Sunday, June 13, 2010

Grasshopper thoughts - Vol. I, June 2010

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 http://www.blm.gov/
You're wondering what in the world 'grasshopper thoughts' are, right?  This is my way of describing how my mind works.  If you've been outside on a hot summer day, walking through a field, then you know that grasshoppers possess a remarkable ability to jump in the most bizarre, unexpected ways and angles seconds before you walk upon their location.  This is how my brain activity functions.  I have several blogging friends who label these blog posts things like "Popcorn Posts" (Anahid Boghosian's Fireside Moments) and Pleasantly Disturbed thoughts (Duane Scott).  These posts happen when we writerly types have a slew of thoughts that don't really settle into one nice, cohesive, smoothly communicated line of prose. 

As I admit that I am, at times, more serious than I need to be, I decided after a couple of conversations with the two friends mentioned above that I would adopt this format and make it unique to me.  You may enjoy the disjointed thoughts that take sudden, quirky jumps in a completely unexpected direction, only to fly off at another bizarre angle moments later.  You may not like this format at all - I just know that I'm enjoying the sheer freedom this concept provides, so here goes...the first Grasshopper Thoughts epistle!

Golden raisins - who, other than myself, is a fan of these little jewels?  Do many even realize they exist, overshadowed by the more traditional dark raisins?  Golden raisins are actually called Sultanas, a fact I just learned by going to my old friend, Wikipedia. Take a moment to click on the link and learn some fascinating information! I just happen to prefer these golden lovelies because they're not so overpoweringly strong in flavor and lend themselves to various foods better than the darker raisin variety.


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 http://www.galtmuseum.com/
Spinning wool into thread - I just have to wonder about this one.  Who was it that was musing in the fields of sheep one fine day and decided, "I do believe I'll shear those critters, do complicated things to the wool and even more complicated processes to produce this thin filament and call it 'thread'!"  Whomever this intrepid soul was, my hat is off to him/her.  This then makes me ponder the next thing in line, which is who came up with the concept and design of the spinning wheel.  See what I mean?  A typical grasshopper line of thought.

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 of Bing Images
Dark chocolate & raspberries w/ salt.  Need I say more?  I think there is no more sublime a combination than melted dark chocolate - of at least 80% pure cacao - and ripe raspberries with a sprinkling of sea salt.  I'm not really a sweets eater as a general rule, but when I do want something sweet, this is it. 



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 http://www.tclawnservices.com/
Honeysuckle mornings....ahh, nothing better!  You are not reading the blog of a true Morning Person, just know that right here and now.  On the rare occasion that I'm up with daybreak, it is generally due to the fact that I've been on a writing jag through the night and haven't gone to bed yet.  This post is being written in the midst of June 2010 and East Tennessee is in the grips of an early, hot summer.  Humidity is thick enough to cut with a knife, stealing oxygen from the air we breathe, stifling the lungs as we step outside.  In the wee hours of dawn, however, that same humidity coaxes delicate, heady fragrance from the honeysuckle that climbs the hill behind my patio.  I sit, eyes closed and breathe the fragrance in as I listen to the day awakening around me....and my heart is still....my mind, for a brief moment at least....calmed from grasshopper thoughts....temporarily.

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http://www.cpsqdp.com/
Mascara - it's all about the brush, people.  Ladies, I have no doubt that you get this immediately.  Gentlemen, I doubt you get it at all and that you probably don't care to learn!  For those of you who worship cosmetics with gleeful abandon (I'm guilty, yet proud to be in this sisterhood), you know that perfect brush is the secret to long, full, curled-just-right eyelashes.  I am on an eternal hunt for the next best creation, but I always come back to a tried and true favorite.  Thankfully, it is one that has a cult following and has been on the market for close to twenty years, so I believe I am safe from the dreaded "DISCONTINUED" disease that is rampant in high end cosmetics!

I declare this to be as good a point as any to stop with my grasshopper journey.  Never fear, this will be a continuing post.  I'll be curious to see how it is received and how many of you out there have similar jumbled thoughts running through your minds at any given moment!  There is absolutely no unifying theme or purpose here, other than to jot down my thoughts as these topics flit with maniacal grasshopper gymnastics along the fringes of my conscious mind. 

I think it's healthy to give these grasshopper thoughts voice - I'm sure, in fact, that my gray matter is probably breathing a silent sigh of relief that I'm bestowing some semblance of order here.  Yes, I know...our brains don't breathe sighs of relief, per se.  Which brings up a grasshopper thought......to be continued in Vol. I, Part II....

16 comments:

  1. I for one would not consider you to have "grasshopper thoughts." You would know though. My mind woks in a way that it just bounces around with random thoughts most of the day. Perhaps I should just embrace that and go with it.
    Oh yea, when we were little tykes we would go about in the yard and catch those little critters with our shoe boxes in hand with grass in them, and of course the lids along with us so they wouldn't escape the new home we had created for them. We always eventually let them go. Hey. Maybe that was a grasshopper thought.
    Keep on writing the way you are, and I'm sure you will, as for this Janie girl always looks forward to reading what you've written next. I'm waiting for someone to discover this great talent in you. Janie

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  2. One more thing, I'm always looking for "that perfect mascara." The commercials on t.v. give me a false sense of hope that maybe this one is it! My favorite in years gone by was the mascara made my Lancome. Too expensive for me now so it's to the drug store or Walmart I go. My question is, have you found one? You keep going back to the same one, so that must be it! ;) janie

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  3. Hey Janie-girl! Perhaps this is the real truth of the matter...that we ALL have Grasshopper Thoughts! I kind of like that concept, as it lets me know I'm not in a minority of people with zig-zagging thoughts constantly swirling in my noggin! I know I enjoyed writing this one and allowing a different sense of writing freedom to wash through me - it was pure, unadulterated FUN. So, yes, indeedy, I shall continue to "write the way I am"...I LOVED that comment of yours! Plus, you have discovered me, along w/ so many other lovely souls & that enriches my life. I hope, along with you, that the discovery grows to published levels in the literary world. Thank you for believing in me.

    ~ Dawn

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  4. Janie, the one that I keep returning to is an affordable drugstore brand. L'Oreal Lash Out in black/brown. The brush is thick and dense, so it separates my long lashes and makes them look fuller. The ones w/ the brushes that have wide, spiral gaps in the fibers make my lashes clump. I want the nice, fanned out, full look! Check L'Oreal Lash Out out and let me know what you think!

    ~ Dawn

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  5. I love this because there are days that my thoughts are like monkeys swinging from one branch to another!
    Hmmm dark chocolates, salt and raspberries... divine and could finish a whole box full!
    Mascara or make up never use it so there goes my thoughts on that!
    I love it when my monkeys jump.... as they keep me on my toes!
    Nice to know I am human!

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  6. YogaSavy, it appears we do all, indeed have this same thought process - we just label it different and entertaining names. I love it! We are all more similar than we would imagine if we take a moment to be genuine and lighthearted. Monkeys, grasshoppers, popcorn and ADD moments...these are the traits which make each of us sparkle in a unique manner, yes? Namaste', my friend.

    ~ Dawn

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  7. Already going to be one of my favorite posts... :) the thread... Now I gotta do some research. Lol

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  8. *L*...it was fun to write! Fun also to brainstorm back and forth on the similarities for both of us. Stay tuned for future installments!

    Dawn

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  9. Enjoyed your visit today .... will be back to see where that grasshopper jumps next!

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  10. S. Etole, this is one of the beauties of blogging - how we find such fascinating, talented writers and artists out there! I consider us well met, my new friend, and I hope you enjoy my grasshopper moments in the future as much as I enjoy your own creativity.

    ~ Dawn

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  11. Dawn, I really enjoyed this. I also like the name you decided to give to these kinds of post. :) Golden raisins are pretty awesome. Although I tend to like raisins in general so I'm not too picky. I love eating the golden ones with walnuts, they go really well together. Lol @ the spinning wheel. The things the mind thinks up when we let it wander. Great post as always! :)

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  12. Anahid, now I'm hungry for walnuts & golden raisins! I'm glad you liked my version and spin on the concept. I enjoyed the process of just giving free rein to my blazing jumble of thoughts; it was curiously freeing to just write a post of mini-topics like this. I've promised myself to do these at least once a month to 'clean house' and be completely lighthearted with my writing. Someday, sister, we'll sit down to a meal together that features golden raisins, I'm sure of it!

    ~ Dawn

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  13. Hi Dawn, Love your blog!! I really like the way you think, we are wired in similar ways with a lot of things and I will check out your blog bit by bit. Glad you enjoyed my little blog, too. Also, glad you are having fun on Lookville,where we can enjoy looking at beautiful and interesting clothing and write about it!! What a combo....clothes and writing. More later!! Blessings to you and yours,
    Wendy Williams redvelvetdresses.blogspot.com

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  14. I'm totally sad that you didn't mention my Potpourri posts. In fact, I think I'm going to sit in the corner and cry...

    *sob sob sob sob*

    Ok, with that done, great idea! I love these "little" posts with multiple thoughts in them. It's the sign of a truly active mind, one that journeys down all the various tributaries from the river that is our mind...all at once!

    Great job with your first one.

    Now, off to come up with a better title for mine...

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  15. Wendy, thank you for stopping by to check out my blog in return! I daresay most people have this type of mental process going on with grasshopper thought activity; writers are just the ones who pause, take notes and then throw it out there for the world to enjoy. It's definitely fun to discover another like minded new friend who shares so many interests, so I look forward to getting to know you via blogging, fashion and more!

    Dave, my apologies - I haven't run across one of your Potpourri posts lately. I've been a bit reticent of late in visiting all the blogs that I follow. I'm glad you enjoyed this post and as I mentioned to Wendy above, I'm not surprised you have similar thoughts. The fun part of this type of post is the license to visit interesting little thoughts that might not otherwise 'grow up to be singular blog posts'. I find it a refreshing exercise that lightens my writing approach. Thanks for stopping by!

    Namaste',
    Dawn

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  16. Dawn, don't worry about it. I was teasing you. :) I haven't done one in a few weeks, so it's not a surprise that you've missed them anyway.

    I've only done three. :)

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