Carried Away

I had a recent conversation about a man in his 50’s who was well-respected and had a decent career in the medical field that changed his name from Jeffrey to Will. I don’t know if he went through legal channels or made it official, but even if it’s his middle name, why make the switch now? I cynically thought it was because he would like to make sure he’s in his partner’s will (he’s in his 80’s). A leap? Perhaps. I just don’t know what would possess someone to make that change when there wasn’t something like a divorce, move into the witness protection program or new CD coming out with the new moniker. It confuses everyone and they end up having bane conversations like this and wasting moments they’ll simply never get back. ”Well, Will said that he thought the cabernet we had last week at Deb and Al’s party was “too young”, what do you think?” “Do you mean Jeffrey?” “Oh yes, sorry, Jeffrey who now goes by Will.” “When did that happen?” “I don’t know, I guess I found out at Pet...

I've had a big revelation in my wee little life this past year.  Find your passion and the world will change for you!  There is no guarantee that all of the changes will be welcomed in all facets of your life, but overall, the universe will smile upon you.  And who doesn't want that?!  I realized that my passion in life is writing.  I need to write, it's an integral part of who I am and helps make me a complete person. I am able to love more, understand more, see more, hear more.  It's tough to explain, but if you've found your passion, it's like you get it, you're awake - you were given the key, the de-coder ring and it is a load off!  I read "The Alchemist" for book club - it's a good "find your passion" primer.  I am quite sure there is a section in most book stores devoted to finding yourself, but I don't know if it's as hard as we make it out to be.  The reason I say that is I was recently in a tiny bookstore in Col...

I walked outside barefoot Under the pink and blue sunset To listen for my oriole Arms crossed to ward off A cold night that didn't exist I tried to hear his melody Only imitators and purple finches Dined as if they were owed the oranges I had reserved for my annual friend No one can replace his persimmon coat The song that makes music a need And defines a hope for summer

I don’t remember a time that I didn’t have a book on my bedside table. I love books. I come by this adoration honestly. My parents are both avid readers. My mom prefers fiction and my dad likes some fiction, but is able to devour non-fiction as well. Words have always had a huge impact on me. Written and spoken. It’s just the way I’m wired. I have so many books in my bedroom just waiting to be opened and enjoyed. I prefer fiction because, like movies, I view reading as a form of escapism - going to a different place, learning something new, gaining a new perspective, using my imagination. I have tried some non-fiction, but that John Adams book has been sitting on my pile for years now. The funny part is, I think it’s my dad’s book, but neither of us is sure whose it really is. I have a ton of respect for John Adams, George Washington and the conundrum Thomas Jefferson. The most I can do is watch the John Adams HBO mini-series (which is excellent by the way). Part of my problem is ti...

Some friends came to visit and we played the kid version of "Would You Rather...?".  The adult version is called "Zabmondo", but it's the same premise, just more adult content.  It has a couple of different types of challenges.  An example might involve deciding if you would rather eat gum from the seat in a movie theater OR eat a partially eaten hamburger that was thrown in the garbage.  I'd have to think about that one.  My daughter was gracious enough to accept the dare of wearing black eye-liner glasses painted on her face the entire night.  She looked like a fanatical Harry Potter fan, but she accepted the challenge with glee and even had her picture taken smiling the entire time.  Ah, youth! I have been collecting some pictures from the countryside lately and I decided to pose to you a Would You Rather Challenge.  Would you rather - install and use a used free toilet that someone generously put on their lawn for sale? OR Would ...

We were coming home from town at night with my parents, the trees in the woods just beyond our road were all lit up a vibrant red. They face to the west. I thought it would be a perfect element to have in a book. I said to myself,”Ooo, foreshadowing.” Then a few days later I was thinking about the Amish. That day we had been to the Amish settlement about 45 minutes from our house. We’ve been there many times in the last couple of years. It’s one of those places that a lot of people know about, but it’s only by word of mouth that you really find out about it. It’s not like they do a lot of advertising. Essentially, it’s one road that we drive on. We’ve been to a lot of the shops there and my husband thinks that the guys who built our barn are from this area (or nearby Dalton) and some of the wood used could’ve come from the rustic mill on the road. It’s Barry Road. Which I find slightly amusing because it always reminds me of Barry Manilow or some geeky guy. I knew a guy n...

Once upon a time I had a dream of becoming a lounge singer. I love to sing and I thought that my voice was unusual enough and good enough to make a go of it. For now, let’s ignore the fact that I’m not the best at memorizing songs and the chances of me making a living at this were remote. Don’t ask me to explain why I think smokey Chicago blues bars are romantic. It seemed reasonable. This nugget of a notion must have started when I was in Treble Choir in High School. 2nd Soprano, sometimes the Alto – how come they rarely get the melody? I should have been turned off of singing altogether given the scaring that took place at our concerts. Imagine singing “Fame” and “Bye Bye Birdie” in a lemon polyester dress that was knee-length with a sweetheart neckline. When was that fashionable? Never. Nor was the set of lime-colored dresses that matched. Just in case you’re wondering, we did have dance moves. I’ll leave that up to your imagination. Our choir teacher was a little loopy and so wer...