Petal by Petal

I'm a sucker for blooms. Cut, fresh, dried, potted or planted I have a thing for flowers. They offer some essential proof that, given enough of what we need, everything has the urge to grow.
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Currently Reading: Aftershock by Robert Reich
Personal Soundtrack: You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go - Shawn Colvin (Yes, it's a cover tune. I know.)
My I'm-Cooler-Than-You-Think Parenting Moment: I was cleaning out Naomi's backpack and noticed some of her artwork resembled pointillism. After making both of us watch a pretty dry Art-History biopic on Georges Seurat, I checked out Sunday In The Park With George DVD from the city library system. She was mesmorized.

New 'Do

My life has been made up of exactly two hairstyles. One short, one long. This cut I got yesterday? This is "the short" and I'm pretty thrilled about it.

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Quote of My Day: There is no charge for awesomeness. (Thanks, T.)

Goodness Doesn't Just Happen

"I believe that worrying about the problems plaguing our planet without taking steps to confront them is absolutely irrelevant. The only thing that changes this world is taking action.

I believe that words are easy. I believe that truth is told in the actions we take. And I believe that if enough ordinary people back up our desire for a better world with action we can, in fact, accomplish absolutely extraordinary things."

-Jody Williams
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Currently Reading: This I Believe: Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women Edited by Jay Allison & Dan Gediman

Card Shopping

Sunday morning I went to the grocery store on my usual milk-run for kitchen essentials. I also wanted to swing by the paper products aisle to find a graduation card for my cousin’s son, Taylor, who graduates from High School this spring. With his Open House yesterday I wanted to find Taylor a nice card. Something I could sign and slip some cash inside of to say congratulations.

This is how I found myself perusing the greeting card selection for recent graduates in my semi-uncomfortable church shoes with ice-cream melting in my grocery cart. Card shopping isn’t the easiest thing for me. I’m big on marking significant moments but I’m not big on sounding schmaltzy or contrived.

I was surprised to find the selection of cards littered with clever quips. One card jabbed congratulations for graduating having so rarely showed up for class. Another offered hobby recommendations for that extra 10-11 minutes this graduate will have every day since studying is no longer required. Clever little quips, certainly, and I laughed more than once.

That’s how an exchange like that goes with a quick quip, charged and often funny, and the pay-off is given freely enough when everyone laughs. The speaker proves him or herself witty. We’ve all created a thick skin around this type of banter so nobody gets their feelings hurt.

That thick skin though can prevent a more sincere “congratulations” from being launched or landing. I find the currency of sarcasm pretty cheap, actually. Not something I’m eager to invest in much. Not something I get a lot from.

Meh, given the choice I’ll opt for a genuine exchange over a guarded one. I found Taylor’s card eventually. More importantly I hope he never doubted how pleased I felt to show up to his Open House and to celebrate his graduation. Taylor’s a pretty impressive person. I mean it.
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Recent Goodness: Two days wearing three sets of dresses and girlie shoes. I spent the weekend all gussied up. Throw in a stint at Biketacular, a closet full of clean laundry, leftover apple pie and you could say I had a pretty great weekend.

At Risk of Sounding Maudlin

I was seventeen when I met William Kloefkorn. The summer between my junior and senior year of high school I was part of his poetry workshop. Kloefkorn was round and wrinkled man at that point who wore a fully gray head of hair and mustache. I remember feeling a little naive and a little thrilled that he would be unabashedly foul-mouthed around his students.

In some combination his skills and my age the summer workshop made a profound impression on me. I hadn’t realized the title of Nebraska State Poet even existed until I heard his work. If a series of words could nudge the axial tilt of the planet, the strong provincial leanings my home state, I thought those words must have been penned by Kloefkorn.

The position of State Poet in Nebraska carries a lifetime appointment, and William Kloefkorn vacated his post yesterday . Upon hearing of his death I suddenly felt seventeen, like I was sitting in my first workshop with pages and pages of my notebook all scribbled up. I conjured the calming sense that accompanied the gravelly sound of Kloefkorn's voice. The way he selected out the good specks dotting the page. The way he encouraged me to give this poem another go because "it had good legs, it could really go somewhere."

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Quote of My Day: I have seldom loved more than one thing at a time,
yet this morning I feel myself expanding, each part of me soft and glandular, and under my skin
is room enough now for the loving of many things, and all of them at once.
(an excerpt from "Hands" by Wm. Kloefkorn)

Distance-Ed Revelation: I'm taking Physics I this summer. Because its a class that requires a lab, I thought I'd have to do some special-Olympic-style-maneuvering. Turns out there's this shop in Colorado that sends out a "Labpaq" delivered to my door. How cool is that?

Dinner Plans: Bread & Cup. I have my dress and high-heel-y shoes all laid out and everything.

15 miles

I guess we can cross "Bike-to-Work week participant" off my hope-to-but-haven't-yet list. I pedaled off, this morning, before my brain could tell me not to. Fifteen miles later I rolled into the office pumped up on adrenaline and good music.

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Recently Read: The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage
BIG News: Naomi started tennis lessons in April. She also got a new bike. Oh, and she had two art openings in the past month. And...well, I guess I'll have to blog about my kid and her many adventures.
Recent Goodness: My friend, Jason, sends me this clip from his comic collection.