Blue Haze

Image courtesy of Michael Gabler, Wikimedia Commons

Lost.  Alone. Ensconced in a hazy blue veil. I have experienced many hardships.
Dismissed. Baffled. Spurned loves who exploit my kindness.  Painful memories and aching longings.
Death. Loss.  Loved ones gone in a moment.  Distant, bittersweet remembrances of yesterday.

Radiance. Happiness. The road is less rutted and
Ultimately, I find my way.

Writing

So, it has been a really long time since I've been here. Well, the truth is that I've been ill. I was focusing on finishing summer school with my students and trying to hold out until my surgery next week.

You may have noticed a weird post earlier. Sorry about that. I had planned on writing a post about my family. However, life just keeps happening and the blog got neglected. :(

I did write a blog for today but it is over at Burrowers, Books & Balderdash, Topic: What's My Motivation? Check it out and leave a comment.

- Chary

Reveal Seven Things About Yourself

Last Friday, I got this wonderful Versatile Blogger award from Cruella Collette over at The Giraffibility of Digressions.  She absolutely made me blush.  Receiving this award two times in one month is awesome!  As tradition dictates, I must reveal seven things about myself.  So here we go:

1. This month, I will have been happily married for eight years. We have actually been together for ten years and it feels like just yesterday we met.  I wrote a drabble about it in last Sunday's post.   
2. I have 5,452 songs on my iPod.  Yes, I love music.  I have a very eclectic selection.  I enjoy Salsa, Merengue, Hip Hop, Pop, R&B, Alternative, Reggae, Hard Rock, etc.  The only music I really don't enjoy is  Heavy Metal.  Although, I do have some Ozzy and Coheed & Cambria.  
3. Besides music, my ipod also contains all six seasons of The Office.  I love the shenanigans that go on in this witty workplace.  I have seen The British Office and love it as well.  Ricky Gervais, Steve Carrell and Rainn Wilson are hilarious.
4. I am a Sci-Fi and Fantasy fanatic.  Yes, I love Star Trek, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, most TV shows on the Sci-Fi channel and classic authors like Robert Heinlein.  Some contemporary authors I like are Octavia Butler, who recently passed, and Robin Hobb.
5. I teach special education at the high school level.  I have experience with students who have learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, mental retardation (I hate the name of that classification since it has such negative connotations- developmental/ cognitive disorder would be better) and students with autism. 
6. I love swimming but have not gone all summer!  Between work, home, family and sudden illness, the pool and beach are but a distant dream.  That will change when I go on vacation.  :D
7. My favorite movie of all time is The Long Kiss Goodnight.  Gina Davis makes a great PTA mom who suffers from amnesia.  She later finds that she is actually an assassin.  Supporting actor Samuel Jackson is a hilarious, private eye sidekick in this film who helps Gina find her true identity.  It is well worth renting from Blockbuster, Netflix or whatever video store in your area.

Okay, so now as the second part of receiving this glorious award, I must nominate some individuals who also have wonderfully versatile blogs.  And the award goes to . . .

1. Yvonne over at Welcome To My World of Poetry.  She writes such endearing poems on everything from winning a prize at a self-check out to loving memories of her departed husband.  
2. Cold as Heaven at Cold as Heaven.  How's that for symmetry.  This blog is an array of thoughts from food and wine to sociopolitical issues.  
3. Amy at Artistically Amy.  This blog has some really gorgeous photography, some great tips on altering images and great stories behind the pictures.

I hope everyone checks out the wonderful blogs mentioned above and Cruella, thanks again for the award .

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I would also like to wish my sister a Happy Birthday!  Love you.  :D

Random Thoughts of the Day

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Today, my featured post is a link and some loosely structured thought processes.  You are probably wondering why?  Well, I've been feeling kind of glum lately.  Between work, family and illness, I have not had time to really enjoy myself this summer.  My summer mood is most evident in this post- Random Wednesday: Swimming.

Sometimes people can be a little bit clueless.  They may invade your personal space, or scream at you when you are trying to help them or never say "Please. Thank you. Excuse Me," or realize that they are not the only person on this Earth.  We have to be conscious of our fellow man or woman or child.

I seem to be including the word "or" a lot.

I like the monster drawing/ character Alot.  He's awesome.

My favorite quote is " You must be the change you wish to see in the world."  - Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi.

My husband bought me a mini-fridge for my office.  Yay!  He rocks my socks.  *does a happy dance*  No more putting my lunch in the yucky staff lounge with the ever present black mold.  Bleh!

I did not really have a reason for posting the pretty image above except that I thought it was beautiful and interesting.  It doesn't really have anything to do with randomness.

Uhm . . . I think that is enough randomness today.  Most people will think I'm loopy after this but that is okay.

What is your random thought of the day?  Leave a comment or a link to your blog post.  I really want to know.  :D

The Library

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

There is nothing like the smell of the library.  I remember as a child, the excitement when returning a book.  Everything looked and felt larger than life.  My shoes would click clack against the marble floors.  I would caress the spines of the books on the shelves.  The best part of the library was the stacks.  I could spend all day, in a little nook, reading a book.

It is so sad that as an adult, I never have time to visit the library.  Now, I have to settle for electronic readers.  I long for those days in the library.

drabble- n. a story written in exactly 100 words.

A Random Act of Kindness

Image courtesy of: Wikimedia Commons.


The house is so untidy,
and I have not the energy to clean. 
My back is aching, my head is pounding,
and all I want to do is scream.

The kids are causing a ruckus
and they're trying to drive me insane,
My sister said to me "Let me take the girls,"
relief spreads across my face quite plain.

I called her up the following day
asking when to pick up the girls
She told me "I'll drop them off tomorrow,"
In a voice as soft as pearls.

this poem is a sweet, loving kiss,
To my thoughtful little sis.

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I want to thank my sister for caring for my girls while I've been ill.  She really did me an unselfish act of kindness.  *hugs*

"A Random Act of Kindness always sets off a chain, which may or may not circle back to you, but which makes the world a better place to be in. See it play out in our Pay it Forward feature, exclusively at the Burrow."

-excerpt from Rayna M. Iyer's blog Coffee Rings Everywhere.

You Had Me at Hello

My hands were shaking as I walked into the Assistant Principal’s office for the second part of my interview.  The A. P. asked if I would sit at the table outside her office as she was talking to a staff member. 

There you were, eating Chinese food with wooden chopsticks.  You greeted me with the most dazzling smile.  We exchanged pleasantries.  You asked if I was interested in any of the new positions.  We talked for all of ten minutes before I was called into the office.  I got the job.  I got you too.  You had me at “Hello.”

Image courtesy of Scott J. Waldron

http://www.dslrninja.com/

drabble- n.  a story written in exactly 100 words.

This drabble was featured in The Burrow's Valentine Project.

Please check out the new Drabble Dare Challenge image of the week at Burrow, Books & Balderdash.   Join in the fun of writing a short story (exactly 100 words) to the image.  Looking forward to reading all of the wonderful entries!