a day downtown

try try try

This is my chance to let all the creativity flow out from me that I have always dreamed. I am only here once and this is my time. This moment right now, is what matters. Michelle, you are capable of being and doing anything your heart desires. You have to try try try. I saw those words spray painted on a staircase on a strange road that I found myself lost on the other day.



I was attempting to take Bill his dinner and I thought that I would take the road less traveled. Well, Pittsburgh roads are not user friendly. You can get lost really easily. There are one way streets everywhere, so if you made a wrong turn, good luck. I traveled this lonely road, and it was odd. There was a lot of graffiti and it looked like I was about to drive off into a field. I was under a bridge in East Liberty. I saw an interesting fusion of metal scraps attached to a street sign, and it was in the shape of a cube. I don’t know how it came to be, but I found it intriguing.





It made me think about how we have to look at life as a set of stairs, and that is the only way that we can climb to the next step up, we have to try. We have a choice; we can stay on the step we are on, or we can try try try to keep reaching higher up. It is in our reach, it is our choice. How can I obtain the goal of writing without trying? I simply must give myself a break and just be. Be yourself. DO the things you love to do. Go to poetry readings. Get involved in things. Don’t get down and don't ever give up. You are in the middle of that staircase.




Do you want to stay there, or do you want to see what the next step has to offer. The rest of the things in your life will come. If I fret over the things that I want that I don’t have, I will just be fretting and stuck on the step.
My life is my own. No one is experiencing this existence on the planet in the same way that I am right now. It is a unique experience in this vessel, in this mind. We are all connected in our journeys yet we are allowed this opportunity to live freely.


So
Let's
See
What
Happens
Try
Try
Try

night sounds

distant train whistle
heavy deep breaths of my lover
kitty licks on her fur
traffic on the street
neighbor upstairs treads across squeaky floor
desperate shrieks come from the house next door.
a fight? crazy person?
She does this often-
when I can hear the night sounds
when my window exposes my ears
to the unsafe sounds
of the outside world
Better restful sleep
when the window is closed.

A to Z (a writing exercise for me. . .)

A crisp fall day
Bill cuddles so comfy put me at ease
Curtains billow on a windy day
Desk in perfect order
Every moment I capture in a camera’s lense
Friends not too far away for a chat
Grew up in Paris
Hikes in the woods with the fam
Innocent childhood
Just being myself
Kilts worn by Scots
Letters from Iraq, Kuwait, Germany, and Kosovo
Make a fresh pot of tea
Nest in a tree
Ohio back roads
Popcorn from Pittsburgh Popcorn Company
Quest for perfection
Rusted Root at Bonnaroo
Shady Side art show on Walnut Street
Twins, red headed
Unquenched thirst for knowledge
Violin softly soars in a music hall
Whisper “I love you.”
X-cellent use of the letter X
Yell to be heard
Zoo close by, in Highland Park

l love this song

getting started

My hours have been cut at work, so I now have a week day off, and it is the time to write. I don't know if it will be poetry, a novel, a children's book or a biography. I just want to write. Write my little heart out. I started today and it was kind of hard. But I figured that it is going to take some time. I am a little rusty. It will come back to me. There's no time like now. So, I begin my journey into my creativity and I am happy just to have the opportunity and the willingness. I also have a wonderful support group, my honey, my friends and family. I can do anything. I know it. I took a walk this morning to clear my head and began. Yay!

little grins

sunsets



yummy coffee



retro signs



obey



curious cutie

I love

that i was there to capture this moment. . .



that my parents are still in love with each other after 33 years. . .




cool looking statues






graffiti (guilty pleasure. . .)





morning coffee, freshly ground



finding this picture that I didn't know my mom took




being a ray of sunshine

soft tender kisses that mean how they feel

smiling at people on a hiking trail

the moth pod casts http://www.themoth.org/podcast

love notes scattered around my apartment

dreaming about Scotland and Ireland. . .
someday, we will make it there!

inanimate objects with smiley faces

where soul meets body video. . .

what the fork?

i heart this song

Spending the day with my dad

My dad came to visit me this weekend. We went here for breakfast. If you are in Pittsburgh around 10 am on a Sunday morning, make the Coca Cafe a stop on your trip!



He had lump crab and asparagus quiche



and I had wild mushroom and brie omelet. To drink carrot apple lemon juice. YUMMM!!



Dad glowing in the sunlight of a beautiful spring day.



Then we got lost trying to find Hartwood Acres, but we finally found it. We walked all through the woods and around the mansion.





Dad made a new friend.





Doesn't it look like there is a skull in this tree? Weird!







I feel so fortunate to have a Dad who loves me. The time we spend together is precious to me.




As I grow older I realize more and more how short life is and just how important it is to let people know that you love them. It is time to let the past go, to look at today as a gift and to heal. Time to stop criticizing ourselves and judging others, love them as they are. I have made a promise to myself to have peace in my life, and to try to fill it with as much positive energy as I can. We become what we fill our minds with, so we might as well fill it with good things as much as we can. If I can be a light, then maybe I will shine for others and I won't bring darkness to anyone that I love.

Washington DC

Who do you loooooooooove?



This little guy was just hanging out on the street a couple of blocks from the White House.



Smooches by the Tidal Basin.



Honey is holding up the Washington Monument.



Hip little hang-out in Northern VA. Good veggie burger!

strike a pose

The running in place dance is appropriate for all occasions, especially weddings.



You are not an owl, you need to turn your whole body.



Which one makes you see little green men?



Moonville Tunnel



Is this an advertisement?




Pick it before it explodes!

not enough time

I was sorting through some old pictures and stuff and I found this poem that I wrote my brother a few years ago. Tomorrow is his birthday so I thought I would share it. I think I must be missing him lately. . .

There's just not enough time
for country back road rides
Maybe next time. . .
My scary voice driving past "The Circle"
"Planet Caravan" that echoed into the night
Bebe guns and army men without heads.
Dirt mounds, sled paths in the strip-mines
Puppy in the tree, scooters down the hill,
"Dad, what happened to my E.T. poster?"
"Wait till we get home from church"
Brock park in the springtime
Clink of the bat, Big League Chew.
I would hold onto the fence and watch you
Rocking back and forth with my teddy bear
(Not going to Ohio U. not going anywhere)
We used to fight and argue
or sometimes not even talk at all
Now there's just no time for it.
Three weeks out of the year isn't enough
time to spend with you now
Will it always be like this from now on?
Will it just be once a year and then you are
gone?
Trace the words on the seat in front of you
Dad won't know
Just me and you.

fond memory

If I could transport myself back to the best concert ever it would be Bonnaroo 2006 with my brother. We had a blast. It was so great! There were 80,000 people, unbelievable heat, no showers, and all in all a fantastic time! Though this is nothing like being there, here's a clip of Radiohead performing at Bonnaroo. It was truly magical! Thanks for taking me, James!

love my music

My top ten most listened to albums of all time:

1. The Sundays-Blind

2. Tori Amos-Scarlet's Walk

3. Smashing Pumpkins-Pisces & Siamese Dream (it's a tie)

4. Lisa Loeb-Tails

5. Radiohead-The Bends

6. Blind Melon-Soup

7. The Verve-No Come Down

8. Tool-Aenima

9. The Cure-Disintegration

10. Hole-Live Through This

I used to listen to The Sundays on cassette tape while I was driving around in my 1986 Ford Escort. I still love that album. It is timeless.