Michel Block
Monday, February 1st, 2010Michel Block
whatever happened to?
the music group kool skool,new kids on the block,peter gabriel,men at large,village people are they dead yet?milli vanilli color me bad,vanilla ice,willie nelson,sinead o,connor,karen white,michel'le,and the o'jays?thats all i can think of for now can you help me?
You got a list! The light skinned guy from Milli Vanilli killed himself, Willie Nelson is still going strong. Sinead is somewhere high, Michel'e got kids I bet, Karen White married record producer Terry Lewis and she don't ever have to work again with that money, Vanilla Ice is doing corney reality shows, Village people are in hiding with kool skool and new kids. Peter Gabriel is somewhere trying to perform, the O'Jays still kicking it touring, and Men at Large are eating Kentucky Fried Chicken as we speak. Anymore questions?
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BOLIVIA SPORTS 1951 BLOCK MICHEL14A ATHLETICS |  |
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US $5.50 | 1h 28m |
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AJAM MICHEL BLOCK 121C ART ADORATION OF MAGI MNH | |
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US $1.76 | 1h 37m |
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AJMAN ART RENOIR MICHEL BLOCK 21 | |
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US $1.25 | 2h 56m |
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Thurn and Taxis 5sgr 1859 VF NH og corner BLOCK of 10 | |
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US $37.83 | 3h 14m |
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Nord Korea ESST 30121980 Block 90 A oder Michel 2078 | |
0 Bid | US $.98 | 5h 42m |
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Nord Korea ESST 26121980 Block 88 A oder Michel 2072 | |
0 Bid | US $.98 | 5h 42m |
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Bizone Block 1 gestempelt Michel 240 | |
5 Bids | US $21.93 | 10h 22m |
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Block 12 II „Warzen“ mit SST Michel 40000 BPP geprüft | |
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US $77.18 | 12h 14m |
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Berlin Michel 142 toller 8er Block | |
0 Bid | US $1.29 | 12h 44m |
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BRD 1 Block Michel 989 Postfrisch Lot 128 | |
0 Bid | US $1.29 | 12h 55m |
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BRD 1 Block Michel 912 Postfrisch Lot 216 | |
0 Bid | US $1.29 | 12h 56m |
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BRD 1 Block Michel 1825 Postfrisch Lot 509 | |
0 Bid | US $1.29 | 12h 58m |
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CHILE ISLA DE PASCUA Michel Block 50 Mint No Hinged | |
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US $12.99 | 13h 51m |
![Bolivia Michel Block 145 NH ID333150]](http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/pict/360287898056_0.jpg) |
Bolivia Michel Block 145 NH ID333150] | |
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US $7.20 | 14h 41m |
![Bolivia Michel Block 156 NH ID335066]](http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/pict/360287898079_0.jpg) |
Bolivia Michel Block 156 NH ID335066] | |
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US $26.10 | 14h 41m |
![Bolivia Michel Block 74 77 NH ID330466]](http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/pict/380257183038_0.jpg) |
Bolivia Michel Block 74 77 NH ID330466] | |
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US $32.40 | 14h 41m |
![Bolivia Michel Block 80 NH ID325990]](http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/pict/360287898100_0.jpg) |
Bolivia Michel Block 80 NH ID325990] | |
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US $15.30 | 14h 41m |
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Equatorial Guinea Michel Block 109 110 NH ID330297 | |
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US $12.60 | 14h 47m |
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Berlin Michel Block 4 5 8 mit Sonderstempel | |
0 Bid | US $1.29 | 15h 10m |
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1947 Michel No Block 6 SOVIET STAMPS MNH | |
1 Bid | US $19.50 | 15h 37m |
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1947 Michel No Block 7 SOVIET STAMPS MNH | |
0 Bid | US $9.50 | 15h 40m |
![Yemen Kingdom Michel 52 56Block 7 NH ID333191]](http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/pict/380257201203_0.jpg) |
Yemen Kingdom Michel 52 56Block 7 NH ID333191] | |
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US $18.00 | 15h 44m |
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Korea Michel 1874 9 block Natioal Cotumes MNH | |
0 Bid | US $5.00 | 16h 18m |
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SPACE Mauritanie Michel 646 50 plus block MNH | |
0 Bid | US $6.00 | 16h 21m |
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Namibia Michel 671 4 plus block MNH | |
0 Bid | US $6.00 | 16h 21m |
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Thailand Orhids Michel 764 67 plus block MNH | |
0 Bid | US $29.99 | 16h 24m |
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Korea Block 347 and Michel 814 MNH | |
0 Bid | US $15.00 | 16h 25m |
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BRD FDC 2007 Michel 2589 Block 69 Luftschiff Zeppelin | |
0 Bid | US $1.29 | 16h 27m |
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BRD FDC 2005 Michel 2476 Block 66 Schlösser und Gärten | |
2 Bids | US $1.93 | 16h 30m |
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DDR Block 10 Michel 60 K 10910 | |
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US $12.86 | 16h 30m |
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DDR Block 15 Michel 75 K 10912 | |
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US $19.29 | 16h 32m |
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Yemen Michel 169 1 perf imperf plus block | |
0 Bid | US $9.99 | 16h 35m |
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BRD FDC 2004 Michel 2391 Block 65 TellFaust Ersttag | |
1 Bid | US $1.29 | 16h 36m |
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BRD FDC 2003 Michel 2360 Block 64 Für uns Kinder | |
0 Bid | US $1.29 | 16h 37m |
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BRD FDC 2003 Michel 2360 aus Block 64 Für uns Kinder | |
0 Bid | US $1.29 | 16h 38m |
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BRD FDC 2003 Michel 2343 Block 62 Nationalpark Odertal | |
1 Bid | US $1.29 | 16h 39m |
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Space Raumfahrt Nevis Michel 518 1 plus block MNH | |
0 Bid | US $4.00 | 16h 39m |
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SHIPS Portugal Michel 1504 7 plus block MNH | |
0 Bid | US $6.00 | 16h 40m |
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SHIPS Tonga Michel 542 6 plus block MNH | |
0 Bid | US $15.00 | 16h 40m |
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SHIPS Cuba Michel 994 5 plus block MNH | |
0 Bid | US $8.00 | 16h 41m |
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BRD FDC 2007 Michel 2623 Block 72 Weltkulturerbe Limes | |
1 Bid | US $1.29 | 16h 41m |
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Football Korea Michel 2702 3 plus block Mexico86 | |
0 Bid | US $4.00 | 16h 44m |
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SCHWEIZ 1938 Aarau Block postfrisch W11 Michel Bl 4 | |
0 Bid | US $24.59 | 16h 57m |
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UNGARN UNGARISCHE POST MICHEL BLOCK 60 AB 1967 | |
4 Bids | US $5.79 | 17h 30m |
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PARAGUAY DÜRER MNHBLOCK 357 17000 Euro Michel | |
0 Bid | US $25.60 | 18h 3m |
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UNGARN MJOKAI MICHEL BLOCK 24 B 1954 RRR | |
0 Bid | US $38.59 | 18h 4m |
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PARAGUAY OLYMPIA MNHBLOCK 42 10000 Euro Michel | |
0 Bid | US $24.31 | 18h 5m |
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Jean Michel Jarre O2 Arena 10 October Block A2x2 | |
3 Bids | US $8.51 | 18h 9m |
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Latvia Lettland Scott B96 Michel Block 1 MLH | |
1 Bid | US $.01 | 18h 33m |
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Latvia Lettland Scott B97 Michel Block 2 MLH | |
1 Bid | US $.01 | 18h 33m |
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BRD Jahrg 1993 gest komplmit Block Michel 80 | |
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US $16.98 | 18h 34m |
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Korea RARE SHEET BLOCK Impref Ung Mi 24B not in Michel | |
0 Bid | US $18.01 | 18h 46m |
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Deutschland Ersttagsblatt 05 1977 Michel Block 14 | |
0 Bid | US $.98 | 19h 13m |
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Ungarn 1975 Denkmalschutz Michel Block 115 B auf FDC | |
0 Bid | US $29.57 | 19h 23m |
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DDR Briefmarken 3er Set Michel Block 20 21 22 | |
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US $12.85 | 19h 23m |
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Ungarn 1975 Michel Block 115 B postfrisch | |
0 Bid | US $20.57 | 19h 26m |
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Faroe Islands Färöer Letter with 4 Block Michel 4 | |
0 Bid | US $77.18 | 19h 31m |
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GERMANY COVER IPOSTA 1930 S SHEET MICHEL Block 1 | |
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US $799.99 | 20h 13m |
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LIECHTENSTEIN FDCs Michel 486 94 500 2 543 blocks Defs | |
1 Bid | US $.99 | 21h 59m |
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Birds vogels Sri Lanka 1983 Michel Block 22 MNH Pfr | |
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US $3.15 | 1d 6h 52m |
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STAMPS JORDAN 1964 OLYMPICS MICHEL BLOCK 16 | |
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US $26.25 | 1d 7h 11m |
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STAMPS JORDAN 1984 OLYMPICS MICHEL BLOCK 48 | |
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US $15.44 | 1d 7h 14m |
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STAMPS JORDAN 1994 OLYMPICS MICHEL BLOCK 76 | |
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US $8.49 | 1d 7h 18m |
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STAMPS JORDAN 1967 HORSES CAMELS MICHEL BLOCK 41 | |
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US $37.05 | 1d 7h 27m |
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2006 ROMANIA NRMICHEL BLOCK 391 MNH | |
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US $3.00 | 1d 7h 55m |
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2006 BULGARIA ROMANIA NRMICHEL BLOCK 288 MNH | |
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US $4.00 | 1d 7h 55m |
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BRD 1964 Michel Block 3 | |
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US $6.43 | 1d 8h 46m |
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BRD 1968 Michel Block 4 | |
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US $2.32 | 1d 8h 55m |
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BRD 1969 Michel Block 5 gestempelt und | |
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US $2.57 | 1d 9h 26m |
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BRD 1971 Michel Block 6 gestempelt und | |
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US $5.15 | 1d 9h 29m |
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BRD 1972 Michel Block 7 gestempelt und | |
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US $6.43 | 1d 9h 35m |
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BRD 1972 Michel Block 8 | |
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US $3.22 | 1d 9h 40m |
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BRD 1974 Michel Block 10 gestempelt und | |
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US $2.57 | 1d 9h 47m |
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BRD 1975 Michel Block 11 gestempelt und | |
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US $2.57 | 1d 9h 50m |
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BRD 1976 Michel Block 12 gestempelt und | |
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US $2.57 | 1d 9h 54m |
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Aland Åland Michel 47 50 block 1 MNH postfris sports | |
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US $2.57 | 1d 10h 20m |
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Aland Åland Michel 66 69 block 2 MNH postfris | |
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US $1.85 | 1d 10h 30m |
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Aland Åland Michel 130 block 3 MNH postfris | |
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US $3.86 | 1d 10h 55m |
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Aland Åland Michel 164 67 block 4 MNH postfris | |
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US $3.09 | 1d 11h 20m |
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BRD 1977 Michel Block 14 gestempelt und | |
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US $3.22 | 1d 11h 24m |
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BRD 1977 Michel Block 15 gestempelt und | |
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US $2.57 | 1d 11h 28m |
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BRD 1978 Michel Block 16 gestempelt und | |
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US $2.57 | 1d 11h 32m |
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BRD 1978 Michel Block 17 ugestempelt | |
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US $2.57 | 1d 11h 34m |
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BRD 1982 Michel Block 18 gestempelt und | |
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US $6.43 | 1d 11h 39m |
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BRD 1984 Michel Block 19 gestempelt und | |
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US $6.43 | 1d 11h 43m |
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BRD 1986 Michel Block 20 gestempelt und | |
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US $5.15 | 1d 11h 45m |
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BRD 1959 Michel Block 2 gestempelt Erstausgabe | |
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US $23.15 | 1d 11h 50m |
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Aland Åland Michel 232 block 5 MNH postfris Norden | |
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US $1.29 | 1d 11h 51m |
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BRD 1959 Michel Block 2 | |
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US $19.29 | 1d 11h 52m |
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BRD 1968 Michel Block 4 Ersttagsbrief | |
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US $6.43 | 1d 11h 55m |
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DDR 1955 Michel Block 13 postfrisch 144 | |
2 Bids | US $1.93 | 1d 11h 59m |
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Berlin 1969 Michel Block 2 gestempelt und | |
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US $3.86 | 1d 11h 59m |
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DDR 1955 Michel Block 13 gestempelt 145 | |
2 Bids | US $5.40 | 1d 12h 4m |
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Berlin 1973 Michel Block 4 FDC und | |
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US $5.15 | 1d 12h 5m |
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Berlin 1987 Michel Block 8 und gestempelt | |
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US $5.15 | 1d 12h 10m |
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USA Michel Block 17 45 komplett postfrisch aus Abo | |
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US $160.79 | 1d 13h 17m |
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RUSSIA 11908 9 MICHEL 65 II B SC75 BLOCK OF 4 MINT | |
0 Bid | US $.60 | 1d 13h 56m |
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STAMPS JORDAN 1964 ASTRO MICHEL BLOCK 9 | |
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US $21.61 | 1d 14h 4m |
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STAMPS JORDAN 1964 SPACE MICHEL BLOCK 10 OVERPRINT | |
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US $23.16 | 1d 14h 6m |
What To Say When There's Nothing to Say
If you're anything like me, you'll have days when you wake up in the morning with that feeling of dread: when I get back to my creative work, I won't have anything to say.
It's an awful feeling. The ground seems to fall away from under me and in its place arises. P A N I C! The brain takes over, accelerates to hyperwarp speed and zooms off in its familiar search mode, rushing hither and yon in sheer desperation to find something intelligent to say. Something that makes some sense, that communicates something of importance, that will astound my readers with my wisdom and the depth of my experience and knowledge. Something that will contribute in some significant way to the well-being of this troubled world and my fellow-citizens. Something that will, well, validate me and make me feel good about myself.
Oh, and the counterpoint of course is this: if I don't have anything to say, I'm worse than useless. I'm a parasite. I'm a fraud. I know it's pretty stupid thinking, really. But the feeling is a real one.
So what to do about it? First thing, of course, as always, is to take a breath. One of the well-known human responses to panic is to stop breathing—as though that would help! So it's important to sit quietly and restore this simple and most basic act by consciously observing the breath as it enters and leaves the body, and allowing it gradually to replace the brain activity with its calming discipline. Breathing out, breathing in. And when you think of it, that in itself is inspiration, isn't it?
That done, I personally have several games I play to get back into the process of creation. Because that's what it's about: creative work is never, for me, about "saying something." It's about process. It's a dance, an interaction with medium, no matter what your medium might be: words, paint, clay, song, musical notes. As a French poet said, poetry is not a use of language; it's a madness inside language. The need to have "something to say" is no more than a barrier we put up when we're too worried, too scared, too timid, too mistrustful to let it out and damn the consequences.
(I wrote a book once whose title was"While I Am Not Afraid." The title—which said a lot about the spirit in which the book was written—came from a marvelous text by the photographer Duane Michels, which he used as a companion piece to the photograph of a male nude. It said this:
Let me write this now,
This very moment,
While I am still foolish,
Before I become sensible again
And know better;
And while I am not afraid
To say things out loud.
A text, in my book, to live by!)
So then, one of the games I play is to prolong my breath-recovery into an actual meditation session in which I purposefully try to nudge all intruding thoughts away and give the mind the simplest (and hardest!) of all tasks: to focus exclusively on the breath itself. What happens most frequently when I succeed is that the unconscious mind takes over and keeps working while my brain is busy with its concentration on the breath; when I open my eyes and return to the normal state of being, guess what? The unconscious mind has done the spadework for me. The words start effortlessly to flow. I'm ready to go.
Another game also requires some quiet reflection time: I tell myself the story of yesterday. It's not necessarily a narrative that comes up—although it might be. Very often, though, it's a single moment, an event, a mini-epiphany that arises, perhaps one that I simply passed over as it occurred and allowed to disappear unnoticed and unmemorialized into the past. It could be no more than a glance from a stranger in a crowd, the movement of a hand, the expression on a face. It could be the turn not taken, the adventure passed up in favor of the familiar route. But yesterday, for me, is always filled with moments rich in opportunity, in unprocessed, unrecorded matter—an abundant source of "what to say."
As is, of course, the Now. Sometimes, I find, I have only to look around me. The images are there. The signs. The picture of my grandfather, the dog in a patch of sunlight on the carpet, the notepad on my desk with a couple of words scribbled out on it. Each moment is a complex mother lode, replete with particular and inscrutable meaning, awaiting nothing but my pick and shovel to start mining it.
Just as fruitful, as a resource for that first image, that first word, that first "idea" is the daily newspaper. You don't have to be looking for news. There's a surprising wealth of discrete images—in the photographs, the ads, the texture of the words. Pages and pages crammed with stories, people, insights, problems, conflicts. We need not take them literally. The imagination, once it's opened up and ready for adventure, can seize on anything and run with it. What happens all too frequently is that the search for that "something to say" is precisely what shuts the imagination down, turns it off, or freezes it into inertia. Meantime the opportunity is right there, staring us in the face from a common newspaper—not to mention the inexhaustible resource of books and images that others have created in their search. Don't get me started!
Not least, there are dreams and fantasies. I'm not actually very good at remembering dreams myself, though I do believe that we can train our minds to recall where they take us in our sleeping hours. Inevitably, though, when I do remember them, my dreams create wonderful paths to follow as I write them down. Again, I'm careful not to be too attached to trying to accurately recall the detail. Once I'm on the path, I tend to follow where the words and images are leading me, rather than the strict narrative of the dream. It's the medium I trust to show me where I need to go.
Whatever game I choose to play, here's the thing: it's not only ludicrous for me to tell myself that I have nothing to say. It's also a damn lie. The more honest truth is that it's impossible NOT to have anything to say. As soon as I open my mouth, complete a gesture, perform an action, no matter how seemingly trivial, I have created meaning. I have "said something." My very inaction, my paralysis says something, as does my panic.
So I take heart when that feeling surfaces. I remind myself that it's always possible to step around this self-created barrier and venture forth, beyond it, into the unknown which is where creation happens. And I try to remind myself, as I start out on that next adventure, that I'm better off if I don't have the least idea what I'm looking for until I've found it.
About the Author
Peter Clothier is the author of
The Real Bush Diaries.
Visit his Web site to learn more about his imaginary conversations with President Bush, http://www.peterclothier.com