Tulpa

TULPA

 

To make a tulpa is an act of will:

It is fathered on air and elements,

Comparable to making a child

By the focused passion of intent.

 

Quite different from merely wishing,

With its dreamy drift of desire;

A moment's yearning conspiring

To the slack lilt of the lyre.

 

More like a drum's insistent beat,

One thought forced to a form,

Taming what is to your will,

Narrowing chaos to norm.

 

Determine your single desire,

Blinding potential to a pin.

Are you sure of what you want?

Then let the conception begin.

 

"In the Heat-t-t and the Sweat-t-t of the Cit-tay"

A month later Lieutenant Borl called Roth into his office for a little talk.

     It was the height of summer now, and every window of the Guardhouse was open, gasping for air. Roth knocked at the door that stood already ajar, then walked in on Borl, who sat squirming behind his desk in his sticky, leather-covered chair, muzzle gaping for breath. Borl had shaved his bullet-head in a desperate attempt to keep from frying. The gingery length of his beard was twisted into a stiff braid and tied off with a scrap of ribbon, to hold it away from his dripping chest. Roth kept himself from grinning. He definitely wouldn't want to appear that way himself in public, but he certainly understood his superior's attempts at private relief. He came to attention and saluted. "Sir," he barked.

     Borl looked up like a dying fish.

     "Damn, it's hot," he wheezed. "When do you think it rained last?"

     "Couldn't say, sir. Sometime late spring. Four months, sir."

     "Ach, drop the protocol, Roth. It's too hot. Sit down, sit down. Quit blocking the door; I'm trying to catch a cross-breeze."

     Roth relaxed a little, but still held himself wary. You didn't get called to the office just to shoot the shit. He pulled one of the rough wheel-backed chairs from against the wall and sat down. It wasn't as cushy as Borl's upholstered seat, but in the circumstances its open spokes were more comfortable.

     The older Morg wiped his forehead, then squeezed the sweat out of the tip of his beard. He picked up the paper he had been perusing on the desk in front of him, frowning. It was speckled with moisture. He dropped it and looked up at Roth.

- From Sergeant Roth. And this is the 2950th post.
 

It's New to Me

I don't know why I feel like posting this, except it's the first time I ever made it, and I liked it, and I never heard of it being done before. The Recipe: you  boil a pound of cauliflower until it's soft, mash it smooth with a couple of teaspoons of butter, a dash of salt, a dash of pepper. Then add a can of drained French Style Green Beans and a can of Cream of Mushroom soup (I prefer Campbell's). I need a good name for the dish.

Candid Interview

The Mountain Commonly Called the 'Ivran Temple'

2021 Diary: Lots o' Bookses!

2021 Diary

 

7/16/2021: Up at 5:30 AM. Prayers. Shower. Cartoons (which I think have gone into reruns). Scrambled eggs for breakfast. Medicine. At 9:30 AM went out and checked the mailbox and found “Duck and His Friends” had arrived 5 days early, but “More Fool Me” hadn’t come yet as more or less scheduled. A long boring day. Why must I always call everybody, but no-one ever calls me? Started frying taters at 2 PM. Listened to Verlyn Flieger lectures on YT. Went in to clean up at 9:40 PM. No new plug [adapter for the AC] yet, so another hot night.

 

7/17/2021: Up at 6 AM. Prayers and then Bible, moving kind of slow. Shower. Then cartoons. Had Earl Campbell sausages for breakfast. Dressed and at 9 AM headed for FD, only to run into S&A heading home just in front of the voting building. They stopped and offered me a ride, and after A dropped S off, he came back and took me. Got diet Dr. Pepper Cherry (2 jugs), 3 bags pork skins and 3 packs diet vanilla wafer cookies. About 11:05 AM Kelsey called me and asked if I wanted a breakfast taco as she and Ryan had a spare. I said yes but I couldn’t eat the tortilla, just the contents. They were already here so I went out and we talked a bit. Susan came out (they had just returned home again - from the shop?) and told me she had just put a couple of books in my house. She also warned me (‘twas superfluous) that I couldn’t have tortillas. I went in and ate my tortilla innards then opened my books: Bone Adventures (came early, cover slightly damaged) and Stephen Fry’s More Fool Me (one day late, ex-library book). The Bone book was very simple (simpler than I thought); then I started the Fry. Been reading it all day with only the occasional break and now (as of 10:45 PM) am almost done and shall not try to sleep until finished. It seems strangely familiar (even discounting the retelling he does of the back story already told in his other 2 autobiographies) and I wonder did I read it as a library book and then forget it? As Fry says, perhaps that is the charm of a poor memory: every time you read an old book it seems new again. In the evening (about 8 PM) I took a break to wash dishes, make bed, etc. Pains in the legs all day. Making room on shelves an interesting task so the new books will be near their companions and writing them up on NOT. Finished Fry about 11:20 PM, so took almost 12 hours (with breaks) to read.

 

7/18/2021: Kenny’s Birthday. Awake at 4 PM after a hard time sleeping (too warm and right leg hurting); leaning toward not going to church, but who knows as the hour approaches?  Searched my Diaries and found out I DID listen to “More Fool Me” on YT about 2 years ago. Did not go to church, but prayed and read missalette. Day was basically nothing but eating, drinking, and slouching in the heat. Kelsey and Ryan visited, and I saw Kelsey for a bit. Andy brought me a batch of leftovers (including Panda Express) some of which I could eat. Watched the premier of “Monk” on MeTV. Waiting for 10 PM and the new Rick & Morty. (Saw it. Rating: Meh.)

 

7/19/2021: Prayers. Bible. Shower. Cartoons. The first half of the day was rather busy, with wash started at 7:30 AM. Went out at 9 AM and Susan was still here because Ryan T was dropping off Jade (hooray). Clothes in dryer, then checked the porch for mail. Stuff for Susan and some stuff for me: That Reminds Me, Feast of Stephen, Tomcat Murr, Classic Cartoon Christmas Too, and Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell [DVD]. Groceries delivered while S still here. Ryan helped bring in. Nap over noon; at 1 PM went in and checked: no cucumber salad this week. Read much of Randall’s “That Reminds Me”. About 2 PM Kelsey came over, and along with Kameron we watched Ponyo, a bit of Princess Bride, and then Kam played an exhibition game of Sly Cooper 1. Quite the feel of old times. Dug out and showed Kam the old “Monster’s Manual”. At 4 went in to make supper. A&S home by a little after 5 PM. Kelsey went home at 7 PM, just as we had a bit of rain. Went in to wash about 7:45 PM. They’re still prepping for the trip to the beach house tomorrow. I’m to have Ginger again (yay). More reading, then laid down about 9 PM.

 

7/20/21: Awake at 12 and felt I couldn’t sleep. Drafted a review of “More Fool Me” trying to pin down my feelings about Fry. He is like a frustrating friend who likes many of the things you do but for all the wrong reasons. Then I washed dishes. Then straightened house. Then watched a bit of JS&MR. Then took a shower and caught up diary. It’s 3:45 AM now, and I think I might just go ahead and say my daily prayers and do my Bible readings. Maybe by then I can relax until 6 AM.

          Did so and did not in fact wake up until 6:30 AM, having forgotten to set alarm. Andy brought Ginger over about 7:30 AM, and by 8 AM they were gone. Went down to take some recyclables to the bin and was just in time to catch the ordinary garbagemen emptying the other bin, so took it back. Made big patty (with 3 eggs) for breakfast. At 9 AM I went into the house and was just in time to see the mailman delivering another batch of books, this time “The Lore of Love” (which puts me one volume away from finally completing my ‘Enchanted World’ series), Padre Porko (an ex-library book of indescribable juvenile charm), Dear Me by Ustinov, a new Robertson Davies as Diarist, and “America at Last” being the diary of T. H. White’s visit to America the year before he died. A garner of riches, much of it unfamiliar work to solace my solitary sojourn. Finished viewing the first episode of JS&MN, read a bit in White, then took a nap. Ginger quite content in a patch of sunlight by the door. Awake again and went out to get the recycle bin at 11:30 AM.

          Find to my interest that both the White and Davies book cover an overlapping period: Davies ’59 – ’63 and White mostly ’63. Coincidentally, my birth year. White would soon be dead, and Davies continue until 1995. Looking into Padre Porko, I find that there is a bit of stunning parallelism: the fantastic Padre has an escaped bear with a collar scar raid his beehives at his hidden home! Shades of Elf and Bear, although the bear here is a ruffian. Now I am sure I’ve never even heard of this book until a year or two ago, and yet there are similarities enough to give me a decidedly strange feeling. It’s an odd thing to once again, as it were, have laser-guided books and not just whatever random approximations I can pick up here and there. I intend to get at least a couple of books a month now, depending on cost and availability. Took the Rotts in about 3 PM and will let them out at 8:30 PM or so.

 

          Read up to about half of White’s book. I can see why it’s not spoken of much; it has some very odd ‘race theories’ about the USA (c.1963). At 4 PM fed the pets. At 5:30 PM I buzzed my beard. That’s a little cooler. Let the Rotts out and a bit later turned the lights on. Finished reading White about 10 PM and then bed.

 

7/21/2021: Up about 5:30 AM; prayers and Bible. Cartoons. Turned off house lights, fed pets, checked pool. About 8:30 AM went out and picked up paper and a few bits of trash on the lawn. Waited on the porch and mail came a little after 9 AM. It included one book, The Elizabethans by A. N. Wilson. Watched Episode 2 of JS&MN. Ginger finally made her lemonade: an enormous pool in the bathroom. No poo as yet. Watched some Corey Olsen Signum University on the book JS&MN. Called Kelsey at 11:30 AM, no answer. Might just walk over to FD at 1 PM.

          John came over about 1 PM. He brought me a new phone, and he set it up. We had a good visit and talk, and I showed off my new books.  It rained briefly about 2 PM. He left about 3:30 PM or so. Kelsey hadn’t answered because she was mowing for Fred; she is mowing tomorrow as well but intends to come over and take me to town when done. Spent the evening watching JS&MN; it is so good! Better than when I saw it on YT. Magic with heart, and not a bad adaptation. Not in bed until after midnight.

 

7/22/2021: Up at 6 AM after a night interrupted with pain. Prayers and Bible. Cartoons. Checked porch for mail at 8:30 AM and it already came: for me , “Incidents in the Life of My Uncle Arly” and TLB “Gods and Goddesses”, which completes my Enchanted World series. Spent a lot of time writing a review of “America At Last”. Kelsey finished her mowing and came over at 2 PM and we went to Walmart. Just as we were checking out an enormous summer storm (totally unanticipated by me) broke out, with the worst lightning I’ve seen for years. Huge downpour. We made it back home and maneuvered her car into the carport and moved the stuff into the big house first. I bought her some soda, a DVD, deodorant, and now I fed her a couple of sandwiches as she hadn’t had lunch. She left to get Ryan about 5:20 PM; by then the rain had gone enough to move my stuff (which included new shorts) into the guest house. Slumped down in a haze of snacks and TV. 

Notes

What can I say. It was my birthday month, and I had a lot of 'wish list' to catch up on.

Let Sleeping Ogres Lie

An illustration from Episode Eight: Ravenglast, a script for my proposed series, The Wizard, the Prince, the Warrior, and His Son. Hakul and Lem try to kidnap Kwee.