Hot summer days have been working their soporific effect, and I curl up in my deck chair with the best intentions to read or write and find myself drifting in that amorphous territory between sleep and wakefulness, the sensations of warm breeze, birdsong, and rustling leaves mingling in my semi-consciousness with the characters in my book.
Life In General: Gizmos and Gadgets
Today I’ve been obsessed with my new toy, an iPhone 6 that I decided to get yesterday, sort of on a whim, although I’ve been contemplating the change for a few months. The most salient difference between this new phone and my old phone is the size (this one is larger), but I’ve been having a lot of fun setting it up and trying it out.
For someone my age, I think I’m pretty tech savvy, and I take some pride in that.
On Aging
Here in my online world, Wednesday’s are the days I’ve been writing about being creative, about writing, and inspiration, and process. But in my Real World, every Wednesday is “Mom’s Day.” It the day of the week I drive into our old neighborhood and pick up my mom, take her to her favorite grocery or specialty fruit market, and the drugstore if she’s up to it. It’s the day I make sure I’m at her house to take out the garbage or do any other household things that she’s willing for me to do.
Life In General: Hair Wars
For much of my life I’ve been at war with my hair. At first glance, you might not understand why. After all, I have plenty of it, which is something many women my age do not. It’s retained it’s original color very well, with the exception of the topmost roots which require periodic touch-ups at the salon. It’s easy to style, and I can walk out the door nicely coiffed in about 15 minutes start to finish.
But I’ve not always been properly grateful for my hair. Growing up in the 1960’s, long super straight hair was in fashion, and my thick, naturally wavy locks did not conform in any way to the type of look I envied.
Write on Wednesday: Inspirations
I keep coming face to face with the notion that creative work does not get done in a vacuum. As much as the romanticized notion of a writer typing away day after day in their tiny attic space might appeal to some, there is a point at which every person who attempts to do creative work must engage with the world and with other people. My introverted self usually wants to stay tucked away in a safe corner; I was always the student who inwardly groaned whenever a teacher assigned a “group project.” But lately I’m feeling more and more led to the kinds of interactions that encourage new ideas and processes, and even to actual collaborations - to working together with other artists and writers in the making of something good.