For 9/11 - Never forget.. to go on living

(Video is from the http://www.youtube.com/user/JBransVideo Youtube channel.)

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Never forget has become the patriotic watchword of the aftermath of 9/11.  At this ten year anniversary I think we as a nation, desparately need to refine that idea.

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If by never forgetting you mean - always having in your mind the fresh memory of trauma, loss and vulnerability then I say - now, after ten years, it's time to begin to forget - not our beloved lost, but our fear and anger.

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But if by "never forget," you mean: take a lesson and go forward with courage, with prudent preparation, endure this all and rise to find joy once again and to live life freely as if no terrorist had ever touched you, then by all means - go forward, remembering, but growing, going on to a renewed life.  I think a perfect example is the memorial on site in New York. There is incredible beauty, and ongoing life in the presence and movement of that cascading water pouring down into the footprint of ground zero. It's a fitting, beautiful tribute and remembrance of those lost.

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Unexpected results

Sometimes, you take a picture and get odd results. This photo, if you tip it landscape fashion, is actually of the side of a car with an ascending asphalt driveway, all bathed in sun and shadow. With a little tweaking, not much, the pavement turned to purple which contrasted nicely with the reflections of trees in the window. I like it much better tipped on its side - because it removes the visual cues and it makes it easier to see as an abstract composition.

Wishing Stone (Long Pond is Cold)

Every so often I like to post a song of mine.
This one is available in two versions. One with just myself and the guitar and pictures of Maine via YouTube video. The other is via BandCamp and on this version Dickie Tilton is playing the electronic keys. He also did the digital recording - which at that time, was a brand new thing to do and the equipment was not readily available.

Songwriters workshop & Open mic

September 1st was another great night at the Hideaway Cafe in Newtown.

I heard a variety of acoustic acts and if my phone could shoot in low light I might have some pics. Jeff Smith, Mary Mitchell, Jay & Richard, Joe Vee and many others turned in some fine performances.

Earlier there was a songwriter's workshop with Daryl Gregory who suggested daily journaling as a source of ideas for songs.

I played three original songs: In Search of Our Dreams, Stranded in the Starlight & Love Makes You Free. And thanks Lou for the pic!

Confessions of a lapsed but rededicated practicer

 At the Joni Mitchell song night at a local poetry venue I played Carey and He Played Real Good For Free, and one of my own songs: Love Makes You Free.

The following night I went to the Hideaway Cafe which by the way GAVE AWAY CHOCOLATE COOKIE SAMPLES.  Mickel Rae Driscoll who runs the open mic kindly asked if I was wanting to play.  I was having nervous night and dreaded the idea, but as a discipline I went up anyway. I did Carey this time from memory and  Love Makes You Free which I feel confident about and that went well I thought.

Anyway, back to my epiphany --- the acts I enjoyed the most, not only had authenticity but a very connected rhythmic structure. I knew right then, I had to go home and break out my metronome and get to work on smoothing out my guitar work and coordinating it with the voice. No more sliding by on this, because lack of preparedness makes me nervous!

Earthquake? Tree Sculptures?

I was minding my own business yesterday, sitting at my desk/worktable dabbing a brush at a painting. And I heard this rattle. First I yelled at the cat. Then I thought there must be a large squirrel or two in the attic. Then I noticed the desk itself was in motion and I looked over at the back of my computer stand and the cords were swaying as if a strong wind was blowing past them.... I was sure a huge truck must be backing slowly in to the house without realizing it, so I ran outside to stop them before they knocked it off the foundation.

 It was a beautiful bright day. The mailman was talking special delivery with the neighbors, no trucks in sight anywhere. "Did you notice anything odd, just now," I asked. "I think I heard a large truck go by," the mailman said, handing me the mail as he does everyday.  hmmm. Of course, an earthquake (5.9 on the Richter Scale) had occurred just then, its epi-center in Mineral, VA. Today, I asked him, "How bout that large truck we heard yesterday?" He just laughed. "And to think it came all the way from Virginia!" he said. You just never know.

The photo shows a giant tree-trunk sculpture called Smoke Jumper by Joseph Wheelwright which stands outside of the Katonah Museum of Art. Mr. Wheelwright does amazing things with natural materials. Somehow this giant "ent-like" tree man looks like the earth shifted under his feet, and he has momentarily lost his footing.  (Though as a smoke jumper, maybe he is walking between the flames or just touching down to earth.  Still, he's perfect for an all natural earthquake post.) Five of these giants will remain on display at the museum until May of 2012. Remember the Ents? They were tree people from the Lord of the Rings. Anyway be sure to visit Joe Wheelwright's website and check out his amazing work. (http://joewheelwright.com)

Just back from the National Poetry Slam in Cambridge, MA

  What a great week at the National Poetry Slam which was in Cambridge/Boston this year. I heard some fine performances, brought home interesting points of view to ponder and a slew of photos of the architecture on the MIT campus.

  Congratulations to Slam Nuba from Denver, the winning team in the finals. And thank you PSI for all the unsung work you do. And thank you Zork & Sweetie (of Bed vLog fame) and Jonathan Harris, my teammates at nationals, for making this wonderful field trip happen!!!

  Though I have dabbled in performance poetry for many years, even being an alternate ten years ago, this is the first time I have actually gone to the National Slam as a competing poet.

  Slammers are a crazy weird and wonderful family really. As an old grandma type, they were very kind to me. I like the tee-shirt design this year too.

For poems, I did Alternate Theories on Wednesday night at the Democracy Center, and Blood Brothers, an old saw from my 1998 chapbook Inverse Origami on Thursday night at the Cantab. I am glad to be back - I missed Henry Cort, my guitar. It was all poetry this week, and for logistical reasons Henry stayed at home.