Walk With Me

age

The Arizona Black Film Festival was great! My good friend, the Auteur and his Director were not recipients of the film of the year, however it was a night filled with good conversation and great entertainment. I have pictures, but I don't know how to download them inside the blogs (I'm beginning to think I'm the only one whose Add Image button doesn't work- so if you can school me on this one, the next cappuccino is on me).

Unlike my usual unsophisticated rush toward the goal of "getting there on time" I was suprisingly early for the evening award ceremony. So early in fact, that I leisured some extra time with a walk around downtown. My good friend who was to go with me, was not able to join me, so like the eagle I am, I had to soar this one alone.

The evening was beautiful and surreal at the same time... it donned early with a light warm wind that streamed in between the buildings. That was nice. Very nice. I decided to walk west toward the Orpheum Theater. At 6:30 in the evening the skies, clear of clouds were a soft shade of blue. Everywhere I looked I could see art and felt the magic it created... I wished at that moment as I have many times before, wished I had the skills to be a photographer, taking unforgettable memorabilia... the bright lights coming to life as the evening grew darker, the elongated glare of a car light as it turned the corner... the marquee lights of the Orpheum blazing bright against a quiet street. No crowds. No cars. No bumper to bumper horns. Just that beautiful building and the warm Arizona wind.

I walked to Washington street, passed the old court building (ignoring but well aware of the three court buildings that added to the already existing court buildings-what does that mean???)
I passed the lot where the park in the middle of downtown used to be located. Each time I see it, those round white lights and in all its modern design disappear. I still see the old park, 1979 where homeless people slept. My brothers and I had a name for that park, we called it the "Wino Park". My mother took us there to eat our lunch after we walked into town and although there was nothing special about it, I can still see it.

Across Central and Washington stood the city bus station.... I remember the awnings that covered the sidewalks and the large windows that were lined with new radios and new fans. At night, downtown was pretty scary to a kid. The empty windows of vacant stores were either covered with newspaper, painted, or just left to its eerie and deserted lonesomeness. Kids aren't really suppose to experience lonesomeness... are they?
However, most of the time, downtown was pretty cool to a kid. And on this past Saturday, downtown was pretty cool to a much older kid.

As I crossed Central Avenue I couldn't help but stop to take a moment for the large black and white picture of an antique Phoenix that canvased the corner of the building. It reminded me of the Great Gatsby and that unforgettable picture aging against the wall of another place in time. Isn't it always like that? No matter how much time may pass, we still take pause for the times that have passed and for the future that lies one step in front of us. Always certain to keep us moving ahead, we were born afterall, with the means to double it into the future if we really wanted.

Heading back to the event... full of smiles and good memories, I was reminded that we are embarking on the vest of a new season.... a summer season. A season of survival, of celebrations and vacations, of summer storms, of departure, departing and endurance. We Arizonans know that seasons do change and so must we.
We should not try to function in a season that has already passed. That would be out of order, or chaotic. Who ever heard of an Arizonan who wore a long jacket and knee high boots in the middle of an Arizona summer? Okay... so maybe we might know one or two people (hopefully not more than that) but you get what I'm saying!

World Wide Climate Implications

In the news this week, the Arctic ice continues to melt...

What does this mean for us? My heart is broken. Log in to this site and check out this powerful video.

and for comic relief.

What's Up This Weekend?

If you enjoy hanging out with creative minds and goal getters, you may want to head to the Arizona Center in downtown Phoenix to support the Arizona Black Film Festival at the AMC Theatre.

My good friend, An'tony de'Shay has a short film that will be showing this Saturday. He is a brilliant writer/ college professor, advisor and just an overall great person. We'll have to show up to see him show out!!

"NOT SWEETHEART. NOT HONEY. NOT EVEN LOVE!!"

This one is for WENDY MNOOKIN! It's been awhile that I've come across some good poetry. As writers read, we are always looking for that magical intersection where time and place come together... most perfectly.

I was reading LocusPoint, an online poetry magazine created by Charles Jensen and I came across an awesome poem written by Wendy Mnookin the poem is called French Cafe' and I'm still lovin' it!!

I had to write her and with her permission I am including her website to my blog list. She's a must read!

When "IT JUST AIN'T FITTIN "..... anymore

Okay, so I took a few days off (more like a week) from this article that had been brewing on that post break-up behavior. We all know its takes more than two days!!!

In my wild excursions of rushing into time, and for the sake of distance here are the following accounts for DAY 2.
Ten Top Ways To Get Over IT-- Day two

1. Wake up and Pray!!
2. Start the day early and Pray-- update your myspace and blogsites.
3. Listen to comfort music in your car
4. Use your lunch hour to exercise or dance!
5. Stop avoiding his calls and emails (its okay to talk)
6. Stop cursing him on the emails (most likely you'll be apologizing for it)
7. Keep in touch with your friends (they're still checking in on you)
8. Laugh--Laugh--Laugh log in the the blogsite I HATE MY THESIS (because you understand the horror of time lost, procratination, and well, the beast of the matter-- it's someone else's turn to burn the midnight oils!)
9. Take time to think about your decision and contribution to the break-up
10. Accept closure, go see a great movie and finish that good book!

Break ups are difficult and often take far more than two days to rummage through. They're messy, they're hurtful, they're life altering pains, and sometimes... sometimes they can be therapeutic. For every beginning there is an ending and for every ending there is a new beginning waiting to unravel itself.
Embrace it, and be blessed in your new beginnings!! Try looking at the glass as half full. rather, than half empty.

I wish that you'd never forget the look on my face when we first met.

By Kate Nash "The Nicest Thing" Animation-
This is truly a different kind of song.

When "IT JUST AIN'T FITTIN" anymore....

We're experiencing some serious post break-up behavior in the office. In a conversation with my anonymous friends I have acquired the following information and helpful advice for people who are recently going through a break-up:

First, when coming into contact with these people it's good advice to know they're busy. Yes, I mean b u s y. Emails go unanswered, answering phones are shut off, missed calls are not returned (it depends on how close you are to the person) sorry, but it's the truth. As it turns out, being busy is the key to getting yourself through the pain.

A co-worker who shall remain anonymous made the following statement, " It takes two days. In two days, I'll believe it's over and then, I'll be over it." Wow, what an interesting way to deal with the unpredictables. Was she serious???

In her theory, the following has been recorded for day one at home.... will let you know what the deal is after day two.
Ten Top Ways To Get Over It-- When "IT'S NOT FITTIN" anymore....

1. Wake up, shower, get ready to start a new day, its okay to cry at this time, nobody's around.
2. Watch the morning news & listen to motivational music, its okay to cry at this time, nobody's around.
3. Spend two hours googling ancient sanskrit names for possible characters for a new novel, there's no real reason to cry at this point (researching and being a wimp at the same time isn't cool).
4. Spend one hour defending your favorite politician on utube (why aren't these people getting the main point?? Also, at least fifteen minutes is spent trying to be savvy when logging in for the first time with a catchy cool name) also, there's no real reason to cry at this point.
5. Email all your best friends with one email to let them know, "its over". Include at least your two best male friends, they can do the &@^!&=@ for you--all remarks through testosterone are acceptable from them at this point. Also, it's okay to cry at this point, you can trust these men.
6. Call your best friends back to let them know you're okay... the concerned ones will come over to see you at once, its okay to cry at this time, you trust them and their affections.
7. Laugh, Laugh, Laugh-- read the blog site I HATE MY THESIS and just laugh because you understand the horror of thesis writing in graduate school. No need to cry, you're having too much fun reading and laughing at someone else's misery.
8. Leach on to a friend's guest pass to go "work out" at the nearest fitness club (it may not be kickboxing, but on the first day of the break up, anything will do). Definitely no crying here.
9. Spend the next two hours shopping with a good friend. It's okay to make a shoe purchase. Its all good, no need to cry.
10. Be cozy at home and watch a movie you never watched before, it will take your attention off the rest of the day. No need to cry... the day is over, you made it through. Get on the phone and make plans to visit with other friends for day TWO!!