Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

"God gave me a voice to sing with, and when you have that, what other gimmick is there?"
- Whitney Houston 

Proof that I really do keep everything. Played these today and am having trouble choosing a favorite song. "How Will I Know" (which I recorded at SoundTracks in fourth grade for my birthday), "Didn't We Almost Have It All," "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," etc.

The happiest by far is "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." The remix is fantabulous.

What about you? Memories to share?

The SoundTracks experience comes with a story. I wanted to sing "Papa Don't Preach," but my parents thought Madonna was a poor role model and the lyrics were too suggestive. Instead, they let me record a Whitney Houston song and bought me her first record (the little orange number in the photo). I played that tape until it began to warble.

Now, 28 years later, Madge and Whitney are in the news together. One for pulling off a show stopping performance in the Super Bowl, and the other for finding heaven far to soon.

Sweet dreams, Whitney.

Calling All Pandas

 

Bamboo mounts are here! Translation: in addition to ordering loose prints, acrylic and metal mounts, canvas gallery wraps, and framed pieces, you may now have my photography printed and displayed on bamboo.

Why is this fabulous? The pandas know. 

• My bamboo plywood mounts are manufactured in Portland, Oregon using raw materials purchased from local suppiers.
• The panels are made of sustainably grown and harvested bamboo.
• Shipping happens via recovered corrugated boxes.
• The company which makes my bamboo panels provides healthy organic lunches daily at no cost to all of their employees. {Where do I send my resume?}

Oh, and did I mention they're easy peasy to install? Panels will arrive ready-to-hang.

Photo Credit: KAPhotography

Quiet Please, Gladiators at Work

 

A perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.
- Billie Jean King

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer met again last night in the Australian Open Semifinals. I have no idea who won. Setting my alarm to watch at three thirty in the morning local time seemed a bit obsessive, so I settled for the tape delayed version on ESPN today. 

As I watch these gladiators bring their storied rivalry into a new year, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to have seen them both play live multiple times from courtside and interact with fans and media both on and off the court. {Photo passes do have their privileges.} These two men are among -- if not the -- best players to have ever touched a racquet. By all accounts, they are friends. However, in so many ways, Fed and Rafa are polar opposites. 

Nadala (as I tend to call him after hearing excited little kids in France scream after him with the emphasis on the "la") is the Energizer Bunny. He hits with ferocity, scampers around the baseline, and screams to himself, his box, and the heavens after nearly every point. 

Federer, by contrast, is nearly always cool, calm, and composed. He epitomizes grace under pressure, rarely breaking a sweat. His shots are carefully calculated, swift, and efficient. His fans post a telling banner at tournament after tournament: "Quiet, please. Genius at work."

Off the court, both players are generous with their time, allowing every opportunity to sign autographs after matches and organize fundraising exhibitions for charities.

With the media, it's different. Federer speaks impeccable English, French, and Swiss German (his native tongue), and he comes across as refreshingly honest during interview sessions. Perhaps not in the sound bytes you hear on the news, but certainly when you hear his complete answers and see his inflection in person. Nadal, by contrast, is more reserved. He smiles, he laughs, he tries to be comfortable . . . but his English is a work in progress, so he chooses from a standard set of answers and rarely deviates from the script. In this case, it's Nadal's turn to conserve emotion.

Do I have a favorite? Absolutely. 

Federer gets the nod for several reasons. He doesn't make me nervous -- unlike Nadal's frenetic pace. Like me, he's faced mono later than usual in life and at the height of his game.  Although most of us are smitten by Nadal's boyish charm, Federer presents himself as a seasoned gentleman. And most of all, I appreciate the fact that even after marrying the love of his life and welcoming twin girls, Federer is as competitive as ever. (Fatherhood, by the way, is a stark rarity among active players.)

Now that I've jinxed the Maestro, shhhh. Quiet please. I've got tennis to watch. Don't tell me the score!

Photo Credits: Andrea Nay (Left: Rafael Nadal, 2011 Western & Southern Open; Right: Roger Federer, 2010 Western & Southern Open)

Love Letters

We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness - and call it love - true love.

- Robert Fulghum

Siamese Sweetness

Before a cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend,
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream.

- T.S. Eliot 

This post is pure eye candy. It has nothing to do with stationery and everything to do with random acts of sweetness. 

My family has always favored Siamese kittens. Grandma had several, including Simple and Simon, then O'Connor. My Aunt Janie had Twinkie and Zinger, then the slightly completely psychotic Nikko. When they were first married, my parents invited McMurphy into their home. 

So, it was fitting when at 10 years old I was surprised by a tiny little Siamese mix kitten. My mother and I were walking through town one evening when the cuddly little thing -- an orphan -- popped out from the curb. Scared me silly! She was persistent, following us all the way home despite Mom's valiant attemps to shoo her away.

My parents decided if the kitten was still on our porch in the morning, I could keep her. Obviously, they were banking on her moving right along. I, on the other hand, was sure she'd found a home. Indeed, she was still perched just outside our front door at sunrise the next day.

Thirteen years later, Pepper (short for Peperomia) was still part of our family. Somewhere along the way, my father admitted he'd put out milk and ham to encourage her to stick around. I reminded him of that every time she wouldn't move off his lap, woke him at an absurd hour, climbed the Christmas tree, or swatted the dried flower arrangements on the dining room table.

The photo above is not Pepper, but she's clearly a long-lost relative. Kind thanks to Sharon Pruitt at Flickr for sharing her with us.

Quotable

Never love anybody who treats you like you're ordinary.

- Oscar Wilde

Favorite Friday: Happy Accidents

 

"A good snapshot stops a moment from running away."
- Eudora Welty

Meet Lâle.  She's the sweet greeter at jeans maker Imogene+Willie in Nashville, and her name means "Tulip" in Turkish.  Fitting since she was actually born there. {Turkey, not Tennessee.} She's also a great example of why it pays to keep a point & shoot in your purse even when you have no intention of taking photographs that day.  With a quick bit of vintage editing in Photoscape, a simple little Canon SD750 snapshot became one of my favorite images from 2009.

Love Letters

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

- From the movie Annie

The Cotton Tavern

"I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world."
- George Washington

Nearly every farmhouse catches my eye. This particular one, dating to 1770, is all over the blogosphere lately, as it boasts a rather famous owner and happens to be for sale. If you're in the market for a $1.5 Million estate in tucked-away Pomfret, Connecticut, have a look at the particulars. Oh, my stars, the kitchen ... and the 'entertaining barn!'

I'm blessed to live in a Federal style home built in 1852, but it's plopped in a busy little suburban village. I long for the tranquility offered by a 40+ acre property like this one. Dear Renee Zellweger: don't sell it. Just rent me the guest cottage. I'll keep an eye on the place for you, okay?

Photo via Jonathan P. Radford, turned into a watercolor by moi

Studio Stories: Melodies Graphiques

 

"Melodies Graphiques is a store for people who like writing."

- Eric de Tugny, Melodies Graphiques

A few years ago, I posted about Eric de Tugny, a delightful calligrapher I met by chance in Paris. I'm so glad to see others appreciate his work at Melodies Graphiques as much as I do. Although popping over to visit the shop might prove impractical, a short documentary produced this fall by Jamie Kripke will give you a taste of what makes Eric so special. 

The day I visited the shop, Eric was lettering wedding envelopes at his well-loved {and messy!} desk just inside the front door. He's adorned the walls with envelopes sent to him by friends and fans, and the shelves are filled with writing instruments, journals, and handmade papers. It's like a candy shop ... for paper lovers.

Photos: Jamie Kripke {l.} and Crystian Cruz {r.}