When life gets you down

Happy Wednesday, friends!

I had planned a happier post for today, but sometimes life finds a way to mess up our plans, doesn't it? Anyway, one of the not-so-good curveballs I was thrown over the summer has returned. I don't want to go into specifics because it's kind of hard to talk about, but I'd really appreciate any positive thoughts you can send my way.

Over the years, I've learned that one thing that helps me when I'm down is poetry. Its language is universal, and when we read it, we all take something different away. I find solace in the words of others; I get lost in them and am able to forget (for a time, at least) whatever it is that's bothering me. (And sometimes a little chocolate doesn't hurt either!) When the curveball came yesterday, though, it felt right to lose myself in some poetry, like this piece by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins:


(Read by Billy Collins and animated by Julian Grey of Headgear.)

Where do you turn when life gets you down?

Wishing us all a wonderful Wednesday. ☺

So much excitement!

Photo: John Nyberg, rgbstock.com

Happy Thursday, friends. ☺

There's been a lot of excitement at our house this week:

♥ My six-year-old son lost his first tooth on Tuesday morning. (You've never seen such a proud boy!)

♥ The kids were able to play in their new inflatable pool for the first time on Monday. (They had outgrown their old one.)

♥ I made it through Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred, Level 1. Whew! (I'm starting Level 2 today! Wish me luck...)

♥ I signed up for another Coursera course, History of Rock, Part 2. It begins in a less than two weeks. I'm also signed up for a fall poetry class that I've heard some great things about: Modern & Contemporary American Poetry.

♥ I've been doing more work on my dad's memoir—so much fun!

♥ The kids and I survived the first week of summer vacation. ☺

Speaking of that last item, I've been trying to find interesting things to do to keep the kids occupied and entertained. Yesterday I discovered this fun video about creating instant ice. A future project? Perhaps!


(Go here to find more tips for making this project work.)

So that's my world this week. What's exciting in your world?

Wishing you all a fantastic Thursday. ☺

I is for Improv Everywhere

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Today's inspiration comes from Improv Everywhere, a prank collective whose mission is to "cause scenes of chaos and joy in public places." This group, created by Charlie Todd, inspires me to think about the things that bring joy to other people's lives. I also admire the level of creativity involved in their pranks. They've done some great ones over the years; the one I've posted below is probably my favorite. In it, over 200 people freeze in place on cue in Grand Central Terminal in New York! If you enjoy this prank, check out the group's Web site to learn more and view other videos. (No Pants Subway Ride and Star Wars Subway Car are both pretty popular!)



My daily haiku is up at the Pulitzer Remix site. You can find it here. Thanks again for all the views and comments. I appreciate the support!


Wishing you all an inspirational Wednesday. ☺

Bringing words to life

Today is the last day of May and therefore the final day of the Blog Me MAYbe blogfest. I admit I'm a little sad; I've had a great time writing these posts. Still, this morning I'm excited to introduce you to a man who, along with Ted Kooser, has had a great deal of influence on my writing: May I tell you something about Billy Collins?

Billy Collins at D.G. Wills Books, La Jolla, San Diego.
Photo by Marcelo Noah.

Collins is an American poet who served two terms as the U.S. Poet Laureate (2001-2003). He writes about everyday, ordinary aspects of life in a very conversational and accessible way, and Bruce Weber of The New York Times once called him "the most popular poet in America."

I began reading Collins' poetry about a year ago, and during my research, I learned that several artists have worked to create animated videos of some of his poems, bringing them to life even more vividly than the poet's words alone. I'd like to share a few of these short videos with you today. I hope you enjoy them.

"Now and Then" -- read by Billy Collins and animated by Eun-ha Paek of Milky Elephant:

"The Country" -- read by Billy Collins and animated by Brady Baltezor of Radium:



"The Dead" -- read by Billy Collins and animated by Juan Delcan of Spontaneous:




"Forgetfulness" -- read by Billy Collins and animated by Julian Grey of Headgear:

(You can find more of Collins' animated poems on YouTube.)


Do you have a favorite poet or poem? What do you think of animated poetry?

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Photo credit:

Billy Collins. Photo by Marcelo Noah (http://www.flickr.com/photos/10381539@N03/3397761317/) [CC By 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Snippets

My husband went back to work today after having had ten days off for the holidays. I'm sad. Even though I as a mom never get a vacation, it was nice to have some extra help around here.

This morning I picked up a copy of Charles Bukowski's The Pleasures of the Damned. It's a volume of poems written between 1951 and 1993. At nearly 550 pages, it will take me a while to read, and I'm looking forward to starting it when I get a spare moment.

Right now my priority needs to be sleep. My two-year-old daughter has croup, and last night she woke me up three times. I think I might have gotten three or four hours of sleep in total, which is just not enough. The kids are eating lunch right now, and I think I might try to sneak a rest when they finish--one ear open and listening to them play, of course. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll let me.

So that's life at our house today. How are things going at yours?