A stunningly good book; I picked it up with a wee bit of "what in the world is this going to be....and am I about to waste considerable time?" It turned out to be a sheer delight--and a revelation--from start to finish. Thank you!
I just adored this book. I read it feverishly over several days, and there's a richness here that I only wish I could share with my late rat terrier Rosie. I still miss even after several years.
I loved the entire book, but the description of St. Louis, and its awful arch, and your triumphant exit, was so wonderful I read it aloud to family and friends several times.
I’m new to your works, and have benefited greatly from them. Always deeply challenging with a certain moral sensibility, so thank you David. But I will have to say Roland you hit it out of the park! You continued in the fine tradition of your master but you drew me in with your witty and emotive storytelling
Might be a tad off the beaten path for the substack, but someone on the r/LSD subreddit once asked "What is it with cats when you're deep in the trip?" and someone else responded with the words of wisdom "Cats are essential for tripping. If you are tripping and you do not have a cat, one will be provided. Cats are shamans: they _know_ whats happening while its happening." I can confirm that this phenomenon is true based on my experiences during my stint living in a bit of a party house before covid. Admittedly someone else on the r/LSD subreddit asked "Does anyone else ever just become a panda on 200ug?" (with attached panda meme) and got >100 responses along the lines of "Yes! you too?" and "Omg I thought that was just me" and I had no clue what any of them were referring to, so I guess you have to take anything you read on there with a grain of salt XD
Anecdotal report of experiences with cats and dogs: for a while there, when I would walk through the suburbs of Sydney to wherever I might be going, I would sometimes walk past driveways where either a cat or a dog would be relaxing. I would stop and face the cat/dog and be completely still for 5 seconds, and then would suddenly "burst" into a "fight or flight" posture with my whole body. Whenever I did this, the dogs would immediately jump up and rush towards me barking, whereas the cats would always tense up into their own "ready to fight or flight" posture and watch me like a hawk waiting for my next move. I'm not sure what to make of it, and have since ceased from such low-key Goebellian animal experiments, but it's definitely interesting. It's as if there's some sort of "fundamental personality" for cats and dogs.
If DBH managed to read this whole crazy comment to the end, a question: Do you think there's any stock in the "Cats=feminine, Dogs=masculine" trope? I definitely can see it myself: the canine loyalty of my male friends versus the feline aloofness of my female friends.
I’m glad you’ve stopped annoying the poor animals with weirdly threatening behavior. I’m sure none of them would have gone out of their way to harass a passing primate.
No, I see no analogies between dogs or cats on the one hand and men or women on the other.
The two dogs down the hill from where I live now always bark at me without me provoking them and dont stop till i'm out of sight. The bodhisattvas are clearly swapping notes and I'm on a blacklist now haha
I don't know about that, but I do wonder, from personal observation, if certain men exclusively favor dogs/hate cats because they feel entitled to unearned loyalty and affection. If so, you could see why a cats=feminine, dogs=masculine binary might be projected onto the poor things.
this comment has helped more than you might have intended. Re-assessing my entire relationship with my partner right now XD Many problems potentially being caused by me consciously or subconsciously feeling "entitled" to her loyalty. Thank you!
Glad to see Roland recognized even though his main focus is his original haiku collections.
He’s writing more waka these days.
A stunningly good book; I picked it up with a wee bit of "what in the world is this going to be....and am I about to waste considerable time?" It turned out to be a sheer delight--and a revelation--from start to finish. Thank you!
Thanks.
Any word on the publication of Kenogaia?
About a week from now barring any supply or technical issues. Announcement shortly.
Indeed, it was only a few days.
Something to look forward to! Thank you. Who is publishing it??
Angelico. Same as RiM. Very good working relation there.
Is Kenogaia your gnostic fantasy novel, David or is this another story?
One and the same.
I’m excited :)
What? How would it be irritating?
(I’m confused now.)
Nah. I don’t worry about ceremony. I just want readers. Thanks for getting word out.
Congratulations!
I just adored this book. I read it feverishly over several days, and there's a richness here that I only wish I could share with my late rat terrier Rosie. I still miss even after several years.
I loved the entire book, but the description of St. Louis, and its awful arch, and your triumphant exit, was so wonderful I read it aloud to family and friends several times.
Some of my friends in SL were less amused. I explained to them that the city was only a symbol for...well, it's not worth repeating.
Please send my congrats to Roland. Well deserved.
Will do.
Mashallah! alhamdulilujah!
I’m new to your works, and have benefited greatly from them. Always deeply challenging with a certain moral sensibility, so thank you David. But I will have to say Roland you hit it out of the park! You continued in the fine tradition of your master but you drew me in with your witty and emotive storytelling
I’m wondering how many times I’ll need to read it to grok all its finer points! Bravo!
So many times that it would be prudent to buy several extra copies. That’s my approach, at least.
I will give a few of them as Christmas gifts to my more discerning friends…
I am sure Roland worked hard to achieve this award. Congrats Roland!! An inspiration to all of humanity's best friends!
Three cheers for Roland!
Ἄξιος!
And well deserved! We all keep returning to it.
I love cats too, so it would not be a partisan piece.
Might be a tad off the beaten path for the substack, but someone on the r/LSD subreddit once asked "What is it with cats when you're deep in the trip?" and someone else responded with the words of wisdom "Cats are essential for tripping. If you are tripping and you do not have a cat, one will be provided. Cats are shamans: they _know_ whats happening while its happening." I can confirm that this phenomenon is true based on my experiences during my stint living in a bit of a party house before covid. Admittedly someone else on the r/LSD subreddit asked "Does anyone else ever just become a panda on 200ug?" (with attached panda meme) and got >100 responses along the lines of "Yes! you too?" and "Omg I thought that was just me" and I had no clue what any of them were referring to, so I guess you have to take anything you read on there with a grain of salt XD
Anecdotal report of experiences with cats and dogs: for a while there, when I would walk through the suburbs of Sydney to wherever I might be going, I would sometimes walk past driveways where either a cat or a dog would be relaxing. I would stop and face the cat/dog and be completely still for 5 seconds, and then would suddenly "burst" into a "fight or flight" posture with my whole body. Whenever I did this, the dogs would immediately jump up and rush towards me barking, whereas the cats would always tense up into their own "ready to fight or flight" posture and watch me like a hawk waiting for my next move. I'm not sure what to make of it, and have since ceased from such low-key Goebellian animal experiments, but it's definitely interesting. It's as if there's some sort of "fundamental personality" for cats and dogs.
If DBH managed to read this whole crazy comment to the end, a question: Do you think there's any stock in the "Cats=feminine, Dogs=masculine" trope? I definitely can see it myself: the canine loyalty of my male friends versus the feline aloofness of my female friends.
I’m glad you’ve stopped annoying the poor animals with weirdly threatening behavior. I’m sure none of them would have gone out of their way to harass a passing primate.
No, I see no analogies between dogs or cats on the one hand and men or women on the other.
The two dogs down the hill from where I live now always bark at me without me provoking them and dont stop till i'm out of sight. The bodhisattvas are clearly swapping notes and I'm on a blacklist now haha
I don't know about that, but I do wonder, from personal observation, if certain men exclusively favor dogs/hate cats because they feel entitled to unearned loyalty and affection. If so, you could see why a cats=feminine, dogs=masculine binary might be projected onto the poor things.
this comment has helped more than you might have intended. Re-assessing my entire relationship with my partner right now XD Many problems potentially being caused by me consciously or subconsciously feeling "entitled" to her loyalty. Thank you!
I live to serve, just name the kid Addison, etc
But he also loves cats. He is a righteous man.