Painting the Blues ...

Painting with my new graphics tablet while listening to some "Blues" music ... Writing to follow shortly.  Just have to get back into that groove again where the words and ideas are flowing.  Hoping "doodling" will help pave the way for the latter.  I just might print the larger version of this on canvas and hang it in my office?


Joyful day to you!



~M

"Tulip Blush"

@Copryrighted Image.  All Rights Reserved:  Isabelle Black Smith.

“A strange truth I have come of late to know of words: Words only breathe to life when the recipient is at last ready for what they have to 'say' to be heard.” ~Isabelle Black Smith

Song: "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", By Eva Cassidy 


... This was one of the very first songs I ever learned to play on my flute. Since then it has always been a favorite for me.  Love Eva Cassidy's voice; she really brings this song to LIFE.

Here's another of my favorites by Eva ... this song just touches me on a spiritual level for some reason.  I find myself swaying to the music and outright dancing by the end of the song : )



Song: "People Get Ready", By Eva Cassidy



6/12/11 ... Love Eva ... Discovered her just after my first daughter was born.  Lauren grew up listening up to Eva sing and by the age of two --she was very verbally advanced for one so little-- she began to sing along.  Lauren's favorite song quickly became "Wade in the Water".  By the time she was three, Lauren could hold her own against Eva with "Wade in the Water" ... Whenever that song came on, Lauren would drop everything, come running and climb up on the coffee table or stand smack in front of the TV --she wanted an audience for her song ; )  Then she would just belt out those Blues for 'her song'... and this at the tender age of three.  Today Lauren has the voice of an angel.  She sings in choirs and has even worked up the courage to do a number of solos.  I am so proud of Lauren.  She is my inspiriation to find my own voice to sing again.  ... Lauren had her final choir concert for the season this evening.  Guess, I was just reminiscing.  Remembering my little Lauren singing the Blues up on her coffee table stage not so very long ago.  Love you, Lauren ♥


.

Speak Softly and Maybe Sometimes Carry a BIG Stick …

I'm always saying Peace & LOVE, right?

Image Source

"We Remember and Are Forever Grateful ..."

This Memorial Day, a day of honoring those who have fought nobly in battle and given their lives for the cause of the greater good of their country and its allies, I find myself pondering the notion of war. In the abstract, I would venture that most people have an aversion to war, fighting and bloodshed … but when the battle comes to your very doorstep, perhaps people change their feelings about war and the reasons one could use to justify defending themselves and those that they love.

As I think back to my childhood, I find that I have always been a peaceful person by nature. That being said, when I see others being hurt or persecuted unjustly something inside me has always called to stand up for those unable to do so for themselves. I can remember getting right into the middle of a group of junior high boys taunting and tormenting a young girl on the school bus ride home because she had a strange accent –she was from Ireland—and had a large purple birthmark covering the larger part of the right side of her face. I can’t even remember exactly what I said, but I got right back in their faces – I was, fortunately, very tall for my age … taller than most of the boys my age still in 7th grade—and I shouted at them in a loud and booming voice to leave her alone and that they should be ashamed of themselves. And for whatever reason, those boys backed off. I’m not sure what I would have done if they hadn’t, but it would have come to me, I know. Strangely enough, I had no fear in that moment when I acted; I only knew that I had to act. After the boys went back to their seats, I sat next to the girl –Mary was her name-- for the rest of the bus ride. I tried to take her mind off what had just transpired. Mary was one of the first stops to get off the bus and I made sure that none of the boys got off to follow her home. Then it occurred to me that perhaps they would get off the bus at my stop and come after me? But I wasn’t afraid, something told me that all would be well … and if it came down to it I knew that I could run like the wind.

There have been many instances like the above in my life. The above incident did not call for actual fighting, just a willingness to be bold and to speak loudly. When I was just seven years of age, however, I was called to resort to violence in a manner of speaking. A big bully of a boy used to torment me during recess. He used to follow me around and call me names. He was a huge boy, but not very bright. I sensed a hurting in him that came from somewhere outside of school and I almost felt sorry for him on some level. For the most part, I tried to ignore him and stay out his way since his taunts were only verbal. But one day he took to throwing things at me and grabbing onto my arm and squeezing really hard. I told him to stop or he would get into trouble, but he said he didn’t care and he just teased me further calling me a “tattle-tale … going to run and tell the teacher.” The thought of going to the teacher had occurred to me, but I had seen how inept the teachers had been at handling this boy in his tormenting of other children. Thus, I decided not to run and tell the teacher which only served to intensify the taunts and attacks of this boy upon my person. I did however mention to my parents, at home, that this boy had been bothering me. My mom told me to tell the teacher and wanted to know if she should go in and talk to the teacher. I told her in no uncertain terms not to do the latter. I told her that I had everything under control. She laughed and said that we would just see about that.

One day when this bully boy had been unrelenting in his tormenting of me, something inside of me snapped --or rather clicked-- and suddenly I knew that the only way that I was going to get this boy to stop tormenting me was to speak his language. You see, I used to love to go down this tall spiral slide and lately the bully had taken to waiting for me at the bottom. Then he would push me face down into the sand once my feet hit the ground. As I peered down out of the slide tower this day, I saw the bully waiting for me at the bottom of slide. I knew what was waiting for me at the bottom of the slide, but I was determined that this bully was not going to ruin my or anyone else’s recess by intimidating us from going down the slide. I sat at the top of the slide, I clenched my little hand into a fist and went right on down the slide … spinning around the twirls to his intermittent taunts. Right before my feet came to the bottom of the slide I drew my arm back, so that the second my feet hit the ground my arm was moving in a forward motion aimed right into the middle of this boy’s stomach. I hit him with everything I had before he knew what was coming and it worked. Little old me knocked the wind right out of this big kid and he went down gasping for air. Of course, this time all of the recess teachers came running over to see what had happened. They asked me what had occurred and I told them … “I punched him in the stomach.” So I was sent straight to the principal’s office and they called my mom and everything.

The principal asked why I had punched the boy on the playground, so I told him flat out that the boy was a bully who had lately taken to physically hurting people. I explained that the recess teachers never did anything effective to stop this bully, so on this day I had finally decided to take matters into my own hand. The principal was trying not to laugh, I could tell, at the thought of this “sweet little girl” slugging the biggest kid in the class in a “game of playground politics.” The principal made me promise that I wouldn’t do such a thing again. I told the principal that I truly hated to resort to violence, but that seemed to be the only language that this boy understood. I promised that I would not hit the boy again unless he sorely needed to be taught another lesson. This time the principal did laugh and asked that I please inform a recess teacher of my intentions before doing so again in the future. I said that I would try my best to do so. The funny thing is that the big bully never did bug me again. In fact, we even became friends of sorts. It turns out that he liked playing with caterpillars and climbing trees too.

I think that there will always be people in this world who think that whoever carries the biggest stick “wins.” And you can’t always reason with this mentality or conquer it up front with LOVE. In these instances, I think that we are called to defend ourselves and those who cannot defend themselves. We have to speak the language that the “big stick carrying” mentalists can understand. Once we have their attention and their respect, then we can try using another language … the language of accommodation and maybe eventually the language of Love?

Jesus is my hero. This man talked the talk and truly walked the walk of Peace & Love. I think that Peace & Love is the goal … the Gold Standard … what we are ultimately striving for, but I think that God our Creator understands that being only mere mortals there will be times when we may have to resort to taking temporary detours along the road of getting to this end goal of Peace & Love. And in these instances, of temporary detours, I am so thankful for the brave men and women in our Armed Forces –Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coastguard, Border Patrol and all who serve -- who answer the call to serve and protect us, our great nation and all that our way of life stands for. May God Bless these men and women, one and ALL, for their willingness to lay their lives on the line, but May He especially Bless those –and those that they love-- who have given their lives in the line of duty. May we never forget the debt of gratitude that we owe these fallen brave whose sacrifice has given us the freedoms we enjoy so widely in our world today.

Peace & Love to you and yours this Memorial Day Weekend.

~M

Sweet Surrender ...

Getting better ... my eye anyway ... my mood and attitude could still use a bit of adjusting.  Still really short-tempered.  Some residual pain, I guess?  I can see how one could easily become addicted to those pain meds.  They make everything numb: the pain, all worries and cares.  Easy to see how one might choose to pop a pill instead of facing this not always fun reality ... But not to worry, I'm all done with the pain pills and I still have half a bottle left.  Good for me?  I should probably flush the remainder down the toilet, right?  Eliminate future temptations?  No, I've never been a big fan of drugs of any sort.  I even hold out on antibiotics until I am absolutely certain that my body can't fight something on its own first.  No worries:  It's all good : )

Here's a little poem I crafted while under the influence of heavy narcotics, so to speak ... Those drugs seemed to open whole new worlds for me: Pretty far out?!? ... Love this artist, Diana Collier ART, by the way.  Be sure and check out her page: such talent!

Fantasy, By Diana Collier ART

“Sweet Surrender”

Drug induced daze.

Secrets I keep even

From myself ablaze.

In sweet surrender

To inhibitions walls

Crashing down,

I stand innocent,

Naked, in amazed

Confusion …  Void

Of all imposed

Coping delusions.

In this moment,

I am at long last  lost

& simultaneously found.

@Isa Black Smith, May 2012.

Hope to be back to writing on the novel, this Monday or Tuesday, if all goes well.  Trying to bring a new PC on-line and having a few issues.  Hopefully, with two good eyes I will be able to resolve them.

Hope you and yours are having a fabulous Holiday weekend!  May God Bless all who have served our countries so valliantly in our armed forces and their families left behind here in this life.  May we never forget their memories or the sacrifices they have made in order to preserve the hard won freedoms that we enjoy today.  ♥


Peace & Much LOVE,
~M



Song:  "Lucky Man", By The Verve  (youtube.com)



P.S. 5/29/12 Computer is now up and all transferred software is running once again.  I even installed my new digital graphics tablet:  very cool!  This tablet should make photo editing and ART renders a whole lot easier than using a mouse right-handed (when I am supposedly left-handed).  I'm loving this new PC: now to get back to writing? ; )  Think I'll doodle a bit first ... Here's a Harbor seal I saw splashing and playing around in the Puget Sound the other day.

This seal has the life, eh? ...

One-eyed ME?

Not much writing these past few days :(  Injured my eye over the weekend.  Self-inflicted wound ... trying to improve my vision, perhaps?  Opened my eyes to a new way of seeing through pain pills, I guess.  Kind of knocks down all your protective barriers in a manner of speaking.  Truth is a booger sometimes ... But the drugs wear off and reality sets back in.  Life in the moment, right?  And when you look back, only the important ones shine through ... We tend to edit out the painful and mundane, don't we?

Life in this moment ... this here, this now.  No looking back ... Only forward.  After all, I believe that there is a ruling balance corrects over time.

I hadn't realized how much we do with our eyes on a given daily basis.  A bit frustrating to be one-eyed for a few days here.  Sensitivity to light and lots of pain ... Trying to give up the pain pills today.  They make me incredibly sleepy and loopy, never really cared much for drugs of any kind.  I have slept a lot these last few days though, so I guess that's something.  Lots of writing ideas buzzing around in my head.  Wish I had taken Ken up on his offer to buy me "Dragon" ; )  Still haven't played with my birthday presents either --among them a new high tech digital graphics tablet for photo editing and ART renders.  So this dang eye had best heal quickly!  Doctors say I should be good as new in 5-7 days, it's been 4 days now. I'm a terrible patient, I know.  I'll find something to do with myself --besides sleep, but I suppose a closed eye maybe heals quicker?-- between now and the magic number of 7 days and it better not take longer than that!

Since I can't see, I've no recent photo edits.  I could post a photo of me during one of my 3 a.m. --up all night-- photo editing sessions?  At least this photo has me without an injured eye?  Guess, I'll post and take it down in a day or two when these drugs wear off ; )  ... Pain is a funny thing, for me when I don't take the pain pills I can't tune out this eye pain, like I can with other pain.  The pain is so intense and IN MY HEAD, it just translates into intense irritation, bordering on aggravation.  Talk about short tempered?!? I have to wonder if maybe the drugs are the lesser of the evils in this instance?

3 a.m. photo editing ...

A tired, but not yet sleepy me?

Well, wish me a speedy recovery so that I can get back to writing, right?!  My ears are still working though.  I found a cool song by Lifehouse, titled "Broken" ... I would title it "Barely Breathing", but they are the artists.  Apparently, this group did a recent remake of this song ... newer more hip, instrumentally intensified version.  I prefer the original version, myself.  I didn't like the music video for this as it was not at all how I had envisioned or interpreted the song, but decide for yourself.   Oh well,  this song is about "pain" and "healing" and "broken" (my eye) so it fits with my current state of being.  Enjoy!

Song:  "Broken", Lifehouse



Healing vibes to all who pass this way!


Peace & Love,
~M




P.S. Have a friend who seems to be venturing into stand-up comedy these days.  Finding humor in this life of ours ... having a sense of humor ... is a form of higher evolvement on some level, I think.  Well, perhaps contemplating life from a one-eyed perspective will give him some funny material to work with?  Am I a rock star with my dark glasses 24/7 or would I go over better as a pirate with an eye-patch?  I've always had a thing for pirates ; )  Best to you, Paul.   XOXO

"10,000 Miles" ...

I happened to be doing some late-night browsing, last night, sorting through music on Youtube.com.  I was in search of songs that would speak to me in some way.  As I was looking, I stumbled across this song by Mary Chapin Carpenter: "10,000 Miles".  My parents used to love this artist's music in my younger days, but for whatever reason I have only a vague recollection of this particular song?  Still, this song is a truly beautiful and lyrical ballad.  This song almost seems to be a poem, temporarily taking on the form of song.  There is also some breathtaking photography accompanying this video, which surely makes it worth the time it takes to view and absorb it's hidden meanings.  If you're lucky, maybe this song/music video will speak to your soul as well?  Today is a special day for me.  Thus far it's been a day of quiet reflection, as I attempt to take a spiritual deep breath before I step forward to embrace what's left of my future in this life as we know it. With the latter in mind, this song seems to fit rather nicely with my mood this particular day.  

I will be away from blogging these next few weeks.  I have a lot of writing to do.  Hope to finish my novel #2 by summer's end.  Take care and God Bless!


Peace & Love,
~M


P.S. Parting thought: I'm wondering, when the Fat Lady finally sings:  What will she sing?????  Some food for thought while I'm away, perhaps? ; )  ... And remember, judge not lest you should be judged --see the Sirach quote from the Bible in my quotes section.  The universe wanted me to remind you of this.  Maybe when I finish this novel, I will finally pick up that infernal thing they call a phone and call you on it?  Would you actually answer, with spoken word, I wonder?

Song: "10,000 Miles", By Mary Chapin Carpenter


5/15/2015   Was tending to my patio garden this afternoon when three blackbirds flew across the backyard in hard left-bank, F-16 like fighter formation fly-over.  Then seconds later another blackbird flew slowly across the yard in the opposite direction (heading off toward the right-hand side of the yard) and I swear he was squawking something that sounded an awful lot like "Happy Birthday to You", over and over again.  It's the little things right? ; )

Still We RISE ...

I was very blessed this Mother’s Day. The sun was shining brilliantly, I didn’t have to cook all day long and I received many wonderful handmade gifts and cards, along with a simple but elegant small silver cross necklace [ I love to wear crosses ... Sometimes I wear as many as three at once : ) ]  But the best gift of all, for me, was probably being able to spend this Mother’s Day with my own Mom. Now that we live on opposite ends of the country, I don’t get to see her as often as I would like. So having her and my father up for a visit this past weekend was a real treat for me. The kids enjoyed spending time with their grandparents –only ones they have—as well.

I hope all of the AMAZING Moms out there had a fabulous day as well … that their children and families made them feel special, truly LOVED and appreciated this dedicated day. Women have a gentle, quiet and often unspoken power flowing through them. We are strong and resilient, yet we can be tender and loving. I think we often underestimate ourselves, as does the world around us? But wherever we may go and whatever circumstances we may find ourselves in, our strength enables us to rise again … rise above … to reach out embrace and fill this world of ours with unconditional LOVE. ♥

I would like to dedicate this photograph of a powerful waterfall --that I took this weekend-- along with this poem by Maya Angelou as a tribute to all the wonderful Mother’s in our world for this Mother’s Day 2012 [Click here to see My Poem for Mother's Day --written last year]. May God continue to Bless, Support, Nurture and Guide our wonderful Mothers throughout the remaining year ahead. May God especially Bless those women who find themselves living in countries where basic rights and freedoms are denied to women.  May He keep them and those that they love safe from harm and fill their hearts and minds with a never-ending Hope for a brighter future.

"Snowqualmie Falls", May 2012

@Copyrighted Photograph.  All Rights Reserved.

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Poem By, Maya Angelou

Interestingly enough, the hydro-electric plant at this falls is currently undergoing a reconstruction update.  Thus, the path through the woods down to the river's edge beneath the falls is currently closed.  This forced us to explore neighboring parks in search of some point from which we could access the river proper.  The other access points that we found showed a shallower, slower moving side of this river ... just bordering on gentle, but still moving at a brisk and lively pace.  Seeing these different facets of the same Snowqualmie river --having only experienced the more powerful flow at the foot of the large Snowqualmie Falls-- made me keenly aware that this river seemed to mirror what I have come to know about the nature of woman.  Like woman, this river was strong and powerful where it needed to be, but softer, nourishing and caressing ... almost tender at the lesser junctures.

I couldn't find one song that seemed appropriate for all mother's.  Think the song depends on the mom and your relationship with her.  So go find your song for your MOM. 


Peace, Love & Happy Mother's Day!


~M

Time in a Bottle & A Box for Wishes ...

@Copyrighted Photo, 2012.  All Rights Reserved:  Isabelle Black Smith.

The Daisy ... A simple flower, one that brings joy, spreads smiles and symbolizes Hope.

The words to this song, "Time in a Bottle", have been playing in my head today for some reason?  I've always loved this song.  I hear it from time to time on the radio, but I could never remember who the artist was.  So tonight, I took some time and found this song on-line.  To me, this is a simple song about the simple blessings in life ... May your blessings come often and be many.  May you never get so caught up in the ways of the world that you forget to stop and count the blessings in your own life.




Peace & Love,
~M





Song:  "Time in a Bottle", By Jim Croce







P.S. Anyone trying to send me a message ... My psychic wires seem to be down these past several days.  Lots of stress and little to no sleep.  If you need me to hear, you'll have to speak loudly ... if not, shout.  ; )

Secrets & Lies??

As a new day --and a new week for that matter-- unfolds, I find myself pondering what this saying truly means ...

"Tell me no secrets; I'll tell you no lies."

Not entirely sure why this thought popped into my head this morning.  Maybe I need coffee? ; )
Guess, I'll just have to see where my pondering leads.  Enjoy the ride, right?

"Color Outside some LINES ..."

@Copyrighted Image.  Use under Creative Commons License

permitted (non-profit) with link back to this page.

Afternoon thoughts unfold ...


I wonder if this saying means that for many of us our truths lie in our secrets? Do constraints --spoken and unspoken-- in today's society make us less likely to show the real us to the world? Is the nod we give to 'conformity' the price to be paid for living in an ordered society? Hence the nature of our duality and struggles within?

It does seem to me that now more than ever --reflecting back on history throughout the ages--  people seem to be so truly lost and afraid. And this at a time when we are supposedly more 'connected' now than ever, yet --if we were honest with ourselves-- I would venture that many of us feel more alone than ever?

I have to wonder if our technology is fueling a trend towards "me-centered" thinking? Our focus in our society seems to be figure out "who you are" ... "what makes you tick" ... "what makes you happy". We're so intently listening to what our inner voice is trying to say that we completely drown out the universal voice -- that which connects us all, a Creator, God ... a Divine Ruling Balance. And I can't help but think that it is this very "me-centered" focus that is making us so unhappy and perpetuating this unspoken "loneliness" ... With all the me-speak in self-help and new age thinking, people assume they just must not be searching hard enough ... deep enough ... so they try deeper reflection ...more intensity... more "me-thinking" and the result is a no-win downward spiral, maybe?

I'm not saying find religon here ... in fact, I seem to have lost my own faith in the tennants of man's religion --but that is another discussion entirely. The key to enlightenment, from what I have gleaned thus far, is a falling away from self; it is not a deeper understanding of self.   If there is even a grain of truth in my reasoning, then we as a society are headed 180 degrees in the wrong direction. Sure you have to live with yourself, understand yourself ... but I have found that I often learn more about myself and feel better about myself ... am happier ... when I'm not focusing not so much on me, but rather focusing on the others in the world around me.  I think we maybe need to cut ourselves --and those around us-- a little bit of slack, unplug and embrace the world around us a bit more and in doing so, maybe the light within us will shine just a bit brighter and show us the way ahead ... not within. 

So maybe this saying should mean:  Let your secrets go and just BE ... Life in the moment without the need for any lies.



Song: "Less than Perfect", By PINK

Blue Skies & Glorious Sunshine!

Several friends promised to send some of their sunshine my way this weekend and it actually worked!  The skies cleared out and the sun was shining brilliantly this entire afternoon.  Being outside in the sun, even for a short while, re-energized me and I'm starting to feel whole once again.  Thank you, thank you my dear friends and God ... I'm sure he had a hand in the sun's shining too =)

Hope you and yours had a fabulous day too! ♥

"Sunshine's Warm Embrace"

@Copyrighted Photo.  Use under Creative Commons License

permitted (non-profit) with link back to this page.

I did no editing to this photo whatsoever, save for adding my watermark/signature.  This photo was taken with a circular polarizer ... kind of like sunglasses for your camera.  The polarizer makes all of the colors more vibrant, the blues bluer and the details clearer.  The circular polarizer is probably the best investment --dollar for dollar-- I've made in my photography thus far.  If you don't have one, I'd highly recommend one.

Perhaps clear skies here tonight will enable me to catch some photographs of the "super moon"?  I'm not feeling so hot today though ... Ken drug me into the doctor's office, earlier today, but I wasn't kicking and screaming this time ; )  A friend of mine shared this blog article on 'How-to shoot the Moon'.  The article is a neat recollection of the strides photography has made in the past few decades if nothing else ... some useful tips for shooting the moon too.

Song: "Have a Little Faith in Me", By Jon Bon Jovi

This is from movie soundtrack for "New Year's Eve."  My daughters made me watch this one, but it was a cute movie with a good message.  Sometimes we just need to have a little faith, right? ... And the slap at the beginning of this video: boy there have been times when I really wanted to do that ; ) But the Peace & Love won out.  ♥

Bring Me to LIFE ...

Lots of rain here these past several, several days.  Normally, I truly don't mind the rain ... Rain can be very refreshing, renewing, invigorating.  I used to love to dance in the rain and splash barefoot through all of the puddles ... Seems I haven't done that in ages? ... The rain here of late, however, seems to really be wearing on me though.  I am EXCITED for Spring and all the blossoming of fabulous colors and textures.  I want to get outside and photograph some of this unfolding beauty, but every time I have time to get out it seems there is rain, rain and more rain.  It's starting to get me down : (  I need some sunshine to breathe new life into me, I think.  At least my words are still flowing, I guess that's something?  Maybe I can't have both words and images at once?

Well in an effort to keep my photographic muscles flexed and in shape, I forced myself to venture out in the drizzle this afternoon.  It wasn't dancing in the rain, but perhaps the next best thing:  I found some interesting blossoms nestled among the backdrop of an evergreen wood, laced with lichen.  Hard to photograph in the rainy drizzle so these aren't much, but beauty lies in the eye of the beholder ...





"Gentle Raindrops Chance ..."  (my favorite photo from this set on my Flickr site)

"Laces of Lichen"

@Copyrighted Photograph.  All Rights Reserved.

"Silent Beauty, Accentuated By Gentle Rain"

@Copyrighted Photograph. All Rights Reserved.

"What distinguishes the artist from the dilettante? Only the pain the artist feels. The dilettante looks only for pleasure in art."

~Odilon Redon, French Painter 1840-1916

Song:  "Bring Me to Life", By Evanescence





P.S.  Some good news ... Seems people have atually been reading a bit here these past two weeks and not just image browsing.  That does help to bring a smile to my face =)  I think that in this day and age of information at our fingertips, we can be overwhelmed with all of the options for input.  It is difficult to be discerning and filter through the mountains of data being presented to you in any given instance when you are 'connected'.  Perhaps that's why I so often 'unplug' and regroup ... helps to reset my priorities and focus.  The latter being said, I do sincerely respect and appreciate people who take the time to stop and actually experience other people's ART ... to pause for a moment and embrace an openess to seeing the world from another perspective, through another's eyes.  Peace & Love to all those willing to pass that way.  ♥

Escape, Love and Death ...

I needed to escape for a bit tonight. Lucky for me, the movie “Midnight in Paris” happened to be playing. I had heard great things about this movie and it seemed to get high marks from both the critics and the general viewing audience alike.  So I sat down late this evening to see if this movie would actually hold my attention.

Image Source

I’m funny about movies. I wouldn’t call myself a movie critic --I figure we all have different tastes and perspectives-- and in order to be a critic you have to finish all of a movie before you can offer a critique. For me if a movie doesn’t have me within the first 15 to 20 minutes I can’t see wasting my valuable time sitting there to watch the rest of it. This of course drives people I watch movies with nuts sometimes, because I often lose interest and start flipping through a news journal, magazine, or book … or I’ll start scribbling lines for a poem or story, or start sketching some sort of doodle. If the movie is really mind-numbing for me I just have to get up and get out of the room altogether --perhaps one of the few times that doing the dinner dishes actually has appeal to me ; ) ... So it seems to work out rather well for me when I happen to be up alone, late at night, to view a movie for two reasons: 1) I have a better chance of starting with a movie that I’ll be likely to sit through and 2) I don’t have to worry about disappointing anyone because I can’t sit through a movie that they might have selected. 

[End Scene of the movie.  Gil finds someone

who doesn't mind walking in the rain.]

Image Source

Well, I am happy to report that “Midnight in Paris” wound up being a most welcome escape for me.  I was able to escape into a movie about escaping to another, simpler, grander time: Paris in the 1920’s. This movie had a great story-line and it flowed nicely between the here-and-now and the past of the 1920’s Paris. Owen Wilson did a great job in his role as the struggling writer. I could relate. Very cool how Owen's character gets to meet with writers and artists of that “golden era” … especially Hemingway, who was a most interesting character in this movie. I have read a few works by Hemingway, but I don’t recall the quote his character gives to Owen Wilson’s character, Gil, upon their first meeting:

“I believe that love that is true and real, creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving or not loving well, which is the same thing. And then the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face, like some rhino-hunters I know or Belmonte, who is truly brave... It is because they make love with sufficient passion, to push death out of their minds... until it returns, as it does, to all men... and then you must make really good love again.”

~Character of Ernest Hemingway in movie “Midnight In Paris"

Is that not a fabulous way to look at Love? I did some quick searching tonight and could not find this quote among those attributed to Ernest Hemingway, but one source said that there were over 5,000 quotes attributed to Hemingway. So, I guess, I’ll have to keep looking if I want to verify this an authentic Hemingway quote?



This movie has a good ending, but I’ll not say more as I don’t want to give anything away. I can say that I happen to agree with Gil’s assessment as to why so many hold a nostalgia for times past …

“Adriana, if you stay here though, and this becomes your present then pretty soon you'll start imagining another time was really your... You know, was really the golden time. Yeah, that's what the present is. It's a little unsatisfying because life's a little unsatisfying.”

~Character Gil, in the movie “Midnight in Paris”

The present is perhaps unsatisfying because it is intimately interwoven with the mundane?  We tend to edit out the mundane in our recollections and revisiting of the past, do we not?

Image Source

All in all this was a great movie and if you haven’t seen it, you might give it a whirl. I have not made it to Paris, myself. I almost got there once: I was in Belgium and we ventured across the border into Bordeaux. I suppose one of these days a visit to famed city of Paris would be a wonderful adventure. One of my Christmas presents (had been on back-order all these many months) just came a few weeks back.  It is an ART book cataloging all of the over 10,000 pieces of ART on display in the Louvre: “The Louvre, All the Paintings”, By Erich Lessing and Vincent Pomarede. Perhaps after flipping through the pages of this enchanted book and browsing through the accompanying ART CD my desire to visit Paris will be greatly enhanced? If I were ever to visit, Paris at midnight --being the night-owl that I am-- would have infinite appeal to me, and being no stranger to rain up here, in Seattle, I wouldn't mind a stroll in the rain either.  I love to dance in the rain ...

History, ART, culture, and epicurean delights galore … How could one go wrong with Paris? And on that note, I don’t think you’ll go wrong if you take “Midnight in Paris” for a spin on a low-key, rainy night. Might I also suggest a roaring fire and nice bottle of red wine, with some cheese & bread to enhance your viewing experience? Cheers and do enjoy!  = )


Song: "Have You Ever Seen the Rain", By CCR (youtube.com)


P.S. Happened to come across this site while searching for the above Ernest Hemingway quote ... might prove useful to some of you singles out there?  www.thedatingspecialist.com/blog/5-ernest-hemingway-quotes-to-inspire-your-love-life/