Today I have added another artist to my list of Art Pages.
She is Tracy White.
Her page is here.
Monthly Archives: Nov 2021
Ambition again
In the night I mulled over my ambitionless life. The Joy of being ambitionless was my recent post.
My school life was unremarkable. But I excelled in Art. I had ‘talent’ both in painting and drawing but, most importantly, could spin an excellent criticism of works of art and sum up the life and works of great artists that pleased the art history teachers and lecturers and convinced them to give me high marks. All blab really.
So I won an art scholarship.
But when I discovered I had to paint mainly taps, plumbing, couches and cars, I dumped it.
And so, being pretty much ambitionless, I eventually got to supporting myself in other ways, a job here, a job there. I must have actually done a bit of work that satisfied my boss/bosses because I was only fired once. And that was NOT my fault.
I was employed to ‘clean up’ computer graphics for CD labels for a very famous British Composer who was then, recently, deceased. His manager spent a lot of time hitting on me, sitting really close, stroking my leg and breathing on me.
I could possibly have had shares in the famous deceased composer’s recording label company had I had ambition. Or even been a CEO. But, no, I ignored my opportunity for promotion as I was already perfectly satisfied at being Mr Furlong’s wife; so I discouraged the lusting lover at every opportunity and he became very disappointed in me and embarrassed. I presume the next employed ‘clean up’ assistant got the job of CEO after I was fired.
In my ambitionless life in which I avoided doing anything I absolutely hated or resented, or entailed too much effort, I met and worked for some very interesting people – rich and famous. I enjoyed every job I had.
And, just reminding myself, I only got fired once!
The joy of being ambitionless
Being born with no ambition is a deep blessing.
I have only realised how lucky people are who are without ambition lately.
When my friend and neighbour died a short while back, it dawned on me that she was an ambitionless person. That is what made her so nice. You never had to vie with her for top place in the relationship. She’d never been famous, had written no books, knew nothing about Bitcoin, stocks or bonds, literature, art, had no university degrees, owned no wealth, had never travelled and she practiced no one upmanship in anything at all. She was just happy.
Having never been anything remarkable in an way, she never had to undergo the pain of releasing herself from once being important in the lives of society, the town, or in culture in her old age. She had no ‘status’ to relinquish. How lucky is that?
It disturbs me that children nowadays are told they can be anything they want. They must aim for their dreams. And they must achieve.
There is an adventure in floating through life, not driving your boat. But being focused on finding your simple happinesses in every eddy, pool, or waterfall that you encounter on your way.
Margaret had that kind of life, and it turns out she encountered many fascinating adventures en route. She never mentioned them. I only found out after she died.
Margaret always seemed happy and grateful and it was catchy.
Meek, satisfied, grateful and happy. Well that’s how she seemed to me.
It reminded me of the verse from the bible that I could never understand.
The meek shall inherit the earth.
Art Pages
I have uploaded a new artist to my personal collection.
She is a Welsh artist Jennifer Wheten, whose art we used to sell in our art gallery.
Here is the link to the new page – JENNIFER WHETEN’S ART
The Generations
There are now many generations. Each generation has special traits.
Mr Furlong and I are Baby Boomers. We have been blamed for practicing the ‘working hard’ ethic which we learned from our parents, and for teaching the same to Generation X, our children. We are blamed for having it easy and scoffing all the property and money, which, fortunately, our children will inherit – they will be richer than us, having worked for their own prosperity by using the much-maligned ‘working hard’ ethic. Generation X felt they had it hard.
Generation X were the first people to be comfortable with the new computer technology which developed during their lifetime, especially the first social networks like Facebook.
Generation X, our children, evidently, have bred the “Millenials” Generation Y. Generation Y have never known life without social networking or WiFi. They are experts at it and can multitask effortlessly.
Currently, the critical pressure is off the baby boomers thank god, as Generation X has suddenly realised our greed means they inherit all of it on our death. Generation X doesn’t get that much criticism except for making divorce popular and breeding Millenials.
It’s Millenials that are copping most of the criticism nowadays.
Goodness knows what generation Z will be like!
Postal workers with cervixes
I am amused and appalled to find that it is fashionable to use ‘new’ English.
So this post is written in new English concerning XX and XY people.
It’s about Bass, our dog, and his friends. His group consists of three XX dogs, usually called ‘bitches’ and two XY dogs usually called ‘dogs’. I don’t think there have been any alterations to those descriptions.
Anyhow, to the point.
One morning, before their walk, these mixed-sex canines were assembled on our drive, when they all noticed the Postman, Postwoman, Post Lady, Post person with a cervix, popping the mail into the box at the house over the road. Simultaneously, all animals of the previously passive group standing in our driveway went ballistic.
Thank goodness they were leashed.
Why do dogs hate
postmen– post delivery persons so much?The most common reason why dogs hate postal workers is that they’re entering your property. Since the beginning of time, canines have protected their resources. In the wild, wolves and wild dogs will show aggressive behavior any time a person or animal gets near something they believe is theirs.
Google search
We have found it matters not if the postal workers here are those with cervixes or those with a penis. Whether they are XX or XY, the canines around here hate them all just the same. And it doesn’t matter whose house they are “entering”!
Celebrating with fire
Well, we are over most of the Festivals I think.
We’ve had pagan festivals disguised as Christian Festivals. And Pagan Festivals once disguised as Christian that are simply Pagan once again. And super consumerism for kids at Halloween which is an American Festival now practised in the UK in place of All Souls.
And then last night there was Guy Fawkes now called Bonfire night which is incorrect because Bonfire Night is actually on the 23rd of June when St John the Baptist was born according to the Christian calendar.
Guy Fawkes is the only terrorist I know of who is celebrated by burning an effigy. Usually it is terrorists that burn effigies as they did this Guy Fawkes in London and the effigy was Boris Johnson.
Here, in the UK, we let people burn our countries’ flag and Prime Minister, and stick themselves to trains and roads and their boobs to telegraph poles in the name of free speech.
And then there is Diwali which is a proper festival of light celebrated by people on the correct date, peacefully, as it has been without change for thousands of years. The sweetmeats at Diwali are delicious, much nicer than trick or treat, or slugging back booze and cocaine to give yourself courage to burn your Prime Minister on an incorrectly termed ‘Bonfire Night’.
Just in case you think it was only humans doing the light thing, Nature celebrated too. Where the Furlongs live, we had Aurora Borealis.
And, boy, that makes all our human stuff look drab.
Northern Lights display captured across Cumbria
The Last Furlong 