Muses and amuses *Warning: long blog ahead!
Just a varied collection of interesting reads..

Desiderata by Max Ehrman, 1927
Muses: written ages ago but still very much applicable to life today

Go placidly amid the noise and haste
And remember what peace there may be in silence
As far as possible without surrender
Be on good terms with all persons
Speak your truth quietly and clearly
And listen to others, even the dull & ignorant
They too, have their stories

Avoid loud & aggressive persons
They are vexations to the spirit;
If you compare yourself with others
You may become vain and bitter
For always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans

Keep interested in your own career, however humble
It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
For the world is full of trickery
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is
Many persons strive for high ideals
And everywhere life is full of heroism

The Raven BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
Amuses: whimsical,historic horror tale

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at chamber door.
“Tis some visitor,” I muttered, ‘tapping at my chamber door
- Only this and nothing more.’

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore --
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore –
Nameless here for evermore

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-
Some later visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;
-- This it is and nothing more

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
‘Sir.’ said I, ‘or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you’ – here I opened wide the door –
Darkness there and nothing more

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, ‘Lenore!’
This I whispered and an echo murmured back the word ‘Lenore!’ –
Merely this and nothing more

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
‘Surely,’ said I, ‘surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what threat is, and this mystery explore-
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;-
Tis the wind and nothing more!’

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door –
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door –
Perched and sat and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore
‘Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou’ I said ‘are sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!’
Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’

Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning – little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door-
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as ‘Nevermore’

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in the one word he did outpour
Nothing farther then he uttered – not a feather then he fluttered
Till I scarcely more than muttered ‘Other friends have flown before –
On the morrow will he leave me, as my hopes have flown before.
'Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
‘Doubtless,’ said I, ‘what it utters is its only stock and store
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his song one burden bore –
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore of
“Never – nevermore.”

But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, Thinking what this ominous bird of yore –
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking ‘Nevermore.’

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl who fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat diving, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated over,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating over,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then , methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
“Wretch,” I cried, ‘thy God hath lent thee
– by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite – respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore;
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!’
Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore’

‘Prophet!’ said I, ‘thing of evil! prophet still, if bird or devil! –
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted-
On this home by Horror haunted –tell me truly I implore –
Is there – is there balm in Gilead? – tell me –tell me, I implore!’
Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore’

‘Prophet!’ said I, ‘thing of evil! prophet still, if bird or devil! –
By that Heaven that bend above us – by that God we both adore-
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore –
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.’
Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore,’

‘Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!’ I shrieked, upstarting – ‘
Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! – quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!’
Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore’

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp light over him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted –Nevermore!

Cute camp song
Amuses: note the sheer ingenuity in the lyrics n ask me for the tune (if you can tolerate my singing)

Miss Suzy had a tug boat the tug boat had a bell,
The tug boat went to heaven Miss Suzy went to
Hell-o operator give me number nine
and if you disconnect me i'll kick your
Behind the refrigerator there was a piece of glass
When Miss suzy fell upon it she broke her little
Ask me no more questions tell me no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom, zipping up their
Flies are in the meadow, bee's are in the park,
Miss suzy and her boyfriend are kissing in the D-A-R-K, dark, dark, dark,
Darker than the ocean darker than the sea, darker than the underwear my momma puts on me…

Learning in University
Muses: lifted off fang's blog some time ago.. simply inspiring

University is about learning.
It's not as simple as learning whatever you're taught in your classes though.
It's about learning how to listen, how to speak, how to think.
Learning who you are, who your friends are and the type of people you want as friends.

Learning how to trust your innermost feelings,and how to find those feelings in the first place.
It's about learning what's really important to you,
and learning what you don't really give a hoot about.
University is about learning how to tolerate, how to accept, how to like and how to love.
Learning how to give as well as you receive,
and how to trust that everything will even itself out on its own.

It's about learning that your mom and dad actually do have the right answers sometimes,and that your kid sister isn't such a dumb little kid anymore.
University is about learning how to treat people as people, not as stereotypes.
Learning how to achieve, how to succeed and how to accomplish.

It's about learning how not to come in first place and still be proud, a
nd about coming in last and learning how to admit that you could've done better.
University is about learning that loud parties don't neccessarily mean a good time.
Learning that loneliness doesn't go away in a crowd and that sometimes it's okay to be by yourself on a Friday or Saturday night.

It's about learning that your lunchtime crowd doesn't constitute your popularity,
and that popularity is all a matter of perspective.
It's about learning that boredom is simply laziness of the mind,
and that watching three hours of cable TV is not quality relaxation time.
University is about learning how to pack a bag, h
ow to pack a car, and how to pack a room full of way too much stuff.

It's about learning that people probably like you a whole lot more than they'll ever tell you,
and that it's your responsibility to make sure your friends know how much you appreciate them.
It's about learning that simply doing what you're supposed to do isn't enough,
and that you need to put forth twice that much in order to fully grasp whatever it is that's sitting in front of you.

University is about learning how to miss people enough not to relegate them to the past,
and how not to miss them so much that it keeps you from moving into the future.
Learning how to motivate yourself and how to motivate others.
Learning what the phrase, "make do" means,
and how to use it to make it seem as if you're not simply "making do".
It's about learning to make people think.
Indeed, University is about learning...Learning to live.

Comment: Erm soooo who's teaching again?

not quite the happy gelato stained postcard.
--12:31 AM--