Bowl of Possibility

Kernels of decisions pop in the heated receptacle of my mind.
Some turn into to fluffy tastiness.
Others burn at the bottom.

I pour them out into the bowl of possibility.
And as I choose one
Savor it in my mouth.
Feel its buttery goodness
enter my bloodstream.

Action is born.
Achievement is reached.
Satisfaction is attained.

Once I have taken the bowl out of reach
of fate's chapped hands
and hold it lovingly in mine
feel the weight of its contents
empower me.

My hands can clear gardens.
Can caulk cracks in my house.
Can move walls.
Can open paths.
My hands.
Move my life
in the direction of its choice.

And the burned kernels?
They can be tasty too.

Think Much?

Sometimes I think I'm not productive enough. 

Not artistic enough. 

Not interesting enough. 

Sometimes I think I don't get out enough.

I don't have enough friends.

The phone doesn't ring enough.

Have I become out of sight, 

out of mind?

Sometimes I think life is passing me by.

Sometimes I think I can't even try.

Sometimes, I think no one really gives a shit.

Sometimes, I think I think  too much.

That's it.

I stop.

I become a giant me and put on my construction boots.

I stomp on all these self-defeating thoughts

that scuttle around the floor of my life.

I step over them.

And out the door.

I accept my life as it is,

and revel in the morning air.

Join a gym.

The sofa has become too sore.

Dismantle my garden.

No one else will do it.

Take a photograph.

How does life look

through it?

Go have a coffee. Talk to a stranger.

Bring along my sketch book.

Smile.

At the danger

of putting myself 

out there.

As

I tower over the ant hills 

of my problems

and enjoy the vista.

I'm in sight

and out of my

mind.

You've Got the Guns But Not the Ammo

Okay, confession time. I watched the Season 11 Premiere of Dancing with the Stars. I wanted to see the line-up...

And an interesting one at that...

In sports, we had NFL quarterback, Kurt Warner and Los Angeles Laker alum Rick Fox towering over their partners, as they did their best not to trample the women and take some slats off the hardwood floor. In this match, Warner won by a slight margin. Their dancing was shrek, but they both had a certain charisma.

In politics, Bristol Palin took over her mother's love of the public eye, when she made her appearance on the dance floor to do a fairly decent cha-cha transformation from business attire to tassels.. What surprised me is that I actually liked the girl's spunk. I'll try not to hold her progenitor against her.

In breaking news, Michael Bolton and David Hasselhoff did their best to rep men in showbiz but seemed to have picked up planks for legs to support their two left feet; and nearly broke their partners. They made Kurt  and Rick look like ballroom pros.

Audrina Partridge from The Hills, Brandy, and Kyle Massey, a child star that hasn't been in the public eye since, lead the pack of B-List celebs who did a pretty decent job dancing. I can't comment on anything else they did because I'm not a fan. Of the three, I liked Massey's energy the best; Audrina surprised me the most, and Brandy dove headlong into the competition like it would save her career.

The once Carol Brady, Florence Herderson wowed me with the amount of F Bombs she dropped! Gotta respect a 76 year old with a potty mouth and great legs. Nuff said! :)

In comedy, Margaret Cho did her interpretation of the Crazy Madam Butterfly Waltz. I found it hilarious and  unexpectedly graceful. The judges were not amused that they turned such a serious dance into a comedy act. I guess they don't realize this show isn't about saving orphans in a battered country.

But whatever.

Speaking of comedy, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from Jerkey Shore was one of the contestants. He only had 5 days to rehearse because he had to wrap up this season of drinking, dissing women, and running off his mouth. That didn't stop his performance from being the highlight of the night for me. Not because of his dancing, but because of the judges' comments which I usually fast forward through. When, he tried to be smart with the lead judge, Len Goodman countered, "You've got the guns but not the ammo." I love you Len. Yes I do!

The winner of the evening's scoring was Jennifer "Baby" Grey who doesn't in the least resemble the awkward girl from Dirty Dancing because of the work done on her nose. She broke down during rehearsals when they heard that the song they would be dancing to was the one she danced with Patrick Swayze.  This didn't stop her from pulling off a charming performance, proving that nobody will be putting her in the corner.

Will I be watching again? Truthfully, it's kind of painful watching how awkward a lot of them are on the dance floor, but if Len keeps those lines coming, I might have to skip the dancing and watch what he has to say.

Jerkey Shore

So, how pathetic is it that I'm actually excited my shows are premiering this week? After spending the entire summer transcribing Big Brother feeds, I am aching for some good ole drama, some comedy. Something not real. Something that admits to being scripted.

Oh, I still have my reality and competition shows.

I'm an avid So You Think You Can Dance fan, making sure to catch both the American and Canadian versions. Watching the dancers evolve through some of the stunning choreography throughout the season is exciting. Some of the judges I can do without, but they aren't enough to deter me from watching. Whoever invented the PVR is my hero. Skip.

I watched a season of Kitchen Nightmares only because I mostly like to finish what I've started; but there is altogether way more yelling and abuse than cooking. So I won't be a return customer. Master Chef is supposed to be a much nicer version. so maybe I'll catch it if it returns.

The Top Model shows are great for a laugh, but altogether too irritating to sit through. They should rename it Catty Stick Figures with IQs of Bananas. Meow. That was petty catty of me. Maybe I watched one too many episodes. I have to admit it was like watching a science experiment unfold. How will she make it through this Look See or photoshoot intact? I mean it's so trying being young and thin and interesting-looking.

Survivor and Amazing Race are absolutely fascinating to watch. The challenges are astounding. The human drama piecemeal unlike BB. Outwit, outlast, outplay. Yes please!

I watched one season of Dancing with the Stars, though ballroom dancing is meh to me. I saw it through, but it was irritating that they had a professional dancer and skater amongst celebrities with two and sometimes more left feet. Guess who won? Is the suspense killing you... not so much?

I've tried all the versions of Bachelor/ette/Pad and stopped because it was tainting the whole concept of love and relationships.

I'm still a fan of The Apprentice. I love the challenges and seeing how well I would do in them. I love watching corporate type peeps getting all Jersey Shore on each other.

Which brings me to Jersey Shore. A couple of my colleagues were talking about how great it is, so I set my PVR and recorded an episode to watch.

Seriously?

First of all, there's something intrinsically weird when they need English subtitles for people speaking "English". Granade.

Secondly, if I wanted to watch spoiled men in wife beaters treating women like room service personnel, I would've stayed married. "I treat some women very well," chimes one Jerkey Shorite. Some women? Some?

Thirdly, I thought those hair styles went out in the 90's or is it 80's?

I cannot believe that a bunch of yo-yos who have nothing better to do than party, eat, shop, boink and complain have become famous. Seriously? I'd rather watch Chef Ramsay's face get steaming raw while screaming at some cowering sous chef...

A Time for Change...

Hello Everyone!

During my long absence from my personal blogging, I have been thinking about what direction I want to take. I love this blog and what I have achieved with it, it's time for some change. That doesn't mean I will be deleting or stop using this blog; but it will organically transmute into what it wants to be. When I figure it out...

For the time being, I have decided to focus my attention on the one thing that has been preoccupying my days, and thoughts and energy - school or scruel as I have begun to call it.

As some of you might know... I have been working on a book deconstructing the whole education system, and with that goal in mind, I have created a new blog.

I would love for you to join me and I am looking forward to your insights, experiences and reactions!

So without further ado, I present you:

The Scruel Chronicles