Start here.

I've given this a lot of thought. No, really, I have. Over the last couple of years I've contemplated registering my musings on Life, Death, the Universe and, of course, me. The driving force in this is that when hence my passing comes, there will be something left that was separate and distinct from what I was in my life. To presume a distillation is vanity, for no man is found in a summation of his words alone. The best prose, the finest verse, falls short in saying, "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well". Whom do we really know? This is for me cathartic. What reading this does for you you will have to sort for yourself.

If this makes me sound like some sort of fatalistic prig, blow that off. I don't want your empathy, your understanding, your forgiveness,(unless I am asking for it directly and personally), or conversely your emnity, dislike, distaste, rightous indignation or worse yet, adulation or admiration. Pack the ol' corncob with this: What you get from this is solely something that has value to you. This is the cudgel of my soul, scraping dirt, sweat and blood from the angst and heartache that has never, in all these years, abated. That's it's purpose for me. Clear?

If this makes me sound angry, blow that off too. I a)don't hate the world,(or anyone else, for that matter), b) lead a frustrated life or c) somehow wish things were "different". Know this: no one's life is perfect, regardless of what you see on TV. That said, here is the perfect place to start my expositions on Life, Death, the Universe and me.

The Wheel of Life

You see, everybody's life is like a wheel. Think of it as a stone wheel that a caveman is pushing along. Everybody's wheel is different, but make no mistake, they're all made out of stone, weigh a ton and take great effort to push down the road of life. But everybody's wheel and road is different. Now me, my wheel has about, oh say, 20 facets and my road is slightly uphill. I have wistfully stared at the ones with perfectly polished-smooth doughnuts merrily traversing a gently down-sloping grade. But I balance that envy with the brutally plaintive sight of a soul excerting all their tragic might to muscle a triangle up a viciously steep slope. Are things tough? You bet, but if you're like me, you'll make it just fine.

The Wheel of LIfe is brought to you by.....

The Stringalongs - Brass Buttons
Monty Python - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
Leo Kotke - Coolidge Rising
Southern Culture on the Skids - Torture
The Bluegrass Cardinals - Angel rock me to sleep
Louis Jordan and the Tympany 5 - Mop Mop
Lyle Lovett (& his Big Band) - Cryin' Shame

If you have never heard of some of these, get you some, baby...
and, in life, when you are skating on thin ice, Dance....