Gravity pulling down

Gravity pulling down as I lay;
below the queen-sized dewey grass,
above the milky white sky,
everywhere except for where I am.

Gazing up at the plasters stars on an 8-foot sky the shadows
move in and out,
too fast to see - only heard.

Let me melt, dissolve.

Gravity pulling down as I flow,
from this space to another.
Twinkling for just a second, then another shadow glides by.

Flowing through the icy blades, thoughts cutting into night
forging a path that is familiar and new. From this place I know,
I go.

Let me melt, dissolve.

Gravity pulling down as I fill one last red balloon, water one last bright-orange orchid, dance one last light-hearted dance. From this place I know, I go.
Into night.

Use the air, it's free

So, yesterday I unparked the Mazda after not having driven it for over a month. The front tires were a little low, so I went to a gas station a few miles away to fill them. When the tires had adequate pressure, I got back in the car to find it was completely dead. No sound whatsoever.

Moments later, a girl (ok, she was a diva-bi!&#) is tapping on my car saying, " 'scuse me... I need ta git some air... you needa move yur car!" I explain that the car is dead, and I'm trying to call AAA but she won't hear of it. She apparently thinks that I am actively trying to withhold the air pump. As if I had nothing better to do with my day that to sit in my dead car, in the heat, in a gas station parking lot in front of the air pump trying to negotiate with AAA.

Ok, so I'm not a AAA member, but before my trip to TN I received in the mail a membership application with a temporary membership card. It was a promotional mailing, and I kept the card thinking, "I may need to try to use this during my road trip." In all fairness, I did plan to become a member, I just didn't mail in the stuff. Therefore, AAA had a hard time finding my membership in their computer system. After 25 minutes on the phone with them, I convinced them to send someone out.

The mechanic was an interesting fellow; a totally nice Hispanic dude with metallic-blue contacts. He talked a little much, though, but was very thorough and friendly. I couldn't exactly tell if he was flirting with me or was a little slow. My battery had a sticker that said "AUG 2005" on it, to which he explained, "Well, your battery is 2 years old -- it's surely time to replace it." What he lacked in mathematical prowess, he made up for in military fervor. He had 2 more hours to work and then he was going to be off for 3 weeks. His eyes sparkled when he said he was going to Wyoming to "Shoot machine guns and blow things up."

It was, in fact, my battery that was dead. It wouldn't hold a charge, so this morning I put in a new battery.

Back in the O!

I'm back in Omaha, for a little while, at least. Trying to be somewhat productive. I definitely miss the family, and the mountains. The puppy is settling back into our old routine - I think she found my parents' house a little over-stimulating.

You probably know, I really love a good practical joke, and my older sister makes such a great target. After one of our river adventures, I went to her house and filled her shower head with cherry jello mix. I fit about half the packet in and waited somewhat patiently for the fall-out. I talked to her that night, and she didn't mention it. The following day, I knew that someone in her house had taken a shower by then, but again there was not mention of it. I finally asked if she had taken a shower in the last couple of days, and the gig was up. She couldn't figure out what had happened, though... she said the shower head gurgled but was stopped up. Then there was a sudden blast of blood-red water (she remembered some prophetical line about water turning to blood from church, or something). So, here's the funny part: The reason she never mentioned it is that she didn't think it was a joke at all. She just assumed that somehow her cranberry body wash found its way up into the plumbing.

So, I went on a really awesome date last night. Who knew that hummus and rodeo cheeseburgers and non-alcoholic sangria could co-exist peacefully?

And lastly, I want to give a "shout out" to all the under-appreciated deer and rabbits out there.

Summer Storm

Blue sky and cool breeze give way.

Night sky, teasing with its black clarity.

Full moon watching silently.

Two lone clouds venture ever nearer to one another,

trading the security of their solitute for contact in the night sky.

The oriole senses the mounting pressures as he leaves his perch and silently seeks cover.

First one drop, then another... slowly building, a hungry storm.

The eyes of only minutes earlier do not recognize this new sky,

yet climb to the surface to capture each fleeting flash.

Pinpricks of cool rain dance on skin,

rolling downward to the parched earth.

The Titans watch with their thunderous laughter.

Falling

Plummeting, ponderous and blinding

Yet from where you stand, I'm just a flash in the night sky.

The distance between us belies my size.

Seduced by a gravity I can't resist, I continue to fall

Burning through the atmosphere.

The heat I create forms a faint sparkle in your eye.

While others sit stationary, specks interrupting the blackness

I travel downward.

They have no arms to slow my fall.

The distance of many lives is traveled with my single fiery breath.

Will I burn up before I land?

Or am I already beside you on the cool grass, remembering the trip down?

Some Random TN Pics

So, I'm having a great time in TN. Today I had lunch with my friends from high school, Nicole and Philip, and their children. It was so totally aweseome to see them and meet their kids. It brought back so many memories... and it was nice to laugh about some of the completely dumb things I did in school. (Things never change!)

Another friend from HS who I haven't seen in way too many years called, and she's living a mile from where my parents and I are. Totally awesome! We are going to walk the dogs together and catch up... can't wait! If anyone else is still around and wants to hangout, please get in touch!

I thought I'd post some pics of some of my favorite places in TN. (Abrahm's Falls in Cades Cove, Caverns at The Lost Sea in Sweetwater, Cummins Mill Falls in Cookeville, Woods at the top of Mount LeConte, View from the top of Mount LeConte, Douglas Lake, Scenic Drive in Cades Cove, Waterfall at Crabapple Orchard)

Welcome back!

So, last night I was reminded that I have a blog. So I felt inspired... hence the poem. I guess a more informative post is in order.

I'm in TN visiting for an undecided length of time. It's ironic, while in Omaha I needed/wanted to go to TN. I've been having so much fun here, kinda rediscovering myself... but I'm feeling mysteriously pulled back to Omaha. I'm really dreading the stress of the upcoming move, but think it'll be very exciting, too.

My trip started out as I went to Greenwood, IN to pick up a new horn that Darin Sorley built for me. It's really quite amazing... if you're a horn player or you know a horn player, please check him out: www.sorleyhorns.com.

Then I drove through Kentucky and had the great pleasure of late-night Sonic with a wonderful friend who I miss greatly. It just happened coincidentally that we were both in KY simultaneously.

Just a couple of days in TN, I went to a restaurant to eat with my parents. The meal ended with me being harnessed (or hog-tied), put in a neck brace, on a back board and hoisted from my booth by a half-dozen paramedics... then ambulanced to UT Medical Center where I occupied on a gurney for way too long... then had a CT Scan while I thought I was really going to pee on myself (I was completely immobilized). Yeah, that rocked. It was a spectacle to say the least.

[Addendum: I initially omitted the cause of my injury. We were sitting at the first booth from the main entrance, with the hostess stand directly behing me. On top of the wall that served as the back of the booth where I was sitting, someone had placed the box that contained the electronic vibrator/pager devices that signal when a customer's table is ready. A tall blonde waiter had been goofing off and flirting with the two hostesses the entire time we were in the restaurant. During the second bite of my chicken sandwich, this waiter leaned against the wall. The large (and heavy) metal box came crashing down on my head. Ironically, the waiter's shirt said "I love my job"... too bad he won't be keeping it!]

I went tube-ing down the river last week with my older sister twice and had the most fun ever! My poor planning resulted in probably the worst sunburn I've probably ever had... which is now just starting to itch and peel. I think we may be going again in a couple of days.

I've bumped into a couple of old friends, which has brought a lot of mixed feelings. It's really nice to be back in the mountains in TN.

So... the dog. She had her first heat and it really, really sucked. I'll skip the details, as I'm assuming, dear reader, that you are acquainted with the birds and the bees. Now she's acting kinda weird when left alone. Firstly, I think she maybe having a "false pregnancy" which is not uncommon. I was quite vigilant keeping the gentlemen dogs away, and unless she climbed out the window one night while I was asleep, I think we're safe.

Secondly, she has been quite destructive when left alone in my parents' house. Mind you, she was totally mellow before, hadn't really chewed anything except her toys. The running list of puppy destruction is as follows:

• Bed Sheet
• Journal (fortunately, she left the brand new one I had just bought and devoured the almost full one!)
• Flip-flops (I really liked them a great deal. Dogs and shoes are cliche, glad to see she's living up to the K-9 stereotypes)
• Box of newspaper clippings and old school work that was stored under my bed.
• A bottle of multivitamins (a pleasant surprise of copious amounts of doggy-vomit when I returned home from a concert)
• Bed footboard
• Night Stand
• Seat of a weight bench
• Vinyl flooring

I'm hoping the list will stand as such without any necessary additions.