a joyous gathering of friends. Same as it ever was.
In many ways, I do treat the anniversary itself as an enemy. I must gird myself for the moment when I must look it in the eye and know its name. The first year, I found out that it wasn't that kind of fight at all. Yeah, it threw me. When I saw Monday looming on the horizon once again, I had no idea what it was bringing with it. It had already thrown me once, so I girded myself yet again. My tendency is to over-think and over-prepare. I over-pack like a Gabor sister.
This year, I made no plans at all. The 36 strategies did a great deal to put my mind at ease. It wasn't so much that I had happened upon new ideas, so much as I was able to read them at the right time. On one hand, they seem simple. On the other hand, they seem relevant and applicable to nearly all things. That kind of simplicity is always welcome.
Note to the future: Remember, the anniversary has already feinted twice.
********
I've been feeling the itch again lately. I haven't been tattooed, pierced or sretched in about six months. I'm dying!! One problem - My ex is the shop's piercer (and the only one I truly trust), and seeing her would just bring about the kind of anxiety I don't need - even if it's all in my head. The tattoo I've had my eye on is another by Nick Colella. He runs the ex's shop. The only problems are scheduling and (of course) money. It'll take some slight of hand to schedule the tattoo around her hours without being obvious about it. Passive-aggressive behaviour in the name of self-preservation. A tricky contract, indeed.
Many, if not all, of my various holes and markings are tied to the times when I've just needed to feel ANYTHING other than whatever it was that was preying on me. So, I've spent the last couple of weeks thinking happy thoughts about happy needles. Believe it or not, I just smirked a little writing that. Those thoughts seem to have come prepared with a soundtrack.
*Sing it with me!!!*
I want to be your dominated love slave
I want to be the one that takes the pain
You can spank me when I do not behave
Smack me in the forehead with a chain
Cause I love feelin' dirty
And I love feelin' cheap
And I love it when you hurt me
So drive them staples deep
I want you to slap me and call me naughty
Put a beltsander against my skin
I want to feel pain all over my body
Can't wait to be punished for my sins.
Cause I love feelin' dirty
And I love feelin' cheap
And I love it when you hurt me
So drive them staples deep
Yee-hah!
Cause I love feelin' dirty
And I love feelin' cheap
And I love it when you hurt me
So drrrriiiveeee.....Staples?
******
At least I'm not living a lie.
Well, not that lie, anyhow.
Madness.....
or just participation.
Either way.
Now, make with the readin'.
Round Two: Complete
Strategies employed:
12..Seize The Opportunity To Lead The Sheep Away.
While carrying out your plans be flexible enough to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself, however small, and avail yourself of any profit, however slight.
14..Borrow A Corpse To Raise The Spirit.
Take an institution, a technology, or a method that has been forgotten or discarded and appropriate it for your own purpose. Revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or to reinterpret and bring to life old ideas, customs, and traditions.
32..The Strategy Of Open City Gates.
When the enemy is superior in numbers and your situation is such that you expect to be overrun at any moment, then drop all pretence of military preparedness and act casually. Unless the enemy has an accurate description of your situation this unusual behavior will arouse suspicions. With luck he will be dissuaded from attacking.
35..The Strategy Of Combining Tactics.
In important matters one should use several strategies applied simultaneously. Keep different plans operating in an overall scheme; in this manner if any one strategy fails you would still have several others to fall back on.
THANK YOU CK!
Your timing was better than you know.
Monday was the second anniversary of my dad's death. Above all else, he was my closest friend. Yes, I absolutely count myself among the lucky ones. The only other relevant tidbits are that it was sudden, natural, and that it was the first time, ever, that I'd experienced death; so I've been flying fairly blind on this one.
It came and it went. Friends were gathered. Glasses were raised. His name was invoked only in thanking him for bringing us together that evening. Nothing somber. Nothing morose. Just a joyous gathering of friends. Same as it ever was.
In many ways, I do treat the anniversary itself as an enemy. I must gird myself for the moment when I must look it in the eye and know its name. The first year, I found out that it wasn't that kind of fight at all. Yeah, it threw me. When I saw Monday looming on the horizon once again, I had no idea what it was bringing with it. It had already thrown me once, so I girded myself yet again. My tendency is to over-think and over-prepare. I over-pack like a Gabor sister.
This year, I made no plans at all. The 36 strategies did a great deal to put my mind at ease. It wasn't so much that I had happened upon new ideas, so much as I was able to read them at the right time. On one hand, they seem simple. On the other hand, they seem relevant and applicable to nearly all things. That kind of simplicity is always welcome.
Note to the future: Remember, the anniversary has already feinted twice.
********
I've been feeling the itch again lately. I haven't been tattooed, pierced or sretched in about six months. I'm dying!! One problem - My ex is the shop's piercer (and the only one I truly trust), and seeing her would just bring about the kind of anxiety I don't need - even if it's all in my head. The tattoo I've had my eye on is another by Nick Colella. He runs the ex's shop. The only problems are scheduling and (of course) money. It'll take some slight of hand to schedule the tattoo around her hours without being obvious about it. Passive-aggressive behaviour in the name of self-preservation. A tricky contract, indeed.
Many, if not all, of my various holes and markings are tied to the times when I've just needed to feel ANYTHING other than whatever it was that was preying on me. So, I've spent the last couple of weeks thinking happy thoughts about happy needles. Believe it or not, I just smirked a little writing that. Those thoughts seem to have come prepared with a soundtrack.
*Sing it with me!!!*
I want to be your dominated love slave
I want to be the one that takes the pain
You can spank me when I do not behave
Smack me in the forehead with a chain
Cause I love feelin' dirty
And I love feelin' cheap
And I love it when you hurt me
So drive them staples deep
I want you to slap me and call me naughty
Put a beltsander against my skin
I want to feel pain all over my body
Can't wait to be punished for my sins.
Cause I love feelin' dirty
And I love feelin' cheap
And I love it when you hurt me
So drive them staples deep
Yee-hah!
Cause I love feelin' dirty
And I love feelin' cheap
And I love it when you hurt me
So drrrriiiveeee.....Staples?
******
At least I'm not living a lie.
Well, not that lie, anyhow.
VIEW 11 of 11 COMMENTS
"paralysis of analysis"
How'd you do that?
I think that you may have just cured angst with three words. Damn you got skill.
Ah, I can't take credit for that one. That's a phrase I first picked up in A.A.
Look, analyze, act, act, act.
As to your long preface: Dude, I love the fact that you can express yourself through writing. I'm so slow and sloppy, I get frustrated and have to quit before long. I'm a little jealous, but it'll pass.