Bopril

Happy Friday! I Made You Some Collages!

And a bonus fur baby Friday pic:

Doing it Right

If you do nothing else today, watch this. And then share it.

 

Often Awesome The Series Official Trailer from All Aces Media on Vimeo.

I'm Back! And With Random Updates for You!

Apologies for the extended absence. I've been in a strange mood these last few weeks---one of those times when life seems insanely busy, but with no discernible Very Big Thing to point to. More just an experience of smaller things that build into what feels like larger things. Minutes that morph into days and then weeks, and then you're struck by the (not so) sudden realization that, "damn, I haven't blogged in more than two weeks." And then you try hard to spark inspiration, fail miserably, get annoyed with yourself for this constant cycle, become bored with yourself AND your internal dialogue, and then open up with the window and just type something already. So yeah, this will be a bit random. And likely also disparate with All The Things currently spinning about in my busy brain. 

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Thing # 1: Steve Jobs. Damn. My heart is heavy tonight knowing what it must have taken for him to arrive at this decision. What the announcement hints at with regard to his health. My thoughts are with him and his family, and I hope that the fight is far from over, and that he'll live to see many more brilliant days. My Twitter feed and Facebook wall and Google+ circles and feed reader are exploding in tributes and ruminations and an outpouring of hope and support and good energy (and a healthy amount of snark which I think he must love just the same) channeled his way. I am sure it is merely the tip of the iceberg, and we'll see much more of this in the coming days. For me, it is pretty simple. Clearly the man is a genius and he understands consumers and business and marketing and technology and all the ways in which those worlds intersect better than maybe anyone before (or after) him. But when I am confronted with genius like his, and when I take part every day in the gifts he has shepherded into our lives and our daily habits, my one consistent thought---above admiration or amazement or awe---is gratitude. I am so grateful that people like him exist. That their brains have the capacity to create such life changing, amazing, culture shifting things. That they keep going when so many would have given up. That they set a bar---set it way up there---and show anyone who is paying attention that it is possible. Whatever "it" means for you. It makes me want to reach a little higher, dream a little bigger, work a little harder, think a little broader. And that, my friends? Is worth more than any device or system or evolving technology. That is the legacy of a life lived to its fullest potential. Not a single moment wasted, no risk avoided, no fear accommodated. Cheers to you, Mr. Jobs. The bar you set just might be insurmountable. I like to think that you'll love watching the next generations try.

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Thing # 2: Mom was in town last weekend (Hi, Mom!), and it was amazing. I'll go as far as calling it one of the best weekends I have had in a very long time, and I will also say that it rolled around right when I really needed it. Do you know that feeling?  Moms are awesome at bringing that feeling directly to your front door. They know just when to up the ante, just when to show up carrying everything you didn't even know you needed. More to come on the weekend, and pictures too! I finally broke my camera rut and have a gazillion to upload and share.

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Thing # 3: I am currently finishing day three of a ten day cleanse. I have avoided cleanses my entire life because I know that my willpower is such that I am very likely to abandon ship. Tonight, the temptation was huge, but I was bolstered by friends on Twitter when they hurled four magical words in my virtual direction---"you can do it!" On those fumes, I'm coasting another day. And from there? We'll see.

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Thing # 4: Changes are afoot at work. It's all great, and after tomorrow, it will be out in the open, which will be a huge relief after a lot of weeks of secretive discussions. I'm incredibly excited for the new opportunities to come, bittersweet at the prospect of change (always) and to leave behind a mind-bogglingly amazing team, and beginning to get those first-day-of-school jitters. I haven't had those in years. And I think it's a good thing to embrace that feeling again, yes? That slight feeling of discomfort that pushes us from good to amazing. I am ready to embrace that, fully. Cheers to what's ahead, and to the fun of discovering it one step at a time.

Lolla

We returned to our music loving ways this weekend, and enjoyed our first outdoor festival in years.

It wasn't all fun and rainbows: there were unruly crowds, sweltering heat and sweat soaked clothes, over-eager security staff, porta potties literally overflowing with filth and mud bowl worthy conditions thanks to overnight rain.

Oh, but none of that really mattered. Not when we also had gentle breezes while watching artists do their thing lit up by the cityscape behind them. When we enjoyed the lyrical genius of Bright Eyes and Coldplay and the long awaited, much adored Eminem. Or when we crept into the DJ tent and watched thousands lose their minds to a new name: Chuckie.

There's nothing quite like a strong lineup in a great venue. A cold beer on a hot summer day, familiar lyrics and a feeling that's hard to describe, but as close to young and free as it gets.

Festivals encourage abandon, and it makes for top notch people watching. There's something for everyone out there, and it's always my favorite reminder of why I love music so much---for it's singular ability to connect us all and remind us that, in spite of our differences, we are really mostly the same.

Rock on, friends. We will see you next year. Oh, and I am totally bringing my hula hoop.

Me and You and Time (Happy Birthday)

No matter how far back in memory I reach, I can find her there. She was a senior in high school when I was born, and she immediately set out to love me fiercely, and took me under her wing. I can see her in the faded memories of early childhood---little snippets here and there, like grainy black & white film strips worn with age and repeated use. I see her in my house, and me in hers. I see her out and about, remember interiors of several different vehicles.

She always had amazing makeup, and never cared in the slightest when I played with it. She taught me the art of the smoky eye, how to apply mascara and eyeliner and the perfect lipstick color. I raided her closet, doused myself in her perfume. To me, she was the coolest, and from my earliest memories, I was hard at work emulating her style.

We were so close in those years, and she was more big sister than Aunt, and she knew all the minutia of my life. She attended games when I was a cheerleader, always helping me tame my bangs and achieve the perfect ponytail before I hit the field. We laughed together, always. She’s a bright spot in memory, looking back as far as my brain cells will grant me passage. The rest? Well, it’s there too---just buried a little deeper, and not as readily accessible for recall.

When she had kids of her own, I adored them like nothing before. I spent every possible moment with them, feeding and bathing and changing and cuddling. From the age of nine, I enthusiastically embraced my mini-Mommy role, and she let me. She trusted me fully, relinquished each of her three babies to me whenever I wanted. I was there in the hospital each time to welcome them, and on the last one, I held a baby so brand new that I had to lean over so that she was still beneath the warming lights. I was a high school cheerleader by this time, and I missed our rival game---the most
anticipated of the season---to be there for the big moment. I never had a shred of regret. I adored those years in my life, and I look back on them so fondly. If I’m one day blessed to hold children of my own, I’ll know exactly what to do thanks in large part to Victoria, Josh and Abbey and all those years I lavished them with love and “house” playing.

Time moved on as it always does---we all grew up and away and different, but we keep those memories and pull them out from time to time. Turn them over in our minds, relive for a minute the joy of a time that is no more. We reunited last weekend, and while we’re all so different, it was also mostly exactly the same. Adorable kids all grown up, sweet as ever and as huggable today as they were back then, even if I’m no longer able to pick them up.

And as for her, she remains the stylish and cool Aunt from my formidable years, the friend and guide that had such a lasting impact on the course of my childhood, on the woman I’d grow to
be. She is 50 and fabulous, now. And she’s near and dear to my heart, always.

Happy 50^th birthday, Aunt Alisa Jane! Here’s to your next chapter, and to time marching on, time well
lived. To us, linked present and future by an enormous love that colors our past.