Cultivating an Empire

Hello, Friends and Foes.

So, now that you've stumbled your way into my world, Alice, please feel free to explore.

This current Blog is a culmination of many failed attempts at Blogs and writing that I've experienced during the past few years. Things that I haven't written down when I wanted to. Thoughts that I've had rattling around in my brain as I spend at least an hour per day in my car. Lists that I make, written or mental.

This is me, for better or worse. These are things that I think about and like. Or don't like. And, if you don't like it or don't agree, you can either leave me little love notes in the comments section or feel free to leave and move on with your life.

I'm almost 30 and, at the end of the day, I've learned that even though I love for people to read what I write and listen to what I have to say, not everyone will agree and that's okay. Because I have my philosophy and that's what I've learned is the most important thing that I could have.

If you choose to stay, thank you and please feel free to share your feedback or own experiences or thoughts, positive or negative. I would love to hear what you have to say and, with some luck, hopefully you'd like to come back and keep reading these silly words that I type and think.

I'm still tweaking and working things out, so let's see how this goes. As of 11:44 PM on Monday, June 20, 2011, I haven't told anyone my plans because I'm still trying to find my voice, as well as my balls. It's scary letting the world have a little piece of your inner brain. Or, at least, it is for me. So let's give this a go and see where we land because we have a lot of shit to cover, my friends.

One thing that I did in my old Blog was record my senses from the day. Once you start reading and you learn more about me and the way that I operate, you'll find that I always have a soundtrack to my days, which is one of the main things that has kept me afloat through this world. I also hope you like music, because there's going to be a lot of that talk as well. I think that, overall, it's a good exercise to make yourself more cognizant of the world around you and take inventory of what you actually noticed as you wove your way through the doldrums of regular life and work.

Senses: June 20,2011

Sounds: This morning, I was fixated on Flogging Molly. I finally got around to listening to "Speed of Darkness," and, it's okay. It's not striking me as hard as their earlier stuff did, but they still sound great. I can't tell if it's just my mood or they've become more generic in their own right over the years. It's no "Swagger" or "Druken Lullabies," I'll tell you that. Otherwise, it's been a lot of iTunes random today and the radio. I wasn't feeling particular this afternoon. David Bowie is playing right now, as I type this, and that makes me happy ("Starman" is on WTMD, currently).

Sights: The best thing I saw all day was as I was driving down the street to my house, coming home. There was a kid on a bike, probably 12 or 13, that had a cast on his arm and was rapping and popping and locking at cars as he was rolling down the street. I genuinely giggled at him as I drove by and we made eye contact. He didn't break at all.

Taste: Coffee, for the first time in a week, which was glorious (I had contracted The Black Death last week and had been staying away from loads of dairy, which is how I take my coffee, so I had been drinking tea instead). Leftover broth + accessories, which amounts to lots of greens from my CSA, stock, ham & rice, which looks like this when it's done:

My roommate, Anna, also made dinner which was lovely and consisted of sauteed yellow squash and green zucchini (my favorite) that we had from the CSA as well, in addition to shelled peas and some leftover chicken and pepper kabobs. You'll learn more about my love affair with my local CSA in the coming weeks (check it out in the "Things I Dig" part).

Touch: Still happy about washing all textiles on my bed from over the weekend and its glorious texture. I love clean sheets and linens. They make me swoon.

Smell: My standout smell of the day is garlic. Anna used it in the squash and also roasted pita chips tonight, which smelled delicious.

Daily Recap: Overall, not too bad. Took some time to revamp and streamline the Blog and some other publicly-viewed pages so that everything has just about the same information. One of my biggest fears is having weirdos looking at my information, so I'm trying to keep what is accessible about me at a happy-medium. Also, took the time to dream a bit today about all the possibilities of writing again. Today, I believe it's good to dream.

Thank you for reading my ramblings. I hope you got some enjoyment out of them.


You alright, baby. You alright, still.
A