Friday, February 29, 2008

waka of budouadana: meditation


Set down your bright sword
To seek the stillness within,
Where meditation
Can illuminate your path:
Three other swords stand ready!

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Thursday, February 28, 2008

waka of budouadana: whirlpool


After the third cup,
Thoughts revolve upon oneself –
Too wrapped up to see
The fourth cup being offered –
Look up: the whirlpool beckons!

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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

waka of budouadana: celebration


With but one candle
One can dispel the darkness,
In one’s lone corner,
Or boldly light three others,
Illuminating the room.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

waka of budouadana: dancers


Pirouetting dancers,
Two pair of eyes, his and hers,
Caught in a long gaze,
Smiling then looking away,
Nothing spoken, all revealed.

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Monday, February 25, 2008

travel of buddy don: off to ohio


i will be makin a lil trip to ohio fer goodbank this week. i bin thar a few times on a counta we gut a service desk thar that ansers all the calls fer hep cummin frum our cumputer users.

i dun noted how thangs kin change on wall street. when thangs is boomin, thays limos to take folks to lunch n seems lack thay aint no limit to whut folks mite spend. then thangs turns tuther way, witch they always duz sooner or later. once that happens, folks gits let go n ever eggspents is looked at with yer microscope.

that means that this time, in sted of rentin a car to git me frum the airport in northern kentuck to whar i am a'goin (a lil over 50 miles away), i am a'gone have a car thar waitin to drive me. once i git whar i am a'goin, twill be a simple matter to walk frum the hotel to whar the service desk is.

i cumpletely understand the need to be keerful with dollars (even when thangs is in the feast part of the wall street cycle), but i will miss havin a car on a counta how twont be possibull fer me to make it up to visit my mother-in-law, who shes the bestn ever wuz.

on tuther hand, this gives me n miz bd a reason to make it over to see er when i wont be a'wurkin.

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Saturday, February 23, 2008

waka of budouadana: threes


Views
Cargo of three sprouts,
His path through massive mountains,
He views from high cliffs
The wide green valley below,
Where he shall plant his future.
Community
Raise we three our cups
In joyful exuberance
To home and friends,
Great adventures, old and new,
The warmth of community.
Betrayal
As if three cruel swords
Had thrust into a beating heart,
Betrayal kills trust,
Whether of friend or lover,
Brother, father, or country.
Bread
Risking his three coins
The wise youth made thoughtful plans,
Hired a team of two,
Drilled until they could not fail,
Earned his daily bread for life.
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Friday, February 22, 2008

pitchers tuck by buddy don: vue frum our winder


we knew twuz on its way n overnite it cum as promissd: a big ole wet snowstorm, witch i caint wait to git out in it on a counta i gut to wurk n druther wurk at wurk than at home, witch i dont know how long i kin hold out till i am forced to wurk frum home at lease three daze a week. i reckon most folks wood perfer that, but ... i druther do my wurk at wurk, even ifn it means a'goin out in this ...



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Thursday, February 21, 2008

pinions of buddy don: more bout folks readin books


ye mite could say it dun hit a nerve whenever steven jobs claimd thay wudnt no future fer amazons kindle on a counta he dint thank nobidy red all that much. corse that wuz ded rong, witch i figger everbidy knew as much. so twuz a nice sprize to see an articull in the new york times name of book lust writ by a feller name of timothy egan on the verr subjeck, witch i reckon ye half to pay to read it.

mane thang that articull dun fer me is to reemind yall bout sum good books i red lately:
  • that thar trilogy name of his dark materials by philip pullman. tiz a trilogy, witch that eethur means ye gut to read three books or that ye git to read three books, all accordin to whuther ye lack them books (i shore did).

  • the road by cormac mccarthy, witch hes a author i lack sumtimes n caint hardly stand in otherns. this book is grim fer shore, but tiz so well imagind n deescribed that ye feel as ifn ye wuz in the verr hell he shows ye ... till tiz over.

  • best of the bunch, a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini, who hes the guy that writ the kite runner (a nuther grate read fer yall). i enjoyed bof of them books, but i found the bettern to be a thousand splendid suns.

  • finely, i jes finishd a verr enlitenin book name of understanding islam, an introduction to the muslim world, writ by a feller name of thomas w. lippman. thang bout this book is it reeminds ye jes how lil we really know bout the worlds fastest growin relijun. i had tuck a class on islam in collidge, but twuz still grate to brush up on the topick. warnin: ifn ye read this book, ye mite not have much payshunts fer folks spoutin out thar ignorunt pinions bout islam, witch tiz the die-reck deecendent frum judaism n christianity, witch muslims revere abraham, moses, noah, jesus n mohammed.
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

waka of budouadana: edge


Perched upon the edge,
Striving not to slip and slide
Down into the pain
And nausea of another
Life sapping joyless migraine ...

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

waka of budouadana: leaf


The maple leaf grows
From bud to flower to green shoot,
Scenting the forest
With perfume for two seasons,
Dropping in puffs of fall wind.

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Saturday, February 16, 2008

pinions of buddy don: john scalzi n a new way of gittin books out thar


tiz verr hard to git yer books to readers ifn ye use the ole fashun way, witch thats to git sum big publishin cumpny to publish n market n distribute it.

lucky fer everbidy that lacks to read n fer them that lacks to rite books n git em red, thays new ways of doon thangs. tiz much simpler these daze jes to git a manuscip reddy n have it dun. i will be sayin lots more on this topick, soon i hope.

meanwhile, thays other ways of gittin yer book notissd, speshly once ye git ye a follerin, lack john scalzi has dun alreddy dun. here hes splain his awkshun to sell the bound vershun of the manuscip ere tiz gone thru its final copy editin, meanin warts n all. whoever wins the awkshun will git it sined n all, witch ye kin read all bout that by clickin on that thar lank (tip of the hat to meatbrain frum thinking meat).

point is, thays new ways of gittin a book red, n aint no better way of gittin it aroun than wurd of mouth. i dun red a cuple manuscips lately that i caint hardly wait till it kin be bought sum kinda way. twoodnt sprize me ifn them authors wuz offerin simlar kinda thangs to whut mr scalzi has offerd or mayhap to sine the final vershun, not the bound ms.

tiz my pinion that these changes is a'gone make it possibull fer us to read sum good books that woodnt ever git out of the authors drawer otherwise ... n as jed wood say, that dont make nuthin inny wurser.

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Friday, February 15, 2008

pomes of buddy don: In Our Fear


In Our Fear

The US Constitution broke the mold –
The first to replace monarchy with laws,
A document as brave as it is bold
For which no fear should change a single clause.

Yet terrorists use horrendous actions,
In hopes they can fill all of us with fear,
For only in our overboard reactions
Can their evil intentions persevere.

For they would cower the home of the brave –
And curtail rights in the land of the free –
Convert our land to tyranny’s poor slave:
Those ruled by fear can have no liberty.

Our forefathers gave fortune, lives and fame,
To secure freedom at such grievous cost –
If we should lose it, who deserves the blame?
Or in our fear will we know what we’ve lost?

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

wurk of buddy don: how i made the cut


i menchunned yesterdy bout how thay wuz riffs a'cummin to goodbank whar i wurk on wall st yesterdy, n cum they did. twzu a day of bloodshed whar ye real eyes how tiz so much better to be lucky than good. folks that had bin at the firm fer over 17 years wuz let go, manely on a counta thar bein in jobs that aint a'gone be thar once thangs is re-dun sos they dont cost so much. tiz a tradishu on wall st: durin the feast, they hire lack crazy n throw money n bidies at problems. then cums the famine (witch mayhap thays folks that dont git it yet, but thats whut we are in n tiz fair to call it a reecesshun ceptin ye caint till tiz over on a counta bein honest in publick bout importunt economick or forn pallcy matters aint permitted in this cuntry). whenever wall st knows thays a famine, ye caint magin how they kin cut the bidies n the costs.

i wuz lucky a nuff to have tuck a differnt job in july of last year. turnt out i wuz the furst ever to be in my role n i dun a lot of wurk to make shore twuz reespeckted n credibull. so i wuz lucky.

but thay wuz minny a good wurker than wudnt n thats a hole lot of talent to dump on a market that is down, witch that means sum folks is eethur a'gone half to switch how they make money or wait thisn out till the feast cums back.

meanwhile, them amung us that survived has gut more wurkn ever to do n thays a load of survivor gilt sum folks is a'goin thru (yers truly amung em on a counta i had too minny friends that gut cut down by this particlar axe). here is hopin they all cum out all rite.

n whuts even a bit harder fer the nex few daze is how thay aint no list of them that wuz let go. in sted, ye gut to fine out the hard way, by trine to git in touch with em. or lookin em up in the corprutt die-recktry. (folks wuz a'lookin up thar ownself yesterdy jes to see ifn they wuz still thar!)

so the axe has swung n hopes is that it wont swing agin, but ifn thays more 'write-downs' a'cummin, ye never know how minny more will git cut.

corse tiz importunt to keep in mind how everbidy is a'gone die n ye aint yer job! yer sumthin much more preshus n that, witch aint everbidy that bleeves it: they lock the winders about a week ere they git to cuttin bidies so dont nobidy take too big (ner too embarrassin to the firm) a fall.

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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

cuncerns of buddy don: more riffs today


over at goodbank on wall st whar i wurk, today thays a'gone be a slew of added riffs, witch i aint all that shore whuther i am a'gone make it or not on a counta this round is aimed rite at the group i wurk in. thang bout wall st is that thay aint no safe place to hide whenever thangs turns down.

so i am a'hopin to make it thru todays round n will sartinly let ye know how thangs cum out, probly in the mornin lessn they send me home early, witch thats how they lacks to handle thangs.

btw, my pallgies fer not postin nuthin on mundy: i wuz in day two of a migraine, witch ye mite coulda notissd how the weather wuz a'changin sumthin fierce up in here jes about then. but i am feelin sum better now n hope to git thru today ... still employd by goodbank.

meanwhile, to keep yer mind on sum nicer thangs, i am deelited to note that fletch is back. ye kin go gaze at sum of his superb pitchers to pass the time ...

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

pomes of buddy don: Scourged


Scourged

The middle-eastern radical cried out
In pain and suffering as he was scourged,
The torture making sure there was no doubt
That he deserved the judgment that emerged.

For he had sown the seeds of revolution
Among the oppressed people of his land —
The local powers sought their retribution
Against him, for they did not understand

That in the battle for a people’s soul,
Or for their hearts, minds and obedience,
The use of force and torture can’t make whole
What has been broken by expedience:

Although they crucified him on a cross,
His was the victory and theirs the loss.

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Saturday, February 09, 2008

waka of budouadana: tuther three twos


Knot
The two lovers gaze
Upon one another, hearts
Like cups overfilled,
Each poured into the other,
Yin and yang’s eternal knot.
Blindfold
A sword in each hand,
The maiden crosses her heart,
Blindfolded by fear
Of what she might feel if she
Let anyone come near.
Flow
Juggling two gold coins,
One heads, one tails, the young man
Dances through eternity,
Working hard and yet laughing,
Joyfully merged with life’s flow

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Friday, February 08, 2008

waka of budouadana: half


With two sprouting stalks
The farmer builds his empire,
Faithfully planting
The first one, half his bounty,
The other his safe reserve.

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Thursday, February 07, 2008

waka of budouadana: medicine


The best medicine,
Is nature, not artifice,
The body’s defense
Only sunlight, decent food,
Exercise, meditation.

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Wednesday, February 06, 2008

waka of budouadana: within


Those who would cast blame
On Chance, God or Destiny,
For their own hard lot
Should seek the answer within
Themselves, where all acts are born.

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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

waka of budouadana: sky


Broad blue empty sky,
The clean unblemished mirror
Of one’s potential,
Awes with brilliant purity
The state and insight one seeks.

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Monday, February 04, 2008

waka of budouadana: lily


The tender lily
Thrusts brightly colored flowers
To the dark surface
Of reeking weedy marshes,
Transforming them to gardens.

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Saturday, February 02, 2008

waka of budouadana: aces


Sprout
A single seedling
Boldly breaks the frost-bound earth
Seeking the sun’s light –
Fragile sprout of unknown fate,
Fearlessly demanding warmth.
Sun
The flush of first love,
Meditation’s inner peace,
Spirit’s glowing faith –
All are nourished and grow
In the warm sun of the heart.
Knife
The mental knife cuts
Through the knots of fear and doubt
If its edge is sharpened
On the rough stone of reason
Oiled by experience.
Farmer
With such abundance
Does the earth come forth in spring,
A profusion tamed
And nurtured by the farmer,
Humbly bent, sowing, weeding.
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Friday, February 01, 2008

reckolleckshuns of buddy don: ruff day yesterdy


i bin wurkin on wall street fer 20 years now n whut happend yesterdy is kindly a annual event, ceptin that generly they lets the 'ded wood' go n then rebild n such. but whenever the markets tank the way they bin a'doin lately, then ye kin dam betchye that them wall street firms wont be employin nobidy they caint make mony on. i aint blamin em, but tiz the kinda thang that makes fer a verr long n difficult day.

turnt out that yesterdy wuz jes the secunt round (i dint even know till then that i had dun made it past the furst round) with a thurd round on the way. twuz a day whar not a hole lot gut dun on a counta folks wuz too busy gossipin bout who gut let go. thay wuz a list of names a good minny of us knew n twuz sad to thank of em a'bein gone. i wish i could say i wuz outta the woods fer this yer -- and i gut purty good reason to thank mayhap i mite could be -- but i wont know fer shore fer a nuther few weeks.

on a counta thangs wurks lack this. furst they cut the part of goodbank (whar i wurk) that takes keer of reglar investers on a counta thar all spooked by the latest bad news n 'stayin on the sidelines,' witch i dont know whut that sez bout whar thar a'puttin thar mony, but could be a mattress of sumthin. innywho, they aint as much call fer finanshull analysts to take keer of em ifn they aint astin fer keer. so a slew of them folks wuz let go, long with the folks that makes shore thar cumputers wurks.

nex bunch to go is them that wurks in the institushunull bizness, witch thats the part that handles big investers, institushuns n such. them that wuz tradin debt n such n them thats tradin equities n who knows whut all else, well, they were bound to suffer, long with 'back office' folks. so thay wuz a passel of names i knew n people i lacked a lot that aint a'gone be a'wurkin thar. these folks is in groups they call 'bu-aligned,' witch that means theys all devoted to takin keer of a particlar bizness unit.

nex (n last?) roun is the 'horizontull' groups that wurks on makin thangs better across the entire firm. n thats whar my group cum in.

i am deelited with how my boss n his boss handled thangs, speshly whenever the big boss gatherd us all in a room to give us the lowdown so fer as he knew it.

i sed i wuz feelin purty optimistick my ownself, n thats on a counta i run into the big boss in the cafeteria jes after i had dished me out sum oatmeal. i hattent seen im in a long while n dint even notiss he wuz thar, but he calld me over n tole me how importunt whut i bin a'doin is (i am a'wurkin in knowledge management) n how our plan for the year is a goodun n all. he even paid fer my oatmeal, so mayhap i kin stay aroun.

i shore hope so on a counta i aint never wurked at such a good place, lease in terms of the managemint i been a'gittin.

so me n miz bd will celebrate a lil this weekend n look ford to mayhap gittin past the next cut ... n ifn sumhow i dont make it thru, we will jes be a'startin out on a new add ventchur.

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