the six-pack of giant grandies don costumes that tell a halloween story
who is who and what’s their story?
—
“clothes make a statement, costumes tell a story.”
-mason cooley
Oct31
Monthly Archives: October 2021
Oct30
wait.
on a tired evening after a long day at school
i arrived for my hair appointment
already ready to be home
a stylist new to me
was running late
quite a patient person by nature
i felt myself becoming impatient
really wanting to be done and home
and on and on about me
finally she was ready
we took the elevator and headed upstairs
thinking about waking up at 4:30 the next am.
i sat down in her chair
sensing she had been through something
while she worked we began to talk about our lives
she shared things with me:
she can only work 3 days at a time and then needs 2 days off
due to a chronic illness that has affected her leg
(ah, the elevator)
she is one of eight children raised by a single mother
she was a very young mother years ago
she loves her daughter, granddaughter, and mother dearly
she is sharing rides with a co-worker as her car is not working
she doesn’t always have dinner or time for it
this was her last week at the salon
she needed some down time to recover
she would love to have her own little salon one day
she spoke of other joys and challenges in her life
determined not to give up and make the best of things
such a strong soul
i felt ashamed for my impatience
happy i had waited and not expressed it
i had nothing to complain about
she was an incredible person
still kind and happy
still in the midst of overcoming hard things
i tried to offer encouraging words
wished her well
gave her a restaurant card i had in my wallet
as we parted ways
i was reminded to always consider the other person
wait before reacting or rushing to judgement
we really have no idea what someone’s life is like
i thanked her
so very grateful for the lesson.
—
“let the first impulse pass, wait for the second.”
-baltasar gracian
Oct29
message.
my message seems written in the sky
(or possibly on the windshield)
MB in reverse
waiting my turn
moderna booster soon coming my way.
ah – my message is in a bottle.
—
“life is a little like a message in a bottle, to be carried by the winds and the tides.”
-gene tierney
Oct28
find your fit.
olive and yeti find their fit
—
“the best thing to hold onto in life is each other.”
-audrey hepburn
Oct27
what doesn’t itch.
the time is near
soon the colder temps
will come and stay awhile
never having been seen as a fashion icon
it will soon be time to take off the sandals
and wrap myself in comfort
whatever that may look like.
—
“i base most of my fashion taste on what doesn’t itch.”
-gilda radner
—
image credit: ny daily news
Oct26
mutual tuning-in.
pat metheny, side-eye tour, orchestra hall, detroit, michigan
detroit symphony orchestra paradise jazz series
october 2021
amazing experience
—
We’re all familiar with the sense of wonder and joy we experience when we hear a song or piece of music we love, but there’s something even more magical about hearing that song performed live. Although many artists offered streamed performances online during the pandemic, these didn’t quite leave us with the same enchanted feelings as concerts. So what makes live music different? Columbia associate music professor Mariusz Kozak explains why live music is so powerful.
Live music allows us to experience what philosopher Alfred Schütz called a “mutual tuning-in.” This term refers to the phenomenon where we experience the passage of time and emotions with others. This is part of the reason humans need social interaction to thrive. When we attend a concert, we’re experiencing the tone of the music—fast, slow, happy, sad—with others around us. This creates a sense of intimacy with the crowd around us. This is also why research shows that babies who are bounced in time to music with an adult display more altruism towards that person.
This pleasurable effect gained from synchronizing with those around us is what makes live music and dance so powerful. Although most people probably relate to this feeling when remembering their favorite concert, this feeling is not limited to conventional music. It can also be experienced through collective visual synchronization. In the deaf community, facial gestures and movements are to convey emotions in music performance. The collective interpretation of the emotions behind these facial gestures also promotes a sense of unity.
The Blackfeet in North America use the same word to refer to music, dance, and ceremony, indicating the essential role of gathering to fully appreciate the benefits of music. Close friends can even experience this synchronization when walking or talking together.
Experiencing music in the presence of others cultivates a feeling of unity and empathy within us which exceeds anything we could experience by ourselves. As we head back to in-person concerts and relish this feeling once again, know that the true power of the music you’re hearing might not come from the artist, but in fact your fellow concert goers.
– Mariusz Kozak, Associate Professor of Music and Music Theory, Columbia University
Oct25
full of life.
what an honor and a joy
to see the culmination
of my dear friend, breeda kelly miller’s
hours, days, months, year, spent
writing, creating, staging, rehearsing, distilling
and bringing the story of her mother, mary kelly
to life on stage at the world premiere
of her emotional and brilliant one-woman play,
Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home.
the arthur miller theater, ann arbor, the university of michigan
—
“you should feel a flow of joy because you are alive. your body will feel full of life.
that is what you must give from the stage. your life. no less. that is art: to give all you have.”
-anton chekhov
Directed by Brian Cox, a Pencilpoint Theatre Production. Go to mrskellysjourneyhome.com for updates.
Oct24
simple gifts.
carried from home to school
clutched in chubby hand
tiny simple gift
brings precious beauty
to a teacher’s heart.
—
“sometimes, said pooh, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”
-a.a. milne – winnie the pooh
Oct23
we write.
“directly, or indirectly, everything we write is for someone.”
-author unknown
—
Yesterday October 20 was the National Day on Writing.
The National Council of Teachers of English established the National Day on Writing
“to draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans
engage in and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft.”
Oct22
finally, a sport i can master!
Living room acrobatics earn Peruvian inaugural Balloon World Cup
Anyone who has ever leaped over a couch to prevent a party balloon from touching the living room floor can now dream of parlaying those skills into a World Cup triumph.
Inspired by a series of viral videos and organized by Barcelona soccer playerGerard Pique and internet celebrity Ibla Llanos, the inaugural Balloon World Cup took place in Tarragona on Thursday.
Francesco De La Cruz emerged as the first champion after beating German Jan Spiess 6-2 in the final on a 8×8 meter court littered with living room furniture as well as a small car.
“I am very, very happy, I thank God that I have been able to achieve this,” said the Peruvian teenager.
The rules of the game are simple. Players have to hit the balloon in an upward direction and they score points if their opponent fails to prevent it from touching the ground.
Teams from 32 countries took part including an American team of Antonio and Diego Arredondo, whose videos of the game they played with their sister, Isabel, at home in Oregon were a huge hit on social media and inspired the tournament.
“We played the game as kids, and then, during the start of quarantine for Covid, we wanted to play it again,” Antonio Arredondo told Reuters.
“We started arguing with each other over if it hit the ground or not, so we started taking videos in slow-mo to see if it did, and then finally it got to the point of ‘Let’s post this video of us on Tik-Tok.’
“When I woke up the next morning, it was completely viral, like a million likes, and then after that we just decided to keep playing and played more and more until one of our rounds got the attention of Ibai and Pique.”
Without sport, footballers turned to video games in 2020
Pique, who won a soccer World Cup with Spain in 2010, was delighted with how the inaugural tournament had gone. “It’s been amazing, it’s something totally different, sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone and try new things,” he said.
—
“and with just 4 minutes gone, the score is already 0-0.”
-ian darke
—
credits: reuters
I didn't have my glasses on.... 