Gray Wolf Productions

Category: Musings

  • Ozymandias and Yertle The Turtle

    Every so often these 2 writings stick in my head. Now is one of those times. For me they have the same theme.

    SandI am not sure when I first read Ozymandias – it may have been in grammar school or high school but I know it was way before college and it’s always resonated with me. As does Yertle the Turtle

     

    Ozymandias

    I met a traveler from an antique land
    who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
    stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
    half sunk,a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
    and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
    tell that its sculptor well those passions read
    which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
    the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
    and on the pedestal these words appear —
    My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
    look at my works, ye mighty, and despair!”
    Nothing besides remains. Round the decay
    of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
    the lone and level sands stretch far away.’

                  by Percy Shelly

    It’s that last couple of sentences about look at my works and despair. Yet nothing beside remains [except the legs and the sand]

    It speaks to the futility of a lot of the grandiose ideas and  projects that we do thinking we are more important than anyone else.

    Projects that probably cost a lot in terms of money, human time, and human lives.

    Then there is Yertle, which also has the same kind of theme running through it.

    I’m Yertle the Turtle!
    Oh, marvelous me!
    turtle
    For I am the ruler
    of all that I see!…

    That plain little turtle whose name was just Mack,
    Decided he’d taken enough. And he had.
    And that plain little lad got a bit mad.
    And that plain little Mack did a plain little thing.
    He burped! And his burp shook the throne of the king!

    By Dr. Seuss

    Yertle wants to rule everything he can see but Mack, the lowly turtle, burps and destroys the throne of the king.

    Sand, burps, time and tide can wreak havoc on our egomaniacal plans. Be careful how you treat others and the environment. Karma!! Leave a legacy that helps future generations; not glorifies you????

    Thoughts? Comments? Thank you.

     

  • Tax Time

    are your taxes done
    Tax Time

    In the USA –  it is TAX day!

    Do you have yours done? Mailed?

    I learned many ages ago to not fret about April 15th because I learned about extensions.

    If you do a calculation of your owed tax [if any] – and pay that – you can file for an extension to do the whole thingie of form-filling-out work later..

    It always amazes me that people drive to an open mail collection box right before midnight and often wait, car running, to approach the nice postal worker who will take the tax form and be sure it is postmarked April 15.

    • Who are those in line at midnight?

    • Who does taxes by hand anymore?

    • Why don’t they pay and file an extension?

    If you know the answers, please comment…

    Thank you.

     

     

     

     

  • Finding The Elusive Muse

    where are the ideas?Sometimes it is a pain to find ideas to write about…

    But I love images…

    So I go look for an image that inspires me and gets my muse doing her job  🙄

    This one “got” my attention.  

    It really did start the crank turning and the gears moving.

    All this is needed because after my winter hibernation, I promised I would really get back on track in April and finish up those many projects I had started before hibernating.

    So – with the gears turning, I am getting back to the children’s books I had outlined and a fun online course on nutrition because we all need to eat better….

    Stay tuned … I’ll post about each product as it is finished.. 

     

    What do you do to generate ideas and get your muse back to work?

    Thank you for those comments

     

     

  • International Women’s Day

    International Women's Day

    Every year on March 8, many countries celebrate international women’s day. 

    This is not a very well known or very celebrated day in the United States.

    Why? Probably because it happens on March 8 – which can be a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday! 

    We have come to love our holidays only if they happen on a Monday so that we can have three-day weekends and where you were encouraged to go out and Buy! Buy! Buy!

    Also, alas, we have little respect for women in the United States.

    This was shown in the last election go round and even up to right now – with all of the legislation going on and being presented in both the Congress and in statehouses and legislatures curtailing women’s rights and bodies.

    Yes, I know I was writing a book on the state of women in the United States.  It just didn’t get done in the timeframe that I wanted it done so it’s sitting mulling around in my brain and computer – but will be done this year. 

    So women – even though you don’t really have an official day here in the United States – you can celebrate with your sisters around the world and try to make it a better place for women in every country – including the United States.

     

    Comments? Thoughts? Thank you….

  • Body Language And You

    I love Ted talks – the most interesting people deliver the most interesting ideas – and do this in a way we can all understand. 

    Below is a talk by Ann Cuddy about body language….

    Watch it and see what your body is saying.

    Then go and try her ideas – and see if you can say something else.

  • Do You Have A Sense of Direction? Yes? No?

    If you said yes – you have a sense of direction – you may not fully understand those of us who said NO!


    fork-in-the-roadWe come to a sign like this and have to go through these thoughts

    • which way did I go the last time I was here?
    • was the correct choice?

    Only after we make the choice this time – can we remember if it was correct…because if it wasn't we are lost.

    And the no-direction brain often makes the same wrong choice because that WAS what we chose the last time.

    A multi-directional sign is more challenging.

    It does feel like this image.

    If the words are north, south, east and west -watch out –

    we WILL get lost

    It's not a brain function we can fix – so please understand that.

    We need other kinds of cues to get our path correct…if you are our passenger, yelling directions at us only makes it worse..and ensures our getting lost.

    Our brains process differently than yours does...

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thank you

     


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