Denver Photo Safari

A couple weeks ago, a friend and I ventured out into Downtown Denver armed with our cameras and an eye for the odd angle.  I have my little digital camera that badly needs a tripod, so quite a few of my shots turned out blurry, though a few of my favorites did come out.  I'm adding a couple Denver Haikus to complete the mood.


Gorgeous profile,

daring on her scooter,

everything I've wanted to be.

Orange paint smeared

bright hibiscus

 on a city bus window.

Comedy by Broccoli

In high school, I did a famous monologue for auditions known as "the tunafish monologue".  Google it and you'll get Laughing Wild, by Christopher Durang.  A woman who is a few bananas short of a bunch gets very upset that a man is standing in front of the cans of tuna fish that she wants to get to, and becomes irate that he doesn't sense her needs.  She ends up wacking him upside the head and, I still remember the line from high school, screams at him, "would you kindly move, a$^h*!#!!!"

I met this woman last week in a King Soopers - off Broadway - of all places.  I was minding my own business over the broccoli when a woman stopped me to rant about how it was so difficult to get around in these places.  "I mean, if it's not these stupid signs and all the produce, it's the morons by the hamburger."  She goes on to explain that she was cooling her head in the produce section because she'd just had an 'incident' over in the meat department.  This couple was just standing there, mulling over the meat and paying no attention whatsoever to this woman.  She yelled at them, "move the F&*#$ out of my way already!" and was appalled when they did not respond favorably.  She asked me, "do I really have to say 'excuse me' all the time?"

All the while I am imagining the tuna monologue and wondering if I said the wrong thing would she whack me with a yam, so I opted for smiling and nodding and inching toward the onions and escape.  She went back over to the hamburger, and I assume she got what she needed because I never heard a store announcement for "code pink in the meat department," or, "cleanup in aisle 14, by the tuna fish."

Out of the Box

Back in April and May when I was trying to determine my new direction, I was trying to fit myself into a tight little box - certain job skills, certain salary requirements, certain resume enhancements, etc.

I have found that happiness, elation, and opportunity are plentiful and overwhelming - outside that little box. I took what I thought was a step back to a simpler life with less money, and have instead taken a giant leap forward - above and beyond. I am in my element in the classroom, am finally teaching creative writing which is something I've always wanted to do, and opportunites seem to be camping on my doorstep. So here's to getting rid of the boxes, and daring to be happy.

I'm Back!

My very long absence has been due to...laziness, job/career changes, multiple entrepreneur ventures, 2nd complete full draft of my novel! and other little life crises and adventures. So, to catch up -

I gave my old job the "bird" and quit when I was told that everything I'd created, all the new programs and all the children I'd reached, had been a waste of time. Now I'm teaching ESL for adults and loving it! And I'm getting quite the education myself in a variety of cultures, Saudi Arabian in particular.

I checked another item off my bucketlist in September. I went with a friend to Steamboat Springs for a ride in a hot air balloon! Amazing! Thousands of feet in the air with out an inflatable exit raft, floaty cushions or even a seat belt, and I was not the least bit afraid. Even leaning over and out of the basket for photos. And Steamboat springs was a fabulous place to have that little adventure too.

I'm working on starting up one business with some old colleagues - along the lines of financial literacy, and also starting up another with my own handmade works of art - bags and necklaces at the moment.

I have finished the 2nd full draft of my novel! Every step from here is an accomplishment for me, and record breaking!

I've had a change in scenery as far as friendships go, but all for the better. I think the hot air balloon is the perfect metaphor for my life this year - how much more buoyant I feel after losing some dead weight.

And it has been my pleasure and privelege to be able to design a syllabus and curriculm for creative writing for my ESL students, starting tomorrow! We're starting with blogs, and so, luckily, I'll be forced to post more often. And because I think my life has gotten more interesting...hopefully so will my posts!

The Power of Words

I had an interesting review at work last month which inspired the following. I find it very interesting how 99% of the review was wonderful and fantastic, and that all got wiped out with one, scathing word.

Solid
This book gets thicker
with the words
plumping up the pages,
infusing the pulp.
Simple words, slanted words,
stained with emotion
and desires.
The solid force, the power
of words;
Vituperous.
She threw it at me,
though she couldn't say it.
All the vowels and the
other things folded in the
hiss on the tail.
It's followed me through
the halls, up and down
the stairs, curled under
my desk.
Waiting for another lambast
to sink vituperous fangs into,
poison, taint.
The word has a thickness
a solid whack.
Even on the page
I feel the bulge.


KEH

New Years goals and such

One of my new years resolutions has been to write more poetry. That used to be my thing but now since I've been focusing all my energy on the novel, I've fallen out of practice. I am going to try to write one-two poems a week. We'll see if all of that 'practice' does anything for the poems.

Here's the latest:


Just Why

I repeat
over and
over their histories:
a tale of mice, and their tails
dangling from the eaves of
a pinecone;
another one found adrift
in the snow, a gift
under a Christmas tree.
That shell from him, a friend,
a hopeful romantic.
That shell from him, a lover,
a sad excuse.
That fragile rock from Outback
behind the cities, crushed
into white ink
for stony histories.
That star from the Oregon beach,
the one I didn't save.
That shell from...
it's slipped away, like the tide
it came in on.
I can't remember why
I keep it on the shelf with
the pinecone, a tale of mice,
and their tails...


KEH

1st Year Anniversary!

As of today, I have been writing every day for at least 15 minutes for an entire year! I am so excited, I can't remember the last time I accomplished something like this.
I wish I could say I have a complete novel to show for it, but as of Saturday, I've decided to rewrite the whole outer story (half the book) from scratch, from a whole different perspective. I'm never going to finish at this rate! But, I'm excited about the project again, the rewrite has peaked my interest and I've got all sorts of ideas.
Tonight, I'm going to celebrate with Chocolate custard eclairs (always wanted to try those), 500 Days of Summer, a glass of wine and homemade beef stroganoff. Later this week I'm going dancing!
Thanks for all the support! Let's see what happens in another year of writing non-stop!