Here you will find photos, poetry, and possibly somelight-heartedfoolishness. For the Heavier Side of JzB see my other blog, Retirement Blues. (There be dragons!)
I claim copyright and reserve all rights for my original material of every type and genre.
Every day visits* From Moose, Goose, and Orb Weaver All seized by Haiku
"Why moose and goose?" you may ask. Back on 2/04/13 Pirate wrote a haiku with an elk in it, and I responded with one with a moose and then included him every day. A few days later in comments Mystic asked "Where's the goose?" So I started including her with this post on 2/07. A week later on the 14th, Mark Readfern asked for and received a spider. The rest is history.
*Well, most days, anyway. Grant me a bit of poetic license.
"The goal of CD's Utabukuro is not difficult, because I just ask you to share a haiku or tanka which you admire. That haiku or tanka can be one of a classical or non-classical haiku poet or one by yourself. You can choose what ever you like, but it has to be a haiku or tanka. Maybe the haiku brings you sweet (or sad) memories or you just like it. Explain why you have chosen that haiku or tanka to share here "in" CDHK's Utabukuro, poem bag, and ... that is the second task for this feature, write/compose an all new haiku inspired on the one you have chosen."
This one has phrase and fragment structure, first-third line interchangeability and a deeper, though rather dark, meaning. Not sure of there is an official kigo here, but the image to me is very Spring-like. I can't stand spiders in the real world, but have great affection for them in my haiku.
inspired haiku
in the green meadow
a fat toad sits pondering
the taste of spider
My affection for amphibians is boundless. On its own, this one seems quite classical to me. In the context of its inspiration, though, there is more than a hint of irony. Maybe that makes it a senryu. I can live with that.
What has any of this to do with an origami frog? To answer that, see the link in the first line above.
I will give you twelve (12) words (for every ''hour'') one word. The goal is to write haiku using the words as given in the clock wise way.
1. Heaven
2. Clouds
3. Palm tree
4. Fountain
5. Goddess
6. Desert
7. Jazz cafe
8. Duke Ellington
9. Summer night
10. Honeysuckle
11. Ancient road
12. Hill
If you follow the words clock wise than you can compose four new haiku. This new feature is just for fun and I hope you will as much enjoy it as I did have fun and joy to create it.
"Our featured haiku poet lives in Ghana, his name is Adjei Agyei Baah.
"The goal is to write/compose all new haiku in the same sense, tone and spirit as the ones I have given. You may use them all, but that isn't an obligation, you can also take one or two haiku for your inspiration."
Once again, after a hiatus I return to Cape Diem. July is a vey busy month for me, but today a have a few spare moments.
Most of June was lost. on the 2nd, my mother suffered a stroke. She went down hill rapidly, and her funeral was three weeks later. She was 94, so I think her age stacked the deck against her. The picture shows her [standing] and her twin sister on their 94th birthday in May
my mom and her twin
never quite identical
now there is but one
~::~
Now, back to the present. The challenge of this episode is to write a classical haiku inspired by this photo.
Theme: INSANE OCTETS. The theme answers have circles - or at least they should - so that's usually a sign that the theme includes an anagram concept. This is definitely not my forte, but I sussed it pretty easily. Lets check it out
17 A. Oscar-nominated song from "The Little Mermaid" : KISS THE GIRL. Just don't get slapped.
26. Tie the knot : GET HITCHED. GET MARRIED also fits, but the slangy answer is more appropriate to the clue
33. Jewelry alloy : WHITE GOLD. Per Wikipedia, "an alloy of gold and at least one white metal, usually nickel, manganese or palladium. In order to make the gold white, it is combined with metal alloys that are white in nature and plated with an extremely hard element called rhodium."
43. Alertly eager : BRIGHT EYED. Evidently, this phrase goes back to the late 1500's, but that's all I was able to uncover. However, FWIW, there is this --
There is no obvious common thread here, so if you didn't get the circles, you were probably pretty puzzled by the puzzle. So, here is the unifier. 53 A. Card game that literally explains this puzzle's circles : CRAZY EIGHTS. "CRAZY" is one of many possible indicators that the letters of the key word "EIGHT" have been mixed up, scrambled or confused, i.e anagrammed. The letters, contained in circles if you're lucky, in each case are split across two words. There are 120 permutations of the 5 letters in the word EIGHT, so the puzzle could only give us a small sampling of the possibilities. Very nicely done, I'd say.
CRAZYEIGHTS is a pretty simple game that I must have played at some time in my 'ute. You can read about it here. When I did, it occurred to me that UNO is an elaborated derivative of this game.
47. Debt securities : LIENS. The way this is phrased makes me think of bonds. A LIEN is a legal encumbrance on a property, which is a form of security interest. Details differ from country to country.
48. Invasion time : D-DAY. On June 6, 1944, the allied forces invaded Normandy, a very complicated operation.
49. Tries to reach again, old-style : REDIALS. Old time phone calls.
51. Rejects : SPURNS.
56. Super Bowl highlights : ADS. 'Cuz the game itself is often lousy.
57. Anise-flavored liqueurs : OUZOS. Greek fire water.
58. "Toodles!" : SEE YA. A chlecho, but I don't believe I've ever heard anybody say "Toodles."
59. Originally named : NEE. Generally used in the context of a bride's maiden name.
60. Flew : SPED. Look at the time. I must be having fun.
61. Article of faith : TENET. Do those of lesser faith only have ninets?
62. Audition, with "out" : TRY. Competition for roles. Down
1. "The Starry Night" painter : VAN GOGH. Vincent.
2. Morning pitcher : CREAMER. Presumably holding cream for that all-important cup of coffee. I take mine solo.
3. Did over, as a manuscript : REWROTE. Writing is rewriting.
4. Japanese libation : SAKE. An alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. Sometimes thought of as either a wine or a beer, but is neither.
5. Mattress size : TWIN.
6. Defense gp. since 1948 : OrganizationofAmerican States, founded in 1948.
10. Measure discussed on the EPA's SunWise web page : UV INDEX. It predicts the level of solar UV radiation and indicates the risk of overexposure on a scale from 0 (low) to 11 or more (extremely high).
11. Including everything : BAR NONE.
12. Choose : SELECT.
15. "Wait till __ year!" : NEXT. Losing sports team's cry of anguish and hope.
18. Clutch : HOLD.
20. Word from Homer : D'OH.
23. Glasgow native : SCOT. From a city in Scotland.
24. Included free : THREW IN. Has anyone ever included a free towel for you?
27. Texter's "Here's what I think" : InMyHumble Opinion.
28. Paris pronoun : TOI. Sure. Whatever.
29. Rancid : BAD. Food going bad, not misbehaving. I think.
41. Post-Trojan War epic : ODYSSEY. The story of Odyssius taking the long way home.
42. Former Philippine president : MARCOS. Ferdinand, a corrupt and brutal dictator.
43. Ill humor : BILE.
44. Fight temptation : RESIST. I misread this a "flight temptation" and was mightily confused. Anyway, always let your conscience be your guide.
45. University URL suffix : EDU. Representing EDUcation.
47. Sets down : LAYS. Not lies - that would be untrue.
50. Name on a sport shirt label : IZOD. Actually, they make all sorts of apparel.
This symbol magically magnifies the value price of whatever it's attached to
51. Eye trouble : STYE. An infected abscess near the edge of the eyelid.
52. H.S. exam : PSAT. Pre-SAT. Preparation for the SAT, which is a college admission test with no record of predicting success in college. IMHO, all standardized tests are scams.
54. "Golly!" : GEE.
55. Egg source : HEN. Yeah - but which one came first?
There it is folks, a nice puzzle from start to finish. I'm not mixed up any more, but I am still crazy.
Cool regards!
ZbJ
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Theme: ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER. A catchy ad phrase is reinterpreted as statements that can lead to a continuing conversation. Do any of you have friends who can ramble on and on.? If so, you might dread hearing these words.
17. "Wait, there's more ... " : COME TO THINK OF IT. Darn, he thought of something else.
27. "Wait, there's more ... " : BEFORE I FORGET. Drat, too late.
50. "Wait, there's more ... " : THAT REMINDS ME. Well, doesn't everything?
65. "Wait, there's more ... " : AND ANOTHER THING. Uh-oh. Now he's on a roll.
No unifier, but the common clue fills that function. And the theme fill really need no explanation.
Today's Theme Song
Hi, Gang -- JazzBumpa here with a nice puzzle by the veteran team of Gail and Bruce. I'll try not to get carried away with a boring exposition. Across 1. Windows precursor : MS DOS. PC operating systems.
6. Hard-to-control groups : MOBS. Large and disorderly crowds.
10. Forensic investigator's item : SWAB. An absorbent pad or other item used for collecting samples to be analyzed.
14. Advil alternative : ALEVE. Analgesics. Advil is ibuprofen; ALEVE is naproxin.
15. Pair on a lake : OARS. In a boat on a lake.
16. Place to slog through : MIRE. Swamp, bog, fen.
20. Hullabaloo : STIR. Much ado about something.
21. Barry White genre : SOUL.
22. Dossier cover? : ALIAS. A dossier is a collection of documents about a particular event, subject, or, in this case, person. An ALIAS is an alternate name or false identity, which is, in some sense, a cover. Still, this entry is not working for me. Am I being dumb?
23. "Boy, am I dumb!" : D'OH.
25. Touch the ground : LAND. In an aircraft, presumably at an airport. Vide infra.
33. Airline with the MileagePlus frequent flier prog. : UAL. Formerly United Airlines.
34. Ole Miss rival : 'BAMA. Universities on Mississippi and Alabama, respectively. I think they might have football teams.
35. Customs collection : TARIFF. An import tax
38. Golf lesson subject : GRIP. The proper way of holding the club.
9. Phishing fig. : SSN. Social Security Number. Phishing is a particular kind of internet scam, where the perp poses as legitimate financial company to extract one's personal data, such as SS number.
10. Does a slow burn : SMOLDERS. Generates smoke, but no flame. Figuratively, is experiencing but [more or less] containing anger.
11. Surfing convenience : WIFI. For internet surfing. The term refers to a wireless connection, and is derived from "wireless" plus "fi," an arbitrary second element, thus similar in form to hi-fi.
12. Opera showstopper : ARIA. Featured vocal solo.
13. Gets in the pool, maybe : BETS. Makes a wager in a betting pool.
28. O.K. Corral gunfighter : EARP. The EARP brothers, Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt along with Doc Holiday were on one side against Billy Claiborn, Ike and Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury. The combatants were only a few feet apart, and the incident was over in a matter of seconds. It took place at a narrow vacant lot next to a photographer's shop, not at or adjacent to the eponymous corral. Probably the most famous gunfight in the history of the old west, but it was not well known to the American people until 50 years later.
29. Toy (with), as an idea : FLIRT. Not the first thing that comes to mind when I consider the word "FLIRT." I guess this is the point where the idea is playfully suggestive [or suggestively playful] but not yet given serious consideration.
30. Sitter's challenge : IMP. In Middle English, a child of a noble family. Somehow, this morphed into a child of The Devil - sort of a demi-daemon. Now diluted to mean an unruly child.
31. Quiz answer : FALSE. If the question is of the True-FALSE variety.
36. Unshakable : FIRM. Literally, to physical objects; figuratively to resolute concepts and those who hold them.
37. Cut and run : FLEE. Escape
A flea and a fly in a flue
Were imprisoned, so what could they do?
Said the fly, "let us FLEE!"
"Let us fly!" said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
--Ogden Nash
39. "Don't make me laugh!" : PUH-LEASE. Exaggerated pronunciation of PLEASE, for dramatically dismissive affect.
41. __ Kippur : YOM. Falling on the 10th day of Tishri, this is among the most important high holidays of the Jewish faith. It is the day of judgement, remembrance and atonement. [Help me out here if I didn't get this quite right.]
44. Stone monument : CAIRN. For millennia, they have been used as landmarks, grave markers, in astronomy, or for other ceremonial purposes.
48. Forensic investigator's molecule : DNA. Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It's in all your cells, and you leave it everywhere, perhaps to be collected on SWABS.
Wednesday, March 8, 2015 D. Scott Nichols & C.C. Burnikel
Theme - THE WEARIN' O' THE GREEN. Nope - nothing to do with St. Pat - that was last month. In fact, this puzzle, for reasons that will soon become clear, is much more timely than that. I'm referring to the iconic item of apparel given to the winner of a sporting event which will be identified shortly.
17 A. Hold banned in amateur wrestling : FULL NELSON. This hold is more easily pictured than described.
Byron NELSON was the winner of the subject event in 1937 and 1942, the latter in a playoff with Ben Hogan - before my time.
24 A. Premier League athlete : SOCCER PLAYER. The English Premier League is where professionals play a sport known as "football" most everyplace except here in the U.S. Gary PLAYER, from South Africa was the winner in 1961, 1974 and 1978.
40 A. Innocents : BABES IN THE WOODS. This is the title of a gruesome traditional childrens' tale, first published in 1595, then passed into every-day speech to indicate any inexperienced or unwary persons thrust into hazardous situations. Tiger WOODS is perhaps more famous now for his adventurous personal life that his sporting feats; but he once dominated his sport, and won the subject event in 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2005. Looks like he will participate this year.
52. Influential teams : POWER COUPLES. From the Urban Dictionary: "A couple who seems to have a fairy tale romance. Also, both parties involved in the power couple have tremendous influence over people around them because of their devastating good looks* and seemingly perfect relationship with their significant other.
*the most common type of power couple is between a male athlete and an actress and/or singer."
Fred COUPLES, the only one-time winner in the puzzle, took the prize in 1992.
It should be obvious by now that the the sport is golf, and the unifier gives us the event. 65A. April golf tournament, four of whose winners appear in 17-, 24-, 40- and 52-Across : THE MASTERS tournament, an event held every April at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA. It is the first of golf's four major championships held in 2015. Each year the winner is awarded the iconic green blazer.
This year's MASTERS starts tomorrow, so the puzzle is right on time. And did you notice the constructors? Our own fearless leader and prolific puzzle maven C.C. along with Monday-Tuesday blogging stalwart, Santa Baby. More feathers in the corner cap. Yay team!
Let see if our friends have given us a rough time or treated us in a fair way.
"Arjuna stood in the middle of the both armies and had a conversation with Krishna about life and death.
Arjuna becomes sad and depressed as he sees the enemy armies in which his friends, family-members and teachers are gathered. And he becomes anxious ... how can he fight against his best friends and family?
Having thus spoken in the midst of the battlefield, Arjuna, casting away his bow and arrow, sat down on the seat of the chariot with his mind overwhelmed with sorrow."
Krishna councils Arjuna on why he must stay and fight.
“Krishna asserts that only one who has the capacity to be balanced in pleasure and pain alike is fit for immortality. Krishna goes on to tell Arjuna that if he refuses to fight and flees from the battle, people will be justified in condemning such action as unworthy of a warrior.”
~ and ~
“Arjuna is eager to know the characteristics of a man who has a stable mind. Such a person, Krishna tells him, will have no desires at all. Since he is content within, having realized the Self, he is entirely free from desires. The consciousness of the Atman and abandonment of desires are simultaneous experiences.”
For me, the last paragraph informs the preceding one in a way that is certainly not intended.
If Arjuna is wise, he will understand that the battle is antithetical to being in balance - it is all about desire - either for conquest or to avoid being conquered, to be alive and whole at the end of the day, or - worst of all - for honor, which is a manifestation of pure ego. Further, he will realize that those who would condemn him for not acting as a warrior is expected to act are imposing their desires on him.
