Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than for February 26, 2024

“Think you of the fact that a deaf person cannot hear. Then, what deafness may we not all possess? What senses do we lack that we cannot see and cannot hear another world all around us?” —Frank Herbert

Oh wow, this one was brutal, and important.

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow./ I feel my fate in what I cannot fear./ I learn by going where I have to go./

“The Waking”. Theodore Roethke

Amen!!

I used to be on a ambulance in Wyoming many years ago. We would often be called to a particular address where the guy would regularly beat the dog snot out of his woman. We talked to her, so did the police, the social workers, her friends. She would never press charges, and would always go back. She went back one time too often and he killed her. Her suffering ended, he’s in jail for life, but she is still dead.

Yes I believe in being strong in the face of adversity, but I also have lived long enough to know sometimes you can’t change people on either side of that particular coin.

Nice “Dune” quote.

This reminds me of Zen Pencil’s original poem with “My spirit is a roaring sea.” I have the T-shirt.

Dune is one of the half dozen or so books I found so significant to me that I read it again, before the second Frank Herbert Dune series book was published. I was military & overseas when the second book was published and wasn’t aware of it. I didn’t go to the first Dune movie, both because the reviews were unfavorable and I didn’t think it would be possible for a movie to do the book justice.

I’ve read lots of positive reviews of the 2021 Dune and I’ve seen lots of advance articles about Dune 2 due out soon, and I saw that the 2021 show leaves Netflix this month, so last night I watched it. I read the book a little over 50 years ago, but the movie brought it back to me. Scene after scene I’d sit in my chair going “Oh, yeah, I remember this!” I loved this movie and can’t wait for the next one.

I’d seen mention 40 years ago of follow-on Dune novels by Herbert’s son and a partner author but haven’t read any. When I finished watching the movie last night I googled the series, expecting 3 maybe 4 total books. There are 27! And as ebooks or audiobooks the price point is quite reasonable. The series gets extremely high reviews. If I start right away, and was able to finish at least one each week, I could devour them all in about 6 months.

I’m thinking of beginning with the Brian Herbert/Kevin J Anderson prequel series before getting going on the Dune books they wrote before the 1999 beginning of that prequel series. In all seriousness, I don’t expect to read Dune book after Dune book for 26 straight weeks @ 1 book/wk. I might need a few years to complete this reading project.

I wish I had read Dune when I was married the first two times. I don’t look good in black and blue.

My current hubby is amazing. He never raises a hand in anger.

Feeling Excited And Ready!

Without using ANY of your senses, prove to me that you exist. I know that I exist. I think, therefore I am.

I haven’t read or seen any of the Dune series, but without more explanation than Gavin provides here, I’ll go with, Bruce1253 and Vet (above), as the voices of sanity.