Prolegomena To any Future Blogger Community, or Blunderprone, The Jolly Good Heart: Essay Ten
The Very Image of Gravitas!
The long awaited Blunderprone essay:
I hereby reinitiate ‘The Essays’. While they will not be posted as frequently, fast or in as concentrated a form as before, they will continue and hopefully will 'not be unworthwhile’ to the reader.
Blunderprone is a good hearted fellow, with a jolly good heart. But don’t be deceived by the humor and rotund or portly countenance--he has teeth! Like most strong persons, Blunderprone can hit when he wants to—I have seen it—having seen him play live at ICC in truly lost games that I for mine would promptly resign (I am not the type to play most lost games, as some do, which I disavow but respect in others and of course can also find infuriating). Moreover, I can tell you that I have seen this brave, hearty man persevere and either pull of draws out of nothing, or go on and on for a long time in a lost position, trying every recourse. Resilience is not the word but bloody guts! He can also put a man in his place right fast!
Every Year, there is the Worlds Ugliest Dog Competition, and I Just Love these Photos! This is the winner of this year, "Elmwood"
He like me has been through a very large process outside chess that runs in the background and looms under and around his always astute and never trivial comments, and while I leave the details as private (previous and sincere offline correspondence exchanged between he and I), can at least say that emotional and spiritual healing when embraced can not only change a person, but have a lifelong effect. Blunderprone is a lifelong learner and he is a teacher. He is a man of real stature.
He is also a devoted father, and has had to wrestle with the devil to find time or ease or space for chess, making the most of what he has within limitation. As many know who read in our area, he and I did get to meet four weeks ago, here in Seattle. He was here for his daughter and anniversary, and after regaling him with some brief but potent stories of the life touchstones along the way in my life of incessant struggle but bright hue, he kindly told me of his progress as a trained and accomplished engineer. He modestly explained how he had been in embedded technologies, with a major chip (semiconductor’s, not Frito-Lay, Kettle, or Keebler!) company, was ready for a shift, and didn’t want to participate in the odd part ‘spun off’ by a behemoth chip juggernaut. In the most impressive way, he explained that he didn’t want to be in defense, and with—to my eyes!--savvy discernment, clearly explained how he had determined what industry to be in, and therewith put himself there. Very, very smart. Very smart. Smart!
Everyone says how smart I am. No. Balony! I have endured so much stupidity, and my tenacity can work against a man, for I ALLOW MYSELF TO endure where most would never allow themselves to stay, but my personality doesn’t allow lots of change. Not where I live, work, what I do, or who I am with, or where I go. I am a fixed person in many ways. This of course can be good, but it can also be bad. What I saw with Blunderprone, and hope that I am not over idealizing, is that he was able to not only see the writing on the wall, but position himself thoughtfully, having seen the lay of the land. I very greatly admire that.
George plays in a band. Is anyone surprised??
I knew that he was a full sized guy, and surely didn’t think he would be obese, just a beefy guy, but, as I also said in notes to our meeting in comments, when I saw him, the first thing that I said was, “You must be a power lifter”. I mean, his shoulders are as wide as a Boeing 747 set of wings, and those broad shoulders are not to be underestimated.
He is perhaps our most funny Knight, which betrays a not insignificant intellect...
... and not to be underestimated, since he tends not to promote himself, unlike some of us here… *cough*, but none the less, very, very sensible, with vast life experience.
I wrote a post, saying that my coworker Mohamed-Ali, was one man that I’d go to war with, and that is one way of placing a person (he isn’t mean but just doesn’t play any games in work and relationships!). But another way I think of persons, along with who I’d be willing to go to dinner with, or take a long trip with, is WHO I’D WANT FOR A NEIGHBOR, IF I HAD TO CHOOSE A PERSON TO BUY A HOUSE NEXT TO… and Blunderprone, I suspect, is the guy who would be best to live next to, but, god forbid, no adult material in view, or drugs, or booze, but the guy with all the right tools, good sense about marital relations, a good smile, not least, if I had kids, doubtlessly consummately sensible advise as to what to do with my teens—if I had them, or how to handle ‘the boss’.
America is a Friendly Democratic Country, Always Ready to Assist other Countries (with Pain)
Without further ado, may I please reintroduce Blunderprone, aka Sir Belly Jeans [he has another blog, linked here] and have great respect for him, and hope that you do, too.
Ressembler, The Epicure: Essay Eleven
Types of Struggle and Effort in Emprovement: Wildcard, Essay Twelve
Loomis: ...
ChessPawnOgraphy: Essay Thirteen
SamuraiChess: ...
Like Forests: Essay Fourteen
ookwelbekendalsemc: Essay Fifteen
XYZ Wildcard Essay Sixteen.
11 Comments:
Do you think you can come away with old pictures?:)
Thanks Dave, you are too kind.
I don't think you'd want to live next door to a chaotic house full of hormonally imbalanced and nocturnal teenagers.
its all relative.
trust me, you dont know WHO i live next to, or its effect on my intra-psychic functioning. i might pay you good, just for the possibility!
ones of our local ladies high on crack, literally, was yelling into the guy out backs door last night or very early this morning, feet from my bedrooom, screaming at 4:30 am, and you have no idea how light a sleeper i am... my goodness. i needed a taser.
glad you liked it george. reAssembler next!
tempo, i have fixed the photos more according to your taste.
Thanks!:)
Sounds very similar to place I lived in a few years ago due to economical practicalities followign a divorce. Next door to me had what I called a drive through crack dealer. A car would pull up, honk , a packet of money thrown to the second floor window and a packet of substance was tossed back to the driver. Insane. A few months later, a 20 year old woman was shot becuase she refused witness protection as she was preparign to testinfy against her ex-boyfriend who was head of the local gang.
Sometimes we have to endure things for circumstances beyond our control.
thank you George, you understand.
at the same time, my landlady, who at age 60 is build like a brick sh_t house, and is a mason, keeps a sharp eye out (and yet, she too, is a problem!).
i also have two decks, my own washer dryer not run by coins, a 16' ceiling with a loft room, a garden done by a horticulturalist, control over my thermostat, and my cat is assymilated, and i am 3 minutes drive from the most glorious place on earth, lake washington directly across from bill gates's house (literally), i am four minutes to access to a major interstate highway which crosses the most mighty (if pernicious) nation on earth, live four minutes from work, in a city with the fifth worst traffic nationwide out of 315 cities, am ten minutes from metro downtown, and have $1m houses one block away, so im right on the ridge line. diversity wins the word in seattle, as always.
That dog is astonishingly ugly. Not unlike flava flav. I think an ugliest human contest is in order.
Jellybeans...I'm so hungry now.
Honestly - they should rename it the "World's Second Ugliest Dog" competition. Retire the Chinese Cresteds with some kind of emeritus award. Otherwise they just win every year.
ds
reassembler.com
Good idea Derek. They have an unfair advantage.
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