metafora77

It’s not button-gate – not really, though I did want to let that cool down before abandoning my metafora account…

I will miss it. I will miss the people I came to connect here, for whatever period of time, that might not “come with me” to my new 43 abode. I will miss my name: metafora… and ironically, it’s that name which is part of the reason to leave. It is the name associated to other accounts, to my email, to other online spaces. If given the choice, I would keep it here and change the rest, but of course, that is not possible…

Over time, this account has become increasingly tied to my “real life” (or what I prefer to call ‘my life outside of 43T’ – as this is just as real). I find that I miss the anonymity of this space, and that at times I not only miss it, but need it.

So I’m leaving metafora77 behind. And even if I’ll miss THIS space, I leave with thousands of cheers given and received, thousands of entries written and read – some heartfelt, some silly, purposeful or wistful, some painted with words and many others with pictures – but all enriching. But mostly, I leave her with a smile and a sense of peace. See, I am leaving meta in a much better place than she was when she first came to be here, on January 27, 2007. And to my 43T friends who were a part of this process, THANK YOU – thank you to those still here and to those who have moved on. This place IS all of us.

Like others who have done this before me, I will ask that, if you happen to know me, from real life or other sites, that you please not refer to my name or other identifying RL facts “publicly,” and to please not refer to this account or anything that might tie my new name with this one…

And lastly, I might not be as active for a while (things have been and continue to be crazy, stupidly BUSY since last time I was here – but it’s all GOOD), but I will be happy and honored to share my new 43T “me” if you would like to know it, so if that’s the case, please send me a PM. Or not. :) I will find you in time…

love, happiness, gratitude,

metafora
metafora
metafora.

8-8-2011

This weekend, I will be driving from the Central California coast up to Portland, Oregon – via the Pacific Coast Highway.

Have you ever driven up the Oregon Coast? If so, which spots would you say I cannot miss? Anything goes – sightseeing, fabulous meals (keeping in mind that great food does NOT have to cost an arm and a leg), etc. I plan to start driving on Saturday AM and reach my final destination sometime on Monday afternoon…

Thanks!

OH! And any Portland recommendations and advice are also welcome!

Aerosmith’s Dream On… Sing with me, sing for the years, sing for the laughter, sing for the tears…

1) The song that would be the theme song for the film of your life (to date)

2) A song that makes you want to get out your lighter and roar along with the crowd

3) A song that makes you want to throw the radio out of the window rather than listen to it

4) A song that has an amusingly irritating way of sticking in people’s minds if you sing it, so they end up humming it all day ;p

5) A song that makes you nostalgic

6) A song that lifts your spirits

7) A song that reminds you of an ill advised (but wickedly fun) person/place/time

8) A song linked to a significant event in your life

9) A song that should be pumping whilst cruising along in a car on a sunny day with the windows and top down

10) A song that speaks to you of teen angst

11) A song that’s so cheesy it should come with its own crackers, but nonetheless it makes you smile and sing along

12) A song that reminds you of a place you’ve worked

13) A song that makes you want to be in someone’s arms

14) A song that makes you say, “Turn it UP!”

15) A song that helps motivate you while doing mundane chores

16) A song that helped you through a break up/loss

17) A song that makes you feel rebellious

18) A song that reminds you of a holiday romance

19) A song that makes you think of carnivals and fairground rides

20) A song that amuses some childlike part of you

21) A song that you’ve obsessively played on repeat

22) A song that is the musical equivalent of a cool hand on your forehead

23) A song that brings tears to your eyes

24) A song that makes you want to wind ‘n’ grind

25) A song that reminds you of an impromptu and amazing gathering

26) A song that makes you want to grab your hairbrush-mic/air guitar/invisible drum kit and rock along

27) A song that you believe carries an important message

28) A song from the first album you remember buying

29) A song where you prefer a cover version to the original

30) A song that you’d like to listen to right now

Hey, if there is a way to procrastinate on anything paperwork, I WILL TAKE IT – and extensions to file make procrastination easy, affordable (in my case, free), quick, and consequence-free… one would think it’s even encouraged! But the time has come to deal with the whole unpleasant task, and just get it over with…

but it seems like fun, and I love my music, and even if it’s 30 months – who’s counting?

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

• Snail mail: Short stories by Primo Levi, from S. (he has gone back to Spain and oh, do I miss him)

• Another gorgeous sunshine-filled day, defying all expectations.

• Co-workers who can find humor in the direst of situations.

• Dinner: Crackers with decadent triple-cream brie, kalamata olives, grapes, and a glass of wine!

• Chatting with my dear friend Silvia a few nights ago – replenishing.

• L., my good friend since we were 9 years old, just had her second baby a couple of days ago.

• Sunset run by the beach last night, tackling those hills with less effort than last time.

• Long phone conversation with mom this morning.

• Free food from Chipotle Grill (“emergency” stop the other night, as I was ravenous and in no mood to cook. I took a while to place my order – explained to the guy at the counter that it was my first time ever at a Chipotle. Guy at the cash register overheard, and when I was ready to pay, he said my meal was on Chipotle – hoping I’d be back again!)

Saturday, June 11, 2011

• Yellow flowers on my car’s windshield; chocolate and love letters under my pillow.

• A long walk by the beach on an overcast day – laughing about nothing at all. Simple happiness.

• A dinner all paid in advance for S. and myself, from the best roomie and the best neighbors in the world – together with a bottle of good wine, the most thoughtful card, and some framed pictures that I love.

• Finally talking to my brother – for a full 40 minutes!

• Making a conscientious effort toward better communication with my family.

• Wishes for happiness from all around the world.

Throughout the day, pausing to reflect or acknowledge what I am grateful for.

I haven’t been posting here much – not even writing them… but just thinking about my gratitudes is a step in the right direction.

Chosen by me. This warms my heart…

“The Last Good Time” by Richard Bausch

There was a lovely time, long ago, too private to tell anyone, or too ordinary. It had nothing to do with anything, really: it was almost embarrassingly humble. One December night, unable to sleep, he had glanced out the bedroom window to discover that it had snowed. He woke his wife and made her come to the window, and the surprise of it delighted her as it had delighted him.

They dressed and bundled the baby up and took a walk, and watched the dawn arrive, and when they returned to the house, he took the day off. They played with the baby, cooked dinner, and baked bread. They listened to the baby playing in his playpen, and they talked idly about anything that came into their minds, and that evening, late, they lay whispering to each other about what a beautiful day it had been.

He thought about all this on his way down to the grocery store. The memory of it came through him like a breath, and then he was savoring it, basking in its warmth. And he thought that this is what love really meant: this very ordinary memory. That love was easy and plentiful as grass, and as still, as calm somehow.

Celebrating the marriage by the authority vested in him by the State of California: Mick Jagger, only cooler!

Wildflowers, hand-picked by my lovely roommate K, from my lovely neighbor’s yard…

This was the sunset we got to watch right after the not-so-solemn ceremony.

I’m grateful for the many homes I’ve found, and built, along the way – not only in places, but through people.

I am fortunate and have experienced so much generosity and kindness… sometimes from the least expected sources.

“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they let you in.”
- Robert Frost

...of bittersweet, heart-expanding happiness.

I swear, I have had the fortune to have some of the finest people walking this planet cross my path at some point or another.

Life is beautiful, abundant, and SO FULL.

My heart feels full tonight – any fuller, it’ll explode in a shimmering thousand-color confetti blast.

THANK YOU, too, 43T friends – you’re the kindest people I’ve never met!

...I forgot to mention that I am doing this. TOMORROW!
In front of the sea, a very private ceremony – just us, the person performing the ceremony, and a witness.

I debated posting about it, but decided I wanted this on my list, for cyber-posterity and for the good thoughts from my 43T friends who might get to see this before tomorrow evening.

Life… how it keeps on happening, no matter what!

So we’re almost halfway through 2011 and the world’s still spinning. What have you done or experienced so far this year that is the most memorable to you?

What is the one thing that stands out in your 2011 so far?

As soon as I wrote this I realized it probably sounds more serious than it really is… wait – it IS serious. Not as in being at the verge of depression or anything like that (thankfully), but serious enough if this listlessness, this sheer exhaustion and ‘blah’ is interfering with the way I feel EVERY DAY.

I know part of it is my own doing – I am working crazy hours and then come home to work on a second job. I have dozens of emails that have gone unanswered for way too long, more than enough reasons and excuses why that is so, and hundreds of intentions and ideas of things I want to do, places I want to visit, and people I want to see or call. And I have so little time, and at the end of the day, even less energy.

I don’t know exactly when or how it all became this crazy tangle…

I want to slow down, step back, regroup. Reconnect with others. RECONNECT WITH MYSELF.

I feel like the practical, mundane things of life are taking over and becoming a huge avalanche. I see it coming right at me and I don’t know what to do to stop it, do not have the strength to run away fast enough. And the thing is, I let the snowball grow and get to this.

I just feel very overwhelmed – about everything and nothing all at once.

Monday, May 16, 2011

• Working my ass off on Saturday so I could have a Sunday to myself.

• Snail mail from my sister.

• Homemade Indian food at A & P’s, great fun playing Pictionary and watching Bollywood classics.

• Sunday breakfast at the bakery.

• Cherries as sweet as candies and the first apricots of the season.

• Delicious baked sole and roasted potatoes cooked by S.

• Beautiful clouds, watching the sunset, and taking a moonlight walk by the beach last night…

Dear I.,

I hope you had a wonderful day and that the year to come is full of the little (and big) things worth celebrating.

I am grateful for your presence here in my virtual world and hope we can someday celebrate life together in some corner of the 3D world!

Happy birthday!