Poetry - el poder

I enjoy poetry - a lot. I love it in the best of times and the worst of times. Today I was thinking about Pablo Neruda and how much I love the passion he conveys in his poems - especially in his native Spanish. The English translation is good, but it just doesn't do his poems justice. Here is one I've always appreciated.

"Si Tu Me Olvidas"
By Pablo Neruda En Español:

Quiero que sepas
una cosa.

Tú sabes cómo es esto:
si miro
la luna de cristal, la rama roja
del lento otoño en mi ventana,
si toco
junto al fuego
la impalpable ceniza
o el arrugado cuerpo de la leña,
todo me lleva a ti,
como si todo lo que existe:
aromas, luz, metales,
fueran pequeños barcos que navegan
hacia las islas tuyas que me aguardan.

Ahora bien,
si poco a poco dejas de quererme
dejaré de quererte poco a poco.

Si de pronto
me olvidas
no me busques,
que ya te habré olvidado.

Si consideras largo y loco
el viento de banderas
que pasa por mi vida
y te decides
a dejarme a la orilla
del corazón en que tengo raíces,
piensa
que en esa día,
a esa hora
levantaré los brazos
y saldrán mis raíces
a buscar otra tierra.

Pero
si cada día,
cada hora,
sientes que a mí estás destinada
con dulzura implacable,
si cada día sube
una flor a tus labios a buscarme,
ay amor mío, ay mía,
en mí todo ese fuego se repite,
en mí nada se apaga ni se olvida,
mi amor se nutre de tu amor, amada,
y mientras vivas estará en tus brazos
sin salir de los míos.

Heaven

Someday I really must have one of these.

Bright Star

Bless the Red Box. It surprises me sometimes. I am not often pleased with my findings there, but once in a while I take a chance and can be quite satisfied. Last night I came across one such title that intrigued me. While reading the synopsis, I was instantly taken by the name John Keats. He has been a favorite poet of mine, one of the British romantic poets I studied while in literature classes and while studying abroad one summer in London. Poetry enchants me. Probably because I'm not very good at it. John Keats is a master.

Last night around one in the morning (you can do that when you're unemployed), I started my movie 'Bright Star', which is also the name of one of his poems. I loved the portrayal of a very short time-frame of his life, but a time of much emotion, love, and pain. He fell in love with a girl named Fanny. Keats was a poor man and had no money to offer Fanny (he had not 'made it' with his poems yet). Having little money didn't stop he and Fanny from getting engaged and making plans of marriage. In this time, however, he became ill. Long story short, he died a short time later at the pre-mature age of 25. He died thinking he was a failure, never to know how loved his poetry would be by millions to come.

This movie felt real, and not the least bit contrived. The heart-wrenching emotion in this movie felt unlike any other. There has never been a more real portrayal of the most simplistic, yet most common emotions that rule the heart. There was some intense sadness that even drew a few tears from my eyes. I didn't expect it.

Here's a clip:



I don't guarantee everyone will see and feel what I did in this movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing such a beautiful portrayal of this part of Keats life. Yep, loved it.

Bright Star (Written for Fanny by John Keats)

Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art-
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors-
No–yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillowed upon my fair love’s ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft swell and fall,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever – or else swoon to death

????

Love Week

In honor of Valentines Day, I wanted to share a favorite scene from a movie that I love. This movie is wonderful, and yet heartbreaking at the same time. All the same, I love this sweet scene. You can see the obvious longing on both sides. Enjoy "Becoming Jane".

Shannon is a nice sister

Shannon put together a little b-day blog for me. It was awfully nice, and I appreciated it a lot! You can check it out here: http://ryshadden.blogspot.com/
Oh, and I think Caiti helped. Thanks, C & S! Love you guys!

Dear 34...

I've been up since you came around. I can't seem to sleep - even at 4 am on your new-found day. I can't figure out why. Thirty four, I must say, thirty three and I had a good year. It just seemed to get better, even with a few bumps in the road. I like to think I'm an optimist, and I look at you with as great or greater optimism and promise than I did with thirty three. Once again, there are exciting things ahead. What they are, I know not. I only know that which I hope for.
In welcoming you, thirty four, I also feel the need to say goodbye and thank you to my past year.
Thirty three, you are a beautiful number. I rather enjoyed saying "I'm thirty three years old". Like me, it was a number with many curves. Ah yes, you'll be missed. We had a good run. We enjoyed the beauties of this world, the people of this world, family, friends, acquaintances. We continued on this journey in life with hope of great things to come. And even though our run is through, you will be remembered as one of my favorite years, which I hope to say about each year I leave behind. Thank you, thirty three.

34... bring it!

It comes...

speedily it cometh!

Oh, hi! Yeah, it's me. I know I've been slacking, but I've been busy. Ok, I haven't. I admit it, since I've been laid off I have stayed up later because I can, and slept in for the same reason. And you know what, I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I've spent most weekends in the warmer south, and don't feel the rush to get back for work on Monday morning. Unemployment has been lovely for the time being. I've also spent time going to movies with nephews, babysitting friend's kids, etc. Good times, good times.
Next blog: what I'm really going to do with my life after this lovely vacation.

Change

Change can be a scary thing. I'm sure we can all agree on this point. However, the most recent change in my life has been a welcome, exciting change. I was laid off last week from my job of 5+ years at XanGo. It was not performance related, but was a reduction in force. For a little while now I have been antsy in my job, and anxious to move on to something else. To what, I didn't know. I simply knew I wanted a change. Well folks, I got it. I now am doing a lot of searching and thinking about what it is I'd really like to do. This is my chance to do something completely different if I want to. What that is - I dunna know. I'm totally open to suggestions.

I'm thankful for this change in my life. Believe me when I say that I am happy, and optimistic for the future!

So, I was in Las Vegas this past weekend, and experienced a couple of new things.

First of all, I am told that I've been to the Hoover Dam, but alas, I am too young to remember it. It was an amazing sight to see this time around. Not only that, but if you didn't know (I certainly didn't), they are building something called the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge. Take a look at the pic below. It is incredible!



I also had the chance to experience the food of the well-known Bouchon restaurant. Friends, I would exhort you to go. Thanks to Chef Eric, I was lucky enough to be there for brunch and got to sample a tasty array of food. Croque Madame - delicious! To see more go here.

Oh, and the temperature... 60 degrees. Beautiful.

2009 Stats

Jobs in 2009: 1
Friends made: Many good ones.
Gigs performed: A plethora
Triathlons finished: 1
5k’s finished: 1
Attempted trips to Egypt: 1
Trips to the homeland (Ireland): 1
Trips to the Scottish Highlands: 1
Days stuck in airports getting home from above trip: 2
Airports visited whilst trying to get home from said trip: 7
Dublin, Newark, DC, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, SLC
Work trips taken: 5
Mexico City, Frankfurt, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Washington DC
New nephew/nieces: 3
Hunter, Lauren, and Jadyn. Love it when family re-marries and adds to the brood!
Marriages in the family: 1 – Megan and her James
Number of crushes: a special few
Number of guys dated with first and middle name initial exactly the same as mine: 1
Meals enjoyed at the Bombay House: at least 5
Mornings spent doing P90X: 30 +
Lessons learned: too many to count
Lessons learned 10 times over: still counting

Here's to 2010. So much to look forward to!

Gimme Snow.

Friends, I love weather. I especially love weather that changes frequently. It must be due to some of my attention deficit. Growing up I enjoyed the ever-changing Hawaiian weather. Blue skies would change into dark clouds of rain lasting 5 minutes, which gave me just enough time as a kid to run outside and cool off in it. I've observed changeable weather in many beautiful places. I am an appreciator of it. Today in my current locale of UT, I am enjoying the beautiful snow falling outside of my window. I know many that absolutely loathe this weather (some of them being members of my own family). I suppose I look at it as an excuse to be indoors to cuddle up with a good book, movie, hot chocolate, or a significant other. There are good times to be had, friends. Indeed there are.

15 days of Christmas Songs #15

I came across this song the other day on youtube, and had forgotten how much I love it. I think these words sum up so much of what I feel for this time of year. It's all about my family, and most importantly about Jesus. Like the last line says, "My precious Jesus is more than an heirloom to me". I am thankful for the life and birth of my Savior. Lo amo con todo mi corazon.

To anyone reading my humble blog, I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!



Up in the attic
Down on my knees
Lifetimes of boxes
Timeless to me
Letters and photographs
Yellowed with years
Some bringing laughter
Some bringing tears

Time never changes
The memories, the faces Of loved ones, who bring to me
All that I come from
And all that I live for
And all that I'm going to be
My precious family
Is more than an heirloom to me

Wiseman and shepherds
Down on their knees
Bringing their treasures
To lay at his feet
Who was this wonder baby yet king
Living and dying
He gave life to me

Time never changes
The memory, the moment His love first pierced through me
Telling all that I come from
And all that I live for
And all that I'm going to be
My precious savior
Is more than an heirloom to me

My precious Jesus Is more than an heirloom to me

15 days of Christmas Songs #14

My brother Shane reminded me this morning that the songs from "Scrooge" are pretty great. Of course I knew this, but when it comes down to it, there are so many great songs that it's hard to choose! For day 14 I have added a few songs from the movie. In our Hawaii days, I was actually in this play as a 9 year old. I played an Urchin. It's true.
I love the story of Ebenezer Scrooge by Charles Dickens. Scrooge is a tight-fisted, greedy man who hates Christmas and anything that engenders happiness. Through the course of one night (x-mas eve), he is visited by three ghosts that change his life forever. He repents of his ways and becomes a model of generosity and kindness. "Many laughed to see this alteration in him, but he let them laugh and little heeded them. His own heart laughed and that was quite enough for him. And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well if any man alive possessed the knowledge."

Take note of Tiny Tim's song (#2). I could cry, really.