we live

we live our lives behind closed doors 

in little boxes on the hills

and we hide in the comfort of solitude

cowering behind a pride that is

mistaken for stoicism or a false sense of loyalty

to the rutabagas boxing next door

through the pixilated window I can see china

and tonight i'll pretend to learn russian

i'll make a cerebellum smoothie

and suck down every last dendrite

until i'm full up on amnesia

and can play ragtime upon the stove

my walls are yellow, behind closed doors

reflecting the dead sunflowers, i suppose

and the carpet becomes a mirror

a reminder of the father

swallowing coal, and saying

"what's happened to you?"

yet all i know are little boxes

and all i see are mirrored expressions

of white toothed faces on tropical islands

getting happy at the click of a button

i am further away yet packing-taped in

to the dollhouse world where i live. 

sipping on the sweet nectar

So just take a sip, and let it wet your lips: Rollerboys remix Jens, plus a lovely record design my Flip. Must I stop sipping on the sweet nectar of my memories?

nobody gives a %*#@

...a film by the Neistat brothers. Makes me miss Tompkins square, Springtime city streets, and my now-dormant bike with a basket.

a to z

Guess what? A to Z: A delightful little card game for young children, but quite suitable for all ages, I'd say. Want to play?

Better brush up on your alphabet skills. Here and here and here. Because little can beat classic Sesame Street. 

o pioneers

"But the great fact was the land itself, which seemed to overwhelm the little beginnings of human society that struggled in its somber wastes. It was from facing this vast hardness that the boy's mouth had become so bitter; because he felt that men were too weak to make any mark here, that the land wanted to be let alone, to preserve its own fierce strength, its peculiar, savage kind of beauty, its uninterrupted mournfulness..."  -Willa Cather

This passage seems strange today, for humankind seems to have conquered the land, and now we must come to terms with biting off more than we can chew. Images of my pioneer self, the Grand Tetons from National Geographic's American Wonderlands, and the radiant colors of Pioneer Boy.

i don't want to

one semester left until graduation. and then what? 

in your face

I've previously discussed the concept of ambient awareness, and pondered the ways in which social networking sites can either heighten or flatten human relationships. Yet still I remained hesitantly opposed to hopping on the time-sucking bandwagon we call FaceBook, until yesterday, when I read this article sent to me by my dear friend and FaceBook sucka William Kalb: 

"Friends...its time to drop the attitude: There is no longer any good reason to avoid Facebook. The site has crossed a threshold––it is now so widely trafficked that it's fast becoming a routine aid to social interaction, like email and antiperspirant." 

-Farhad Manjoo, Slate Magazine

Yes, ladies and gentleman, I am baffled to say that I am timidly stepping my way into the 21st century, one Facebook wall at a time...

the way we played

I love these old photographs of some of the first Minneapolis city parks from the early 1900s. So delightfully unsafe! And readying innocent children for the hard knocks of a grown-up world:

"A city without playgrounds keeps its children growing in straightjackets. Some become physically and morally deformed; all are deprived of a fair chance." -Charles Loring

these kids

Remember them? 

A reminder that the future can be bright. 

And they're going to the inauguration! 

Yes they can!

night time=ice time

Some lovely fissures from last night's ice adventure, plus a skate-clad mysterese. 

the children come running

I've rediscovered this precious little book from 1960, a collection of illustrations and stories from greeting cards benefitting UNICEF, an organization still thriving, and working to nurture the hearts, bodies, and minds of a global youth. 

Now more than ever, in this world of greed, hatred, and despair, we must invest in our future, and see hope in the eyes of so many wee ones.

animal friends

Otto and rabbit take a nap, Elephant Tara pets her dear friend Bella, and Polar Bears play with Huskies. Warms the heart, I'd say.

conquered

A new year begins on a crisp afternoon, when a knotty branch is no match for a brave little pup. 

A will and a soul conquers all.