The Maker's Hand 

Is in the Ordering Power of Gravity

 

Feeling rather sensitive today.

As I stood facing east ... letting out a big burst of air ...

I could feel the earth rotating under my feet!

Wronski Moonshiner

Say howdy to my Uncle "Corny" Wronski. 

There's some debate as to about how he got that name, Corny. Some say it be on account of his being a moonshiner; turnin' out some of the sweetest — and strongest — corn liquor delivered by him in his hot rod truck under the light of a moon shining across the border in the Louisiana sky. Moonshine.

Also, so he claimed, that he invented the Corn Dog. We have no reason to dispute his veracity. Think what you will.

And, others remember him fondly as the king of the corny joke. You know the kind of groaner that be funny in your head, but somehow doesn't get you in the gut. For example: "I like Bananas 'cause they have appeal." Or, "What do you get when you cross a submarine with a tangerine? ... A Navel Orange."

One of his better: 

An old gent comes into a bake shop to buy a loaf of raisin bread. The pretty young thing waiting on him has to climb a small ladder to reach for that item on a high shelf. When she is poised high above — her skirt is rather short, and the fellow is enjoying the view — she turns to confirm, “Is it raisin?” “No, but it tingles a little.”

Interesting interplay, don't you think. On one hand his hooch certainly did get you in the gut. His humor, not so much. Get it. It's called irony. Used to be a thing not all that long ago. And, that Corn Dog, if it does gets in your gut, you wish it didn't.

And ... since this is, after all, Wronski's Wramblings ... 

This is the week President-Elect announced his choice of Governor Rick Perry to head the Department of Energy. Perhaps you will remember how in the 2008 Republican Presidential nominee debates it was Rick Perry who vowed as President to eliminate three federal agencies: Commerce, Interior, and ... what is the third one? I forget. Oops! Well, it was Energy. Speaking of ironic, that has to be way beyond ironic. Don't you think? He is now going to head up the very agency he said he wanted to abolish. (Is that the subtext for his appointment?) Perhaps they are counting on the electorate to not remember either. 

We wait to see it all unfold. Pray.

Now, listen to this ... It all ties together.

And, after, CLICK to meet the whole fam damily.

EmCoTech

EmCoTech

NEWSLETTER

from ... EmCoTech

First a little background so that the avalanche of media scrutiny will have all the facts to work with right there up front. 

EmCoTech is the brainchild of someone who, in fact, was a child herself. The lovely Emma.

Just, Emma. Sort of like Madonna, Beyonce, Sting, or Rumplestilskin. The mission she set for the company is emblazoned on the corporate logo, “The Best of Old & New ... Over the Top if At All Possible”. Fulfilling that mission, Emma and her associates have a wide embrace.

Here is Emma in the early days. The photo was taken when she ran into the house with her inspiration for the "Bucket of Mud".

 

And, who has not heard of the Bucket of Mud, that surprising kiddie “cake” molded in a common galvanized bucket. It is served unmoulded and at first looks like just what the name would suggest, a bucket of mud. 

But, this Bucket of Mud is studded with firecrackers for candles. When lit, the combined effect is to blast open all that mud in said bucket create an explosion of mud going in all directions. You could say that this dish literally flies off the plate.

EMCO — now EmCoTech — was founded on this first success and their Bucket of Mud Kit®™© is a best seller, available only at better kitchen supply stores internationally. In each kit you will find all you need: a bucket, 144 firecrackers, several plastic bibs, and a generous supply of wet naps. Mud is extra. 329 varieties of mud are available for every taste and for every pocketbook. Illegal in most states. They have a work around; just ask.

Not content to rest on her laurels, Emma — who by the way makes Martha Stewart look like a slacker, and makes Emeril’s “BAM!” sound more like a "bing" — is now introducing products no one should be without. 

So, EmCoTech, what have you done for us lately?

Well, for example, there's the LizarRockaMoonBeam^®™^©:

Introducing the first venture of EmCoTech outside the culinary realm. When you understand the basic technology behind LizarRockaMoonBeam^®™^© it’ll be obvious how this new venture is truly a seamless extension of what has gone before. Think lizards and rockets. And, the moon as a vast underutilized promotional resource.

 CLICK to be amazed by LizarRockaMoonBeam^®™^©.

Culinary? Yes, we did mention culinary. That's where EmCoTech has its roots. Not like in root vegetables, per se. But, "roots" as in, where it starts. But, come to think of it, it could be vegetables.

By now everyone should be acquainted with iTOAST^©. You probably had your breakfast with an iTOAST^© delivering perfect slices of toast with ever new amusing and/or inspiring custom designs.

You don't know about iTOAST^©? Really!!!??? 

CLICK for the full skinny on iTOAST^©!

Come back. There's more. So much more!

Take the Vulcomagic Kitchen Appliance.^®™^©. 

Take it? 

No! Buy it!

CLICK to get your Vulcomagic Kitchen Appliance.^®™^©.

Just to say, it brings the heat into the kitchen.

Demystified ... A Secret of the Universe

"The [Illusory] Appearance of Separateness"

So, it's like this. Like this. Not really this. Just, in a manner of speaking:

First let's start with a clean slate. Let's say there's a white writing board. 

On it, let's fill it in all over with black.

Then, erase a bunch of spots to create stars.

They all seem quite separate, don't they.

But ... Get an eraser.

Now, start erasing.

Erase some more.

Erase everything.

So, now consider ... In the image above the stars appear as separate. But if you remove the dark space between them ... it's all the same. Only one. Sort of like all things are connected at their center. 

Maybe you've heard of the analogy of the waves and the ocean. Surface waves appearing separate, really one at their depth. 

In this analogy you can say the black represents ignorance. Covering over the intrinsic unity of all. 

Then there's Yoga. No, not the stretching and bending stuff. Well, that's an aspect of it. But, not all of it.

The all of it [Yoga] is the erasing of what's not real to reveal the intrinsic oneness. And, even oneness is not quite the right way to put it. Since, when you say one, two is automatically created. 

Let's say ... The One without a second. Non-dual.

Or, say nothing at all. 

All my relations ... Aunty Edna

Fervent Festive Seasonal Holiday Greetings
from Our Aunty Edna ...

Merry Christmas! 

... Goddammit!

Merry Christmas

"I don't care whatever the f#*k holiday you or any other dumbass motherf#*ker like you may be celebrating this time of year. 

I'm putting Christ back in Christmas*. The Jesus is back! And, he loves you! Whether you like it or not. Get used to it!"
Merry Christmas

I celebrate the Birth of our Lord! 

So ... Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

"Now go f#*k yourself for making folks feel peevish to say it, and instead feel compelled to say "Happy Holiday!" (Or, even if you didn't force anyone to, but went along with it. Like a sheep!)"

Quoting verbatim — an old Wronski family go-to hot profanity — the full litany of Aunty's disdain for the un-Godliness that has crept into the season ... "Tipsh psia krew choleta jasna pioron chaz, goddam sonofabitch, damn it to hell anyway." Not directly translatable. But, if you shout the words out load at veins-a-popping full volume, you'll get the gist of it. 

* As for gifts ... "I don't want much. But, please. Let it have quality."

Seems Aunty Edna is right in tune with the Zietgiest ...

Jon Don "Don Juan" Wronski

Say hello to Jon Ron "Don Juan" Wronski. My father's younger brother. Lived in Hollywood during what his set called the "swell" years. 

Reliably he was out and about, every night. Never without a leading lady or a promising starlet on his arm. Arm! Heck! He had two arms; and, like I said, he was never without company. He popularized the Ménage à Trois among the glam set. Two! Heck! As he would put it, "The more the merrier".

Uncle Don was also a high roller. He would charter a DC3 many weekends and fly a bevy of beauties with him to Vegas. A high roller, for sure. You've heard of the "Mile High Club"? He brought that one too.

Yes, he was quite the guy. He never made it in front of the camera though. Not so much that he couldn't act, or that he didn't have the right look. He was just too much of a piece of work off camera. Here he is caught in the act between takes. His quick retort, "Gimme some cookies to go with that".

Even so he was ever popular with the fair sex.

There's so much more. His son Rosco — a dead ringer for his Pop — followed in Dad's footsteps. But, that is a story for another time.

CLICK to get to know the whole line up of the Family Wronski.

All My Relations Uncle Zapski

Behold Uncle Zapski. "The Juice." He's related to me through marriage to my Aunty Sparknishzevska Wronski. Zapski, as you could imagine, was one with the so-called exciting personality. Electric. Some would say.

The image of him is not some sort of theatrical pose. That's him on any given day. Eccentric. Sure. Electric. Don't stand too close. You might catch it. Good man to have on a cold day when the car won't start. Come to think of it he did in fact work part time there during a few winters for AAA.

At the Country Club the pool would empty when they saw him coming. No wonder. Fortunately, owing to his other benefits to the community, he was held in esteem. Just, not in the pool. Any pool.

If you see a Wronski family resemblance, it's because of his Zelig-like ability to morph into whatever social situation he found himself.

Also, it should come as no surprise that the Zapski's saved a ton on utility bills. "Just hook me up" was his catch phrase. And, he was a good neighbor. I believe the whole block ran on Zapski's juice.

CLICK to learn about the many more Wronski's

That Trump! Or, Is It?

I just don't get the hew and cry over the fact that Donald J. Trump is now President Elect. 

I'll come right to it. Isn't Mr. Trump nothing more than the apotheosis of the values which are part and parcel to the culture we have made for ourselves? Everybody wants changes. But ... Who wants to change? Demonstrated especially so in how detractors want to remove the offending part without really changing the conditions which gave it rise.  Let's be real. After Trump goes you can count on a new improved faster acting, longer lasting stronger version down the road.

You can certainly see the point — changing a part, but not the whole — from observing our relationship to health care. We mostly operate with an orientation stated thus: "Doctor, make it go away." Which the doctor is all too happy to do with pharmaceuticals and/or surgery; those two main favorite procedures of modern medicine. Never mind the cure. The money's not in the cure, it's in the medicine. Besides, a cure would engage us in having to look at ourselves holistically. And, make changes. Just where in the culture do you see any support for that sort of approach? 

So, back to Trump. Evidently there's a recent article suggesting that it is inevitable that the President Elect resign, or gets impeached. That's David Brooks in the New York Times. I don't think Brooks would be one to eschew real structural social/economic/political change. He's just probably speaking to the same point I'm attempting to make here. Remove the symptom. Keep the cause. 

National Pickle Appreciation Day

November 14

POST Election BS

After 2 years of campaign BS rhetoric — you know, when it netted down to one candidate would be a disaster; the other, the apocalypse — now we have a fresh serving immediately post election.

After all the negativity delivered in unambiguous, absolute terms, now ... now we are told to come together to "unify" and "heal".

"Unify the country." Does anyone know what that even means? It sure sounds good. Who isn't for unity? Healing? Ditto. 

I'll be good and damned the day I look for unification and healing from some politician. They break it apart, then they put it back together again. It only has to do with getting a vote. Or, to be really cynical, making it appear that we have a say in things. 

I go with the Course in Miracles: "Love has no opposite." "What's real can't be threatened. What's unreal doesn't exist." 

Are we really going to wait for whomever is in the high chair to heal us? It's ours for the taking. NOW.

ADDENDUM: You know that phrase, "What God has put together, let no man put asunder"? That has been appropriated for the vows of marriage. Fine. 

But, there's a larger meaning: What God has joined together, no one can put asunder. Unity is the rule. The delusion is in the very idea of separation. 

The Millennial Approach

The Millennial generation has its particular slant on life. I think I have some insight on this.

I don't know if this is the key to understanding young adults today, but it's a perspective that fits. Here it is: "Make It Perfect". And ... "Fun!" It has to be "Fun". 

It may be an outgrowth of that rather well seated notion, "If you apply yourself well, there's nothing you can't accomplish". And, of course, the technological equivalent, "Science and technology can solve any problem". The latter will no doubt explain how come we seem to go down any road we want without too much, if any, forethought about the consequences. Witness the smart phone. Ever more complicated and "refined" iterations. To do what? Play games, listen to [low-fi] music, watch/make videos, take photos. (I use a basic phone.)

Here's a good example of the Millennial generation mindset. There's a new coffee maker gadget out, funded by a kickstarter campaign. Crowd funding ... that should make it Millennial right off the bat. The new device is called the Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper. It'll set you back $99.00.

The Duo is a drip coffee device which is touted to deliver a consistent, grounds-free cup of Joe. In short, a clean cup of Coffee. Have you ever had Turkish or Greek coffee? If not, just to say ... there's grounds. Lot's of grounds. Hadn't been a problem for umpteen hundreds of years for them. The Duo is supposedly an improvement over the French Press. In short, it's a new gadget. A better gadget, by design. And, boy! Is it designed!

There is a video introducing the product at the end of this piece. No amount of human time, energy, or ingenuity seems to have been spared. I'm sure it works just as promised. But, hey, how much do we have to think about making a cup of coffee?

In our home we use a "Coffee Sock". A thick cloth bag fixed to a ring with a handle. Boil water in a pot, put the grounds in, let it steep, pour through Coffee Sock ... enjoy. It'll set you back $1.99.

Now you might counter with how something like that Duo Coffee Steeper is less fuss and muss than my Luddite approach. If that is the overarching concern, then Keurig is your cup of tea. But, yes. As far as prep time is concerned. Yet, when you look at the descriptive video you'll see that with all those parts, there is some doing you'll have to be doing just to get the device ready and go through the steps in brewing. But, clean up. That's where simple is still best. With our Coffee Sock, dispose of the collected grounds and rinse. Done. With the Duo ...

You should know the Duo has 6 parts [to assemble, then to take apart and clean]. In the video the point is made that there's no clean up before you drink your coffee. Great. But, what about after. I don't live with my parents. Mom won't do it.

And, you know that glass carafe will break some day. We had a glass Chemex. Nice, but quirky. It broke. We didn't replace.

All this takes me back to my marketing communications days. Yes, I was an Ad Biggie. Before there were Mad Men.

Once I had a client who marketed a very well known brand of packaged ground Coffee. During my initial learning time I spent a day with the Colombian Coffee Bureau in Manhattan. The take away was the "drip" method was recommended as the best. I brought this up with the marketing manager. My client, however, pointed to the fact that Coffee percolator sales were strong, and growing.

It took a genius to put all that together. The intuition is what I call the "gadget factor". Voilà: Mr. Coffee. Delicious drip style Coffee ... from a gadget. Key word: gadget. We love gadgets. I bring you back to my point about the smart phone. Almost talismanic in it's significance. Fetishistic, also comes to mind.

So now, yet another — but, better — gadget. I won't even go into the issue of just how much Coffee by volume this thing makes. They say 4 cups. Seems like they'd have to be small cups.

You be the judge. In watching the video just keep in mind my original thesis about the mind set of the Millennials — which may have gotten lost in my characteristic wrambling way.

CLICK to watch video introduction of the Duo Coffee Steeper.

Do you see what I mean?

Taxi Dave 2016

The Complete Taxi Dave 2016 

TAXI DAVE 2016

"Hey, YOU! VOTE! [FOR ME!]"

What to do when you don't approve either candidate's message?

They said they wanted to "go to town". It was a figure of speech. 

Seems to be feelin' the Bern.

Quite a story. CLICK to read.

Man of mystery. Felt like we were being followed.

You just have accommodate a friend.

We made record time. I ate it all up cleaning the back. He sheds.

"Take me to Trump Tower. Make it snappy." Shall I take the bridge.

There you go whipping out that Mexican thing again!

Immersed in popular culture. Not something to take pride in.

He said he was going to "entertain" at a kid's birthday party.

Enough with the Cowbell already!

"Life is a carousel. And the sun is a scoop of ice cream"

Often I get into conversations with my passengers. Some truly intimate, heart wrenching stories ...

"My wife is in a coma."

Me: "So sad to hear that."

"Then the doctor tells me ..."There's one way to wake her up, but it's a little unconventional. You go in there and you have oral sex with her. I've seen it work."

So I go in there and come out after about 5 minutes.

"Doc, she's choking."

You hear some pretty fantastic stories in my line of work. 

CLICK to learn about a one Dr. Drobkin.

Trust me. He's really not all that interesting.

Hey, Now!

It was a bumpy, curvy ride. I didn't complain.

"Wherever" isn't much for the driver to go on.

Well, he sure knows how to grab a pussy!

He wanted to go to the Village. I took him. You're Welcome, world.

Even Donald didn't want to grab this pussy!

So, you've been Trumped!

"I 'boned' Donald Trump!"

He has his hand up my tailpipe!

"I don't wear it in public. Or, when I'm being recorded." 

(Opps! I had the dashcam still turned on!)

Upon more than an occasion I see some action from "THAT" part of town. 

He said his name was David S. Pumpkins. Look him up.

They had a "Green Party" going on back there!

We got a flat. He fixed it.

Didn't give me much to go on. Just, away from the nihilists!

Bad Hombre.

His ball shined like "Cats Nuts". Not the sort to mess with though.

The night of the revenge of the consumer icons.

Of all the towns. Of all the cabs. Of all the cabs in all the towns, she had to get in mine ... the ex-wife.

"What's up?" I asked.

"You took me for a ride once, I figure another spin might do me some good," she said.

"But, why now?" I wondered aloud.

"Hair of the dog sort of thing, you know," was her come back. (Never shy with the come back, that one.)

I started with a dig into low gear. "Hope you'll get some satisfaction ... this time."

"Just what is that supposed to mean. Tell me!!!" was her shrill rejoinder as the tires screeched.

"Well, as I recall, your mother ... "

"That's so you!!! Don't go there!!!" she screamed interrupting me mid sentence..

And, off we went on our way. Down that same old road.

He was quite distraught. (He and Angie are kaput, you might have heard.) 

To cheer him up I used that old one, "There are plenty more fish in the sea". 

He said, "Yah, but it's not just the smell I miss."

"Take me anywhere in the world. Just, not west."

The whole ride he murmured quietly to himself ...  

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't."

I asked, "So, doll face, were'd you get that necklace?"

"I have a connection at the Montclair Farmers Market."

_____________________________

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Taxi Dave Norm MacDonald