Sunday, the first day of the week, observed as the Sabbath by most Christian sects.  The name comes from the Latin, “Dies Solis”, meaning the “Sun’s Day”: the name of a pagan Roman holiday.  It is also called, in Latin, “Dominica”, the Day of God !  In the prophets, and especially Isaiah, you will find the statement, so often repeated by the leaders of the Churches that;  “The true Sabbath is not is not ceasing from physical work, but to stop sinning.”——-perfection can be found in man’s attempts to stop sinning!!
                        There is so much rhetoric spinning around the word (name) SUNDAY that, unless you’re a devout church-goer, it can be quite confusing, especially to young seekers of truth.  In my mind, The Sun’s Day makes the most sense because it lays a foundation for the “Suspension of disbelief!”  And not because I want to find enjoyment in believing in the unbelievable, but because you almost have to.  I mean, so much time has passed since we really had a true appreciation for the Sun that we have forgotten what amazing ritualistic faith there must have been for the sun when humanity was first taking it’s initial “Baby Steps.”  The, very simple, fact that the sun brought light into our reality each day must have seemed a “Daily” miracle. And I can certainly see why men may have worshipped the bringing of light into their world darkness.  Certainly worthy of praise, to say the least.  Some one or something had to be attributed the power of bringing the sun.  We had to have a way to give thanks for this every day miracle.  Personally, I believe God created the heaven’s and the universe,  It is so clear to me now, that I would die for this belief.  It is within this belief that love, beauty, joy, happiness, friendship and pleasure can all be found.  Why anyone would believe otherwise, is beyond me.  But then again, so are most things.  Most of you know that I don’t really post much on Sunday’s but I wanted to make it clear for my friends and family.  Sunday, is the one day of the week that I truly feel closest to them all……….for it is a day of reflection, and not for work.  It has been this way for me since I was a child.   I didn’t understand then WHY it was a day of rest, but I do now.  And it’s never too late to say thank you, or I Love you.  Today, is Sunday, and I would like to say thank you to all of you whom I love and care so much about that I have often forgotten to remind you of it.  Please know that my relationship with God has brought forth such a warm and wonderful appreciation of who my friends and family are, that I will never be able to convey to you just how much I LOVE you, until we join together in his bliss, I know that now, and I am grateful!………….I am Dartanion2………and that’s the way I see it…………cheers………..t  xx

there’s a thing called writers block…….to which I am not a subscriber……..

Hi guys,  I have so many ideas going through my mind today,  that I spent the last thirty minutes trying to decide what it was that I wanted to talk about today.  The truth is I am anxious to get outside and work on some of my poetry.  But as I sat here batting around ideas it occurred to me that I may have writers block.  Then I thought, I don’t think there is such a thing.  I mean I always have something I can write about.  I mean sometimes I can’t seem to focus on one particular thing so then I just leave it for a while and work on something else and when I come back to it, all is well.  So, I am not a subscriber to the idea of writers block and I am subscriber to “just writing!”  Writers—–write.  So I try to do that every day.  Then it occurred to me that I have the perfect piece to convey that very idea———-I am going to share that with you here right now, and then i’ll make my daily, painful, journey across the street to the beach where I write sometimes.  So, here is a piece I wrote recently which recived so pretty interesting comments from the other writers there.  Tell me what you think.  Leave it in the comments section here if you please———=we have discussions about your comments, and somewhere in the near future I will be doing a write specifically about the wonderful comments and activities going on in the comment section of this blog!  Thanx for your reply’s………here’s the piece on writing…….

                    DIFFICULTIES ON OBSERVATIONS IN WRITING
                              BY: Tony Taylor

I find such charm, in reading great writers who’s song
and imagery
Need not be aware of the effect compared by sullen
predecessors
For often we find the new writer’s mind, is content
to swim in sewage
The corruption of man is followed by corruption
of language
For language has surely come from, observation
of nature
And the minds matching symbols to objects
observed
There’s divinity in the images conveyed in
simple words
The ballet created when man preserves
Honesty of God,
in portrayals and conveyances
I am in awe when I find a simple bird, aloft
and in greater surprise when words deify
that simple bird in flight
For no matter how I sweat, and try
I realize, I am but a simple poet
who spends his time trying to divine
great thinkers, who just seem to know it….

Tony Taylor    (Chicago)

             
                     THE SPLENDOR

Hi guys, today I would like to discuss LOVE!!  It’s healing power.  It’s universality. And it’s effects on me, personally.  The picture you’re looking at is the woman who has brought me closer to understanding Love, and it’s many gifts, than I have ever known.  Her name is Cherie, and she is my heart.  When I first got sick Doctors told me I would probably be in a wheelchair and may never walk again.  Needless to say I plummeted into depression and self pity.  For nearly a year I accepted home health care as my only option and I was (for the most part) housebound, depressed and bereft of hope.  Then, I began having conversations with God through prayer, mostly.  It came to me that (or God allowed me to see) I needed an outlet for my frustrations so, I began writing.  I joined a poetry site and began this blog.  During my first few weeks of pouring out massive amounts of writing I was beginning to feel some relief from my depression and had gained ” a reason” for waking up each day.  My writing began creating new friendships and enhancing old ones.   One day, on my blog, I revealed my health issues publically.  I had no idea that this simple act would change EVERYTHING!!  I began getting more than a “little” interest in my disease.  So, I began updating the few followers of my blog on my ongoing medical treatments and condition.  It was these postings that increased my blogs following and led CHERIE to discover me and my condition, because she had the early stages of Peripheral Neuropathy herself.  When she read of my condition, she cried, she hadn’t been able to identify her symptoms on her own and my blog helped her find fellow sufferer.  I had met her through the poetry site (cosmofunnel) and she had come to my blog only as a favor not expecting to find anything in particular.  When she broke into to tears that first day she left a comment describing the moment as a “GOD” moment!  My mother read that comment and told me that it was God working through me and that it was a sign that I was meant to be doing this blog and that I should open myself up to the idea.  Consequently, Cherie and I began a platonic friendship that dealt with our disease and then led into discussions about poetry.  We exchanged phone numbers (something I NEVER do) and we began talking fairly regularly.  Our discussions began lasting, for what seemed like an hour, but were actually 4 hour blocks that seemed to whiz by without us really understanding what was happening.  We discovered so much common ground that it became almost frighteningly coincidental that we could share so much and be from completely different paths and experiences.  I began looking forward to those conversations……..everyday.  She was becoming frightened of her feelings and we began denying to one another that this could be anything more than just a “God Blessed” friendship.  Needless to say, our emotions just kept overwhelming the conversations until it started seeping into our poetry.  And if you read poetry you can probably see where this is heading.  My poetry began changing from writes on God and personal observations to romantic insinuation.  And it felt so good to be stepping into an area that I thought was gone from my life forever.  My attention to my Doctor visits began becoming more aggressive and staying inside my home completely, became going outside now and then, despite the pain involved.  I found that my Doctor visits were paying dividends and treatments more frequent.  My friendship with Cherie began blossoming into affection.  My health began to be an obstacle.  I worked harder at weekly physical therapy sessions. My Doctors and I began closing in on precise causes and approaches to alleviating pain and discomfort.  I had my first spinal surgery.  Cherie and I began talking every single day and the Love on the phone became so thick that my heart began jumping at the sound of the phone ringing.  I had my second spinal surgery and I began taking short one block walks on my own (against doctors orders).  One day, I asked Cherie if any one had told her that they loved her today?  Her response made me cry. (I never cry)  She responded by saying that she loved me too! Even though I hadn’t exactly said those words, she took a chance.  My ENTIRE life changed in that moment.  OH My God, I can’t possibly explain to you how amazing our conversations became after that.  We tell each other how much we Love each other in so many ways today, that I still can’t believe it.  The emotions flowing between us are not imagined, they are physically manifesting in our heartbeats and synchronicities———they are so overwhelming that they have affected EVERYTHING I know!  I have been finding one answer after another where my health is concerned.  My relationship with God has become a miracle in my life.  I go for walks every single day to the beach. (difficult walks, but they are making me so happy that pain seems irrelevant to me now).  I sit on the beach every day for two hours writing poetry and smiling and thanking God for allowing me to be a part of life again, and mostly for bringing the Love of my life into plain view.  She is a miracle that I never expected.  She is a miracle that I have been searching for my entire life.  Love can heal my friends.  Love can conquer time and distance.  Love can do ANYTHING!!  It is absolute.  Right now, as I am writing these words I can feel her in my chest, there is a warm energy emanating from my palms.  She is a part of me now and I LOVE HER unconditionally!  Corny huh?——–Doesn’t make it any less true.  Love is all around me, in the comment section of this blog, in the stars at night, in the poetry that I write, in my conversations with my mother, in these words I offer you here, right now.  Can you feel it?  Of course you can.  Because, the truth only works one way.  God, is love………….I am Dartanion2……….and that’s the way I see it……….cheers……t xx

Hi guys,  the last 48 hours have seen me involved in conversations with God.  As I walked from the beach (don’t think you could call what I do walking, exactly) I found myself deep into a conversation with my lord and savior.  When I got home I found myself pouring out religious feel and intimacy.  I am a contributor at cosmofunnel.com where art is shared and commented on by fellow writers and painters etc………..I went back into my pages and found which piece my fellow poets had commented on the most………it turned out to be a spiritual write that I am quite pleased was recognized.  I would like to share that with you here now, as I am anxious to get back across the street, to the beach, for more inspiration!  Poetry is one of my great loves, I leave it you friends!!  May your day be blessed as mine has these past few days…….

                    WISDOM OF THE COSMOS
                                     by: Tony Taylor

When you feel the desire for eternal happiness take hold
of you from above
And when you long to be free of your body’s confusions
over love
Open wide your heart and fervently accept
it’s inspiration
Offer your most heartfelt thanks just for
the consideration
From the wisdom of the cosmos
For when you gaze into the sky, is it not apparent
That the heavens, are quite transparent, even divine
In their alignment, bringing love to those
who dare consider
The divine goodness in all that matters, the way
it glitters
The way it treats you, so generously, so robustly
And mightily raises you up, into it’s wisdom
The place where stars are born, what do we
give them
A reflection of ourselves, our purest hopes, our
dreams of love
Our words in poetry, trying to return what they
have already given
And so I pray to understand
The man that I am, how I fit into
All of this, these many gifts
That are
The wisdom
Of the COSMOS……..

Tony Taylor  (Chicago)

Hey people, before I go in to the details about the film “The Abyss”, I’d like to offer some little known facts about our Oceans.  What better place to begin than along with THE best movie ever made on the subject of our Oceans.  First of all did you know that 94% of life on earth is Aquatic?..or that 70% of the planet is Ocean, with an average depth of more than 12,400 feet.  Given that light can’t penetrate further than 330ft. below the waters surface, that means most of our planet is in a perpetual state of darkness.  Pretty strange thought don’t ya think? I mean just the word darkness is spooky enough to warrant a little investigation perhaps carrying some lights?(just a thought)  We’ve only, actually, explored 5% of them, we have better maps of the planet Mars than we do of the Ocean’s floor!  This just keeps getting spookier and spookier.  why are we exploring other planets before exploring our own?  Because we are physically incapable of making the journey past the point of implosion, that’s why.  Although, (and you can’t quote me on this) it’s my understanding that we Have landed a deep sea submersible on the ocean floor and taken some VERY strange photograph’s of life we had no idea even existed. (little more food for thought)  The deep sea is the largest Museum on earth. There are more artifacts and remnants of history in the ocean than in ALL the museums on Earth combined.  This is pretty interesting; There are underwater hot springs that top off at a whopping 650 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s hot enough to melt lead.  And finally, the longest mountain range in the world is underwater.  It’s called the “Mid-Atlantic Oceanic Ridge”!  It’s 35,000 miles long,(think about that a sec, it’s like 23% percent of the face of the earth) the peaks of this mountain range are higher than those of the Swiss Alps. These are only a few of the facts that I learned about yesterday, I actually had a conversation about the ocean after researching it, and the conversation got so interesting that it lasted well over an hour so, if you’re interested the internet is overflowing with info. on the subject.  The most interesting fact to me was that when you come right down to it we really don’t know squat about our oceans except that Dolphins seem to be The most intelligent and willing communicator with humanity (but that’s entire post all to itself) and so I walked away with this; The OCEANS are truly the last great unexplored wilderness on Earth……..
Having said All that, let’s ta look at THE VERY BEST underwater film ever made. It’s a James Cameron film who is so well known for his Directing and writing abilities that if he just put’s his name on a project movie goers will line up to see what he’s come up with next.  You might know him for his “TERMINATOR” films. This movie is so filled with amazing scenes and sequences that I’m not going to give you an outline of the film I am going to touch on some of my favorite scenes but, mostly, I’d like to talk about the controversy and the actual making of this EXTRAORDINARY visual experience.
“THE ABYSS” is a 1989 Science Fiction Adventure film starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn.  When an American Nuclear Submarine sinks in the Atlantic, the US search and recovery team works with an oil platform crew racing against time and other Russian recovery subs to recover it’s payload.  What they discover will blow your mind and set your imagination on fire.  The special effects in this film, even though they are over 20 years old were so cutting edge that reproducing them today would still be a chore.  The picture you see above is an example of what I’m talking about, what you’re looking at is a tentacle that is inspecting the contents of the underwater oil platform where 90% of this film takes place.  It’s water being controlled by an unknown intelligence.  James Cameron had originally planned to film in the Bahama’s but wound up shooting at the Cherokee Nuclear Power Plant outside of Gaffney South Carolina. It had been abandoned after a local power company spent 700 million dollars in construction. The underwater sequences in two specially constructed tanks. The first held 7.5 million US gallons of water.  At the time, it was the largest of it’s a kind, in the world.  It took them 5 days to fill with water, just to give you an idea of how big it was.  Cameron’s production company had to design and build experimental equipment AND develop state-of-the-art communications systems that would allow him to talk to the actors and record dialogue while being filmed completely submerged.  This was the first time such an undertaking had even been attempted.  There were so many problems for the actors that most of them still refuse to even discuss the experience.

                               There is a scene in this film that I have to bring attention to.  It is the most powerful and engrossing few minutes of love and faith in another human being that I have ever seen portrayed on film.  In it, Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio’s characters are trapped in a mini-sub.  They were once a married couple and have since broken up but neither has tossed their wedding rings.  The sub has sprung a leak and is beginning to fill with water.  They are only about 150 yards from the underwater oil platform and their home under the sea.  Well, they call to the platform to be picked up but their is a tornado topside and the communications have been temporarily disabled so they begin trying to plug the leak so that they can wait out the storm.  Well needless to say, the can’t stop the leak and the compartment begins filling with water.  They realize that there is only one scuba suit with which to swim back to the platform .  Which means one of them is about to die.  Well, as you can imagine, the tension is building as the water is rising.  He says to her she has to take the suit  because she designed the platform and her knowledge is invaluable to the crew.  She thinks for a moment realizing just how much she really loves this man and comes up with another idea.  The water is rising quickly.  She explains to him that he is a much stronger swimmer and that all he has to do is carry her back to the rig.  He begins calculating the distance in his mind and says “You’ll drown before I can make that swim Lindsay!?”  she says “I know. But the water temperature is just above freezing.  My blood will go cold and my body temp will preserve oxygen in my brain.  You can revive me!”…….oh my god, the look in his eyes just makes the entire room go silent.  The last few moments as he puts on the helmet and she’s fighting for her last few breaths of air and she’s looking at him through the window of his helmet are the most heartfelt moments on film I’ve ever experienced!  Her last few words; “You can do this Virgil, I love you Virgil. You can do this, Oh my God maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…”…………………NO! I won’t tell you what happens.  You HAVE to see this movie, there are so many unbelievable scenes in this film that you really MUST see it to believe it!
After this film came out there was apparently a “lot” of animosity that never really came out in the press.  At first, some of the actors refused to refused to go out and “plug” the movie on TV and talk shows, which is normally a part of their required duties.  They wouldn’t comment on the experience and Ed Harris (don’t quote me on this) said he would NEVER speak about it again.  It must have been extremely difficult on the actors, taking underwater direction, with 40% of the filming being shot underwater, and the incredibly tight quarters for the actors on screen.  It’s an obviously interesting back story when the actors don’t want to talk about it.  All of the technological efforts and the extreme working conditions aside, this film came out several years later with a limited edition version of the movie that is still bringing huge amounts of rental and video monies.  It is truly a feast for the eyes…..the special effects are unparalleled because no one has even attempted such an undertaking.  If you’ve never seen this movie………….allow me to urge you to make an effort to see this movie ……………it will NOT disappoint you………promise! (smile)……………I am Dartanion2 ……….and that’s the way I see it…………cheers…….t  xx

OK guys, sorry I’ve putzing around!..I just got back from my weekly consult, where we continue to plot courses of action, and I thought I’d talk about this while it’s still fresh in my mind.  What we’ve found, because the foot injections were not successful, is that the pain is not directly related to PN but more likely the demyelinating nerves.  Which is akin to major sports type injuries.  So, our next course of action is 3 weekly spinal surgeries.  Or, ONE surgery per week for the next 3 weeks.  What we’ve found is that my L3 disc is herniated and that changes the playing field a bit.  What the Doc is going to do is go into the sympathetic nerves that run along the spine, right next to the L3 disc where a dye will be injected to determine exact location for the nerve, which is so small that ZERO mistakes can be made because the blood flowing from the AORTA also runs right next to our target.  So, I wiil be sedated as they go into my spine so that they can still talk to me while they determine what affects are taking place as they inject small doses before they actually put me completely under. Wow! I hope that made sense.  So, in layman’s terms, they are going to shut down ALL feeling from the waist down on my left side on the first surgery.  That means no feeling in my leg or foot on my left side.  What this will help us learn is whether or not the constant pain I’m experiencing can be treated as a Sports injury, because if it can, then a miracle COULD be in the works.  So what we’re hoping is that IT IS a sports related problem.  I played 9 years of football and I had a three story fall from a window so the potential is there.  The reason we’re hoping that this is all true is that IF it is…….then I can be treated rather quickly and have complete relief from pain within a matter of weeks!!  HALLELUJAH!! (spell)…..Anyway I don’t have my hopes completely high because the let down will suck if it’s not true.  Either way I will still have to deal with the polyneuropathy but that will be a breeze if I can JUST GET RELIEF FROM PAIN! no what I mean?  So I’ve got my fingers crossed….first surgery is scheduled for Thursday Sept 4th and then the following 2 Tuesdays.  So the game is afoot and I’m scared and excited at the same time because the surgeries are dangerous (Paralysis is the worst case scenario) but I really trust Doctor Kalina and I know how good he is.  We will be using Laser technology for these surgeries so they are VERY precise.  Also, if successful, NO SPINAL CORD STIMULATOR IMPLANT….YAY!!!………So that’s whats been going on with me…….I will be back to my consistent self here on my blog……I’ve already planned my next 2 posts…….tomorrow I’m going into the mysteries of the Ocean and a review of the film “The Abyss” one of the best underwater films EVER made so should be fun!…….thanx again to Georgina, Kate (Alice Lawson), and Cherie (my honey) for keeping the comments going for me……tonight i’ll be responding to some of those FANTASTIC comments you guys have been leaving.  I have to say this!!  I AM SO PSYCHED!! about these upcoming surgeries!!………Could be a REAL game changer……..I Love you guys! (smile)…………..I am Dartanion2………..and that’s the way I see it…………cheers………t   xx

Hi guys!  Sorry I’ve been off for the past day working hard on poetry…….some things in the pipeline.  I wanted to touch on friendship again on my post today because it seems to be SO prevalent in my life, that I cannot deny or disregard the effect it is having on my life.  As many of you know I’ve been dealing with a disease that, for the most part has me housebound for lack of basic mobility skills.  Well, friendship and love have come into the equation where my health is concerned.  But I am getting a little ahead of myself.  First I would like to pay special greetings and salutations to my dear friend Georgina Richardson who has single handedly saved my stats on this blog for the past 48 hours.  She has been the biggest supporter of this blog and over the past day or so, during my absence, took it upon herself to go back and make comments on a ton of my past posts going all the way back some 53 posts ago.  Her comments are invaluable to this blog.  She has been laying her life open for all to see.  If I could direct your attention to one of her recent comments on the “ANGELS” post. At the top of this page there is a search box, just type in ANGELS and it will take you to the post I’m talking about.  Go into the comments section of that post and you will find one of the most AMAZING true stories you’ll ever read.  In fact, if you click on the comments section of any of my posts, you will probably find Georgina there.  Her and several other friends are responsible for the survival and success of this blog.  I challenge your curiosity to go into the comments section and read for yourself, what friendship REALLY is.  The comments here are worthy of praise because they are bubbling over with kindness and the joy of being friends.  They are a joy to me, and even though it sometimes takes a day or so for me to respond to some of them, eventually I do.  And I can’t tell you how many times I have spent hours just reading the comment section here……..everyone is so smart and well read and flat out NICE to each other.   It’s an honor to be a part of it.   The friendships I have been making of late have also been improving my over all health.  It’s like osmosis or something, the longer you are around kindness and generosity of spirit, the more it rubs off on you and for me it has been healing.  I’m going to entire post in the next day or so about this subject, but for now just KNOW that these friends of mine have me actually going outside for exercise.  A friggin’ MIRACLE in and of itself.  I have witnessed some extraordinary things in my life, but what’s going on here in the comment section of this blog is EXTRAORDINARY………take a look for yourself…….I dare you.  Thank you Georgina for holding things together around here for me……..like I said a few posts back….You’re an ANGEL Georgie……….and to All of my other friends who come here and share stories and experiences, just because I haven’t mentioned you here today……doesn’t mean that I’m not currently buying a Downtown L.A. billboard to recognize just how much of a Joy you ALL are………..Love to you, and my heartfelt thanks………glide on dreamers, there’s a place for you wherever your heart leads you!………..Friends, the stuff of LIFE……….I am Dartanion2……and that’s the way I see it…………..cheers………….t  xx