Old Times

 

I recently came across this photograph of my paternal grandparents (I believe in Northern Wisconsin in the 1930's). It's one of my favorites- another that I will have to dig up is an early picture of them on the farm that involves my grandma hooking my grandpa around the waist with a cane.

 

These two were a major influence in my upbringing and I miss them every day. My grandpa was a local legend with a sharp wit, who taught me long-hand arithmetic, made me memorize all the native species of birds and trees, and got me interested in Latin. My grandma was one of my best friends. I loved hearing all her stories about growing up in the 20's, and sampling all the goodies she'd bake for us while we were at school (like chocolate raisin cookies or yellow cake with chocolate frosting in an old tin cake pan). I could fill volumes with all the wonderful things they taught me.

 

I thought it was funny that I came across this at the time I was writing about the calming effects of watching water- it must run in the family!



 

 



Watching Water

I missed posting for a few days because I got swept up in a glorious whirlwind weekend visit to my old stomping grounds in Southern California. It was incredible to let the serenity of the surroundings fill my soul and push out all the tension of the last few weeks.

One of my favorite moments was reuniting with the ocean, a companion I used to frolic and share troubles with as much as possible. Sitting there with a treasured old friend and seeing the blue-gray waters again, hearing the repetitions of the breathing tide, smelling the salt air and feeling the clamminess return to my skin from the sea water, I was very much overcome with relief and gratitude.

It's amazing how something so simple can unravel the complexity that our daily goings-on can cause to build up over time. What a blessing.

The Power of Love

Love is admittedly the thing I care most about in the world-- giving my love, being loved (the right way), seeing others love one another...it's the thing I've strived for (knowingly and unknowingly), more than anything else, many times to a fault.

I reckon that conservation of angular momentum is the actual reason the world is turning, but I do think that love has an affect on our own rotations-- getting through our days, years, lives (ok, I guess that could arguably be more of a linear movement) without support, affection, recognition, empathy and respect would be a supremely difficult task. And although I far too often trick myself into feeling isolated and unloved, remembering the truth of how many people I actually have out there (family members, friends, co-workers) who are giving me love everyday, is important-- somehow it can help lift the burden that getting through those rotations once in awhile presents me with.

So, remember to share your love freely without occasion, and to stop and count the blessings of all those who love you. You are not alone.

Hotter Than A Two Dollar Pistol

Texas adventures continued today with a visit to the Fort Worth Stockyards. Our conference center has been so hyper-air-conditioned that the outdoor Texas temps have been a little shocking to the system. However, the giddiness I experienced seeing the below array of gloriousness made it worth the heat. $2 Lone Stars and the greasiest cheeseburger ever and I'm ready for sweet dreams under the Texan big/bright stars.

 

The Big D

This week I'm at a ticket software conference in Dallas, TX. I don't believe I have ever been here, and although I've been aware of how wonderful Dallas Children's Theater is, Dallas isn't a place I know much about or have had much of a desire to visit.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when this evening we went to the beautiful Dallas Arts District and got to see three amazing performance venues:

1. The Wyly at Dallas Theater Center, a 100' x 100' completely customizable theater space with removable seats and elevate-able boxes:

 

2. Winspear Opera House, home of the Dallas Opera

 

 

 

 

3. Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where we were treated to a stellar organ recital of a Verdi work on a 4,535 pipe C.B. Fisk Opus 100 organ. 

 

Quite a cool place actually! 

 

 

  

SkyMall

 

This morning I took my 16th flight of the year (and I think I might be forgetting one or two). I had become terrified of flying at one point right after I had my girls- I don't know if it was about having so much more to lose if something went wrong, or just post-partum depression. In any case, I've pretty much gotten over that due to frequency.

 

I've enjoyed some of the characters I've met on-board as well as the gorgeous sky-scapes I've taken in from on high. However, I'm always happy to have SkyMall magazine to entertain me with must-have oddities, such as the 14-shelf sarcophagus below:

 

Here It Comes

Few things can cure me of weekend evening loneliness like cruising on a Saturday night and listening to Little Steven's Underground Garage. 

 

The radio show always makes me feel like I've jumped into a time machine and travelled back to my dad's high school and college days when weekend evenings (or most evenings in general) were spent cruising the main streets in cars with wings and chrome, listening to music and playing it cool a la American Graffiti.

 

Tonight I had to drive to the city in order to stay near the airport where I catch a flight to TX at 6am. Little Steven kept me company on my drive with Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll in Los Angeles 1956-1972

 

There's something about listening to a cool cat with a smooth voice telling stories and playing a great mix of classic songs that just turns me all Rebel Without A Cause. I definitely slowed down and looked into the window of one of my favorite watering holes, The Weary Traveler, just to see what was shakin'. But I kept driving, because, you know, that's just how I roll.