Fresh Air

State of the Evolving State....Mindbloom, Sophia and.....Boston?

I have more to write about at this moment than I can adequately address.  I've recently returned to work and am happily ensconced at www.mindbloom.com.  The company has designed and deployed a delightful personal growth and development platform that allows people to create and share their goals, intentions, aspirations and inspirations.  And its pretty.  And the team is chockablock with smart, caring, balanced people.  Who have children and lives.  And a passion for their work.  And a balanced perspective.  Did I say that yet?

And then there is that other little personal growth project of mine....Sophia.  There she is at school this morning, 2-handedly painting away.  Very Jackson Pollack.  Big, dauby marks made with delightful abandon and all over her sweater as well as the paper.  Ah - to be 2 1/2 again. 

Arianna is still in Italy, working and growing organically from all reports.  She's had the opportunity to get to know her grandfather as an adult (Ari that is) which is of course very different than one's view from childhood's window.  She'll be returning at Christmastime - a lovely holiday gift indeed.  It's back to Lewis and Clark for the remainder of the year, but much navel gazing has occurred on the European continent, so I assume she may have other changes in the works.

Alan's skills and talents have taken him on a wide swath of opportunity - not all of which are locally grown and enjoyed.  Boston as an option looms on the horizon, and it remains to be seen what our choices result in there.  It could be a great adventure.  It could be a great disaster.  I think attitude is probably the greatest determinant of outcome, and the conversation continues.

Otherwise, we swim on Thursdays, and Farmer's Market on most Saturdays.  Family is present and accounted for almost every week, and we're getting alto better about seeing friends with greater regularity.  There is something magical in witnessing the delight of discovery through the eyes of a child, especially one whose context is near and dear to your heart.

That is the state of the ever-evolving state.  I now have a license to write, and a Mindbloom tree that reminds me daily to do so, along with taking my vitamins and doing my back exercises.  And who is to say which of those activities is most important?  It matters not - but it matters that it is actually happening.  Glad to be back, and hope to hear from you soon.

 

No Justice for Old Bones - Part 1

As I mentioned, Scott has been stirring my soul on starting to develop my very first fictional character.  Loosly based on an actual person, I submit the first couple of paragraphs of what I hope will eventually become across between a spiritual journey and a mystery novel.

"It started with the flag.  It was a modest affair, posted on a naked, slender stick, tall enough that I could see it from the freeway, even in the gray twilight of that November afternoon.  That single image of a dirty scrap of fabric, defiantly planted in the ground served as signpost and stake against the encroaching defile of concrete and noise in which the occupant lived.  I do not see him, but assume it is a man. 

I am intrigued, my interest piqued.  What kind of person chooses to stay here, let alone lay claim to a barren hillside punctuated by traffic above and through his domain?  I begin to keep watch as I drive past this particular spot, awaiting a glimpse of the tenant who makes his mark in ivy and dirt."

Do you want to know more?  Let me know. 

Swivel Magazine is Pithy, Smart and Engaging. Get Your Copy Now!

Serendipity works in strange ways.  In getting caught up with my friend Brangien Davis, I learned that in addition to her professional role as "Special" writer to our local newspaper, she's also the Editrix of a bi-annual publication entitled "Swivel", focusing on the prose, poetry and photographic skills of women with a sense of wit.  They're seeking submitters who are pithy, smart and willing to take risks - in short, my kind of gals!

One of my favorite experiences is reading something that makes me feel as if I am partnered in perspective with the writer as each scenario unfolds.  The delight of the discovery, the evocative moment, the opportunity to be pushed further than just the story line intellectually and emotionally...it is these moments that I live for, and that I hope to create as well.  Swivel writers seem to excel in creating these types of experiences.

Take this as a clarion call to all creative women who feel strongly they've got something of value to say, and the creative chutzpah to put it out there.  You know who you are, and my hope is that this posting will drive you directly into Swivel's arms as an excellent opportunity for publication, but also to support  these brave, intrepid and truly witty doyennes by buying into their world.  The website is replete with enough info to tease you into submitting, and provides gentle encouragement to pony up, as one ought in support of our growing sisterhood.  And guys - if you're seeking a means to understanding that mysterious set of "other gendered" individuals with whom you engage - you should pony up, too.  It's not just for women only!! 

So I say again, Brangien, you go girl!  Keep the fire burning hot!

Word of the Week: GAAK

I've determined that the best way to win the word war in my household is to make them up.  That way, when my Truly Well Read Husband beats me to the punch (in the largest dictionary we own, all 25 pounds of it) for real words like "polydactyl", I have some form of recourse.

Last week, my new word of the week was CRUFT.  This week, the word of the week is GAAK.  Unlike CRUFT, which is clearly defined as the extra baggage of whatever flavor one tends to haul around, GAAK has several potential meanings. 

For our first definition, it's what they serve as an approximation of ostensibly consumable food on the trade show floor. 

Second, it is the sound that my cat makes when he's got a hairball. 

Lastly, it's the silent but deadly scream that drives me straight out of bed during my more nightmarishly inclined late nights.

There are solutions to GAAK.  Namely, bring gorp and bananas in your briefcase for consumption on the trade show floor (thanks Jeff!).  And extra pair of shoes (which is more related to EYIEOW than GAAK, but I digress...)  GAAK Issue 1 resolved.

The cat and his relative digestive distress can also be solved by a change in diet, not dissimilar from the solution provided for Issue 1, above.  And some extra brushing to get rid of that pesky undercoat, which is often fun for everyone.  Just don't leave the extra hair lying around or your problems are magnified tenfold.  I speak from experience!

Now, that stuck-to-the-ceiling-in-the-middle of the night problem is a slightly tougher nut to crack.  Things that work: massage (got one in Vegas, thanks!), Ambien or Melatonin (which I refuse to take...), late night bathing in my imaginary sen-do (see the delightful photograph on the left for a reference point), EXERCISE (which helps in many ways for many ills and can include many different activities, just in case you need some suggestions for a non-functional brain at 4AM), and last but not least, hot milk with honey per my favorite Norwegian grandmother, who was chock-a-block with easy remedies for most issues.

I'm looking forward to less GAAK in my life as we move forward with certain business arrangements.  For more information on THAT topic, please see the category Bowling with Planets.  And if you have other words that you'd like me to define for you, line 'em up.  I'm all about combining creativity and clarity.

Yours truly, The Closet Wordsmith

The Right to Write

  I've been giving some thought to the nature of my written creations, especially as it has become clear that I long for these precious moments writing at my keyboard.  It's a driving passion; desires unleashed with the fury of pent-up energy and the freeing nature of setting thoughts to digital ink.  I firmly believe that ideas can crowd one another when not given room to grow and this is a quick, fast and expansive way to communicate globally, with interaction to boot! 

Rainer Maria Rilke said "The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens."  I look back in my private journals, over notes for books, essays, poems, songs; letters I've written and should have sent, and words that thankfully never made it to their intended reader.  What strikes me is that a) I used to be a lot smarter and b) I've always written most of my words with the intention they be read. 

For me, the core of human existence is about making connection, within the fabric of our own being and migrating outwards through our spheres of influence.  All I want is to experience the gentle touch of understanding and acceptance, the harder touch of challenge and dialog and the ultimate moment when we're forced to choose a position and defend our values and beliefs as a matter of moral imperative. 

To some, this is a blog; a web-based version of my ego, id and superego all packaged into pretty templates filled with words, ready for public consumption.  Snarky "blog explosion" commentators certainly feel compelled to discount the value of these writings as mere digital chicken scratchings in the "coop" du monde of the world wide web. 

To me, the fluidity, required timeliness and abundance of shared interests on the web has provided great impetus for what I perceive as my "right to write."  To exercise my creative gene with a tool that allows me to communicate with those both distant and close is both empowering and addictive.  Moreover, I've found that different tools encourage different types of communication; a fact I find fascinating.

If I were to conduct a research project on this phenomenon, I would establish a framework for understanding why people use different tools; what draws them to a particular tool set and what keeps them coming back.  If ya'll are interested in participating (I am taking this quite seriously!) please tell me what tool(s) you use and why, especially if you use more than one. 

I believe in my right to write, as well as the complementary core tenant that I should improve my small patch of earth, leaving at least a part of the universe better off than I found it.  So if you'd like to participate in this very unscientific and highly anecdotal analysis of user interface design and use case analysis, please do share your feelings on the subject.