• Reflections

    Paper and Pen, Once Again

    https://www.relay.fm/penaddict It has been more than two years since I found this podcast in a moment of chaos.  I needed something to listen to at night to calm the mind of all that was going on around me and inside my head.  I found the professional podcast style with hosts that were passionate.  In this case, the podcast discusses a variety of fountain pens, mechanical pencils, and stationary products.  The hosts bring stories of their personal experiences and listener questions in a very casual conversation style.  This was a perfect way for me to wind down after a trying day…

  • Reflections - TV and Film

    Personal Log

    Official Navy records of captain’s logs in the United States go back as far as 1776 (which is pretty good since that is the year the country declared independence).  This idea of recording events and interpretations was brought forward through history and into science fiction world of Star Trek. The series is famous for its progressive ideas that are easily discussed in a utopian future and has some intense quotes from each episode.  Most episodes have at least one official “log entry” and also a personal one from the main character of the episode.  The Personal Log shows the emotions…

  • Reflections

    Learning How to Read Again: The 5-Year Journey

    Background: When I was in elementary school, I read all the time.  It was encouraged at school and at home.  We had dedicated time to go to the school library and find a new book.  In the early years, I was all about the non-fiction.  The more science and math I could get my hands on, the better.  I later came to enjoy some novels and other parts of the fiction world.  Both my parents were (and still are) avid readers.  My mom would always have her hot tea and book ready to go in the evening.  My dad would…

  • Poetry - Reflections

    Worthwhile

    I reach back to the pastIn search for answersFrom childhood to my later youthI wander, aimlessly, or so it seemsGuided by those nearbyAnd further stillClose family and far-flung cousinsInfluences, all the sameFriends through life or just a seasonClinging to each momentSecrets hidden, or perhaps revealedEarning trustA shielded world was my experienceNot complete, but protectedEnoughWrapped in the knowledge of the CreatorSilently watching or actively directingAll the pain, suffering, death, and destructionExposed, but not a fearful stanceRaised against the mighty waveSails bent most severelyYet we live onA family tree with scars and troubleOnly less so when we hide the truthNot that humanity…

  • Poetry - Reflections

    A Journey Revisited

    North To the City of Wind The cornfields and windmills quickly disappear Industry Large pipes of liquid gold cross over Freight at double our speed Buildings hide humans within We slow to a crawl as we approach People On the streets Waiting for something to begin Urgency never satisfied South To the State of the Flowers Mountains wave up at us Traveling at inconceivable speed Occasion Dress to impress Everyone you already know Witness a joining of lives Celebration Dance with a stranger Consume decadent dessert Adoption Into a new family More reasons to visit Reality Always changing A life…

  • Reflections

    The First Day of Summer 

    A longing to be free again Away from this blank palette So many weeks of hiding Habits of the dark and cold Recycled air, recycle thoughts Broken by the obligation How long would this last without distraction? And so, I travel across the land Observing the food growing just beside me Only a few to feed the masses The sun beams down onto my skin Pale from the cloudy sky Or cloudy moods Organic is the world I digest To the horizon and beyond Separated by glass and steel Soundproof and windproof Filtered air hits my face Music surrounds me…