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To List is Human

“People now feel time accelerating. Lists allow them to feel some sense of accomplishment.” – David Viscott

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love lists. Love love love them. I think it’s something about being able to categorize items, no matter what they are. It places them in nice neat little boxes that I can package up and place nice bows on. That’s also why I’m such a playlist fanatic, figuring out exactly where to place each song for maximum effect. It’s why I created a Top 5 on Fridays. And it’s why I downloaded the ColorNote app for my phone (believe me, I color-code just about everything). Even Most Wanted lists are interesting. Check them out at your local post office. But what makes a good list? Continue reading “To List is Human”

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Welcome to Holland Patent: My Photographic Journey

It’s funny how we can pass a particular place all the time but not really think of it as somewhere to BE, only thinking of it as a means to get somewhere else. Then, one day, we realize that people actually live and work there, that this place is to them what our village is to us, a source of sustenance, of community pride, and of history. One such place for me was Holland Patent, New York, population 464. I had passed by the village numerous times on my way to bigger and better things, until today, when I stopped and took a personal walking tour of Holland Patent… with my camera. So, come along with me to explore this lovely place.

More than a village. This sign adorns the north corner of the school.

Continue reading “Welcome to Holland Patent: My Photographic Journey”

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Both Sides of the Story

“Be sure, before we close our eyes, don’t walk away from here. We must hear both sides of the story.” – Phil Collins

I met a woman the other day who had a bubbly personality, a zest for life, and a mouth that talked nonstop about anything and everything under the sun. It was refreshing to encounter someone like that because it seems like most people I run into are, how shall I say it, restrained. It was good to see someone out there enjoying life and being loud and proud about it. We had a sparkling conversation (when I was able to get a word in edgewise), and I thought she would make an excellent friend. It seemed like our personalities meshed very well.

Then I found out she had just lost her mother two days before we met, and the joyous personality I had seen was shown to be her attempt to ignore her true feelings about it all. After the truth came out I saw everything she had told me in a completely different light, with the knowledge that hers was a sad soul in need of a friend. Notice how I thought we would make good friends before the revelation, and that didn’t change one iota after knowing what I did about her subterfuge. I could completely understand it, and it endeared her to me even more, that she wanted to appear strong. But it’s okay to be weak with friends. We’re there for each other. Continue reading “Both Sides of the Story”

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Not Easy Being Green

“I brought sand to the beach cause my beach is better. You can keep ya beach cause that beach whatever.” – Jay-Z

When I was young and I began a modest music collection, I remember talking to some people who were older who had scads of records and tapes. I had been so proud of my Back to the Future soundtrack and my cassette of Thriller when they had the entire David Bowie, Rolling Stones, and Grateful Dead catalogs. Then I got older and began reading thick books. The first time I read a Stephen King book from start to finish I was feeling so full of myself until I talked to someone who had read ten of his books. That’s how I learned that you should never compare yourself with anyone else. Continue reading “Not Easy Being Green”

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Genre Hopping

I was perusing Freshly Pressed this evening when I came across a blog post that features an interesting question that I’ve never really thought about before, but also one that I want to explore. So, at the risk of being a copycat, I want to write on the same topic. Please forgive me if I … Continue reading Genre Hopping