in case ya didn't know

fire to the people

I am not... but, I am!

I AM NOT...

Image via Wikipedia

• A ride at an amusement park.
• The monopoly money that's been cast from a window to live in the wild.
• Pan-fried chicken. Soft-shelled crab.
• The one with the scruff, but I might be the one under the one with the scruff.
• Little in the middle with much back.
• Staring out at the new morning and the blue sky.
  

I AM...

• The cloud that blows along with the wind, though in control of my own shape.
• Putting one step in front of the other... on days when not skipping.
• Controlling "shuffle-play" on Pandora & my iPod w/ my mind.
• A fire with a switch. Tick. Tick. Tick. Poof.
• A Warrior of the Light.
• Staring out at the new morning and the blue sky.

When last we left our protagonist, he had caught what could he could only believe to be a GREAT FISH, but without an ability to reel it in, he's idly biding his time in the boat, letting the current carry him where it may, until the fish decides to hop into the boat or tires from play.

[Thoughts on a random morning...wait...random thoughts on a morning]

How much is that doggy in the window?

"Did I fight the good fight?" If the answer is "yes," he can rest. If the answer is "no," he takes up his sword and begins training all over again. -Manual: Warrior of the Light, Coelho

"Face to face with the man who sold the world." -Nirvana

This concludes today's show, boys and girls, please go out and enjoy your day, your weekend, and your life. May you find your True Path and fight with your heart to tread upon it as often as possible: day, night, storm, or fright.

[Insert Porky Pig]

d'bronx pizza graffiti

Dear Headache...

Dear Headache,

Image via Wikipedia

You've been with me for nearly a week now, and I'd like to let you know that you're not welcome. But, before you go, can you tell me why you're here?

• Maybe because I've not been able to understand the "why?"
• Maybe because I've gotten so far off of my Life Path that you're urging me to turn around and head back towards it?
• Maybe because of some bodily deterioration due to the punishment that I've dealt upon it lately?
• Maybe because I've no idea what's next in my life?

Or maybe you're just imploring me to drink a gallon of water. You know, I actually do a pretty good job at hydration, so I'm gonna exclude that possibility.

Oh Dr. Sherry, where are you when I need to reboot my system?

There is only one remedy that I know will work for me: action. So, it's time to write; writing will lead me back to my path.

Spill the wine. Take that pearl.

34/52: Now & Forever, by Ray Bradbury

Book #34: Now & Forever, by Ray Bradbury, 4/5 Stars.

Two quirky and delightful little tales about our inability to see things the way they could be.. until they are. Quick, pleasurable reads.

GOAL: 52 books in 52 weeks!

Book #33 = "Coincidence" by David Ambrose, 2/5 Stars
Book #32 = "The Discreet Charm of Charlie Monk" by David Ambrose, 2/5 Stars
Book #31 = "Fish" by Lundin, Paul, Christensen, & Blanchard, 4/5 Stars
Book #30 = "Purple Cow" by Seth Godin, 3/5 Stars
Book #29 = "The System's Bitch" by John Wright, 3/5 Stars
Book #28 = "Twitter Power" by Joel Comm, 3/5 Stars
Book #27 = "The Cluetrain Manifesto" by LLSW, 3/5 Stars
Book #26 = "What Kind of World Do You Want?" by Jim Lord, 5/5 Stars
Book #25 = "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" by David Meerman Scott, 4/5 Stars
Book #24 = "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, 3/5 Stars
Book #23 = "Lisey's Story" by Stephen King, 1/5 Stars
Book #22 = "My Favorite Place on Earth" by Jerry Camarillo Dunn, 4/5 Stars
Book #21 = "Wisdom 2.0" by Soren Gordhamer, 4/5 Stars
Book #20 = "Oath Of Gold" by Elizabeth Moon, 5/5 Stars
Book #19 = "The Age Of Engage" by Denise Shiffman, 3/5 Stars
Book #18 = "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20" by Tina Seelig, 4/5 Stars
Book #17 = "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, 4/5 Stars
Book #16 = "Divided Allegiance" by Elizabeth Moon, 3/5 Stars
Book #15 = "The Curious Incident of the Dog..." by Mark Haddon, 2/5 Stars
Book #14 = "The Sheepfarmer's Daughter" by Elizabeth Moon, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #13 = "Love Is The Killer App" by Tim Sanders, 4/5 Stars
Book #12 = "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk, 4.5/5 Stars
Book #11 = "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, 5/5 Stars
Book #10 = "The Finder" by Colin Harrison, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #9 = "Veronika Decides To Die" by Paulo Coelho, 1/5 Stars
Book #8 = "By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept" by Paulo Coelho, 3/5 Stars
Book #7 = "Stiff" by Mary Roach, 2/5 Stars
Book #6 = "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, 1/5 Stars
Book #5 = "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, 3/5 Stars
Book #4 = "Eleven Minutes" by Paulo Coelho, 2/5 Stars
Book #3 = "The Good Guy" by Dean Koontz, 3/5 Stars
Book #2 = "My Ishmael" by Dan Quinn, 2/5 Stars
Book #1 = "The Zahir" by Paulo Coelho, 3.5/5 Stars

READ MORE!

Proof of Life

A headache knocked me out this afternoon; too much play between the light and the dark

Image by The U.S. National Archives via Flickr

created a conflagration inside of my skull. I took two, found a spot of sun on the couch, and cradled a Ray Bradbury book in my hands. The off-white pages acted as a reflector, angling the rays of sun that penetrated the wall of glass behind me, streaked over my shoulder, and bounced from the pages of the book into my eyes... deep into my soul.

There's more than one way to skin the dark cat--blind it with light.
(Revved up like a Deuce, another runner in the night)

The warmth of the light felt right. I skimmed the pages with my eyes and let my mind wander off to wonder about other things in my life. Because it wasn't forced to focus on these hurdles in the foreground, it was free to see them objectively, and in objectivity it always gains more perspective.

I love, love. I am always at its beckoned call. And, maybe that isn't the right place for me to be. If I walk away from the line between where you are and where I am, would you eventually cross the line to come looking for me where we're supposed to be?

I put my iPhone on my stomach. An intuition shouted that someone had something to say, though I knew not what it would be. When said, I wanted to be there to listen, not necessarily to respond. While my phone sat there on my stomach, the same sun's rays reflected from it onto the ceiling across the room; some symbol from a ancient language of love that stayed in constant motion, dancing on the white paint. I breathed and it moved back and forth with the rise and fall of my stomach. I held my breath, expecting it to be still with me, but it did not.

It pulsed, like the beat of a bass drum, a rhythm from none other than my heart. I am alive.

My intuition was right. The switchboard operators at The Network are doing their jobs well today. Now, if ony they could interpret the messages for me...

I guess that's my job as a writer, eh?

Crazy Enough to Change the World?

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

Apple ad, "Think Different", 1997

[Thanks to a friend, who pointed this video out to me today.]