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I was just thinking about how amazing my life has been, up to this point. The good stuff notwithstanding, I have had the actual experiences that other people try to capture in their fiction. My recovery, my time in jail, and my experiences traveling give me an edge in some ways over most folks. Nothing better than the real thing, IMHO.

Last July I was in jail. As the time in jail went it was OK, because I was counting days at that point in my stay. I had 60 left to go and had no idea what lay in store for me once I was released. I had a great deal of fear about the future, and my place in it. Where would I be a year from now, I mused…What are my immediate goals. I had set down 3 at that point:

1. To see Christo’s ‘The Gates’ in Central Park, in February, 2005
2. To travel to Croatia and beyond for a month in the spring of 2005.
3. To apply and be accepted to Empire State College.

My paper for ESC is almost finished, just some tweaking left and it will be done, and almost two Weeks early. I’ve sent a first draft to my friend Paul, who is a writer, just for a second set of eyes. His wife Nan is a writer as well, so maybe she’ll check it out as well. I am pretty lucky to be able to do this. These two are of a pretty high caliber, so to have them check out my writing is quite an honor.
Not much else to blather about today. I’m just grateful to be here, now, and be able to appreciate all the gifts that I’ve been given. Remember, a gift isn’t a gift until it’s been accepted by the other person. That is the other half of the contract.

So, I think on ‘Haiku Tuesday’ I’ll post some pictures of ‘The Gates’ to go along with the jailhouse haiku…Maybe I’ll take Aravis’ lead and manipulate them with some Photoshop toys. 🙂

Johnnyboy

The weather broke yesterday and opened up the skies, sending the hot, humid air packing, like a houseguest who has stayed too long. I actually used a blanket on my bed last night, which made me feel as if I was actually going to bed, instead of just lying there sweating. This change also gives me a little energy. I don’t have to fight the heat, so my brain can think of other things. The most important thing is that I need to work on my essay for Empire State College. I think that most, if not all, of the text is down, but now I have to fiddle around, edit, rewrite, and generally turn the thing into something cohesive and readable. I spoke to my sponsor and he said it would be OK if I used words like ‘alcoholism’ and ‘substance abuse’ and ‘recovery’ in the essay. He reminded me that ESC probably has more than it’s share of people, who, just like me, are restarting their lives after years of living in homemade insanities. So, once again, I am being reminded that I am not so special or unique and that honesty and forthrightness will serve me better than lying by omission or obfuscation.

It’s also supposed to be clear and cloudless today so that gives me my own car to drive and enables my mother to have her car back. She is very generous and more than happy to lend me her vehicle, but I like my own car. She has a Ford Focus Coupe, which is actually a pretty nice little car. For an automatic it drives very well and has lots of kick. It’s also very quiet and feels very small and lightweight on the road. My VW, on the other hand, is a bit noisier, weighs a ton (2200 lbs), is a standard, and feels much bigger than it is. It has plenty of get-up-and-go, but it takes more effort to get it there on the behalf of the driver. I do love it so. It’s like driving some shiny, green, tank.

So this is the kind of day to get things done before I can goof off. I have my writing, and some gardening to tend to. I have also decided to stop eating so much meat, dairy, and cow cheese. With summer here I can indulge in a lot of fresh produce and salady stuff. Beans and other pulses (the technical term for beans, peas, and lentils) make an excellent substitute for meat, and it will give me a chance to cook that brown basmati rice I’ve had for the past month. Here’s a quick recipe for a mixed salad that’s good for anytime or with anything.

1 can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, small dice
1 bunch asparagus, cut small and blanched
1 red bell pepper, small dice
1 tomato, cored, seeded, small dice
1 can of artichoke hearts, drained and in 1/4
3 cloves of garlic, minced
lots of fresh herbs, all chopped up (Simon and Garfunkel blend, plus basil)
the juice of 3 lemons
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Mix all this stuff together, let sit in the fridge for about an hour or so, give it another mix, taste it and adjust your lemon juice, olive oil (it may need more), and reseason with S/P if necessary.
Bon Apetit!

Johnnyboy