Author: andyveilleux

Here is soft weak and pathetic

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Something is broken,

and we can feel it,

as sure as we can feel

every pin and needle in our

heads that are in and out of

consciousness.

 

It's there,

trust me,

it's there,

even if there

doesn't really exist,

it's more of a subjective place,

a GPS could never take you to.

 

Now then,

it's a big place,

with hidden chambers,

and everything is fucked up.

 

It sounds like the real world,

doesn't it?

 

Except "there" is where every

failure of moral judgement,

shattered dream and lost hope,

god-awful screw up that made you

wish you were fucking dead

has escaped to.

 

Those things live "there,"

even when you aren't around,

too bust strolling in the corridors

of life,

where thingss are safe,

and nothing is out to hurt you

in any way that matters.

 

The physical is nothing,

weak, soft, pathetic,

like a fluffy bunny,

no claws at all,

wait til the hounds of 

"there," or hell,

or Baskerville,

or whatever you want to call it,

come calling.

 

You are weak,

soft,

and pathetic,

stuck here,

while everything

important is happening

there.

 

So why am I here,

writing these words?

 

Weak,

soft,

and pathetic.

Sleep runs down the rabbit hole

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Night is a cruel mistress,

always tempting one to,

misbehave,

when health and sanity,

cry out for sleep.

 

Sleep is a ghost dancing,

an outline visible,

intangible,

but it exists enough,

to speak of.

 

Sleep runs down a dimly-lit tunnel,

shaking and juking,

around each corner on the

winding road leading

to nowhere fast

and just far enough down

the rabbit

hole

to make one question

which way is up

although down is more important

at least on cold nights.

breathe

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There is no demon like the night;

inescapable, all-consuming, yet empty.

 

Not even the mirror will save you,

it's more likely to betray you;

what was that?

 

Who is that?

 

Breathe.

The trick

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Never look it in the eyes,

despite the promies of the,

broken, lost, philosophers,

and their empty, vacant claims.

 

It will annhilate you,

and keep moving,

because it's the big one,

the unstoppable force;

the war humanity will lose.

 

We never had a shot in hell,

but we never gave up;

was it worth it?

Is this happiness?

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Another wall,

another dead end.

 

Confronted with it,

all too familiar,

once again.

 

This can't be the limit,

there has to be more.

 

No,

no.

 

No.

 

Not now,

at least,

but maybe not ever.

 

And maybe I'm too late.

 

There's no breaking out of,

a slump like this,

and there's only one end,

despite all the options.

 

There's only one end.

The blues

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It was the night that forced me to write. I had to write, or there would be nothing after.

There is a weight, an entity, an anchor, pulling part of my soul down.

Every night without words causes the tumour to sink deeper, and corrupt more.

Is this an escape, a temporary reprieve or just a useless feel-good exercise.

Is something that makes you feel good a useless exercise?

Insignificant musing.

The wind whistles into, and out of, the decrepit apartment windows, begging for a proper entrance, or for total submission.

Brick, steel, and decades of existence don't bow down so easily.

Strange mechanical noises outside, first thought to be ladders on a parked trailer, and have now become whatever nightmare my sleep-deprived, horror-accustomed mind can imagine.

An all-consuming, fluorescent, white glow blocks everything in the room behind the screen.

The room is 81 per cent darkness.

What skeletons can dance in so much darkness?

There are also ghosts, and they whisper memories best left forgotten. I feel them crawling up my legs in the dark, edging up to the white light, but never entering into view.

They wait to scream out, and startle me. I could only be so lucky.

Forever they remain nameless. Forever they smile outside my vision.

Forever they know everything I do not.

 

You didn't notice. Sleep is your natural state. Envy fills me, as dreams are my favourite place. The only place that makes sense to me. The only place where existence is fair.

Fairness is subjective, like justice, but I trust my shadow's judgement enough to lose myself there.

Those are the lucky moments. It is more common to not remember my journeys there, and maybe that is for the best.

Imagine waking up from paradise every day, and coming back here.

Perpetual disappointment.

The radiator clicks.

I couldn't buy sleep tonight, not in a bottle of pills, a bottle of whiskey, or a bottle of self-loathing.

I guess that's why they call it the blues.

 

Written February 21

A simple definition for the ever-burning question of love

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Something stagnant,

 but comfortable,

and safe.

 

Something taken for granted,

chokes and fails,

giving way to,

nothing of value.

 

Something appreciated and nourished,

gets back up,

with every fall,

and won't die.

 

Boredom battling,

against an ideal of novelty,

scarcely acknowledged,

never understood.

 

Take it from a man,

who has survived many trenches,

nothing comes easy,

but something breaks easy.

 

Progress is possible

resistance is not futile.

Social Nation: A great overview of the philosophy behind social media

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Barry Libert's Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow your Business is not your typical social media book. In fact, it read more like a philosophy book. And no, not an Immanuel Kant or Friedrich Nietzsche sleeper, but more of a general A.C. Grayling piece of work. That means the book deals with complex ideas in simplistic terms that every-day people can understand. In comparison with many of the other social media books and articles I've laboured through, the book is mush easier to get through.

The book is a short one in comparison with most business books, but that doe snot mean it suffers for it with a lack of depth. The books comes across as a well-thought-out series of ideas brought together in a loose narrative. The voice of the author is alive and well in the book, which is something most business books don't usually offer. That being said, this book should not be approached as a one-stop-shop for how to move your business into social media, or an expert's guide to social media. The book should be read as a good entry level work about social media, a good touch-up for social media advocates/experts, or to understand the philosophy and some of the bigger ideas with social media as a whole.

The book also has a few unique features worth mentioning. The book, and the online accompanying website, have a social media test to help you gauge your understanding of social media. This is a good test for beginners right through to experts to make sure your social media ego matches the reality of your skills. The book also discusses 10 major pitfalls companies and people fall into when trying to create their own “social nation.” The more important pitfalls mentioned include: Running a social nation like a traditional business, under-investing in social initiatives and giving up on them too soon, neglecting inspiring and motivating your followers, underestimating the power of your social nation, not relying on partners, and trying to develop your own social software and analytics when there are easy-to-use ones already developed to suit your needs.

The book relies on some quotes taken from some famous, and no so famous, individuals. In truth, one quote, by Thomas Watson, sums up the main message of the book: “To be successful, have your heart in your business and your business in your heart.”

2010 in review – blog stats

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The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 6,200 times in 2010. That’s about 15 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 176 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 260 posts. There were 13 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 1mb. That’s about a picture per month.

The busiest day of the year was October 29th with 174 views. The most popular post that day was Sudbury Star’s failure with the 2010 municipal election and what it means.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, twitter.com, WordPress Dashboard, uswlocal6500.ca, and mail.live.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for andy veilleux, lise chapados, chris mercer laurentian, alan stephen sudbury star, and hobb beckett.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Sudbury Star’s failure with the 2010 municipal election and what it means October 2010
25 comments and 2 Likes on WordPress.com

2

About June 2010

3

Affiliations June 2010

4

Current Projects June 2010

5

Sudbury, Ontario: A Beginner’s Guide to the Nickel City June 2010
2 comments