Sugar rush
A rare craving
deserves
A rare treat
Dinner this evening:
A Cookie Cookie Sunday at Ben & Jerry’s
A chocolate chip cookie
Coffee ice cream
A bit of hot fudge
A dash of caramel sauce
A dollop of whipped cream
Some walnuts
A tall glass of water
Craving satiated.
Black and white
There is a framed print in my living room on the east wall. It is a black and white photograph of the World Trade Center shot from what appears to be Jersey City. There is a sort of optical illusion to it, as it looks like the towers are at the end of a long pier jutting out from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. The pier and the river are prominent in the foreground.
I treasure this print, as I bought it on September 11, 2001, on my way home from that staggering day in Manhattan. As I look at it now, it makes me more introspective than sad. My how things have changed on every conceivable level since the day those towers fell. It has affected us personally, locally, nationally, internationally.
I think this all comes to mind so strongly now because in the last week I have written a piece honoring a former professor that put me in a place of reflection, plus there was a very compelling story about 9/11 conspiracy theories in New York magazine. It’s all been swirling around in my head. Destruction. Rebirth. Disaster. Epiphany. Profound sadness. Profound joy. Pessimism. Optimism.
Questions. Not enough answers.
Those HBO Sundays
The Sopranos this season. What to say? So good. The characters are so well-drawn. The drama is riveting. The scenes that are likely not supposed to be funny are making me laugh out loud, something I attribute to being an Italian from New Jersey. Mob stuff aside, I’ve seen it all before. The whiners, the attention stealers, the sweet facade with the hypocrisy underneath, the hospital vigils, the obsession with food, the guilt, the blaming, the stress. All in the name of family. And somehow it’s a hoot to watch.
Last night’s episode alone, I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite scene. But I’d probably go with Paulie Walnuts — after pointedly being told by Meadow to stay positive while talking to comatose Tony — talking about his own ass aches so incessantly that he puts Tony into cardiac arrest. TV drama? Hardly. I know people capable of that.
That’s entertainment.
Rich routine
It’s been one of those days I really like for its balance of routine and spontaneity. A solid workout at the gym. A meditative session with my notebook and a cup of coconut-flavored coffee (it’s back for spring!). An exhilarating spiritual experience at church. A spontaneous cup of tea afterward with a fellow writer who seems to share my zest for living richly. A plate of whole wheat pasta with portobello mushroom sauce. A few satisfying hours of work on the computer.
The day will culminate shortly in a kick-back-on-the-couch hour with The Sopranos.
Underneath it all, a feeling I am embarking on a crisp, fresh start.
Sweet flight
I booked a flight to Paris today and I am beside myself with glee. There will be cafes and there will be wine and there will be art and there will be cheese and there will be flea markets. And there will be a train to Provence, a perfect little getaway that promises aesthetic delights and, well, adventure.
Who could ask for anything more?
Pas moi.
Weeded garden
If indeed our lives are like gardens and there are times when our garden is filled with weeds, then I am in one of those phases where the weeds have been cleared so the plants and flowers can thrive. A last, stubborn weed has been pulled from its persistent, resistent little roots. That sucker had grown so tall. It had looked like the sweetest of flowers when it first started to grow, but eventually showed itself to be too domineering for this landscape.
Now the sunlight is reaching all the right spots. The water and nutrients, too.
Growth ensues.
Welcome mat
Today I found out what it’s like to fully and unabashedly welcome people into my home who do not welcome me into theirs.
It feels good at a soul level to stay true to my way of being. To not lock someone out based on their actions to me, but decide what I’m comfortable doing separate from any of that.
It is about being who I am at my core. It is about emotional health.
I celebrate my spirit.
Charlie Brown
So my channel surfing brings me to Charlie Brown this evening. Go figure. Haven’t watched him since childhood, but here I am. He’s an exchange student, along with Linus, Peppermint Patty and Marcy, and they’re going to France. I had forgotten how funny Snoopy is. He packs a pile of suitcases, dons a beret and surprises everyone by flying first class.
I’ve never been crazy about animation, but I find myself tuning in on occasion. I thoroughly enjoyed Finding Nemo and the choreography in Shark Tale is just fun to watch.
As I write this, Charlie Brown and Co. are in Britain checking out the countryside and boarding a boat to France. Time for me to chill and get transported …
Cookie wisdom
Satiated a craving for some fried rice. My fortune cookie reads:
You will inherit some money or a small piece of land.
Hmmmmmmmm …
Sweat equity
I’ve been working really, really hard lately.
Just thought I’d acknowledge myself for it.
