Today was a mild embarrassment of a day. By that I mean I have very little to show for my efforts. The day fell in to three distinct areas of focus: freelance work, exercise, evening contemplation. If there was a constant, it was Nick the cat’s need for attention and desire for food. Every time…
Que Sera Sera
I can be a nag. Or maybe nudge is the better word, or maybe whiner. I’ve been very lightly chastising myself for not doing the things I want to do or should do or need to do…. I’ve been putting off groceries and laundry (both are done now); I haven’t written a poem in forever;…
A Little Bit of Cognizance
If you’ve ever tried to pay attention to your thinking, I mean really pay attention, you’ve probably noticed what a noisy place your headspace can be. At times, it might resemble a crowded cafe. You find yourself tuning in and out of different conversations – except you’re a part (and sometimes the sole participant) in…
Rough Cut
Soooo…. it turns out that maybe I was just hangry when I was feeling like a cranky pants. Actually I just needed to shift gears. Cooking up some dinner and working on the video project were enough to distract me. I put together a rough draft of the video. I’ve about reached the limitations of…
Mr. Cranky Pants
I’m unemployed, single, and it’s uncomfortably hot out. While my morning started off fine enough with a long walk and stop at the farmers’ market, I’ve been cranky for the past few hours. I don’t know if it would be better or worse to have a partner in these moments. On the one hand, they…
From Behind the Camera
This morning I popped my earbuds in and walked out the door – much like I do every other morning. I took a few steps down the hall and something about the way the song I was listening to started off – the way the notes hit me – combined with the visual of the…
Ashes to Ashes
I am not a religious person. There are too many variables in the world / universe for me to believe in any one doctrine or dogma. I wasn’t raised in any particular religion – I’m sure that has something to do with my lack of religious conviction. If the bible was read in our house,…
Walking
Some of my earliest memories are of going to Penn State football games. Crisp fall days, leaves rustling, idyllic college campus, corduroys (they were in style when I was kid) and sweaters, and the sun breaking through clouds and trees. My family is a family of routine. Or at least it was then. We would…
Tuesday Evening Coming Down
Well, I woke up Sunday morningWith no way to hold my head that didn’t hurtAnd the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t badSo I had one more for dessertThen I fumbled in my closet for my clothesAnd found my cleanest dirty shirtAnd I shaved my face and combed my hairAnd stumbled down the stairs to…
Walking in Limbo
I try to go for a long walk (6 – 7 miles) every morning and then a shorter walk (about 4 miles) every evening. I try to time my evening walks so that I catch the sunset over the Mississippi River – they’re pretty stunning and last night was no exception. Sometimes I’ll share the…
Why I Moved to Memphis
Nearly every summer for the past 16 or 17 years I spent the third Saturday in July at an all-day blues picnic in Morrisville, PA. The picnic is sponsored by The Bucks County Blues Society, which claims to be the oldest, continuously operating blues society in the country. It’s not a terribly old organization –…
Reading Alone
Reading is a solitary activity. There are ways to make it less solitary such as book groups and, I suppose, even audio books. But technically, it is a solitary activity. I’m not a student of the science or art of reading, I don’t know what happens in the brain during the process, and I’m too…