Brava! Brava!
I want the experience of jogging by a group of old women as they cheer me on in a language I can’t understand - to be alert because I’m out of my element.
Domestication, Love & Creativity
I was never one for domestic pursuits. I could cook enough to not let my family starve and what I couldn’t cook was supplemented by a healthy and unhealthy (depending on my income level) dose of eating out.
I admire people who just “know” those things because all my knowledge comes from books and websites. Sitting on my kitchen shelf is Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook and a slew of cookbooks & recipes I’ve collected. I don’t know how I missed it out on those skills. Like most families, food was a central part of all our celebrations but I dont really ever remember sitting around the kitchen. Maybe my head was always in a book.
Something changed recently - maybe it’s because of a protectiveness I feel for my youngest son. I want him to feel loved, valued and secure post divorce. Maybe its because I have my own space again after a brief stint with my parents or maybe its because I fell in love. Thunderbolt love—Let’s go get a tattoo kind of love—I feel like I’ve known you forever kind of love. I have this overwhelming desire to create - cook, beautify my space, go to different places and take photos, write, develop web pages, try new careers, have a baby. Create, Create, Create.
Does love do that to people? Or am I having a pseudo mid-life crisis?
PS Happy Birthday to my mom.
BattlesFam - Pyramid Club
Odd
Need Validation?
Beyond A Reasonable Doubt
Beyond a reasonable doubt is an extremely high legal standard. It is also an ambiguous one. In the interest of impartiality, a level-headed individual will lean towards conservatism and question everything. If you question everything how difficult is it to have reasonable doubt? On the flip side, how much does personal experience creep into deliberation? If you have a potentially sympathetic jury a prosecutor would need laser focus.
In the final weeks of the trial my overwhelming sense was that Casey Anthony would walk free. All of Central Florida has been captivated. It was impossible to not find yourself in front of a TV tuned in to the testimony. I only saw snippets but the prosecution never seemed to tell the story of how Caylee actually died. Chloroform searches on computer? Hardly a smoking gun.
Anthony Baez told a clear story that people could grasp right away - Caylee drowned. The family tried to cover it up.
Short of a smoking gun, I don’t see how the prosecution could have been successful. Looking over the witness list, not one person outside the family could provide clear knowledge of what happened to Caylee. To their part, both of Casey Anthony’s parents have changed previous statements while on the witness stand for the prosecution. Liars all and no DNA evidence. How could the jury have found her guilty?
I sat on a jury once. Bright-eyed with interest I actually looked forward to the experience. It was a medical malpractice case. Earnestly I listened to all the evidence but when jury discussions began I was shocked at some of the comments about the plaintiff - she’s unattractive, do you think she’s a lesbian, what good daughter wouldn’t rush to her father’s bedside? A mild version of a scene from 12 Angry Men. On the flip, what person would want to believe that someone who looks like Casey would want to hurt someone as precious as Caylee? A great article from the Atlantic touches on that psycho-social aspect here: Why Casey Anthony Made Prime Time
We will probably never know what actually happened to Caylee Anthony. Casey Anthony and lots of people close to the case will make some cash but I don’t think you can ever really avoid karma. The Anthony family played us all but the same life skills that brought the family to this place will undo them. They obviously have learned nothing and at some point there will be an accounting. At least, I’d like to think so.
Entre Nos
Stories. Billions of stories carried around in our bodies - in the synapses in our brains, our muscles and even in our hearts.
The film Entre Nos is another of these stories and its beautiful. Mother and children, not defined by their suffering, but by the deep love and commitment they have for each other. It resonated. Despite my struggles, I have moments of beauty; in those that love me and in those that I love. I was moved. It was a great reminder and a brief escape from my own story. See it.
(Source: entrenosfilm.com)
Great afternoon exploring resorts. Stopped by Disney’s Pop Century to have a beverage at the pool bar. The spray from the aqua play area occasionally sprinkled on over. It was glorious.
Hip Hop
Our music is so bold, boastful because it is suggested all day that we are less…we need affirmations to get the lies out of our heads.
MVP
This morning I felt the best I’ve felt since the start of the new year. I have remnants of the cold that commandeered my body but I’ve been victorious enough to reclaim enough of it so that I can start thinking about Michele 2.0.
As I hopped out of bed I realized that instinctively I was going to assume the position of prayer. I felt like an athlete about to head out for a big game. I was aware that I’d need singular focus for what I want to accomplish, in the time I have but I felt hopeful, possible.
A quick moment of self-awareness that I wanted to share. I’m pleased that somehow I’ve learned the ritual of prayer to seek guidance, clarity, god’s approval for what I’m choosing.
Anyhow, shitty cliched metaphors aside, I’m hoping to make MVP.
