Flowers Yes...Snow No

Day before yesterday...I took a walk across one of the corners of my neighbourhood...
and wss cheered by the flowers and buddings I saw...once again giving me evidence...
for my notion that spring starts on the West Coast of Canada...in January. Of course
...as the days go by...with no snow...as blossoms and buds begin to pop...a sliver of
aprehension...about what effect...this snow scarcity...will have on the Winter Olympics
out here...is in the air. My impression is that a strong Plan B was put into place...
a long time ago...so I think it will all work out. I smiled yesterday...when I saw on
the tv news...that a manual of over a hundred pages...had been issued...about putting..."our best face forward"...for those soon to be interacting with visiting dignitaries etc. I've never been too high on any human activities...that take us away from living...from our authentic selves...but I suppose...this manual was made by those dedicated to making the Winter Olympics here...a fine and memorable experience...for visitors. In tne meantime...one of my favourite times on the West Coast...early spring...is beginning to unfold...so my walks...with camera in hand...are about to become more and more interesting...as I look out for signs of spring coming in...west of the Rockies...............................Quester.

Poetry vs Song In My Life

Yesterday...I uploaded a poem video...to my poetry channel...for the first time in
about three months. A contributing factor...in my letting poetrydavidcampbell5 be...
has been for some technical reason...not being able to access it readily. But...it's
hard to conceal "the elephant in the room" here. I wouldn't want to make a categorical
statement about poetry versus song...but...in my individual experience...it's
beginning to look like...if there is a choice between people listening to a song...
as opposed to a poem...more will choose song than poetry. The reason for that...I think...is that song has been...for a long time...via radio...and before that...much more available to the world...than spoken word...although in recent times...some of the wing of poetry...filled with sound and fury...not to mention...bravado... has crashed into pop culture. For the "quieter" poets...this is not so much the case. I've noticed for some time now...for instance...in YouTube's list of video categories...that there is one for music...but...poetry...is not listed. I realized...when I started my poetry channel...that I was looking at..."a tough row to hoe"...but went ahead with opening the channel...anyway. My poetry channel...has not been embraced as warmly...as my mainly song [marakakore] channel. Of course...with my poetry channel...I can always exercise...the "let it be" option...as I've just recently done...and return to it...when I'm good and ready. I've been a poet for a long time...and am likely to continue being that...but sometimes...I'm really glad...that I'm also a maker of songs....Quester.

Another Gift From My Ukulele

Night before last...I dropped in on a poetry gathering...run by friends. In getting
ready to go there...it ocurred to me...that one of the reasons...I seldom if ever
take my guitar...on a "drop in"...is what I call the "luggability factor"...i.e. my
guitar in its case...being a drag to lug anywhere...unless I'm doing an "official
gig". Of course...I've sometimes...also...wanted on these excursions...to just listen
...rather than be driven to perform. At poetry gatherings in the past...I've simply
taken a sheaf of poems...and if I've felt like it...read a few. The other night...it
also came to me...that I no longer need to be encumbered by lugging a guitar with me
...in these situations. For the first time ever...I took my ukulele in its case...
tiny in comparison to a guitar...and arrived at the venue...without feeling burdened
down. I've only had my ukulele for about two months...but I decided to accompany
myself for the first time in public with it. With my friend...the host...holding a
bobbing microphone right in front of me...and standing up...pressing the
uke to my mid-section...with my arm...[made a mental note to get a strap for this
instrument in the future]...I sang two songs...which were well received. It was a
warm and friendly night...and among other things...I had received another gift from
my ukulele...light as a feather...that I know now...I can take with me...as one more
option...if and when...I should decide to do...a spontaneous drop in......Quester.

A Near Resolution

This new year...it's not so much out right resolutions I've made...it's more bringing
into my consciousness moreso than before...areas in my life I need to work on. One
of them...is replying to e-mails...or any other messages received...more promptly.
I have found that if I don't reply immediately to a message received...e.g. on the
same day it comes to me...I tend to put myself in danger...of getting into a slide
about when the eventual reply will happen. There are many reasons...of course...why
you might not reply right away. Sometimes...it's because you want to answer...in a
well thought out way...rather than in a rushed one. In some cases...you may not wish
to show..."squalid haste" in your reply. I've never used the phrase..."I jumped at it"
...in my life...having an old school sense that being dignified in how you proceed
is preferable. However...I know well...not showing squalid haste...can easily turn
into long delayed replies. Someimes...you may wish to send an encouraging message to
someone...and you'd prefer not to dish out a quick slice of humouring in your reply
so you wait for the right words to come. Yes...there are many reasons why you don't
reply right away...but somewhere in the forest of reasons...there is a way to "get
with it". Hope I find it this year...................Quester.

My Work Down Here

It's been a while since my last post...no outright excuse to offer for that.
However...I have done a lot of postings...and have even gone through long stretches
of time...when I posted every day. Who knows?...I may be just having a natural
response to all that. My video making started some time after I became a blogger...
and I have been very productive ongoingly making videos. These days...that has
become a central preoccupation...and small wonder...if other things I used to do
frequently...have taken a bit of a back seat. Right now I feel privileged to make
videos...and so far...haven't run into my motivation about that...tailing off.
It'll be interesting to see how that part of my work as an artist unfolds up ahead.
I have learnt over the years never to say "never"...about anything. For some time...
and right now video making has been the priority...but who knows what tomorrow may
bring?. One of the factors in my productivity in video making...is having so many
already created songs...poems...and other material...waiting to be well recorded
...and some of it...shared on video online. So here's to a new year...with my
artist's work continuing...one way or the other...as I do some part of my artist's
job...that I feel is my work "down here". Wishing all...a Peaceful and Fulfilling
New Year!..............................Quester.