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  <channel>
    <title>Isaac Gaff</title>
    <link>https://isaacgaff.com/</link>
    <description></description>
    
    <language>en</language>
    
    <lastBuildDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 19:07:23 -0500</lastBuildDate>
    <item>
      <title>Glen Hansard</title>
      <link>https://isaacgaff.com/2026/07/31/glen-hansard.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 19:07:23 -0500</pubDate>
      
      <guid>http://igaff.micro.blog/2026/07/31/glen-hansard.html</guid>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Sad to hear that Glen Hansard &lt;a href=&#34;https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/arts/glen-hansard-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.11A.S-Wd.zsz25cImfYZF&amp;amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share&#34;&gt;died this week&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Loved &lt;em&gt;Once&lt;/em&gt; and the music of the Frames. Most people will remember &lt;em&gt;Falling Slowly&lt;/em&gt; (and it’s great), but I love &lt;em&gt;Fallen From The Sky&lt;/em&gt; in that film. A battery powered keyboard is always the best way to start a song.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;https://youtu.be/qo_EnaGYlNQ?is=-YVVeKHzemoiW2Hl&#34;&gt;Here’s a link to the film version of it.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div style=&#34;position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden;&#34;&gt;
  &lt;iframe src=&#34;https://www.youtube.com/embed/qo_EnaGYlNQ&#34; style=&#34;position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border:0;&#34; allowfullscreen title=&#34;YouTube Video&#34;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
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</description>
      <source:markdown>Sad to hear that Glen Hansard [died this week](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/arts/glen-hansard-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.11A.S-Wd.zsz25cImfYZF&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share). 

Loved _Once_ and the music of the Frames. Most people will remember _Falling Slowly_ (and it’s great), but I love _Fallen From The Sky_ in that film. A battery powered keyboard is always the best way to start a song.  

[Here’s a link to the film version of it.](https://youtu.be/qo_EnaGYlNQ?is=-YVVeKHzemoiW2Hl) 

{{&lt; youtube qo_EnaGYlNQ &gt;}}
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    <item>
      <title></title>
      <link>https://isaacgaff.com/2026/07/30/one-of-my-favorite-flowcharts.html</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 21:14:19 -0500</pubDate>
      
      <guid>http://igaff.micro.blog/2026/07/30/one-of-my-favorite-flowcharts.html</guid>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;One of my favorite flowcharts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;from Nadia Bolz-Weber at &lt;a href=&#34;https://thecorners.substack.com/p/as-requested-my-flow-chart-when-i&#34;&gt;As requested - my flow chart when I am freaked out.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img src=&#34;https://igaff.micro.blog/uploads/2026/i-feel-anxious-and-fearful.png&#34; width=&#34;600&#34; height=&#34;1698&#34; alt=&#34;Auto-generated description: A flowchart titled I feel anxious and fearful guides readers through questions to help identify the source of their dread, offering advice on managing fear triggered by internet content, social interactions, and personal perceptions.&#34;&gt;
</description>
      <source:markdown>One of my favorite flowcharts.

from Nadia Bolz-Weber at [As requested - my flow chart when I am freaked out.](https://thecorners.substack.com/p/as-requested-my-flow-chart-when-i)

&lt;img src=&#34;https://igaff.micro.blog/uploads/2026/i-feel-anxious-and-fearful.png&#34; width=&#34;600&#34; height=&#34;1698&#34; alt=&#34;Auto-generated description: A flowchart titled I feel anxious and fearful guides readers through questions to help identify the source of their dread, offering advice on managing fear triggered by internet content, social interactions, and personal perceptions.&#34;&gt;
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    <item>
      <title>Dog Poems</title>
      <link>https://isaacgaff.com/2026/07/30/this-ones-hitting-in-a.html</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:23:12 -0500</pubDate>
      
      <guid>http://igaff.micro.blog/2026/07/30/this-ones-hitting-in-a.html</guid>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;This one’s hitting in a new and tender way today:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Her Grave&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mary Oliver&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She would come back, dripping thick water, from the&lt;br&gt;
green bog.&lt;br&gt;
She would fall at my feet, she would draw the black skin&lt;br&gt;
from her gums, in a hideous and wonderful smile —&lt;br&gt;
and I would rub my hands over her pricked ears and her &lt;br&gt;
cunning elbows,&lt;br&gt;
and I would hug the barrel of her body, amazed at the &lt;br&gt;
unassuming perfect arch of her neck.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It took four of us to carry her into the woods. &lt;br&gt;
We did not think of music,&lt;br&gt;
but anyway, it began to rain&lt;br&gt;
slowly.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Her wolfish, invitational, half-pounce.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Her great and lordly satisfaction at having chased &lt;br&gt;
something.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My great and lordly satisfaction at her splash&lt;br&gt;
of happiness as she barged&lt;br&gt;
through the pitch pines swiping my face with her &lt;br&gt;
wild, slightly mossy tongue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Does the hummingbird think he himself invented his &lt;br&gt;
crimson throat? &lt;br&gt;
He is wiser than that, I think.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A dog lives fifteen years, if you’re lucky.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Do the cranes crying out in the high clouds &lt;br&gt;
think it is all their own music?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A dog comes to you and lives with you in your own house, &lt;br&gt;
but you &lt;br&gt;
do not therefore own her, as you do not own the rain, or the&lt;br&gt;
trees, or the laws which pertain to them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Does the bear wandering in the autumn up the side of &lt;br&gt;
the hill&lt;br&gt;
think all by herself she has imagined the refuge and the &lt;br&gt;
refreshment &lt;br&gt;
of her long slumber?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A dog can never tell you what she knows from the&lt;br&gt;
smells of the world, but you know, watching her, &lt;br&gt;
that you know &lt;br&gt;
almost nothing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Does the water snake with his backbone of diamonds think&lt;br&gt;
the black tunnel on the bank of the pond is a palace &lt;br&gt;
of his own making?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She roved ahead of me through the fields, yet would come &lt;br&gt;
back, &lt;br&gt;
or wait for me, or be somewhere.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now she is buried under the pines.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Nor will I argue it, or pray for anything but modesty, and &lt;br&gt;
not to be angry.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Through the trees there is the sound of the wind, &lt;br&gt;
palavering.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The smell of the pine needles, what is it but a taste &lt;br&gt;
of the infallible energies?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;How strong was her dark body!&lt;br&gt;
How apt is her grave place.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;How beautiful is her unshakable sleep.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Finally,&lt;br&gt;
the slick mountains of love break &lt;br&gt;
over us.   &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
      <source:markdown>This one’s hitting in a new and tender way today:

&lt;blockquote&gt;
 
**Her Grave**

_Mary Oliver_

She would come back, dripping thick water, from the   
     green bog.   
She would fall at my feet, she would draw the black skin   
from her gums, in a hideous and wonderful smile —   
and I would rub my hands over her pricked ears and her    
     cunning elbows,   
and I would hug the barrel of her body, amazed at the    
     unassuming perfect arch of her neck.   

It took four of us to carry her into the woods.    
We did not think of music,   
but anyway, it began to rain   
slowly.   

Her wolfish, invitational, half-pounce.   

Her great and lordly satisfaction at having chased    
     something.   

My great and lordly satisfaction at her splash   
of happiness as she barged   
through the pitch pines swiping my face with her    
wild, slightly mossy tongue.   

Does the hummingbird think he himself invented his    
     crimson throat?    
He is wiser than that, I think.   

A dog lives fifteen years, if you’re lucky.   

Do the cranes crying out in the high clouds    
think it is all their own music?   

A dog comes to you and lives with you in your own house,    
     but you    
do not therefore own her, as you do not own the rain, or the   
trees, or the laws which pertain to them.   

Does the bear wandering in the autumn up the side of    
    the hill   
think all by herself she has imagined the refuge and the    
    refreshment    
of her long slumber?   

A dog can never tell you what she knows from the   
smells of the world, but you know, watching her,    
    that you know    
almost nothing.   

Does the water snake with his backbone of diamonds think   
the black tunnel on the bank of the pond is a palace    
of his own making?   

She roved ahead of me through the fields, yet would come    
     back,    
or wait for me, or be somewhere.   

Now she is buried under the pines.   

Nor will I argue it, or pray for anything but modesty, and    
not to be angry.   

Through the trees there is the sound of the wind,    
     palavering.   

The smell of the pine needles, what is it but a taste    
of the infallible energies?   

How strong was her dark body!   
How apt is her grave place.   

How beautiful is her unshakable sleep.   


Finally,   
the slick mountains of love break    
over us.   &lt;/blockquote&gt;
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    <item>
      <title></title>
      <link>https://isaacgaff.com/2026/07/30/nice-one-about-how-serendipity.html</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:55 -0500</pubDate>
      
      <guid>http://igaff.micro.blog/2026/07/30/nice-one-about-how-serendipity.html</guid>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Nice one about how serendipity is at the core of the human experience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;https://shawnsmucker.substack.com/p/please-use-ai&#34;&gt;Please Use AI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
      <source:markdown>Nice one about how serendipity is at the core of the human experience.

[Please Use AI](https://shawnsmucker.substack.com/p/please-use-ai)
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