Yellow Brick Road

As the Mayor approached me with his beady-eyed grin and open arms, a fondness exploded in my heart.  I smiled wide as I wrapped my arms around him in an intenful, warm hug.  So, he's not the mayor anymore. I'm not who I was anymore.  Things change, and it's all good.
The Mayor came along in a time in my life when almost all things were running short - money, time, luxury and pride.  I had no idea he was the Mayor at the time.  I just knew he was the owner of an old, run-down building that for some reason I found myself drawn to.  I was working two full-time jobs at the time, production and design for two companies.  When I found some spare time, I would just get in my car and ride around discovering new places (as I still do).  I happened across this building and I just felt like I had to have it for my art studio.  I asked around and found out the owner had an office not far from the building, and I went directly to call on him.  He looked at me like I was half-crazy when I told him my dream of renting his building.  All I asked for him to do was to add electrical and plumbing and I would do the rest.   I nearly begged, but he laughed and shook his head, and I shrugged my shoulders telling him I'd see him next week.  For weeks to come, I stopped by his office every friday after work asking to rent his building.  I can't honestly remember how long it was before he gave in, but he did.  Somewhere along the line, I learned that he was the Mayor of the town and as much as it surprised me, in another way it didn't surprise me at all.
Three years later, the Mayor decided I needed to buy the building. After going through a pretty nasty divorce and completely wrecking my credit, I could see no way this could happen.  I confessed my credit sins to the Mayor and he cosigned my note.
I miss that old building, even the trains that ran hourly and blared their horns on the track just out the front door. The inside was like a giant canvas, painted from top to bottom.  My backyard was a parking lot where we spent quite a few evenings grilling out on a hibachi grill.  I also kinda miss being the weird artsy girl with the Shar-Pei walking on the tracks. 
Upon further thought, I feel incredibly nutty and lucky all at the same time. I'm pretty sure that was the message from the Mayor tonight as he kissed me on the head.

melodia

Is It Ever Gonna Be Enough?

melodia

I'm Always In This Twilight

So, this odd habit of multi-tasking sometimes finds me in the weirdest ways.  Mondays are days that are intended for me to do my paperwork.  I've never liked Monday's much for this very reason.  Although, I admit, occasionally I slack on the work and wander off in another direction entirely.  As I sort through the papers, enter receiveables and write checks I have other things going on in the background.  Usually, I am listening to Pandora, Slacker or some off-beat mixtape site - jotting down names of songs that I want to download.  I catch up on blogs, research, look up recipes, download knitting patterns - all between crunching numbers and working on ad sheets. 

Thanks to a good SL friend I found myself on a little 2 hour tangent today.  She recommended that I check out "Florence & The Machine" and after I started digging around I was swept away.  (Cheers VK)  To the point that I found inspiration.  For the first time in quite a while, I was lost in a rhythm, emotion and the peaceful calm of creation. 

I did a little research on Florence and I think she might be my new best friend.  A quote from her blog, "Florence writes her best songs when she’s drunk or has a hangover, because that’s when the freedom, the feral music comes, creating itself wildly from the fragments gathered in her notebooks and in her head. “You’re lucid,” she explains, “but you’re not really there. You’re floating through your own thoughts, and you can pick out what you need. I like those weird connections in the universe. I feel that life’s like a consistent acid trip, those times when things keep coming back.”

melodia

And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat
I tried to find the sound
But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness,
So darkness I became

The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart

I took the stars from our eyes, and then I made a map
And knew that somehow I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you

Red

I'm feeling a bit slackassed after spending the entire day doing absolutely nothing besides catching up on shows I DVR'd during the week and catching up on laundry.  I did manage to build a small fire in the pit outside only because, still in mid-march, it's cold as all hell. 

One of my promises to myself for this year was to give back.  I have always donated my time in giving cost-free haircuts for donations to "Locks of Love" and  "Beautiful Lengths."  I have often felt that that was not enough.  So, I have been putting myself out there to help.  It's turned into a beautiful thing.

March is National Hemophelia Awareness Month. My salon is raising money by donating 100% of the proceeds from red haircolor to the National Hemophelia Foundation.  We have added red to our hair to show our support and others in our community are following suit.  Hemophelia is a bleeding disorder in which it takes a long time for the blood to clot after trauma.  In more severe cases, serious bleeding may occur without any cause. Internal bleeding may occur and bleeding into joints is common.  Treatment is to replace the missing factor that causes the blood to clot, usually by injections.  Most often, Hemophelia is a condition that is passed down genetically.

 I have involved myself to help the cause because I have a client who has two young boys with Hemophelia.  She has had to inject them with factor every 36 hours since the day they each were born.  Not only do these boys have to endure shots, but their activities are limited due to the disease.  Although, I have to admit you'd never know it by meeting them or interacting with them.  The youngest told me, when I was putting red streaks in his hair, that he wanted to play football but his dad wouldn't let him.  I don't think there's much out there that scares either boy.

Donations can be made at:  http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/MainPgs/GeneralDonation.aspx

Change

This world we're in, constantly spinning in a never-ending state of flux and change.  With a little luck, it will slow long enough for you to catch your breath.  Go too fast and you start reeling backwards.  Too slow and stagnation sets in and you flounder about in an abyss of humdrum.  After a couple of years off, my brain is bouncing around somewhere between.  Sometimes too slow, often too fast.  The difference lately is that in between the extremes, I settle in my groove.  If I could find my seatbelt I'd strap myself in and just enjoy the ride.  The peace comes with the realization that it is possible to come back after an extended cognitive sabatical.  My skin tingles as I feel it.  I'm on my way back and ready for the change.

Man said "Woman I'm a little tired of you"

And she said "Don't leave me baby
I'll do anything you want me to"
And he said "Can't you do something
About the mess around this place"
She said "Anything baby, anything,
I'll cover my face"

melodia

Firecracker Chocolate and Morning After Dark

Hard to believe that I was laying in the sun just two weeks ago.  Now, I finally get my snow day.  No work. No expectations.  No responsiblity.  Takes me back to the old days and I am totally digging every minute of it.

I took a walk to my favorite spot today.  What a different scene from spring leaves and clear water spilling over the rocks.  The usual paths covered with snow and a bit difficult to navigate, but still manageable.  It got cold and wet so I ran home in the snow witha asong in my head, a smile on my face and my heart racing.  God, I love snow days.