* why is this song GREAT?

 

1. most of the lines in this song could stand alone, each as a song in itself.

2. the guitar solo.

3. the ending.

4. the whole idea of goodbye.  endings.  death.  relationships.  it's tragic.

5. the idea that this whole thing (called life) is but a dream.

6. as for the video, the dog.  the sunset/sunrise.  the phenomenon of surfing.  the beach.  the ocean.

* it's a pray for prey scheme

 

* EVERYthing...

 ...here (in a relative Univ-Verse) happens because of pressure.

:)

b124 (6.7-1.2025): praying man-tis

praying man-tis

by ima praying mantis
 
my mom told me to pray
she never told me why
i think of her (today), and take a deep breath (and sigh)
____________________
 

 why don’t we call prayer what it is?  

it’s us, asking for something that we want.

·       when she was alive, my mother prayed daily, and (whenever she could), she told me to pray.
·       she never told me why an Omniscient, Omnificent, Omnipresent, Omnibenevolent God would want us to pray (or need for us to pray).
·       god already knows what’s best for each of us, so praying won’t help there.
·       god made us mortal, and gave us free will, so our lives are going to play out the way that they’ll play out.
·       god knows our thoughts (he sees us when we’re sleeping and he knows when we’re awake), so (essentially) our thoughts are prayers.

·       god doesn’t have an ego (?) so he wouldn’t need us to beg.
·       god doesn’t get involved.
·       but wait… he does get involved (sometimes).  when the baby gets saved in the tornado? god’s hand.  when the other baby dies in the tornado?  everything happens for a reason.
·       but wait… he does have an ego.  the fact that he is a ‘he’ proves that.

but wait… when prayer doesn’t work (e.g. when we don’t get what we want), god gets a free pass (because he knows what is best for us, and he works in mysterious ways, and we could never understand the mind of god).  well, except for knowing what he wants us to do (e.g. pray).
 

as it turns out, my mother made some of the rules up.  

she believed what she’d heard, 

and she modified those beliefs based upon her earthly observations.  

my mother was born-and-raised staunch-catholic,

she lived (with no internet) from 1931-2013,   

she never drove a car, and literally lived over 95% of her life 

within an area half the size of a football field!!  

 
man-made gods are made in the image of man.  man-made gods have egos, they want their churches to have money, and they are very good at control (“do ___ or die.”  “believe, or go to hell.”).
 
all of the inconsistencies (e.g. an All-Loving god would kill innocent babies in a flood) make no sense – until we realize that the stories were told (and sung) and re-told (again and again) and written and re-written and edited re-edited and translated... by men! 
 
stories change.  the stories of the holy books morph as those in power dictate.  think about the people who want you to believe what they believe.  truth is, life is better for them if you believe what they want.
 
shall i pray to an invisible man-in-the-sky because my team needs a field-goal to win? 
 
think (pray/Love) again.
____________________
martino, j. (6.7-1.2025). ima praying man-tis. book 124: individuation. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us
 
* let’s not forget that the mantis hands are in position, praying for prey. 

b124 (6.6-1.2025): love ends badly

 
love ends badly
by connie ditional
 
love ends badly (how)
love ends badly (where)
love ends badly (why?)
love ends badly (here)
____________________
 
·       Unconditional, Universal, Love Is… and that is G∞d.  It never ends.

·       but here, in the relative world, love ends badly.

·       it might end during a relationship, but even if it doesn’t, unless you miraculously die together, love ends in death. 
 
love ends.
____________________
martino, j. (6.6-1.2025). love ends badly. book 124: individuation. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us

b124 (6.5-1.2025): no one cares

no one cares
by anna empath
 
no one gives a damn
‘bout how you live your life
‘bout what you think (or say)
not husband, child or wife
 
no one gives a damn
not how or where or when
the only thing they care about is how it affects them
____________________
 
·       people care about what you think, say or do to the extent that it affects them.

·       we rant (and talk) and blabber… thinking that the things we believe or say actually matter… when what matters (to the other) is how that which we think (or say) affects them.
 
everyone… is self-centered.
____________________
martino, j. (6.5-1.2025). no one cares. book 124: individuation. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us

* book 124: individuation & book 123:i don't even care are co-books that share the same themes.

* book 125: are you out of your vulcan mind? is already being planned.

b124 (6.4-1.2025): virtual v. real

virtual v. real
by b. j. virtual
 
virtual v. real
it isn’t hard to do
it’s not anti-climactic
a game not made for two
it isn’t hard to finish
it’s not a drama-reel
a game that isn’t new (who knew?)
virtual v. real
____________________
 

:)

virtual sex (with a robot or device [and video]) ...compared with sex with a live female (1-10 scale):
 

criteria	virtual gal	real gal	remarks
ease in getting it	9	1	much easier to procure.  no dates, seduction, etc.
ease of clean-up	9	5	can be fun to clean-up (live), but…
no complications	9-10	5	most real gal sex comes with complications.
hotness	9-10	varies	in your mind, you can have whomever you want.
ego boost	not sure	9	as a male, i feel good when a gal wants to engage.
regularity	9-10	1	virtually… any time you want.
no rejection	10	1	rejection happens often, in the real world.
climax	8	5	when it’s real, [mutual] climax is less likely.
performance issues	8	3	it doesn’t matter, virtually.
the physical feel of it	6-9	6-9	depends on the gal, actually.
time/investment	9	2-3	little work or time or investment.  much better roi.
totals	90-95	20-30	it is (virtually) no contest.

 
conclusion? 

gentlemen: unless you are a stud -- who gets any girl that he wants on the regular, you are faaaaaar better-off with virtual sex.  

real girls come with complications: relationship drama, dis-of-ease, rejection, work-work-work, emotional baggage, and time/duration/investment/waiting.  the tests, of course, never end.  if you can get a virtual ego-boost, there’s virtually no reason to pursue in the game of mating & dating.  

my advice?

1.     make friends and treat friends nicely.  flirt with the gals, but do not pursue.  get relationship needs met through friendships.

2.     live alone.  it’s much easier (and much cheaper).  enjoy virtual sex.  as you desire.

3.     when one of your girl-friends wants to ‘cuddle’ (etc.), set the parameters (when, where, how, how much, and no drama-strings).

4.     keep your virtual girlfriends for physical release and friend-ly fun! with no complications.
____________________
martino, j. (6.4-1.2025). virtual v. real. book 124: individuation. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us 

b124 (6.3-1.2025): house of cards

house of cards

by a. house & o. f. cards
 
i’m just a house of cards
it’s such a sight to see
if you re-move a corner (no!)
there’s nothing left of me
 
it looks good from a distance but (up close) there’s something odd
inside (there’s nothing in it)
i’m just a house of cards
____________________
 
·       in a world of technology, avatars, social media profiles, actors, impersonators and poets… who are we, really?  are we that which we project outward (to others)?

·       are there thoughts and memories that we keep hidden from others?

·       is the u.s. economy a house of cards?  international nuclear weapon agreements?  diamonds?  reality tv?  artificial intelligence?

·       are we barely holding things together -- like a house of cards, hoping that one of the base cards doesn’t fall?
 
Heaven help us all.
____________________
martino, j. (6.3-1.2025). house of cards. book 124: individuation. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us

* image found (on google), modified by picture formatting, compressed & artistically enhanced by microsoft, and saved as a picture.  unsure of the original, original source.

b124 (6.2-1.2025): computers don't resign

 
computers don’t resign
by A. Super Intelligent Computer 
 
when it comes to chess, you might think “good position.  fine.”
a fight until the death
computers don’t resign
____________________

my computer chess opponent does not resign, but rather fights until mate.  it's fate.

------------------------------

 
·       once the Computer can reprogram itself to defeat even the most talented supercomputer, losing will not even be an option.

·       as humanity finds himself in the middle-game against an Opponent who can outthink us faster than we could outthink a mosquito… the inevitable endgame might only be delayed for sport.

·       when one considers how human superintelligence treats pests, how might we convince an ASI that we aren’t?
____________________
martino, j. (6.2-1.2025). computers don’t resign. book 124: individuation. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us

b124 (6.1-1.2025): start/stop technology

 
start/stop technology
by s. toppit
 
a waste of innovation
i hear it (but can’t see)
a break in concentration
start/stop technology
____________________
 
·       “start/stop technology” is that annoying stopping and restarting of an automobile engine when the vehicle stops, then (subsequently) resumes motion.

·       for the bit of emissions saved, how much more engine wear & tear occurs with hundreds of thousands of unnecessary restarts?

·       why can’t the powers-that-be incentivize solar-powered vehicle research?  most of us (with even a tiny bit of head-scratching) can answer that question.
____________________
martino, j. (6.1-1.2025). start/stop technology. book 124: individuation. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us & j. martino.

b123 (5.31-1.2025): memories of you

 
memories of you [i]
by pi c. tures
 
memories of you
feeling good (right now)
we had some times (it’s true)
we never made the vow*
 
the way things never-ended ends the way things always do
memories of you & me, and
memories of you
________________________________
 
·       as i look back at pictures of you, i reflect on the best of our times.

·      and that, my dear, is the way i choose to re-member.
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (5.31-1.2025). memories of you. book 123: i don’t even care. © 2024 by j. martino.

*alternative line: where, what (why not?) and how!

b123 (5.30-1.2025): i like it when they share

 
i like it when they share [i]
by anna o. b. server
 
i like it when they chirp and fight and bump and sharply stare
i like it when they don’t…
i like it when they share
________________________________
 
·       i’ve come to believe that all of the fighting and terri-torial-ism is just a dance... a dance that strengthens muscles, sharpens agility, and hones life-skills.  after all, they don’t hurt each other.

·       when they share a feeder, though… when they share a moment… i know that they know that they are on the same team.
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (5.30-1.2025). i like it when they share. book 123: i don’t even care. © 2024 by j. martino.

* let's get real

 so here i am, your fitness/wellness guy, spouting this and that, yet:

• i'm currently15-20 pounds overweight (yes, i hide it well),
• i've currently got sky-high cholesterol numbers,
• i drink (beer & wine) regularly (and have since 1976),
• i've got a 40-year string of romantic relationships,
• i love being alone,
• i'm happy,
• i live the way i want to,
• i've got many, many options,
• my only vice (thoughout life) has been overconsumption,
• i don't (really) care,
• i've been functional, with numerous successes and awards that allow me to pat myself on the back while i navigate the human process,
• i'm still pretty humble,
• i still care about people,
• i'm friendly,
• i value & enjoy long-term relationships,
• i've made a difference (as a teacher), and i've affected lives in a positive way,
• i've made mistakes, and probably hurt some people along the way,
• i care enough to write this all down on a thing called a blog, 
• i care.
• i don't do insta, or x, or any medium that craves "followers".

b124 (6.30-1.2025): immediate red flags

 
immediate red flags
by red flags
 
baby’s over 30
zig turns into zag
don’t get yourself dirty with immediate red flags
____________________
 
·       this thoem was toned-down by softening-up the multitude of second-lines that could have rhymed with ‘flag’.

·       immediate red flags:
 o   age (excessive wear & tear)
 o   attitude (boss-girl, uppity, rude, etc., etc.) 
 o   lack of GBD* (this would be the real [only] red flag, but neediness [below] muddies the water.)
 o   weight (excessive)
 o   habits (pre-illness)
 o   past indiscretions
 o   questionable friends
 o   mommy/daddy issues
 o   neediness (completely different from GBD?)
 o   disagreeable nature
 o   dependence (e.g. social media)
 o   anything that makes your spidey-sense tingle
____________________
martino, j. (6.30-1.2025). immediate red flags. book 124: individuation. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us

*GBD = genuine, burning desire. 

**disclaimer: i've got my own red flags, but i'm not trying to marry-you-up and acquire half of your stuff. :)

b123 (5.29-1.2025): all i want is You

 
all i want is Love [i]
by a. lover
 
all i want is Love
a Love that’s fresh and True
all i want (one moment)
and all i want is You
________________________________
 
·       because all of this… this life… has been but a journey… to Love.

      ·       the important thing is that the Love will be inter-independent: a “setting your lover up” to need you less and Love you more.

the even more important thing is that giving Love... is its own reward.
when you Love others as you Love yourself, you win.
when we allow others to Love us, they win too!

___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (5.29-1.2025). all i want is Love. book 123: i don’t even care. © 2024 by j. martino.

* virtually speaking...

gentlemen: do you want to have the best o's with the hottest gals that you can imagine?  do you want NO relationship complications, NO drama, NO overpriced diamond ring challenges, NO marriage issues, NO arguments, NO bitching, NO risk, NO dis-of-ease, NO crying, NO jealousy issues (that matter), NO rejection, and minimal cost, investment, time, worry, etc., etc., etc., etc.???

use video, lubricant, and a device that will get you the o's you want.

still flirt (with real women), but never pursue.  when they pursue you, simply decide whether a romantic encounter (or three) will be worth your while.  set the parameters of the physical relationship to your terms, and settle for nothing less than mutual agreement.

you will end up with a release of pressure, more time, more fun & flirtation, less risk, better friendships, better relationships, and (most likely) more & better sex from a higher-quality variety of real women!   

b123 (5.28-1.2025): point-man takes the heat

 
point-man takes the heat [i]
by aformer point man
 
point-man takes the heat
he’s under the gun
point-man out in front
point-man (number one)

doesn’t matter (battlefield, or down on main-of-street)
point-man has no fun
point-man takes the heat
________________________________
 
·       the #1 man (in a relationship):
 o   gets all of the bitching, drama, headaches.
 o   gets to hear about all of the nonsense that leads to all of the bitching, drama and headaches.
 o   gets limited (if any) of the good lovin’.
 o   gets bored.
 o   gets left.
 o   gets fired.
 o   gets to run to the grocery store, fix the garbage disposal, and wait (while she shops).
 o   gets to find out “what that sound was” in the middle of the night.
 
don’t ever be a #1… because (once you are the point-man) you will take the heat.
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (5.28-1.2025). point-man takes the heat. book 123: i don’t even care. © 2024 by j. martino.

b123 (5.27-1.2025): yes, i cook with wine

 
yes, i cook with wine [i]
by nowine beforeher time
 
yes, i cook with wine
i sip her as i go
i love her as she oozes me to taste (and ebb & flow)

      i love her (she encourages: “experiment and shine!”)
i cook (she’s sooooooooo delicious!)
i cook:
 
i cook with wine
 
(she’s sooo a-head of time/s)
________________________________
 
·       thank you, for allowing me to experiment.
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (5.27-1.2025). yes, i cook with wine. book 123: i don’t even care. © 2024 by j. martino.

       * while she doesn't whine, her name (her fame) is wine.

b123 (5.26-1.2025): marital insurance

      marital insurance [i]
by hemar ried
 
he married for insurance
but he would soon discover
that she was un-insurable and her sole plan uncovered
________________________________
 
·       in the future, the primary reason for marriage might be ‘health insurance’.

·       of course, it might be healthier (for him) to stay single.

·       her plan has always been insurance.
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (5.26-1.2025). marital insurance. book 123: i don’t even care. © 2024 by j. martino.