Thursday, April 27, 2006

AVOIDING PRISON AND OTHER NOBLE VACATION GOALS by Wendy Dale

AVOIDING PRISON AND OTHER NOBLE VACATION GOALS by Wendy Dale. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003. paperback, 326 pages.

Wendy Dale grew up in many places as her family was one which uprooted and moved frequently throughout her childhood and adult life. She viewed travel as a way of temporarily escaping her problems. Chance encounters led her to fall in love with a Columbian man in a Costa Rica prison.

A very enjoyable first book from Wendy Dale with much insight into egocentric cultural values.

~sapphoq

Sunday, April 16, 2006

SHARE YOUR STORY: Blogging with MSN Spaces by Katherine Murray and Mike Torres

SHARE YOUR STORY: Blogging with MSN Spaces
by Katherine Murray and Mike Torres.
Redmond Wa: Microsoft Press, 2006. 196pp. including index. paperback.

For all of us blogheads out there, Microsoft Corporation now has a book of instructions and helpful hints for using MSN Spaces. Although I didn't really require the book, I bought it anyways and I enjoy leafing through it and extracting little tidbits from it that are useful.

Share Your Story pointed me to FeedBurner where I did indeed burn my http://radical.sapphoq.com blog into RSS and now it is featured on my own MSN Spaces at http://spaces.MSN.com/sapphoq . It also pointed me to some easier instructions for creating a playlist from the Windows Media Player and incorporating a certain affiliate program into my MSN spaces reading list.

The true techies among us probably will not need this book. The rest of us blogheads will enjoy the breezy style and having all of the instructions in printed form.

Happy reading!

~sapphoq

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

found poem from BART D. EHRMAN; LOST SCRIPTURES

The Shepard of Hermes Speaks
a found poem


Vision I. 1:1-9
I had nothing. Time, powerful, fell
and a spirit split the river.
The sky desired me. I said,
"Listen! Heaven is angry!"

A goddess laughed. Indeed, the heart
is great and everything. Captivity clings to hope and regrets.

Vision II. 5:1-4
Traveling, time remembered me.
I considered the things
I remember(ed) and I seized.

Vision III. 9:1-9
Was this the promise?
The hours arrived trembling
and terrified. Courage came
before righteousness and left
alone. Simplicity endured.


A found poem is words taken in order from a text, passage, or section of a book. When other words are skipped over, a poem is born.
This found poem was found in:
Bart D. Ehrman, Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament. New York, 2003, pp. 252, 254. 256.

Monday, April 03, 2006

found poems from THE NAG HAMMEDI LIBRARY

SOUL

Light! yours. Who has come
from my house? Things pre-existed
through the ages. Gifts light my
heart. The psychic formed
power[ful] and holy.

*found poem taken from The Prayer of the Apostle Paul Ia, 1-B, 10 translated by Dieter Mueller from the book: The Nag Hammadi Library, James M. Robinson (general editor), Harper, San Francisco, 1978, pp.27-28.

Poem found by sapphoq. Found poems are words taken from a section of someone else's writing in order and omitting other words in order to create a "found poem." As such, I believe they are not copyrightable and the original source of the words MUST be credited. Thus, it would not be accurate to say that I 'wrote' a found poem.


the Found Poem below is
from The Gospel of Truth on pp 40-41 as translated by Harold W. Altridge and George W. MacRoe in the book:
The Nag Hammadi Library, ed. James M. Robinson, Harper, San Francisco, 1978.

POWER

Knowing power, he perform[ed].
Searching inside became power.
Nothing was humiliation and
oblivion fell. Hidden darkness
showed the truth.

Destruction has need within.
Need retains knowledge. Little
sufferings lay invisible.
He stripped.





THE SOUL HAS DIED, a found poem

Since everything is sin, nature
calls the whole. The presence hear[s]
peace. Man seek[s] law and praise.
Hearts remember the hidden. Vision
is the treasure rejoicing. Dissolved things
took the darkness. The soul has died.

*words of poem were found in: The Nag Hammadi Library, James M. Robinson gen.ed., Harper, San Francisco, 1978.
in: The Gospel of Mary (BG 8502,1), translated by George W. MacRae and R. McL. Wilson and edited by Douglas M. Barrett, pp. 524-526




Found

Daimons in exile, far from
the soul. Power exists in places.
If god unborn is being, mind
has being. An alien turns to being.
Is nature speechless? Because matter
possesses power, cutting breath[es].


*found in the book: The Nag Hammadi Library, James M. Robinson [gen ed], Harper, San Francisco, 1978, p. 415




TRIMORPHIC PROTENNOIA, a found poem

Thought dwells alone.
Incomprehensible, the life dwells
in those who exist. Silence!
The underworld darkness poured
forth Thought.

Real Thought is joined by Voice
in mystery. Respect has difficult
secret[s]. Unrepeatable voices
exist in silence. Alone and invisible,
I perservere[ ]. The Light shines on.

*poem found in TRIMORPHIC PROTENNOIA, translated by John D. Turner in the book, The Nag Hammedi Library, James M. Robinson, gen.ed., Harper, San Francisco, 1978. pp. 513-514.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

ADAPTER KIT: MEXICO by KEN LUBOFF 4/2/06

Adapter Kit: Mexico, by Ken Luboff. Emeryville CAL: Avalon Travel Publishing, 2002. 249 pages including Appendix and Index; paperback.

The author and his wife are part of the wave of ex-pats who moved to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Eleven other possible places to settle are also reviewed. Information regarding health issues, making a living, communication systems, culture, and travel is offered alongside beautiful black-and-whites taken by the author.

A must-have for any aficiando of all things mexican.

~sapphoq

DECORATING JUNK MARKET STYLE by SUE WHITNEY AND KI NASSAVER 4/2/06

Decorating Junk Market Style, by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassaver. DesMoines: Meredith Books, 205. 204 pages, glossy paperback.

The authors-- two columnists and editors-at-large of Country Magazine-- have proclaimed themselves to be "the original junkmasters." Together they run The Junkmarket, a retail business in Minnesota. They started out as two mothers with sons playing hockey and sprunk into junk.
The junk on these pages is no ordinary leave-at-the-curbside garbage. It has been reformed into objets d'arte. Text and project directions give the reader a real feel for the how-to of repurposing junk. The accompanying photographs illustrate how the results can be incorporated into any home decor.
Warning: Unconverted spouses of junk and flea market afficiandos will throw their hands up in despair.

~sapphoq