Summer doldrums

posted by Helen

I haven't been up much for writing anything lately. Life is a bit chaotic and unfocused. Our office reflects how unsettled I am. The papers are piling up -- our filing is way out of control. I've been putting off dealing with it until the move in the the new office.

The garage/office project is moving along quickly. The second floor is all framed. There have been mishaps. One of the guys shot a nail through his finger with the nailgun. Those guns always made me nervous. The day after the incident, I heard a nailgun go off. Someone said "Ouch!", waited a beat and then said "Just kidding, Mark!"

In an attempt to shuck whatever it is that's getting to me, I've started running a little bit in the mornings. We get out to the Green by 7:30 AM and I do a couple of laps while Dave walks Cammy. We've been having a heat wave, but the air is still refreshing at that hour.

One bright spot is the Renaissance choral group we started earlier this summer. We've been getting together Thursday evenings.

Another simple pleasure is the garden. Something new blooms every week. But even that adds to the feeling of being overwhelmed when I see the weeding I should be doing.

posted by Helen

Cichorium intybus (Asteraceae)

More than any other flower, Chicory epitomizes the height of summer for me. In the days when I had a long commute, I loved to see the slender blue blossoms on the side of the highway in July. There would be a few joyous days, maybe a week or two, and then road crews would appear and cut back what the Massachusetts Department of Transportation clearly viewed as a nuisance.

Crafting Songs on the Internet

posted by Dave

In my wandering from one music marketing site to another, I've discovered a way to work on my songs virtually. There's a site called Irene's Songwriting Tips where I can hear other songwriters material, read input from other songwriters, and write my own as well. Finally I screwed up my courage and sent in "Livin in the Moment" (you can download on the music section of this site) and started getting feedback. In case any one from Irene's is reading this - "Thanks for making me feel welcome and putting up with my input!"

I'm preparing to go into production on another batch of songs which I hope to have compiled in an album by this fall.

To Do List

posted by Helen

I woke up this morning and figured out how to stream audio to the Windows Media Player. So now you can listen to Dave's music without waiting for the whole download.

I haven't figured out how to stream to Quicktime or RealPlayer yet, but I'll work on that. It's raining heavily outside so I might just get around to it today. Either that or knit socks. It's a toss up.

Wilmington, Delaware - Who knew?

posted by Helen

We made a trip down to Philadelphia and to Wilmington, Delaware this week. Wilmington, Delaware -- a great place. Who knew?

First, it's accessible. It was easy to find our way around in and folks were very nice. Second, we went to the 4W5 Cafe at 4 West 5th Street for the Tuesday Bluegrass jam session led by David Bromberg.

Kudos to Dave's sister, Cherie, for this find. We had a great time.

Independence Day

posted by Helen

Early morning on Long Island

I took this picture early one morning in East Hampton, Long Island two years ago while on vacation.

That week Dave and I developed a habit of getting up very early and biking around. The geography was so flat, biking was nearly effortless. We felt so lighthearted and free that week. We usually feel that way, but some events lately have been weighing heavily on both of us. We're starting to lighten up again and I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer.

So today is my independence day, too. I'm freeing myself of the sadness and anger I've been holding. I'm forgiving myself and others. I'm moving on.

I had a yoga teacher a few years ago who left the area last year. When I first started working with him, I did not like his practice. It seemed to ask too much. Then I grew to love it. Michael ended every class with this blessing:

"May you go forth with courage and creativity in your hearts and in your lives. Shalom, shalom, shalom. Shanti, shanti, shanti. Peace. Namaste."

Making Connections At Midway

posted by Dave

I made friends with Sherri yesterday at the Midway Airport. Then something weird happened. We started meeting other people. Interesting people. It was as if once the gates were opened, there was no going back.

Sherri and I had been delayed on a Southwest flight into Midway with ATA connections to Boston and had similar concerns about making it home. She overheard my conversation on the cell phone while I was trying to work out the connections and had struck up a conversation with me to compare notes on our fates.

Finally, we had our boarding passes resolved, and were both assigned seats on the ATA flight from Chicago to Boston, but strangely, we had slipped into a sort of spousal relationship through sorting out our problem together. We decided to go find something to eat at the food court.

The idea was that one of us would watch the bags while the other ordered food. We approached a table that was occupied by two young men engaged in a conversation. There was really no reason for us to pick out this table but I was attracted to it. There just seemed to be space for us there.

I sat down while Sherri went to order her food and listened in on the conversation. Jim, a Japanese translator from San Diego, was explaining how broadband had been allocated to media interests and that it probably never would become readily available to the general population as a creative tool. Ken, a theater marketing specialist from New York City, listened with interest.

“But wait,” I blurted out. “The real opportunity is in rich media. In the future the masses will provide their own stories using music, art, and literature.” They both stopped and stared at me.

“You’re right,” said Jim. “Excuse me while I check on my plane. I may not see you guys ever again, but I’ll probably be right back.”

“Wait a minute, you guys don’t know each other?” I asked Ken.

“Nope, we were on the same flight to Chicago. It was delayed and we are waiting to make our connections,” said Ken. “We were just talking to an Austrian couple before you and your wife came along.”

“Oh she’s not my wife,” I said. “We just met, too. Same circumstances.”

Just then Sherri came back to the table. “Sorry it took so long. O.K., now you go ahead and get your food.” I looked at her. It seemed like we had been together forever. “You’re treating me like your husband, aren’t you? And I’m reacting to you as if you were my wife!”

So the conversation was great. Ideas were exchanged. And I’m happy to report that Bush bashing is alive and well from coast-to-coast. Sherri and I made our way back to our gate and we were sitting there making calls to our spouses.

“So you two just met?” A woman across the row from us asked. “I could have sworn you were married.”

Pamela was her name. She was from Montana and traveling to Boston. She had heard that New Englanders were uptight and she couldn’t believe that we were chatting so amicably. Pam made some interesting connections for me, again having to do with the power of the media and how 45% of the population still believes that we actually found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Pam, Jim, Ken, and Sherri, and the couple from Austria – wherever you are – my question is this. Was it just a fluke of circumstances that our paths crossed in Chicago, or is there a bigger connection to make? A bigger understanding to achieve? Maybe a better future ahead than the path we are on?

I’d love to hear your stories in greater detail. Please comment if you feel like contributing.