Zenlogic's Place

“My surname is Li and my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight flaw in my character”

This is a quote from one of my favorite books, “Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart” and while I in no way can compare myself to the incomparable Master Li, it still fits.

“My name is Edward, and I have a slight flaw in my character.”

In the 50 some years I have been on this earth I have done many things, been many places and met many people, good and bad……In life, so far, I have learned a few things;

No one knows anything for sure,

That there is no sense in sweat’in the small shit,

I know that I will not wither away or panic in a life or death situation,

That I will fight to live, I know this from experience.

That if you have no problems, you are probably dead.

If you let the herd manage your life you will never really be happy.

Usually the most outwardly good and pious person is really the bad guy.

That Family is one of the most important things.

That I am oppositional, the more difficult things get, the more I bite into them.

I live by a set of very simple rules, four to be exact.

1. Protect the weak

2. Keep your word

3. Stand your ground

and the most important I think,

Keep your f*cking hands off.

(KYFHO)

While I have not always been successful in following them, I have for the most part…….

“My name is Edward, I have a slight flaw in my character, I fail once in awhile.”

I was born in Minnesota, grew up in the sticks, and will someday die here. Its a nice place, the people are for most part, really, “Minnesota nice”. Its true, up here in cold country, the people have a different out-look on life and as far as the weather goes it is never boring, “Don’t like the weather, wait a bit!” is a common joke up here.

I have had exactly, so far, forty-six jobs in my life, I have worked as a blacksmith in a living history museum (I still do my own smithing and welding), I have worked as a printer, (old time, set type by hand, etc.) And other jobs from factories to white collar. A real jack of all trades and a gentleman, I can fit in at a red neck party or a rich man’s dinner party (not much difference if you ask Me.) and can hold my own most anywhere.

I have some schooling in electronics, but as with everything I know, I taught myself, with plenty of real world experience, been dabbling in electronics since I was 8, built my first crystal set from scratch, been a lifelong love affair since.

Took to computers in the early 70?s and got on ARPANET back in the 80′s, just after it changed over to TCP/IP from NCP, by social engineering my way to a number in the University of Minnesota’s modem closet. Surfed the net with a Gopher client and trumpet, 1984 I believe, not to mention all the BBSs I frequented. In those early days, if you where heavy into the scene, you may remember the exploits of a certain pirate and hacker by the handle of Freebooter, yes sir, don’t use that handle much any more, but you may recognize my zenlogic moniker.

I was introduced to blacksmithing by a good man; name of Larry Weeks, while  working at the living history museum, Murphy’s Landing, in Shakopee. Been Blacksmithing and messing with the other metals since I was twenty something. Blacksmithing is one of the most satisfying, stress reliving – activities any one can do. I love it.

Been doing wood working and small engine repair since high school, and do it damn well. Made my first piece of furniture, a bookcase in 11th grade and been taking apart and putting back together a bunch of small engines and such, since before my teens. Been doing my own repairs since then, except for the big automobile ones, because I haven’t the room, say, like – for, pulling a engine on a car.

Yes, I may not have the degrees or certificates, although, I have some 150 or so credits from various institutions of higher learning, I do have the know how and knowledge to do most anything. By gum, as far as networking and computers go, I can make one stand and up sing and then recite the alphabet backwards and do a tap dance for an encore. I can find any thing on the net and recover most anything from a dead drive. If I can’t do it, It can’t be done. Period.

While, I have never finished up my schooling, I have had some tech school training (electronics and computers), and some college (five credits away from a business degree, as it stands now. Why a degree in business? I will never know, maybe it has something to do with taking any class that strikes my fancy, like astronomy, theology, and history. After 15 years of off and on taking classes, it’s what fit. “Shrug”.)

And I read every day. I collect books (there are well over 3000 books in my collection, everything from a 1^st edition Ayn Rand to books on Zen. Yes, I have read every one of them). As in everything else I have no formal education, I am self taught… I like to say I am a road’s scholar (I did not miss-spell it)

I also write for publication and fun and I am a legally ordained reverend and can marry and bury you.

I have a great big, complicated, satisfying family! Been married for all of my adult life and still going. In that time I have been blessed and am still blessed with two of the most interesting, different, even tempered and extraordinary women in the world and one incredibly wonderful/damaged woman. Wow, life with her was never dull. When it was good it was fantastic and when it was bad it was Hell. like living with a hurricane, a cactus and an angel all in one.

In that time I have fathered four children ( three to thirty) and have raised or had a hand in raising thirteen kids ( The lost ones for only ten years, god bless them and protect them, wherever they are). I have taught my kids to be polite, and to learn and to stand their ground, to be an “I” instead of a “we”. But most importantly I have tried to teach them to reason and question.

While I may not have the house and a car in the garage, or the American dream, (or the debt that goes with it), I have something that most people don’t have, the love and the respect of my family, and friends………I know who I am, Oh yes – I know myself all to well and I am always learning more. I have added to the knowledge of the world, and when I am dead and buried, I will be remembered and missed.

Anyhow, a Wise Old Man once said, “That having problems just means you’re alive; the man that has no problems is dead.” And I agree. We have more good times than bad, and there is no problem so big that all of us can’t solve … we generally don’t get what we want, but we always have what we need and we are all, Ok.

“My name is Edward, I have a slight flaw in my character, I fail once in awhile.”

“But I get Up!”

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Yep, I can marry you, bury you and build the coffin too; then network the whole dam thing together. Thank you for stopping by.

Rev. Edward Karn, Chief bottle washer and electron pusher.