Good Stuff! Yes!

Living with passion - it is the truest form of courage. Far easier to blend in, play dumb, compromise etc. - trouble is you can compromise yourself out of existence!

Finally got my new k.d. lang cd in the mail this week - pre-ordered the first day that option came available (number one groupie..... yeah!) LOL.

Wow - it was worth the wait; and anticipation is good fuel for passion; my grandma would call it "courting". I hear a lot of what I initially loved about k.d. and her music (1980s - 90s!) on this album - the quirkiness, nostalgia, pure vocal range and (of course), personal passion! Nothing fake, no preservatives, no B.S.- just her unmatched talent and a whole lotta va-va-voom with the SBB.

I drove around the evening after I got this album, shopping for Easter nibblin's and such, and the sun was setting, and the sky was this surreal cocktail of cotton candy pink, lavender and denim blues - with k.d. in my head, I was floating peacefully along, all senses completely satisfied and happy, bubbling happy.

A nice bonus... if you pre-ordered the cd you got an autographed I Confess lyrics sheet from k.d. -- her signature is in some kind of horkin' Jiffy marker (WTF?), but it's that bit of fun and unexpected quality that makes me love it all the more. So.... still listening, still humming; connected to beauty straight from the heart of creativity.

Two Steps Back

This is what I woke to this morning - a blanket of white snow... in APRIL!!! It must have been very still over night, because the snow was perfectly coated onto every branch, wire and object with equal weight and measure - Mother Nature has OCD! (My wintery look is thanks to Hipstamatic --iPhone app; I was not frosted over like a beer mug, but snug in my jammies, indoors ;) I was the first one awake in the house this a.m., and when I saw all of the snow I worried a bit about my social butterfly daughter, who was out clubbing last night, and driving one of my cars. Then I saw her telltale little pump tracks from the garage to the back door of the house -- nice straight line too (good girl, Baby!). So, no need to check her bedroom - home safe and sound. Snow covered ground has a solemn honesty. Although I am really sick of winter weather conditions (especially when it is officially spring!), I must say that I was a bit spellbound by the quiet beauty and bluish-white light's reflection in my rooms during the early morning hours. There is something to be said for moments of solitude, and the spare, sterile quality after a snowfall further sets the stage for thoughtfulness. I enjoyed my morning coffee immensely, just watching the birds dig for seed; appreciating my time alone, and marvelling this chilly Saturday morning surprise.

Doing My Best

Brownie Handbook

I had a trip back in time this week when my girlfriend and I decided to look in a used book store over lunch hour. We had been in this particular shop before, and had purchased a Julia Child cook book, but we hadn't really spent much time in the place.

Until this week, we hadn't realized how big the shop is - a strange collection of irregular little rooms, awkwardly connected like odd beads on a string; each crammed floor to ceiling with different book categories and sections; and interspersed with jewelery, china, old photos and other collectibles - some treasure and a lot of trash. Squeezing into the fifth and final room in this maze, I found some kids books from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

I first noticed Nancy Drew - the distinctive turquoise blue binding jumped out at me and I asked my girlfriend if she had read Nancy Drew - my sisters loved them but they were a bit before my time. "No", she replied, "I hated Nancy Drew - she was too perfect and I couldn't relate to her. I liked Trixie Belden - she was kind of a tom boy like me." Well we found some Trixie Belden books - originals from the 50s and some reprints from the 70s, and I wanted to buy her one, but she wasn't interested.

Then I saw it... the Brownie Handbook! It was in pristine condition and only $4.75 -- my eyes teared up as I thumbed through the illustrations. I was eight again, in my brown leotards, beret and tunic - Brownies were uber cool and a pretty big deal for me back in the day!

But I am trying to cut back on frivolous spending, and declutter my life, so I put the book back and stepped out of the past, into my adult shoes, leaving the child inside me dancing around a mushroom while Tawny Owl and my fellow Imps and Pixies looked on.

As we left the store, my girlfriend stopped at the front counter - I thought, just to talk to the shop keeper. Then I saw she had the Brownie Handbook in hand. She just knows what my

heart needs - better than I do sometimes; what can I say?

I am keeping the Handbook on my office desk - a reminder of the little girl who just wanted to do her best every day and have a little fun in the process - a little girl for who the world was full of positivity and promise.