Thursday, December 23, 2010

Apples don't have kittens.

[Dan speaking, not David]: I'll spare us the annoyance of another long post about my frustration with the religious establishment, for the moment.

Just a moment ago, I came back to my computer where I happened to have run a Google search for Utica. The name Utica reminds me of the Polish word ulica, "street" (this association used to flow in the opposite direction). Just for fun, I decided to search both words together to see what results I would get. The abbreviation for "ulica" is "ul.". Searching for "ulica utica" (no quotes in the search), provided a lot of results with apparent bad text recognitions, and results for U.L., which I presume to represent Underwriters' Laboratories.

There's no moral to this story, I just thought it was amusing.

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Solstice Song

song i wrote for rachael's solstice party (video follows if i can get my computer to play well with youtube)

g d a em
g em d

when the night gets longer
my heart grows stronger
i don't have to wait for the day
when the air gets colder
my soul grows older
it's the winter, and things are okay

while we rest from the light
may our hearth glow more bright
lending warmth and courage to our space
though the wind blows like crazy
keep our dreams full and lazy
may we use this time to bring grace

the snow calls us to quiet
the darkness says we could try it
as a space for comfort and for rest
we turn our hearts to contemplation
and our lungs to respiration
as we gather warm in every nest

but we know in this season
that some have no reason
to bless the darkness or the slow;
as we open to december,
may our hearts also remember
those who shiver homeless beyond our glow

as the night gets longest
my heart beats strongest
wishing warmth for all those who mourn
in this day of longest dark
could a fire grow from a spark?
what justice in this season will be born?
what justice in this season will be born?