The Last Waltz

There is a certain joy in music. There is a certain sorrow in music. This is one of the reasons I love music so much.

I have been told that my writing can touch a vein - a "chord", if you will. But for me, my writing will never do what music does.

I am watching "The Last Waltz", and am astounded by the constant evolution of emotions that I feel while listening to The Band. Music is totally the canvas to the paintbrush of words.

When I was in high school, I learned about how words could be construed through the way they were conveyed. I tested the theory by yelling at our dog: "I LOVE YOU!!!" Yeah, the dog responded a lot quicker when I didn't yell.

So if you put the words "You make me crazy" to music, it could mean many different things. What is the environment? The vibe?

Of course, while music elicits emotion, words becom more meaningful. It's a crazy thing, man!

There are things that we all aspire to be. I would love to be a musician. I would love to write words like Bob Dylan. I would love to elicit emotion like "Amazing Grace".

So for the time being, I will "find a place where I can lay my head". I will keep an eye out for "Carmen and the devil, walkin' side by side", and I will always aspire to be an architect of analogies, a smither of words, and pray, that just for one day, my words can find the proper canvas - the proper medium - to make you go "Whoa!"

Hope

I work with a woman who is really struggling right now. She's dealing with the recent death of her grandfather - for whom she is in charge of his estate - and her father-in-law was just diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Yes, like the rest of Michigan, she is struggling. She is one of the few people in this state who has a job, but wants and needs time away from the job to deal with real life.

Life ain't easy. If we're lucky, we strive simply to survive.

But the rewards are worth the price of playing the game.

Like a lot of people, Sheryl and I played the lottery tonight. Like a lot of people, we might have won... $333 freakin' million!

Like a lot of people, we've talked about what we'd do with the money.

Our big thing, though, after we've made sure we were set, is that we'd HAVE A BLAST helping others. We would WORK with our friends and family, and buy TIME for all of us. TIME together. TIME to do the things we should.

Sheryl and I buy lottery tickets. We HOPE we win, as we feel it will give us a chance to provide HOPE to others.

I am a survivor. That is my basic core instinct. You could strip away my flesh and blood, and you'd find the essence of survivalism.

What makes me a survivor, though, is what I learned growing up in Michigan... you have HOPE. You have FAITH. And you ride the roller coaster - whether you like it or not.

Without HOPE, you've got nothing.

With HOPE, you've got the world by the balls. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but it will be. I can promise that.

Anyone got the lottery numbers? ;)

All You Need Is...

The Beatles Anthology was on VH1, and I realized how important the Beatles are in my lifetime. They essentially had a rise to fame between 1963 and 1970. I was 4 when they broke up.

But there's something about the Beatles that make them timeless. Something about John, Paul, George, and Ringo that together and separately, they created a soundtrack to lifetimes.

Like the interstate driving system, many of us cannot imagine life before the existence of the Beatles.

And the cool thing is that we still have a prolific Paul McCartney in our lives. Which other mortal person has brought us more wonderful moments or memories?

As I think of a certain Beatles (or Paul McCartney) song, I am immediately taken to a feeling or place - a time or moment. Mmmm... good stuff!

Some of my fave Beatles songs: Two of Us, Lovely Rita, She Said She Said, Good Day Sunshine
Some of my fave Beatles albums: Let it Be, Live at hte Hollywood Bowl

What about you?

East Village

"What do you want to talk about?"
Her words hung in the air like a Van Gogh.
He hardly heard her.
He was watching her lips -
The way they formed letters and words.
He touched them
And said:
"I want to talk all night long...
Until day breaks
And the rains come.
I want to watch you sleep
And eat.
What would you like to talk about?"
She smiled, and imagined waking up next to him.
She closed her eyes, only to open them quickly -
Afraid that in that moment he'd be gone,
And that this was just a dream.
He wasn't.
It wasn't.
And time took a deep breath,
Letting the moment linger...

There's a question in my pocket just looking to get out (?)

How many tomorrows must come and go before I live my life?
Why must I think I deserve more than I've got?
How come life is not fair?
Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why do too many people worry about such things?
I mean, am I silly to wonder what great things I have been placed on this planet to achieve?
To wonder how I can make a positive impact on the lives around me?

Are we part of the problem or part of the solution?
Who knows but me?
But you?

Why don't we all just focus on the amazing things in life?

Want of a Hook

They smile and wave
The kids that you saved
From boredom and fear
From long lines of tears
You look in their eyes
Fed up with your lies
And you open your mouth for truth
And you shout with no sense of proof
From the looks of dejection
They seek your protection
You nod, you wink
Promise the kitchen sink
And when you look away
They see the shame
So you open your mouth for truth
And you shout with no sense of truth
You're destined to live your history
No secrets, surprises, or mystery
But you can live out loud
So very alone, yet proud
Old and wise
No compromise

Morning Roaring

It's 7:30am.
After a full 8 hours of sleep
(the first 8 hours in quite a while, it seems)
I get up, grab some juice
(minus the gin)
Fire up the computer
And head outside.
My juice glass sweats
I revel in the morning as the sun rises behind trees across the street.
The 7:30 train whistles through Ferndale.
Squirrels toe the cable lines above, and race up and down trees.
The dull roar of the dream cruise -
A mile away -
Teeters on the edge of morning silence.
The cool morning dew licks at my skin in silent humidity.
It's gonna be a scorcher today,
And the sounds of the neighborhood waking up,
Rises
Slowly.
Got a couple of things to do today, but no big plans as of yet.
So I will relish this moment,
And assume this is the closest I will get to god for the rest of the day.
And if there are other moments,
They will be a bonus.
As the roar on Woodward becomes noticeably louder,
The sun has risen high enough to bounce off our windows
And reflect on the fence.
It's a beautiful morning,
And I can't wait to see what the day will bring!

The good demons.

Yesterday, we had a meeting with our bosses to talk about work coming down the pipe. I am extremely blessed to be in the line of work that I am right now, but nonetheless, I am horribly bored.

I'm on good terms with my boss, so he knows what I am capable of doing. He also knows that I am ambitious and under-used. He "promoted" me to team leader, which has given me a new set of skills to learn - particularly budgeting of time and personnel. It has kept things somewhat interesting, but I am afraid to get too lacksadaisical. Comfort, thy name is doom!

So I left yesterday's meeting depressed despite the good news of potentially plenty of work.

I am terribly afraid of being pigeon-holed and never be able to shine at my potential.

I've tried alleviating this fear by making myself more flexible and knowledgeable in more areas. As a result, I have taken 17 online courses, and am taking another Department of Defense -sponsored course right now.

The classes are fine, and look good on a resume, but to make them extremely useful, you have to be able to practice the learned skills. And unfortunately for me, I haven't been able to do that.

I love my job, I love my company, and I love working. I am likely complaining, too, but I think you would understand if you were in my shoes.

Nonetheless, I will continue to do my very best. Perhaps I am supposed to impart my 20 years of technical writing expertise onto some of the younger folks. I have a chance to be that expert/mentor that I've always yearned to become.

Life is good, and I have a chance to make my mark in this world every single day.

I try not to waste that opportunity, and I hope you don't either.