tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40097682024-03-12T22:26:16.592-07:00BasiloniaBasil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.comBlogger367125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-44943944486644763802023-03-18T14:43:00.004-07:002023-03-18T14:43:50.984-07:00What Happened To The Orthodox Church? I am starting to wonder whatever happened to the Orthodox Church I love.I hear sermons filled with admonitions to keep the fast as strictly as possible. To watch out for those who are trying to destroy the Church from outside, through the influence of secularism in the world.I have always felt that was hogwash. Secularism is no threat to the Church. Neither is humanism, or paganism, Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-5285119308980013062021-10-23T11:22:00.000-07:002021-10-23T11:22:43.297-07:00They Are Not Like Us - A Quest For DiversityThey say some of us develop more slowly. For instance you've probably heard that girls develop much more rapidly than boys. Well, I was definitely one of those boys who developed more slowly. I don't think it was for any lack of mental intelligence so much as a lack of emotional intelligence and being raised in cultural isolation.
Let's be honest: most of us are raised in relative cultural Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-60765423905620771672021-09-25T10:37:00.003-07:002021-09-28T14:56:44.237-07:00The Journey The Journey is not about the destination. It is not about any of the destinations. It is about The Journey. It is about savoring all you learn and experience along the way. A destination is just another micro-journey. One where you will continue to wander and grow and learn.The "Bucket List" isn't about showing the world your accomplishments, as if to say "Look what I did before I died." NoBasil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-32700022280855813442021-09-24T15:51:00.002-07:002021-09-24T15:51:28.768-07:00Try Before you DieHere is a short piece of fiction I wrote about one of the characters in one of my novels. It was written nearly 10 months ago but never published. I just re-read it and it seems publishable to me, so here you go. It is short. It ends abruptly. It may someday be part of a larger work. Enjoy!"Try Before you Die"
by Basil Sprig
Smitty had an insatiable appetite for life.
He loved every sort of Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-64810167889117804322019-09-15T08:59:00.003-07:002019-09-15T10:47:32.506-07:00Friday the 13th at a Cabin in The Woods
Friday the 13th at a Cabin in The Woods
by Basil Sprig
I planned my vacation down the coast not-quite-camping. I
didn’t want to haul around camping gear and sleep in tents, so I rented yurts
all down the Oregon Coast. But when I got to Northern California I could find
no available yurts. Not wanting to pay for hotel rates on the coast, and not
wanting to stay in a dive, I thought hardBasil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-62397244727333080232019-05-10T13:45:00.000-07:002019-05-10T13:45:35.146-07:00On my narrowly averting scurvy! Arrr!
Arrrr!
It seems I have narrowly averted catching scurvy!
Yes, you heard me right. Scurvy! Just like a pirate! Let me tell you about it.
When I first started the Keto diet I learned that one of the negative side-affects of being in ketosis is very bad breath. Because of this I started brushing my teeth a lot more. At first maybe 4 times a day instead of the usual 2. I started Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-82681971297629575312018-01-27T13:37:00.005-08:002018-01-27T13:37:54.573-08:00A Bit of history: First Woman to Hike the Pacific Crest through Oregon
This article is reprinted from Morning Oregonian, Portland, September 26, 1910, page 13
WOMAN TRAVERSES CASCADES' CRESTMrs. W. E. Herring, of Portland, with Husband Is First to Make Journey.COUPLE SLEEPS IN OPENGovernment Engineer Completes Journey--Valuable Water Power Found in Mountains May Be Harnessed.
MEDFORD, Or., Sept. 25.--(Special.)--Mr. and Mrs. W.Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-32263801196690261612016-11-01T09:11:00.000-07:002016-11-01T09:11:24.556-07:00On the Topic of Private Email Servers
I would like to explain for the common people of the United States why it would make sense for someone to use a private email server setup on a laptop. Much has been made by the Republican Party of HR Clinton’s choice to do so, with people calling her a traitor for doing so. I have always found these accusations to be absurd. Why? Because there are valid and legitimate Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-63547158174163966502016-03-23T08:12:00.006-07:002016-03-23T08:12:56.162-07:00To Bern or Not to BernTo Bern or Not to Bern,
That is the question!
I've compiled a list of reasons people don't want to vote for Bernie Sanders so that I can provide some information systematically, rather than the random way conversations develop, often as gut reactions to informational posts, on Facebook and other social media.
A few caveats: If I think there is plenty of evidence that your "reason to not Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-21245868293002392852015-11-15T12:43:00.001-08:002015-11-15T12:43:24.621-08:00Our Sudden French Patriotism Ok, people.  Stop trying to make our sudden French Patriotism about racism.   There are viable reasons why this terrorist attack in Paris has stirred so many hearts in the US, and it isn't about race or class or favoritism in skin color.
War is horrific.  Terrorism is horrific.  Killing is horrific.  But there's are reasons we are so stirred by these horrific events Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-42505180042415443902015-06-28T11:25:00.000-07:002015-06-28T11:30:43.790-07:00Why I PRIDE
In all my years as a Christian I have never been "a hater." This is because I believe God is love. It is not possible to know God without having love, without experiencing love, without believing that love is the most important thing in life.
Most Christians know the Bible says this. They believe it to some degree or another, although some believe erroneously that if you love Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-33415548408960341782011-03-25T10:21:00.000-07:002011-03-25T10:21:56.636-07:00One Year in ReflectionLessons Learned This Past Year
Today is a special day for me, not only because it is a Holy Feast Day in the Orthodox Church, but more importantly it is my one-year anniversary. It was one year ago today that I made a decision and was relieved of my “ordination” as a Reader in the Orthodox Church.
There were those in my life who felt gloomy about my decision. I did not. I felt not only Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-55520485642768768472011-01-24T12:31:00.000-08:002011-01-24T12:31:43.690-08:00Dead Girl WalkingDead Girl Walking
(First a little blurby... I've been writing a lot of poetry in a form of musical lyrics. If you or someone you know would like to make this into a song, please contact me. This particular piece was inspired jointly by a character in my next book, and by a certain photo I found on deviant art. I will try to find a link to the photo and post it. Here it is...)
Dead Girl Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-57029974249091732532011-01-22T00:28:00.000-08:002011-01-22T00:28:20.306-08:00Musings from Muse and The FrayThis is the last time I'll abandon you
And this is
The last time I'll forget you
I wish I could
Look to the stars
Let hope burn in your eyes
And we'll love and we'll hate and we'll die
All to no avail, all to no avail
* * * *
Don't talk, don't say a thing
Cause your eyes they tell me more than your words
Don't go, don't leave me now
Cause they say the best Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-67189655315188725392010-12-03T12:02:00.000-08:002010-12-03T12:02:14.023-08:00John Merrick kidnapped by faeriesApparently I am an expert on John Merrick.
An expert? How so? you ask.
Well, my blog gets dozens of hits per day to this page right here:
http://flyintheholyoil.blogspot.com/2003_06_08_archive.html
John Merrick was known as "The Elephant Man" because he had a rare skin disease.
Well, now I am here to tell you the WHOLE STORY.
Here's a little poem by Isaac Watts that was a favorite of John Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-39294591232280929642010-11-04T22:48:00.000-07:002010-11-04T22:48:40.494-07:00Silence the FeelingThere is nothing so lonely
As knowing
That I cannot love you
You think you have a nightmare
But you do not know
Can never know
The storm
There is nothing so lovely
As knowing
That I love youBasil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-20038671140020789202010-11-04T22:45:00.000-07:002010-11-04T22:45:31.690-07:00The Desolate PlacesThe desolate places
dry without thirst
water without fire
the empty places
consuming all
all but desire
The desolate places
search the world
and you shall find none
so desolate as my soul
Live ineffably gives birth
moment consumes moment
until all that is left are
The desolate places
No love but no rejection
No peace but no pain
No rest but no fear
The dry languid consequence of soulBasil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-76615642216420050132010-09-22T23:48:00.000-07:002010-09-22T23:48:14.858-07:00YellowThis is a beautiful song. My daughter has been trying to get me interested in it, and tonight was the first time I actually sat down and listened to it. Great stuff!
Yellow, by Coldplay
Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow
I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called "Yellow"
So then I took my turn
Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-57195861447812924772010-09-21T12:02:00.000-07:002010-09-21T12:02:15.096-07:00Sticks and Stones, Luv...I wasn't meaning to become so philosophical when I posted this little blurb:
I'll just tell you now
'cause I dont think you know
The things you tried to kill
I found a way to grow
I'll just tell you now
You may have made your mark
But I'm still here today
Knowing who you are
I'll just tell you now
I wasn't meaning to become philosophical, but someone unfortunately asked me "who is killing"?
Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-43905828505668193272010-09-12T00:45:00.000-07:002010-09-12T00:45:25.735-07:00somehowsomehow I am free
I could not have guessed
I could not have predicted this
I am enchanted with beauty
everywhere
the sights and sounds of beauty
intensity
light and color
shape and outline
darkness and light
intensity of form and perception
I am in love with beauty
and nothing else matters
but somehow
like never before
and never expected
I am free
I still love you
every one
but I am not Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-47391135428797315612010-09-03T23:55:00.000-07:002010-09-03T23:55:19.883-07:00I'm sick of Orthodox Christianity, and I just figured out why...... well, now that I have your attention.
Yeah, really.
And no, it doesn't have anything to do with "all the inner turmoil" I've experienced this year.
Yeah, well, I know this doesn't sound "all that pious" of me. Enjoying the scandal? Might as well find out why. Keep reading.
Tonight I landed upon this article here which has the interesting title More Teens Becoming 'Fake' Christians. Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-65146520653108058092010-09-03T23:15:00.001-07:002010-09-03T23:15:31.312-07:00Gah!That's crazy.
I just spent an hour modifying my Fly In The Holy Oil page ONLY because I wanted to have titles to my posts!!!! Gah!
Now I can't remember what I wanted to post any more.
forgettingBasil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-79451675582048033592010-08-28T23:55:00.000-07:002010-08-28T23:57:17.583-07:00The Wandering Love CycleThe moon glistens on a silhouette and tears well up in my eyesThere is so much to taste hereto touch to holdto devourNight upon star-filled nightTo love too much?Or to feel too little?To understand the consequencesof each subtle glanceof each gentle fragranceof each tender embraceMy heart is so fullit cannot contain another breathMy burden so lightthat it gives me wingsandBasil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-30491606319691696782010-08-15T23:52:00.000-07:002010-08-15T23:53:21.520-07:00Falling AsleepIt is a dark night of soullaced with the movementof soft shadows, wind,moonlight streaming through tears,where branches scrape the hollows.It is a deep night of souldank with the smell ofwhite and blackthe shimmer of resonantvoices against the dream.It is the sleep of sorrowsdrawing me near the depthsthe steep draught, hopelessimpersonating death, infinite in finality.It is a brightBasil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009768.post-11123122628339788402010-08-09T13:35:00.000-07:002010-08-09T13:37:28.606-07:00Map Of The ProblematiqueI think this is one of my favorite Muse songs.Map Of The ProblematiqueFearAnd panic in the air I want to be free From desolation and despair And I feel Like everything I saw Is being swept away When I refuse to let you go I can't get it right Get it right Since I met you Loneliness be over When will this loneliness be over? LifeWill flash before my eyes So scattered and Basil The Wandering Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10849371448908295707noreply@blogger.com0