Ode to a Best Friend

Over twenty-four hours later, the hurt fresh in its own sense. Honoring my girl, Daisy, I publish this ode.

Daisy

12/11/95 – 07/08/09

by Kathleen Calarco

In the yard she stood, face to the wind,

and it called to her – “come over, red rover,

come to this side.”

She waited for her master’s

final carry

up the stairs.

Cradled in loving arms, she lifted her head to say,

“Please take me

to the other side.

I’m ready.”

To the other side we delivered her;

an awaiting woman takes her in,

fills a bowl with food, another with fresh water.

Endless pats on the head and days in the sun,

tail perpetually wagging,

she follows her new mistress as she

tends to her garden.

And we’re left to grieve,

the insurmountable weight of our

sorrow measured by

the endless joy she gave.

Daisy Dog 12/11/95 - 7/8/09

Breaking News From Adolph

Call me twisted, but this one is too funny to withhold all to myself...

Decisions, they ail me...

Recently I had a wild fling. Could have been lust; could have been love. All I know is that when it hit me I couldn't get enough - that wild fire burning in my gut making me ache for more. And then I backed away. You know how it is. Too much of a good thing will either make the hips bigger or slowly dilute to nothing.

But I still feel the urge and I know when we're reunited it'll be a free-for-all until I reach the nirvana known as "The End." (You realize I'm referring to my Epic In Progress, right?)

Alas, there's a rub. Always a rub. My rub is a fork in the road - a three pronged one. (What is that, a trident? A trident in my road?) The dilemma involves three choices, and I'm unable to have all three because I have my limitations, the details too boring to mention again.

In no particular order, here are my choices:

1. Take the fall semester off, which means I'll be that much farther away from my degree, but it's not like I have a career dependent on it.

2. Concentrate on the Epic In Progress, and no, I can't do school and write at the same time. It's an either/or proposition. (See "details too boring to mention" above.)

3. Return for the fall semester and put the Epic In Progress on the back-burner, which I did for the Spring semester, and longingly yearn for it's wild embrace.

I am not a multi-tasker. In the past I could juggle it all - a full time job, kid, husband, house to take care of, etc. Those days are gone. I'd love to be super-woman like so many other writers out there, but not the case. I don't over-achieve and that's not by choice. Life unfolds differently for everyone and in my case has left me in an art form I love, but impaired just enough to make it difficult.

Thus, my rub in progress. School or Epic - and as you can see it's really a two pronged fork, but trinities are my preference, enough said.

The choice seems simple enough, but the thing is I want both all at once. I want to query agents, but I have to have a story to sell; I want my degree, but I have to attend school in order to reach that goal. It's not "all or nothing at all" for me, it's a preponderance in my head, increasing more each day.

*sigh* Any suggestions? I love suggestions. HELP!

Pardon the Interruption, but...

I consider myself a compassionate and sensitive person. Really, I cried when E.T. returned to his home planet, wished that Rhett hadn't left Scarlet, and to this day I still suck back tears when Dorothy bids farewell to Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow. But, can we please just bury Michael Jackson? Get it over with? Stop the talking heads from analyzing his final breaths and second-guessing what the tox report will show?

He's dead. Let the poor freak rest in peace. He deserves it. After his enormous contribution to the arts and spiral into the abyss of alleged pedophilia, let the dude be dead. I know, I know, I appear contradictory to my opening statement, but DAMN, when I sit down to watch 48 Hours I don't expect to see yet another documentary on Michael Jackson. Really, when he sang "Never Can Say Goodbye," it was just another mega-hit from mega-child-singer, not a preliminary eulogy.

So say goodbye and leave it at that. No more Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and old man Joe (dear God, that man should be in a home). Let us remember the good, forget the ugly (and let's admit, lately M.J. wasn't ready for a Rolling Stone close-up), and bid him a fond R.I.P.

Adios Michael Jackson. Liked your tunes although don't own any. Dug your videos, although the marriage to Lisa Marie still has me scratching my head. May you be remembered for the superstar that you were, and not all the ilk.

Peace, out.

Moving and Movies

Isn't it amazing that one week I can write my ass off, and then others, not so much? Take for instance, last week. For months, due to college sidetracking, I didn't write one iota in my Epic In Progress (EIP). Slowly the words trickled back to the EIP pages, and last week it went viral. Every day I coughed up eight pages here, ten there - it was as if my ink turned into speed.

And then Friday came. I said to myself, "Self, if you don't take a day away from speeding pen, you'll risk the well drying out." Literally, I forced myself out of the house, a small jaunt to the mall, dinner later with the hubby, and a quiet evening. That mind set oozed into Saturday, and then Sunday. But I told myself not to sweat it - that I could get back to it guilt free...

Monday arrived. I wrote five pages. Not too bad, right? Tuesday, no pages. Wednesday, no pages. Today is looking like another page-less one. But I have reasons. Excuses. Life happened in the form of an atomic explosion. First there was the house closing, and then sitting at new house waiting four hours for a delivery that didn't arrive - which put me back at new house the following day. And then, and then...

Well, here I am, writing in my blog because I already know the afternoon won't contain new pages. And I have the time to write. It's just that my mind is finding other places to hang out. Take yesterday afternoon - I had plenty-o-time to write, but realized that I was behind on my Dexter Season One episodes, so you know, I had to catch up on those.

Today started out looking good. Nothing on my plate except the hope of opening the pool we won't use, and my realtor stopping in for a walk through with another realtor. (Yep. We closed on a house without selling this one, but whatever.) But due to problems opening the pool, and then a change in the realtor's schedule (who decided "tomorrow is a better day" for a walk-through. Do I look like Rhett?), which means the stuff I planned for tomorrow I have to do today.

One more thing: My shiny new blog called Celluloid Underground . An idea for art house/indie movie discussions I've been toying with. Long story short, I spearheaded the idea, with a vote of confidence from the lovely Erica O. I spent the last hour setting that up, as well as sending messages to my fellow art house/indie movie fans.

Excuses or reasons? It's hard to define. Yet, I know that when my mind is boggled with other pressing matters, such as the new house/old house, shiny new blog and Dexter Season One episodes, my EIP characters take a bit of a vacation. They aren't feeling it, thus, I'll let them have fun. I imagine they're all in Costa Rica zip lining through the rain forest. (They're like that - totally jet setters.)

*Sigh* Do you have days when you mind just can't focus due to outside (for lack of a better word) stressors?

P.S. Visit my new blog!

Idolize Me!

For the curious American Idol follower, check out this blog by my friend, Rhonda Stapleton:

http://rhondastapleton.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-american-idol-audition.html