Jotting Jobs 6/06/09

We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have.

Henry James
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A hearty good weekend to you.
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Never call anyone a dope. We are all dopes, when you get right down to it. What I know can barely get me to the post office and back. What I don't know can get me to the edge of the universe and back. No matter how much I learn I am still in the dark about most things. Is that a good reason to stop trying to learn things? Of course not.

When I retired 8 years ago I naturally was urged to do what I had looked forward to doing, full time reading of the topics that interest me, which includes almost everything. I became and am a voracious reader of books, magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes, can and bottle labels, matchbooks, etc. It has led me into some surprising discoveries, some of which show up in my journal, from time to time.

Since I started reading my eyesight has dimmed a bit. Sometimes I have to read with a magnifying glass, so reading is slow going. But, one of these days, ONE OF THESE DAYS, I'll be able to get some reading glasses and then, Watch out !

During my working life I felt I was in the dark most of the time. I think any thing is on the job training no matter how well prepared you are when you go into it, whether it's rocket science or motherhood. Acting was much of a mystery to me all the years I did it. Along the way I noticed that those for whom it was not a mystery were not very good at it.

The common thread throughput my career, as it is with any important enterprise, was the act of giving. I had a talent, which is the word used to differentiate the performer from all the other people involved in theatre or film: such as "Who's the talent on this one?" But one does not get by on talent alone, at least not for long. After "talent" comes the hard work, and that's where the joy of giving comes in. I don't think there is an artist alive who doesn't feel that his talent and ability is a gift and that the work to turn that into something beautiful and meaningful for other people is his gift to life and to the world.

It's a strange thing in life that we don't seem to get as much as we give. We put out 100 per cent and we get back 50 (if we're lucky). And while it's true that some people seem to get back 200 after giving out 20, that's an exception.

There's an old saying in show business "Give me a bare board and a passion." In other words give me a place to stand up and something that moves my heart and my mind and I will entertain you. Al Jolson used to stop people on the street blow a tone on his pitch pipe and sing for them. If a painter has no canvas, paints or brushes he can make a beautiful picture with a jar of ink and a stick, if he's really an artist. I studied drawing with a teacher who actually made us do that, on a hunk of shelf paper.

Every time we recite a poem, sing a song or draw a picture we get one step closer to the edge of the universe. And it doesn't matter what your occupation is, if it's a giving thing you're on the same journey. As the old song puts it, "It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it."

DB - Vagabond Journeys
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Let your light shine. Please.
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WEEKEND PUZZLE

Okay. Here you go.
Without cheating (i. e. Googling), how many of the following can you identify with their full titles? Warning, they get progressively more difficult. The correct answers and winners, if any (heh, heh, malignant chuckle), will appear after 9 p. m. EST on Sunday. So get busy. No cheating.

1. PIN

2. NASA

3. CORE

4. FAA

5. ASCAP

6. AFL-CIO

7. AGVA

8. LASER

9. EDGAR

10. CARD

1 winner so far

Good luck. You'll need it.