Sunstone Naked! An Interview of Underwhelming Proportions

[Sunstone]

If you could either have a pet platypus or a pet walrus, which would you choose and why?

Ah, the eternal question. The question men and women have sought an answer to since before the dawn of recorded history. The question that has stumped philosophers, poets, mathematicians, and scientists alike. I was wondering when someone would get around to asking it!

On the subject of platypus or walrus, I myself decisively favor neither. I know of advantages and disadvantages to both. Consequently, my mind has kindled a passion exclusive to neither one of them. Moreover, I would like to take this opportunity to quench the rumor that a walrus accompanied my wife and I to our bridal bed on our wedding night. That heinous rumor is completely scurrilous! The walrus did not "accompany" us. He had to be dragged.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Describe our friendship 5 words or less.

Do you have bread items in your cupboard or fridge? Why do you store your bread that way?

If I showed up to your doorstep with nothing on underneath a raincoat, would you purchase some Avon cosmetics from me? How about some Tupperware? Amway?

How is your blog doing? Do you have future plans with it?

Do you have bricks lying around your home that you like to bang together?

What is your measurement of your......you know......collar?

If I showed up to your doorstep with nothing on underneath a raincoat, would you show me a portrait of me that you'd painted?

What's your favorite coffee to drink? Favorite beer?

Finally, if I showed up to your doorstep with nothing on underneath a raincoat, would you pay me the money you've owed me for the last 4 years? How about if I pointed a finger at you and called you a naughty boy?

 

[Sunstone]

And finally, describe yourself, one of your portraits' subjects, and one of your more memorable firefighter moments -- each in three words.

Three words?

Describe myself in three words: "I can not."

Describe the subjects of my portraits in three words: "I can not."

Describe a memorable fire fighting moment in three words: "I can not."

Since I cannot describe any of those in just three words, I am going to take artistic liberties with your question. Thus, I have already described myself in the OP -- that is done. Now to describe a subject of my paintings:

Here is the painting again, the description of her follows:

The subject of that painting is a very intelligent person who had a very hard upbringing. She managed to rise above her childhood hardships to become an exceptionally kind, open-minded, and spirited person. She has a remarkably witty sense of humor; greatly accurate -- one might say hugely accurate -- insights into people; and an indomitable nature. I don't know how she did it, given how hard her childhood was. But she is someone I admire -- hence an inspiration to paint.

In my next post, I will tell you my favorite story from my fire fighting days, DS.

 

[Sunstone]

In my next post, I will tell you my favorite story from my fire fighting days, DS.

I call this story from my fire fighting days, "Memories of My Heroic Youth".

The story begins at 5:00 in the morning. I am asleep in bed at the fire station when the alarm comes in.

A motel is on fire!

I leap out of bed even though I am still mostly asleep. I hurry to put on my uniform. Then, I hear the fire trucks starting up. Jeebers! The other men are way ahead of me!

How did that happen? There is no time to pause to find out. I rush through putting on the rest of my uniform, and I dash for the truck bay.

When I get there, the trucks are already leaving, but I run and jump on the tail platform of the last fire truck headed out. I grab the safety bar with both hands, as I am supposed to do in order to keep from falling off the truck.

I made it! What a relief! I allow myself a smug smile. Nothing can defeat a real fire fighter.

As we siren down the road to the motel, I look over my shoulder. There is a station wagon behind us, following us to the fire. The station wagon is full of little kids and driven by a mother in her housecoat. Obviously they are following us to see the fire.
Little kids! How sweet! They probably want to grow up to be just like me.

Suddenly I become aware of a horrifying sensation — my pants are sliding down my legs!

I look down — in my haste I had forgotten to zip up and belt!

Damn it! There is no way I can take both my hands off the safety rail, nor even a way to reach that far down with just one hand and pull my pants up.

I look over my shoulder again — only my great big fire fighter’s turn-out coat protects me from mooning a whole family of kids and their mother.

It happens that’s the only saving grace of the morning — my coat — for my pants by now are almost around my knees. In a moment of painful self-recognition, I realize the kids in the car behind me are perhaps no longer wishing to grow up to be just like me.

We reach the motel. The truck stops and I am at last able to reach down and pull up my pants. But just as I finish, I look around and notice the TV crews have arrived with their cameras.

For one tenth of a second, the thought crosses my mind that they have filmed me and that I will be on the morning news pulling up my pants at a fire.

For one tenth of a second, I grasp that my brother fire fighters will never let me forget this morning — not even forget it for at least 30 minutes after I have died — even should I be so unfortunate after this morning as to live to an old age.

For one tenth of a second, I vividly imagine my Chief’s face when he tunes in the news that morning.

For one tenth of a second I come the closest I will ever come as a fire fighter to fainting on the job.

 

[Willamena]

Unbridled is to imagination what groomed is to _______.

 

[Sunstone]

I'm going to answer your several questions one or two at a time, Heather, largely in order to drive you nuts.

Describe our friendship 5 words or less.

Five words or less? Really?

Oh, hell, I reached my limit! I could never describe out relationship in five words or less. So, I'm going to take poetic license with your question and describe our relationship thus:

We go back several years as internet and phone friends. During that time you have, with remarkable consistency, been a pure --- rather, make that an "impure" -- delight to engage with. You have cheered me up when I was down, opened my heart and mind to new views and perspectives, treated me with unfailing warmth, and been ever a loyal and supportive friend. In return, I have screwed you out of $800 in cash owed for favors. But what is a smidgen of money between friends? A mere trifle! In fact, I think it is quite noble of me not to have let such a paltry sum of money get in the way of our friendship.

 

[Sunstone]

Do you have bread items in your cupboard or fridge? Why do you store your bread that way?

In the fridge. There's a little story behind that. While I was growing up, my mother at first stored bread items in a cupboard. At some point she switched to storing them in the fridge. A few months later, I overheard her tell a guest how much longer the bread lasted when stored in a fridge. I don't know why, but her remark made such an impression on me that I can still hear her words in my mind almost every time I put the bread away (in the fridge). On the other hand, I have totally forgotten whatever it was that she might have told me about cleaning up my room, doing the laundry, or taking the garbage out.

 

[Sunstone]

If I showed up to your doorstep with nothing on underneath a raincoat....

To be serious for a moment, I would not put it pass you to show up on my doorstep wearing nothing beneath your raincoat. I honestly would not. And that's one of the many reasons I love you: You possess a spirit greater than any social conventions. That is so rare --- and so precious!

...would you purchase some Avon cosmetics from me? How about some Tupperware? Amway?

But of course! I imagine I would be quickly yearning in those circumstances to offer you a suddenly thick, lengthy order that might fill your form to our mutual and glowing satisfaction!

 

[Sunstone]

How is your blog doing? Do you have future plans with it?

I've taken a two or three month break from blogging. I'm just about ready to go back to it, though.

The blog is currently getting about 200 views a day from people reading old posts that they found through search engines. In the past, when I have been posting every day to it, the blog has gotten about 400 views a day -- half from people reading old posts, and half from people reading what's been posted that day.

If I go back to it, I will want to post every day. But this time around it might be difficult to do that because I've recently taken up painting, and thus my time for blogging is more limited.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I love those answers, Sunstone, especially the firefighter moment one. Thank you!

Now, describe me and my relationship with you in as few or many words/sentences/paragraphs as you'd like. You may take all the artistic liberties you want while doing that, too.

 

[Me Myself]

If I say "The best thing ever happened to you!"

Which were the first images/events that immidiately came to your mind?(no thinking! the very first direct images/memories )

After answering which were the immidiates to come to your mind, which are the actual best things that have happened to you? (maybe the answer is different when you think about it a bit )

 

[Sunstone]

Do you have bricks lying around your home that you like to bang together?

Does a duck like water? I have always been suspicious of the man whose home hath no bricks. For what does such a man bang together if he hath no bricks? And may we properly account him a man if he does not wont of an evening to bang together his bricks?

 

[Shuddhasattva]

What advice would you give on the subject of poetry?

 

[Sunstone]

What is your measurement of your......you know......collar?

Alas! My...er...collar size is slightly less, at two inches, than that of a few other men. I have striven, however, to make up for its deficiency both by having a bold racing stripe tattooed down the side of my...er...neck, and also by wiring it for electricity.

Sadly, when I went to plug myself into the household current after the wiring operation, I mistook the 220 volt outlet for a 120. My testicles immediately began clapping together at rate several times my heartbeat. The resounding noise woke up the neighbors, the cops were called, and I have ever since been forbidden to operate my...er...appliance...during normal bedtime hours.

 

[Sunstone]

What's your favorite coffee to drink? Favorite beer?

For years, I've been fond of microbrewed beers. But recently, my younger brother has made me aware of wine. He borders on being a connoisseur of the stuff and he's introduced me to some wonderful vintages.

 

[Sunstone]

Finally, if I showed up to your doorstep with nothing on underneath a raincoat, would you pay me the money you've owed me for the last 4 years? How about if I pointed a finger at you and called you a naughty boy?

Can we arrange for a lap dance before I fork over the cash? That would be so nice of you! And such an affirmation of your trust in me!

 

[Sunstone]

Unbridled is to imagination what groomed is to _______.

Unbridled is to imagination what groomed is to hippies.

 

[Sunstone]

Now, describe me and my relationship with you...

I think the strongest characteristic of our relationship is an easy going friendship based on what at least seems to be a lot of basic commonalities -- such as our shared values, our common curiosity about things, our similar approaches to understanding the world, and so forth.

Beyond that, I think there's an element of mentoring. You have been willing to seek my advice, and I have been willing to offer it. But I don't think mentoring is the predominant element in our relationship. I think simple friendship is.

 

[Sunstone]

If I say "The best thing ever happened to you!"

Which were the first images/events that immidiately came to your mind?(no thinking! the very first direct images/memories )

The first thing that comes to mind is that time I got lucky with Terri. But it's first to mind, not because it's true, but because it's a joke I enjoy telling myself (and sometimes others, as well).

After answering which were the immidiates to come to your mind, which are the actual best things that have happened to you? (maybe the answer is different when you think about it a bit )

There are so many "best things" that have happened to me, I find it impossible to list them all, and even impossible to rank them.

Having said that, I think my family and friends are well up on that list. I believe I have been very fortunate in the quality of the people closest to me.

Beyond that, I have been fortunate to get a good education, to have had the privilege of fighting fires with a band of brothers, to have excelled in several of my jobs, to be self-employed these days, and -- corny as this may sound -- to have loved the extraordinary women I have loved. Those women have inspired me, renewed my interest in living, shown me worlds I might not otherwise have noticed, and refreshed my spirit.

That does not exhaust the list I should make, if I were to list all the best things that have happened to me, but I think it's a good start.

 

[Sunstone]

What advice would you give on the subject of poetry?

I merely dabble in poetry but do not consider myself to be a remarkable poet, nor to be a competent critic of poetry (StephenW, by the way, strikes me as among the best readers of poetry I've ever met. He understands the stuff -- even my own stuff -- better than anyone else I've personally known).

Having given fair warning of lack of expertise, I will now attempt to address your kind question.

(1) A willingness to experiment with word is an essential ingredient in composing poetry. I think too many of us might set out to compose a poem, when we should set out to experiment with composing a poem.

When you try to merely compose a poem, you are likely to spend much time and effort second-guessing your choice of words. In turn, that impedes creativity and can even shut it down entirely, resulting in writer's block.

There is a time and place for second-guessing your words. When you edit your poem. But I find you should do only the lightest editing, if at all, when actually composing the poem.

However, by "light editing", I do not mean you should refrain from many changes. Light editing is not a matter of the number of changes you make. You can make a hundred or a thousand changes to you poem as you compose it, and you might still be only lightly editing it. For light editing is when you edit without putting much thought into "how do I come across". It is when you edit without a thought for your audience.

Heavy editing should be done later on, after you have composed your poem, and then only to make the meaning, emotions, and feelings accessible to your audience.

(2) Sing, chant, or simply speak your poem as you compose it. Sing, chant, or speak it aloud. Over and over as you compose it. I think too many of us these days write poems to be read, but we do not write them to be spoken. That is, we compose poetry as if we were composing prose. But we should be composing poetry as if we were composing music.

(3) Compose a poem as if you were ******* someone you loved. When you **** someone you love, you do not think, "This is wrong with her. That is wrong with her.". No, you explore her. You work to shape her emotions, her feelings. You play a symphony or a song upon her body. And in the same manner, you should play a symphony or a song upon word when you compose a poem. Rather that, than sit there criticizing what you are doing with word, or criticizing what word is, or criticizing yourself.

Those three things are the most important (to me at least) bits of advice I can think to give.