950 words. Approximate reading time: 4 minutes, 45 seconds.

There is a spice rack on my kitchen counter, comprised of eleven glass jars suspended by twelve metal hooks arranged in a four-by-three grid. Each jar is unlabelled, and each jar (including the missing twelfth jar, I assume) is filled with expired spices and covered in a thin layer of dust ( Read more... )

369 words. Approximate reading time: 1 minute, 50 seconds.

Do you remember
The first time we crawled through
Your bedroom window
To sit on the roof?
We played Emmylou Harris
On your cheap turntable
And watched the people
Playing tennis across the street.

We didn’t talk much,
Just sat and listened and watched.
Emmylou may have
Stumbled into Grace,
( Read more... )

1,989 words. Approximately 9 minutes, 56 seconds.

When I was a junior in high school, my father’s company decided to cease operations in their Atlanta branch. Because my father was a valuable employee of the company, he was offered his choice of branches to relocate to. One of the choices would have sent us to Fort Worth, Texas; one of the choices ( Read more... )

I had mentioned, in one of my personal posts, that I was looking for ways to get myself to continue to write, post-Idol. My understanding is that another mini-season is coming up soon, in the vein of what I had talked about wanting to see from Idol: basically a series of exhibition matches, where no one is eliminated and everyone just writes.

I've ( Read more... )

2,100 words. Approximately 10 minutes, 30 seconds. Audio version here.

I know that I’m supposed to do free writing by longhand, but I don’t really have a notebook or anything that I can write in, so I’m doing it through the computer screen. Does that work as well? Is there some magic inherent in writing it out longhand? I know that it’s definitely ( Read more... )

1,157 words. Approximately 5 minutes, 47 seconds. Audio version here.

Can we talk about closed captions for a second? They really are an amazing and wonderful thing, and even though they were designed for those that are deaf or hard-of-hearing (of which I am neither, although my husband might say I’m hard-of-hearing since he will frequently say ( Read more... )

1,829 words. Approximately 9 minutes, 8 seconds. Audio version here.

It’s a funny thing, putting yourself out there. Wait, did I say “funny?” I meant “terrifying.” Throughout my life, I’ve been trying to find ways to put myself out there, but I’ve always been too afraid to really go for it. I’ve told myself time and time again that no one wants to ( Read more... )

Re-do of Week 0, Introduction. 1,202 words. Approximately 6 minutes, 0 seconds. Audio version here.

“Portfolio.” Can you imagine any word more hideously caustic to all of your senses? Just me? Okay, fine.

The word “portfolio” brings up strong memories for me; it brings me back to my time in college, and to the time when I completely spiraled into ( Read more... )

193 words. Approximately 57 seconds. Audio version here.

When I am alone,
I create reality.
Unshackled by the mass delusion,
I am free to let myself decide

Where spirit and matter meet,
Where the heart of the tree beats,
Where I can find a kernel of truth
That will grow, if nurtured.

Misheard song lyrics
Repeat themselves in my mind.
I find myself ( Read more... )

1,310 words. Approximately 6 minutes, 33 seconds. Audio version here.

Did you know that there are places where you can actually buy and sell houses entirely online? I knew that you could do that with cars (I actually did get my car that way, which is why I'm such an expert), but I had no idea that you could do that with houses. I found out this ( Read more... )