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"A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao-Tzu |
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Today I resolve to take writing seriously, to keep going and never stop, to learn everything I can and make it as a writer. Dana McDowell 08/10/2017     |
Blog City - Prompt "In revisitation and remembrance, we bring back that which is not always fresh in the mind but always familiar to the heart." India Hicks. What are your reflections on this? This prompt hits home for me. Last week, I lost a dear friend who I used to write with roughly six years ago. We were online friends, but that's never made a difference when it comes to closeness for me. I'm often more close to my internet friends than real life friends because most of my internet friends are also writers. Back in the day, I used to write for two writing role-playing sites based off the world of Harry Potter. We didn't use the Harry Potter characters, instead it played in the magical sandbox. Each website created their own American schools based off of Hogwarts. Writers would then create students, who would be sorted into houses by the staff. A writer could write students and/or staff. All they had to do was fill out applications and get their characters approved by admins. Together, the writers wove rich cultures around each others characters. It was a turn based posting game. So I would write an opening scene about my character in class. Another character would react and write a post under mine, and then it would be my turn again. When I first found the site, I was quite intrigued. I looked it over, and after starting out my first character couple of characters, I got to know the other writers and their characters. That's when I met Maria. She'd created an elaborate pureblood family, one that had their fingers in all the pies. I was intrigued by her characters, and after talking for a bit, we agreed that I could write a bastard Edwards. Over the years, we spun out quite a few different plots together. Then life got in the way, as it tends to do. We ended up drifiting away from the site, and from each other. We would still chat now and then about life, but the length between chats grew and grew. The last time I talked to her was in February this year. She'd had some health problems in the past, skin cancer, but she'd beaten it. Last week, one of our other writing friends contacted me, and told me that Maria passed away. The blow was so unexpected because I didn't even know she was sick. Over the last week, I've been living this quote. Thinking about the times we'd had. The characters we'd made. The plotlines left undone. Things I hadn't given a single thought to in years, are now racing through my mind, mingling with the sorrow of realizing they will never be finished. We'd always meant to get back to our plotting. To finish out some of our story lines, even if it was just in a document with each other. We'd always meant to write together again. But real life kept getting in the way. We kept pushing it back until tomorrow. Last week, I learned there would be no more tomorrows. No more plotting. No resolution for our characters. Maria is gone, and although we never met face to face, there was a time when she was a large part of my life, and I miss her so much. I wish we'd had more time. |
Blog City - Prompt Talking about word plays, Albert Einstein said, "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." In how many ways can you decipher this quote? Any additional ideas to it? The simplest interpretation of this quote would go something like this: The number of the grains of sand matter not, it is the feet that walk upon them, the hands held. the love the pair feel for each other which cannot be counted that matters. There are a lot of inconsequential physical things that can be counted that don't have much of an impact on our day to day lives. I don't need to know how many individual bits of cereal end up in my bowl before I eat it. And while I cannot quantify the love I have for my children, I know that they have a huge impact on my life and my actions because of that love. This quote explores the idea of the immaterial verses the material. Humans are complex creatures with rich emotional lives. Those lives cannot be quantified with numbers. I am not a 7 in happiness today. Or a 3 in depression. It's one of the things that makes those pain charts at the hospital so ridiculous. A 2 for me is a 10 for someone else. Each of our pains is an individual thing, and even for the same person those pains are different. Breaking a bone will have a different flavor of pain than giving birth. So how can we even begin to try and put pain in a row on a scale? There are many things in our lives that can't be counted, and that gets on the other half of our nature. We aren't just creatures of emotion, we are beings of logic. These often opposing sides often come into conflict as this quote shows. A good example would be someone with an eating disorder. To that person, the number of individual pieces of cereal in the bowl matters a great deal. Yet, even then it is not about the physical number of the item. It isn't about calories taken in, calories burned. It is about the mental state driving the behavior. The things that can't be quantified that created it. What memories play into the disorder, what traumas? Even though it would be easy to look at it and say it is all about numbers, the truth goes deeper. No matter how logical we try to be, humans are more often than not ruled by emotion. That thing we cannot put into neat, numbered boxes no matter how hard we try. |
Blog City - Prompt Do you like writing or have you ever written poetry? What does poetry do to its poets and readers? And do you think writing poetry is important especially for the writers of prose or fiction: Why? I've dabbled in poetry, but not enough to know all of the different forms of poetry and how to craft them. Mostly, when I write poetry, it is free form, or simple rhyming. Poetry is a lot like Opera. People love it or they hate it. For those who love it, poetry holds a wealth of emotion, knowledge, and spirit. For those who hate it, it is too confining and it relies to heavy on structure, making it hard to write or digest. For writers, I think it is important to at least play in the poetry sandbox from time to time. Poetry requires a writer to consider every word, and every meaning to interlink ideas within the structure of the poem. The more ridged the structure, the more thought has to be put in word choice. For prose writers, this exercise can help us understand the full weight of each word choice, and helps us be more mindful of our own writing. |
Blog City Prompt Let's consider this on creation Saturday for discussion. Dorian Grey, written by Oscar Wilde, is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist who was impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he believed that Dorian's beauty is responsible for the new mood in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he is soon enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic world view: that beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure the portrait, rather than he ages and fade. Dracula, Bram Stoker's character also had the capability of never aging. Have you read both books? Were you area of the similarity in the two books? Do you think Wilde and Stoker influenced each other's work. This is a fascinating prompt, and it required a little digging before I could develop an informed opinion. While I have read The Picture of Dorian Gray, I haven't read Dracula. I have seen a good number of movies based off Dracula though, so I know the broad strokes of the story. Bram Stoker was born November 8th, 1947 and died April 20, 1912. Oscar Wilde was born October 16 1857, and died November 30, 1900. So both men lived in the same time period. Now here's were things get interesting. While I can't say for sure they lived in the same place at the exact same time, both men did live in County Dublin during their lives. So there's not only a good chance that they're writings influenced each other, they might have been friends and talked about their plots together. If not, I would have to say that Oscar Wilde's work probably influenced Bram Stoker since The Picture of Dorian Gray was published June 20, 1890, and Dracula wasn't published until May 26, 1897. I believe the two stories share a lot in common, even if they take different approaches to get there. Both men are immortals. Both are hedonistic, living for sensual pleasures. It would be fun to dig deeper and find out if there is more of a connection between the two authors. Maybe they lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same schools? Perhaps they were artistic rivals and not friends, each attempting to out do the other. Or maybe they had no notion the other existed in such close proximity. Either way, it is fascinating to know that both authors grew up in the same time period and lived in the same town. |
Blog City - Prompt Here's a strange question that might get some ideas flowing. Where do spiders and stars overlap. After all John Donne found inspiration with a flea. Have fun! At first glance, spiders and stars have nothing in common. But, when you look at the universe as a whole, there is one thing we all share. We are all made of star dust. The death of stars creates the elements of matter that everything else is made of. So the little star creeping down the wall, and the wall, and you, are all the remnants of dead stars. How odd to think that so many different things came from those stars. Even though me and the spider are both made of star dust, we are so very different from each other. What series of events lead to us existing in the same time and space. It's fun to think about. How we both turned out so different, even though we're made of the same stuff. Thoughts About Loss Yesterday I found out an internet friend I used to write with a few years ago passed away. One of our other writing friends contacted me to let me know. She was only a year or two older than me, and yet, she still died of cancer over the weekend. It was a blow I wasn't expecting. I hadn't talked to her since February, yet, I felt the loss as keenly as if we'd been talking everyday. What's worse is, I didn't even know she was sick. Yes, she'd had a cancer scare a year or two ago, but they'd beat it. Only, cancer isn't something that can be defeated so easily. We found out that it came back in June, and this time it tore through her like wildfire. I don't know why she didn't tell me. Why she kept it to herself. I wish I could have talked to her more, supported her, even though we've never met in person. There was a time in my life when we talked every day. We wrote Harry Potter role-play fan fiction together. We created whole families of people, and all sorts of different plots. We weren't done, but ended up drifting away from the site and from each other as real life got in the way. I always thought there would be plenty of time to get back to it. To reconnect. But now she's gone, and it hurts so much. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 30 Sings: Welcome to Miami, Bienvenidos A Miami. 30 whole days. It's been one heck of a musical adventure, and I love that we ended it in such a beautiful place. It looks like Lyn booked us into what can only be described as a palace. It is all but dripping with decadence. I don't think I've ever seen that much marble in one place before. Even the front desks were made out of it. One of the things I love most is the corner windows. Much like one of our other stops, it is a pure glass corner, where you can pull up a squishy chair, and write. Only this one is so much better because it looks out right onto the ocean. It is a perfect writer's perch. The view is beyond amazing, and I might have to go write somewhere else, because I keep looking out the windows instead of actually writing. The pool is also beyond beautiful, with pool furniture I have to admit is better than my brand new house furniture. They have these white beach basket bed things, with big fluffy cushions, and an awning over them to keep the sun off. I could curl up in one of those things for hours and not move. And then there's the ocean, basically right on our door step. As much as I love the pool, I know I'm going to have to go frolic in the sea and hope I don't get eaten by sharks. Or stung by sting rays, or stung by jelly fish. Or dragged away by a giant man eating squid, or pulled out to sea by the undertow. Maybe I will just stick with the pool. As beautiful as Miami is, we were warned about the crime levels and how it isn't really safe to do a lot of walking around and exploring. So we spend most of the day alternating between bathing in the sun, swimming in the pool, and shell hunting on the beach. We find some amazing shells, and a few of us even find sand dollar fragments. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find a whole one though. Covered in sand, and half baked from the liquid sunshine, we headed back to our rooms to get cleaned up and cool off. Once I got all the sand out of all my nooks and crannies, I snugged down in the wonderful chair with its stunning view and wrote a long journal entry about our adventures and the places we'd seen, the music we listened to, and the amazing food. Time melted away, and before I knew it, it was time to get ready for our night club adventure. Tonight we're heading to the Story Night Club, which, honestly I think should be a poetry reading place instead of music, which would have been pretty cool too. One thing I thought was interesting was the club had a dress code, which included no flip flops, or flats for women which I thought was kind of odd. Sorry guys, but I am NOT wearing heals, so I hope they don't mind tennis shoes, because it is that or hiking boots. Tonight we're listening to Trey Songz, and I'll have to admit, he's the first of the artists whose official music video won't be posted here. I'll post one with lyrics only, but of the ones I checked out there were way to many nearly naked women for me to be comfortable putting out there. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] This is the kind of rap/hiphop that I really don't care for. It's basically all about sex, with little to no storytelling involved. Which is disappointing in a club called Story Night Club. I would have preferred poetry reading for sure. Still, the club itself was interesting, and the drinks were good, so the night wasn't a total loss. Not to mention, almost everyone in Miami is ridiculously beautiful. I know I'll never look like that, but instead of feeling jealous or letting them intimidate me, I look at them like living artwork. Something to admire, but not really interact with. It's been a blast, but now it's time to head back to the hotel and get some rest. Some of us have a looong flight tomorrow to get back home. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 29 There's something so mesmerizing about the open ocean. Last night, I stood on the balcony for almost an hour just watching the water, and being entranced by a storm in the distance. It was far enough away that no rain fell where I stood, but I could see the lighting dancing in the dark clouds as the wind teased my hair and the ocean murmured soft secrets to me. I probably stayed up later than I should have, but it's a vacation right? And since it is such a short cruise, I want to soak up as much of the beautiful ocean as I can. Even though I am mildly terrified of it, I love it too. There's too much in it that would happily eat me, so swimming in it always feels like taking my life in my own hands. But the vastness of it is mind boggling and still captures my imagination like nothing else. When we get to Nassau, I'm not disappointed. It is a proper tropical island with palm trees, beautiful white sand beaches, and colorful buildings. Our island excursion was an adventure in rum. It made me cackle a little and say in a Jack Sparrow voice, "Look, the rum is back!" It turns out that the island has a rich history of both rum and pirates. We learned so much about how rum is made, and the food was absolutely amazing. There were a lot of rum tasting and cocktails along the way. Enough that we were all comfortably tipsy before it was over. The homemade rum cupcake was sooooo good, I wished it was a whole cake. I would have honestly sat and ate the whole thing right there it was so delicious. The rum infused chocolate truffles were also brilliant, and I bought two boxes to take home. Not that they'll make it home, I know, I'll undoubtedly eat them all on the boat on the way back. But I still lie to myself and believe that lie when I say I'm buying them for Paul. We have to spill ourselves back onto the ship after all is said and done. And the bags of goodies, food, and souvenirs we bought prove that drinking tours are an excellent business plan for island life. Why charge for drinks when tipsy tourists buy twice as much as sober ones? All together, we gave them a great day of business. Back on the ship, we put our stuff away, and headed to the buffet to try and absorb some of the alcohol with food. I love the ramen station, it's just so unexpected on a cruise ship, but I adore it. You pick the type of noodles you want, the type of veggies and meat, then hand it over to the cook. They fry it all up in their wok, and hand it right back. So very yummy! Stuffed full, we head back to our rooms for a small nap before karaoke tonight. I wake up with a slight headache, but nothing a few painkillers can't cure. Not to mention a good old dose of the dog that bit you while we sing. After I'm done getting dressed up, I had up onto the deck. The moon hangs in the sky, a giant white disk of glowing light, still nearly full, and providing the perfect amount of illumination for our impromptu concert. When it's my turn to sing, I pick: [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] I know I've said during this trip that I'm not fond of rap, but Eminem holds a small corner of my heart. And when he is joined by Rihanna, they make a brilliant duet. We all take turns singing, and we aren't the only ones. The whole ship is soon hopping with karaoke fun, and it goes on so long the moon almost disappears from the sky before we finally shut it down and stumble to bed. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 28 Oh my goodness, Lyn has really out done herself this time! The grand finale for our musical month long journey is a tropical cruise. We're going to set out on our Cruise ship, the Carnival Victory. We'll head down to Miami to board the ship, spend a day at sea, then end in Nassau in the Bahama's. We'll spend a whole day there, then turn around and head back to Miami on the fourth day. A quick trip, but bound to be a lot of fun. This will be the second cruise I've been on. My first trip was with my in-laws about four years ago when my son was 2. During that trip, my mom somehow managed to totally potty train Shane, so when we got back, we had the wonderful gift of no more diapers. No idea how she did it, but he went from mostly diapers before we left, to totally done with them in just 14 days. It was amazing. Anyway, on that trip we had three or four stops, I can't remember how many. We did go to Aruba, and I have to tell you, ladies, Aruba is so disappointing. First off, it isn't a tropical island at all. It's a desert island. The people there are so bored out of their minds that they literally gathered rocks from around the island and lined all the streets, and all the lines of the parking lots with boulders. Another weird thing about Aruba is it should be called Island of the Goat. There are a whole bunch of roaming wild goats on the island. The only really neat thing to do there is go caving. There is a big cave in the middle of the island, and there are a bunch of bats in it. That was the highlight of Aruba, a dark cave full of bats. Not at all what the songs make it out to be. So I'm hoping Nassau isn't as disappointing. Once we're on the ship, we break out our swim gear and head pool side. There's something amusing about swimming in a pool, on a big boat sailing the ocean. Water Inception right there. While we swim, bask in the sunlight, and drink fruity, tropical, alcoholic delights, we start talking about the different bands we've seen so far. My favorite on the trip has been Five Finger Death Punch. They're the closest to the type of music I listen to most. Some of my favorite bands are: Linkin Park, Three Days Grace, Rise Against, and Skillet. My least favorite of the trip so far was the rap night with Young Thug, J Cole, Jaden Smith, and Earthgang. While Rap has started to dig itself out of the weird hole it fell in where every other word was an f bomb, and all the talk was about either sex, drugs, drinking or killing cops, it's still not my cup of tea. Though I am glad that stories are starting to make their way back into rap songs. I guess even the die hards finally got tired of hearing F everything to different rap beats. This is going to be so fun! |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 27 We are spending an extra day at Lyn's house, and I'm grateful she's offered up her washer and dryer for our use. I don't know about the others, but my clothes were getting a little beyond ripe. I get up early enough to dump my stuff in, make a cup of coffee, and take my laptop outside to enjoy the sunrise with the backdrop of the beautiful gardens as company. I'm still feeling the affects of partying hardy, but it's not so bad. Even though I'm not much of a drinker, I do make sure to keep hydrated when I do, so my hangover is mild. A couple of ibuprofen, a whole cup of water, and my coffee are enough to set the world straight again. It feels good getting caught up on my writing. With all the traveling, concerts, late nights, bar hopping, excursions, and everything else, I feel like I haven't had enough time to get my words in. So now I glory in the writing for the whole time it takes my clothes to wash and dry. When they're done, I roll them up and repack my bags so I won't have to worry about it tomorrow morning. By now, almost everyone is up. A few are grumbly with their hangovers, and I make sure to keep out of their way. While we eat some of Lyn's delicious cooking for breakfast, we sort ourselves out into two groups. The Shoppers, and The Bird Watchers. I'm part of the latter group. I'll wear holes into my clothes before I get around to replacing them. All sorted out, we head our different directions. The Massapequa Preserve is full to the brim with walking trails, and I know we will spend hours exploring as many as we can find. There were so many birds there, it seemed like no matter which way we looked, we saw a new feathered friend. We even spotted what looked like a horned owl dozing in the mouth of a broken off tree limb that had grown into a perfect cubby hole. I'll admit, I felt the almost irresistible urge to reach up and pet its breast feathers. Yes, I know, that would have been a horrible idea, so I had to ball my hands up behind my back to resist the urge. I soaked up the beautiful 76 degree weather. Compared to the 90's with 100% humidity I'd be suffering back home, this feels like paradise. We walked our feet off before we finally called it quits and headed back to Lyn's for a late lunch. Once the shoppers returned and everyone finished up their laundry, we were ready to head out to the concert. This one wasn't my favorite to be sure. A mix of both country and love songs. Ick. While love songs are a bit better than everyone and my dog left me country, it's still pretty boring. I don't know, I mostly don't care for love songs in general. Then again, I've always been more of an action movie girl. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] When it's all over, we decide to call it an early night and head back to Lyn's. She's promised that the next three days are going to be jam packed, so we should get the rest while we can. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 26 Dear Lyn, our magnificent guide on this amazing journey, has opened her home to us once again. And it's her birthday! She'll be 62 today, and we'll all have to do our best to make it special. We get there just as the Shari's Berries truck pulls in. I pat myself on the back and silently cheer my superb timing. The man gets out and grabs a couple boxes from the back of the truck. The first is for all of us: https://www.berries.com/product/Dipped-Cheesecake-Trio--Full-Dozen-Summer-Scoop-... It is a collection of three mini cheesecakes and a full dozen summer scoop strawberries. Let me tell you, Lyn, these strawberries are HUGE! They almost look like bell peppers, and the decorations are all done by hand, and are stunning. The second box is all for Lyn: https://www.berries.com/product/Birthday-in-a-Basket-30213063?ref=SHBSRCHgoogkwd... I wasn't sure what all you liked, so I didn't want to risk just going with chocolates. When I saw this assortment, I thought there would be something you liked in it! And what a collection: Jumbo Marshmallow Twists, Mini Chocolate Pretzel Twists, Blue Raspberry Twist Pops, Dark and white covered chocolate strawberries, Pink grapefruit gummy bears, lemon blueberry shortbread bites key lime cordials, chocolate covered gummy bears, dark chocolate covered apricot bites, and two milk chocolate covered pretzels. All in all, a true Birthday in a Basket! Treats delivered and opened, we head into the house to put our stuff down. Some of the others decide to crash out for a couple of hours before the concert, but I meander outside to bask in the utter glory of Lyn's gardens. While the Music Gardens and the Botanical Gardens were beautiful, there's something so much better about Lyn's gardens. Maybe it's because I can almost feel how much love has gone into every inch of landscaping. You can always tell when a person loves their work, and Lyn certainly does. Once I've had my fill, I go in to catch a few z's myself. It seems like I've just fallen asleep when someone is shaking me awake. Nope, I've actually been out for over two hours. Crazy how things like that feel sometimes. Giggling, teasing, and wishing Lyn the best of birthdays, we all get dressed up. Today's concert features Melissa Etheridge, and I am pleasantly surprised. For some reason, I thought she was a country singer, so imagine my surprise when she started with: [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] And I realized I love her music! We sang and stood, and swayed. It was a great concert. When it was over, the crowd spilled us out into the night, we followed the tide out into the nightlife of Tarrytown, which made me giggle a bit when I heard the name. I imagined an abandoned town turned into a training facility, complete with zombies, and little wiener dogs being trained as scouts. I know, that's a pretty specific image. But there's a place called Terrytown in the book World War Z, where they trained working dogs to scout and provide support during the outbreak. Zombies aside, we made the rounds. And by the time all was said and done, we might have looked a bit like a horde of zombies ourselves, what with all the shuffling and moaning and drooling. I'm ashamed to say I might have indulged a little too much in celebration of Lyn's amazing life and accomplishments on this, the day of her birth. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 25 Day two in Seattle, and we're leaving the city. I'm glad Lyn thought to warn us before our trip began that there would be a lot of outdoor activities, so I have a sturdy pair of hiking boots, and a backpack. In it, I make sure to stuff a couple sets of extra clothes, one of long pants, and a long shirt, and a light coat. The weather around Mt. Rainier can be unpredictable at best, so while it's warm now, I want the option to shimmy into something heavier if it starts to rain or we get a blast of cold as we head up the mountain. I can't help grinning like a school girl as the white transport bus pulls up and we pile in like a pack of excitable puppies. It has the grand feel of a day trip in school. Before we even get near the mountain, the guide pulls off into a grocery store parking lot and advises us to stock up on snacks, and a lunch since this excursion is roughly 10 hours long, and food won't be provided. There will be some food buying options in Paradise at the Lodge, but we wouldn't reach that until lunch time, so it was best to get some easy to eat snacks now. I stock up on jerky and trail-mix and call myself good. Then it's back on the bus. While we drive, someone kicks off a round of sing along songs, and we all sing badly, off-key, and with great enthusiasm. I'm not sure how much our guide liked our impromptu concert, but he sang along with a few of the more rowdy songs, so I don't think he minded too much. The drive out to the mountain took a little over an hour, and I couldn't help but smile at the big old mountain. Most of the time, mountains are part of a range, and I'm sure this one is too. But for a long time, as we drove towards it, it looked like a single huge mountain had been plucked out of a much larger mountain range and plopped down in the middle of a forest. It was an unexpected sight, to be sure. When we got to the entrance of the park, we all piled out to get pictures by the entrance sign. I might have put bunny ears behind Lyn's head. To get the hike going, we went for an easy little walk around a picturesque little pond before the real tour began. Our first major stop was at the Christine and Narada falls. I may have gone a smidge overboard with the pictures, but I've only seen a couple waterfalls before and they're just so beautiful! All pictured out, we were lead back into the bus and my feet sang a happy song when I realized we weren't actually going to have to hike the whole 10 hours. Instead, our guide drove us all around the mountain, stopping to show us particularly lovely spots and to share stories and information about our surroundings. Finally we made it to Paradise, and never has there been a more aptly named place. If there is a heaven, I think it might look a lot like here. Everywhere we looked, a new expanse of breathtaking nature opened up before us. We ate quickly because there were so many trails begging to be explored. I can't even tell you how much I loved the meadows. We caught them on a particularly stunning day. Butterflies frolicked among the millions of open blooms. I could have spent all day wandering up and down the different trails, drinking in all the sights. The girls might have had to drag me off the mountain, but we really did need to get back if we wanted to make it to the concert tonight! Seattle seems too bright, loud, and full of people after the peace of Mt. Rainier, but we adjust quickly as we get dressed up and head out to see Ed Sheeran. I'm not familiar with him, and while his music isn't something I'd seek out on my own, it isn't half bad. I do like his slight accent. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Once the concert ends, it's time to drag our tired bottoms back to the hotel. It's too late for a nice swim, but I decide to take a long soak in the tub. I think I've gotten more exercise in the last month than I have in the last year. And even though I had my spiffy mountain climbing boots on, I still managed to get a blister on my big toe from all that hiking. Fingers and toes crinkly, I crawled out of the tub and realized to my dismay that I'm not ready to go to sleep yet. With I sigh, I got dressed, grabbed my laptop and headed out into the hotel in search of a good place to write. Thankfully, I find a small cafe that appears to be open twenty-four hours. I get a cup of soothing tea, power-up my machine, and start battling monsters on 4thewords to round out my day. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 24 I am both excited and mildly worried about the spa treatments at Elaia. I've never gotten a massage before, and I'm hoping it turns out to be a good experience and not too awkward. Something about stripping down in front of a stranger and then having them spend who knows how long touching me always sounded a little too awkward for my anti-social little heart to handle. When we get there, I'm half tempted to leave the others to the dangerous hands of the massage artists, while I go hang out in the pool, but they cajole me into joining in on the fun. It turns out there's a whole lot more to massage than getting naked and rubbed down. We start with a facial, where a few of the others decide to add manicure and pedicure, which is where I draw the line. Not no but hell no. Those little nail files are pure torture, and I'm having none of it! But, I am vain enough to go for the Forever Young facial. At 33, I'm starting to see a few wrinkles developing around my eyes, and while I've never actively done anything to stop it, I figure this might be a fun way to try and erase a few. Faces, fingers, and toes taken care of, they lead us into the next circle of pampering. Sea weed wrap? Uh, no thank you. That's a bit too slimy for my tastes, not to mention the smell! I go for the Elaia Olive Therapy, which made me feel a lot like a chicken breast being prepared for a fancy dinner. I also opted for the Foot Ritual, and have to say, that was my favorite part by far. After all our walking, bike riding, hiking, and stair climbing, my poor feet were in dire need of a little pampering. Once all the slime, goo, clay, and goodness knew what else was washed off, we decided to take a quick dip in the pool to stretch out our newly freed muscles, before finishing up with a long soak in the hot tub to round out the day. With the pampering done, we all head to the Hyatt for a few hours of relaxation before dinner. I pack up my laptop and head out in search of the perfect writing nook. I soon find a promising spot in the Coffee Bar. It is full of countless squishy chairs in all shapes and sizes. Lots of little tables. And the most important element for writing: Coffee. Then I lose myself in the glory of people watching, writing, and drinking a good cup of Joe. By the time my imagination starts to splutter, it's time to pack up and head to dinner. And what a place to eat! I hope none of my companions are afraid of heights. I'm not, so I take a seat right by the window so I can stare out. Once upon a time, I jumped off the Space Needle's sister in Las Vegas, the Stratosphere. There's a vertical zip-line, and that's a blast! I wish I could do it again sometime. Too bad we didn't do that while we were there. Finished with our wildly over priced meals, we headed out into the Seattle nightlife and ended up at The Triple Door. Lots of really great Jazz music, and far more reasonably priced food. Not to mention way bigger portions. While the Space Needle had amazing views, their portion sizes left a lot to be desired. All in all, it was a great night of music, good food, and fun! |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 23 We've spirited over to North Carolina to the Carolina River Ranch. I must say, this might be my favorite stop yet. When we get settled in our tents, I put on a pair of shorts, a nice pair of hiking boots, a t-shirt, and I head out into the woods to stretch my legs. It's been forever since I've had a good long hike through nature, and the day is absolutely beautiful. While all the parks and gardens have been nice, they just can't hold up to nature in all her raw perfection. It's not quite the same as the pine forests of my childhood, but it's still full of life, and it still holds that captivating silence/not silence. I can hear the sound of the river, muttering secrets to itself as it flows gently in its comfortable bed. There are countless birds chattering to one another, early morning gossip, the distant clomp of hooves, maybe a deer, maybe someone horseback riding. All around me are countless sounds, but under it all, there's a deep, soul satisfying quiet. One that rejects the modern world, with its restless hum of electricity in every wall, the rumble of endless traffic over miles of road, shouted phone conversations, beeping horns, all of it. Out here, it's just me, the wind, the trees, and the wildlife. And for a small time, we are all one thing. A single mega-organism, each piece neatly interlocking with the next as seamlessly as single cells come together to form the intricate inner workings of our own bodies. Then all my poetic musings are knocked right out of my head when my heel lands wrong on a rock and I roll my left ankle. Cursing up a storm, I get get back up, dust the dirt off my bum, and hobble back to camp. The ankle is impressively swollen once I get it out of the boot, but I know the swelling and pain will go down in time. It isn't the first time I've rolled that ankle, probably won't be the last. I get into the river with everyone else, and boy does the cool water feel good on my poor wounded limb. It feels great to lay back and let the water do the work. I don't think about exactly how we'll get back up the river. That's a problem for future Dana to handle. For now, I'm going to sip my drink, look up at the tree branch laced sky, and daydream. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Somehow, we did manage to make it back up the river more or less in one piece. I put on some low cut tennis shoes, and we headed off for another great concert, this time with some killer seats to boot. We're able to grab some yummy snacks, and get our seats right in the front row. Michael Bolton has an iconic voice, and it is almost as soothing as the forest had been. Hopefully he won't twist my ankle too. It'll be nice to play his CD in my car when we get home. We ended up buying a new one this year because my old one kicked the bucket, and the 2017 will be the last model to have CD players in them, if you can believe that. Crazy how fast the times change. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 22 We made it safely back across the border, yay! I'm glad, because the borders have gotten kind of intense lately, and I've heard a lot of stories about people being detained for no reason at all, and being forced to sit and wait for who knows how long until they are allowed to go. So making it across the border unmolested seemed like a much bigger deal now than it probably would have a year or two ago. But now we're back in the U.S. and all the way back into the middle of the country. Today we're in Columbus, OH and I can't help but feel a since of bitter kinship with the city. Somewhere in the city, there's a group of people in the same situation as I am. Another Nationwide group who are not in a 'go forward' location, and who will in the near to sort of distant future, will lose their jobs depending on which timeline they're on. We are the lucky-ish ones of the various groups who are not in go forward locations. We are going to be able to keep our jobs until 2020, and we get a 2 month working leave when the end does come, but it's still rough to know that a job some of us have been in for 20 to 30 years isn't going to be around much longer. I've been here for 13 years, and I'm still a little bit in denial about the whole situation. I'm not going to worry about it until we get closer to the end because I want my severance package, and there's no point in looking for other jobs now when things will look a lot different in the job market in 2020. I'm surprised when we go to Martin Luther King's Performing and Cultural Arts Complex. I can't believe it's already been 50 years since we lost such a great man. It's also depressing, looking around the world today and seeing how far it's fallen from where Mr. King hoped to see it rise. It feels like things have gotten so much worse lately when it comes to race relations, and each new wound makes it harder for us to come together than ever before. Every time a cop shoots an African American, in situations were almost everyone says, that wouldn't have happened if they were white, and they get away with it? It tears more wounds into our national psyche. I just wish the police would stop using violence as a first response. Every time I see one of these cases, I wonder what would have happened if the person was white? Would it have escalated as it did? Would the officer have been more understanding? What can we do to get officers to extend that same level of basic courtesy to everyone? And for the love of all things shiny, stop shooting people who are reaching for their wallets because you asked them for their license! Okay, I'm done ranting. The Martin Luther King's Performing and Cultural Arts Complex was fascinating. We spent hours exploring the different visual arts exhibitions, and doing the educational activities. I loved how they included more than just the visual. They had a lot of different musical areas as well. There was an African Market, and I couldn't help but buy a few different spices. Once we've had our fill of history, we head over to the Chadwick Arboretum to decompress. There's something mesmerizing about a giant stone ball slowly turning under the power of water alone that captivates me. I don't know how long I spent staring at it, just letting my mind drift. Then it was on to the insanity known as Def Leppard. They are a delightful bunch of showmen to watch, and I'll admit, I want to rub my face in all that hair! I wish the big hair bands would make a comeback, and bring on the next wave of long haired men. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 21 It looks like Lyn has outdone herself with our second day in Toronto. We have a full day ahead of us! The day begins with a big dose of zen. We spend almost two hours exploring the Music Garden. While learning about the different plants, we also got to learn about music via different plaques placed around the garden. We were able to see the water from some parts of the garden, adding an extra layer of tranquility over the whole thing. We listened to a band play in the grass, and it felt very natural. Once we were finished with the Music Garden, we headed on over to the Botanical Garden. They were beautiful. A lovely balance of plants, paths, and water features. I loved the butterflies fluttering all over the place, and probably got at least 50 pictures of different butterflies. We also saw a lot of different wildlife in the gardens. There were ducks, little ground squirrels, and what I could have sworn was a beaver, but I didn't get a good look at it. There were so many different types of flowers, many breeds I'd never seen before. I made sure to get a lot of photos for my mom. Done drinking up all the nature, we head to Amsterdam Brewery for a drink of another kind. I'm not a fan of beer, myself, but it is fun to watch the others try all the different flavors. The food was smashing though. I started with one of their Amster'Dam Good Pretzels. That was almost enough for one meal by itself, but I really couldn't pass up their famous cherry wood smoker. So I also had a Korean Pulled pork on a bun. It was both cool from the vegge slaw, and tangy from the Hoisin cola glaze all captured on a perfect brioche bun. Stuffed to the gills with good food and beer, we all but roll out of the Amsterdam Brewery to the next excursion. It's an escape! I've heard about escape rooms before, we have one in Lincoln, but I've never tried it before. We worked together to puzzle out the clues to escape our room in time. Thankfully all of the locks and tricks worked perfectly. I could see how an escape room could turn bad if the door wouldn't open and people started to get claustrophobic. That could be...terrifying. We didn't need more than a couple of hints, so overall, I think we pulled it off well. Free of the escape room, we came out into the parking lot and saw a glorious sight. The Party Bus!!! At first, we weren't sure it was for us, but Lyn led us right to the door, and we all followed like a bunch of happy ducklings. The giggling began before we made it up the stairs as she explained the exact nature of our entertainment tonight. We would be doing karaoke! How fun! I hope there will be a few drinks along the way to help us loosen our tongues. Songs do seem to flow better with a bit of alcohol. I decide to bust out with [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] . It's a great song for karaoke, and I hope some of the others will jump up and sing it with me. We switch off again and again, songs going from silly to heartbreaking, and everything in between. All sung out, I curl up on one of the bus seats and watch the rest while I nurse a bottle of water. I don't want to have a hangover tomorrow, so I'll stay hydrated now. A few of the diehards keep singing, and I drift off to sleep. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 20 Oh Canada my Canada! I've never been to our chilly neighboring country. Hopefully, I won't end up being an illegal immigrant here too. We went to Cancun for our honeymoon, and we ended up being accidental illegal immigrants. It was a total mix of everything happening in just the right (or just the wrong) way. We had two flights, the first one landed in Mexico City. That's where we should have gotten off and done the immigration stuff, no one told us that. Instead, because our plane was the same one we'd use for the second part of the flight, we just stayed on. Then it left, and when we landed we ended up in the local part of the airport, and walked out none the wiser that we were illegal. We only found out when we tried to go home. They took us in the back room and yelled at us. But, I guess we looked convincingly American and pathetic, so they let us go with a warning. So before we head into Canada, I double check all my paperwork and make sure we stop at the right place to get stamped. I'd hate to be illegal twice. Wow, Lyn booked us into a castle! Too bad it wasn't more medieval, but it'll still be cool to write home and tell the fam we stayed in a castle. The Royal Conservatory of Music was beyond beautiful. I love the architecture of the building and we learned so much about music during our visit. Three hours flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to enjoy our next musical sampling. Today we're listening to Beach House, an indie rock band. They weren't to bad. Pretty mellow. The sort of music I would need to be in the right mood to listen to. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Overall, this was a pretty good trip outside the country. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 18 I might have Squee'ed like a little girl when Lyn told us we were going to move over to Mandalay Bay. I lead the way, chattering the whole time about how much everyone is going to love it. The pools, the lazy river, the shark reef. All of it. I know we'll have a total blast in these pools. Another great feature of Mandalay Bay is that it is connected via sky walks to a lot of the other casinos. So we can walk through nice cool air conditioning instead of having to sweat it out outside if we want to do some more exploring. Before we head to the shark reef, we all decide to get a bite to eat. While walking, we find a nice little restaurant called Rivea. It's a pleasant mix of French and Italian food, and the vibe of the place is very laid back and comfortable. Done eating, we head to the aquarium. I grin as I lead the way through the exhibits and make sure to take lots of pictures. When we're done, we spot a kiosk that where an artist writes your name in sea creatures, I get one for Shane and Dante. Finished with the aquarium, we head back to the hotel and shimmy into our swimsuits for the pool party. This is the best yet, mixing the music we've been listening to all through out the trip, with pool time fun. After a while, I snag an inter tube and relax while drifting down the lazy river. Once we were done baking in the sun, we head up stairs, and I take a short nap before the show. This won't be the first Cirque Du Soleil I've been to, so I'm curious to see how they stack up to each other. One of the shows I've always loved was the Blue Man group, for a bunch of blue guys who don't talk, they are beyond funny. The show is beyond amazing, leave it to Vegas to put on a brilliant show. When it's over, we hit some of the casinos. I have forty on me that I'll put into the one armed bandit, but no more than that. I prefer the nickle slots, and some are quite fun. As long as you are able to keep yourself in check, a few twenties can go a long way in a casino. Just don't let yourself get sucked in if you start winning, because that's how they end up getting you. Thinking you have a good streak going, so you keep laying, and the next thing you know, you are totally out of money. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 18 Las Vegas. It feels like coming home. I was born in Reno, Nevada and still love the mountains and sage brush. Sometime over the weekend, I plan on venturing out into the desert to get a bit of sage brush to take home. It is an amazing scent, and they don't have it in Nebraska. Yet, it grows wild all over Nevada. When I woke up this morning, I wanted to cry. The cold is back, only 10 times worse. I feel feverish, my head is throbbing like I'd been up all night drinking, and the muscles along the back of my head all the way down to my shoulders hurt like nothing else. They're so achy it's like whiplash only without the car accident. My eyeballs are dry portals to hell, and hurt if they're open or closed. Maybe it's all the travel, or maybe I just had the misfortune of running into someone carrying this deadly disease as they gleefully spread it across the country to start the next apocalypse. Either way, I'm so mad over it. Why couldn't I have been sick in Illinois? No, it had to be Vegas, because that's how it always works. The Reo is a nice hotel for sure, but I can't help wishing Lyn would have booked us in Mandalay Bay. Considering how much all of us love swimming, this is the hotel made for us. It's basically a water park, hotel, and aquarium all in one. I've never had a chance to stay there, but every time we've gone to Vegas, I've gone through the aquarium. For it being a hotel, it's pretty impressive. They have a shark tunnel and everything. Touch tanks, those are my favorite. Stingrays look so very alien, don't they? While I'm tempted to just hole up in my room the whole time and blow the concert off, I somehow manage to drag myself out of bed and into the pounding shower. They didn't skimp on water pressure here! The beating water feels good on my screaming muscles, and it takes a lot to convince myself to crawl out. Once dressed, I pop a few ibuprofen, and head out with the girls. We join the living throng of people streaming up and down the strip, and I giggle a little at how everyone reacts to the clicker men. All along the strip, dressed in brightly colored shirts, they have a deck of cards and click them to get your attention, they they try to hand them to you. A couple of our group take them, and instantly blush at the tiny cards sporting mostly naked women. The clicker men aren't allowed to speak to us, but they can click their cards and hold them out. The concert isn't too bad. It's another one of those where I know all the words, but never knew the name of the band. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] I don't know why, but the lead singer reminds me of a cat turned human. The concert is great, and once it's finally over I head back to bed. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 17 On the way to Philadelphia, we listen with fond amusement to Lyn gush over the next band we're scheduled to see. I know we're in for a real treat, because this is the first band she's talked about with such obvious enthusiasm. Her excitement is infectious, and we all land in Phili with an air of delighted anticipation. The Philadelphia Hotel might be my favorite so far just for the corner rooms. They deliberately set two windows together in each corner, and put a nice squishy chair in the corner. I turn mine around to face the windows, and I make sure to get up early enough to watch the sunrise while I get some writing done. The view of the city, as those first tendrils of light reach out to poke at the buildings, is breathtaking. And I take roughly 800 photos to remember this moment in the years to come. I really would love to have a writing nook with a view like this all the time. Once the day is well under way, we head out to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I almost turn around and leave when I see the absolute mountain of stairs we'll have to climb to get up. My knees ache just looking at it. But the others cajole me into going, and we make the epic hike. Inside, I find the architecture to be almost better than a lot of the art. The building is stunning, and with the variety of stained glass, it almost looks like one of the old, beautiful churches. A fair chunk of the artwork was of a kind. Lots of old fashioned landscapes, portraits, and still lifes of objects. But there were some pieces that were breathtaking like Frits Thaulow, Water Mill. I honestly wanted to reach out and touch this one, that's how real the water looked. And there were a few that were just plain weird, like the big gold penis statue. I don't know if it was actually supposed to be a penis, but that's what it looked like, balls and all. And it was shiny, which added a whole new level of creepy to the thing. Once we're done with the museum, we wander over to the Cosmic Cafe for a bite to eat and cool drinks. It is a cozy little coffee shop that prides itself on using local, organic ingredients. Their sandwiches were to die for. Then it's time for the concert and Lyn is bursting with excitement over the band. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Old Domination is an interesting mix of both pop and country, and I have to agree with Lyn. They have that sound to them that will probably catch fire in the near future. I can see hearing more about this band's rise to fame in the coming months and years, and I'll be able to say I saw them back when they were still new. When the concert is over, I'm still full of energy so I take a few laps around the walking track in the hotel followed by a dip in the pool, even if the chlorine is messing with my hair. I can't stay away. I finish the day where I began. Tucked up in the squishy chair, looking out over the city while I write. |
August 30-Day Blogging Challenge - Concert Junkies Day 16 Welcome to Joliet, Illinois, we're edging back into my part of the country! Though I don't think we've actually had a concert in Nebraska yet. We might have, my head is spinning with all the travel, but I don't thing so. Before the concert, Lyn set up a real treat for the group. We're going to get the chance to experience NASCAR from a totally different perspective: the driver! First, we had the option to ride with a professional driver to get the feel for how the cars worked, and of course, to go FAST. I think I left my stomach back somewhere on the first lap. I have idea how these guys race for hundreds of laps at this speed without throwing up. Not to mention how terrifying it must be to have a whole butt load of other cars on the track with you! Once we'd all taken a few laps with the Pro, they strapped us into all the safety gear, and sent us on our way. I'll admit, it took me a couple laps going slow just to make sure I knew how everything worked. Then I kicked it into high-ish gear. I didn't have the guts to get over 200 mph, but I was solidly above 150. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and we all got pictures with the pro drivers, and with the cars we got to drive. Maybe next time we can do sky diving! I'll admit it, when I heard we were going to a Polka festival, the first thought that jumped into my head was if we were going to see Gus Polinsky. Yeah, the Polka guy from Home Alone 2. Mostly because that's been the grand total of my experience with Polka. But today isn't just a concert, we're going to participate in a whole Polka Music festival! It's spread out over a sprawling 10 acre park called Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park, and I can't wait to explore. Polka isn't my thing, but the festival atmosphere makes everything so fun. We listen to [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] and find ourselves pulled into more than one group of dancing Polka loving fools. And when we can't dance another step, we sprawl out on blankets, sip drinks, and enjoy watching the crowds. I loved the different outfits and showmanship of the Polka players. They're a lively bunch for sure, and so are their fans. I have no idea how people danced for so long! Just watching them made my feet hurt. After hours of Polka fun, we head back to the hotel, a Hampton Inn this time. I decided to skip the pool tonight, the chlorine is really doing a number on my hair. Instead, I sprawled out on the bed and vegged out to the boob tube for a while before bed, just needing to decompress and have some me time. An introvert on a concert tour is an exhausted puppy at the end of the day. |
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