tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37157213940801636742011-07-28T14:19:27.025-07:00<b><i>A BAG OF LAY'S</i></b><br> playing in freshly fallen snow / opening night jitters / and closing night cries / a first kiss / New York City / making a baby smile / watching fireworks on the hood of a car / falling in love / exercise induced endorphins / sexercise induced euphoria / having someone waiting on the other side / playing with puppies / cradling a cat / the smell of new-cut lawn / laughing / random smiles / sore muscles and a hot bath / smooth legs / and good hair daysNessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.comBlogger601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-4205802190172268582011-06-16T09:21:00.000-07:002011-06-16T09:21:52.765-07:00

To all my readers, I must first say thank you. I know I've been neglectful of this space over the past two years, so if you're still poking around hoping for an update you're indeed a patient person. I've decided to moth-ball this blog along with the two others I started over the years. I think I was too ambitious trying to have three separate online spaces for my personal creative writing

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-80107390062439247722010-07-28T01:19:00.000-07:002010-07-28T10:54:53.450-07:00

I think I’m a pretty lucky girl to have a dad like mine. Sure, he does all the things you expect a typical dad to do, such as teaching me how to drive a car and having patience when I back it into the side of the house. Or helping me move more times than I can count, co-signing student loans without batting an eye, and coaching me through several exhaustive and expensive career changes. And then

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-90567888649602932742010-03-11T23:38:00.000-08:002010-03-12T00:22:32.701-08:00

Unlike you, I do not to hide behind a shroud of anonymity. I have nothing to hide. So I am addressing your attacks on my character and intelligence in a public forum. Yes, I removed your spiteful comment from blog. It’s not because I’m unable to respond, but because you made it on a post completely unrelated to your hateful ranting. In fact, I find it interesting you decided to attack me on a

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-52969584380796928682010-02-21T20:53:00.000-08:002010-02-21T21:41:26.576-08:00

First, if anyone is still out there checking this blog for updates, thank you. Where I've been The demands of a new job and elected duties with the 43rd District Democrats forced me to curb my extra-curricular writing for bit. I’m happy to report though I’ve started to find a little more work/life balance. Something I’ve always failed at doing, but have now committed myself to finding. During

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-69312454285582675632009-09-07T19:42:00.000-07:002009-09-07T20:31:17.547-07:00

All week I’ve been riled up about the GOP’s ignorant attacks on a speech President Barack Obama plans to give students across America tomorrow about the importance of staying in school, getting good grades, and working hard to achieve success.Before anyone had even seen a draft of Obama’s speech, the GOP jumped back on the fast track of the Fear-Mongering Express to insight anger along partisan

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-73630407194609075762009-08-26T23:57:00.000-07:002009-09-12T02:08:20.291-07:00

There is no tribute I could post or words I could write to truly encapsulate the loss our country has had in the death of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts). He wasn’t a politician. He was a public servant. Despite serving more than 46 years in office, the third longest of any senator in the history of our country, he remained passionate and diligent to his responsibilities. He was not

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-85870704255761195122009-06-07T22:45:00.000-07:002009-06-07T23:02:49.864-07:00

With my hours at work being cut by one day a week starting in July and new job prospects slim, I’ve started putting some cost saving measures into practice.Almost everything I’m doing to cut corners were lessons I learned during childhood when my parents were living paycheck to paycheck and raising three kids. There’s so many images forever branded to my brain of spending all day Sunday at the

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-5690144151411360552009-05-27T23:18:00.000-07:002010-05-04T10:41:17.426-07:00

Last year at this time I was waking up in North Dakota for a traditional Wheeler breakfast at my grandparents' farm--a pan of homemade caramel rolls and a selection of Grandma's jams and jellies to put on freshly made toast. It was Grandpa's 80th birthday, and I had flown in the day before to surprise him. We ate our breakfast while talking about the upcoming presidential election. Of all the

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-85468505152918309412009-05-13T21:46:00.000-07:002009-12-21T00:02:09.838-08:00

It's amazing how a person's life perspective changes in the blink of an eye. Two weeks ago I was consumed by anxiety over being reduced in hours at my job and wondering how I was going to make rent and my student loan payments. Then on May 4, my life changed forever with the news of my grandpa being killed in an accident on the farm that's been in my family for more than a century. I have

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-40321330459703458222009-04-27T17:34:00.000-07:002009-04-27T17:46:43.463-07:00

Aside from the shooting on the corner of where I work the week before last, or the several strong-arm robberies in and around the University of Washington campus in the last month, here is run down of current headlines on the local section of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer at this very moment:Woman who shot man after bus altercation releasedWells Fargo on Capitol Hill robbed SaturdayStrong-arm

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-31732922556184350172009-04-26T22:07:00.000-07:002010-09-20T23:57:01.760-07:00

I've been doing the online dating thing for a little more than a year now. I may still be single, but I have stories. Lots and lots of stories mixed with frustration, exasperation, and perhaps some humiliation. The good thing is that advents in social networking such as Facebook and Twitter have taken away the stigma associated with meeting someone online. This makes the selection of

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-28538184164391591912009-03-15T16:31:00.000-07:002009-03-16T22:53:23.066-07:00

I'm not sure who you are, or if we've even met. All I know is I’ve reached the end of a year-and-a-half journey in learning from those who came before you.I originally thought that revisiting the brilliant traces of my life was going to take 10 days. It turned out there were more bitter layers than sweet ones left behind in the healing of my heart over the years. However, I’ve come out on the

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-7607199149563619422008-11-22T12:34:00.000-08:002010-06-10T10:39:21.722-07:00

I'm pretty perplexed lately about the excitement, particularly among adults, over the Twilight series. While working at the Peninsula Daily News and covering the small town of Forks, I was one of the first reporters to actually cover this story (back when Stephanie Meyer had still never even visited the many places in her books.) I remember being assigned to cover her big visit to Forks where

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-35774328608346518952008-10-15T21:30:00.000-07:002008-10-15T21:35:38.727-07:00

Joe, the star of tonight's presidential debate, I would like you to meet Bud.

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-2022819178008813602008-09-29T23:04:00.000-07:002009-03-15T18:08:07.850-07:00

I was sitting with my back to the door at Twilight Exit nervously fiddling between picking at the coaster underneath my pint of beer and adjusting my hair. Then I heard from behind, "Nessa!"I turned and was immediately embraced by your friend. I looked up at you and instantly recognized your warm bearded smile and kind eyes that I'd seen in pictures on your MySpace profile. I could tell you

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-43748667005526631712008-09-11T00:50:00.000-07:002008-09-11T01:14:46.240-07:00

eight forty-five amthe morning my life began i stepped outside the gymBOOM!papers falling high and trickling in the skya parade today we'll see?no. No. NO!specs of metal glittering in the suni should run, i need to run--are all those people gone?A bomb? A bomb?!showers of ash upon my head sped with confusion and fearmy office, to my office, they'll know thereIt stings to see. It stings to

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-1868461399397370372008-08-23T19:21:00.000-07:002008-08-26T18:36:46.644-07:00

"When it comes to men that are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do. It’s that simple. It’s that easy."I heard this quote today while listening to The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It couldn't have come at a better time in my life, because despite my best efforts, I've been feeling resentful and perplexed by

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-4916392474403174542008-07-27T20:44:00.000-07:002009-03-15T18:04:04.874-07:00

You were holding a pine cone and a book, and asked me through the screen door if you could come inside. I was so happy to see you I'd forgotten to open the door.You handed me the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. You said my writing reminded you of hers, and you thought it only right that I should own your favorite book by her. Then you handed me the acorn. You said there

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-17475416816667809352008-07-20T23:33:00.000-07:002009-03-15T17:48:27.622-07:00

It was almost pitch black and I could barely see your face. I was helping your aunt breakdown the t-shirt booth outside of Daybreak Star after a long opening day of their summer pow wow.All I could make out was your tall figure, curly hair, and dark glasses as I watched you silently stand there while your aunt excitedly fussed over the arrival of you and your little cousin.It wasn't until we

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-85260182666699855192008-06-03T22:33:00.000-07:002008-06-03T22:34:21.087-07:00

I cried them tonight for the first time in my life.Obama '08!

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-58448583513716306682008-04-28T23:02:00.000-07:002008-04-28T23:20:35.398-07:00

"Merry Happy" by Kate Nash... Though you try to tell me that you never loved meI know that you did'Cause you said it and you wrote it down ...... Yeah you make me merry make me very very happyBut you obviously, you didn't want to stick around ...... So I learnt from you ...... I can be alone, yeahI can watch a sunset on my own ...Dedicated to the two most brilliant of my brilliant traces, who I

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-33896589986392962052008-04-16T23:43:00.000-07:002008-04-16T23:45:14.674-07:00

The Debate: A Shameful Night for the U.S. Media

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-34474088028688501242008-04-15T01:19:00.000-07:002008-04-15T01:52:30.917-07:00

I have been absent from my writings because I've been busy on the campaign trail for Obama. I'm happy to report that I was elected as a Congressional Delegate for Obama and will be attending the Washington State Democratic Convention in June. I'm also eligible to become a national delegate if play my cards right.That said, even the politico geek in me is very tired of the "he said, she said"

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-90924727812650977112008-03-21T12:14:00.000-07:002008-12-11T05:15:52.630-08:00

This is my mom Brenda Casavant. She's an amazing woman who has battled cancer three times and continues to battle diabetes and polymyalgia rheumatica.Please read her story, and cast your vote for her in the contest "America's Favorite Mom." If you're inspired by her, which I'm sure you will be, please share it with everyone you know.Even if she doesn't win the contest, it means the world to my

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-6370651754475432852008-03-18T16:34:00.000-07:002008-03-18T17:19:40.501-07:00

Even a major media outlet whose publisher leans to the right of center and is a critic of Barack Obama reported on the historic nature of Obama's speech today.U.S. News & World Report: Obama's Race Speech Heralded as HistoricI knew this speech was coming as soon as the media feeding frenzy began last week around the sermons of Pastor Wright, and it makes me even prouder to be an elected delegate

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-78473968019016202562008-03-16T22:29:00.000-07:002008-03-16T22:56:01.196-07:00

I have succumbed to writer's block, migraines, and general laziness as late. However, I shall be back this week.In the meantime, I would like to share this quote with you."When was the last time you talked about race with someone of a different race? If the answer is never, you're part of the problem." - Bill Bradley

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-38191411190584979242008-02-06T00:31:00.000-08:002008-02-06T18:42:32.004-08:00

I'm very proud of my home state of North Dakota for bringing it in for Barack Obama last night on Super Tuesday. The tiny red state may not deliver a hefty punch in delivering delegate numbers, but it does deliver a signal loud and clear that change is on its way.With recent news of Hillary Clinton pumping $5 million of her own money into her campaign this week, I'm reminded of the saying "slow

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-18638029560536590762008-02-04T22:27:00.000-08:002008-02-04T22:30:12.229-08:00

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-18737116197739516182008-01-29T00:11:00.000-08:002008-01-29T00:30:28.762-08:00

Tonight George W. Bush, who will go down in the annals of history as one of the most disastrous presidents of the United States, gave his last State of the Union address to the nation.Tonight Barack Obama, who will go down in the annals of history as a man (and hopefully president) who restored the hope of a nation, gave his reasons why he is truly a candidate for change.If you want to know more

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-27054535341745006022008-01-19T18:23:00.000-08:002009-06-25T00:11:31.156-07:00

My memory of you starts with an order of nachos and soda we shared several Friday nights in a row at Skateland.You were tall and lanky, I was short with frizzy hair, and both of us wore huge glasses that consumed our faces.We were in fifth or sixth grade, and I can't exactly remember how we met because we went to different schools. Somehow though, we ended up talking and sharing nachos while

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-24295142339717814192008-01-04T00:44:00.000-08:002008-01-06T15:43:15.106-08:00

I have to take this moment and depart from my sharing of brilliant traces to mark tonight's moment in history.I think many, many, many people - pundits and political strategists alike - are going to fall on their asses in awe of how many young voters end up going the polls in this presidential election.After winning the Democratic Iowa caucus tonight due to a large turn out of young voters, U.S.

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-2803650610064892532007-12-29T18:23:00.000-08:002007-12-29T18:41:58.377-08:00

Before I share my next three and most recent brilliant traces, I would like to share the lyrics of a song that hit me like a burst of cold water this morning as my train was pulling into Seattle.The song is "Past in Present" by Feist. It struck me so hard because while my present is the happiest I have been in many years, I still have portions of my past that creep up on me when I'm not

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-19028718754561532232007-12-18T00:29:00.000-08:002011-04-26T23:57:11.780-07:00

You were a friend of my best friend, and the instant I met you I knew you were going to steal my heart. I was sitting on a couch in the basement of CBGB’s on Manhattan's Lower East Side, and in one smooth motion you sat down next to me and with a gentle nod cleared the long, dark silky hair from your face. You turned to me and asked, “Who might you be?” We had barely introduced ourselves

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-19155908225947702172007-12-06T15:43:00.000-08:002007-12-06T16:10:05.592-08:00

In following along with my flow of brilliant traces, here are some lyrics I think encapsulate what it means to love, lose love, and love again - hopefully without losing faith.This is how it worksYou peer inside yourselfYou take the things you likeYou try to love the things you tookAnd then you take that love you madeAnd stick it into someSomeone else's heartPumping someone else's bloodAnd

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-73613808739697426182007-11-30T20:34:00.000-08:002009-03-15T17:18:21.008-07:00

Running into you can only be described as magnetic.It was the day after Christmas and we were both celebrating the holidays at a bar in our hometown. I didn't know you personally because you had graduated a year before me, but I knew of you.You saw me drinking a pint of beer and said, "Casavant's Creative Corner," citing the title of the column I used to write for our high school newspaper.You

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-46362869556506633672007-11-23T14:59:00.001-08:002009-03-15T17:09:05.773-07:00

It's strange that it took so long for us to find each other.Not only had our families been friends for generations, but we were also the same age and had grown up in small towns where our love for music and art helped us escape the suffocating stillness of country life.We were 23 and bright-eyed about what our futures could hold. I was living in New York and chasing my dreams of acting. You were

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-31459846567836739342007-11-20T00:10:00.000-08:002007-11-20T05:56:14.891-08:00

I am interrupting my flow of brilliant traces to share a quote."As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."- Proverbs 26:11I am not a religious person in the way most would interpret the word religious. However, I am a firm believer in karma, love, and the absence of love - otherwise known as indifference.That said, when venting to a friend today about a rather recent

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-47748570544258159912007-11-13T22:10:00.001-08:002009-03-15T17:04:21.993-07:00

We met while waiting tables together at a New York City restaurant. We were both 19, but from two completely different backgrounds.I was a small-town girl chasing after her dreams in the big city, and you were an inner-city boy born in Ecuador and living in a small one-bedroom apartment in Queens with your padre, hermano, and little hermana.We would spend afternoons talking about our future

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-35437530694582058302007-11-13T22:09:00.001-08:002009-03-15T17:01:05.182-07:00

It was chemistry when we met, quite literally. We were paired together as lab partners, and a very unlikely friendship unfolded before our eyes.You were on the fringe of the popular crowd, and I was on the fringe of the not-so-popular crowd.We'd spend hours talking online before instant messaging was a common form of communication. It was the medium where we could tell each other anything

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-85529232199002319012007-11-13T22:08:00.000-08:002009-03-15T16:59:14.898-07:00

We met during drama club in high school. You were a senior and I was a freshman. Your cologne was subtle and would linger in a room for several seconds after you'd leave. Your laughter and smile would do the same.You were my first crush to turn into a boyfriend. We'd spend hours sitting in your car in the dead of winter talking because it was the only place we could be alone.You were there

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-21329771525651527672007-11-13T21:27:00.000-08:002009-03-15T16:56:42.778-07:00

I succumbed to joining Facebook last week, and I have to say I'm very pleased with my lack of will power.The social-networking website is far superior to its competitors when it comes to being in tune with my generation. I could list a plethora of its features as proof of this, but my favorite is under the category of "relationship status" where there is an option to choose "it's complicated."I

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-45137614676571963482007-10-18T15:12:00.000-07:002007-10-18T15:20:28.612-07:00

Right now, at this very moment, I'm sipping a delicious mocha delicately topped with whip cream.It's from Seattle's oldest coffee house, which is right across the street from my office. On my walk there I could smell the fullness of autumn as the wind swirled trios of dancing leaves around me.Now that I'm back in my office with Izzy B snoring at my feet, the mocha rousing my tongue, and the

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-66221742309417977462007-10-08T23:13:00.000-07:002007-10-08T23:15:21.536-07:00

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-18212732745209412302007-10-07T17:28:00.000-07:002007-10-07T23:19:53.686-07:00

I apologize for my lack of actual blogging contact. I've been a bit busy with family, friends, work, and getting healthy (nothing serious, just a minor reaction to some medication.)I do have a wonderful creative rambling floating around in my head about the state of relationships among us in the GenX/Millenial/Y/GenNext crowd that is is just itching to come out. However, I have promised myself

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-58634825524375526192007-10-01T21:22:00.000-07:002007-10-01T21:29:38.124-07:00

Watergate to Whitewater to Blackwater

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-25302812074630992802007-09-23T20:03:00.000-07:002007-09-23T20:06:16.674-07:00

My back was still aching today, and I was exhausted from the sun. However, it was all worth it for the the highlight of my summer.

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-73967399594552134902007-09-13T11:52:00.000-07:002007-09-13T12:46:07.359-07:00

Headline in today's Seattle Post-IntelligencerDogs are Men: More single women seem to be finding the perfect man in their poochesI can definitely attest. My shih tzu Izzy B is by far the most: loyal, loving, committed, uncomplicated, and dependable companion I've ever had.

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-34158470787091042952007-09-11T09:52:00.000-07:002007-09-11T10:30:10.663-07:00

I am six years alive today, and there is much to celebrate.PersonallyTwo of my best friends are celebrating their first full day at home with their new baby boy who was born on Labor Day (funny enough.) They survived a very difficult delivery that came very close to taking the life of the mother this weekend.My mom is cancer-free and recuperating at home from a painful but successful surgery

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-30704247297526276122007-09-05T22:53:00.000-07:002007-09-06T16:58:51.496-07:00

I've been meaning to sit down and write about an insightful conversation I recently had on life and relationships among my generation - but wouldn't you know it - life keeps getting in the way.So, until I have more time to sit down and write about that conversation in a way that will do it justice, I want to talk a little bit about music.I've always been a connoisseur of music, which my insane CD

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-23505425635008845852007-08-27T21:21:00.000-07:002007-08-27T21:47:35.198-07:00

While drifting in and out of sleep during an afternoon nap the other day, Iggy the iPod shuffled to the song "I'm Sensitive," which is a favorite Jewel tune I hadn't heard in a years.I can identify with many stanzas of the song, especially the chorus - "Please be careful with me, I'm sensitive and I would like to stay that way." But this time, one stanza in particular jumped out at me:"I was

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-35047024635067611502007-08-26T22:10:00.000-07:002007-08-27T13:08:19.220-07:00

I was catching up on my magazine reading tonight while enjoying the $3.50 Guiness special at my local pub - which has basically become an extension of my apartment. The magazine of choice, out of my many subscriptions, was the June/July issue of Foreign Policy. It's a magazine of essays about current events by journalists, scholars, and public officials.The article that caught my eye was "21

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-8491142480552931332007-08-15T19:40:00.001-07:002010-03-24T21:43:00.566-07:00

In the month absence from my Nook, I've been thinking about baggage. I guess living out of boxes scattered around a 325 square-foot apartment will do that to a person. And all I can think is that this is my good baggage. In an attempt to start anew on this next chapter of my life, I got rid of every possession reminding me of certain places and people I am better without (even if my heart

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-80437247374502082692007-07-13T18:52:00.000-07:002007-07-13T20:27:22.821-07:00

How odd is it that what is believed to be one of the most unluckiest of days of the year fell within the same week of what was supposed to be one of the luckiest days in a 100 years?Luck or no luck, I'm moving forward and have made a fantastic mix to celebrate my feeling of freedom. Like all of the mixes I make, the songs have a general theme tying them together. What is different about this

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-77657536781905266212007-07-08T20:04:00.000-07:002007-07-09T23:25:23.905-07:00

There was a lot of talk this weekend about the lucky powers 07-07-07 was to bring. I even heard from a lady this weekend that more than 43,000 people got married on Saturday just for the luck factor. Of course, I don't know the complete validity of the lady’s statement, or anything about her other than she’s a baby boomer who’s married to a man who loves to read as much as her, and neither

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-8048420284180234132007-07-03T15:50:00.000-07:002007-07-03T15:57:30.115-07:00

I've never thought of myself as a superstitious person, but on Friday I realized how much attention I give to impulse wishes made on shooting stars, yellow stop lights, and digital clocks turning to the hour of 11:11.Even though very few of these wishes have come true, at least to my knowledge, I keep making them.The impulse wish that caught my attention on Friday was made while walking to the

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-37451750593401626122007-06-28T23:18:00.000-07:002007-06-28T23:21:24.176-07:00

It wasn't until this very moment that I fully understood the saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of my life."Only, at this present moment I need to edit it a bit to say, "Tomorrow may very well be the first day of the rest of my life."

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-44654453866574574562007-06-27T18:02:00.000-07:002007-07-03T15:54:36.851-07:00

A little more than a year ago the world lost an amazingly kind-hearted man, and I lost one of my dearest friends. Pete Flitton, the goofy red-head who grew up next door to me, was the kind of man who on his death bed kept a journal of all the troubles of his family and friends. He would take this journal, and in the late hours when he couldn't sleep he would pray. He would pray for their

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-9032722353375411392007-06-26T16:29:00.000-07:002007-06-26T16:32:44.897-07:00

"When you are in doubt, be still, and wait. When doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage. So long as mists envelop you, be still. Be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists, as it surely will. Then act with courage."-Chief White Eagle of the Ponca (1800s - 1914)

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-27810496197517435782007-06-25T12:14:00.000-07:002007-07-06T13:06:38.839-07:00

I nibbled on the memory of you,but the morsel grew stale.Passion is the casualty of patience I suppose.I proceeded with caution, but here I am again.You, like the others,put words into my head,and thoughts into my voice.Scaring yourself, perhaps out of fear.I tried to un-squeak the rustiness of your heart,but it only tightened the hinges on mine.

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715721394080163674.post-27492030336177949962007-06-24T18:04:00.000-07:002007-06-26T22:45:53.113-07:00

10. Phishers and spammers.9. Pictures don't always speak a thousand words.8. People substituting e-mails and phone calls with comments.7. I like face-to-face socializing more than chatting in a world of virtual reality.6. The people I truly want in my life already know where to find me.5. Not everything is meant to be out in the open. That's why

Nessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08341939936731391906noreply@blogger.com1