To Whom it may Concern

I did not remember Robert Louise Stevenson as such a vivid storyteller. I do remember liking Treasure Island - in fact I am going to reread it now - but I was more of a Swiss Family Robinson fan... even today I cannot walk by a tree without checking it out with an eye to where I would put the tree house. On the 'undiscovered Scotland' website they say that 'Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes' was one of his most personal and vivid books. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usebooks/steveson-edinburgh/index.html I once slept in my car beside a lighthouse in some remote spot on the coast of Maine. Man, being lulled to sleep by the fog horn and woken by the sound of the gulls squabbling over breakfast was such a high!!! Yeah, I love the sound of seagulls myself... and in fact another one of my favorite Incredible String Band songs (the bard Robin Williamson's early band) is called 'Seagull'. I can't think why you would be interested but here are the lyrics to that song anyway: Cold morning sun to show me where I spent the night Sun can you find through porthole on the anchored sea me? Then I'm walking on the prom deck asking the sky Oh someone won't you hear my cry Come and stop my questioning, stop my lie And maybe give me a sign to show me it's alright Seagull come fly me your song your high song It's very true there's nothing to complain of here You know I've tried and not found an enemy to fear here There's safety in the warm thoughts all around me Adventure in the strange port quay But still a questioning in the quiet of me Why do I need a sign to show me it's alright Seagull come fly me your song your high song All right, out on the rolling, rolling sea Now. I have never been a fan of orchestral renditions of 'pop' songs. On the other hand, I have never been much of a fan of pop songs period. But I am interested in living in the same hills that the Boston Symphony calls their summer home! I consider those hills the foothills of the Catskill Mountains... the same mountains that Rip Van Winkle visited, and that my mother refers to as 'the most mysterious mountains she's ever been in'. And granted, I may have to drive for a while before I get to feel the sea breeze on my face and in my hair, and to hear seagulls in the air, but still... And thank you for your good wishes, but I no longer think in terms of passing time but rather in terms of the eternal Now. I have a great day every day, and if I am not having such a great day, then I deliberately look for a way to make it better. Thus, a whole slew of great days put together make a great month or a great year or a great life... whatever your perspective! And as I've said elsewhere here on MyLot... I wish for you those things that you wish for yourself, and I wish this every day, not just on one particular day. And I know that is true for you too, I am just harassing you. And all I can say with regard to the approaching year 2010... where are the flying cars and colonies on Mars?!?!

I kinda figured "Merry Christmas" would have little or no relevance to you zig, but what the hey! Regardless of whether these events are acknowledged of not, it IS Chrostmas so it may as well be merry! lol. Happy New Year too. Funnily enough I do appreciate the seagull words and my favourite book of all time is "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach. If you have not reas this short story, I strongly urge you to do so. It is very uplifting and I think you would like it.

It is the winter solstice. It is the point when the hemisphere that you stand on is once again oriented towards the sun. That is great cause for celebration, and has been celebrated in some form or another probably since time immemorial. Calling it 'Christmas' implies that it has something to do with 'Christ', his bday or something, and that is just not true. You can pretend if you want to and celebrate that all you want if you wish, it really makes no matter since words are only words and any excuse for celebration is a good excuse. I am a big fan of Richard Bach.

Mountains are very mystical places and that's a fact.

Hah! Funny that you mention Scott (well, not so funny considering he too is a Scot, it just doesn't sound as good to say "How logical that you would mention Scott", hehehehe), but I just found a title of his that I am inspired to check out, called 'The Heart of Midlothian'. I think I will investigate his 'Lady of the Lake' as well. That website - the one I posted a link to in the above reply - says that 'Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes' was among Stevenson's most personal and vivid books. I am a little partial to Robin's speaking it, with his musical Scottish brogue and the little bits of harpsong periodically applied, but still, the text itself is a wonderful read!

I often listen to music that transports me to India too, where I have an enchanting time! Hehehe.