JUST AN ORANGE

Just an Orange, simply put, is sort of a blog about, well, a lot of things. I loved my Humanities 202 class in college. Maybe this is my way of revisiting it. But more than that, I just enjoy that kind of stuff. Also my brain could use the exercise of thinking about it.

This blog has been in the works for some time. Almost since the inception of Bells on Their Toes over a year and a half ago, the idea of having a place to write about things that were a little more separate from my life was intriguing and tempting. But also a little bit time consuming and tiring. Which is why it’s taken awhile to get the ball rolling. Now that my youngest is nearing nine months and my sleep to awake ratio has improved considerably, I’ve decided to take the plunge.

So what will this be exactly? Well, poetry maybe the easiest way to sum it up. Not just the kind of poetry that uses words, but poetry that requires stone, or brush strokes, or musical notes, or brain waves from both right and left hemispheres, or simply a person. But make no mistake. Plenty of word poetry. I love words. And words may be what I know best.

I fully submit to the title of Amateur (definitely a capital “A”) when it comes to these things. In other words, I reserve the right to not completely understand what I’m talking about.

My humble credentials are as follows: I have a genetic history of such things; my dad is a writer and a poet, my mother is an artist, as is my dad’s mother and her father. I grew up reading book after book under my covers in bed at night when I was supposed to be asleep. I write (you can see that). I dabble a bit with drawing and painting for fun. When I was young my dad would play records of classical music for me as I fell asleep. The music of Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin would float, or more accurately, roll down the hall from the living room and into my bedroom. (This was before my reading days.) On Saturdays I would dance in our living room to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Copeland’s Rodeo.

I continued reading (Gone With the Wind in three days). I took some piano lessons and later played the flute in my jr. high band. I majored for a while in Modern Dance in college, but switched to English, with a minor in Psych, figuring that words and analysis might last longer than the youthful body. But I miss dancing. Swan Lake is my favorite ballet. I love Martha Graham’s technique for modern dance. I got to see her company perform once. Oh heaven.

I have lived for a time in France and spent a few days in Italy loving every minute I had to explore the art and architecture around me. I followed that architectural adventure by living north of NYC for a few years, where the houses of Scarsdale etc., spoiled me forever as far as what a neighborhood should look like. Too bad, those houses are out of my price range!

I’m married to a film teacher, who also bakes bread and cake. He’s quite versatile. He’s also good for carrying on a philosophical discussion or two. He is brilliant. I am not. But sometimes I like to pretend.

So there you go. And here I go. Welcome to Just an Orange. Care for a slice?

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