I love music. There is just so much wonderful stuff out there, and I’m rarely aware of what is new because I’m off on tangents, discovering artists from several years ago. Here’s what I’m listening to this month:
Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson, Nik & Jay, Spektrum, Scissor Sisters, Fagget Fairys, Electric Six, The Knife, Levi Kreis, Matthew Duffy, Neko Case, They Might Be Giants, Thomas Holm, Nick Cave, Sheena Easton, One eskimO, Sakis Rouvas, Kylie Minogue, Radiohead, Kent, Ari Gold, Muse, Dolores O’Riordan, Jacques Brel, Pomplamoose, Martha Wainwright, Garfunkel & Oates, Rasmus Seebach, Adam Lambert, Jay Brannan
And some videos/songs to match to a few of the names:
The swan lands, awkwardly gliding
into water among strangers, among friends.
On the far horizon, the ponds edges
kiss coy stars, lurking in the dusk.
The swan gracefully turns her long neck;
her eyelids close softly — contentedly.
A world escapes behind veils of thin skin;
the murmur of voices fades to silence.
Gently, the elegant bird tucks her beak
under her wing and lets peace take her.
Of all the book sites out there, I’ve found Shelfari to be the easiest to use. That is all changing rapidly. They keep “improving” the site, which apparently means complicating every tiny detail. It is still the best out there, but really that now only means they are the least crappy of several really crappy sites.
Any book site I’m missing that is wonderful??? Apparently, it isn’t going to be Shelfari for long… and it certainly isn’t GoodReads.
I’m not looking for a new MySpace. That already exists.
I’ve been digging through websites in an attempt to catch previews of the upcoming releases from various craft companies. CHA is at the end of this month and I haven’t been able to hold out. Tim Holtz is clearly not offering any previews. I was hoping, but I’m hardly surprised. 7gypsies has a preview coming soon and I’m very curious.
I did see the new releases from Cosmo Cricket and I’m really excited to get my hands on some of it! They did a great job of creating some new collections. I’d really like to see another Wanted or Gretel come out during the Summer CHA, but these new ones will look great in my crafting for a while.
Snorkel This new collection is bright a fun, but with far more depth than the releases a year ago. It is vintage Cosmo Cricket, with weathered edged papers and beautifully coordinating colors. I’m not a fan of the beach myself, but I can’t help loving this. I was immediately drawn to the claw brackets journaling tag and the “Current” paper. I’m going to make a lot of use of this paper for punches of color in my projects. A
Everafter I love the Everafter collection. Not only will it make for beautiful wedding themed cards and layouts, but would be great as a framed group of papers. They have a smaller pattern than I would normally use, but I still really like the patterns they do have. The best part is that Cosmo Cricket released a collection that is in the colors I am currently using in my home. Greys, whites, oranges, and blues are beautiful together. I look forward to picking up a lot of this paper as soon as it is available. A+
Lil’ Man This collection is really just an expansion and revision of Lil’ Boys from the Biography 101 collection. I like its simplicity; it has a wonderfully vintage feel and doesn’t beat you over the head with masculinity. Since Lil’ Boys is an 8×8 paper pad, this 12×12 collection will go really well with it or will look nice by itself. I’m really taken with “Dapper Dan” and “Handsome Henry.” B
Girl Friday My least favorite of the new Cosmo Cricket releases, this collection ain’t too shabby. School girls are such an easy scrapbooking subject and this group of papers works well for that very purpose. Whereas Lil’ Man is an expansion of an existing collection, Girl Friday is an entirely new collection. While I doubt I make use of any of the papers in this collection, the Girl Friday Elements are a must-have for my scrapbooks. I will overbuy these as soon as I can. B-
Along with these new full collections, Cosmo Cricket also is releasing spinner cards, which are kinda fun, and two new blackboard albums. Scarlet is great, but the shape has been done by Basic Grey very recently. The Flirt album is pretty much useless to me. It has a very small surface area and its shape is too funky for me.
There is so much coming in the crafting world. I’m much more excited by what I see than I was during most of 2008. It seems cool is coming back again!
Family — So many people I know have strained relationships — or no relationship at all — with their families. I am so lucky to have parents who have become friends over time. And my brothers are some of the best people I’ve come across in life. I’d want all four members of my immediate family in my life even if I wasn’t related to them. They remain my only regret in moving to Alaska. I wish I could see them more than I do, but cherish even more strongly those times I do get to spend with them.
Alaskans — As lucky as I was to get such amazing parents and brothers, I never thought I would be as lucky in my life again. I’ve always resigned myself to the notion that friends come into and drift from your life with great fluidity. That is why I love people with such ferocity when they are in my life — I know it will not last. However, the group of people who have found a way to let me into their lives here in Alaska are the ones I don’t accept a temporary friendship with. David, Daniel, & Denis feel like family in a way few of my friends have in my life. All three make me feel safe in unique ways. I am so thankful for them. And I’m trying my hardest to not hold on too tightly.
Oklahoma — I needed to leave to appreciate it. I think it is true that every place has a unique sense of itself and I’m quite content to be from Oklahoma. I wouldn’t want to be from anywhere else.
Books — I up and left a better paying job with more obvious room for growth to work in a bookstore again. I simply need to be around books. I enjoy my job at Title Wave Books in Anchorage for a lot of reasons. None of those reasons are because it isn’t Barnes & Noble, which I still miss, or Borders, which I still miss. To me, it isn’t about a place being corporate or independent. It isn’t about what the store looks like. It is the books themselves and the life they give the place.
Old Friends — As people have drifted out of my life, some have not drifted away from me, but towards new lives for themselves. Those people have remained an important part of my life. Sometimes I find it hard to remember that I am loved; these people have reminded me in some way. I appreciate them so much.
Animals — We aren’t here on this planet alone. There are so many beautiful creatures we are blessed to share our world with. My life is enriched with both cats and dogs, whose sense of themselves makes me wonder how animal intelligence can be disregarded. I am thankful that I share my planet — my home — with hoofed, clawed, feathered, & furry individuals.
Shopping — I am a consumer. I love to find things that are beautiful to add to my home, even at the expense of being responsible.
The economic bailout plan angered me enough, but Dubya endorsing it just proves that he is completely out of touch with reality. Nothing good can come from saddling the already financially strained masses with someone else’s debt. Nothing.
I hold my breath,
artificially awake,
my mouth full of
unswallowed tea,
I stare blankly into the window
cluttered computer screen
and think about a stranger’s
beautiful face.
Realizing my distraction
and not knowing how
long I have been in this state
my mind races back to
the reality around me.
In a painful gulp
the tea is gone.
4.11.2007
Toltec Princess
Through blue and green,
through yellow grass -
she picks up her body, still heavy
from the long winter.
She yawns, stretches, begins
to creep across her home -
across the earth.
Sleep fades – the beautiful
black goddess begins to move
more swiftly than before.
Her muscles shimmer with
sunlight, moist with sweat.
She reaches up and brushes
her hundred-year-old hair,
gray with age. It trails her -
the wind catching it off her scalp,
raising it to heaven.
This feat of racing – charging through
the wood – draws a crowd -
restless spectators through the forest.
And then the enchantress sings.
Her followers’ hearts stop a moment -
they came here to hear her song.
They came for the song and the
sweet black perfume, which
rains as dust on their bodies.
She knows these people – they were
here last year, and years before;
and she loves them.
She moves her children – body and spirit.
She is strong and swift.
She is sweet.
This is 497’s dance -
a melodical ceremonial dance -
mysterious and magical and
routine. Will you wait for her?
Will you listen?
1999
Bullet Holes & War
an homage to Gertrude Stein
Here they lie, Daddy.
Here they lie.
They are here – still here.
They lie here, still, Daddy.
Under this dirt, they lie here,
Daddy – under this dirt and
this grass and dirt and grass.
They lie here still, Daddy -
under this dirt and grass.
They are still, Daddy,
sent under this dirt and grass -
by bullet holes and war.
The bullet holes killed them,
Daddy, and now
they lie here still, under
this dirt and grass.
The war and bullet holes
killed them, Daddy -
bullet holes in their heads -
and this is where they lie.
Yes, under this dirt and grass,
Daddy, this is where they lie.
Too many, Daddy, too many
to count. Too many died, Daddy.
Too many lie here – under
this dirt and grass -
too many lie here still.
The war and bullet holes
killed too many, Daddy, and
they lie here – under this dirt
and grass.
Forgive them, Daddy -
they didn’t know – they didn’t
mean to die. They didn’t want
to kill and didn’t mean to die.
Forgive them, Daddy.
The bullet holes and war killed
them – and here they lie, under
this dirt and grass.
Too many of them didn’t know -
didn’t mean to die.
Forgive them, Daddy,
forgive them.
Too many that lie here still
(yes, under this dirt and grass)
didn’t want to kill.
Here they lie, Daddy,
under this dirt and grass.
Forgive them for dying -
for killing – forgive them, Daddy.
Under this dirt and
under this grass, where they lie.
The war and bullet holes killed
them, Daddy, and here they lie.
Can you blame them?
Forgive them, Daddy, forgive.
Here they lie – they lie still -
under this dirt and grass.
7.22.1999
The Day the Sun Died
spark! flash!
DARKNESS -
the sun went out
(it's Friday afternoon)
coldness settling
bringing death, sleep
frozen.
Long live the King!
the sun is gone.
The Son is gone.
Darkness fading into light
cold to warm
warm from cold
death is a pause -
unmoved, still, restless, alive.
flash! spark!
fires from heaven
(days since death)
the sun has returned.
The Son has returned.
belief, sincerity -
death succeeded them.
heaven opens - sky doors
take Him back.
love is dead - it died with him.
departure brings peace, chaos,
hypocrisy.
Long live the King!
the sun has returned.
the Son is gone.
Light is darkness.
coldness is warmth.
spark! flash! gone.
1999
Wanderlust
Swish, swish
wind and cold — who was there?
Who is there?
I knew you lived there –
but I don’t think I know you…
She said you’d be here –
aren’t you early.
rush, rush
confusion, speed — hold on to me…
Don’t jump ship.
She’s lost, but had a great
life. 20 years and it’s
time to sink.
Get out before your happy and
stable.
Go to Virginia or California or Washington State.
Sitting in the middle of a
crowd — right in the mosh pit –
it’s like suicide… Great Plains
murdering innocent natives.
Take me with you — Let’s go to Canada or
Connecticut — I need a coastline.
“The man who doesn’t relax and hoot a few hoots voluntarily, now and then, is in great danger of hooting hoots and standing on his head for the edification of the pathologist and trained nurse, a little later on.”
–Elbert Hubbard
Alaskans — As lucky as I was to get such amazing parents and brothers, I never thought I would be as lucky in my life again. I’ve always resigned myself to the notion that friends come into and drift from your life with great fluidity. That is why I love people with such ferocity when they are in my life — I know it will not last. However, the group of people who have found a way to let me into their lives here in Alaska are the ones I don’t accept a temporary friendship with. David, Daniel, & Denis feel like family in a way few of my friends have in my life. All three make me feel safe in unique ways. I am so thankful for them. And I’m trying my hardest to not hold on too tightly.
