Shadow of Diogenes

Clemson Rolls Over South Carolina

My Clemson Tigers beat our archrival Gamecocks 31-14 yesterday. In what has been a disappointing season this leaves us with a good feeling. Go Tigers!

Three Places I Want To Visit

1. Yucatan (Mexico)

2. Scotland

3. Bimini (Bahamas)

My Favorite Poets

1. Robert Herrick

2. James Wright

Question of the Day

Since today is Thanksgiving what is one thing you are thankful for?

Question of the Day - Iraq War & Illegal Aliens

(Q)  Which costs us (the USA) more money ? To fight the war in Iraq or to deal with illegal aliens. The answer surprised me . Check the facts over at Chasing Rainbows which is located on my blog roll.

Haiku # 112508 (Poem)

sitting here after midnight

looking at a monitor,

cats asleep.

Switchback (Poem)

Riding those switchbacks

Up towards Tazewell,

Lost,

I felt like a seasick sailor

On a tossing ship

Who couldn't open his eyes due to fear.

My brother was at the wheel,

Concentrating and serene like a Buddha.

Down below

Were thousand foot dropoffs at every turn

 And misty valleys 

With alien, little farms.

 The road slithered up the spine of a nameless Virginia mountain

That reared it's head like a menacing cobra

About to strike.

I uttered prayers to the Lord

To get us out of this hostile land,

Away somehow, please God.

Then we topped the crest of a switchback

And far below was sunshine and a speck of community.

I was still alive.

Barack and Wild Bill

It is reported in the December 2008 issue of Wild West magazine that President Elect Barack Obama and famed Western lawman James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok (born in Homer,Illinois on May 27, 1837) are sixth cousins - six times removed. In reading "Hickok's Last Fight" by Joseph G. Rosa you will learn a great deal about the man. Hickok maintained law and order in some of the most dangerous cow towns in Kansas in the 1870s . He was murdered in the Saloon Number 10 ( of a total of 67 in the town) in Deadwood, Dakota Territory on August 2, 1876 as he played cards. The New England Historic Genealogical Society has determined that Barack and Wild Bill are descended from Dutchman Thomas Blossom who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1629.

Haiku # 112308 (Poem)

chirping birds

outside of my window,

awake.

Thought For The Day

If I want to smile, I can do so. It's up to me to feel good - not depend on some "guru" to build me up. A lot of Americans depend on other people for their feelings in this day of how to books and experts galore. My question is who taught the first guru ? Get my drift? We are a people who want quick fixes and feel good sessions. Oprah makes us feel warm and tells us what to read. Do it yourself for yourself !