life experiences & findings

Wishing Buskers Of The World Well

2010-09-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

No...the busker in the picture is not me. I've never busked in my life...although I
rsspect and salute those who do. I've never done it...because especially in my early
years of singing in bars and bistros...I got to experience first hand...what seems to be widely accepted in our world...but to me...is nothing less than artist abuse. By that I mean...how it is to be offering something to the world that comes from deep inside you...while people are chattering constantly...walking in front of you...and waiters or waitresses...are calling out orders. When...early on...I was at the receiving end of that...one way I would describe it is...it was like many little hands were slapping me in the face. I shudder as I think of it now...and wonder how back then...I endured any of it. What baffles me when this happens in performance venues...is that I marvel at the insensitivity of the people who let it happen in their venues...and those who engage in it. When it came to busking...I wasn't going to ask for...the indifference and obliviousness...that often thrives around buskers...or
having coins tossed at me...not to mention the loud traffic going by. No thanks...I
wasn't going to expose myself to that. Despite that...I do respect the fortitude and
endurance of those who engage in it. I wish the buskers of the world well............
....................Quester.

Stories To Tell

2010-09-17T11:42:00.001-07:00

After I had posted a recent entry..."Why do I blog"...it hit me...that i"d left out
something important. I remember when...giving a workshop...or just because I wanted
to "pass it on"...telling people..."Remember...wherever you find yourself...it is
possible to create a song...i.e. you don't have to go to somewhere exotic to feel...
at last I have something I can write a song about". For one thing...the imagination can soar to distant places any time...but what is as important is that wherever there are human beings present...not to mention in all of Creation...there. are "stories to tell"...in song...or by just focusing in on them...and writing them down. A blog is
actually a wonderful medium...for the mini-stories...that happen in your life...
probably...every day of your life. The thing is...to know that they are there...and
it's up to you to develop your knack of telling them. I am thankful also...for the
way a blog allows you to redeem yourself...by simply making another entry...about
something you forgot to say...in a previous one............Quester.

A Sudden Reminder

2010-09-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

This morning...getting ready to make my first drink of the day...no not that...
actually a cup of coffee with the caffeine removed...one of the first things I did...was put out a large cup with a Pisces design on it. These days...I find myself sometimes recoiling at the thought of the number of steps I have to take to get myself in gear...from the first moment of rising up to greet another day. Perhaps that's what too much repetition of the "same old same old" does to you over time. Perhaps there are invisible forces nearby...observing our little "oh no...not again" thought rebellions...that sometimes like to throw in some variety...to help make things a bit more interesting. After starting the boiling of the water and having placed the cup at ready...I turned around to get a spoon...an action otherwise known as step 3 in this morning ritual. As I did so...my right hand brushed my Pisces cup. I've always prided myself on my lightening reflexes that have rescued many a falling object. Not this time...faster than you can say Humpty Dumpty...the cup went crashing to the floor. Forget what swear word came flying out...but whatever it was...it fulfilled it's function of taking me quickly to acceptance of what had happened...and the sweeping up of the debris...that "same old same old" thoughts...can bring down on you. Here's to the peacefulness of routines!...
..........................Quester.

Innate Malice Of Inanimate Objects

2010-09-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

In long gone days...I remember sitting around with other young wags...who had gotten
to know each other,,,moving around in folk song circles...trying to see if we could
"out wag" each other. One of us present had stepped on a rake left carelessly in
his yard...and as a result...had been whacked in the shin,,,by the abandoned rake.
A bearded friend,,,who always seemed to have a "far out" explanation for things...
contributed to the person with the bruised shin..."i guess what you experienced there
was the "innate malice of inanimate objects". I've always remembered that penetrating
observation. There have been many occasions since that day...when I have experienced
evidence of that "principle" at work...like the time in a hurry to go out...I pulled
on the string controlling the shutters on my window...and the shutters came down...
bopping me in the head. That was one of several examples of the said "malice"
manifesting...and sending you the message..."not so fast". As for the two heads in
today's picture...one whispering to the other...that triggered this piece...
all they were doing was planning a malicious action for later that day. I am glad I was not around when it came to pass..................Quester.

Reasons For Things

2010-09-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Just a day or two ago...I took a walk through my forest of videos on YouTube. I came
upon a video that I'd almost forgotten I had in there..."September Rain". I felt that
given the time of year...I should bring it on to my main channel page. I love far
fetched reasons for doing things...but this time round...I was being as predictable
as you can get...September?...so up goes September Rain. Up to yesterday...the sun
kept September shining...and I was wondering about my choice. Today...I need wonder no
more...as the sky is overcast and it looks like overnight there has been quite a bit of
rain...must have been like this when I wrote this song. Reasons why you do things vary...
from the impulsive...to the whimsical...to the well thought out. So...why today's apple
picture...given we did "Fruit On The Vine"...only a few days ago?. How is this for a
reason...I happen to like this picture a lot...and on a grey day...I think I need a
splash of colour to keep me keepin' on.....................Quester.

The Carver And The Log

2010-09-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

My song "The Carver" says..."like a carver at the cedar of your soul...you chip the
surface wood with your knife...and after a long time...a shape begins to grow...
rising from the log of your life". We each have a way of working out a model or
metaphor for living life. The metaphor of the carver chipping away at the log before
him...helps me to understand what I have to do on my own journey. It has also given
me a read of what could be called the "unconscious behavior" that I observe...
manifesting itself in my world. Even with some who behave badly...you could use
this metaphor...to help you to understand them. One obvious reading this metaphor
offers...is that they simply haven't done their "carving"...and are still mired in
what you might call "log consciousness"...or should that be "unconsciousness". The core
reason this metaphor works for me...is that I do believe...we each have a "shining
sculpture" inside of ourselves...but it is our job...to cut away the "surface wood"
that keeps it hidden away. I feel we each have that in us...even the "bad behaved".,,
and I have heard of...or met...enough people who have lived inspiring lives...
moving from the dismal lives their "bad behavior" brought them...to turning around...
some of them even becoming outstanding role models. When that happens...it uplifts
me...although it doesn't surprise me...because I've known...what is inside of each
of us...and that if we seriously engage in the job of carving...it will finally be
liberated...............Quester.

Why Do I Blog?

2010-09-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

I've been posting entries to this blog since 2005. In 2007 I started my YouTube channel
...now thriving...where 300 videos...mostly of my songs...reside. If I were to judge what I put online based on the number of viewers it attracts...my blog would be long gone...[I've never publicized it...no wonder if it's still a secret.]...but that's not what I let define my work...or me. Why have I persisted with it?. First of all...although song making is my first love creatively...writing...[as a poet and prose writer]...is at least my "first concubine". I've always loved language and the way it can be used. So...exercising my "writing chops"...on my blog and long hand journal...is a good starting reason. As a creative artist...I am always looking out for new tools with which to express myself and what a gift...having a blog online is. Being able to upload photographs to it with my writing...has given a large boost to my entries...with many of the photos...except today's...triggering what I write...[good practice for a writer...working off triggers]. There's more...but for now I'll just add..."there's something about a blog" ...with words and a still picture...that slows me down...in a world spinning around
...much too fast...................Quester.

Flirtations

2010-08-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some old photographs last night. They have a way of reminding
you of things you want to remember...or things you want to forget. Today's picture was
taken in 'London England", as they say in Canada...not to be confused with London,
Ontario. It came about on the insistence of a certain company,,,that was vying to be
my publicist...or was it my management",,,forget. They printed up this fancy brochure
of their clients...or would be clients. The page this picture of a coiffed me, was taken from is a page they printed, with well known people like Peter Ustinov and Sammy Davis Junior...exalted company indeed. Before the photo session where this shot was taken...I was asked to have a session with a special hair dresser...hence the hair look...and they also rented for the occasion a Humperdinck of a shirt...which I wore...but hardly appears in the picture. Not accustomed to having image make overs
...plus some other stuff...I parted company with my "dresser uppers". This picture
reminds me that although I think I've led a pretty authentic life as a free lance
artist...that along the way...I've had flirtations...with..."other realities".
........................Quester.

Cosmic Clout As Balancer

2010-08-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

An artist friend when I was first starting out on my artist's road said: "If you want to create things...you have to see and hear things...like you've never done before". I've practiced that since...and it has resulted in many creations...benefiting from a
consciously developed ability...to spot an irony or a metaphor, or a fine detail...at a thousand paces. Well...so I thought...until I looked at today's picture...taken at the wonderful outdoor art exhibition...in downtown Vancouver...during the last Winter
Olympics. It was only then I picked up on a small detail missed...back when
I was taking the picture. Then I was focused on the diagonal descending line the three
figures made...and framing the picture well. I believe in strong focus whether you're
writing a song...or taking a picture...[I've heard tell that pictures need focusing].
What I had missed at first...was the humongous wooden pole...wasn't just being
carried by the three...it was actually shafting through their bodies...which was at
the core of what the artist was trying to say. This has happened to me before...when
I've gotten carried away with my own artist's savvy. It's as if the Universe taps me
on the shoulder...or the cosmos clouts me in the head...and says..."Now, now...see
what you missed?". I must admit that I have a preference for this profound way in
which the universe intervenes sometimes...rather than another human being putting me
straight about the error of my ways. Learn something every day..........Quester.

Sun Flowers

2010-08-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

I know why Vincent loved them and painted them...I love them too although I've never
tried to paint them. Right now is their time in my part of the world, With so much
around them turning brown,,,they are a delight to see,,,towering over their fading
kin...reviving your spirits. I don't understand the reasoning that went behind the
naming of so many flowers...although I know...a rose is a rose is a rose. I understand
the name sun flower...so obvious in the way it reminds you of the sun...both in the
way it looks...and how it lifts your spirits. Only this evening...as I walked...I
couldn't help but take out my camera...to take a picture of a group of them...out-
yellowing their yellow background...as they towered in front of a MacDonald's
restaurant. That's one of the magnetic things about sun flowers...they make you
look at them regardless of what they may happen to be next to...............Quester.

Pacific Sunset

2010-08-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Rediscovered this picture in my files the other day. The painting itself is long gone...residing in a collection of my paintings...owned by a woman...who now lives in the Okanagan. I think that I pretty well have photos of all the paintings I ever sold...remembering to take a picture of them...before they were no longer in my possession. Acquiring my first computer in 2002...with among other things...a digital
painting program...pretty well marked the ending of my acrylic paints on canvas era...
as I was able to try out my picture ideas...now rapidly...with "save" and "don't save"
as my two new found assistants. Given painting had not been a career thing with me...
but an "extending creative horizons thing" instead...I could let it rest...with my
first creative love...song making...still central in my creative life. Having said
that...I continue to respect and salute...paint on canvas pictures...and will always
leave the door open...to a return to it,,,of some kind. In the meantime...it is
"Pacific Sunset"...perhaps an appropriate picture...for the subject I'm writing
about tonight...as the sun actually disappears into the Pacific..........Quester.

Fruit On The Vine

2010-08-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

The tree outside one of my front windows...is hanging on to its curled brown leaves.
The grass in many places is sere. No wonder...there has hardly been any rain in these
parts for a while. There has been a long lasting heat wave...which may finally be over.
Many of the forests of British Columbia,,,have been tinder dry...and aided by large
swathes of trees that have fallen to beetle kill. There have been many forest fires
with threats of more...and their widely spread smoke...hanging in the air.
In the midst of all of this...one of the things that gives me hope...as I walk through
my neighborhood...is the sight of fruit or berries...hanging from the tree or vine.
Hanging fruit...even in my childhood...always gave me a good feeling...perhaps a
fulfilled kind of feeling...apart from any more immediate designs to pick and eat them.
Yes...while there is fruit on the vine...there is always hope............Quester.

Reminders Of A Cooler Time

2010-08-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

I had gone for months without being able to upload any photos to my blog. It didn't
take long for a visiting brother-in-law...ever helpful...to fix the problem...from
my computer. We were looking in a hurry for a photo to upload and the snow and berries
one presented itself. Coming back now to spread the glad tidings...I found this one
of heather in snow. I tend to do things often...based on a "nudge from the deep" rather
than from having great clarity in the present. I can see now what's behind my choice
of "things snowy". We've been suffering through a heat wave for weeks...as of today it
seems to have gone...but I think I'm still experiencing a delayed reaction today to it. I have to confess...that for a person shaped by the tropics...I am not a fan these days of hot weather when it goes on too long. Anyway...looks like today's pictures are about a little air conditioning of the mind. Am looking forward to being able to upload
photos in the future...to go with my words.........................Quester.

Photos once again!!

2010-08-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

A Spontaneous Meeting

2010-08-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday...at my coffee place where I often have a light lunch...a young man sitting
with a young woman at a nearby table...asked me what it was I was writing in the journal before me. That started us off into an animated and wide and hopefully deep ranging conversation...about creativity. Turned out that both he and his woman partner were also into creating things...songs...music...and written work. It was a most
stimulating spur of the moment chat we had...that ended up lasting quite a while. At one point...after we had talked about difficulties we had both had in relating with some of our family members...I ventured to say that we were talking about things that likely...we wouldn't be able to talk about with some members of our families. They agreed. Before parting we shared e-mail addresses and phone numbers. They live in my neighborhood and I have the feeling that we'll be meeting again. I enjoyed many aspects of our meeting...but the thing I appreciated most of all...was how people from different generations could come together...and so rapidly leave the usual walls that divide people behind...and communicate so sincerely with each other. This kind of meeting...I would like to think...is so beneficial to those who take part in it...it's a wonder it doesn't happen more often. At the end...I thanked the young man for having been the one to start us off. Perhaps in the future...I might get it up...to be the initiator of such a fine piece of spontaneous human communication.....................Quester.

Book Writing

2010-08-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of writing recently...but obviously...not for this blog.
To me...writing a book...is a bit like preparing a special meal in a pressure cooker.
You know you must not take the cover off...before the meal is completely ready...for it
to work out well. For me...the telling about what your book is about...definitely
puts you in danger of losing whatever momentum you've built up working on it. I've
been writing for my book project...to add to what I'd previously written for it...this
time round for about two and a half weeks...and I've only missed one day's writing
because of having a very bad cold. I did...however...find a way of getting writing
sessions in...on the rest of the days when I've had the cold. Again...not wanting to
lose momentum was the reason for pushing through. I have found that when you are writing for a book...and you have momentum...you can usually be clear about why you're
doing it...over many days in a row...but sooner or later...you're likely to be challenged by a day when your reasons for writing it...become enveloped in cloud...and you are in danger of coming to a screeching halt...maybe even...never to return to it. All the more reason to respect momentum when you have it and not let go of it easily. As I write...sometimes I think of what I call..."The Law Of Things Accruing". I know that if I keep pecking away at it every day...one day I'll look up...and my book will be done. Wish me well................................Quester.

Video 300 On My Marakakore Channel

2010-07-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Looks like its been about six weeks since my last entry here...dear sir...is this a
record?. One excuse I can offer...although excuses are seldom the total story,,,is that
from June to now...I've been uploading one video after another to my main YouTube
channel. I've always trained myself...not to be addicted to numbers...but recently...I
got it into my head...that I wanted to get to 300 videos uploaded to my main channel.
I am happy to report...that my video uploaded yesterday..."Odyssey"...was the 300th
video on my marakakore channel!. It feels like I've got myself a tidy deposit in a
bank account...and now I no longer have to push...to get in there...what is already in
there. I am going to take a break now...from uploading videos to this channel...and give
myself leisurely time...to see where next I wish to go...with my videos. Questions to be
decided upon are such as...Will I upload any more videos to my marakakore channel?...Will I start another channel online and upload videos there?...will I make
changes in my approach to having videos online?...Will I now focus my attention on other
aspects of my artist's work?. Who knows what the answers will be...but I know I'll give
it some good organic time to unfold as it should. Perhaps I'll now be able to get my
blog back in gear. Much more to say...but I'll leave it at that for now. Stay tuned!.
..............Quester.

Sunset On The Docks-Blues Guitar

2010-06-01T01:06:00.000-07:00

Seems to me that most people who play guitar...sooner or later...give playing the blues
a shot. It likely has something to do with the fact that...everyone...at one time...has
experienced.."having the blues". In my own musical travels...I've noticed the attraction
...that playing the blues has...for generation after generatipn...of young men...from
widely different cu;tures. I find myself...from time to time...getting the feeling...now...I want to play the blues. I find...as i'm sure many others do...that it gives me a kind of release...I had been needing. Needless to say...as the sun goes down...is a time when you're likely to find yourself...strongly called...to play the blues,,,as in this case...with the sun setting on the Vancouver docks. Other trends in music come and go...but the blues goes on and on................Quester.

2010-05-31T22:47:00.000-07:00

The Preciousness Of Simple Things

2010-05-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

Many of us as children...when we began to take the good things in our lives for granted...were put in our place by being
told about "the starving millions in Africa'. It was...of course..sobering to be reminded of those "less fortunate"...than
ourselves. Today I find myself thinking...about another kind of reminder we can give ourselves...in this kind of situation.
It is one that...perhaps...leans away from being a guilting exercise...to one about seeing and appreciating the gift that
life on this Earth actually is. Any of us can easily get bogged down...in our daily difficulties...and lose sight of...if we
ever saw it....of how beautiful the simple things in life are...like walking on a sunny day...sitting by a river...or lake...or
ocean....laughing with a friend...dancing to music that cannot be denied. I could go on and on with this list of simple
beautiful things...but I won't. The thing is...none of the things I'm thinking of here...require a person to be materially
wealthy. Unfortunately...it is only when catastrophe...personal or otherwise...strikes...and they are no longer available...
that we are forcefully reminded of how precious they are. A good resolution to make...is to be always aware of the
preciousness of the simple things in life...and while we have them...live in them...celebrate them...and give thanks for
them..................................Quester.

Re: Ocean Calls

2010-05-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Having had difficulties for a long time...uploading videos to YouTube...and photos
to my blog...today I split the difference thinking...how about trying to upload a
video to your blog. I did...and to my pleasant surprise...it worked!. Had to see
that it worked before I wrote any copy to go with it. "Ocean Calls"...is one of my
most experimental instrumentals. All those stories...from many different cultures...
about sirens...and other entities...that live under the water...and that call out
to humans on the shore...sometimes inviting them into the depths...are behind this piece.
The main instrumental part...I played on a small...harp-like instrument I'd bought at a thrift store...and was playing on this recording...for the first time. I also used...
wind chimes...rain stick...and...of course...there is no substitute for the sound of
waves. It's nice to finally get something done about my "Uploading Blues".........
.............Quester.

Ocean Calls

2010-05-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

Blocked Options

2010-05-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted for a while. It's been a strange time. Being able to post photos to
my blog...was an incentive to post more frequently...but some time ago...that stopped
working. Uploading videos to YouTube was an important part...obviously...of my YouTube
experience. About six or seven weeks ago...that stopped working. I keep trying to
upload videos...and have looked for answers to my upload difficulty...but so far that
hasn't produced positive results. If I didn't know better...I'd say there was a
conspiracy going on. However...people keep on viewing my YouTube channel videos at a good
clip. Perhaps having 279 videos on there has helped with that...i.e. there are a lot
of videos to be seen there...regardless of new uploads. Anyway...although my
uploading problem has offered itself as an excuse not to make any more videos...I
continue to make them...in so doing...finally making good recordings...of some of my
many songs...waiting to be represented by good recordings. We'll see how "blocked
options"...open up...as these precious days of spring go by...........Quester.

Old Reliable Things

2010-04-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

For two and a half weeks now...I've tried to upload videos to my YouTube channel...
unsuccessfully. For much longer than that...uploads of photos to this blog...have
not worked out. Looks like its one of those times...when you simply have to endure
being blocked...and not let yourself feel there is a conspiracy against you going on
across the world wide web. A lot of the time...the new technology available...allows you to do brilliant and empowering things...then from time to time it balks at helping you
along. Perhaps...such times...can be looked upon as reminders about not getting
yourself too dependent on the magic usually available at your finger tips...and renew
your appreciation of old reliable things...like a vigorous walk on a sunny spring
afternoon...taking pictures of the sun lighting up the snow on the mountains outside your front windows...or even writing slowly...in your long hand journal...not to mention...playing your trusty guitar. So...here's to old reliable things...never to be
taken for granted..........................Quester..

Mission "Less Stuff"

2010-03-30T01:03:00.000-07:00

Around midnight...for me may not be the best time to post a blog entry...but I'm
overdue...so here goes. My having been silent for as long as I have...is another
reminder about momentum...when you have it...make a point of keeping it...or it's
likely to fly away on you...and next thing you know...there's a gap in something
you used to do a lot of. Right now...I do have momentum...but it's about streamlining
my apartment...which I'm currently making progress with. Looking at the program
"Horders"...on tv,,,has helped me to identify...that I'm not a hoarder...with dead
cats lying under stuff waiting for the big clear up to happen. What is true...is
that I do have too much stuff in my home...and if I want my dream of minimalist
surroundings...and clean lines...to come true in my home surroundings...I am
simply going to have to move some stuff out. Well...I'm finally on my way now,,,
knowing I really don't need much stuff to live well...and that having less stuff
to trip over...is definitely going to improve my quality of life.......Quester.

Uploaded At Last: Healing Circle

2010-03-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

I have 279 videos on YouTube...and have made many more...in the last three years or so.
There are several of my strongest songs on video...that I have held back from
uploading...because each time they came up for upload consideration,,,a protective
feeling...made me refrain from doing so. It's like...not wanting to expose..the songs
that I'm most deeply linked to...to any potential indifference...they might encounter
online. One such song of mine is..."Healing Circle"...for me...a deeply felt...written
...and sung...song. Last year I made a video of it...but I kept uploading other videos.
Last night...I finally bit the bullet and uploaded it. This morning...checking my
e=mail...I was pleasantly surprised to find a cluster of e-mails...with generous comments...about "Healing Circle"...uploaded only a few hours before. I hope to reply to the kind people who sent in their messages...in the next few days...but right here...I'd like to thank them for their generosity. It has given me a fine boost on another grey day...................Quester.

Art On Ice

2010-02-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

Night before last...I watched an Olympic event on television...that transcended
athleticism...and became art. Virtue and Moir...in ice dance...created a beautiful
flowing unity...gliding effortlessly across the ice...that when it was done...
would have benefited from the announcers involved holding their tongues...in
uplifted silence. Instead...the main announcer...while the last graceful move...
was still reverberating...in a way that seemed to be telling the audience..."don't
forget about me...I have something important to say about this"...blurting out the
poetic words..."but is it enough!!!". Truth is...for myself...and I'm sure others...
it was more than enough...based on its uplifting artistry...manifested in a highly
strssful situation...where slipping on the ice could happen at any moment It reminded
me also...of why I appreciate...grace...beauty...and flow on the ice...but don't like
the accepted practice of a panel of judges deciding about it's quality. I'd prefer to decide about it for myself. In a way...the judges deciding that the pair had won a gold medal with their exquisite piece of work...seemed almost unnecessary...because...they had transcended all the techniques...they had rehearsed over many years...and...this night...had turned it into a piece of art.....................Quester.

Sports And Springtime

2010-02-15T22:37:00.000-08:00

The Winter Olympics in these parts are/is...in full swing. I must confess to enjoying
viewing some of the events on television...although even if I
could get tickets to some of them...I'n not sure I'd want to expose myself to the long
lineups...and strict security involved. So far I've liked the ski jumping...and moguls.
The fact that Canada won a gold medal in the men's moguls...and a silver in the women's
helped my appreciation of that sport. If the side or individual you're rooting for...
is totally outclassed...it's not quite the same...although there is a part of me...
that knows I should just be appreciating...the grace and artistry in a given sport. When I achieve liberation from any lingering tribalism in me...I may be able to pull that off...but I find so far...I get more into a sport event...when I'm rooting for one side. In my life overall...I try not to separate my fellow human beings...into "them
and us" categories. Sports for me...may be the exception to that. Anyway...the Olympics
has spawned all kinds of art and events other than sport. Hope to attend some of them
up ahead. In the meantime...new flowers keep popping up...which makes this time...my
favourite season. I look froward to taking more photos of spring springing...up ahead.
....................Quester.

Olympics Anticipation

2010-02-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

Visitors from all over the world...have begun to pour into my city...Vancouver...for
the start of the Winter Olympics...this coming Friday. The city is a-buzz with anticipation at what is about to unfold. The passage of the Olympic flame across
Canada...has been greeted overwhelmingly...with great enthusiasm. As always...
members of the world media...are sniffing around for tidbits...to send back home...
about Vancouver...with the lack of snow at one of the venues...probably leading the
way. On the other hand...visitors here...have been greeted by a spate of balmy early
spring days...and at times even sunshine...and I'm sure...can't help but be impressed
by the beauty of the city...especially when the sun shines on the mountains.
As a lover of sports...I find myself looking forward to viewing some of the events
on television...glad to be free of the intense security measures that are going to be
in play at all event venues. However...a few days ago I went down to Robson street...
which even then...was thronged with people...and brimming with energy...and I think
during the Olympics I'm likely to return there to experience some of "people vibes"
this event has stirred up in these parts. I'd love for our Canadian athletes to do
well in their events...but what I'm really a fan of...is...people from all over the
world...coming together...in a good energied way...and peacefully. May it all unfold
beautifully..................Quester.

Flowers Yes...Snow No

2010-01-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

Day before yesterday...I took a walk across one of the corners of my neighbourhood...
and wss cheered by the flowers and buddings I saw...once again giving me evidence...
for my notion that spring starts on the West Coast of Canada...in January. Of course
...as the days go by...with no snow...as blossoms and buds begin to pop...a sliver of
aprehension...about what effect...this snow scarcity...will have on the Winter Olympics
out here...is in the air. My impression is that a strong Plan B was put into place...
a long time ago...so I think it will all work out. I smiled yesterday...when I saw on
the tv news...that a manual of over a hundred pages...had been issued...about putting..."our best face forward"...for those soon to be interacting with visiting dignitaries etc. I've never been too high on any human activities...that take us away from living...from our authentic selves...but I suppose...this manual was made by those dedicated to making the Winter Olympics here...a fine and memorable experience...for visitors. In tne meantime...one of my favourite times on the West Coast...early spring...is beginning to unfold...so my walks...with camera in hand...are about to become more and more interesting...as I look out for signs of spring coming in...west of the Rockies...............................Quester.

Poetry vs Song In My Life

2010-01-20T08:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday...I uploaded a poem video...to my poetry channel...for the first time in
about three months. A contributing factor...in my letting poetrydavidcampbell5 be...
has been for some technical reason...not being able to access it readily. But...it's
hard to conceal "the elephant in the room" here. I wouldn't want to make a categorical
statement about poetry versus song...but...in my individual experience...it's
beginning to look like...if there is a choice between people listening to a song...
as opposed to a poem...more will choose song than poetry. The reason for that...I think...is that song has been...for a long time...via radio...and before that...much more available to the world...than spoken word...although in recent times...some of the wing of poetry...filled with sound and fury...not to mention...bravado... has crashed into pop culture. For the "quieter" poets...this is not so much the case. I've noticed for some time now...for instance...in YouTube's list of video categories...that there is one for music...but...poetry...is not listed. I realized...when I started my poetry channel...that I was looking at..."a tough row to hoe"...but went ahead with opening the channel...anyway. My poetry channel...has not been embraced as warmly...as my mainly song [marakakore] channel. Of course...with my poetry channel...I can always exercise...the "let it be" option...as I've just recently done...and return to it...when I'm good and ready. I've been a poet for a long time...and am likely to continue being that...but sometimes...I'm really glad...that I'm also a maker of songs....Quester.

Another Gift From My Ukulele

2010-01-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

Night before last...I dropped in on a poetry gathering...run by friends. In getting
ready to go there...it ocurred to me...that one of the reasons...I seldom if ever
take my guitar...on a "drop in"...is what I call the "luggability factor"...i.e. my
guitar in its case...being a drag to lug anywhere...unless I'm doing an "official
gig". Of course...I've sometimes...also...wanted on these excursions...to just listen
...rather than be driven to perform. At poetry gatherings in the past...I've simply
taken a sheaf of poems...and if I've felt like it...read a few. The other night...it
also came to me...that I no longer need to be encumbered by lugging a guitar with me
...in these situations. For the first time ever...I took my ukulele in its case...
tiny in comparison to a guitar...and arrived at the venue...without feeling burdened
down. I've only had my ukulele for about two months...but I decided to accompany
myself for the first time in public with it. With my friend...the host...holding a
bobbing microphone right in front of me...and standing up...pressing the
uke to my mid-section...with my arm...[made a mental note to get a strap for this
instrument in the future]...I sang two songs...which were well received. It was a
warm and friendly night...and among other things...I had received another gift from
my ukulele...light as a feather...that I know now...I can take with me...as one more
option...if and when...I should decide to do...a spontaneous drop in......Quester.

A Near Resolution

2010-01-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

This new year...it's not so much out right resolutions I've made...it's more bringing
into my consciousness moreso than before...areas in my life I need to work on. One
of them...is replying to e-mails...or any other messages received...more promptly.
I have found that if I don't reply immediately to a message received...e.g. on the
same day it comes to me...I tend to put myself in danger...of getting into a slide
about when the eventual reply will happen. There are many reasons...of course...why
you might not reply right away. Sometimes...it's because you want to answer...in a
well thought out way...rather than in a rushed one. In some cases...you may not wish
to show..."squalid haste" in your reply. I've never used the phrase..."I jumped at it"
...in my life...having an old school sense that being dignified in how you proceed
is preferable. However...I know well...not showing squalid haste...can easily turn
into long delayed replies. Someimes...you may wish to send an encouraging message to
someone...and you'd prefer not to dish out a quick slice of humouring in your reply
so you wait for the right words to come. Yes...there are many reasons why you don't
reply right away...but somewhere in the forest of reasons...there is a way to "get
with it". Hope I find it this year...................Quester.

My Work Down Here

2010-01-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last post...no outright excuse to offer for that.
However...I have done a lot of postings...and have even gone through long stretches
of time...when I posted every day. Who knows?...I may be just having a natural
response to all that. My video making started some time after I became a blogger...
and I have been very productive ongoingly making videos. These days...that has
become a central preoccupation...and small wonder...if other things I used to do
frequently...have taken a bit of a back seat. Right now I feel privileged to make
videos...and so far...haven't run into my motivation about that...tailing off.
It'll be interesting to see how that part of my work as an artist unfolds up ahead.
I have learnt over the years never to say "never"...about anything. For some time...
and right now video making has been the priority...but who knows what tomorrow may
bring?. One of the factors in my productivity in video making...is having so many
already created songs...poems...and other material...waiting to be well recorded
...and some of it...shared on video online. So here's to a new year...with my
artist's work continuing...one way or the other...as I do some part of my artist's
job...that I feel is my work "down here". Wishing all...a Peaceful and Fulfilling
New Year!..............................Quester.

The Carver

2009-12-23T06:47:00.000-08:00

I have had for a long time...and I'm sure others have had too...the notion
that in each human being...there is a beautiful being...waiting to be liberated
...from blindness or backwardness...or from us human beings...sometimes...simply
having no wish...to consciously work on our personal growth. This idea...some years ago...found expression in the metaphor of the carver...chipping away at the log
before him or her...to liberate the beautiful sculpture...hidden away in the log.
Ihis metaphor...resulted in the writing of this song..."The Carver". This morning...
I'm also reminded...that under the tinsel...and "shopping to show that you care"...
that seems to be abroad in the land at this time...there is a beautiful "spirit of
the season"...that my wish is...emerges more
powerfully than ever...this time round...................Quester.

Video Making...A Good Habit

2009-12-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

This last while has been very productive...with the videos flowing from me...one
after the other. I suppose that making videos has become a good habit. Most days...
on returning from lunch out in the world...I bite the bullet...consciously not
letting too much more time go by...before I start in. A delay in starting in could
translate into no video that day. Sometimes...I find something as simple as shaving
...is my actual starting point...as I get myself ready to face the camera. Every
time...it's getting all the bits and pieces in place...to make a video. Sometimes
I get impatient with this process of getting ready...but there is no help for it...
it's a necessary part of the whole process. I've found...for me anyway...I can't
just return home from my trip out into the world...and start the recording of a video.
Some of the preparation steps I have to do: Get a copy of the words of the song for
the day ready...and place it on a stand...I can look at if i need to. Put a cup of
water out...within reach of my singing spot. Get handy one of my big black hats...
after I change into my shirt...vest...or jacket for the day. Turn on the lights for
video making...lighting for me having turned out to be one of the tricky parts of
video making. Bring to hand the instrument i'm going to play that day...which one
depends on the song I'm going to sing. Somewhere along the way I start
sending out strange sounds...which is my version of warming up my voice. I prepare
a file in my computer to receive the recording I'm about to make. I go over the song
words a few times...hoping I finally have them memorized. The moment for clicking
the mouse and starting playing...is one I have to specially get myself up for...
because being of fuzzy mind as I start...is a recipe for doing take one...take two...
etc. As it is...I confess to making many false starts...before I find myself well
into the song...and with a good chance of sustaining my singing and playing...to the
last note. Sometimes towards the end of the song...my mind begins to roam...and I
have to pull it back firmly...but smoothly...to the task at hand. When I feel I've
succeeded in recording a "keeper"...I can feel a weight falling off my shoulders...
and I give thanks!. One more video of the work I've created...is "in the can"...and
I've completed my central artist's mission for the day. Hallelujah!.....Quester.

My New Box Of Wonders

2009-12-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

A few days ago...I bought a keyboard...a musical one you plug into the wall. Since
then...I've been probing what it has to offer...which is more than plenty. For me...
it's a "box of wonders". I remember some years ago,,,how in some circles...it was
fashionable to "knock technology". Even back then...I knew it was a matter of how
it is used. For instance...my videos on YouTube...come out of my embracing...some
of the brilliant technology...that is now available to our world. It was my first
digital camera...with video option...that started me into making videos...and since
then...the videos keep flowing. To me...because of the terchnologies most of us in
the First World have access to...there is a grand unleashing of our human creative
potential...that everyone of us can help to make happen...if we wish to do so...and
make some slow time in our lives for it. The last few days I've been checking out
the myriad tones and options available from my new keyboard. This is already goosing
my creativity in an additional direction. Yesterday...I recorded my first keyboard
improvisation...and it is now on my main YouTube channel...which among other things
...is there to celebrate creativity. I am no keyboard player...at this point...but
I was able to "utilise creatively"...my keyboard. This way of thinking...is from
the territory of the self taught artist...not ready to surrender years to practising
scales and techniques on an instrument...but instead...going with the "creative force"
...and finding ways of making music...with what he or she...is working with. I could
go on and on about this...but I have to return shortly...to finding what other
treasures lie...in my new "box of wonders"...................Quester.

Words Of: One Time Too Many

2009-11-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

I am still working on replying to the many people who sent me encouraging messages...
many of them...it seems...triggered by my song..."Thanksgiving Song"...on YouTube.
As I am due to post an entry to this blog...tonight I will answer the request of
krystyna11...on YouTube...and post here...the words of my song..."One Time Too Many".
Description of song on YouTube: "When it comes to "love"...I've written songs from the
hopeful to the despairing...from the first flush to goodbye...and many places in between. This song touches on another aspect of the "roller coaster of love"...which is...beginning to consider...leaving it behind...forever:
One time too many...the fire then the goodbye...
Such a great dance upon the sands of life...
You and her and them...You and I...
Chorus: And now that you are gone...
Why should I ever join again...
This ancient dance of fools...
As we play at love again...
No need to fear...the seas of solitude I've sailed so well...
No one can save me from the silent night...
Or tell my tale of life...that's just for me to tell...

Time and again...I think I see the writing on the wall...
Telling me I've already done my share...
Of flying hand in hand...only to fall...

Copyright-David Campbell.

Ripples From Thanksgiving Song

2009-11-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

There has been a surge in views of my videos on YouTube in the last several
weeks. It seems to be largely because of my Thanksgiving Song on there...and
Thanksgiving Day in Canada being in October...and the one in the U.S.A...
about to happen. I am very thankful for this bonanza of views...and at the
same time reminding myself that the second official Thanksgiving Day...will be
over soon...and although I believe Thanksgiving is for every day...this
accelerated viewing may change shortly. Regardless...many good people have sent
messages of encouragement...about my songs on YouTube...And I aqppreciate that
very much. I'm in the process of replying to them...but that may take a little
while...and I hope some will be patient with me...if they don't hear from me right
away. So...a Peaceful and Fulfilling Thanksgiving to All. Blessings.......Quester.

Never Weep For Time Gone Revisited

2009-11-19T07:30:00.000-08:00

Our experiences of the past can haunt us if we let them. Wish I could say I was
completely free of hauntings...but I can't. Beyond what transpired in your own
life...there is the way things inevitably change...in the world we live in...and
how we can easily remain attached to an era...or place...or thing...or even...people
we used to know...who with the passage of time...drifted out of our lives...or
may have even left this Earth. Some of the big changes that happen in our lives...
come...with the journey from childhood to elderhood. A lot of nostalgia can build up
around past stages in our own lives...just based on that process of aging. The main
consolation there...is we are not alone. Every single human being...unless he or
she departs this world early...will experience...the way time writes upon us all.
Looks like...a good way of approaching the past...is to see the lessons it brought
...and learn and live from them. Yes...time gone...as teacher...rather than haunter
...looks like the way to go...although...that...is easier said than done.........
...................Quester.

The Rose Is Returning Revisited

2009-11-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking I might make a playlist on my main YouTube channel called...
"Videos Deserving To Be Better Viewed". It is more a fantasy than something I'm
really likely to do...because I recognise there is a
lottery aspect to having videos on YouTube. You just never really know which
ones people might decide to look at in large numbers. Often...the songs that are
your own favorites...are not the ones people will decide to look at. Fsrom time
to time...there is an unexpected rush to look at a video...you didn't think
many would look at...and so it goes. One of my "trainings" in life...and it
certainly comes in handy having videos on YouTube...is to not let yourself be
defined by numbers for anything...but always be reaching for...quality in what
you do. That particular "training"...has helped me so far...as I continue to
upload videos to YouTube. But back to today's song..."The Rose Is Returning".
If I did make the playlist I wrote about earlier...this would be one of the first
songs I'd put on it. There is something about it and the way I was able to sing
it I still like...and am likely to continue to like............Quester.

A Pleasant Little Reward

2009-11-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

One of the tenets I've lived by as a creative artist...is to always be open to
new idioms...challenges...and even tools...along the way. You can't live this
kind of arganic artist's life...if your goal is to carve out a good career for
yourself...and once having found a formula for that...to repeat yourself...
endlessly...and safely. You really take your chances when...instead...you are
ongoingly open...and willing to try out...new challenges. I do not believe...
the customer is always right...and so you figure out what they'd like to hear...
or see...give them that...and never attempt to find what your true potential is
...even though that may cost you...financially...or otherwise. For me the choice
was...in a way...simple...I knew I'd be bored out of my mind...doggedly living
out a career path. My organic path...has had many difficulties...but it also has
had its rewards. My songs...poems...etc...have all been written free from the
chains of market forces upon me...allowing me to create around whatever...
seized or inspired me. There are also...little bonuses I receive along the way
for being open to new challenges. Like this afternoon...when I made my first
video...accompanying myself on ukulele...through the song I sang on the video.
For me...a pleasant little reward...for taking chances...along my creative
artist's path.......................Quester.

Ukulele Man

2009-11-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

A bit over a month ago...I bought a ukulele in a thrift store. I've played it a
lot since then. It has a beautiful sound...although no matter how much I tune
it...a note or two,,,comes out a bit sour. In the first improvisation on it...
I recorded...I managed to stay away from the chintzy notes...and get a fine
sounding improvisation...which i turned to a video...and uploaded to YouTube.
Since then...I recorded a couple more pieces with it...but could no longer
avoid the off notes. This...of course...is very frustrating...and not something
I want to persist in doing. So...yesterday...wishing to continue the particular
liberation...the ukulele gives me...I bought a shiny new...second ukulele...
which I played a lot last night...and is rapidly becoming...my "first" ukulele
...I mean in terms of now being the one I keep nearby...and reach for...
whenever I have the yen to do so. There's a good chance...that as I become
familiar with this instrument...and the playing of it...I may spot some need to
acquire another for certain specific reasons...up ahead. For now...however...
looks like I'll be playing this new one a lot...and organically...and gradually...becoming...a "ukulele man". Seems it's never really too late...for
an old dog...to come up with some new tricks...if the spirit is willing.
.............Quester.

Totem Pole Of Kitsilano Revisited

2009-11-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

Being able to see real totem poles...rather than post cards of them...or
miniatures you find in airport stores...was a big piece of the magic I
experienced...when I first came to live on the West Coast. I was also lucky
to have one in the first Vancouver neighbourhood I lived in...Kitsilano,,,to
stop and look at...on my walks by the beach there. It was on one such walk
...after standing and looking at the "Totem Pole Of Kitsilano"...for quite some
time...the song by that very name...was born. I am glad it came to me...and I
was able to put it down...and record it...and more recently...turn it to a video
.........................Quester.

Starting In

2009-10-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

It's raining...my mountains have disappeared in low clouds...and I'm facing a
blank page...reaching for something to say. Every time I come upon a journal of
mine...or an old note book...and take a peek at what's written in it...I'm
reminded of the large body of experiences...ideas...knowings...and places I've
visited in my imagination...that are available to me. Yet...when...without
consulting any of that...I sit in front of a blank page...it often feels like a
mirror of the blankness I feel in me. The reminder this morning...is that there
is always something to be said...by any human being...as he or she lives life.
You just have to be patient...and remind yourself it's available...and "start
in". I'm a believer in..."starting in". Once you do...whether it's with a melody
...a poem...a song...or even a blog entry...you never know...where it will get
you to. Amen........................Quester.

Pacific Dream

2009-10-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

This song has a bit of a prophecy in it. Wrote it in sweltering Toronto...in
July one year. By October of that year I had arrived in Vancouver...to
start living my Pacific Dream...with no livelihood guarantees...but simply
following my bliss. Living on the West Coast of Canada...continues to
inspire and nourish me. Rain...notwithstanding...I feel coming to live here...
was one of the best life decisions I ever made....................Quester.

A Pleasant Problem

2009-10-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

As I looked through some cd's just now...trying to find a song I want to turn
into a video...and couldn't find it...I had what I call..."the dark forset"
feeling...the forest being the work you wish to do...still ahead of you...and
that...looming large. I had to immediately tell myself...wait a minute...don't
forget all the videos of your work you've made since the start of 2007...you
are making progress...just keep at it...making one video at a time...and one day
you'll have all the songs or pieces of your work you want to turn to videos...
done. I then reminded myself...how fortunate I am...to have ongoingly made videos
for over two and a half years...and still have many more...songs ones especially
...to be done. I then told myself...to just be thankful I'm in this position...
and not for a moment...ger "dark" about it. Yes...it may be wet and gloomy
outside today...but I do have much to be thankful for...with the "dark forest"
being actually...no more than evidence of some of the work I've alreay done.....
....................Quester.

The Sun Will Be Sweeter

2009-10-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's 8.30 in the morning...and the gloom is thick outside my rain pocked window
...small wonder my video today is what it is. Let's face it...if you let it...
rain can be very depressing. For me...it's not so much the wetness...but the
absence of sunlight that's so hard to bear. But like so much else in life...you
can take what appears to be a negative and turn it around. There are places on
Earth right now...where rain hasn't fallen for months...and crops have been
accordingly ruined. One of the things I love about this West Coast I live on...
is how lush the vegetation is...and the great abundance of flowers in their season.
Rain...of course...plays a big part in that. I find that wet and gloom outside...
if I harness it...can help me to dig deep...inside...into working on some long
delayed project. So...let it rain...the sun will be sweeter...when it finally
comes again........................Quester.

E-Mail Time

2009-10-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

Unusually...there was only one e-mail this morning. It was from someone who has
been sending me an e-mail every day...telling me about his latest blog entry...
for over three years now. With a sigh...I instantly deleted it...and sent him a
good luck wish. I guess the thing about e-mail...although you should know
better...after years of checking for it...is that it keeps holding out a promise
of a message...that will lift you in some way. When instead...you get a piece of
spam...a notice about someone's video of a cover song...or someone giving you
another daily notice about their blog entry...it's no wonder you experience a
feeling of disappointment. Every time I see the red dot go on above my e-mail
logo...I tell myself..."don't start jumping for joy...it'll be whatever it will
be...not necessarly what you wish for". Despite this emotional preparation...
there is still some disappointment when it turns out to be the..."same old...
same old". I'll keep on working on my preparation for receiving e-mail. Maybe
in time to come...the daily blog notice...and its irritating companions...will
instead...nudge me towards feeling..."well...all this means...that the world is
still going round the way it always has...so...just be glad it is.....Quester.

Tribute To A Violin Maestro

2009-10-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Listening to some of my song videos on YouTube this morning...I couldn't help but
marvel...at the gifts of brilliant technology we have been given in recent times
...that are now available to bring us closer together...and share so many different kinds of human expression...sometimes even the gifts of those who have long departed
this Earth. In this video...Ojibway Star..I hear once again the mesmerizing wail of
Al Czerny's...[hope I'm spelling his name correctly]...time bridging violin...
sending out it's haunting notes...over the gulf of thirty years passing. I remember
giving to him...a hummed melody...of the part I wished to be played...in between
the parts of this song I would sing...shortly before we recorded it...never dreaming
he would transmute it into such a heart felt wail. I hope the word of mouth news I heard some years ago that Al had passed on...was only a rumour...and he is still
with us...but wherever he may be...his music lives on...not only in this song...but
in many other places............Quester.

My First Ukulele Improvisation

2009-10-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post..."Two For Ones"...I had just acquired a
ukulele...for the first time ever,..and it had joined the instruments...near
where I sit to watch television...so I could reach out for one of them to play
...as a second thing to do...during my tv time. My little brown ukulele...
perhaps because it is tiny...not to mention the "plucked sound" I've been getting
from it...has since that entry become the one instrument I reach for. I've been
enjoying playing it...sometimes even absent mindedly. You do a lot of that...
and your fingers begin to know where to go to get certain sounds. Night before
the last...I got a strong nudge...to do an improvisation on it...and record it.
I somehow managed to sustain this improvisation...for 4 minutes and 28 seconds.
I was pleasantly surprised when I played it back by the pleasing sound I was
getting from a recording of this instrument. It is such a small instrument...
that before you record it...you might not even fully appreciate the sound you
can get from it. Inspired by this...I set out to make a video...twinning it with
a clip of a little waterfall I had taken during the summer. The upshot...was
yesterday...I uploaded it to YouTube. It gave me a chuckle...to think that I had
done an improvisation...on an instrument I hadn't dreamt of playing...up to a
month ago...turned it to a video...which was now available to the world!. It
might be a bit of unbridled grandiosity I'm into here...but something tells me
this little instrument...is a magic maker...somehow drawing out from me,,,music
I might not have even known I had in me.

Journey Towards Perfect Illumination

2009-10-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

In my self taught...trial and error journey...into making videos...I've found
the most elusive thing to get right...is the lighting. Given most of my videos
are of songs of mine...perhaps impeccable lighting...may not be as important
in these videos...as having a good sound track working for you. So far...I feel
pretty good about the sound tracks I've been able to deliver...i.e. "given all
the givens"...as I often say...I feel that part of my song videos have been as
well taken care of...as I can muster. Don't get me wrong...I've been ongoingly
working...on the lighting for my videos...trying out all kinds of lights and
light positions...short of acquiring a Hollywood studio. Anyway...one of the
little victories in my life...was I was able to make a small breakthrough
yesterday...for certain videos...with the addition of a strategically placed
light. My search continues for one day finding...the missing pieces of the
lighting puzzle...but I'm happy to report...yesterday's advance...did give me a
lift on my journey towards..."perfect illumination"..................Quester.

My Thanksgiving...Not About Turkeys

2009-10-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

My Thanksgiving Song on YouTube...is surging for the third year in a row...at
this time of the year...in the number of people who are viewing it. As I wrote
in my online description...this song was written in the spirit of All The Time Thankfulness...rather than thankfulness being brought to the fore...on only one
day of the year. My idea of thanksgiving...has nothing to do with turkeys. Of
course...growing up in Guyana...I can't remember...then...there ever being a Thanksgiving Day...or ever having eaten turkey...confining myself to just
talking it...from time to time. So...given that beginning...gathering around a
a generous bird...when I was being shaped...was never in my picture...small wonder then...the turkey thing...has never been mandatory in my life. So...my song on
YouTube...accordingly...never has a whiff of turkeydom about it...but is about many
simple gifts we have been given in our lives...that we tend to take for granted
...like...rain...rainbow...wind...fire...water...Earth...Sun...Moon...my legs...
hands...eyes...singing mouth...and searching mind...only some of the many things
to be thankful for...anytime. I give thanks for them...and more.......Quester.

Making The Circle Grow

2009-10-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

This song was written many years ago. The "circle" it refers to...is that of
people of good will...those who are not trapped in a "them and us" mentality...
and the suspicion and paranoia that tends to come...when you are bunkered down
in that prison. "The old way of taking an eye for an eye...has left us near
blinded...but still we can fly...If only we see we must change for all time...
the way that we look upon all humankind"...one of the verses says. I am thankful
that there is a new leader on the world scene...who seeks a new way of relating
to other countries...first by engaging in peaceful discussions...and not by
uttering threats based on millitary might. I think this heralds a profound shift
in "the way that we look upon all humankind". I am thankful that the Nobel Peace Prize
comittee were liberated enough to see this...and to give this year's award...to
the world leader...who has started this shift in global outlook. Regardless of
the many nay sayers...who so far have not seen what an achievement this already
is...I see it...and am thankful for it....................Quester.

Survival Of The Best Adjusters

2009-10-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

My preoccupation yesterday...was getting used to the new format for my main
YouTube channel...which is different now in several ways...from the previous
version. My first feeling as I saw it for the first time...was...where has
everything I was used to gone?. It was a bit like having the carpet pulled from
under you. Very quickly...however...I decided...that rather than spend the day...
the week...the month...sulking...the I should get into some serious "working
with what you've got" action. I made several adjustments on my main channel page
by the time the day was over. I'm sure that more are likely to occur to me...in
the days to come. I remember once writing...that change was the only constant
there is...although I suspect others have said that too. Yesterday...I was given
ample opportunity...to keep that notion in mind. Maybe what we're looking at here
...is about...survival of the best adjusters.................Quester.

A Benefit From A Blockage

2009-10-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Using a computer and the internet...gives you a combination of empowerment and
magic...on one hand...and frustration...on the other. Right now I'm experiencing
the latter...as I try to access the accounts page of my main YouTube channel...
the way I usually do...and find...I cannot. If you let it...something like that
...can push you into a Kafkaesque zone...where you feel you cannot count on
much of anything...and you may be locked out of where you want to enter...for all
time. At times like this...I have to remind myself...that I've been in situations
like this before to do with my computer and the internet...and somehow...the
solution to the blockage...or problem...has come...and this time...it will too.
I suppose...it requires...backing off a bit...from that "locked out" feeling
you get in situations like this...and the darkness that can come with that. It's
another life occasion for reminding yourself that..."this too will pass". At
any rate...the solutions to such difficulties...seem to come more readily...when
you deintensify. So...we'll see how this one unfolds. Already I see a benefit
from being locked out from my channel...I was wondering what I would post today
to my blog...and now...I no longer need wonder..............Quester.

Dawn On My Mountains Revisited

2009-10-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

This video was an unexpected gift. It came out of one of those times...
when Creation smiles on you...and you're lucky to have a camera...to help you to
share it with others. I've become a mountain and sky watcher from my front
windows. There are days when low cloud cover hides my mountains...but on the many
days when they are visible...they provide me with a postcard picture...which a
video could be made out of. But there are special days...when mountains and sky...
become even more magical. The morning this video was made was one such...and
barely awake...I reached for my camcorder and started recording. I was fortunate
to get a few clips while the sky was painted with dawn pink. I remember at one
point...doing some adjustments on my camera...having found a fine angle from which
to catch the pink...and just as I was about to record some more...noticed that the
beautiful colour in the sky was gone!. This was one more reminder of fleeting
beauty...and about being quick off the mark when you're taking pictures of any
kind. I am glad that morning...I was able to catch some...before a special
unfolding in the skies...was gone...................Quester.

Two For Ones

2009-10-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

About a week ago...at a thrift store...I bought a ukelele. It was at a very
low price...for a good looking little instrument. I have a motley collection of
musical instruments I've collected over the years. For me...they are not
usually acquired...to be hung on my walls...but...with a little luck...to be
played...if I can ever figure out how to do so. Since I've been making videos
of my music...there is also a chance...that at some point...I might be able to
bring a member of the collection...into a video. So far...rattle...hand drum...
djembe...a little key board...which has recently gone a.w.o.l...and at least
two of my guitars have been video validated. There are a few others that lie in
waiting for a promotion up ahead. Who knows...the "new kid on the block"...might
at some point...be one of them. But there is another contribution...a few of
these instruments might make to my life. I call it...getting..."two for ones".
Let me explain. Perhaps it may be vestiges of Victorian influences...still at
work in my life...but I've felt for some time...some times at least...I shouldn't
just sit transfixed by images and sounds from my television set...but find
something else to do...while I'm doing that. So far...knitting eludes me...as
the second thing I do during my television time...but I'm happy to report...that
within easy reach of where I sit in front of the television...there are two
guitars...one amplified...a ceramic djembe [drum]...with the possibility of
bringing tambourine and rattle into the folds of my tv watching companions...
and over the last week...my little "brown buddy"...my thrift store ukelele!.
I look forward to experiencing future "two for ones"...with them all........
..................Quester.

A Winter Ninja No More

2009-09-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

This morning...I spot the first snow on some of my mountains...underlining that
the magnificent summer we've experienced this year...is finally over...and that
the new season...is on its way. When i lived in Ontario...there were no mountains
providing me with can't miss signals from on high. They simply were not necessary.
The first cold wind...some time before the end of Augyst...if I remember correctly
...was enough to alert my system that it was...time for me to become
a soldier once again...to face the harrowing cold...and gloom shortened days coming up
...not to mention...battles with the snow. I am happy to report...that the snow
this morning on my West Coast mountains...does not put me on red alert. I know now
from past experience living here...that the winter will be mild...barring unforseen
climate changes...the grass will continue to be green throughout autumn and winter
...and brightly coloured berries...and even a few flowers here and there...will be
on hand...through the shortened days...to help me to keep on...without having to
become a winter ninja. I know too...that what is about to unfold...is the necessary
prelude...to my favourite season...spring...out here...unless the pattern changes
...that starts it's slow but much anticipated unfolding...usually...some time in
January. So...let the shorter days and longer nights unfold productively...and may
we all last...until spring returns.....................Quester.

Windmill On My Mountain

2009-09-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

For me...seeing an almost 180 degree sweep of mountains...from my front windows
...has become a centering and inspirational part of my life. I have appreciated
that the powers that be...have not allowed high rise buildings to go up in the foreground...blocking my mountain view. Two days ago...sitting on my couch...
mountain gazing as I often do...I saw it for the first time...to the right of the
ski runs...on the mountain at the centre of my post card view...a thin white pencil...pointing up to the sky!. I was looking at the first stage of a wind mill
being erected on one of my mountains...something embarked upon...with no one
consulting me...about whether I'd mind my view being messed with. On the one hand
...it was a reminder of the "pawn in the game" aspect...that asserts itself sometimes...in our living environment. After processing a slight wobbling of my homeostasis...I reflected further...on the coming change in my skyline. Where I
have arrived at...so far...is...that my world does urgently need to start...
seeking new ways of powering itself...in ways that do not hasten the demise of our Earth...reaching to the sun...the tides...and...yes...the wind...and other natural
power sources...to take us back to sanity. At one point in my reflections...an
ironic smile flitted across my face...as I saw...that Don Quixote and myself...
have some tendencies in common...but instead of tilting at..."the windmill on my
mountain"...I should leave it to turn in the wind...turning us onwards to a saner
way of living on our Earth........................Quester.

My Journal...An Always Available Friend

2009-09-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Three days ago...as I started writing in a brand new long hand journal...I
paused...to reflect on the act of journalling I was engaged in. I was reminded
...that I first started doing this...fifteen years ago!. No wonder it has become
a well ingrained...more or less...daily habit. When I first started...I had to
be really tough with myself...to put down something in my journal pages...on a
regular basis. Then...it was not yet a habit...but a new adventure in writing...
about events in my daily life. I had previously done some of that...
intermittently...in note books...but not with the notion of making it a daily
part of my life. I have missed a few days...making entries in my "daily" journal
...when other events in my life...have taken away the focus and time...needed to
do it...but I still think I can call it "daily"...because it is now an integral
part of my life...where I tend to catch up...if I've missed a day...here and
there. Daily journalling has benefited my life in many ways...which I won't get
into describing in today's post. So much so...that I was moved a few years back
...to make a tape...to share with others...the benefits...and other aspects of
daily journalling. Among many other things...my journal...is...an always
available friend...I can discuss anything with...who lets me have my say...
without interuption..................Quester.

Re: Right To Dancing Life

2009-09-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

For several days now when I attempted to post a photo on this blog...my clicking
of "upload image"...has produced nothing. This morning...I was nudged to do...
a "work around"...feeling...my single pictures refuse to be uploaded...so I'll
upload a whole raft of them then...disguised as a video...and so...uploaded
"Right To Dancing Life". Perhaps...it's a good video choice...given the message
the song involved carries...bears repeating...i.e. to move forward affirmatively
with our lives...regardless of our past mistakes. If we let them...our past
errors...can leave us...living out our lives...carrying long chains...that stop
us from seeing...the good we can still do in our lives that is still available
to us...and therefore...not exercising the potential for that we carry in
ourselves. "Right"...is a word that's often used...when we are actually talking
about...a privilege. The poetic license...often employed in song making...is
employed in this song. The..."Privilege To Dancing Life"...would have sounded a
tad clumsy. The "right" spoken of here...can only be appoached with great
thankfulness...rather than be harshly claimed...as hope springs eternal........
........................Quester.

Right To Dancing Life

2009-09-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Nostalgia Effect

2009-09-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

Last night...I located a cd...of the first album of songs I ever made...in Britain.
A relative I hadn't seen for decades...had asked me to send him...this cd...at one
point even quoting song words from it. As I listened to it...I was reminded of the kinds of songs I wrote...in my early song making days...and the territory I've travelled...since then. When people ask for songs of mine...they heard me do a long time ago...I want to say to them...although I still stand by my early songs..."but I've written so many other songs since then". These days ...I don't say that anymore...as once I might have done. That's because...I now understand what is at work...with this insistence on the "old material". I think...we human beings...tend to associate a song or songs...with long gone eras in our lives ...and many years later...that is what likely rules...i.e. that given a choice between ...a long ago song...and a "new and improved" song...people will often choose the one that registered on them...a long time ago. You could call it..."the nostalgia effect" ...at work here. For one thing...an old song will remind a person...of a time when he or she...was much younger than now...and people tend to look longingly...at those "gone forever" times. Anyway...today...I'm going to post a package to my relative...with that first record of mine he requested...and just in case...he might be open to it...a more recent cd of mine. It'll be interesting to hear...what he has to say...about the second album...that for him...doesn't have the "nostalgia effect"...working for it........................Quester.

And The Seed Shall Grow

2009-09-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

[Words from my song "And The Seed Shall Grow"...
SOCAN-Copyright-David Campbell].
"Why do we wait...
for something else...?
This moment...now...
is life itself...
To see...to do...
to give...to sing...
To love and let...
love enter in...
And I hear a whisper...
as I watch...
the red leaves fall...
Here and Now...is all...
don't let it...
pass you by"....
........Quester.

An Organic Artist's Groove

2009-09-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

Tried this morning...and again just now...to upload a photograph to this blog...but
when I clicked..."upload image"...nothing happened. Perhaps...it's a reminder...not
to be dependent on any one thing...and that blogs are for writing in. Speaking of
which...for the last while...once again paying attention to "nudges from the deep"
I get...I've gotten into a 3 or 4 posts per week groove. Listening to these nudges...is an important part of my..."organic artist's"...path. This rate...fits my current situation...with keeping track of what's happening on my two YouTube channels...and trying to keep up with answering people's messages...rather than lagging too far behind...which I know...can easily happen to me. [Not to mention my ongoing production
of videos]. There have been times in the past...when I've kept up a post a day pace...until I got the signal to cease and desist. Right now is one such time. In addition to responding to a nudge...my hope is...that at my current rate...I'll have a bit more time...to "gather my thoughts"...for my entries. Well...that's enough gathering for today...without a photo to help me along. Hope to be back soon.
........................Quester.

Not Too Far Up Ahead

2009-09-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

The slender topmost branches of the tree by my window are bare. Below them brown leaves hang on...fighting a losing battle with autumn. The morning skies are stacked with row upon row of grey discouraging clouds. It's a good time to bring out today's picture...taken only a few months ago...with those beckoning mountains across the
hopeful bay...ships on the water...bound for who knows where...and teasing the
imagination...the achingly fresh green of recently unfurled leaves...people...lounging
on the grass...celebrating their survival through a long winter...and in the forefront
...bedazzling the eye...row upon row of elegant...red...red...tulips...accenting with
a flourish...a beautiful West Coast scene. Reminds me once again...of where I'm
privileged to live...and that I just have to be patient...knowing...this scene...
will unfold once again...not too far up ahead...................Quester.

The Sea Wall Path

2009-09-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

So many times I've walked the sea wall path...looking out on English Bay...shown in
today's picture. Many times this has helped to centre me...or it has triggered creative
ideas. Once in a while I've met people I know as I walked there...or recognised people
I've seen down there before. Even when I go for stretches when I don't get down there
...it is comforting for me to know that this special place awaits me on any day I am
able to go to it and experience it's beauty. Usually there are different kinds of birds
livening up the air with their flight...as in today's picture...and in the winter time
many different species of water fowl...congregate on the water...next to the path. I
feel very lucky to live in an international city...where nature is never far away...
and I can experience a place like this...and many...many more...........Quester.

Age May Lead To Wisdom...Maybe

2009-09-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes..."old"...and..."wise"...are twinned...as if they inevitably belong together. Getting old...however...doesn't automatically mean...getting wise. What it does...is provide an individual with more life experiences...and more time to reflect on life. However...getting old...can easily cause someone...to become entrenched in his or her prejudices...and after hard life experiences...succumb to bitterness. I have often said...that bitterness is a state...to be resisted. My sense is that when you become bitter...even though you may have had strong cause to go in that direction...the "other side"...that you are bitter about...would have ended up winning the day. I think that getting older...can lead to getting wiser...if along the way...an individual learns about...and practises...forgiveness...compassion...gracefulness...being loving...laughing...
and peaceful. [I'm sure I've forgotten some other important qualities...but this list will suffice]...and at all times...is open to learning about life...rather than being closed off...from having had bad experiences. There's more I probably could say...but I'm reminded of words from one of my own songs..."fools may speak of wisdom...while
wise men have no say...let your mind keep open...and light may come your way".
A good place to sign off.....................Quester.

A Large Red Dot

2009-09-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

I've...over time...trained myself...not to live life...easily irritated by this or that...having seen how some people seem to live out their lives...expressing anger...at the slightest thing...perhaps having arrived at a condition in themselves...that is now part and parcel of what they have become. I don't want that to happen to me...if I can help it. There is at least one thing...though...I don't think I'm ever likely to become mellow about. It's none other than having spam thrust upon me...through any of its many highways to me...i.e...the internet...my telephone...on the street...my post box ...etc...etc. A few years ago I asked the postal employee...who was putting mail into my mail box...along with a hefty clump of fliers...if there was a way junk mail could be stopped. He told me...no...postal workers are required by law...to deliver junk. I sighed and walked away. A couple mornings ago...I asked another post man...what could be done about this problem. I don't know if the law has changed recently...but he said...you can either put a sticky label on your post box...saying no junk...or simply...a red dot. The elegance of the second choice...immediately caught my attention...I'm like that...even in the midst of junk...I keep an eye out for elegance. This afternoon I located some large stick on red dots...and engaged in a David-like act...as he strikes back at Goliath...I stuck one on my post box. I felt as I did that...there is some hope left in this world...for the "little citizen" to make a choice not to be ongoingly pestered...by something unwanted. I enjoyed sticking on that red dot...like a little kid...casting a magic spell. I really hope this one works.........................Quester.

A "Calling"...Not A "Career"

2009-09-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

A friend...who is a fellow countryman...who has helped spread the word about my work
for quite a while now...which I appreciate...keeps bemoaning the notion...that I'm
unknown...in my country of origin. What he doesn't realize...is that...that is of
utterly no consequence to me...if it happens to be true. My long journey creating songs...poems...pictures...prose...walking sticks...videos etc...and sometimes performing some of the creations that could be performed...for me...has never been a "career"...it's always been a "calling". I've spent just about 100 per cent of my artist's energy...creating...and trying to make it better...and just about 0 per cent...on schmoozing...and other insincere...and often undignified "career" practices. Part of following a "calling"...is a faith in the universe and its abundance. I've experienced abundance with my creative work...that's why...so far...I can keep uploading songs...poems,,,etc...online...and I am thankful for it. I don't feel a need to "hoard" my work...I am not anxious about my material running out...or feeling I have to bow to market place edicts...to create scarcity...the better to sell my work. The last two years or so...I've been giving some of my created material...to my world...it's my way of giving back...for all I've been blessed with. I always wanted to do that...but there were undignified hoops to jump through...and I couldn't bring myself to engage in that. Uploading some of my material...online...letting it speak for itself...bypassing...critics...managers...record companies...
agents etc...I've found to be...so far...a dignified way of sharing my created work
with my world...and I feel at home doing it. Hopefully...what I have just written
...will offer an insight to those who worry about my "unbusiness-like" approach to
my work as an artist. I am thankful for their concern...but...with a "calling"...
despite my imperfect way of heeding it...that stuff....usually tends to stay off the radar screen of my life...............Quester.

Part Of A Life Led

2009-09-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

Last night...looking for a listing on Google...I came upon an unexpected one. It
mentioned my name...nothing exceptional about that...[there are many online with my
name]...and a song I'd written and sung in Britain...when I lived and toured there...
many years ago. On this site...there were twenty nine messages...to and from different
people...asking for information about my song. It's interesting how people discuss
you...when you have not been visible to them for a long time. It reminded me a bit...
of stories people write or tell about others who have passed on. That is one reason
I have many videos on YouTube...not to mention...this blog...i.e. to tell at least part of my own story. The story on the page in question...that got the biggest chuckle out of me...was that I'd written the song people were asking about..."Slightly Faded"...based on what happened with me and a "prostitute I was engaged to". Nothing......of course...could be further from the truth...but...I could see how some people puzzling about the
catalyst for the song...having not been told what it actually was...might invent their
own back story for it. In a way I suppose...it's similar to the way human beings
pass around stories to each other...with each telling getting further and further
away from the truth of the matter. I did send a message to the site to set the record
straight...but...it didn't seem to have registered on the site...like the other
messages on the page. [Me and that "cyber shadow" thing again!]. Anyway...my going through the messages...was also...a trip down memory lane...in a distant chapter in my life...and sometimes...it's good to have those...if you can then relinquish them as being...just part of a life led............................Quester.

Wish List To Marakakore

2009-09-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

I've used my after lunch time today...searching to find a way...to link this blog...
to my marakakore YouTube channel. For some people...this is simple stuff. For me...so
far...not so. It's like going on a safari into a deep jungle. Who knows why it's like that?. Perhaps...it goes back to growing up...on the banks of a river...in the
country side of Guyana...where the technology was simple...relative to how it is these
days. I'd like to think I've gotten over any hangovers from that...but...who knows?.
Although it offers itself sometimes...I've dismissed the conspiracy theory...that
digital technology...has it in for me...although...sometimes...there seems to be strong evidence...that's not the case. Just as I did in high school...when frontal approaches to problems didn't work for me...looking for ways of "working around" to a solution...today...I finally found one...for linking this blog to my marakakore channel. It does involve two clicks...though I know the holy grail in cyberspace...is one click...but I hope my viewers don't mind the added exertion. The path to my marakakore channel...is shown at the top right of my page...right under my photo...with the second click happening...on "Wish List". Works for me...after all it's been my wish for a long time...to get this done!....................Quester.

A Good Day Already

2009-08-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

For over two weeks...I was blocked from uploading song videos to my marakakore channel
on YouTube...because with the creation of a new second channel...my access to uploads
there...had disappeared. Around midnight last night...with the help of a friend's e-mail message...I did some more clickings...which resulted in my old channel...being
operative again. It gave me a great feeling of relief. The blockage...had felt a bit
like being locked out of your home...and being turned back every time you tried to enter it. I immediately celebrated by uploading my song..."The Eagle Flies". I feel much better now...with this channel...and my new channel...poetrydavidcampbell5...both
open at the same time...the way they were originally meant to be. It's turning out to
be a good day already....................Quester.

Do It...And Learn About It

2009-08-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

From taking many pictures over the last few years with my digital camera...some ideas
about what to look for in a potential picture...have come to me. One of the things I
look for...is what lies behind the main image in the picture. In today's picture I
was looking for the contrast between the flowers...and the wooden fence behind it.
Do it...and learn more about it...looks to be my motto.................Quester.

A Little Apple Tree

2009-08-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

The luscious apple in today's picture...was still on a little tree...I first saw in
the spring...when I went by there today. It is planted right up next to a stone wall
...almost like a vine...by the sidewalk...in front of a home. It speaks to me
of the knowledge of the person who planted it there...nurturing it on its way. It is
also a testament to the trust the planter has in his or her neighbourhood...which has left that little tree...now with 6 or so ripening apples...to bear its apples in peace...without a vandals hand reaching out to pick one...or harm the tree. Looks like it speaks well of the people who live there...or pass by.................Quester.

Not An Easy Road

2009-08-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

Beautiful day outside my window. Inside of it...I've edited two videos...checked my
e-mail...found a comment about one of my videos on YouTube...that made me smile.
Earlier...answered a message from another YouTube user...who wanted my e-mail address
so she could send me pictures of her paintings...perhaps thinking I was a possible
buyer. Had to reply...thanking her for her message...saying that over the years
I've accumulated a lot of paintings I've done myself...but it's always good to see
the fine work of other artists. What I didn't mention...was that my mail box usually
crashes...when anyone sends me a bunch of pictures. Hate to disappoint anyone...but
as the young ones would say..."these days...I'm so not a buyer of paintings". I often
...as someone who creates things...find myself being approached by people who mistake me for a consumer of what they have to offer. Anyway...I wish all my fellow artists
well...I know it's not an easy road we're on................Quester.

The Time Of The Fruiting

2009-08-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

As tattered as many of the trees and bushes are at this time of year...for me...there is
one thing that makes up for it...the fruit hanging from the tree or the vine. As i do
my neighbourhood walks...I'm impressed by the number of bearing fruit trees I see...
not to mention...grape and kiwi vines. It's a testament...I think...to the influence
of immigrants to Canada...bringing a bit of "the old country"...to their gardens.
Here's to the "Time Of The Fruiting"!...............Quester.

Working Without Pushing It

2009-08-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

Continue to have productive days making videos...going with the momentum I've had for a while. At the same time I know I'm likely to need a break at any rime. When the nudge
comes to do so..I'll heed it right away. In the past I've found that when you push
doing things beyond their natural limits...you might get turned off for a long time
from it...so it's good to do what you do...at a natural rate...and not getting intense
about it. Hope to heed my own advice............Quester.

Totem Pole Of Kitsilano-Video

2009-08-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

When I first came to live in Vancouver...I found myself in a neighbourhood that
was very pleasing to me...just a short walk from the beach. Soon i discovered there
the tallest totem pole I had ever seen. One of the first things I noticed...
was that the faces on it...were turned towards the land. Intuitively I felt that
the natural placement of a totem pole...was with its facs pointed out to the
ocean. Since...I've seen many turned that way. Regardless...this pole...carved by
master carver Mungo Martin... was an inspiration to me...and it didn't take
long...before I wrote this song about it............Quester.

Two Channel Growing Pains

2009-08-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm still caught up in the whirlwind of making videos...this has been one of the most
productive periods in my creative artist's life...and building up my new poetry
channel on YouTube. A strange thing has happened. For several days now...since I
started the new channel...which is for poetry and written word...my marakakore channel
...which is primarily for my songs...has had it's account place...which is like
"channel command" in a way...absent. Furthermore...when I've tried to upload a song
to my marakakore channel...it ends up on my poetry channel. I keep telling myself...
that somewhere up ahead it will sort itself out...but for now...it is delaying my
song uploads to the marakakore channel. I've been making up for that...however...by
uploading a video a day on my poetry channel...as I look at getting it populated
with videos. I look forward to the time...when both channels are functioning well...
and both my songs...and poems...can each have their autonomy...in their different
homes.................Quester.

My New Poetry Channel

2009-08-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

It's been an extremely productive but difficult time recently. I've opened a second
channel on YouTube. It's called: poetrydavidcampbell5. It has been tricky to get
going and I've only just begun to tell people about it. I've been having to deal
with one technical block after the other as I build the contents of the channel.
I click things and at times they don't work out the way they are supposed to. I keep
stepping back to take the eagle view of it all. With a new channel...there are bound
to be things to overcome or be patient with...so that's what I'll have to keep coming
back to. What made this new channel necessary...is that I've been finding new ways of
making poetry or other kinds of word videos...with a tremendous upsurge in these
kinds of videos...and they needed a home of their own. I've been blessed to have
created...in more than one idiom...and song has been the dominant sibling. Songs are
the central element of my first YouTube channel...marakakore...with poems...the little
brother...trying to get a seat at the dinner table...a good reason for this new
channel. When I first looked at YouTube...the only "poetry" there...seemed to be...
people reading poems...not their own...by people like Shakespeare. Maybe that has
changed with readers of poems...doing their original work. If they have...I'd like
to join them with some of my own creations...doing "cover poems"...is anathema to me.
So...wish me well...as I sort out my "Technical difficulties". In time...these things
do have a way of sorting themselves out.................Quester.

Two On The River

2009-08-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today's picture...is a digital one I made some time ago. It came out of thinking about
...my father and I...paddling at night...on the wide river we lived on. That river...
is still very much with me...and from time to time...it comes back in a song...a poem
...or a picture. That river...in the tropics...carried a powerful energy about it...
especially at night. Of course...experiencing it as a child...heightened the
impression it made on me...that's still there...............Quester.

September Rain

2009-08-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

August rain day before yesterday...rare this summer...reminded me that September...a
time of beginnings and endings for me...is not far away.................Quester.

Walking Away & Works In Progress

2009-08-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

The poem I turned to a video today...is about how you have to work on a difficulty...
in a relationship...rather than the moment you encounter it...to walk away. Walking
away can become almost a reflex action...and bar the way to enjoying a fruitful
relationship with another. The end of the poem raises the question...of how when
you are working on making a change in your life...you'd prefer if no one tested you
about it...until the change is solidified...lest you end up reverting to the old way
...you're trying to change.................Quester.

And The Separation Goes On

2009-08-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

This is a song...written from a very deep place...where I could see very clearly...
how we human beings...insist on staying estranged from each other...when we are...
in essence...actually one..............Quester.

Roses Are Red

2009-08-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

As a maker of songs...you find different ways of triggering yourself to write a song.

Guest Reading Poetry

2009-08-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

Just returned from being one of the two main guests...at a poetry reading...in
Vancouver...tonight. It went well. Did take video of it...but haven't checked yet to
see how it turned out. We shall see. Read some old...some not so old...and one new
poem. Had to read without the help of a microphone...as it had quit for the night.
In that situation you have to focus on projecting your voice outwards. When you do
that you tend to lose...whatever."mellifluousness"...you might otherwise have.
I survived it all in reasonably good shape...and read...about as well...as I could
expect of myself. That's about all you can do. So...here's to the next one........
...............Quester.

Lazy Afternoon

2009-08-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

It's a long time since I've looked at this video of mine on YouTube. When that happens
...you tend to have a better appreciation of the song involved...than when you're
over exposed to it. Just let's say this morning...I'm glad I wrote it. Maybe its good
to upload it here...while we hopefully have a few more lazy afternoons left...this year........................Quester.

Pray For Rain...Be Productive

2009-08-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
There's been a heat wave here that's gone on and on. This morning...is grey and
clouded over...and the brown leaves on the tree outside my window...are making those
nervous fluttery movements...I've seen previously...just before rain. I am originally
from the tropics...but I'll be glad when this heat is over. Never thought I'd see the
day when I would welcome rain...but today is such a day. I've amazed myself...through
the last many hot days...and the lassitude they can bring down on you...how...without
getting intense...I've kept my momentum...and a quiet focus...and continued to
complete one video after the other. This last month or so...has been one of my most
productive stretches. Without becoming intense...I hope it continues......Quester.

Working With What You've Got

2009-08-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

Had to write this poem a while back...to help me crystallize for myself...how to
handle the difficulties or aggravations felt...from the words and actions of some of
my fellow human beings. In laying out several views of this situation...in this poem
...I was helped to understand...that there are no perfect human beings...including myself...and I would simply have to..."work with what I've got"........Quester.

River Of Time

2009-08-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

For me...this song illustrates well...why you keep making your songs...turning some
to videos...uploading some...and not letting yourself be held back...by anyone of them...getting lost in the numbers lottery. For me...this is one of my strongest songs.
Perhaps it's the "Latin American triste"...underlying the story it's telling. It's
interesting...that I grew up in Guyana...with calypso music at the time...dominating
the music scene...but it was often the slow Latin American songs...that
insinuated themselves into my memory...deeper than any calypso could. Among the songs
I write...it is also in those songs...of life...and love...and mortality...where I
feel..."man...you're doing your job". So...here's to "River Of Time"...one of my
favourites among the songs I've written...............Quester.

The Wind Upon Your Window

2009-07-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

Oppressive governments around the world...keep making their own citizens who disagree
with them...even peacefully...disappear. On the television news last night...it was
being reported...that recently...an estimated 200 citizens of Iran...had disappeared.
May the day come...when this practice...that leaves so many dark questions...hanging
in the air...cease for all time.....................Quester.

Solola

2009-07-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

This song was written...on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala...a beautiful
country...with the powerful cultures of different Maya People. Once you've spent a
bit of time there...it's an experience that's hard to forget. This song celebrates
the people and the land there................Quester.

Dawn On My Mountains

2009-07-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

This is a spontaneous video made because..."the state of the skies at the time made me do it". I feel fortunate to have had a camcorder to record what was happening in the
skies that morning. This video...as it speaks of the beauty and power in Creation...
has become one of my favourites...among the videos I've made.........Quester.

Caribbean Days Festival

2009-07-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today...I went to the Caribbean Days Festival...in North Vancouver.
I took a lot of video clips...at yesterday's parade...down Lonsdale Avenue...of
dancers...and other representatives...of various cultural groups. Parading...were
very expressive dancers...doing the samba...or hula...or other dances...a steel band
playing...from a large truck...and many other interesting sights aad sounds.
I enjoyed that day of the festival...more than today's. Perhaps the heat coming down
from unclouded skies today...contributed to the way I felt...as I returned home
...after a short stay there. However...my video of yesterday's parade..."Caribbean
Festival Parade-N. Vancouver-09"...is now on YouTube. I like the way it turned out...
.........................Quester.

Re: Rain

2009-07-25T19:50:00.001-07:00

I am disappointed tonight. After brilliant sunshine for days...and the weather people predicting a sunny evening...I was on my way out to the Illuminares Festival...a most
human and creative festival...that had missed last year...due to lack of funds...but was due to be back tonight. I was looking forward to attending...and taking some video too. When I left my home...I felt a few prickles...another half a block and there was no denying it...it was raining. That wasn't all though...I saw the flash in the sky...
followed by the roar. Thunder...of course...which is still going on...even as I type this. I sent my good wishes to the organizers of this great festival...as I turned homewards...hoping that they might salvage something from this evening. All this...gave me the idea...to put my song..."Rain"...on my Blog tonight. The song..."Thunder"...coming up soon. [Actually...I do have a song called "Thunder and Lightning"...but that one is about Love"...not..."Weather"].......................Quester.

Rain

2009-07-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Re: The Trout

2009-07-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

You can call me Don Quixote if you like...but I don't embrace the notion...that...
"things have always been that way so let's let sleeping dogs lie". It is true that
some of us human beings...tend to behave in the same way...we did hundreds or
thousands of years ago...but I'm more of the persuasion that says..."whatever way things have been in the past...one of the challenges for us human beings...is to keep
reaching...to make things better". In my own imperfect life...issues have come up...
that on taking inventory...I could see...I wasn't handling in the best possible way...
and I've found myself...with such situations...doing some deep and long reflection...to
see how I could improve my response...to each particular life challenge. Years ago...
it came to me...that I had to work on myself...so that I didn't jump to the bait I was
offered from time to time...when something was said or done...and start
quarelling. It's not a stretch to see how knee jerk reactions to what comes up in life
...can be a large factor...in how we get into full blown wars. As I often do to help
me clarify for myself some aspect of life...I wanted to write a song...about not
jumping to baits offered. I asked an avid fisherman...which fish...jumps most quickly
at baits offered. Without hesitation...he said..."the trout". With the verification of
that...the song bloomed...giving me a beacon to look to...when I needed reminders...
not to jump at baits offered. Since that time...I would say...my life has been...
relatively argument free. Hallelujah!....................Quester.

The Trout

2009-07-24T06:49:00.001-07:00