Link to Evangeline

I've had a request for an easy access link to my short story "Evangeline."
So, here it is, enjoy!

http://southernbreezes.blogspot.com/2006/05/evangeline-part-one.html

There are 28 blog posts to the entire story (over 10,000 words). If you click on the "Blog Archive" link on the left side of the home page, then click on May 2006 and scroll to the bottom you will find the beginning.

Dandelion

Your answers are riddles
spoken through
a great chasm.
The bitter wind
traps your words
and scatters them across
the battlefield
of the heart,

like the seeds from

the dandelion.
Quietly,
a new ending, settles

and becomes.

Father Mine

It was rare

to see him smile.

But who knows what

demons tormented

his soul?

Angry at the world,

misery was his constant.

He lived a solitary life

never knowing how

to open his heart

to anyone or thing.

Perhaps the king

of the world has

no need for such pursuits

as gratitude or

kindness.

His unremarkable life

has left its marks

on all of us.

The Cold Shoulder

I climbed the mountain

cold and hard

there I found nothing but

empty wind

and the tattered treasures

of pilgrims

You were not there

waiting as the frozen air

filled my lungs with pain

Why did I make this journey?

The mountain knows my

only victory is this single moment

of life escaping in a misty cloud

of breath, and nothing more

There is no flag to plant with joy

in this barren wasteland

and there is no time to make it

out before the darkness falls

The Shrine

Here the earth is old.
The ancient ones are silent now,
there are no ears to hear them.

Asleep in the rocks and canyon walls
they fade as the centuries stretch further
from the life that was.

The stone lions lay empty shells-
the gods inside left long ago with
those who kept their secrets.

Listen with your heart
and you will hear echoes
of the time before time

in the mournful
whisper of the wind

as it searches

for the Anasazi.

Where I Lay Sleeping

Curled like a baby sleeping

in the womb I dream of

deep valleys and flower fields

and snow-capped peaks

casting long shadows on the tall

grass where I lay sleeping

and dreaming of raindrops

on green leaves and blue skies

over ancient forests of tall

cedars and beams of sunlight

warming the shadows in the

field where I lay sleeping and

dreaming of a faraway meadow

with a sliver of moon hanging

high overhead and first stars

blinking against the fading day

while the wind settles around me

like a blanket, where I lay sleeping

and dreaming of your hands

on my face and the light

in your eyes as you wake me from

where I lay sleeping.

Let It Go~A Song to Myself

You can sit here and listen
to your own heart beating
alone in the prison you've
made of your past
and nurture the pain so it will last

You can play "what if" scenarios
and beat yourself up in stereo
turn up the songs that cut you deep
until you're bleeding in your sleep
But no matter how long you cling
it won't change a thing, no it won't change a thing
the sun and moon will rise
Wake up and open your eyes

The rest of your life is a beautiful mystery
You sacrifice your future for your history
If you want to see the full moon
shining on the new mountain snow
I have the solution
give yourself absolution
from this pollution
and let it go
just let it go

You can drink the same poison
that you have been drinking
drunk on regret,
with your trophy of pain
and number the questions 'til you go insane

You can play "what if" scenarios
and beat yourself up in stereo
turn up the songs that cut you deep
until you're bleeding in your sleep
But no matter how long you cling
it won't change a thing, no it won't change a thing
the sun and moon will rise
Wake up and open your eyes

The rest of your life is a beautiful mystery
You sacrifice your future for your history
If you want to see the full moon
shining on the new mountain snow
I have the solution
give yourself absolution
from this pollution
and let it go
just let it go
let it go

What a Great Song

girl vs. God: part two

girl: ah, I see you're here again. Don't you have more critical things to concern yourself with than an ordinary girl like me? What about Iran and North Korea? See what happens when you get distracted?

God: (chuckles) One of the many great things about being God, is being able to multi-task very well. Although I prefer the term "omnipresence" over "multi-tasking." I do not consider anything I do a "task."

girl: That's a relief. What can I do for you today God?

God: Believe.

girl: Believe? In...you? The future of Apple computers? UFOs? What?

God: Just believe.

girl: Actually, that June 8th incident has made me believe in magic.

God: Call it what you want.

girl: You know, it might be easier to have a serious discussion with you, if you didn't look like George Clooney. It's kinda distracting.

God: How's this?

girl: Al Pacino, the Godfather. You're pretty funny God. I never knew you had a sense of humor.

God: Seriously? Have you looked at a giraffe lately?

girl: Good point.

Blue Moon

Moon in the sky
on the black slate of night
Round and full
the thin clouds
whisper in silver
Far below the shadows
of great mountains
in silhouette
anchor the earth
with jagged peaks
Wrapped in a blanket of stars
I lift my face and
feel the heavens
beckoning me to you

girl vs. God: part one

girl: Where am I?

God: You're dreaming.

girl: Who are you?

God: I'm God.

girl: Then I MUST be dreaming, because I don't believe in You.

God: You believed in me last week.

girl: I changed my mind.

God: Why?

girl: If you're God, then you shouldn't have to ask me that question.

God: True. Maybe I just wanted you to think about the answer.

girl: Oh, I've thought about it.

God: And...?

girl: I'm on the fence.

God: The jury is still out?

girl: Yes, and may not come back.

God: What can I do to convince you? I answered a few of your requests lately.

girl: Those could easily have been coincidence. It would be nice if you would give the world a sign.

God: I give signs every day.

girl: Not subtle signs that could be questioned, I mean international news-making signs.

God: That's not my style.

girl: So your style is showing up in my dream, looking like George Clooney?

God: Morgan Freeman had already been done.

girl: I do like George.

God: I know.

Sand Planet

Across the desert she roams

for a 1,000 days lost

like her mind that wanders

through the dreams of this

land before it died.

Treasures concealed

by the bitter sands of time

possess her waking thoughts

and drive her to madness,

deeper still

in the heart of this desert,

there is no stone

she has not felt

beneath her feet.

Welcome HP Customers

If you're reaching this blog from a link I posted last year regarding HP's failure to cover the cost of replacing defective Nvidia chips in all of their laptop models, click here

http://southernbreezes.blogspot.com/2008/11/hewlett-packard-nvidia-partners-in.html

Good luck with your quest for justice.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect."
~ Oren Arnold

Christmas Secrets

The Ice Returns

Winter's bare limbs

against a grey sky stand

in stillness waiting.

The rush of Autumn's wind

through firey leaves

silent now and sleeping.

Canada's geese part the

sky with victorious grace

while frost covered roses

shiver in diamonds.

Hewlett-Packard & Nvidia: Partners in Crime

In October of 2007, I purchased a beautiful new HP Pavilion Laptop DV9535nr with Nvidia Geforce graphics card from my local Best Buy. After all was said and done, the purchase totaled over $2,400.

I began to notice that the laptop would get very, very hot (like cook an egg hot) whenever I used it for more than an hour or so. (bad sign #1) In early June of this year, the laptop began to shut itself off without warning and upon restart, would display strange colored lines on the screen. (bad sign #2) In July, it died. The laptop would turn on, but there was no video, at all, nothing, just a backlit black screen.

I returned the laptop to Best Buy, who sent it off to HP. Almost a month later, I received the laptop with the simple explanation that my "motherboard had been replaced." (bad sign #3)

A few weeks ago, and exactly one week after the one-year warranty had expired, the motherboard failed again, completely. This time, I got no warning first, it just died. So, I returned the laptop to Best Buy, who sent it back to HP.

Two weeks later, I received an email from Best Buy that my laptop was ready to be picked up (yippee!). Once I arrived, I was informed that HP "was not able to reach me by phone, so they shipped the laptop back unrepaired." When I inquired as to why HP was trying to reach me by phone (and P.S. I am registered as a customer on their website) I was told that the cost to replace the motherboard was going to be $1,003.00. (Let me repeat that) $1,003.00!!!!!

The Geek Squad employee asked me to authorized the charge and she would ship it back to HP for the repair. "Hang on!" I said, gritting my teeth. "I just had the motherboard replaced three months ago. Are you telling me that HP is going to charge me for a new motherboard that is only 90 days old??" I was then informed that "yes" HP was going to charge me if I wanted the laptop repaired.

I snatched up the dead computer and left in a mighty huff, certain that the I.T. guys in my office would save the day. (Wishful thinking on my part)

Now here's the really bad news: For months and months, Nvidia (the maker of the graphics card in my laptop) has been aware of a design defect in some of their chips attached to motherboards. These chips overheat and basically fry the motherboard (hence the scalding hot lap top issue). This defect has affected millions of Apple MacBook Pro, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell laptops.

Nvidia has delayed recalling this part, giving their business partners (Dell, HP, Apple) time to push these chips past the one-year warranty period, which prevents these companies from having to pay for the repair. Unfortunately, the problem has become so enormous that Dell and Apple have finally agreed to replace the faulty motherboards free of charge for up to two years from date of purchase. HP has offered this on a limited number of their models, but is refusing to cover every model that is affected with this issue.

There is a huge raping of consumers going on with HP. If you read the complaints on HP's forum pages, the number is astounding (I have made about 6 posts, three of which HP has promptly removed. They are censoring the forum, but not responding to the issue). The bigger shock is that HP is refusing to budge. I guess they'd rather piss of their customers than ask Nvidia to pay for the replacement parts.

If HP doesn't want to pay for the repairs, then they should sue Nvidia for providing them with faulty hardware, not pass the cost on to consumers. HP should also extend the warranty (like Dell and Apple have done) for ALL affected models, not just a select few.

In the meantime, Nvidia should do the right thing and issue a major recall of these defective chips, instead of allowing their business partners to take the heat for their own blunder. I won't be buying another laptop with Nvidia graphics. ATI, here I come.

Here are some interesting articles on the subject for all my techy friends:

Nvidia Sued by Shareholders for Faulty GPU Coverup

The Technical Reason the GPUs are Failing

More Bad News for Nvidia

How Dell is Handling It

How Apple is Handling It

How HP is Handling It (oh wait, they're not) DUH!

Remembering Your Life

On this day, you would have been 43 years old.

So today, I will remember the joy and love that you brought to our lives,

and the years I was honored to be your wife.

No matter how our story ended,

I thank you for loving me.

Happy Birthday, sweet, gentle giant.

We miss you.

Destiny's End

You raise your sword and

the sun glints off the razor-sharp edge,

reflecting upon the rivers of tears on my cheeks.

I will not struggle against the ties

that bind me to this time and place,

but lift my face to the sun

and wait for the fatal blow

to a heart that beats for the one

who will slay it.

I breathe and become the air,

the trees,

the ground below.

The dark birds circle, waiting

to pick the flesh of your soul's mate.

For a moment, time stops as you search

my face for forgiveness.

A final chance to change the world passes,

and you let loose your poison death

upon the only one who could ever

save

you.

The dark birds circle but find only

a garden of thornless blood roses

and glistening dew.

Where Have all the Poets Gone?

I was happily surprised recently to meet someone who is familiar with the works of Pablo Neruda. In this prosaic world, it is rare to meet poetic spirits. During our discussion, I discovered that a documentary film is currently being produced on the life of Neruda. The film will be narrated by the Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega and directed by the Oscar-nominated Carlos Bolado. I'm looking forward to its release and would like to share one of my favorite Neruda poems. Enjoy.

Leaning in to the Evenings (translated from the original Spanish)

Leaning into the evenings I throw my sad nets

to your ocean eyes

There my lonliness stretches and burns in the tallest bonfire,

arms twisting like a drowning man's.

I cast red signals over your absent eyes

which lap like the sea at the lighthouse shore.

You guard only darkness, my distant female,

sometimes the coast of dread emerges from your stare.

Leaning into the evenings I toss my sad nets

to that sea which stirs your ocean eyes.

The night birds peck at the first stars

that twinkle like my soul as I love you.

Night gallops on her shadowy mare

scattering blue wheat stalks over the fiields.