Life is taking the busy turn that spring usually brings, and as I begin the daunting task of cleaning up the yard (and filling 50 lawn bags with the detritus and debris of winter) I pause to buy some time before diving into our first spring weekend in Boston. For now, enjoy these teaser shots – let them whet the appetite, and beckon more sun. The seaside adventures that Kira and I experienced a couple of weeks ago will be posted shortly…
Fiery of shade and flame-like of hue, this tulip bloom is a little globe on fire, and it’s inspiring me to burn with the brightest flame, no matter what the cost or wear and tear. “My candles burns at both ends, it will not last the night,” Edna St. Vincent Millay once wrote, “But Ahh my foes, and oh my friends, it gives a lovely light!”
The older I get, the less willing I am to put up with the bullshit. More patient and tolerant in many ways, I’m also well-aware of my breaking point, and what I will or won’t tolerate. Baseless attacks on loyalty and friendship are foremost among those things that cannot be ignored. Peddling in lies and false tales won’t be allowed either. Try me and find out.
In the past, such a stance was forced and propped up by insecurity and doubt. Lashing out was a way to mask feelings of inferiority. These days, I don’t feel the need to shout. More is accomplished – and in more frightening fashion – when the words are spoken quietly, with assurance, genuine self-confidence, and the irrefutable backing of truth.
When the fires burn low, and the ash crumbles, it is the truth that will remain – crystalline and unassailable – forged as if in hell, tempered by an ever-present divinity, and sparkling for all the world to see.
There aren’t enough superlatives for certain Dazzlers of the Day, and that is no more apparent than in this post honoring Viola Davis. She earns her long-overdue Dazzler of the Day feature thanks to a career of formidable performances. Every time she is on stage or screen, she commands the attention and enthrallment of the viewer – so transfixing is she that even when her characters are designed to be meek or downtrodden, she can’t help but steal all her scenes, summoning an emotional ferocity and incandescent power that somehow melts into whichever character she is portraying.
The forecast for the rest of the week calls for rain every damn day, so I’m posting a few sunny flower pics in the hope that they bring cheer when the clouds come to stay. These little white daisy-like blooms are produced in abundance on their stems and were, I’m slightly ashamed to admit, designed as filler for some bolder and bigger lilies and sunflowers. Both of those ended their show before these little beauties gave in, and so I can now appreciate them for the wonder they are.
Their unassuming subtlety and quiet countenance deceptively hide the power of their effect. When viewed up close, and also en masse, their enchantment only grows.
It is precisely the sort of magic balm we need for these rainy days.
Theatrical force-of-nature Ramin Karimloo is an Olivier and Tony Award nominated stage icon, who earns his first Dazzler of the Day thanks to his upcoming role in Broadway’s revival of ‘Funny Girl’. If there’s one show I want to see this season, that is definitely it. Check out Karimloo’s website here for a more comprehensive view of his impressive accomplishments.
“It is spring time now! While the world looks for a new war to fight, you look for a cherry blossom to watch! Let the stupid seeks the violence; you seek the elegance!” ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan
Early spring heaves a heavy sigh, shedding a few tears of upcoming rainy days – a necessary part of spring glory I suppose, but oh how the heart aches for some sun and warmth… In the meantime, all we have are these falsely-started cherry blossoms, doing their best to cajole some happy spirits, and console the heavy hearts.
A spring jazz selection will have to do to pass these next few dreary days. April showers bring May flowers… April showers bring May flowers… April showers bring May flowers… so we chant and intone and will it into being.
Alice Wu is the visionary behind this amazing short film entitled ‘The Note’, which must be seen multiple times to gain all of its grace. It shows the process of coming out as one that continues throughout someone’s existence – something that gets lost today. That a company as powerful and popular as Oreo is bold enough to put its name behind such an important message is a heartwarming testament to the good that is left in this world, and the sensitive and masterful touch that Wu finesses out of just a couple of minutes of screen time is a testament to her artistry. She easily earns the Dazzler of the Day thanks to this effort, and be sure to check out the rest of her impressive work as posted on her link tree here.
April is underway, and spring is in full-effect, even if it doesn’t quite feel like it. We will make it happen – you and I – beneath a canopy of forced cherry blossoms. Thy will be done. On with the weekly recap, as is our wont on Monday mornings, when all feels dismal…
Just as I thought the world was slightly righting itself, and glamour had returned to an innocuous but celebratory Academy Awards, someone strode onto the stage and slapped a presenter for all the world to see.
Look around! Everywhere you turn there’s heartache.
A semi-cataclysmic end to my Wordle streak, but one that didn’t require therapy as initially thought.
The Ilagan twins turned a dozen years old.
Andy’s big balls. (One is more than enough for my mouth.)
March exits almost like a lamb.
Our very first, and possibly last, full-frontal Friday.
A rainy coffee break (relax, it’s decaf).
This mocktail is simply peachy.
Sundays are for meditation beneath the sakura.
Dazzlers of the Day included Lady Gaga, Chris Salvatore, Jerrod Carmichael, and Brandon Styles.
If you need an ambient background for your meditation (silence is oppressive to some people) I would like to suggest this collection of Japanese flute melodies, accompanied by a harp. It put me in the mind of the cherry blossoms that I forced this week. They don’t bloom as big or as boisterously as when they come into their own naturally outside, but even the smaller and more delicate blooms are appreciated at this point. We are desperate for spring, and the sooner it arrives, the better. If that means a little nudging and coaxing, such as with these forced blooms, so be it.
As another week gets underway, and Sunday can be seen as both an ending and a beginning, I lower myself onto the floor, cross my legs beneath me in lotus-fashion, and begin the daily meditation. May the calm and serenity I find here work its way well into the week, providing a sanctuary and repository of peace and tranquility when the work waters swell and the storm clouds gather.
Creating such a space, and time and place, may feel fleeting and temporal at first, until you realize you can access it at those times that aren’t peaceful and calm. A few deep breaths, when practiced and collated with moments of serenity, can remind the body and the mind of what that feels like, recalling the memories of sanctuary like pleasant echoes of a sweet melody.
“The most precious gift we can give anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Feeding a fellow human being has to be one of the most heartwarming things one person can do for another, and Brandon Styles has made a career of it. Proprietor of Mr. Bumbles Cafe, Brandon previously headed up chef duties at the Tipsy Moose Tavern. Mr. Bumbles is a work entirely of his own creation, and his enduring talent at crafting delicious plates easily earns him this Dazzler of the Day. (Bonus: Mr. Bumbles Cafe just revealed a new spring menu, so stop by to check it out – the wraps and sandwiches look amazing.)
For yesterday’s brunch I made a batch of bellinis, and came up with a non-alcoholic mocktail version for myself which was peach nectar, peach seltzer, and a few drops of orange blossom water. The latter is the magical ingredient that reminds me of this Ramos Gin Fizz which used to come out every Easter Sunday. I’d forgotten about it until today, and it will actually make a fine mocktail. Not every cocktail does (think of the martini) but the ones with more than a few ingredients – especially the powerful but simple ones found in the Ramos gin fizz – tend to use the alcohol as an accent that isn’t always necessary. Watch this space for an Easter update on that.
In the meantime, and for the spring and summer ahead, this peach drink is a lovely addition to my mocktail repertoire, and the orange blossom water is paving the way for Neroli season…
Jerrod Carmichael is hosting Saturday Night Live this evening, and his new stand-up special on HBO, ‘Rothaniel’ is earning acclaim (he officially comes out as gay in it). All of that, and more, is why Carmichael earns his first Dazzler of the Day crowning, and this seems to be only the beginning. Watch his star rise.
A vase of carnival-colored tulips stands in the center of our living room greeting guests for a Saturday brunch and insisting on spring even if the weather itself isn’t quite cooperating yet. It’s been so long since we’ve had a proper brunch, the day feels celebratory, and perfectly emblematic of the season of renewal and new beginnings.
In the air the sounds of ‘Perpetual Optimism’ as performed by Herlin Riley scatter from room to room, the title a living testament to how we will choose to have our brunch today – with hope and optimism, laughter and joy, indulgence and glee.
There is perhaps no greater reservoir of hope and promise than a Saturday morning in early spring. Easter is almost upon us, the wilderness of March recedes into dim memory, and a lively bit of jazz sets the tone for the day. Anything is possible, and it’s ok to embrace that at last.
Get out there and make your own fun this weekend. Spring is here. Let there be love.
It was an early Friday afternoon, and I’d taken an early lunch to beat the forecasted spell of rain scheduled to take place just at my usual lunch break time. Count on snow squalls and rainstorms and general meteorological fuckery whenever I plan on taking lunch outside the office. It’s the way the world runs.
On this day, I carried my umbrella, and just as I arrived at Stacks, the rain arrived on cue, so I ordered a coffee and took up a corner seat overlooking the little park nearby. A couple of squirrels darted by, while a sporadic spattering of people paraded by the window – more than I was accustomed to seeing at my later lunch time.
Allowing my cup of coffee to cool, I studied the reflections of tree branches on the surface of the liquid. A mist was falling, and low clouds hovered around the higher reaches of the surrounding downtown buildings.
A song called ‘A Foggy Day’ by Ahmad Jamal seems a fitting musical accompaniment to close out this Saturday morning post. We are brunching soon… come back for lemon cardamom sweet rolls, a souffle, and a variation on a Bellini with orange blossom water.
