“Power”‘s That Be

“Aging Power” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

Power … it’s an amazing and amazingly useful thing.

From a simple think like electricity that give us the easy life – heating our homes, cooking, keeping food fresh … it’s wonderful. I think if people went back to the old days where you had to go to market daily or, well, kill a chicken here and there on your farm for food, etc people would very much appreciate how much less than simply power is – when applied in its correct context.

Then there is the other “power” – political and otherwise. Many times it’s a power that starts out for good – freeing people and otherwise, many times from tyranny.

So, why many times does that good power “go south”, get rusted, and eventually possibly become what it was initially fighting to correct?

Here is what I think:

Power is useful when used with good guidance. When that guidance is ignored or no longer sought out, it becomes like an older part of a power grid – the rust takes over and no longer efficiently transfers electricity across that part of the grid (holding back services from those that need it).

Lot’s of time checks and balances are in place, the rusting is noticed, and replaced with new sections – and the power flows again to those that need it.

The other reason … we just don’t to even start discussing a subject like this because people are “tired of dealing with it”.

Well, sometimes you have to deal with things … in a positive manner.

Sometimes those dealings take time.

Sometime with baby-steps so small that you may never see the end result in your life time.

So, next time you want to vent on Facebook on another popular social media venue – maybe take a day to cool down and email or write to someone that can get that rust that is impeding whatever power problem you have removed or remidiated. It may not happen that day … but maybe your children will have a much brighter future because you took a few minutes to put somthing in motion.

Save the world — talk to someone, write a letter, care. Baby-steps are still steps.

-SWB

Just something to think about.

 

Broken Doors

“Doorway” (c)Lawence A Capozzolo

Broken Doors sitting alone,
once to freedom now to blight.

Open in past finding chance,
now hanging unto slowing rust.

Pathway once to dreams,
creating nightly imagination.

Things once better through a door,
today all questions – not much more.

Walking through is a job,
will the rust hold on?

Will the door fall,
ending the dreams and all?

Broken doors, everywhere,
seldom noticed, always feared.

-SWB

Screaming Weasel

Yep … that’s us!

A bit about “us” – since many have only been introduced to us recently, and nobody ever reads the “about” tab – and honestly, some time we just put things in it to be goofballs.

Most of the time it’s me, the author, Lawrence Capozzolo (signed SWB). An American, or Italian/German American, or mutt, or one of the people that’s paying a mortgage to house my step-daughter’s four furry critters (two dogs, a cat, and a rat). We’re pretty sure the animals had their lawyer get their names on the deed for the house too. They may have taken ours off at this point.

SWB started originally started in 2006 when I purchased my G4 iBook and it had iWeb on it. I made my first posting after I noticed a blog called That’s Church (I’m pretty sure that was still its title back then – but I’m getting old, and memories fade fast now … so I could be incorrect.) The person writing “That’s Church” eventually went on to write for Pittsburgh Magazine.  Although my blog become popular in about fifteen countries doing about 1.2 million hits a year, I chose getting back into I.T. work (I could have been smarter and went back to school for carpentry or plumbing or HVAC …. but NO, I stuck with I.T.) therefore still writing but not keeping it up eventually doing it professionally.

The blog was started, like others at the time as a rant blog (humorous rant). I figured people would find humor in the annoying blabberings of us tech types, and I was right. Now that I’m close to 50 (ok …. REALLY close) I’m getting back into writing for it and doing photography for it again (unless otherwise stated – those photos are really mine) basically because of ageism (tech is becoming like the NFL … if you didn’t get your first Ferrari right in the beginning, the youngin’s aren’t going to give you a chance to get one now … you’re too old to work in tech) I’m back to writing. I like doing it anyway.

I don’t know if I’ll get my numbers back up or if I’ll ever get a donation (but although I’m not a non-profit, please keep in mind I have to replace two cars, a furnace, and put a kid through university – so have a heart, consider donating).  Right now I do a little sound engineering work, etc – waiting to get back into tech if I ever do.  If I just end up writing, better yet.

Back to SWB. It will continue to be a showcase for humorous rant, really bad poetry, attempts at legitimate poetry, and whatever gets thrown into it. Some others may write for it (if they do you will know). If you like the writing, please like the posts or blog – if you really like it – follow, if you think I should put it into a book – donate. Remember, books still do things like enabling me to generate enough money to donate to others that love to do what writers love to do.

The photography is also part of the showcasing in SWB, I’ve been doing this since the age of 13 …. so 36 years. You’ll notice various formats (slide, digital, modified, etc). The other site I write for Pittsburgh By Mini Cam is designed to be for low-res photography.

Yes … we do on purpose write badly, strangely, and horrendously (this is different from “badly” as it indicates a “graduate” level of “bad”). We try to make you think by readings that make you feel that Scotty forgot to but a few brain atoms back into you after beaming you up.

We just have fun.

… and we do consider padded rooms to be ultra comfy posh places. The straight jackets are slightly annoying though – especially when you have to type with your teeth.

We are the late show, art gallery, literary short, stand up comedian, sitcom, political humorist, poetm, life loving, opinionated schmucked (buggered for the British folks) up oxygen breathing carbon based units that you will hopefully learn to as least like. If not, click the “like” button anyway – people lie all the time.

-Lawrence A Capozzolo

SWB – “making legimate writer groan in agony”

I Should be Happy

Another Blah Post

SWB Series: Blah Blah Blah

Actually I am …. but nobody reads a post about someone that’s happy. It’s just way too irritating – ESPECIALLY before coffee.

Oh, just SKIP the addiction speech too. Coffee is NOT a drug, get it? Even if I was addicted I’d never admit it to you. You’re too damn perky at 6am.

I know your looking at me and in your head saying “Sure … he’s happy. As happy as a fox caught in a trap after being chased by a blue-tick hound”. (If you know where part of that sentence was from, you’re old – and possibly have a Confederate flag on your car).

Well, guess what – I AM. I’m so flipping happy flowers a blooming as I skip down the sidewalk. The bees are following right behind the flowers and starting to sting the crap out of me … but I’m still happy – it’s nature, right?

I should be happy … I keep telling people I am, they never believe me, they’re just a confused lot. I’ve put my smiling mug on Friendface (if you know what this is you’re a hopeless nerd) – doesn’t that mean I’m happy, if I’m smiling on Friendface?

I am happy I Am Happy I Am Happy I Am Ha …………..

Wait ….. 20oz medium rare steak – now I m REALLY happy.

🙂

-SWB

If ANY of this made ANY sense to you at all, even in the most smallest of ways – please seek professional help, and I’m not talking depression – you’re just messed up if this made any sense at all.

 

 

Snowy Pine

“Snowy Pine” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

Snowy pine,
how cold and sublime.

The sun is out and be told,
this extended cold is getting old.

The delicate white floating into sight,
tests my might to keep the positive in life.

Cold covered branches,
would be warmed with nice hot matches.

This snowy bliss is crap,
i consider to be much amiss.

Snow pine,
in no way do I claim you as mine.

-SWB

Bad poetry of the day, and an ode to Phil’s prediction of the extended winter we experienced this year.

The message

I left a message …

did you get it?

-SWB

… entered for the world’s worst and shortest writing.

Harder than it looks

Remember seeing that person do that job that looked like a piece of cake … then you had to do it and you found out how much of a pain it really was?

Yeah, so, in reviving SWB I figured I’d keep a little of it’s “rantiness” going by writing poetry (bad, horrible poetry) – and that would be WAY easier than trying to generate some legitimate stuff.

How wrong I was.

While I do realize that some of my real attempts at poetry many seasoned writers may compare with the brown stuff that comes out of their pets – the act of producing poetic writings that everyone would truly consider excrement is actually hard.

Now …. people produce crap all the time, so why does this suddenly become hard for me??

After taking some time to think this though and discuss it with a few people that have a couple of brain cells left … I’ve determined it’s not just me. It’s a problem with everyone.

See, once we as humans make a conscious decision to produce total and complete crap, it becomes hard work. I’m not saying that humans can’t legitimately product garbage – we do it all the time. What I’m saying is that it is sooooooooo much easier if we don’t actually make an effort at it.

If you don’t believe this watch the tryouts for American Idol. Avoid eating popcorn while doing that as the kernels hurt when you gag.

…. anyway, that was my whining for the day.

-SWB

Giving it some gas

“The Pump” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

… actually more like filling up the tank.

BTW … this is a keyhain camera (Vivitar Digital Mini Camera) pic of the Citgo in Sewickley, PA – which I believe may possibly be the very last full service station in the country. I think we need to get it put on the national list of historic sites (and immediately after install a row of Tesla charging stations next to the gas pumps just to see the confused looks).

… so, getting on with it.

Since SWB is sort of revived (actually it’s becoming more of the defunct Confused Words poetry blog than Confused Words was … although I think someone took over that blog name on WordPress), we are going to try to revive a unique photo blog we started specifically for Art All Nigh in 2010 (if I remember correctly) – Pittsburgh By Mini Cam. The photo blog was specifically for images taken with those Digital Mini Cameras found in most Pharmacy stores for about $10 each. You know, the little cameras with imagers worse than a 1990s $5 web camera? Yep … those little things on the end of a keychain that make you wonder if you accidentally ate a handful of magic mushrooms after looking at the images.

Those cameras, albeit with their horrible images, are just plain fun …. because you have no idea what you took until you download them …. sort of like using a GoPro with really really really (x50 here) bad quality.

Many equate them to the cheap plastic cameras of the 50s and 60s or the discount single use cameras of the 80s. They take crap, but it’s just plain fun.

Anywayz … watch the site Pittsburgh By Mini Cam for new entries.

The first image series kicking the site back off will be from Sewickley and War Memorial Park near Pittsburgh PA.

-SWB

 

Da Roof – a copy

“Da Roof Pittsburgh” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

Da roof
Da roof
Da roof in on …

yea …. I can’t do it – plagiarise that bad even for a cool crappy poem.

Love this pic … I did as soon as I reviewed it on my camera. It just makes for a cool skyline shot and begs one question: How do you tell which one is yours? Are the locks the same too? Is each home a true copy of the one next to it? I mean, what happens if that’s true and you walk in on the couple a few doors down on their day off and having a little fun? Embarrassing.

Ok … maybe not as embarrassing as the fact that you pulled into the wrong drive-way because you can count that high (I mean … there is only about ten houses there).

Kind of reminds me of Apple products … you can’t tell the difference until you get your credit card bill.

Ahh … you thought this was going to be an Apple rant? Nope …. to easy, besides everyone else is doing that right now so I have to wait a few weeks until it’s interesting again.

Is there any purpose to this at all?

No really … the basic fact of most whining these days.

This is SWB just being tired of everything looking like an outright copy of something that existed previously (movies, people, pigeon poop). It’s tiresome …. no originality anymore. I mean, the pigeons could at least poop in different shapes.

I even make each posting look consistent … it confuses my readers less (not to mention myself).

Oh, originality … where art thou? About the 15th century, I think.

… as my dog would say {{groooooooaaaaaan}}.

The world gets an SWB Clueless award for originality.

-SWB

Thinking up more crap faster than you can erase it from your brain.

Frozen Ponds

“Core of a Cold Heart” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

Frozen ponds,
frozen hearts.

Many lies,
from days gone by.

A smile once worn, fades away,
once thinking it would stay.

Many needs, many wants,
on the hunt for a lost dream.

Walking frozen, cold as can be,
the warmth drying up inside of me.

A world that once was a place of the sun,
has been made devoid of any fun.

Friends of the past, frozen in that place,
almost now seem like a complete waste.

Rivers of thought now end in white crystals,
the only thing heard is a faint distant whistle.

A mini ice-age has come to town.

-SWB

The latest in our series of poetry from people who have absolutely no business in writing it.

Pretty bleak, huh?

Well, I’m doing my best to paint a picture of how many people see the world now (or how we’re feeling in Pittsburgh when it’s Spring, and there’s still ****** frost on the car in the morning … not sure which). Of course I could just be getting in touch with my inner-Poe.

I’ve always found darker poetry interesting because it can indicted one of three things: 1. You are crying out for help because you are depressed and hiding it (basically in a dark work where nobody cares anyway) , 2. You are getting useless destructive emotional crap out of your system so you can function as a normal person, 3. You’re a technical person … in which you are just documenting the fact that for you getting anywhere near normal is just a useless attempt at avoiding a nice comfy padded room, which is your destiny most likely in the near future.

…. a little bit of sarcasm there, maybe.

Writing does have therapeutic value – which is why the healthcare industry hates it. Stress is very lucrative. It incites depression and a multitude of other profitable health issues.

Imagine if we all wrote (and maybe found a few suckers to pay for the stuff) de-stressing us enough to very rarely be sick. I mean to a point where everyone’s blood pressure is down to perfect, heart disease disappears, our immune systems function top-notch and naturally rid our bodies of cancer and other diseases. Wow!!

Now think of what that would do to the economy. Tragic!

Your doctor friend down the street would lose his job, and have to take back his BMW.

Your BFF that works as the pharmacist at the local Big Bird store gets moved to cashier in the grocery department losing a ton of pay and has to take back her BMW.

The next down neighbor who sells the blood pressure meds and chemo supplies to the hospitals that over-charge for them loses his job and has to take back his and his wife’s BMWs too (he sold a lot of stuff so they could afford two).

Just because of you …. inspiring people to write and de-stress (instead of getting them to de-stress in a way that get them some kind of transmittable disease), BMW has now gone out of business. As the iconic status has disappeared, people are even less stressed because they don’t have to work ninety hours a week to afford their BMW to indicate that they made it in the world, and now have even more time to write, de-stressing them more and more.  An abumdance of medical issues fade away, and more jobs are lost.

People eventually are no longer sick, and the worldwide economy collapses … people go back to living in huts and caves realizing they are completely happy without any economy.

All because of you ….. a writer that inspired many to de-stress through words.

How dare you!

-SWB

A first … a really crappy poem paired with a really crappy mini-essay/commentary (or whatever you are calling it at this time). Did we do well?

 

The pics in the posts

For all those wondering … all of the pics in the posts with “(c)Lawrence A Capozzolo” are actually mine.

Just to toot my own horn. Which is why this is in the SWB Blah Blah Blah thing.

Amongst other stuff, I do professional photography.  You’ll see shots from me using film, pro digital cameras, those old digital mini keychain cameras, cell phones, etc.

There is some truth to the fact that “everyone is a professional photographer”, but reality is that a professional in photography has learned how to put a story into a captured point in time that has been framed well in a way that makes that individually captured point in time a small piece of art.

Hope you enjoy.

–SWB

Praying to the aliens

“Pointing to the sky” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

No, I’m not trying to steal from a Gary Numan song (right now I’m imagining at least 60% of the readers say “who is Gary Numan?”. Search on the name … you’ve probably done a bit of finger tapping to his tunes).

Notice, I didn’t say “Google” the name … I’m tired of “Googling” – it’s getting irritating.

Anyway … back to praying to the aliens.

Oh, for ^&%^%*%^^$% …. here’s the words. It’s a book now too ….

Ya happy now ….. I’ve proven I’m not trying to redo his song, and gave you a book to read.

Getting on getting on …

For all the people who talk the talk, there is maybe .0005% that at least try to walk the walk (no matter what walk it is). You know the people that quote about everything they believe in (I’m not pointing out any belief in specific … this is a generalization), but never really have any understanding about what the are saying. Think about it … if we’re not even checking out what we believe in, or what we say we believe in – we might as be praying to the aliens.

Why?

Well, if we that profess we believe in something, don’t even at least brush the dust off the books that document what we believe in … why would anyone else believe us about the things we are saying about our beliefs, and/or actual be interested in getting involved in the same beliefs?

Which is why people take Gary Numan more seriously about “praying to the aliens” than they do someone who says that they are praying to God, etc.

Think about it … very few people can defend, even in the smallest way, what they believe in – so they yell, and scream, and start lawsuits over words.

How does this apply today? Since many have gotten to the point where they are becoming ignorant to any words being produced by their vocal cords … it has created a culture where nothing is verifiable, hence “fake news”. Even legitimate news take a chance on becoming fake news due to many not believing any news.

To come soon: Legitimate cults and fake religions. Oops …. sorry, too late.

Our society, at times, does a very good job of dumbing itself down, and history repeats itself.

Read a little …. it doesn’t hurt that much. Besides letting you learn, it validates what you believe in (or not) to you and others, and legitimizes the words coming out of your mouth (or being written your postings).

Once people understand what is going on in their own heads … they will stop taking offense to every other word coming out of another persons mouth.

Cheers. To a better future – with more understanding.

-SWB

Waiting for my coffee

“Coffee Shop” (c) Lawrence A Capozzolo

Waiting for my coffee,
i haven’t ordered it, but they should know.

Listening for anyone,
nobody has taken my order.

Maybe they don’t like me,
but I don’t seem that bad.

Not sure what the issue is,
i still don’t have my coffee.

No respect anymore,
it’s just easier to ignore.

The sun is shining in the window on my head,
hopefully it won’t turn red.

Someone noticed me!
“if you aren’t going to order something get the **** out!”.

Maybe I should have stayed in bed,
doesn’t anyone read minds anymore?!?!?!?

-SWB

Another in our bad poetry series … enjoy, or not.

BTW … the shot is the actually coffee shop I write in mostly – Crazy Mocha.  Excellent people and service – so check it out if you are in Sewickley, PA. Tell them that Screaming Weasel sent you. It won’t get you free coffee or a better price … but it will get you a very strange look.

The Daily “Huh?”

It’s the daily “huh?”,
the perfect place to do “duh?”.

The perfect way,
to ignore what anyone may say.

All time time,
remembering the perfect line.

Just say “huh?”,
and ignore away they day.

-SWB

Part of our really crappy poetry series.

The Digger Effect

“Digger” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

Archaeologists? Public utilities workers? Construction types?

What’s this about?

It’s about “Digger”, a ground hog that thinks he’s protecting our garden basically by eating it.

Digger stopped in with his parents a few years ago. They looked cute together all munching on my 2 1/2 foot zucchini. Actually it was one of the twelve growing at the time, so honestly I really didn’t care too much. I wanted to leave them alone, as I figured they would go away after getting their fill, but I did need to get some tomatoes for pasta sauce. Well, as soon as I opened the gate the parents fled instantly – they’ve been around long enough to know how to bolt our of the garden quickly. Unfortunately Digger was young enough to be clueless. It was sad seeing this baby of a ground hog scared stiff watching it’s parents run down the hill. Digger had a look in his eyes that clearly said, “Mom …. Dad …. ummmmm ……. I think you forgot about me.” I seem to remember things happening like this when I worked in malls in the late 80s.

After his parents made it all the way down the hill and out of sight … Digger scurried around to look directly at me with his eyes basically saying, “please don’t eat me”. He was about the size of my fist at the time. A few minutes later with me not making much of a move, Digger seemed relaxed enough for me to approach and get a chance to guide him out of the garden. Even when I tried to nudge him out, he stayed still … he was comfortable enough to eat a bit in front of me, but not enough to follow my encouragement towards the exit. I decided to leave the entrance open and hope that no deer would come into the garden and damage it. I was thinking his parents would come back to take him home.

When I checked later that night, Digger was still in the garden and in the same general area – no parents had shown, even with no people present. I physically nudged Digger our the door with my hand little by little until he was in the grass. He didn’t seemed stressed and actually sniffed my shoes a few times. After a while with me watching him from our sun room, he decided to explore down the hill where he noticed his parents going last. I figured I’d see the three of them together later the next day.

Well, no parents the next day, and Digger was foraging himself … he seemed to get along OK. At some point I knew he would pick things up and survive … probably meeting with his parents in the process. I was wrong … I’d see him every day out in the field, with no family … they seemed to have abandoned him. This seemed sad, but I guessed it was just part of nature.

One day a little while after all of this happened I was sitting at the entrance of our sun room, I heard a noise in the flowers next to me. It was Digger. He, so slowly, came over to me and started sniffing my shoes (he did that once on the garden before I guided him out). He then sniffed the other one, put his paws on my leg and looked up at me – almost if to say “thank you”. He occasionally showed up in the yard and seemed to recognize me and my family. More than once I’ve seen him walk past and next to our dog. They really didn’t seem to mind and almost seemed to know each other as sort of friends.

Digger has hung around our house for years now …. causing no damage (believe me, we check). He always seems to stop and look at us as if to say “Hi” and go about his business. He has slowly become part of out family (I’ve even seen him sunning himself once on top of our dog – it was amusing). Our original dog, Brandy is really relaxed, so I’m not sure this will continue of the new retriever sees him … but we’ll see. You never know what dog communicate to each other about their other furry friends outside.

This almost reminds me of a very old show called Grizzly Adams. The animals in that show easily existed with the humans around them …

Maybe we can learn a bit from the?

-SWB

PS.  We’re pretty sure that Digger thinks he’s a dog now. He looks at people like they should toss him treats. Also … he doesn’t like Phil (he was irritated with the length of winter this year).