Headlines

Words, placed in the correct sequence, can have a powerful impact. The headline of any news story, or other piece of literature, must grasp its reader from the onset. During a recent visit to the Newseum in Washington, DC, I ventured across The San Francisco Examiner's bold headline on the wall "Chronicling an Attack on America." This gallery is meant to walk its viewer through a sequence of horrendously life-altering events, as seen through the eyes of a journalist.

With one word, The Examiner was able to tap into the raw emotions of the American public and elicit feelings of anger and disgust from the fiery flames surrounding the type. During times of struggle or times of sorrow, people, generally, want to feel as if they aren't in it alone. In writing this headline, The Examiner was able to create a sense of community in a time where our country was being rocked to its core. By reflecting what its readers were really feeling, instead of masking emotions, they created one of the single-most enduring images in history.

Thoughts On A Plane

As waves crashed on the shores of a distant beach, she caught herself miles above busy streets and honking horns, envisioning her toes, wrapped in tiny granuals of damp sand, and her eyes staring out into what appeared to be the end of the Earth. She felt serene, yet envigorated; it was a reaccuring fantasy of dreamlike proprtions which she so hoped would come true one day. Her dream location would be somewhere she could enjoy all of her favorite past times, to include, running, boating, swimming, water sports, snowboarding and space for contemplation. To dream big is to set goals of infinate possibilites; her goals were to make something of her life, ultimately enabling her to create a real life fantasy.

I think I read somewhere that courage isn't about doing something you're not scared of. Courage is doing something in spite of the fact that you are scared.

Free Verse Poetry

Time slips past like speeding bullets,
All the while, we seem frozen in place
Like statues seated at archaic foundations
With fixed, emotionless expressions.

Be it the hovering reminder that we must
Live in the moment, or the fear that
Interference will affect the outcome,
We continue to live by the shallow
Wakes that cause our hearts to go
Pitter patter as the world spins by.

Oh, how we must remember the moments
Which take our breath away, and
That which creates our seemingly
Systematic lives unsystematic.

On the brink of life decisions,
Many concealed emotions become that
Which carries life to new beginnings,
And an unwearied mind allows the body to
Search for that which becomes more dear,
for mind, body and soul alike.

Photomontage of Happiness

In visiting the Wide Open Spaces blog recently, I came across a posting titled, "10 Things That Make Anna Spiro Happy". Just as the photomontage process describes, this process is one in which you cut and join parts to form a whole; in this case, a lifemontage in the form of pictures.

Q-Tip's Scene is Set

After a recent conversation with friends, I was inspired to write this post. My friends, who will forever be known on this blog as Q-tip, Queen and Smore, and I were reflecting on what has been; more specifically, we were thinking back to exactly 1 year previous to today's date and re-living the emotions, the state of our personal and professional lives and the relationships we had at that point with friends and boyfriends.

This topic sort of came out of nowhere but, once it did, it was something we continued to think back to all day. It really is an interesting scenario to wrap your head around; where were you 1 year ago and what were you thinking/feeling/doing? Are you happy with the way things turned out 1 year down the road? Whew...talk about a complex cognition of your life and where it stands today.

With the scene set, my friend, Q-tip, remembers back to a time in her life where everything was in disarray; it seemed as if her life would never turn around and she contemplated going back home to New York to run away from it all. As her world began to break down around her, she envisioned a new future for herself without her current job, apartment and friends. For reasons beyond her control, she made the decision to stick it out and see what life would deal her next. Today, while wondering how she made it through that rough patch, she elicits those memories with adoration for what her life has become 1 year later.

She doesn't want to live her life through the rear view mirror, but she will probably frequent that time in 2008 often in order to appreciate where she is today.

You Ain't Seen Nothin' Like Me Yet

I heard this song tonight and couldn't remember who originally sang it, so I YouTube'd it and found this video. It obviously isn't the original singer, but I like Adele's version and this video just stood out to me in my search...

Hail to the Redskins, Hail Victory, Braves on the Warpath, Fight for Old DC

Does anyone actually know the rest of the song? Maybe the Hoggets, Chief Zee or the Skins' marching band but, for the most part, this is the part of the chant all Redskins' fans recite before, during and after the game.

Today is the first Redskins game of the season and I cannot wait to put on my Cooley jersey and cheer them on. I'm not one of those lifers who grew up in a hog heaven family; on the contrary, I grew up liking the Oakland Raiders. Bo Jackson was my favorite player and when I was growing up, he was their star player. However, when I moved to the DC area about 2 1/2 years ago, I quickly noticed the passion the fans held for the Redskins and I couldn't help but adopt that passion myself. It took me about a year to find my favorite player but, once I did, it was obvious he was the epitome of Washington Redskins' football. The video says it all, really. But, the picture shows his crazy/funny side. If you've never checked out his blog, you definitely should (http://chriscooley47.blogspot.com).

Here's to hoping the Skins have a better season than last - that JC doesn't get sacked every other play, that Moss, Randle El and the other WRs don't drop the long ball, that Carlos Rodgers holds onto an interception for once, that Haynesworth earns his $100 million contract and that Orakpo proves why he was their #1 pick. Of course, we all know COOOOOOOOLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYY will provide us with game changing plays and humorous, sometimes inappropriate pictures and posts (aka pictures of his "man region").