two

Carmel Retreat as classy inn

2009-11-09T13:41:47-05:00

A large part of the work at Carmel Retreat here in Mahwah, NJ involves us in the ministry of hospitality. In short, we keep a certain kind of inn. And I've recently gotten an eyeful of what it takes.

Yesterday, Sunday, we had mass at 11:30 then bid farewell to a group of about 30 who had been here since Friday on a parish retreat. Then we set up for the next group due to arrive at 1:00. And we welcomed about 100 people to a 50th wedding anniversary celebration which ran until 7:30. Then all three of our houses needed to be "turned around" to feed and room another group of 70 who will be here through tomorrow, at which time another somewhat smaller group comes in for a special dinner.

As you might guess, these events are fraught with the potential for trouble. But they've been largely trouble-free thanks to a staff who knows what they're doing. And me—I just stand back and watch and stay out of the way until it's time to pitch in with set-up, take-down, or table-clearing.

Today I've got some sore arms, but the old back is doing just fine, thank you.

plordle

2009-10-27T09:04:43-04:00

Wordled the ten most recent poems at plainer. Common words removed.

Common words included:

twordle

2009-10-27T08:46:37-04:00

Wordled my current Twitter window. A rich old word comes out on top.

my first group at Carmel Retreat

2009-10-25T19:39:57-04:00

brtom

testing a new thingumbob for posts

2009-10-25T11:02:48-04:00

Noticed in late afternoon your spiritual trousers

weren't Astounding. Stand up for ineffable diminuendos.

So. Weren't it. Unfolding like zillions of blinds maybe

in Childhood toward our transitional brightness then

parking Ourselves behind. You know. The dead

tree Whodunit just to keep going forward not

announcing Stop until we spotted divine inklings

in Tiny bug-like glyphs of breathy stuff. But

wait Don't you care what anyone thinks anymore.

Not The sparrows the germinating plungers the zeros.

None of them full of force and burly devices but

just Enough beautiful falling down takeaways to get us.

via brtom.typepad.com

talking poems

2009-10-21T14:40:02-04:00

More talking poems over at p l a i n e r ... and here ...

the next part of a magic trick

2009-10-12T09:03:36-04:00

brtom

actual brtom

2009-09-21T20:38:20-04:00

OK ... so now I've re-recorded the poems I let Alex do. I've done them in my own human voice ... the one I was tired of listening to and so let Alex take on. It really was a comfort to let Alex do it ... highlight the text and click. But now I'm back. I wonder how I might work up a duet with Alex. That would be something.

In the meantime, go to p l a i n e r to hear the real me.

plainer speaking

2009-09-19T19:35:19-04:00

You may or mayn't be "noticing" that "I" have been "saying" poems at plainer. In fact, as you've guessed, the saying is being done by Alex, a Mac computer voice. I'm intrigued by Alex because "he" contains just enough of my own vocal tone to give one (i.e. me) pause ... to listen ... to wonder Is that me? (pause) No, it's Alex. My next project is to teach myself to speak like him. You will like me better when I do.

You may also notice at plainer that I've placed one of these little GCast players in the sidebar. So any new things I or Alex speak will automatically appear there without needing a whole new post.

Alex and I will be happy to receive whatever comments you care to give.

red tooth claw

2009-09-05T11:57:16-04:00

Was torn out of sleep at 3:30 this morning by some sizable animal's death cry out in the trees.

It set silence all over.

I guess every other living thing had to go quiet then. Me, too.

I was wondering what did it ... how big it was ... could it climb to my second storey ... could it leap through the window and get me, too.

What lurks around out there once no light covers the woody green world? This is the question ... no doubt ... common to the ancestors who lived on their own in the old weird natural world that has never gone away. I'm getting to know that. Fear of the dark ... what a concept.

Is this the new me?

12.

2009-09-01T23:48:03-04:00

12. How will the day after sabbatical be distinct from any day on sabbatical? Will it? Should it? Might it?

Well, it had a meeting in it. The meeting was informational, but it was also (for me) inspirational and hopeful. The meeting was good.

And then what happened to the rest of the day? I'm afraid I wasted it ... except ... for ... finally finishing Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation and then reviewing it at Good Reads:

The sanest book to emerge from the 2oth century? Certainly the first half is in contention. The second half, as it tries to put words to the (a?) contemplative experience, kicks it (and the common reader) onto an altogether different level. One needs to be ready for this book.

And slapped five stars on it. And will need to carry bits of it with me for a long time to come.

From those high planes I fell to dinner, too much dessert, and a viewing of Antonioni's The Passenger (now crouching to leap into my box of top ten movies ever), interrupted only slightly by a call from a friend concerned by my FB status ... even though it ended with "okay." It was just one of those goofy things in a goofy day of what's shaping up to be my goofy life. But it's good to have a friend (and others, too, who had something to say about that status) ... blessings on them all.

& it seems I had such a run of poems over the past month that I'm just a tiny bit empty there now ... today ... but tomorrow?

well ... now

2009-08-31T22:15:17-04:00

So here it is. The last hours of the last day of my year-long sabbatical.

Some questions I'll pose and hardly answer (in time):

1. Where have I been?
2. Where am I now?

3. What have I done?
4. What's become of me?
5. What have I lost?
6. What is finished?
7. What have I gained?
8. What's begun?

9. Why have I done this?
10. Why has it been done to me?

11. Who deserves my gratitude?

12. How will the day after sabbatical be distinct from any day on sabbatical? Will it? Should it? Might it?

Let me sleep on all of this.

hey world

2009-08-04T13:00:26-04:00

brtom

who were those guys

2009-07-29T21:56:03-04:00

Still haven't figured what caused an astonishing spike in my p l a i n e r hits back on July 4 and 5 ... 324 and 350, respectively ... on a blog that averages about ten hits (frequently fewer) per day. This spike has probably skewed those averages for the next decade or so.

p l a i n e r is living up to its name. So plain (next to) nobody notices ... and that's ok. No pressure. I don't work so well under pressure anyway.

I'm just glad I've got this blog to write about that blog.

And speaking of this blog ...

the mosquito

2009-07-22T08:14:11-04:00

Mosquito Ringtones - Download the Mosquito Ring Tone Free.

You should use the last tone on this list that you can hear. For instance, if you can hear the 17khz and the 18khz tone, use the 18khz - less people will be able to hear it.

... then you can take that call in class and miss the lesson on "less" and "fewer" ... as we did.