Tangled Web

Tangled Web, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The complications of life, built up over time, so hard to unravel.

Autumn Path

Autumn Path, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The path of time takes us through many changes along the way. Our passing bold and swift.

She's leaving home

She's leaving home, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The day was shining into her eyes,
her mind trying to make pictures out
of the colors that were shining in.

The sounds swam around her head,
looking for a place to rest awhile,
as she sat in the corner, numb,
with her brains in hand and smiled.

Memories

Aging takes our memories away.  We have a hard time separating fact from fiction, and life takes on new complications.  This is something many choose to ignore, but it's a part of life we need to accept and deal with, as heartbreaking as that can be.

My grandfather succumbed to Alzheimer's disease, and my mother is beginning to have issues with Dementia.  As for myself, I'm finding that I struggle to remember things from time to time. Scary, but a reality.

Medical science is a long way from finding a solution, if there truly is one.  I bring all of this up, not to bring people down, but to remind folks to make the most of life, make joyful memories, even those that will be forgotten, and to let people age with the dignity and grace they deserve.

A little love and respect goes a long way.

Between the lines

Between the lines, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

and though we're forever to be apart,
don't replace hate for the love,
that once dwelt in your heart...

Out of ocean experience

Out of ocean experience, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

not popular anymore,
not knowing how to read the signs,
confirm your fears,
blast across the years,
social problems,
caught with a bottle,
you've been condemned,
fired through many a yesterday

I kid you not

I kid you not, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

This is the computer I use at work... I kid you not.

My day job is in accounting for a small government department, which is a part of a larger municipal organization.

My current computer which runs Windows XP with Office 2003 is functional but dying, which you can kind of tell by the black duct tape holding it together, was supposed to be replaced with a like kind Dell (don't get me started on that) running Windows XP and Office 2007.

Not much of an upgrade, I know.  So, a new machine was ordered by our IT Department in December of 2010, and arrived the following January 2011.

This "new" computer then sat in my cubicle from January 2011 unto the beginning of October 2012.  It never got installed.  Why?  Because I insisted that my scanner (crucial equipment) and fax modem be installed.  I've been more or less paperless for more than a decade in my work area (we have no physical storage) and I love the convenience digital documents.

So, this October, the computer got picked up by the IT Department from my area to be "imaged" and brought back and installed.  A week went by and no word on how things were going.  On week two I got a phone call about the Scanner and Fax options I was requesting (I want a machine that matches the capabilities of my current machine), and after lots of back and forth they said they'd work on it.  But not until after lecturing me about asking for old technology, and I could not help but laugh at that, pointing out that they were installing old technology with my "new" two plus year old computer.

So, three weeks (on top of the 20 plus months already mentioned) have gone by and no computer has been installed.

If folks have any doubts about government inefficiency, they shouldn't.  I've seen it first hand from the inside for more than 25 years.  It's bad and getting worse.  People should be much more outraged than they are.  Unless government modernizes in a cost effective manner it won't be able to serve the public, and as much of it should be outsourced as possible.  This will require breaking some of the union stranglehold on government.

To sum up this rather long post, my "new" computer will probably end up getting installed by 2013 (government does very little work during the last two months of the year because of the holidays).

I thoght it would be interesting to compare what's been developed during my two year wait to have an antique installed, and I'll use Apple as an example, so here we go:

iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 2, 3, 4, and iPad mini, iOS5, iOS6, new Apple TV, two versions of OSX, new Mac Mini, new mac books, new iMac.... You get the idea.

Hell, even Microsoft upgraded their OS to Windows 8 and came out with the Surface tablet, not to mention newer versions of Office.

So, yes, tech development is speeding up, and government is falling further and further behind and never shall the two meet.

Government is failing at an accelerating rate.

Reel Life

Reel Life, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Arrogant bastards,
feeding themselves on patronizing screams
sitting on alters next to queens
pounding on the head's of court jesters
destroying the king's throne and crowning
him with tar and feathers
gossip house for the insane
chatting about nuns snorting cocaine
avoiding the snow plows,
chasing dairy trucks,
mistaking them for milk cows...

Well, you woke up to an opera
with your head between the rocks
and your feet in the clouds...

The straight jacket is in the closet now
and your family in the grave...
everyone you knew lost their heads
to the king...
after his elaborate coronation...
but the bishop saved your life
when he let the church bell ring...

Now stuck in crowded slums,
with your favorite sluts...
who'd would like to see you die
and fed to buzzards,
or to toil the earth,
feeding on lizards...

Mind Distortions

Mind Distortions, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Once again, she woke to her own private opera,
bottles in the making... day after day.  The happiness
they once brought, now just clouds through which
she could barely see.

Your time is up

Time's Up, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Staring at blank walls watching the clock tick the hours away, a sweep of time.  Soften the walls for me before I get hurt.  Locked in a snake pit is where you belong, and I don't want to be by your side.  Sweeping hands, a portrait of who we were.

A few words

A few words, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

You were misquoted, but your meaning still came through.  Now they're pressing for the reasons, they need more than someone to tell them what to do.

Give them explanations and though their questions can't all be answered, maybe you can tell them enough to keep them satisfied. And if not that, at least enough to keep them stupefied.

You put them here and their curiosity is too great to be denied.

Seeing Spots

Seeing Spots, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Frustration reaching its peak,
leave behind the anger,
leave behind the fear...
take yourself away from the cause...
now's the time to speak.
They're offering an option cluase
on tranquility for only $100 a year,
apply now and receive a free
autographed picture of the lone ranger...
hurry, just sign your name
and the rest is their responsibility...

Our dream worlds

Our dream worlds, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Day to day living at its best,
going the opposite directtion
as all the rest
knowing that long term plans
are not my quest
having fun with the stumbling
blocks that ruin the plans
of so many
yet they question me as
to why I don't have any
"what about the future"
they always say
as they toil away
waiting for the
golden tomorrow
and I just smile
with my reply
"I live for today"

Thorny

Thorny, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The issues we face in life can be a lot more complicated than they seem at first.  Aging parents and disease are two areas that immediately come to mind.  When you start to go down this road, it is easy to try and deny or dismiss the warning signs.  Not a good idea, that will only complicate the situation further.  It's going to take a lot of faith, patience and love once you find yourself faced with dealing the complications of aging.  Be strong.

Orange Harvest

Orange Harvest, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Autumn, the season of colour and change.

Better days gone

Better days gone, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Elections bring into focus just how much we've lost as a nation.  We've given away our jobs, our pride, our freedom.  We've done this by chasing dollars in order to fill voids with objects and material things.

If there is a way to turn things around, it has to start with taking a long hard look at ourselves, and changing who we've become to who we want to be.

It don't add up

It don't add up, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Stories of the recovery were just that... anyway you look at the numbers you find we're still in serious trouble... It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last, that the media and corrupt politicians ignored the truth in order to push personal agendas.

Bribes and Favors

Bribes and Favors, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Elections are number games,
all about who you can extort...
perverse and corrupt to the extreme

X marks the spot

X marks the spot, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The news telling me nothing
that makes me happy
fouled into depression
this isn't progress,
it's regression...
I'll have to take comics
with my tea...
and start the day
on a different note
remembering Snoopy
when in need of a quote

Meeting in the middle

Meeting in the middle, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

There's much to be said about putting the past behind us, and moving forward. Life's too short to live with scores of regrets.

Have a seat

Have a seat, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

I've been mixing this up lately by using different cameras, with different limitations... This keeps the focus on the subject (pun intended) and not on the equipment. If you can't quite get what you were after because of hardware limitations, think a little differently and find another shot in the scene. There's one there.... waiting.

Before the storm

Before the storm, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Winter is approaching,
time to bring the year to an end...

Beach bums

Beach bums, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Moments worth savoring make a good foundation upon which we can build our castle of memories.

The purpose of elections

The purpose of elections, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Elections are about power, money, and corruption... certainly not governing.  Just the fact that Big Bird is featured in policoms shows how absurd things have become.

Kicking Back

Kicking Back, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Some moments we make ours

Waves of youth

Waves of youth, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

It's up to the young to change the world in a way we've failed to do.

A twisted mess

A twisted mess, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The world was in a bad state,
repeating mistakes of the past,
headed toward disastrous fate,
humanity gone for good, at last

Market Economy

Market Economy, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We've had a bunch of government policies that have done nothing to help the recovery, and have just gotten in the way of the economy healing itself. It's time for that to stop.

Gone Industrial

Gone Industrial, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We've run out of solutions to our problems, and our options have disappeared.  It's time to break free from thinking of the past and try something new.

Buckle Up

Buckle Up, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The roads we travel through life are often bumpy and full of surprises, so it's best we hold on tightly and try to enjoy the ride.

Vote Tally

Vote Tally, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We're beyond help... elections and debates are nothing more than charades now. Corruption breeding more corruption.

Passing Moments

Passing Moments, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Make the most of the time you've got.

Sunset Texting

Sunset Texting, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

When the world gets you down, turn it off...  Its problems aren't going anywhere.