In Lieu of Real Content II

Nothing written. Things are pending. While you wait:

1. Sign up for the JimForum -
   
   
2. And write something there! Anything! -
   
   
3. Read Daddyray's Caustic Sense (he's baaack) -
   
   
4. Hop over to the Big White Guy. Enjoy a tale -
   
   
5. Read all of JZ's "My Glamormous Life" series -
   
   
6. See what's going on in the news -
   
   
7. Drop Jim an email.

See you tomorrow!

Money In My Pocket
Five or six years ago, around the Christmas holiday, I found a fifty-dollar bill in the parking lot of the Ocean County Mall. Initially, I thought, "lucky me".

But, after a few steps -- realizing that we have a lot of fixed income, senior types in my town, I wondered if it was some old lady's money. I suddenly felt less lucky.

What if it were some child's money. Less lucky yet.

No matter what, it was someone else's. And I had no real way to find the rightful owner.

Not quite knowing how to feel about it, the bill stayed folded in my wallet for a while. Eventually, it melted into my general fund. I'm sure it bought gas or a meal or the odd Christmas gift.

Thank you to whoever involuntarily donated that to me.

::

Reader's Digest did an experiment. They dropped over a thousand wallets in cities all over the world. Each wallet contained about $50 US. And then they watched the wallets.

The question was who would bring them back and who wouldn't.

Denmark and Norway were the only places where every wallet was returned. My first thought was: Denmark? That pit of immorality? With their legal pot smoking? And their legal prostitution? That must be a mistake!

On the other hand, Mexico's religious citizenry, did dead last in honesty. Only two of the ten wallets were returned. I found this particularly amusing:

"In Mexico, at least two apparently devout Christians who kept our wallets made the sign of the cross after picking them up and peeking inside. The cash, they must have decided, was heaven-sent."

In Lieu of Actual Content
Not that it matters that I haven't written anything. Last night, I was unable to transfer any files to my server. As I write this, I have no internet access.

Well, I've written stuff. Four drafts. I don't know if any of them will make it to JimFormation. I've written: a bit on the downed Americans on the Chinese island, a bit about nuclear power, something I call "Life's A Party" and ... jeez ... I forget the last thing. Hm. Those little naps are great.

So, instead of finishing one of those, I lazily give you a quote:

The artist admits that when he or she speaks and writes, it's a muse or an angel that is making the utterance. But isn't the same true of all of us, all the time? Whenever we speak, other voices are speaking through us. We never know the full resonance of our words, spoken or written, and it is from those mysterious depths that words take their power. The more we stand back and allow those other voices to be heard, the more fully we speak and the more powerfully we are heard.

It is similar with the stories we tell and the stories we live. We can only glimpse them, and when we try to capture them in a narrative -- a conversation or a diary -- we feel the inadequacy of our expression. And so our stories are sometimes only attemps at stories, and sometimes they are nonstories, mere grunts of telling that collapse in midsentence in tears, laughter, or silence.

Thomas Moore ::: | discuss

Let Me Know What You're Thinking

To All and Sundry -

I've started a forum, JimForum. Please sign up. I'm hoping to add a little bit of interactivity to this otherwise static web site.

Like this site itself, I hope to grow the thing. We'll discuss my interests and yours. Let's just see what happens with it.

Lemme know what you want to talk about and I'll set it up.

Topics I hope to include are web design, web sites, writing, photography, sports, politics, family, relationships ... oh, hell, why not ... sex, religion, god, humor.

The sky's the limit. But I can't do it without you.

Sign up. Write something. Anything.

Thanks up front,

Jim

Photography
My dad gave me an absolutely wonderful camera. I've always been intrigued by photography. I didn't know I would enjoy it so much.

Thanks Dad.

I've posted a new gallery. Barnegat Bay at Night.

I never expected to get the magic colors I got. I'll be doing more night time photography soon. :::

Here's a sample:

JimFo. On ice .