2010/09/10

I’ve Heard of Slam Poets

DaGoddess @ 08:08

…but spam poets? Uh, yeah. Cute little limerick in my Akisment spam file. I almost wanted to save it just because it was different and rather entertaining.

But that’s not really what this post is about. No. Nope. Noooo.

Guess whose backpack went smashing into the hard tiled floor in a bathroom last night? Guess whose camera and favorite lens were in the bottom section? Guess whose heart stopped beating until she could rip the bag open and check for damage? Guess who got lucky and 1) had taken out the other two more expensive lenses and 2) sustained no damage to either her camera or favorite lens? Guess who gave thanks to God immediately following inspection?

I shook for a good ten minutes after. I can NOT afford to be without camera or my favorite lens right now. I may…MAY have a chance at a pretty sweet gig coming up. I swear, one of my friends…every time he’s around, something really good happens. Everyone knows him. Everyone. So they always stop and talk to him when they see him, which means I get to meet new people all the time. Last night? A guy who has my dream job. And he’s looking for help. I showed him some of my work via my cell phone (I KNOW…I fought the phone for the longest damn time and now I have one that can go online and blah blah blah and it’s paying off. I did listen. Finally. And it’s paying off. I swear, I will never doubt your wisdom again, okay? I promise.) and he was very impressed and wants to see more. I have to call him today. I will, too. Gotta get my portfolio tidy, but that’s why I have a roommate who is good at those sorts of things, right?

I hope your Friday starts off nicely. I’m headed to bed and I’m sleeping with my fingers crossed.

2010/09/07

Passages

DaGoddess @ 16:30

Brad’s eldest just his first tooth. I find myself tearing up over this milestone because I remember both my kids at that age and it seems like just yesterday.

Time is a thief, I tell ya. It steals away all the moments we have yet to share with our children. Yes, it also provides for the moments we’ve had, but it takes away just as much in the process.

My comment on RER went something like this:

It’s a tough one, this growing up business is. Every step is a double edged sword. We’re proud our children have reached each milestone, but devastated that it strips away another layer, another cord that binds us to one another.

Your boy’s smile is as beautiful as it is bittersweet…for all of us. Watching him grow up reminds us that time slips away for all of us, for our children as well.

While back in San Diego 10 days ago or thereabouts, I saw Carson, my mom’s neighbor’s son. He was no longer the little boy with the Harry Potter glasses. He was this tall young man who was long and lean as a string bean. Riding a skateboard with the ease of someone who’s been at that for years. His shock of blond hair catching the golden sun. He wasn’t that little boy anymore. He is now Carson the young man. Already on his second car. Working hard at two jobs that he really likes, going to his first college classes.

I look at my own children and lament the passing of time, the moments that have flown by. My son still has a few more years of being a kid, I hope. My daughter has already moved into another phase of her life (for ill or for good, and right now it’s not good)…a phase where none of us matter to her. I miss the days when she was small enough to hold in my arms, and even if I couldn’t calm her enough to stop her crying, at least I knew I had done everything I could to ease her pain or provide for her needs. She still needs to be held, but won’t let anyone near her. And ah, yes, this is where it becomes obvious that this is a post for my blog and no longer a comment for yours.

Cherish every tooth and every smile, Otis.

My girl is crying out for help right now. No longer can I simply bundle her up, keeping her bottom warm and dry, providing all the nourishment she requires, rocking her until she falls asleep. I can’t do it. We can’t go backwards.

As difficult as it is, I have to let her walk the bumpy path she’s chosen for herself. I have to let her tears fall. I have to let her find her own way. This is her choice. But it breaks my heart to know that it doesn’t have to be this way. It breaks my heart that she has chosen the toughest road and made it even more difficult for herself. It hurts, deeply, to know that it hurts others, too. I can’t fix any of it. I can’t make any of it better.

Time steals from us the ability to wrap our arms around our children and hold them close, protecting them from the harshness that life has in store for them. At the same time, I know that it is part of the journey we all make. I just don’t have to like it, do I?

The thief we call time doesn’t allow us to jump forward and avoid any of this, to get to the good parts. The parts where we’ve hurt and been hurt, the parts where we break and crumble and then rebuild. We can’t just skip ahead to the laughter and fun. We must deal with all that life throws our way. Nor can I turn around and witness the first lost tooth again, the first time we let go the back of the bicycle, the time when I was no longer needed to be the steady hand as Mojo figured out how to skate. I don’t get that back. Nor do I get to jump ahead. Right now I have to sit and wait and hope and pray that the good Lord is carrying my girl toward a happier future.

That’s all I can do anymore. Pray. Pray for her safety. Pray for the wisdom to say the right thing, to do the right thing, to just be here when she needs me. And I pray for her to discover the wisdom to get back on track, to choose a better path, to listen to those who know and who can help, and to just be safe.

We are tasked with this business of life. We are all just trying to figure it out. The passages, the milestones are there for all of us to experience. We simply all find them and forge ahead on our own and in our own time. It’s a little Hell on wheels sometimes, but we keep trudging ahead.

Two-fer Tuesday: Zac Harmon

DaGoddess @ 01:52

I have many favorite performers these days. While they span the full spectrum of music, blues often gets top billing. This is for good reason: blues draws on the human experience in a way that reaches deep within you and can’t help but elicit a response.

This week’s Two-fer features Harmon (auto start music warning), winner of the 2004 International Blues Challenge with his band the Mid South Blues Revue. Since then, he’s been touring the world, impressing audiences with his tough, but sensitve, approach to the blues. Harmon’s sets can include everything from deep blues to gospel to solid R&B. There’s a little something for everyone.

(StJohnBluesFestival – Zac Harmon, “Rock Me Baby”)

(jeffstoneblues – Zac Harmon, “Comfort of a Man”)

2010/09/06

Protected: Punk Ass Bullshit

DaGoddess @ 20:43

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

2010/09/04

Appetite for Surreality

DaGoddess @ 02:48

My life is so very weird.

Two days ago I discover one of my SD blues guys had killled himself over the weekend. Not fun. Not fun at all. This was a month after losing another blues friend. Surreal, even.

Then last night, after a terrible show at my favorite venue in Vegas, I head over to the jam. And I run into drummer Steven Adler (Guns & Roses, Adler’s Appetite, and some may know him from his stint on Celebrity Rehab/Sober House) and Chip “It doesn’t matter who drives the bus, as long as we all get to the picnic” Z’nuff. Yep. Weird, huh?

I’m taking photos of one of my Facebook friends (finally met him in person last night) as he’s up there singing while Steve and Chip are playing, another friend on guitar…everyone having a great time. Diggin’ the whole thing. Cool to watch it all happening and to know that I’ll have a photo or two to share with the guys. After they finish, I get the one guy (the one I just met face-to-face) with Steve for photos. We had problems with Bud’s phone and I say, “dude, just let me use my camera. Don’t worry, I’ll get the pictures to you.” We’re fumbling a bit and Steve throws his arm around me, thinking I’m getting in the picture or something and all I could do is giggle. Like a silly little girl. I finally get everyone back where they’re supposed to be and get two photos taken of them, Bud gets the phone set up and I take one with the phone but it doesn’t turn out, and just as my other friend John is ready to get in the photo, a manager or assistant or someone says, “no more photos, they gotta eat.” Okay, fine. Bummer for John, but good for the guys, right? We figure there’ll be another opportunity to get a shot in after they’re done. Except we didn’t.

But we still got to meet and chill with some bona fide rock stars. In a nice little bar that most people outside of Vegas don’t know about and would probably opt not to visit. Wrong, wrong, wrong, people. This is EXACTLY the kind of place you want to visit. Off the beaten path. Shitty service (all the damn time, except for the cook — who is actually a chef). Good food. I mean, GOOD FOOD. And lots of yummy beers.

Is my life weird enough for you yet?

Khaki for the Day

DaGoddess @ 00:01

Hope y’all have your khakis on today. Four years ago, Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin died after a stingray barb pierced his chest.

While in San Diego last weekend, I went into my storage unit to get a few necessities and I was greeted by a 3 1/2 foot plastic crocodile. My watch croc. It was the same one I gave LD when he was two. I’ll never forget that Christmas morning when LD saw it. He immediately jumped on it, covering the crocs eyes with his arm and calling his sister, “Terri”, to come grab his shirt and wrap it around the croc’s eyes. He said it all with an Australian accent. At age 2. It was that very same day that he insisted everyone call him Steve. And they did. Mojo, she was always intrigued by animals and eagerly jumped at the chance to help with any animals at every opportunity. She also played along with her little brother’s wild imagination. Most of the time.

When we acted zookeeper for our friend’s turtles, tortoises, snakes, and lizards, it was one of my kids’ most exciting moments. They were keepers and working with herps, just like Steve! Feeding snakes, cleaning cages/tanks, watching turtles hatch — it was all very exciting and special and we did it together as a family. They knew without a doubt that no one else in the neighborhood had a turtle buried in their front yard like we did.

That’s the sort of influence Steve had on our lives. And I will always be grateful that he helped nurture my children’s interest in wildlife, conservation, and natural science. Mostly, I’m grateful that we were able to turn that into meaningful family time.

I wish I had Yeah, I’ll be wearing khaki as a tribute to Steve Irwin. Crikey! Who wouldn’t?

2010/09/02

Free Membership to Military Track at Blog World Expo Available

DaGoddess @ 13:21

From Peace and Cooking With The Troops:

New and Social Media are dominant forces in information distribution today, and even the military has adopted the use of both. Of course, members of the military were a driving force in that, as they used both to keep family and friends up to date with what was happening to them overseas. When specialized military news sites, like Blackfive and Mudville Gazette came along, the reach to larger audiences became apparent and have led directly to sites such as this one.

That is one reason that the Blog World and New Media Expo has featured a military track the last few years. It is also a reason that a free membership to that track, and to the exhibit hall, is being offered to all current and former members of the armed forces.

Says Blog World CEO Rick Calvert:

“The military secures our freedoms, including our ability to blog about any and all topics. Social Media has changed the way we all communicate in our personal and business lives and the military is no exception. Blogs and social networking tools have been a godsend to Military personal deployed half a world away from their loved ones; allowing them to communicate with their families easier than ever before. Many of them (and their spouses) also generously share their experiences on their personal blogs, giving civilians a much deeper understanding of the level of sacrifice our men and women in the armed forces make for our freedoms. It is truly our honor and pleasure to provide them this free pass.”

Powers continues: The pre-registration, and distribution of the registration information at a later date, is being done by Cooking with the Troops Inc, a public charity that supports U.S. and Allied troops, their families, and caregivers. To pre-register, simply send an e-mail to bwemil AT cwtt DOTHERE org that gives your name, branch of service and dates, and anyone you would like to register with you. More information can be found here as well. Again, in the interest of transparency, I am a co-founder and CEO of Cooking with the Troops.

2010/09/01

Dare I?

DaGoddess @ 16:32

6 of Deadliest Catch w/After The Catch bonus is coming out on DVD. They’re taking pre-orders right now. Dare I? I know I want it. I know I’ll get it at some point. But part of me wants it NOW and/or as soon as humanly possible since I missed out on so much this season by not having cable.

Another part of me says getting a bed is a higher priority and blah blah blah.

Not that either will happen in the immediate future.

Something to ponder this week.