An upward-reaching ewe........

It's not that I'm in any shape
to feel myself anew.
Despite the many years of change
I'm still a sheepy ewe.

It's not that I can shape or feel
my way to peace and calm.
A fully rounded personage
of veritable balm.

I'm ovine-dwelling into shape
and burgeoning to be
a roundly upward-reaching ewe
whose almost bourgeoisie.

Mouton Potato: I don't think so!

Yesterday I was really excited about the photo shoot on the terrace for my 'look & feel' in the book. Today, things have taken a serious turn for the worse as Lizzie has been trying to recreate a version of me from a potato. Yes - you haven't been seeing things. A potato, no less!

 

I don't know about you, but this isn't exactly the 'look & feel' that I had in mind. Not only did she make this ...... what I can only describe as a .....'thing'.......... but she actually thought it worth a discussion with some visitors, over tea. 

As if that were not bad enough, these visitors referred to me - real me - relaxing on the lawn, as a "plastic sheep". Plastic! I'm too depressed to write any more............................ 

After the Moment

After my last post there has been a gap. Nothing new there......

So................... when I have a moment, I will take a moment, to be in the moment, to write a post.

On the other hand, I might disappear for a moment, up my own moment, and talk about the 'n-th moment'.

"The n-th moment of a distribution is the expected value of the n-th power of the deviations from a fixed value"

OR, if that doesn't grab you. How about a 'couple moment'?

"The moment of a couple is the product of its force and the distance between its opposing forces." Now why doesn't that surprise me?

Maybe the gaps between my posts are more interesting than the posts?

Knowing in the Moment

The good lady of the house has been discussing the notion of 'presence' with her friend. (Why she can't just talk shopping and hairstyles.......... ?) They were musing on 'context', and the present moment set in linear time.

Let me explain:
Let's say that you are going through old papers, selling things that you have owned for a long time or having a clear out of accumulated 'stuff'. Will the experience of the present moment, doing each of these activities, be different from... say.... creating a new garden or furnishing a new home or choosing a new car? The former list could be framed in terms of 'dealing with the past', whereas the latter could be thought of as 'creating the future'.

Her question was: when doing the doing, does the fact that it might be contextualised as either past or future focused, actually impact upon the experience of the moment of doing?

Now there is some research that suggests that humans can't envision the future without being able to access the memories from their past. If this is so, then notions of past and future are connected in the brain. So where is the present? Is it lost, somehow, between the past and future? I have also heard told, that the whole idea of linear time is a human construct involving a miss-recognition of consciousness. Also, that neither the past nor the future exist at all; that humans live only in the present but are not 'conscious' of it, living 'as if in a dream'. (Try Eckhart Tolle)

So there you have it. The future/past, thing isn't important. Only the present moment can be experienced and that is all there is. The problem for humans is that you are rarely 'there' to appreciate it! (See interesting discussion.)

Deep for me, or what!!
I'll be tackling Cosmology and The Second Law of Thermodynamics next.

Motoring in Moutonland

Motoring in Moutonland
All is going well
Inner landscape getting there
No need to rebel

Motoring in static mode
Trying to be here
In the present moment
Nothing else to fear

Motoring within myself
That's the place to be
Then the world is easy
Happying as me

Motoring Mouton

It seems that the good lady of the house has a new computer. She is very excited by all the new and bigger accoutrements: memory, screen, mega thingies and more up to date programmes. Then there's the size of the Ram! Now there is something to grab my attention this cold winter's morning!

That's the good news. The not so good news is that, having looked at my blog on this all singing all dancing computer, she and this new (big) ram have discovered that my title box (with photo and Monsieur Mouton's Talking Practice in it), has a sort of red section on the right hand side that we hadn't noticed before. I kind of assumed that the photo went right up to the right hand side of the frame. It does on mine. I suppose it will be her new screen being more oblong. When she gets back I will be asking her to have a look at this and perhaps help me change the photo to reflect my current thinking and interests.

As my regular readers are aware, I am contemplating a bit of a reposition of my blog to reflect my reconstituted self. (I know................... makes me sound as if I have taken on copious amounts of fluid.) Funnily enough, I certainly feel more flowing and less stuck; more of a 'motoring mouton' than a melancholy one.

I'm good enough

I think I'm good enough at talking practice, now.

Now there's a statement made with confidence!

So ........ I'm looking to spread my wool and take on another challenge. The question is ............ do I continue with this blog or do I start another one?

Knowing

Knowing. There's a big difference between knowing in your head and knowing in your body. Did you know that? The good lady of the house is trying to experience herself from the inside out at the moment through a sort of body knowing - whatever that means! I don't have a problem with either knowing in my head or knowing in my body. I just do them both at the same time because I am, and that is me being me. I suspect that it is this latter - beingness - that she is concerned with.

I seem to be a frequent flyer into my head, she said. And what about your body? I queried. Ah....... she said.

Now how can you not feel yourself from the inside. That's what is giving me pause for thought, today.

Where to go from here?

Q: And where have you been, Monsieur Mouton?

A: Hibernating. It was minus twelve last week.

Q: So are you ready to pick up the reigns of your Blog, M M?

MM: That depends.

Q: On what, M M?

MM: Well, I'm contemplating moving away from talking practice (Me being so good 'n all) and branching out.

Q: Into what?

MM: Ah.......... bit difficult to be precise at this moment in time. I can't decide whether to adapt this blog, or to start again with a clean sheet, so to speak.

Q: And how will you know MM?

MM: I'm waiting for inspiration.

Q: Oh.......................................

Boswell's Radiation Rag

It's not so hard. It's not so far
to get your head inside the jar
When you're asleep, it's not that bad
to do the radiation rag

I'm getting on. I'm doing fine
I'm on TV and on cloud nine
I've had my scan. I have to brag
about the radiation rag

The nurses say that I am hot
by radiation (and by blog)
And in this hotness, I am cool
No flapping radiation fool

Mark reads to me. I stand about
I'm getting well without a doubt
My nursing friends are very kind
to write me letters when inclined

So bring it on and let me be
a blogging goose, all well and free
I think this cancer's in the bag
All thanks to radiation rag

Boswell: from Gosling, to Goose, to Celebrity

Regulars who have been with me for a while will remember that, back in May 2007, I first met, and introduced to my readers, Boswell, when he was a mere cute gosling. In the months following, several poems were written to, and for him, by my good self. The Goose Engine (repeated below) was the first, and took its title from the work that Mark, Boswell's owner and IBM programmer, had been doing on a site for the music of Philip Glass, called The Glass Engine.

However, after a short time, Boswell became ill with a rare form of cancer and had to go into hospital for an operation. I kept in touch with Mark and wrote Boswell a poem of encouragement followed by a welcome home poem for after his operation. (I must admit to penning one in case things didn't turn out well but, thankfully, haven't had to use it.)

Then in November of 2007, I received a photo, from Mark, of Boswell all grown up and penned another update, followed by more news about Boswell's sister, Woglinde. Finally, in August 2008, Boswell began his own blog, over a year since I had spoken about him being a budding blogger in The Goose Engine

Now, Boswell has become quite a celebrity in his own right. He has been featured on TV, with Mark of course, so I will be posting this video tomorrow.

I hope you will forgive a swelling of pride in this old Mouton's breast, when I remind you that I had predicted, back in May 2007, that Boswell would be a very fine blogger. I have taken the liberty of reprinting it below:

The Goose Engine

Boswell is from IBM

(leaning to the left)
Trying hard his height to gain
but isn't very deft.

Wants to be a blogger
when he's tall and straight
Fears he will discover
he's developed late.

Listens now to Philip Glass
in wood and leafy glade
(But is he just inertial mass
sitting in the shade?)

The IB-MUS guys think he's cool
and never fly-by-night
He's not just anybody's fool
despite his challenged height.

So don't go goofing off outside
with old Canadian geese
Let cool programmers be your guide
where music's the set piece.

Keep growing tall and filling out
so you can blog with ease
And be the smartest goose, no doubt,
to have web expertise.

The Good Lady of the House

The good lady of the house
is as quiet as a mouse
(I suppose that is because she is away)

So I sit here on my own
in my rural village home
feeling sad because I really had to stay

She is traveling by herself
like a jolly English elf
to her sister who she'll see just everyday

Hence I sit around and wait
like a lonely garden gate
for her coming back up here so we can play

Retrofitting

I think I'm on a bit of a roll with my thinking and posts this week: creative juices and all that. In addition, I've come to realise that I don't always need the good lady of the house for my talking practice, either. So as I seem to be doing just fine on my own, I'll press on unhindered and unbowed, as they say.

I've selected from my 'Biological Imperatives' post, (in a kind of tag-system of subject selection) the idea of 'retrofitting'. From the many definitions that seem to be about cars and houses and plumbing and things like that, I've gone down the 'noun' route with " the act of adding a component or accessory to something that did not have it when it was manufactured."

This seems pretty straightforward. When Lisbeth mended my legs, for example, she gave me more hoof-like feet than I had had, originally. Hence, I have 'retrofitted' hooves.

If you look around Mr Google's sweety shop, you can find all kinds of interesting things to do with retrofitting. Try this on for size......... a jumper. (Ha ha...) Yes, I found a zip-up jumper (that YOU could actually knit, if you had a mind to), using the pattern entitled 'Retrofit'. It's on a site called Knitty "with purls of wisdom". (Nice touch, that.)

On this same site there is a 'featured promotion'. Although it doesn't say that this promoted site is concerned with retrofitting, I am very sure that it is. So before you go whizzing off to take a look, let me explain why I think this is the case. OK.......... Sheldon is a knitted turtle. (Stay with me on this!) Sheldon's creator likes to make accessories for him, in order to turn him into other animals or human creatures. (It's American) He doesn't actually turn into other creatures, you understand, because he is turtle-shaped (albeit a bit odd-looking) and his head (which is somewhat large) remains that of a turtle.

Now - and I'm sure you're ahead of me here - this is where we can apply the term 'retrofit'. He was created (or manufactured) a turtle. When accessories - like wings or hats or a woolly coat - are 'retrofitted', he takes on aspects of other animals or human creatures. E.G. sheep, bat, lion, policeman, cowboy etc.

If you can bear it, visit the 'featured promotion' to get the idea. Then, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have very great pleasure in presenting to you: 'Sheldon', the video...........

Biological Imperative

Biological Imperatives. Now there's a thought. So what are these imperatives? Clearly they're not something that you drink before a meal, because not all those are Organic. Of course, the good lady of the house is out (again) so I am left to my own research devices.

So what have I discovered? Well, these imperative thingies are to do with living. Things like 'survival' (Dhhh! Even a sheep of small (but burgeoning) brain can see that!) 'Territorialism', 'competition', 'reproduction' and 'quality of life-seeking'. Territorialism will be about me liking it on the veranda and my not liking other sheep to come and muscle in on my 'sheep-in-residence' position. Competition. I'm reasonably competitive, so that's OK. Reproduction. If only............ Least said soon is mended, as they say. Reminds me of Emo Phillips: "People come up to me" he said "and they're worried I'll reproduce."

So where was I? Oh yes............ Quality of life(hyphen)seeking. Now that's a bit more difficult. Does that mean that if you have, or do, all the other things in the list, then you have 'quality of life'? Or is it that you have to seek QofL as a thing, separate from the other things? "Today, I are mostly seeking the quality of life"? And how would I know if I'd got it? Lisbeth (just back) has thrown in that it sounds a bit like Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs. Women!

I did find an essay by someone called Babette Francis. She wrote a whole essay entitled "Is gender a social construct OR a biological imperative?" I'm not sure about constructing things in society. Unless it is big enough for Babette to have her feast in. That's a possibility, I suppose.

Then I found a site (with a really nice background of stars, while it loads) which asks: "Is intelligence a biological imperative?" Part 4!! That means that there have bean 3 parts already. What is it with this imperative?

A real blog on blogspot, entitled Scientific Integrity (One for you, Mr Occasional Stirrings.), challenges somebody's notion that "...human sensibility can be "retro-fitted" into the biological imperative." I don't think I like the idea of this retro-fit idea. Well, only if it involves wolves in 50s sheep's clothing. You know, just for fun at a party.

So there you have it: A cornucopia of imperatives that have been created wholly biologically; and that has to be good for the environment which, in turn, enhances my quality of life. Hyphen-free, of course!

Credit Crunch and Chronophage

The credit crunch, the chronophage
Oh what is going on?

The clock is losing time
The crunch is losing money
The clock will make it up again
The other isn't funny
The credit that is crunching
and the clock that eats up time
are both from our society
and each is out of line

The credit crunch, the chronophage
Oh what is going on?

The clock is gaining time
The crunch still loses money
The clock is now a work of art
The other isn't funny
The clock that thrills the people
and the crunch that causes pain
are both from our society
and neither are mundane

The credit crunch, the chronophage
Oh what is going on?

The clock is working fine
The hedge funds drain like honey
The clock we've taken to our hearts
The other stays all runny
The crunch that kills the people
and the clock that is sublime
are both from our society
and both are of their time

I wrote to the (Hadron) Collider

I wrote to The Collider
Asking them to stop
For fear we all would disappear
and implode with a plop

Before they could write back, here,
countering this plea
They found a problem, magnet-wise,
which filled my heart with glee

So now we have a time-out
for cooling and repair
With extra days for doing things
So don't live un-aware

Be sure you are enjoying
every single day
For this is all the now we have
(To quote an old cliche)

Rest easy with your lifestyle
Happy, you are you
And live, and love, a happy life
What else is there to do?

Am I an Eponym of Note?

Am I an eponym of note?
Am I not Monsieur Mouton?
With brilliant phrases you can quote
(while drinking wine from Fronton?)

Eponymous, Hieronymus
They start to blur and muddle
Although I am acuminous
things sometimes start to fuddle

But on the whole this Mouton Me
is doing very nicely
An eponymic guarantee
of words used quite concisely.

Eponymous Bosch?

When Lisbeth was chatting on line, the other day, one of her friends used the word 'eponymous'. At first, I thought they were talking about Eponymous Bosch, the artist, but Lisbeth says I've got that completely round my ear and that I shouldn't just set off on posts when I don't know what I'm talking about. (So who's rattled her cage, today!)

So I looked it up. Apparently, the word eponymous comes from eponym and an eponym is the word used to describe a word that is derived from the name of a person or tribe. (I hope you're following this?) Anyway, you have things like Alexandria, from Alexander the Great (He created the place, or something), and Constantine and Constantinople.

I deduced, therefore, that I must be in an eponymous relationship with Mouton Cadet. "Since 1930, Mouton Cadet has been renowned for its exacting standards and audacity." That's me. "The fruit of generous Nature and the work of human hands..." That's me, too.

Now, before the supposed intelligentsia amongst you get on your high horses about the impossibility of this assertion, I would like to point out that things aren't always as clear cut or indisputable as one might think. A case in point is this spell-check. (Invaluable for a sheep of burgeoning brain.) This particular spell-check facility has it, in it's head, that the word 'eponym' isn't eponym at all, but some other word, misspelled. As such, it offers the following corrective options: Epsom, economy, upon, and euphonium................

Am I thinking 'ears', 'completely' and 'round' in the same sentence? Indeed I am. In fact, it's probably all a load of old bosch. (Ooo spell-check, spell-check!)

Boswell's Daily Honk: A Blog of Note

Today is a day for celebration. Lisbeth has been in touch with her friend in the USA and discovered that my friend Boswell, the goose, finally has his own blog!

You may remember that I have been writing to, and writing about, Boswell for many months, now. It began back in May 2007 when I wrote my Meet Boswell, post. (And what a cutie he was, all fluff and a bit wobbly.) I followed up with a poem about his life with the IBM Music Programmers, entitled The Goose Engine. (This title relates to a site created by the IBM people for the music of Philip Glass, called The Glass Engine. It's fab.)

Then in June 2007, came the terrible news that Boswell had to go into hospital. He was very ill and we were all very worried. To encourage him, I wrote a Fight for your Life poem. (I will also admit to having prepared a short obituary poem - you know, just in case. - but fortunately it was not needed.) When he finally recovered and returned home, I was so overjoyed, I sent him a Welcome Home poem. (Hey, Boswell, you've certainly been an inspiration on the poetic front!)

In November, we received a photo of Boswell, all grown up, and then the news that he had a sister Woglinde to keep him company. Now, September 2008, is a Big Red Blog Letter Day , for me, because Boswell has his very own blog. Please go and say hello and catch up with his Daily Honk

Homophonic Slip?

It's been pointed out (by a kind reader) that I made a spelling mistake in my last post. Although I will admit to it, I must remind my readers that I am a sheep, so errors of spelling and/or grammar are to be expected, from time to time. Indeed, that's why this blog is called Talking Practice: I'm learning to speak human.

However, what I'm discovering is that humans have little tricks up your sleeve for unsuspecting sheep. Talking isn't the same as writing and, to me, Beatles and Beetles sound the same. So to boost my moral, I have chosen to reframe this 'spelling mistake' and think of it more as a 'homophonic slip'. Words are called 'homophones' if they sound the same when you say them, but have different meanings or derivation or different spellings. Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives the example: to, too and two. There's also bear and bare and my humble example: Beetles and Beatles.

I feel better about it now. I've also learned a new word and I like it very much. (N.B. Lisbeth says I'm to be careful about the spelling of homophonic.)