tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62634051910763438212024-03-20T03:38:08.432-04:00Laura Puts Out...pictures, words, ideas"When you’re a kid you can spend four hours or more concentrating on nothing but the fantasy you’re putting together. That never happens again in your life unless you’re a painter." Juan Iturrialaura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-70611180271749979462016-08-07T16:20:00.000-04:002016-08-07T16:20:07.195-04:00BLOND BITCH<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nGd0JVWgnKVGITI8e1yoYjPFqTevgJ8tFsLBqJVZN6OMk4pOkywVyo2KIhmSs0-nGwXhBHkzDIUeC5xVSHLSSBFBz1_CACnR4EhwFzfR-lgNWZa0euXemGdsINeYHXcctNXg0GFij_u4/s1600/CTosca.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nGd0JVWgnKVGITI8e1yoYjPFqTevgJ8tFsLBqJVZN6OMk4pOkywVyo2KIhmSs0-nGwXhBHkzDIUeC5xVSHLSSBFBz1_CACnR4EhwFzfR-lgNWZa0euXemGdsINeYHXcctNXg0GFij_u4/s400/CTosca.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16pt;">Tosca was my blond bitch, lighter on her feet than the color
of her fur. I rescued her one winter night, shivering at the feet of two gypsy
men sharing a cigarette outside a circus in Jerusalem. The circus performance,
which a friend and I had attended, had been a seedy affair, the acrobats and
performers as ragged and dusty as their faltering tent. Depressed by the show
and the grim winter night’s cold, we were heading toward the bus stop when we
heard the men falling into a loud argument. We turned to see them landing a
beating on the dog with each rant.</span><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">“Hey!” I screamed, stopping in my own tracks. “Don’t </span><i><span style="font-family: "arial italic"; font-size: 16.0pt;">do</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> that to
the dog!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The men gawked at me, uncomprehending neither my English nor
reason for fury. In their world a dog was no better than a rat, and they would
just as soon have lit the animal’s tail on fire as ignite their cigarettes. I
ran toward the convulsing creature, grabbed her up into my arms, and lurched
off in search of a cab. The ride home cost nearly my entire week’s salary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">This occurred in the fall of 1971, after my return to Israel
following a life three years earlier on Kibbutz Tzorah, where I’d experienced
that agricultural outpost as a spiritual playground. Kibbutz life had
reawakened a tomboy self long lost in the girl who’d arrived a shy academic.
I’d spent my days there in mud-kicking work boots and shorts, pruning trees in
the peach, plum, and persimmon orchards, breakfasting on Turkish coffee and
blood oranges, and flirting like a sun-baked version of my childhood hero,
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Aside from the constant murmur of complaining and
joking, the only sound that disturbed the quiet of that desert orchard was the
brief, of a tinny-bright train whistle
at the orchard’s perimeter. The train could have been no longer than five cars,
for, by the time the sound of the whistle had sailed off into the sky, the
tracks were empty. Every day I wondered where the train went and who was riding
on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">In comparison with the air of hope in Israel following its
victory in the ’67 war, the despairing political climate of the U.S. made
infused me with an unfamiliar optimism. For while I was happily moving
irrigation pipes, the U.S. was exploding: Robert Kennedy and Medger Evers,
assassinated; Washington in flames; riots and bomb threats; anti-Viet Nam
protests; students shot dead at Kent State university. I saw no reason to
return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">But, reluctantly, I had to finish college. This new life in
Jerusalem was my return – I found a job as an international correspondent at
the Israel Museum and an unusually spacious apartment. The six-day work week in
an orchard and a six-day work week in an office, even if it was in a museum
with a sculpture garden designed by Isamu Noguchi and exquisite collections of
Ashanti gold figures. Even if. Even oif. Even if… With November came chilling
rain. The spacious rooms with their twelve-foot ceilings and stone floors –
perfect for keeping out desert heat, but the familiar, but unidentified effects
of clinical depression. my spirits as gray as the dulling skies. Thus, when a
friend suggested we spend an evening at the circus, I jumped at the invitation.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Jerusalem sits on a hilltop, and its winters then were cold
enough for snow. The only heater -- a small kerosene stove -- radiated a circle
of warmth no wider than four feet. Even curled up in bed with the dog, whom I’d
named Tosca, I could never get warm. Some nights I awakened to find snowflakes
drifting around my head. On those occasions, Tosca would have worked open the
French doors to stand outside on the terrace listening, looking, sniffing in
the muted night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">My new blond girl took to her new surroundings with an
alacrity that far surpassed my own adjustment to transplantation. She bounded
with happiness on our walks, her ears perked, her tail high. Tosca seemed to
grow healthier by the day, and within a week or two, her scrawny silhouette
grew round. I congratulated myself on my nurturing. Then it became evident that
Tosca was pregnant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Until the last days of her pregnancy, she was ready at any
moment for play. Then her eyelids began to hang as heavy as her laden teats,
giving her a look of savage sadness. She walked with the tentative step of a
recovering invalid, each paw meeting the floor with deliberation. Then, the
pups were sprung from her womb. Within days her step was reignited, and once
again she was ready to fly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">With the promise of spring in the air and Tosca liberated
from her pups, which had found homes through a vet, I decided to take us both
on an outing -- a visit to Tzorah. My spirits would be refreshed, and Tosca
could run unleashed and exultant. It was Sabbath, of course, the country’s one
day of rest. We drove with a friend from Tzorah, also now living in Jerusalem,
and my heart did, in fact, soar at the vision of the familiar vineyards and
trees and campus. Tosca was practically eating the air in excitement. We
strolled toward my old quarters and down familiar allees. I recognized friends from the orchard.
Passing one of them on the path, I anticipated the offering of a fond hello.
Instead, he gestured at Tosca and spat toward me a few unpleasant words in
Hebrew. Turning back toward the dining hall, I was again greeted with hostile
glances or remarks. Finally, I realized that, never actually seen a dog on the
kibbutz during all the time I’d lived there, perhaps they weren’t so
welcome. I’d assumed Tosca would be
looked upon with the same affection as dogs in America, but discovered instead
a prevailing pioneer attitude: “We work too hard surviving to be wasting attention
on animals.” I led Tosca toward the car, wishing that this time </span><i><span style="font-family: "arial italic"; font-size: 16.0pt;">she</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> could
scoop </span><i><span style="font-family: "arial italic"; font-size: 16.0pt;">me</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> into her
arms to run away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Summer approached. Tosca, playful and grown beautiful,
flourished; I, on the other hand, was steadily diminishing. By fall, I realized
I simply couldn’t face another punishing winter or more cultural
disappointments. The weight of transplantation had became too much for my
emotionally skeletal constitution. But to consider leaving Israel was to
contemplate abandoning Tosca. I would have to find her a new home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">I placed a classified ad in the </span><i><span style="font-family: "arial italic"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Jerusalem Post</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">, and a
family living outside of Haifa responded. They had a small farm, they told me,
and Tosca would have plenty of land across which to run. I was advised to bring
her to Haifa by train where they would meet me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">I was a wreck. I was leaving my dog. I was leaving Israel,
again. I was back to wandering. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The only requirement for the train trip was that Tosca wear
a muzzle. I packed her favorite toys and the chewed up sweater she like to
sleep with. She was allowed to sit with me. She was calmer than I was. In fact,
she looked out the window as if truly curious about where we were going. Half
an hour out of Jerusalem, I began to notice familiar terrain. Date palms,
artichoke fields. Then orchards. Peach, plum, persimmon. The train whistle
blew. I knew where we were and who we were. Who were the people on the train and
who, I then wondered, might be listening for us from the orchards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-36838618818018072312015-03-15T13:07:00.000-04:002017-02-28T17:59:16.746-05:00WRITER'S LIGHT: HOW RADICAL WRITING WAS DELIVERED TO THE PAGE in MICHAEL GRAVES' HOUSE<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>1016</o:Words>
<o:Characters>5796</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>48</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>11</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>7117</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>12</o:Words>
<o:Characters>73</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>89</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "goudy";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0TkMKX_DB0p1syDDwoXBa7aRdSMyt4ygY2wqvieSQz42GEGA5VwfeU5QE2sK-5o3Y3IGokvzPRJm03GB_k35-bWSh0cJHLN94V0RibwBkBDHXnRSDj4vxyumDKgRH6h75xq1c_c_-jmW/s1600/BMichael+Graves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0TkMKX_DB0p1syDDwoXBa7aRdSMyt4ygY2wqvieSQz42GEGA5VwfeU5QE2sK-5o3Y3IGokvzPRJm03GB_k35-bWSh0cJHLN94V0RibwBkBDHXnRSDj4vxyumDKgRH6h75xq1c_c_-jmW/s1600/BMichael+Graves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "goudy";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">In the
summer of 1996 I sat down to assemble the material that would become <i>Radical
Writing</i></span><span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">, today an
online course in the revelatory power of self-expression. A compilation of my
life’s work of creativity, self-exploration, and metaphysics, the project
required a level of concentration I knew I wouldn’t be able to achieve in my
everyday surroundings, distracted by animals, friends, art work, and the
minutiae of ordinary responsibility. I needed remove. I needed my own private
Yaddo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">With one
phone call – to Michael Graves, a longtime friend – I
secured the ideal retreat: his own house. Michael’s star at the time was still
in the ascendant, his image, his work, his words ubiquitous in the worlds of
international architecture and cultural power. He traveled among the pantheon
of star architects in a moment of recent history philosophically obsessed with
style. He had broken early from the Modernist pack and, radical for the times,
became a lightening rod for his controversial<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reintroduction of color (not beige?!), classical form, and
narrative<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>into contemporary design.
It was the hot topic of the 1980s and 90s, and Michael was peripatetically
designing, drawing, lecturing, writing books, having exhibitions, teaching at
Princeton, making appearances, and sustaining his practice. In 1982 he won a
competition to design a municipal building in Portland, Oregon (Philip Johnson
was a juror and supporter) which is widely considered to be the first built
example of postmodern architecture. It is a broad-shouldered office block set
atop a two-story base with pilasters, keystones and other elements of classical
architecture blown up to almost cartoonish size and used to decorate the
exterior of the upper floors. Ironnically, for an architect, he is perhaps best
known popularly for the teapot he designed, first for Alessi and then for
Target. A little bird sits at the tip of the spout and sings when the water
boils (its progenitor, an Art Deco era teapot he found at a flea market, still
sits on a kitchen counter).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">While
Michael traveled (constantly), he sometimes allowed friends to stay at his
house. Among them was Fran Lebowitz, the writer/raconteur. Fran suffers from
noise phobias and likes to get out of Manhattan when she has to concentrate.
Unfortunately, she claims that even the leaves falling in Michael’s garden were
too great a disturbance. My timing in asking if could come for a stay was
lucky. Michael was leaving the country for several weeks, and his entire house,
he told me, could be mine for the duration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The house,
known as The Warehouse, was constructed as a storage facility in 1926 by the
Italian stonemasons who built Princeton University. Michael had moved into <span style="color: #462f25;">the "ruin of a building" </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the 1970s, needing a place to live
after a divorce. An Italophile, he <span style="color: #462f25;">was struck with
how the building resembled a Tuscan barn --<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rugged, a tough building whose strength appealed even though
it had no plumbing, no heating or cooling, bad wiring, and a seriously leaking
roof.</span> He renovated room by room, year after year, “living <span style="color: #462f25;">like a student", </span>extemporaneously within the
small rooms as it evolved. By the time of my encampment, the 7,000 SF of raw
space had become a gracious villa with a wisteria-covered terrace,
double-height library, and rooms furnished with blond Biedermeier tables, desks
and chairs, silk embroidered rugs, polished wood floors, Art Deco kitchenware,
and walls hung with paintings and drawings. Equally satisfying, the rooms were
filled by day with sunlight and a soft, quiet darkness by night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtjMtlB6WO0dJEmS_H-mO72HjF9lCrhj2ySHX46VweDwyxX7Uulipl_GSIP0yhvqk5uIQa0dbiBfFxWE-Rwjmu0pT6GtDm-PUuHZebE1GxlCnH277zPTaZ-HvS5id8CQ1YkfsYxZxBhRv/s1600/5_LivingRoom1-MB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtjMtlB6WO0dJEmS_H-mO72HjF9lCrhj2ySHX46VweDwyxX7Uulipl_GSIP0yhvqk5uIQa0dbiBfFxWE-Rwjmu0pT6GtDm-PUuHZebE1GxlCnH277zPTaZ-HvS5id8CQ1YkfsYxZxBhRv/s1600/5_LivingRoom1-MB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The term
for the individual glass panes comprising French doors and windows is “divided
lights.” The Warehouse is a gentle prism of skylights and divided lights. I
located my sleeping sanctuary in a second-floor bedroom with north-, east, and
west-facing French windows. Downstairs, I established my writing desk in the
breakfast room, under a two-story-high skylight bathed for hours a day in a
shadowless ambiance. This was fortunate: the work I was doing centered on
revelatory self-expression, including the deep shadow of the psyche. The
atmosphere literally kept me alight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6CLeoLptawM_2WVhf_ZJd0IIPEsYASruhM0jxquj8LoA7M4_IeQ18EvMzfrycgnac7P780d9a5TnG_e56_clr1Xud8vuVcfrMnIhoscHyJPectcMSqbAFyiQ_z0QNcOLEGcIWCz3jMi9/s1600/duo-231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6CLeoLptawM_2WVhf_ZJd0IIPEsYASruhM0jxquj8LoA7M4_IeQ18EvMzfrycgnac7P780d9a5TnG_e56_clr1Xud8vuVcfrMnIhoscHyJPectcMSqbAFyiQ_z0QNcOLEGcIWCz3jMi9/s1600/duo-231.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">From the
light of the rooms of The Warehouse and out onto the tree-filled surroundings,
I felt bathed in dappled illumination. The lot on which Warehouse is located
adjoins a park. A stroll though it brings you to the Graves office. The Joyce
Kilmer National Forest is also nearby and, I came to see how, truly, that poet
had it right. No poem is as lovely as Princeton’s trees – willows bending like
ballerinas <i>en reverence</i></span><span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">, statuesque elms, and centuries old poplars and oaks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">As my work
progressed, I grew nomadic, moving with my laptop from one room, one corner,
one chair, one window to another. Each location provided a different surge of
energy or soothing of spirit. When the weight of thoughts and meanings grew too
heavy, I sought the leafy canopy of the garden outside the kitchen. When I
needed animation, I sat under the wisiteria-twined pergola to enjoy the parade
of linear shadows cast by an allee of sycamores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">By the end
of my stay, I’d accomplished all I’d intended. <i>Radical Writing </i></span><span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">was born – the structure formulated,
the tone established, my confidence intact. Now the heat of composition lay
ahead. The subtropical Miami light that filled my own house was well suited for
that. Still, it was hard to leave The Warehouse. For weeks I’d been pampered
with a light so quiet, even Fran Lebowitz, I thought, could try it again. I had
been drinking in the grace of quiet illumination, and I was grateful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">In
2003 Michael was overtaken by a meningitis-like infection that ate away at his
spine and left him paralyzed from the chest down. Still, he managed to lecture,
make appearances, and nominally participate in his practice. He became a
leading voice calling for reform in healthcare design (arguing that hospitals
and medical products were not just thoughtlessly made but often soul-sapping
for patients). He was a superb visual artist and had sketched continuously t<span style="color: #262626;">hroughout his life (as a boy, his mother would have him
“come out and draw” for company as a kind of “performance”). Throughout his
illness, </span>he continued to spend much of his time painting (gouache landscapes
and portraits of his young son) and drawing.<span style="color: #262626;">
"Whether I was paralyzed or not, I would draw, because drawing for me is
like playing the piano," he told CNN. "You've got to keep practicing,
got to keep doing it. It's not that you lose it, but you don't draw as well if
you don't draw every day."</span> Like writing. Like <i>Radical Writing</i></span><span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Michael
Graves passed away in 2014 at the age of 80. He died “suddenly and
peacefully” at home. I take comfort knowing that he spent his last days in The Warehouse. Where else could he have been so surrounded by familiar
beauty and the blessings of writer’s light. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9-nzETr_TEafm_RTJ_ie8qw3l3xs7vFOer0yFGLqfMFqPp13zRkLL9ZrI6-WAyPYOcWxZCpolVLaoARGT2RcAIVJiwSVVUinThHifsx3wzE3zKJUFulwjwAjpLUWFXcxW3d3JU56lu6Y/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9-nzETr_TEafm_RTJ_ie8qw3l3xs7vFOer0yFGLqfMFqPp13zRkLL9ZrI6-WAyPYOcWxZCpolVLaoARGT2RcAIVJiwSVVUinThHifsx3wzE3zKJUFulwjwAjpLUWFXcxW3d3JU56lu6Y/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a></div>
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">http://michaelgraves.com/portfolio/the-warehouse-graves-residence/</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 21px;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "goudy"; font-size: 16.0pt;">http://www.aptonline.org/catalog.nsf/vLinkTitle/MICHAEL+GRAVES+THE+WAREHOUSE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-74458780422475322892014-08-07T14:19:00.001-04:002014-08-07T14:19:50.835-04:00KNOW THE TRUTH AND SET YOUR BODY FREE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBskOHSznKLxdlZXLFnFvfBBziGKBNd9BXK437Nj_k6U31eqbU9Pu9_ykJMkVdFY1UvuzX5aoa0ARefPvuM_QZzj-hUIWHZ45tUq57FXrGGJ-0bnp4BRaA-WbvFQJtEibmCq9NKF9S3zZa/s1600/547957_3684292825119_1645033662_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBskOHSznKLxdlZXLFnFvfBBziGKBNd9BXK437Nj_k6U31eqbU9Pu9_ykJMkVdFY1UvuzX5aoa0ARefPvuM_QZzj-hUIWHZ45tUq57FXrGGJ-0bnp4BRaA-WbvFQJtEibmCq9NKF9S3zZa/s1600/547957_3684292825119_1645033662_n.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Laura Cerwinske, 2011</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>19</o:Words>
<o:Characters>110</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>135</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><b>ANGER, SORROW, ACHES AND
PAINS?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><b>HOW RADICAL WRITING CAN REVEAL – AND HEAL --<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>YOUR PHYSICAL BODY</b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>507</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2894</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>24</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3554</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">In
a beautiful college commencement speech several years ago, the
entrepreneur-turned-environmentalist Paul Hawken offered these profound and
inspiring words. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 13.0pt;"><i>The
first living cell came into being nearly 40 million centuries ago, and its
direct descendants are in all of our bloodstreams. Literally you are breathing
molecules this very second that were inhaled by Moses, Mother Teresa, and Bono.
We are vastly interconnected. Our fates are inseparable. We are here because
the dream of every cell is to become two cells. And dreams come true. In each
of you are one quadrillion cells, 90 percent of which are not human cells. Your
body is a community, and without those other microorganisms you would perish in
hours. Each human cell has 400 billion molecules conducting millions of
processes between trillions of atoms. The total cellular activity in one human
body is staggering: one septillion actions at any one moment, a one with
twenty-four zeros after it. In a millisecond, our body has undergone ten times
more processes than there are stars in the universe, which is exactly what
Charles Darwin foretold when he said science would discover that each living
creature was a "little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating
organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars of heaven."<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">From
this we are reminded that the healing process, an idiosyncratic manifestation
of physical, emotional, and spiritual energies, is as unpredictable and
individual as it is exquisitely organized. Healing can begin at any site of
mind or body and at any point in the cycle of Creation and dis-integration. Any
puncture or “hole” in our well-being—whether physical, emotional, or
spiritual—leaks life force from our <i>whole </i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">being. By restoring any aspect of our
being, we increase our wholeness, that is, improve our integrity, our health.
In metaphysical terms, to make whole is to make holy, and to make holy is to
heal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>A
Course in Miracles </i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">teaches that “Healing is always certain. It is impossible to let
illusions be brought to truth and keep the illusions,” The creative writing course RADICAL WRITING</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"> guides us in identifying not only the underlying sources of
our anger, sorrow, aches and pains, but also give us a means to safely bring
them to light and heal. When the teacher and medical intuitive Caroline Myss </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">was asked during an
interview on the subject of health and healing about why people heal and why
they don’t, she responded,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Have
you ever thought about the role of truth when it comes to healing? How can a
dishonest person heal?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;">RADICAL WRITING is</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Arial Bold'; font-size: 21px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"> designed for exploring the subconscious to find the </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“truths that
set us free.”</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Through these guided creative writing courses, we learn exactly
where within our bodies unresolved emotions reside and what messages specific
pains, discomforts, or other physical reactions are sending us. This awareness
informs us about how we habitually project past feelings onto present
situations and what our bodies do to protect us from feeling them.</span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Arial Bold'; font-size: 16pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Arial Bold'; font-size: 16pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">To
consciously deal with feelings, we can either write about them to see where the
discomfort leads, or we can write about how unprepared we feel to deal with
them. It is perfectly acceptable to be physically or emotionally unable to
handle a subject. It is not bad, wrong, or a failure of any kind because it is
simply the truth of our position at that moment. And that very truth, in and of
itself, is liberating...and therefore healing.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Arial Bold'; font-size: 16pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Arial Bold'; font-size: 16pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Arial Bold'; font-size: 16pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Learn more: http://www.radicalwriting.com</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Arial Bold'; font-size: 16pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">and see Laura's earlier blogs on writing, creativity, and healing here</span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-28451436822433045662014-07-30T12:35:00.000-04:002014-07-30T12:35:20.141-04:00A YEAR WITHOUT HIM<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
WHEN PUBLISHING LEGEND J-C SUARES DIED A YEAR AGO, </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A TREASURE OF CREATIVITY VANISHED FROM OUR LIVES</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxN2O14IffA9o6OpAnj13utFiyiWhAkVmM48bw2Axhu4S4VUyVZUJjZMGFYg7GcK630qiOI6Fxb_Fo8-f7f77gAJMoAAbIG1sqwI9sWK4Ct_iBlHV6hkS5iMcYz0l7BnvE6mHNUXJ_nhlH/s1600/pics.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxN2O14IffA9o6OpAnj13utFiyiWhAkVmM48bw2Axhu4S4VUyVZUJjZMGFYg7GcK630qiOI6Fxb_Fo8-f7f77gAJMoAAbIG1sqwI9sWK4Ct_iBlHV6hkS5iMcYz0l7BnvE6mHNUXJ_nhlH/s1600/pics.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>110</o:Words>
<o:Characters>632</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>5</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>776</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The cartoons not sketched.
The books not created. The laughs not shared. The toasts not made. The
obscenities not thrown. The jokes not cracked. The rages not stormed. The
languages not spoken. The food not savored. The drinks not poured. The cigars
not smoked. The clothes not tailored. The cars not bought. The antiques not
acquired. The art not admired. The dogs not ruffed. The cats not scratched. The
horses not ridden. The polo not played. The rounds not boxed. The music not relished.
The home not loved. The family not gathered. The friends not called. The
insecurities not hidden. The kisses not thrown. The admiration not showered.
The love not made. The wife not adored. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The disbelief still fresh. The sorrow we
still feel. It’s been a year without him.</span><!--EndFragment-->
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZSCtk1r6JwReQlvNcd0EfG5Yn9QKJ_elgdyyWQvSPG5644f7CGkGK9omN7gKXgwilzUr7kepbThc70-cYAObftDEOiel2Up9rZaBgu20FWXZu7sx6Z1BnoffCFTG-p-_mnOiOic8p6D1/s1600/jc_suares1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZSCtk1r6JwReQlvNcd0EfG5Yn9QKJ_elgdyyWQvSPG5644f7CGkGK9omN7gKXgwilzUr7kepbThc70-cYAObftDEOiel2Up9rZaBgu20FWXZu7sx6Z1BnoffCFTG-p-_mnOiOic8p6D1/s1600/jc_suares1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-72260241429924026162014-07-24T11:22:00.000-04:002014-07-24T11:22:19.871-04:00ANGER, SORROW, ACHES AND PAINS?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Bold";">HOW
WRITING REVEALS THE POWER </span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Bold";">OF
YOUR EMOTIONS </span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Bold";">TO
SHAPE YOUR ANATOMY</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkkSur8_llO9pSebkPi00G_spuowof1Bdxk1QX-xWsYTNgUFX3XxxqWqQm7F-MMSYodPb3iGn8P55xh1GMgehA15fNjeDibdwcIyAqND3yRJE8ly9M8QOhJa8G5LuYrS-0A3vox5cf56X/s1600/writeanguish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkkSur8_llO9pSebkPi00G_spuowof1Bdxk1QX-xWsYTNgUFX3XxxqWqQm7F-MMSYodPb3iGn8P55xh1GMgehA15fNjeDibdwcIyAqND3yRJE8ly9M8QOhJa8G5LuYrS-0A3vox5cf56X/s1600/writeanguish.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Bold";"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Bold"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Bold";"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Italic";">The nervous system is the ultimate
anatomical vehicle </span></i></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Italic";">of consciousness, the channel for all
feeling and thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Italic";">It gathers all sense impressions.</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Italic";">Caroline Myss</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Every
thought or feeling you have, every behavior you act out requires a specific
biochemical combination formed in the brain. Your attitude – positive,
negative, or indifferent -- designs and activates your body's neurochemistry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These expressions produce biochemical
reactions that have dynamic manifestations. In other words, belief begets
effect, thought precedes energy, you are what you think. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Biologically
speaking, how does this work? Emotional reactions are produced either by the
central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), peripheral nervous system (the
network of nerves that extends throughout the body), or the autonomic nervous
system (the electro-chemical system the operates primarily on adreneline and is
designed for spontaneous reaction, without cognitive appraisal, to any threat,
real or imaginary). </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Italic";">Anatomy
is the foundation for human relationship. </span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Italic";">What
happens in our interior, those connections that maintain the structure of
personhood, eventually happens outside as well.....</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Italic";">Human
relationships are somatic interactions of emotional pulsation and behavioral
form -- inside us, outside us.</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Italic";">Caroline Myss</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">Feelings and emotions differ. Feelings
are unconditioned, unprogrammed, generalized states, whereas emotions are
conditioned programs of behavior with established neural pathways for action.
Both feelings and emotions follow the rules of water, acting as messengers that
signal behavior. Their fluid ingredients organize and categorize behavior
according to “the flow of thought, the tides of feelings, the waves of
intuition, the ocean depths of feelings, the waxing and waning of images.”
Hormones are, in essence liquid anatomy, a watery form at the root of behavior
in the animal world. Secreted by the brain into the blood stream, they are
“liquid behavior” waiting to crystalize into muscular behavior. They keep the
quick fires of epinephrine burning, the continuing heat of the pituitary, or
the continuing transactions of the brain with the neural transmitters. In this
way, life's emotional experiences create form and shape which, in turn, gives
emotions, thinking, and feeling an avenue for expression and satisfaction or
the opposite, inhibition and pain. “With our shape we interact with the world
and create relationships. As we reach out to others for contact, love intimacy,
cooperation, we may create relationships that serve to reinforce or compensate
for our individual shape.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">How then can writing affect not only
our cognition, but our anatomical form itself? Conscious self expression –
visual, verbal, musical, physical – leads the light of awareness into our
thoughts and alters the neural pathways by which the hormones are directed.
Writing processes, such as RADICAL WRITING, which are concerned only with undirected,
free-flowing expressiveness, restore energetic circulation to aspects of your
neurological makeup that have been impeded by judgment and/or trauma. The
healing key to such writing is the result of the pure acts of observation and
listening. The power these actions generate promotes subconscious shifts which
lead to physical and emotional balance. Such healing requires no external
effort to fix or change anything. In fact, to attempt to fix a situation or to
direct such change is to disrupt the innate subconscious mechanism for
restoration.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">Because the human body is a
self-restoring organism at every level of biological organization, from DNA
upward, there is no biological reason for allowing yourself to suffer. Carl
Jung believed that disease begins when a personality’s story is denied.
Similarly, symptoms can be interpreted as the initial notes in a story written
on the body by suppressed responses to life events and surroundings. It is in
the nonjudgmental telling of your stories that healing occurs, and writing in
the way RADICAL WRITING teaches provides just such a mechanism for allowing the
chaos and emotional blood of your life to move through your body as a conscious
messenger rather than belligerent symptom. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">Only by rediscovering your story with
the dispassion provided by guided techniques such as RADICAL WRITING can you
honestly retell the story, expose its deeper roots, uncover new meanings, and
create conclusions different from the self-fulfilling prophecies that have been
directing your unconscious script. There is no power greater than the truth.
Its role in healing is fundamental. The courage to know the truth and allow its
telling is the first step in recovering the wholeness that health represents.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">For more information: </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";"><a href="http://www.radicalwriting.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">http://www.radicalwriting.com</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";"><a href="http://www.lauracerwinske.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">http://www.lauracerwinske.com</span></a></span></div>
</b><br />
laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-31430857655464587872014-07-11T08:01:00.000-04:002014-07-11T08:01:04.957-04:00How Creative Writing Propels Personal Growth!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;">Baseball great David Ortiz was the once-ferocious hitter who could not
hit anymore. His futility grew week after week and left the Boston Red Sox
wondering if he would ever be formidable again. When Ortiz was beyond weary
about being unproductive, he decided it could not hurt him to try to an
altogether different approach to resolving his problem. He decided to play the
carefree 12-year-old he once was. He simply woke up one morning and told
himself “to act like a kid and just go and play baseball, that’s it.” Ortiz
stopped taking extra batting practice, stopped obsessing over videotapes and
stopped listening to every tidbit of advice. Not long afterward, he became a
solid hitter again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is still playing
today, years later, near retirement, but still playing....like a kid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;">The point of this story is to demonstrate the power of
the left brain, the side of our neural anatomy that works analytically,
logically, processes everything as if it were measurable data. Today research
has shown that </span><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;">when trying to solve a problem—any type of problem --
it can be greatly beneficial to go offline, mentally. That is, rather than
fixating on analysis, a more productive approach is to engage the right brain
and allow your thoughts to wander. The result: </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;">fear diminishes, new ideas flow, and your
personal growth surges.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;">The left brain is the seat of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">scientific, logical, or linear thinking which is
based on the objective weighing of fact and detail. The left brain calls on a
mode of seeing devoid of imagination, and therefore incapable of refreshing the
conscious mind and anxious body. Right brain thinking, on the other hand, is
nonliteral, nonlogical, instinctual. It draws on the imagination and is
therefore imbued with imagery color, texture, and detail. Determinations, such
as Ortiz’s to return to an “instinctive” way of playing, are invigorating. They
interrupt futile repetition and propel personal growth by introducing new
energy and ideas into stagnant situations. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Creative writing workshops, such as <a href="http://www.radicalwriting.com/" target="_blank">RADICAL WRITING</a>, allow the
hand, work with the right brain to allow your fingers rather than your head to
do your thinking. The result is an immediate intimacy with your thoughts in a
safe, supportive creative environment. By writing out feelings in the free and
exaggerated way RADICAL WRITING teaches your become fluently self-expressive.
The writing stimulates awareness and thereby perpetuates personal growth. This
act of writing purely for self-expression alchemizes your mental activity and
provides fuel for liberation, creativity, transformation, and healing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Right-brain writing, which is to say creative writing, provides
direct access to the imagination. As it expands your awareness, your instincts
grow keener. You relax in making choices and decisions. You breathe easier.
RADICAL WRITING makes creative writing as fluid as a reflex. RADICAL WRITING
makes personal growth effortless. RADICAL WRITING holds up to you a forgiving
mirror in which, like David Ortiz, you can go out again and play.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> For more information on creative writing go to:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.radicalwriting.com/">http://www.radicalwriting.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.lauracerwinske.com/">http://www.lauracerwinske.com</a></span></div>
<br />
laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-80660971123676210242014-07-10T13:41:00.003-04:002014-07-10T13:44:40.507-04:00TURNING TO THE RIGHT BRAIN FOR CREATIVE GROWTH<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyrDb6YnE4-NeSlk8i647LzHzSPyxFHVr46lQDVucn5UeU5XZVtHCgdluVm16KDAIoCzYhOC74ERAEX5bvvnSqcqY0XNJZD6KSST-UkOYLZLwxGS5h-h0bGA6RIZ3g8QWNBN6enE4fjNv/s1600/IMG_3929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyrDb6YnE4-NeSlk8i647LzHzSPyxFHVr46lQDVucn5UeU5XZVtHCgdluVm16KDAIoCzYhOC74ERAEX5bvvnSqcqY0XNJZD6KSST-UkOYLZLwxGS5h-h0bGA6RIZ3g8QWNBN6enE4fjNv/s1600/IMG_3929.JPG" height="640" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman Italic";"><i>Listening
to the Right Brain</i></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>paper on masonite<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Laura
Cerwinske, 2014 </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<br />A HOME RUN FOR PERSONAL GROWTH</h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;">Baseball
great David Ortiz was the once-ferocious hitter who could not hit anymore. His
futility grew week after week and left the Boston Red Sox wondering if he would
ever be formidable again. When Ortiz was beyond weary about being unproductive,
he decided it could not hurt him to try to an altogether different approach to
resolving his problem. He decided to play the carefree 12-year-old he once was.
He simply woke up one morning and told himself “to act like a kid and just go
and play baseball, that’s it.” Ortiz stopped taking extra batting practice,
stopped obsessing over videotapes and stopped listening to every tidbit of
advice. Not long afterward, he became a solid hitter again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is still playing today, years later,
near retirement, but still playing....like a kid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
point of this story is to demonstrate the power of the left brain, the side of
our neural anatomy that works analytically, logically, processes everything as
if it were measurable data. Today research has shown that <span style="color: #363636;">when trying to solve a problem—any type of problem -- it
can be greatly beneficial to go offline, mentally. That is, rather than fixating
on analysis, a more productive approach is to engage the right brain and allow
your thoughts to wander. The result: </span>fear diminishes, new ideas flow,
and your personal growth surges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The left
brain is the seat of <span style="color: black;">scientific, logical, or linear
thinking which is based on the objective weighing of fact and detail. The left
brain calls on a mode of seeing devoid of imagination, and therefore incapable
of refreshing the conscious mind and anxious body. Right brain thinking, on the
other hand, is nonliteral, nonlogical, instinctual. It draws on the imagination
and is therefore imbued with imagery color, texture, and detail.
Determinations, such as Ortiz’s to return to an “instinctive” way of playing,
are invigorating. They interrupt futile repetition and propel personal growth
by introducing new energy and ideas into stagnant situations. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Creative
writing workshops, such as RADICAL WRITING, allow the hand, work with the right
brain to allow your fingers rather than your head to do your thinking. The
result is an immediate intimacy with your thoughts in a safe, supportive
creative environment. By writing out feelings in the free and exaggerated way
RADICAL WRITING teaches your become fluently self-expressive. The writing
stimulates awareness and thereby perpetuates personal growth. This act of
writing purely for self-expression alchemizes your mental activity and provides
fuel for liberation, creativity, transformation, and healing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Right-brain
writing, which is to say creative writing, provides direct access to the
imagination. As it expands your awareness, your instincts grow keener. You
relax in making choices and decisions. You breathe easier. RADICAL WRITING
makes creative writing as fluid as a reflex. RADICAL WRITING makes personal
growth effortless. RADICAL WRITING holds up to you a forgiving mirror in which,
like David Ortiz, you can go out again and play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">For
more information, go to:<br />
<a href="http://www.radicalwriting.com/">http://www.radicalwriting.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.lauracerwinske.com/">http://www.lauracerwinske.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-72011738805842668842014-06-23T07:40:00.000-04:002014-06-23T07:40:17.515-04:00Creative Writing Workshops – What Do You Gain!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdFSzrf0n712yx-n1t9ZL11GWtl_pSJyq_Pn7kNm85ouf2ZkZbk2SVCjKjsaczudyjJ29FguyPvb2xpSUBqonBDPNKn9GlNtC1XtAYFOW9OZ8jRdTvBpkffsnho1tOyec0NgpNid9T_jO/s1600/Creative+Writing+Image.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdFSzrf0n712yx-n1t9ZL11GWtl_pSJyq_Pn7kNm85ouf2ZkZbk2SVCjKjsaczudyjJ29FguyPvb2xpSUBqonBDPNKn9GlNtC1XtAYFOW9OZ8jRdTvBpkffsnho1tOyec0NgpNid9T_jO/s1600/Creative+Writing+Image.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">As the authors of the
stories we tell ourselves – about ourselves and everything around us – we have
the power to recast, reframe, redirect, and reinterpret the action in our own
personal dramas, whether we acknowledge this power of not. The most significant
benefits to creative writing workshops such as Radical Writing are the power
and focus they bring to our ability to act in the world. Radical Writing shows
us how we have been serving, consciously or unconsciously, as the novelists of
our own lives. The discovery of our fictions and their “re-visioning”
(i.e. revising by seeing differently) makes us conscious authors of
scenes past, present, and future. Creative writing processes like Radical
Writing offer power-building tools that enlarge our focus and make us more
effective at applying our personal power.<br />
<br />
Our subconscious minds record every thought and every feeling we have, whether
mundane or profound, subtle or overt. The act of simple observation of these
thoughts and feelings releases them into conscious awareness. Radical Writing
enables us to return to a state of pure responsiveness within the sanctuary of
the page or keyboard where we can express ourselves <i>in uncensored abandon.<br />
</i><br />
A sanctuary is a place for worship and cultivation of spirit. It is a place of
safety and refuge. At times this means a place of order and tranquility, a
retreat away from disharmony. At other times it means a place to indulge in
creativity, to seek meaning in life, to do the work of transformation, which
often calls for descent into pain and chaos. A sanctuary is a hallowed setting
in which the work of transformation can be undertaken safely, a hallowed ground
in which to embrace our shadows. Radical Writing provides just such a
sanctuary.<br />
<br />
When stepping from the world of one belief system into that of another, we must
feel protected, enveloped in a climate of reassurance. Our old stories have
provided us only with illusions of safety. Now you can look to your writing as
a safe place to create new stories, unbound by the familiar restraints or old
parameters. The process allows us to forego the expectations we typically have
when we are talking or interacting.<br />
<br />
The more we consciously cultivate awareness, the keener our instincts grow. We
relax in making choices and decisions. We breathe easier. The resulting shifts
in our tastes, interests, and perspectives erase “blocks” to creativity. We
achieve a level of fierce focus that is instrumental in bringing about
manifestation. Like all creative acts, Radical Writing is full of
surprises.<br />
<br />
Learn more about Radical Writing and Laura Cerwinske’s other courses at <a href="http://www.radicalwriting.com/">http://www.radicalwriting.com</a><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span>laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-7377108115703588982014-06-20T10:06:00.000-04:002014-06-20T10:06:35.065-04:00TAKING THE LEAP<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri Bold","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">TAKING THE LEAP<br />
The Way to Realize your Personal Growth Goals <br />
with Radical Writing </span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Conscious, nonjudgmental observation produces
change. <br />
</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Heisenberg’s
Law of Uncertainty,<br />
the foundation of quantum physics </span></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7VYQIwDRCQNsqtfWhiWXUCfrkZHCW13eF3GUReRxzGzbhZd-Zl1qH-s8tBoBLs1IVHqqfjuKovoZGTcRW_Vqe1RqEmiGZspmkXn4mWrYz10gvbJDP2y0Bzp-0BFI4fuK-5CCMC6Oq7SR/s1600/Taking+the+Leap+Image.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7VYQIwDRCQNsqtfWhiWXUCfrkZHCW13eF3GUReRxzGzbhZd-Zl1qH-s8tBoBLs1IVHqqfjuKovoZGTcRW_Vqe1RqEmiGZspmkXn4mWrYz10gvbJDP2y0Bzp-0BFI4fuK-5CCMC6Oq7SR/s1600/Taking+the+Leap+Image.JPG" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]--><a href="http://www.radicalwriting.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial Bold","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Radical Writing</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> is a technique of uncensored writing that brings your deepest desires,
hidden motivations, and unidentified obstacles safely into focus so that you
can consciously choose how to act -- or not act -- upon them. This method
of self-exploration creates a safe place to vent, act out, fantasize, take
revenge, grieve, destroy, and plead. It provides an unconditionally accepting
confessor and private oracle all in one.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial Bold","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Moving from “trance-formation” to
transformation </span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Regardless
of whether the transformation we seek is from deprivation to abundance, from
disease to health, from struggle to ease, or from unrelenting ambition to
relaxation, the change cannot be made in leaps and bounds. Safely, the process
can be taken only one step at a time. Leaps, in the physical world, require
muscle and choreography. Unpracticed, they are dangerous to body and spirit and
can leave us cripplingly unbalanced. Imbalance fosters doubt, doubt prompts
fear, and fear leads to regression and paralysis. Only a step-by-step
progression allows us the security we need for successful and sustained
transformation.<br />
<br />
</span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial Bold","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Radical
Writing teaches The Six Universal Principles of Transformation</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> as a foundation upon
which we can take incremental steps in the outer world while indulging leaps of
the imagination. The more mindful we become of how these principles operate in
our lives, the more quickly and accurately we will be able to identify
underlying motivations for our feelings and actions.<br />
<br />
The practice of recognizing these principles in our own minds and in others’
actions intensifies our abilities to observe and intuit. Applying the
principles trains us to hear more clearly our own thoughts and beliefs, to observe
more keenly how the world mirrors these thoughts and beliefs, and to sense more
acutely how and where the activity of the conscious and subconscious minds
affects our physical bodies. <br />
<br />
By practicing The Six Universal Principles of Transformation, we increase our
awareness of exactly how we create, promote, and/or allow chronic situations to
perpetuate in our lives. When we apply the principles to recollections of our
own history, we see how our thoughts affected our levels of power—some thoughts
magnifying it, others insidiously or flagrantly leeching it from the cells of
tissues where memory is stored.<br />
<br />
“Wait a minute! You’re telling me that<i> I’m </i>creating, promoting, and
allowing for the pain in my life and the disruption of my happiness?” you might
wonder.<br />
<br />
Yes, I am saying exactly that. <br />
<br />
“How could weak men who are terrified of commitment, demanding women who are
impossible to satisfy, parasitic children who refuse to take responsibility for
their own lives, corporate downsizing, unfair child support laws, headaches,
backaches, allergies, PMS, chronic fatigue, cancer, or addiction be of <i>my</i>
creation?” writers want to know.<br />
<br />
The answer is simple—and a great rub to the ego. Chronic issues or patterns
serve to keep us enrolled in our stories. They perpetuate the trances we have
cast upon ourselves in our chosen roles -- as victim, survivor, rescuer, loyal
supporter, traitor, savior, romantic, realist, good parent, black sheep,
scapegoat. We break the spell simply by recognizing and </span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial Bold","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">non-judgmentally observing</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> what we have done in
the past and continue to do in the present to create, promote, or allow our
pain. These are:<br />
</span><br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The Six Universal Principles <br />
of Transformation </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. What you resist
persists.<br />
2. What you acknowledge increases.<br />
3. What you withhold is withheld from you.<br />
4. All perception is projection.<br />
5. You get not what you want, but what you believe.<br />
6. What you give out is what you want most.<br />
<br />
To learn more about these powerful principles and how to incorporate them into
your personal growth plan, go to <a href="http://www.radicalwriting.com/">http://www.radicalwriting.com</a><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span><br />
laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-46241757287187705202014-06-09T12:31:00.000-04:002014-06-17T19:11:02.211-04:00HOW WRITING GENERATES SELF-EXPRESSION<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I-hYQUS3kw0hQnVtHoVjQzEczvP44kWp6XB06-vJeHeij_p_tK4RkEWQjI5JoZs1LQ6H2Sw5mWT9tHzKtJZYLYiA6cBtpzYVufZWLV5DfnuXlTZZNkAgkD1JZ7LpefkKJ1UgSVKY2rni/s1600/IMG_3592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I-hYQUS3kw0hQnVtHoVjQzEczvP44kWp6XB06-vJeHeij_p_tK4RkEWQjI5JoZs1LQ6H2Sw5mWT9tHzKtJZYLYiA6cBtpzYVufZWLV5DfnuXlTZZNkAgkD1JZ7LpefkKJ1UgSVKY2rni/s1600/IMG_3592.JPG" height="298" width="320" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">She Watches Her Words</span></i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> Laura Cerwinske</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Something potent happens when we put pen to paper and allow the
hand, rather than the head, to do our thinking. We gain an immediate intimacy
with our thoughts along with a detachment not usually available through
talking.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In the act of writing, we process information differently than we
do when thinking or talking. What’s more, the three actions do not produce the
same results. Undirected thinking and talking perpetuate mental and emotional
chaos because they further enroll us in our unconscious beliefs. On the other
hand, writing out feelings in a free and exaggerated way is liberating. The
writing stimulates awareness and thereby perpetuates release. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Stories are magic and medicine. They stimulate adrenaline and
neutralize destructive energy. They have the power to comfort, heal, and
transform. They invigorate the imagination and build spiritual muscle. They
illuminate the path to the subconscious. The power of our stories launches us
into galaxies of self-awareness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In Western literature, traditional stories have a beginning, a
middle, and an end. In the writing process used in this book, our stories can
go on eternally. They become vehicles for healing when we mulling them over,
entertaining twists and turns, finding their sources, bestowing them with new
meaning, and enlarging their possibilities. As our consciousness of our stories
grows, healing occurs and our awareness of our inner power enlarges.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Today, “the age of technology has both revived the use of writing
and provided ever more reasons for its spiritual solace,” the </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Italic";">New York Times</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> columnist Anna Quindlen
tells us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since “the letter fell out of
favor and education became professionalized, with its goal less the expansion
of the mind than the acquisition of a job, writing began to be seen largely as
the purview of writers. Writing at work also became so stylistically removed
from the story of our lives that the two seemed to have nothing in common.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On the other hand, when we write purely for self-expression, we
alchemize our mental activity, and, our stories become the fuel for liberation,
creativity, transformation, and healing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Expressive writing teaches us ways of seeing ourselves as
novelists of our own lives. The rediscovery of our fictions and their
“re-visioning”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(i.e. revising by seeing
differently) makes us conscious authors of scenes past, present, and future.
The process is full of surprises.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Visit <a href="http://www.radicalwriting.com/">www.radicalwriting.com</a> to learn more and sign up for online writing courses. Start learning about yourself and expression!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
</div>
laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-65114878356004544242014-06-06T10:27:00.000-04:002014-06-17T19:15:22.058-04:00WRITING FOR PERSONAL GROWTH <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPc0Lb_aknb_HP5PMsC1a84t8eNsB5dhGMMtf3HPuBGkWjsf6vQcEZhcYtPsK_tR-G7QoyI26ruKDeaNn_ZWzEvqoxQdBYM5Vb5n9NI9SoK4KEGo9PUcFvKe9ka-0f6lO-JeIho4uUNjxM/s1600/IMG_3177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPc0Lb_aknb_HP5PMsC1a84t8eNsB5dhGMMtf3HPuBGkWjsf6vQcEZhcYtPsK_tR-G7QoyI26ruKDeaNn_ZWzEvqoxQdBYM5Vb5n9NI9SoK4KEGo9PUcFvKe9ka-0f6lO-JeIho4uUNjxM/s1600/IMG_3177.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Liberty's Ladies</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laura Cerwinske</span></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Modern psychology is based on the therapist’s recognition of the
stories taught to us by our parents, teachers, clergy, and peers and of their
effects on us. Out of this tapestry of history and values, we began, as
children, to weave our own story, subconsciously accepting certain threads we’d
inherited and rejecting others. Eventually the stories we swallowed and
digested began living in us, governing our emotions and choices. They became
the stage for enacting our beliefs. The more we identified with our stories, the more power they gained to shape our view of reality. With this power we continue to subconsciously enroll everyone we
encounter into believing our stories just as we do.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Even Sigmund Freud likely recognized that what he was doing was
very close to literature. He wrote, “Imaginative writers are valuable
colleagues—[in] their knowledge of the human heart they are far ahead of
(others) because they draw on sources not yet accessible to science. . . . With
hardly an effort, creative writers . . . salvage from the whirlpool of their
emotions the deepest truths, to which others have to force their way.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Words
hide the world. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They
blur together elements that exist apart,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">or
they break elements into pieces, </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">bind
up the world, </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">contract
it into hard little pellets of perception. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
the unbound world, the world behind the world – </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">how
fluid it is, how lovely and dangerous.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At
rare moments of clarity, </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
succeed in breaking through. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then
I see. I see a place where nothing is known, </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">because
nothing is shaped in advance by words. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There,
nothing is hidden from me.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Steven
Milhauser. “History of a Disturbance.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It makes no difference whether the story we tell ourselves or the
world is “true” or not, healthy or unhealthy, constructive or destructive,
tragic or romantic, debilitating or liberating; as long as we are unconsciously
immersed in it, the story runs our lives. To whatever degree others’ stories
color our own, they too are running our lives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The nature of the role in which we have cast ourselves is
irrelevant. Regardless of how we see ourselves<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>-- as the good child, the happy wanderer, the loyal friend, the outlaw,
the martyr, the perpetual parent, the perpetual child, the hard worker, the
heroic survivor, the perpetual victim, the die-hard rebel, the serious thinker,
the devoted lover, the responsible citizen, or the free spirit -- we have
invested our role with tremendous power—the power to define us and guide us,
the power to destroy us, and the power to heal us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Scientific, logical, linear, or left-brain thinking, which is
based on the objective weighing of fact and detail, calls on a mode of seeing
devoid of imagination. Myths and legends, on the other hand, which are
nonliteral, nonlogical, and imbued with imaginary color, texture, and detail,
cannot fully be understood without entering into a right-brain or metaphysical
state of mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The subconscious mind is purely literal. It stands ready to follow
the orders our conscious mind sends it, regardless of their degree of emotion
or veracity. For example, the subconscious perceives no distinction between
jealous rage and simple doubt; both represent equal commands to annihilate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We fear uncensored, wholly passionate expression when we
subconsciously believe it will either irreparably disrupt our lives or bring
harm to the object of our thoughts. We also resist writing out our raw feelings
for fear of seeing them recorded in black and white. The very thought of making
intense emotion—or even minor anxiety—concrete can easily deter us. Yet only
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">safe</i> acknowledgment of our most
repressed or unacceptable thoughts will free them from the subconscious and
drain them of their power. When we write in an undirected way (i.e., using an
explorative process such as I teach), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we
find not the facts, but the fiction—the stories—that lead us to the truth.</i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">
</span></div>
laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-38432595413757040032014-06-04T12:58:00.001-04:002014-06-04T12:58:52.515-04:00MARILYN'S MORTAL SIN<br />
<div>
<div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>1080</o:Words>
<o:Characters>6156</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>51</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>12</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>7560</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBiLFpz8ij2W_8aZ-SJ6jNM3CHqJfcCHD6Lcscus6FZSoXrYAZDPqWInaRTx_sLNcJ-uIAYUJKPE_71WljPZO4BJts-vyrS26AK7SPncKJvsLfFQ-LjaYU2-p0ygbVeyoUcygIiENQJzQ/s1600/1462963_497308917051875_1098609589_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBiLFpz8ij2W_8aZ-SJ6jNM3CHqJfcCHD6Lcscus6FZSoXrYAZDPqWInaRTx_sLNcJ-uIAYUJKPE_71WljPZO4BJts-vyrS26AK7SPncKJvsLfFQ-LjaYU2-p0ygbVeyoUcygIiENQJzQ/s1600/1462963_497308917051875_1098609589_n.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
painter Franz Klein once described Marilyn Monroe’s sexual luminosity as so
compelling that, “You thought if you bit her, milk and honey would flow from
her skin.” Her artistry was such that she could make any movement, any gesture
almost insufferably suggestive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>IF SHE’D LIVED, <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>WE WOULD HAVE CRUCIFIED HER
ANYWAY<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Being <i>that</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> beautiful was enough. The problem
with Marilyn was that she was so much more. To consider her as a woman far
ahead of her time in terms of professional ambition, social activism, and
self-tutoring was inconceivable and unpermissable. Beauty was enough power for
one female. And in the minds of the studio system, the media, and the adoring
public, the most effective way to restrict that power was to limit it. First
worship it, then denigrate it. <i>If you’re going to be beautiful, then you
must also be dumb</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>IN OUR CULTURE, NO SIN IS
GREATER FOR A WOMAN THAN LOOKING OLD.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">If
persecuting Marilyn for her incomparable sexuality in youth were not enough,
imagine the torment that would have been heaped upon her for the even more
egregious sin, the most unforgivable of all -- age. This week Marilyn would
have turned 88 years old, and if the ridicule lavished upon poor Kim Novak for
attempting to rise to Hollywood’s cosmetic standards in her dotage were not
cruel enough, consider how Marilyn, at this stage of life, would have been
crucified. For in our culture, no sin is greater for a woman (except for
perhaps murdering your children) than looking old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">I rather
doubt that Marilyn would have submitted to the surgical grotesqueries of
present day Hollywood. She used her beauty as a career-building tool in her
ambition to become a serious actress. The only cosmetic change she ever
underwent, at the urging of her agent Johnny Hyde, was the slight tweaking of
her nose, and it was, in fact, a harmonious – and courageous -- refinement.
Imagine the surgical risk she was taking in those days before cosmetic
procedures were either common or medically sound. But as in every aspect of her
life, Marilyn was willing to risk all to achieve her ambition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh00zLE8-bkgMaC0OH7GDAJnFF1875mbQtYT5mRtwv6zTNbhbA7Y2SDv_1GQW2Z_aoXrPwzLIunxBvoPJtJAIXYI1elOfTxY85jU0c1e-eYSO9KTndC3RfFVsGIoLwhsGxRgAWQuymGOz/s1600/39289_482899465065951_269102498_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh00zLE8-bkgMaC0OH7GDAJnFF1875mbQtYT5mRtwv6zTNbhbA7Y2SDv_1GQW2Z_aoXrPwzLIunxBvoPJtJAIXYI1elOfTxY85jU0c1e-eYSO9KTndC3RfFVsGIoLwhsGxRgAWQuymGOz/s1600/39289_482899465065951_269102498_n.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Her body was made to covey pleasure, and she took no shame in
her natural luscious magnetism, despite even the lifelong abuses she had
suffered because of it. Many of her physical gifts were the result of hard won
anatomical command, having trained herself to suggest character with movement
and the organization of her supple frame. Naturally athletic, she understood
instinctively how to use her attributes. As a teenage bride, she had taken
lessons in bodybuilding from an Olympic trainer on Catalina Beach. Years later
she sought ways of accentuating and projecting her physical presence by
studying human bone and muscle structure. Throughout her career, she spent
hours in front of a mirror practicing at walking, gesturing, and controlling
her facial muscles. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5aRzF0M03ld97sVGUrFimtm4AOP2BiMXYcDGlu_oHzsKFS1K6Y78lCJ0ULbNGESvB7F35yRlrUnwk_QRwrWqrKmpMKHV0VOgjUY8OCx6I15uWbSoajDZPD4X5WtYS8Cn3UYZyMrX6a_W/s1600/944587_637625829600122_1183925868_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5aRzF0M03ld97sVGUrFimtm4AOP2BiMXYcDGlu_oHzsKFS1K6Y78lCJ0ULbNGESvB7F35yRlrUnwk_QRwrWqrKmpMKHV0VOgjUY8OCx6I15uWbSoajDZPD4X5WtYS8Cn3UYZyMrX6a_W/s1600/944587_637625829600122_1183925868_n.jpg" height="320" width="291" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Her
determination extended to <span style="color: #333333;">creative control over her
work, an effort that was revolutionary for the time and made her </span><span style="color: #262626;">the only star to have taken on the moguls and won. She
was also </span>only the second woman (Mary Pickford was the first) to head her
own production company (<span style="color: #333333;">her partner was the
photographer Milton Greene. Marilyn made certain she controlled 51 per cent of
the stock.) Marilyn’s successful negotiation of the Twentieth Century Fox
contract was one of the greatest single triumphs over a studio ever won by an
actress. </span><span style="color: #262626;">“I’ll never tie myself to a studio
again,” she said. “I’d rather retire.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Entirely
self-educated, Marilyn was a voracious reader of non-fiction and philosophy, being
as intent on developing her mind as her body. The feminist scholar Jacqueline
Rose has written that, “To read Monroe's fragments, letters, journals and poems
is to realise that, however tormented, she had another life. It is to be struck
by the unrelenting mental energy with which she confronted herself.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">While
it is abundantly clear how greatly she enjoyed the spotlight, she allowed
herself to become a spectacle of desire essentially because it served her
ambition. Had she remained healthy and been able to anticipate serious roles in
her future, she might have determined to maintain her acting career. But even
though she was still luscious, she was growing ever more difficult, and who
wants to bother with a difficult woman? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi6XDJ8KXQh-VvAE7sMuNEvwa62jhG6b2suChaRm1P_iMM-cvCLySAjsRz2cKP6Hu2wgockLnf84TeNoJB9adZv1bHFhevGxVWdFsuZ2c5m_5fK6mxmqSfl7ps1OgusuvWhw0gZKfqJJp/s1600/374543_510098165714702_927781507_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi6XDJ8KXQh-VvAE7sMuNEvwa62jhG6b2suChaRm1P_iMM-cvCLySAjsRz2cKP6Hu2wgockLnf84TeNoJB9adZv1bHFhevGxVWdFsuZ2c5m_5fK6mxmqSfl7ps1OgusuvWhw0gZKfqJJp/s1600/374543_510098165714702_927781507_n.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 19px;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 19px;">
Eventually, she might have left Hollywood to pursue her devotions and lend herself to the causes that lay at her heart: the welfare of children and animals, civil rights, and progressive politics: She was, after all, a devoted student of the writings of Abraham Lincoln and Lincoln Steffans, friends with Carl Sandberg, Elia Kazan, Ella Fitzgerald and the black actresses L</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">ena Horne and Dorothy
Dandridge, the wife and muse of playwright Arthur Miller, and the lover of a
Democratic president.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gAbSse3Bb4hJDqcNjCRjaAu8RE7vlTZVh1u9LJ2WkOysdkAvOwCJ5ZKd0dRJQ7Mn3lVqjhdk0fEHr1GgJa571CUuFV3PcrEHf_GIgvPgJ3KckdKIjCuT6Zgt3ExF2FuSA1X6_t7uN5TW/s1600/1507176_508721122577321_1893570155_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gAbSse3Bb4hJDqcNjCRjaAu8RE7vlTZVh1u9LJ2WkOysdkAvOwCJ5ZKd0dRJQ7Mn3lVqjhdk0fEHr1GgJa571CUuFV3PcrEHf_GIgvPgJ3KckdKIjCuT6Zgt3ExF2FuSA1X6_t7uN5TW/s1600/1507176_508721122577321_1893570155_n.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Actions
on behalf of her causes were what Marilyn considered the only advantages to her
tragic personal history. <span style="color: #262626;">”There were no benefits
except what it could teach me about the basic needs of the young, the sick and
the weak,” she said. “I have great feeling for all the persecuted ones in the
world.” Arthur Miller concurred. “Marilyn understood and wanted desperately to
please her audience<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Rick" datetime="2013-05-29T23:29">…</ins></span>the most ordinary layer of the
audience, the working people, the guys in the bars, the housewives in the
trailers bedeviled by unpaid bills, the high school kids mystified by
explanations they could not understand, the ignorant and – as she saw them –
tricked and manipulated masses. She wanted them to feel they’d got their
money’s worth when they saw a picture of hers.” </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAs3KMk3aM1E9qJ-4qIxe32FLUuRudncXfHx_O2JtfTgFSnmQmb9BVe1Q5YowlbTIVsy01wXXR8GuuKJlkFTaCkYUxwnnNfMgG3ESCgrP0E58KvOB6P5KtKBO-Zb0F37YRXOr2lpSjjaAQ/s1600/400599_516811578434942_2021220866_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAs3KMk3aM1E9qJ-4qIxe32FLUuRudncXfHx_O2JtfTgFSnmQmb9BVe1Q5YowlbTIVsy01wXXR8GuuKJlkFTaCkYUxwnnNfMgG3ESCgrP0E58KvOB6P5KtKBO-Zb0F37YRXOr2lpSjjaAQ/s1600/400599_516811578434942_2021220866_n.jpg" height="320" width="250" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">From the beginning</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">, Marilyn grasped the certain knowledge that
she had only herself to rely on, and early on had looked for answers and
understanding in religion, philosophy, and psychoanalysis. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the age of 18, she became a
Christian Scientist; in her twenties, she studied Anthroposophy, the highly progressive
philosophy espoused by Rudolf Steiner; she spent years subjecting herself to
the often brutal work of psychoanalysis. Before her marriage to Arthur Miller,
she converted, of her own volition, to Judaism<span style="color: #333333;">.</span>
<span style="color: #262626;">The mental energy with which she confronted herself
was unrelenting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Not one of these qualities and dimensions of Marilyn Monroe’s
life could even begin to compensate for the sin of aging that she would have
committed had she lived. Unforgivable, irredeemable, especially in an icon of
female sexuality. The patriarchy would refuse to allow her to be anything other than her
young, luminous self, and her sin, therefore, is a mortal one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">So who might a Marilyn withdrawn from the unforgiving media glare have
turned out to be? A Catherine Deneuve or Jeanne Moreau or Sophia Loren or a
Gina Lollobrigida living a life of sanctuary and grace? Europe, literary and discreet,
likely would have been a good place for her. But I think Marilyn would have
chosen a life more </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">like
that of Bridget Bardot who turned her back on the slobbering burdens of youth
and sexiness to become a full-time advocate for her own passions (saving
near-extinct wild animal species and neglected and abandoned dogs). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Likely,
Marilyn would have sought out a spiritual teacher and let her heart do the
rest. For in a brief 36 years, she lived an indisputably mythic life. Indeed,
she might herself have become a mystic. But even if the Kennedys – or whoever –
hadn’t assassinated her, the patriarchy would have crucified her, an aging female immortal, anyway.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkNCainttiT_R1y3ORJmO2ix8blUI0HLFNW4Vaq0oUPC-4RDy5HN45FnGF2GpIAMpzPIOoQnM_l_L08Xe_uLtktl_vqCHoWrGqwYvbzxTt7jVgzgNU0S5vzieAOhBbl7v6z1vaGuZu0fP/s1600/602996_10151412724306690_180906418_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkNCainttiT_R1y3ORJmO2ix8blUI0HLFNW4Vaq0oUPC-4RDy5HN45FnGF2GpIAMpzPIOoQnM_l_L08Xe_uLtktl_vqCHoWrGqwYvbzxTt7jVgzgNU0S5vzieAOhBbl7v6z1vaGuZu0fP/s1600/602996_10151412724306690_180906418_n.jpg" height="320" width="294" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Happy Birthday MM, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">and Rest in Peace. You surely deserve it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Excerpted
from <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>BEYOND
BEAUTY<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>Musings
on Marilyn</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">c
copyright Laura Cerwinske, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
</div>
laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-46943337044268436162013-11-04T14:15:00.000-05:002013-11-26T10:22:19.944-05:00THE STORY IN THE TABLESCAPE<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>923</o:Words>
<o:Characters>5264</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>43</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>10</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>6464</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 21px;">Just as beauty is essential to the nourishment of the human spirit, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 21px;">so is the telling of a good story.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKgdkjs9C8Vd4z6Uy-VcXFsuiBr3JqIMXund0noPaHkmx3zD9Jpkv5zNosJCAgqC8exOPXAUgd3h9GoPYsfg937mbO7ro3oiEur3Ko-W3WYMJqYRLDIAM_wJOaiDmsmxSFqNlZQIDRllW/s1600/599376_641864962524191_834946392_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKgdkjs9C8Vd4z6Uy-VcXFsuiBr3JqIMXund0noPaHkmx3zD9Jpkv5zNosJCAgqC8exOPXAUgd3h9GoPYsfg937mbO7ro3oiEur3Ko-W3WYMJqYRLDIAM_wJOaiDmsmxSFqNlZQIDRllW/s320/599376_641864962524191_834946392_n.jpg" width="284" /></a></div>
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 21px;">And what more accessible, more
comfortable, more receptive place </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 21px;">to provide that succor than at table and at this season.</span><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">History
offers us splendid models for this effort. Not surprisingly, the most extravagant
derive from 18th century European court life, a world in which love, wealth,
education, and creativity in art, music, theater, dance, and fashion went hand
in hand with sports, the rewards of travel, trade, and exploration, and the
intrigues of politics. The French love of protocol and elegance spread to
palaces from Russia to the Rhineland where the nobility all aspired to the aura
of gentility and glamour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Philosophers, writers, poets, and scientists lent their knowledge and
wit to salon---and--table conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Artists were commissioned to design tables' settings of silks, crystals,
silver, and porcelain, to arrange bouquets of newly discovered flowers and
imported blooms, and to create narrative centerpieces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
themes for these complex tablescapes were rooted in the festival traditions
that had governed court society since the Renaissance. The earliest examples,
which illustrated the dances, rituals, and costumes used in the various
celebrations, were made, surprisingly--of sugar. The custom of sugar sculpture,
in fact, dates as far back as the 12th century when the Egyptian caliph
al'Zahir dressed his tables for the Islamic feast days with hundreds of
sugar-formed figures and table-sized models of palaces. The practice reached
the European courts in the 16th century. Scenes of the life of the goddess
Minerva were crafted in sugar for a banquet celebrating the entry of the
newly-wed queen of France, Eilsabeth of Austria, into Paris. In the early 17th
century, the Labors of Hercules and a winter scene of hunters and mechanized
animals, all of sugar, decorated the tables at the wedding banquet of Maria de'
Medici and Henri IV of France. By the end of the century, sugar table
sculptures had become a regular part of court festivals throughout Europe. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUFk-Om03-3txvWD3W6jgOLLAKQdzbapamixUvyfT7ATPuMsbt5CAsGRhya3wyPfaGOXJmUgPprbdtLwZ73N9NPJK6JCA6SNoc4Y7kkFFA9bm_nJacMF7T2Txu4mWprx8Mz67yenjNbRw/s1600/208431_542193092491379_332893909_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUFk-Om03-3txvWD3W6jgOLLAKQdzbapamixUvyfT7ATPuMsbt5CAsGRhya3wyPfaGOXJmUgPprbdtLwZ73N9NPJK6JCA6SNoc4Y7kkFFA9bm_nJacMF7T2Txu4mWprx8Mz67yenjNbRw/s320/208431_542193092491379_332893909_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">As
porcelain replaced sugar as the formative medium toward the middle of the 18th
century, narrative scenes grew even more elaborate. Gods, goddesses, animals,
allegories, figurines of courtiers, soldiers, shepherds, peasants, actors,
tradesmen, musicians, Orientals, Amazons, Spaniards, characters from the
Commedia dell Arte and personifications of the Four Seasons were arranged in
tableaux for the delight of the emperor, empress, monarch, or noble and his or
her company. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
garden, a central feature of 18th century court life, was among the most
popular re-creations on the banquet table, which was natural enough since
garden ornament and table ornament shared the iconography of leisure. Imagine
the statues, grottoes, trellises, and fountains of the formal French garden as
diversions for repast. Imagine a dessert centerpiece composed of walks and
parterres made of colored sands and sugar, tiny porcelain urns filled with
orange blossoms or artificial flowers with gilt and varnished branches,
porcelain architectural follies, and miniature<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pedestaled figures framed in porcelain arbors like garden
statuary, and all supported on a gilt bronze tray.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Extraordinary
as these scenes might seem,, we must remember that their extravagance was even
more fantastical to the 18th or 19th century beholder for whom porcelain was a
rarity as precious as we find platinum or pearl today. Europeans had been
obsessed with the beauty of this high-fired vitreous clay ever since Marco Polo
brought the first examples from China in the 13th century. However, for the
next four hundred years, its formula remained a mystery. Rulers such as
Augustus the Strong, the 18th century King of Poland and Europe's foremost
collector of Chinese porcelains sponsored desperate efforts to unlock the
secret. In 1710 his court potter, Johann Friedrich Bottger, succeeded. Intent
on safeguarding the discovery, Augustus promptly imprisoned Bottger and his
staff.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgBYQzaf9lorZ7Sty-cp6sVRACuNIcSAef_xmvEPh9IUX7bAEdF1oVlQ8gmu5F3v45hhyz-ZD633Ov7_yx974w-vNoUvZsP1iusXNUi4q0lFSUVZnn2vwFp0Yp54tidkNAjqYK2Y_24lp/s1600/523235_519293308114691_1523287033_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgBYQzaf9lorZ7Sty-cp6sVRACuNIcSAef_xmvEPh9IUX7bAEdF1oVlQ8gmu5F3v45hhyz-ZD633Ov7_yx974w-vNoUvZsP1iusXNUi4q0lFSUVZnn2vwFp0Yp54tidkNAjqYK2Y_24lp/s320/523235_519293308114691_1523287033_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Russia's
Peter the Great was so enthralled with porcelain that he sent emissaries to
Peking to uncover the secrets to the formula. They failed. Decades later his
equally determined daughter, the Empress Elizabeth, chained her court potter,
Dimitry Vinogrodov, to his workbench until he discovered the key. He succeeded,
but the mission drove him to drink and an early death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Fortunately,
none of us have to resort to such extremes to set an extraordinary table,
although I'm sure we could go around this room and learn that each of us has a
story about an extravagance, a sacrifice, some over-the-top gesture we've made
for the sake of elegance. After all, style, beauty, and good stories are not
just our business. They are our passion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">For
this reason, the legacy of exquisite design passed along to us by history's
patrons and artisans, nobles and slaves provides a wealth of models for
emulation and reinterpretation. Just as they borrowed from other cultures to
expand their own language of beauty, we can look to them for inspiration.
Perhaps the richest resource of all is the Russian Imperial style. For the
Russian rapture with Western taste brought together the refinement of European
art with a notion of grandeur unparalleled since the time of the Pharoahs. The
result is timeless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">These
decorations and Faberge settings illustrate one way of bringing history and
narration to the table. They illustrate a traditional theme -- the celebration
of the season, rebirth, the revivial of the earth -- in a visually exalted
context. The motif of the egg, which you find in the centerpieces, was chosen
for its associations with spring, with Passover and the rebirth of the earth,
with Easter and the resurrection, and with Faberge, who so luxuriously
reinterpreted the Russian custom of decorating eggs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Creating such tablescapes is much like the performing of a ritual. It provides a focus
for congregation, a context for communion. It brings us together with pleasure
and encourages our gratitude for what we have -- and are about to receive:
nourishment for the body, nourishment for the soul, and a feast for the eye.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LCSzbXCcN-mNsPN-YuEq_emueXhTjVN6T04Kjg0Lzghgb2xXMHSWsstzq_rwhkA71fmH-ADyxU7DCCcqGGsYlWWNotsEKzXjuTJejIjbkRXtQ2MUa_f2ucspuPsnz-tYmz4_C10-evnb/s1600/403520_494047960639226_1377791497_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LCSzbXCcN-mNsPN-YuEq_emueXhTjVN6T04Kjg0Lzghgb2xXMHSWsstzq_rwhkA71fmH-ADyxU7DCCcqGGsYlWWNotsEKzXjuTJejIjbkRXtQ2MUa_f2ucspuPsnz-tYmz4_C10-evnb/s320/403520_494047960639226_1377791497_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-14910978180640098012013-11-04T14:00:00.000-05:002014-03-12T15:18:11.077-04:00THE ART OF THE TABLESCAPE<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>923</o:Words>
<o:Characters>5264</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>43</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>10</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>6464</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXp7GoAPTQOoO3n84qDvfArlDA1IklQjso5BdizTiG7GqX5A1tmgzQGwP_LuQFuroFyirh23CNjepXku4vb6SGvhUqA51lNpFJPw8hoQjsbrei_JVIEmWhIBuYDXNSI2NK0AinjA7oCqt/s1600/599376_641864962524191_834946392_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXp7GoAPTQOoO3n84qDvfArlDA1IklQjso5BdizTiG7GqX5A1tmgzQGwP_LuQFuroFyirh23CNjepXku4vb6SGvhUqA51lNpFJPw8hoQjsbrei_JVIEmWhIBuYDXNSI2NK0AinjA7oCqt/s320/599376_641864962524191_834946392_n.jpg" height="320" width="284" /></a></div>
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Just
as beauty is essential to the nourishment of the human spirit, so is the
telling of a good story. In fact, the more accustomed the world seems to become
to blank facades, minimalist canvases, and other unarticulated surfaces, the
greater our need grows for visual narration. And what more accessible, more
comfortable, more receptive place to provide that succor than at table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">History
offers us splendid models for this effort. Not surprisingly, the most
extravagant derive from 18th century European court life, a world in which
love, wealth, education, and creativity in art, music, theater, dance, and
fashion went hand in hand with sports, the rewards of travel, trade, and
exploration, and the intrigues of politics. The French love of protocol and
elegance spread to palaces from Russia to the Rhineland where the nobility all
aspired to the aura of gentility and glamour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Philosophers, writers, poets, and scientists lent their
knowledge and wit to salon---and--table conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Artists were commissioned to design tables' settings of
silks, crystals, silver, and porcelain, to arrange bouquets of newly discovered
flowers and imported blooms, and to create narrative centerpieces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
themes for these complex tablescapes were rooted in the festival traditions
that had governed court society since the Renaissance. The earliest examples,
which illustrated the dances, rituals, and costumes used in the various
celebrations, were made, surprisingly--of sugar. The custom of sugar sculpture,
in fact, dates as far back as the 12th century when the Egyptian caliph
al'Zahir dressed his tables for the Islamic feast days with hundreds of
sugar-formed figures and table-sized models of palaces. The practice reached
the European courts in the 16th century. Scenes of the life of the goddess
Minerva were crafted in sugar for a banquet celebrating the entry of the
newly-wed queen of France, Eilsabeth of Austria, into Paris. In the early 17th
century, the Labors of Hercules and a winter scene of hunters and mechanized
animals, all of sugar, decorated the tables at the wedding banquet of Maria de'
Medici and Henri IV of France. By the end of the century, sugar table
sculptures had become a regular part of court festivals throughout Europe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">As
porcelain replaced sugar as the formative medium toward the middle of the 18th
century, narrative scenes grew even more elaborate. Gods, goddesses, animals,
allegories, figurines of courtiers, soldiers, shepherds, peasants, actors,
tradesmen, musicians, Orientals, Amazons, Spaniards, characters from the
Commedia dell Arte and personifications of the Four Seasons were arranged in
tableaux for the delight of the emperor, empress, monarch, or noble and his or
her company. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8X7fMfbUgnuVJgCLeFjV45HjBmbIviyaRHANdig_c_BF1mUtEY6yzqxO02oyE9djDPGGkjMBpv8jyMuOkTWvQk6Q5IQLR_5d6Z896bJ3jRiUcn33oyZb4FVtx3ke7iHog37FzXjTeWPsi/s1600/208431_542193092491379_332893909_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8X7fMfbUgnuVJgCLeFjV45HjBmbIviyaRHANdig_c_BF1mUtEY6yzqxO02oyE9djDPGGkjMBpv8jyMuOkTWvQk6Q5IQLR_5d6Z896bJ3jRiUcn33oyZb4FVtx3ke7iHog37FzXjTeWPsi/s320/208431_542193092491379_332893909_n.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
garden, a central feature of 18th century court life, was among the most
popular re-creations on the banquet table, which was natural enough since
garden ornament and table ornament shared the iconography of leisure. Imagine
the statues, grottoes, trellises, and fountains of the formal French garden as
diversions for repast. Imagine a dessert centerpiece composed of walks and
parterres made of colored sands and sugar, tiny porcelain urns filled with
orange blossoms or artificial flowers with gilt and varnished branches,
porcelain architectural follies, and miniature<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pedestaled figures framed in porcelain arbors like garden
statuary, and all supported on a gilt bronze tray.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Extraordinary
as these scenes might seem,, we must remember that their extravagance was even
more fantastical to the 18th or 19th century beholder for whom porcelain was a
rarity as precious as we find platinum or pearl today. Europeans had been
obsessed with the beauty of this high-fired vitreous clay ever since Marco Polo
brought the first examples from China in the 13th century. However, for the
next four hundred years, its formula remained a mystery. Rulers such as
Augustus the Strong, the 18th century King of Poland and Europe's foremost
collector of Chinese porcelains sponsored desperate efforts to unlock the
secret. In 1710 his court potter, Johann Friedrich Bottger, succeeded. Intent
on safeguarding the discovery, Augustus promptly imprisoned Bottger and his
staff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1uutfCulb4N1BSTbkr76xvBNtpN1Zu9ZbkI6sdLL5il6qcHnAJr5DiXSIVyOMmfWPnRMmZXjWO5x_s4ACnirz-1BGTPdqpnBgS7RpC5AIy4uFpLeopHuaULQiWfWmjFDX8xZ__v8UGma/s1600/523235_519293308114691_1523287033_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1uutfCulb4N1BSTbkr76xvBNtpN1Zu9ZbkI6sdLL5il6qcHnAJr5DiXSIVyOMmfWPnRMmZXjWO5x_s4ACnirz-1BGTPdqpnBgS7RpC5AIy4uFpLeopHuaULQiWfWmjFDX8xZ__v8UGma/s320/523235_519293308114691_1523287033_n.jpg" height="317" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Russia's
Peter the Great was so enthralled with porcelain that he sent emissaries to
Peking to uncover the secrets to the formula. They failed. Decades later his
equally determined daughter, the Empress Elizabeth, chained her court potter,
Dimitry Vinogrodov, to his workbench until he discovered the key. He succeeded,
but the mission drove him to drink and an early death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Fortunately,
none of us have to resort to such extremes to set an extraordinary table, although
I'm sure we could go around this room and learn that each of us has a story
about an extravagance, a sacrifice, some over-the-top gesture we've made for
the sake of elegance. After all, style, beauty, and good stories are not just
our business. They are our passion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">For
this reason, the legacy of exquisite design passed along to us by history's
patrons and artisans, nobles and slaves provides a wealth of models for
emulation and reinterpretation. Just as they borrowed from other cultures to
expand their own language of beauty, we can look to them for inspiration.
Perhaps the richest resource of all is the Russian Imperial style. For the
Russian rapture with Western taste brought together the refinement of European
art with a notion of grandeur unparalleled since the time of the Pharoahs. The
result is timeless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">These
decorations and Faberge settings illustrate one way of bringing history and
narration to the table. They illustrate a traditional theme -- the celebration
of the season, rebirth, the revivial of the earth -- in a visually exalted
context. The motif of the egg, which you find in the centerpieces, was chosen
for its associations with spring, with Passover and the rebirth of the earth,
with Easter and the resurrection, and with Faberge, who so luxuriously
reinterpreted the Russian custom of decorating eggs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Setting
such tablescapes is much like the performing of a ritual. It provides a focus
for congregation, a context for communion. It brings us together with pleasure
and encourages our gratitude for what we have -- and are about to receive:
nourishment for the body, nourishment for the soul, and a feast for the eye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi388Th4A_2zemHg38AUD3Cm-dKlexP-i7naks0L2tYnCab0nbFbQBGzCdnGS5UXk9yBUURzwkB93o8Wvj8JMkZE0Bh4kaBCRu-T6vsOgmgxggbsF3vtoEzrn8oR3SeoAdWiVW1gEFLJJZV/s1600/403520_494047960639226_1377791497_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi388Th4A_2zemHg38AUD3Cm-dKlexP-i7naks0L2tYnCab0nbFbQBGzCdnGS5UXk9yBUURzwkB93o8Wvj8JMkZE0Bh4kaBCRu-T6vsOgmgxggbsF3vtoEzrn8oR3SeoAdWiVW1gEFLJJZV/s320/403520_494047960639226_1377791497_n.jpg" height="235" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-15502684261047065052013-10-03T21:17:00.003-04:002013-10-03T21:17:51.250-04:00AN URBAN HIGH<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>545</o:Words> <o:Characters>3111</o:Characters> <o:Lines>25</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>3820</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="palatino" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; line-height: normal;">HOW ONE MAN’S VISION REVITALIZED NEW YORK REAL ESTATE</span></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>13</o:Words> <o:Characters>75</o:Characters> <o:Lines>1</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>92</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">and PROVIDED A PERPETUAL URBAN HIGH<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
</span></div>
<!--EndFragment--> <br />
<div class="palatino" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's almost as if the whole of 20th century architectural form -- from early brick geometries to glass-paneled perpendiculars to undulating choruses of banding -- convened to pose for this picture which I took (with my iPhone!) from New York City's High Line. Would that the visionary </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">of this </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 24px;">great elevated park,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Peter Oblenz, had lived to see the beauty and vitality his grand scheme has contributed to New York life --<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a park in the sky, pastoral, futuristic, yet accessible to everyone. Obletz lived alongside the abandoned elevated Tenth Avenue train track that ran down the middle of the street (and, with distressing frequency, ran down pedestrians; The street was nicknamed Death Avenue.) His vision would be hard won, require decades to manifest, and would transform an industrial derelict a paramount example of urban reclamation and a signature New York destination.</span></div>
<div class="palatino" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The original High Line was built in the thirties to service the warehouses along the West Side. No sooner was it built, however, than train traffic slowed to a trickle, thanks to the familiar death blow of the Depression and the popularity of truck transport. The last train ran on the High Line in 1980 (carrying, it is said, a load of turkeys on Thanksgiving morning), leaving the artery to rust and grow wild with weeds. Conrail, the railroad that owned the High Line, wanted it gone, as did a consortium of local property owners, led by one of the area’s largest interests, Edison Parking, and the City. The only reason it remained in place is that, essentially, no one wanted to pay to take it down. And so the High Line languished. Then, Peter Oblenz began rallying for the site's reclamation.</span></div>
<div class="palatino" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">It would be a decade and half before a not-for-profit group of neighborhood residents, business owners, design professionals and civic groups formed Friends of the High Line to carry forth Oblenz's mission. They garnered notable and powerful New Yorkers in the art, architecture, and civic world to support the vision of an elevated park. These efforts, of course, pleased no one who’d been entangled in the long battle to topple the High Line. For 20 years, local property owners were the main opponents to the park-conversion plan. At the height of the battle with Friends of the High Line, Edison Parking launched a propaganda campaign. One flyer read, “”Money doesn’t grow on trees, and last we checked, it isn’t growing in the weeds of the High Line.”</span></div>
<div class="palatino" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Ultimately, the possibilities of the High Line caught the public imagination, and movers and shakers were able to persuade all the property owners to sign over their rights using the tool of allowing the owners to transfer their development rights to surrounding properties. They then rezoned parts of West Chelsea to allow for new, larger developments.</span></div>
<div class="palatino" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Today the High Line is one of only two elevated parks in the world (the other, in Paris). A Standard Hotel, built to straddle it, is among the City's fashionable, and a new branch of the Whitney Museum of American Art has come to the neighborhood. The landscaped walk-in-the-sky is planted with wild flowers, carving its way for miles through the urban fabric two to three stories above ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> F</span>ramed mostly by the backs of buildings and billboards, with occasional views opening out to the Hudson or across Manhattan, it is a voyeur's paradise, a nature-lover's retreat, an urban oasis. Its uncanny isolation is magical, for the park is integrated into the urban fabric so seamlessly as to be nearly invisible.</span></div>
<div class="palatino" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As a result of the Peter Obletz' vision, its articulation, and the forbearence of those he motivated, even the humblest civic undertaking in New York today has become viewed as a potential gold mine. What the High Line achieved for pedestrian pleasure, it also accomplished for the future of urban design. City planners who once had to coax developers to build in rundown neighborhoods are groping for strategies to keep them at bay.</span></div>
<div class="palatino" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-5498640893441124362013-08-12T18:56:00.000-04:002013-08-14T13:42:42.515-04:00THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT: A Publishing Legend Dies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-ti5o4FNzeW_IRai4nuDP8L-fJO2TUWEk8gmRx1J0E2APpAFINqkH39kqdp9YMw2mSv4tAwFsfcjGUyacOcgAxlZRGl7IncRfwfJvnkM9uzOuMsnL_Eas3zjD-D3Ybmzfor8lYxXZLZg/s1600/DownloadedFile.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-ti5o4FNzeW_IRai4nuDP8L-fJO2TUWEk8gmRx1J0E2APpAFINqkH39kqdp9YMw2mSv4tAwFsfcjGUyacOcgAxlZRGl7IncRfwfJvnkM9uzOuMsnL_Eas3zjD-D3Ybmzfor8lYxXZLZg/s1600/DownloadedFile.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>2097</o:Words>
<o:Characters>11957</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>99</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>23</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>14684</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">A wake
of shock and sorrow keeps washing over me since I learned of the sudden death
of my friend, the publishing <i>enfant terrible</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> J-C. SUARES, a little over a week
ago. Nothing in the world could have been more unexpected. The baronial art
director/illustrator/teacher<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">graphic
designer/writer/editor was the embodiment of robust passion. No one I know had
his appetite for work, life, and athleticism. An intense competitor, he was
finally, at the age of 71, winding down his polo career, yet was still
regularly at the gym, boxing. He was constantly on a plane to see clients and
still working with the ambition of a 25-year-old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 21px;">J-C had
the creative drive of a raging bull. There were always dozens of projects on his
plate at any moment, among the most current a book he and I were working on
about Marilyn Monroe.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">J-C was
a connoisseur of art, books, movies, fine food, tailored clothes, good cigars,
fancy cars, and <i>objets d'art.</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> He loved amd drew dogs and cats, owned horses (at one time
a stable of polo ponies – he was avid about the sport of Kings, a young man’s
game he couldn’t forsake), and, in decorative taste, was a devoted Anglophile.
He spoke six languages (including Arabic and Mandarin Chinese) and could laugh
in each one of them. He could be as sweet as a teddy bear and as impatient and
imperious as Napoleon, to whom he bore a resemblance. He was once mistaken for
Pavoritti. While walking down Park Avenue, someone called out to him, "Hey
Luciano!" "Until that moment, I don't think I had realized my
girth," he chuckled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">Besides
his wicked sense of humor, what I adored most about J-C was his European
sensibility -- his taste for beauty, his signature elegance. They were evident
in everything he produced and in the world he created around himself, beginning
with his beautiful wife, the artist and equestrian Nina Duran. Lithe and
athletic, with long, sun-streaked hair, Nina ran the New York City Marathon
several times. "She's going to run with her hair down, flying behind her,"
J-C confided prior to one of the races, the look on his face conveying his
great pleasure at the image. When I visited their art-filled, book-filled,
antique-filled Upper East Side apartment, the first thing J-C showed me was the
display wall of Nina's equestrian ribbons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">The J-C-
stood for Jean-Claude. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, his father a Sephardic
Jew (hence the Suares with an s) and his mother a German Jew. The Suares family
had been bankers in Egypt for generations. His mother's family had escaped Dresden
before the city's destruction in the War. After Egypt, his family emigrated to
Italy where he spent part of his teen years. Then came America and, following
service as a paratrooper in Viet Nam and a stint on the staff of <i>Stars and
Stripes</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">, the military
newspaper, he embarked on a career that would make him the rock star of late 20<sup>th</sup>
century publishing. Within a year of establishing himself in the New York
scene, J-C had made his mark and was successful enough, he told me, to buy his
first Rolls Royce. Within ten years, he had paid cash for his Upper East Side
apartment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">As his <i>New
York Times</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> and <i>Variety</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> obituaries described, his early
career was cobbled together from alternative and mainstream publishing
ventures. Early on he was art director of underground papers like <i>The New
York Free Press</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> and
<i>Screw</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">. He was
later a design consultant for <i>Scanlan's Monthly</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">, a short-lived muckraking magazine.
He became the first art director <i>The New York Times</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> Op Ed Page in 1970, radically
altering the way editorial illustration was used there. For decades, the
newspaper “refused to hire an editorial cartoonist or have art on the editorial
page. But with the blessings of the page's editor, Harrison Salisbury, and <i>The
Times's</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> design
director, Louis Silverstein, he adopted a daring idea: Rather than restrict
artists to illustrating only specific passages of text, J-C pushed to give them
license to interpret an entire article. The approach helped guide the paper
into a new visual era and influenced other newspapers and magazines.” He
explains in a video history commemorating the Op-Ed page's 40th anniversary
how, "It was time for a big change. I wanted the art to be well drawn, and
I wanted to create some kind of emotional reaction." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">Accordingly,
he applied his linguistic talents to recruit a small posse of artists from
around the world. "He gave us an opportunity to redefine what graphic art
could be and do," described Brad Holland, an illustrator whom Mr. Suares
helped achieve prominence. “Many of the artists he called were from Soviet bloc
countries and fluent in surreal symbolism, which offered thought-provoking
concepts instead of editorial cartoon clichés like Uncle Sam and John Q.
Public. Captions were rejected. It was a form of visual commentary rarely found
in other publications,” the <i>Times </i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">obituary reads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">Until
this time, the Op-Ed art form was widely overlooked in America. In 1973, J-C
arranged an exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and edited the
catalog, "The Art of the Times."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“(The jazz great) Thelonius Monk came up to me,” he told me,
“and spread his arm out to the exhibition crowd. ‘All this is here for you,’ he
said, and for the first time in my life, I understood that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">J-C
worked with everyone from fashion illustrators to authors, from artists and
photographers to publishers and academics, and from socialites and movie stars
to national icons. Every once in a while he’d email me a photograph he’d come
across in what must be a vast archive, and there he was: watching the U.S. Open
with Kurt Vonnegut, escorting Martha Stewart to a dinner party, or.... tah dah
-- working on the Michael Jackson autobiography "Moonwalk" with
Jackie Onassis at Doubleday. While researching the Marilyn Monroe project, I
happened to ask J-C if he knew the photographer Inge Morath who documented the
making of Marilyn’s final movie <i>The Misfits</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> and who later married Arthur
Miller. “Oh sure,” he said. “I used to have lunch with the two of them on
weekends in the country.” When I sent him a photo of a very young Lauren Bacall
taken in her mother’s kitchen in the Bronx, he wrote back, “She was a nice girl
until she became a pain in the <i>tuchus</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">There
was no beating around the bush with J-C. He was forthright, concise, as ribald
as he was refined, and, not surprisingly, temperamental. I heard tales of his
explosiveness, but I never witnessed it except to see him to curse out a cab
driver with the virulence of an Egyptian camel driver. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">Every
encounter with J-C was indelible, whether it was a brief meeting at his apartment
where he worked at the dining room table in front of a Zuber scenic wallpaper
or a glimpse of him in full riding gear, walking his bear of an Akita, George,
down Lexington Avenue. (Where is Cartier-Bresson when you need him?) He once
took me on a magazine assignment to Malmaison, the Upper East Side antique
store christened in honor of Josephine Bonaparte’s country house near Paris, to
meet its owner, the eminent French fashion photographer and Napoleonic aesthete Roger
Prigent, (who J-C and Nina treated like family). Prigent taught his followers
to believe, as he did, that everything is “chic or not chic.” During that
visit, I caught sight of J-C paused beside a stupendous marble bust of the
Emperor. Where was <i>my</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> camera when I needed it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">An
autodidact, J-C read voraciously (“Autodidacts are the best educated,” he
believed.) In fact, the idea for the Marilyn book arose from an article he sent
me from the “London Review of Books” by the feminist academic Jacqueline Rose.
He consumed histories, biographies and books on movies. Unsurprisingly, J-C
himself was a beautiful writer. In his introduction to his book <i>City Dogs</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> he describes the marauding packs of
feral dogs that terrorized the streets of Alexandria. The image has never left
my mind. He co-authored "Uncommon Grace: Reminiscences and Photographs of
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis" with J. Spencer Beck and wrote
numerous magazine pieces. He taught for years at Parsons School of Design. <o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here are his words from the City Dogs intro: “A pack of wild dogs running down the Corniche, the fifteen-mile promenade along the Mediterranean, was not an uncommon sight in the Alexandria of the early 1950s. The dogs looked like the painted wooden likenesses found in tombs of the later dynasties: lithe greyhound bodies, large jackal ears, long snouts dripping with foam. Hungry and sick, they moved like a swarm of crazed bees. They overturned trash cans and stole from food carts. And Hanem, my Bedouin nanny, warned that they were known to attack children. The wild dogs came from the desert. They had followed caravans and were now trapped. Perhaps they would find their way back to the desert where they could certainly survive on small mammals, but here they were doomed.”</span><br />
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment-->
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">In 1976,
the release of "The Illustrated Cat: A Poster Book" by J-C and
Seymour Chwast started a craze for cat-themed books. J-C produced several more,
including "Cats in Love," "Hollywood Cats," "City
Cats" and "Sexy Cats." "His timing was great," Seymour
said, "He always knew what was going to be big."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">J-C
put his imprint on more than 100 books, magazines, and newspapers and drew
cover illustrations for the <i>New Yorker, Atlantic. Publishers Weekly</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">, and numerous others. He also
designed or redesigned publications including <i>New York Magazine,
Broadcasting & Cable, Connoisseur, Buzz, Inc</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">. and <i>Fast Company</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">. He was the founding creative
director of <i>Poz</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">
and <i>7 Days</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> and
design director of <i>Columbia College Today</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> (for 25 years) and <i>Connoisseur. </i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">He also oversaw redesigns for <i>Publishers
Weekly, Military History</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">, and <i>Variety</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> where he was recruited in 1989 by editor-in- chief Peter Bart, whose
mandate was to revitalize the paper. “Bart felt a sophisticated graphic
redesign was crucial,” reads the <i>Variety</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> obituary. Accordingly, J-C departed from the 85-year
tradition of strictly black and white and a crowd of stories on the front page.
He used a different typeface and paper stock and changed the always-in-black
Variety logo to red. He designed the front page with multiple photos (which had
been rarely used in the paper), fewer stories, and “one or two of his own
trademark sketches, often comical drawings that included film cans, showbiz
logos on human legs, people carrying suitcases, and, most frequently, cats.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">When
I think of J-C, it is always with a pen in hand. He drew as fluidly as he spoke
– sweet and lovely dog and cat cartoons, piercing political cartoons, comic
art, layout designs, illustrations. The whimsicality of the dog and cat
pictures could have been a surprising counterpoint to the acid bite of the
political drawings, but the contrast mirrored his persona. One of his most famous
political cartoons, which appeared in the <i>Nation</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> during the Viet Nam years, is of a
slaphappy, bronco busting LBJ riding a missle.<i> </i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">J-C and the magazine’s publisher,
Victor Navasky, remained close friends from that time on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">J-C
was not only a faithful friend, but a generous benefactor of assignments.
"He made you feel you were working on something really important when he
called you," Milton Glaser, the renowned graphic designer recalls. When I
first met J-C, in the late 1980s, not long after I had moved back to New York
to accelerate my writing career, he had recently been named art director of
Simon and Schuster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A mutual
acquaintance - a magazine editor - had passed along my name to him and he
phoned: "I hear we're doing a book together on Russian Imperial art."
“We <i>are</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">?!” rang
the shocked voice in my head. “It would be my pleasure,” spilled my
disbelieving voice into the phone. The book, <i>Russian Impeprial Style,</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"> would be shot partially in St.
Petersberg. Most of the research would be done at A La Vielle Russie, the Fifth
Avenue gallery, established in 1851, that specializes in Russian art and
antiques. (The goldsmith and jeweler to the Czars Peter Carl Faberge had been a
client.) J-C explained that, with the exception of Jackie Onassis’ primarily
black-and-white book, <i>In the Russian Style</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">, published in 1977, there existed no other book
(lavishly illustrated and in color) purely focused on the imperial art
(architecture, decorative arts, fashion and jewelry) of the era between the 17<sup>th</sup>
and early 20<sup>th</sup>centuries. The assignment gave me the opportunity to
travel to Russia, immerse myself in the A La Vielle Russie library, and savor
the opportunities to hold in my own hands there examples from rare collections
of enameled presentation boxes, personal jewelry from the Imperial family, and
figurines carved in precious and semi-precious stones. Whatever images for the
book weren’t shot on location in Russia, J-C photo styled himself in the store
and in his own apartment where pieces he had acquired –porcelain clocks, a 19<sup>th</sup>
century mahogany, ebony, and gilt table with a bucolic scene painted in tempera
-- were interspersed among the other fine antiques he collected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">From the
moment I met J-C, I wanted to hear his life story, and I continuously prodded
him to assemble an autobiography. I even offered to write it for him, “like
Alice B. Toklas did for Gertrude Stein,” I said. “You talk, I’ll write, you’ll
edit.” “I’m not ready yet,” he’d always answer, but he must have been thinking
about it recently because he told me he’d put out a call over the internet to
locate his acquaintances from Alexandria. “Within half an hour, I had a dozen
replies,” he reported.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only a
month ago I composed an outline for how I thought his memoir might unfold. I
thought it could begin with his introduction to <i>City Dogs</i></span><span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">J-C
lived through and influenced so many eras of design evolution that his
reflections on publishing alone could have filled a book, not to mention his
take on the luminaries he worked with. Who wouldn’t want to know what it was
like working with Jackie, or earlier, with the genius fashion illustrator
Antonio Lopez who brought Grace Jones, Jessica Lange, and Jerry Hall, to name a
few, into the spotlight. Then there would have to be stories about his
experience as an Army paratrooper during Viet Nam, and chapters on horses,
cars, and polo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>J-C lived with such vigor that it’s
impossible to believe that he could have been felled at such a relatively young
age, let alone by something so fast – a bacterial infection that raced to his
heart. Of course the heart is where genius is typically most vulnerable. The
infection brought him down in days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
digital revolution in publishing must have shocked J-C, as it has many of us,
with its sudden pervasiveness and impact on graphic design. I can only
speculate as to how he regarded its portent as he observed standards of taste
and quality decline and long-time clients and significant income fall away. Of
course, he kept doing what he did best – working harder than ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">J-C was more than a literary lion, he was a
literary impresario. I know there are legions of friends and colleagues around
the world who are as stunned and bereft at our loss as I am and who will be
composing recollections of him enough to fill volumes. I suspect J-C was loved
more deeply and by more people than he would ever have believed. My prayer is
that our lion sleeps, surrounded by the essence of all the beauty and happiness
he created, in perfect peace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNXlvyu3KHJY6OQ2KZPhjS8gvb4Y1M0Xp2UK94d726QqbIjHSEhHELAnph20ozNsTGScpKPRa0XCOzL2uRDr7rsZOhSGabUfStcdhQqjPtRZFJG9Px_jRPOpq5R5Hu59ljsbcHGJThToB/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNXlvyu3KHJY6OQ2KZPhjS8gvb4Y1M0Xp2UK94d726QqbIjHSEhHELAnph20ozNsTGScpKPRa0XCOzL2uRDr7rsZOhSGabUfStcdhQqjPtRZFJG9Px_jRPOpq5R5Hu59ljsbcHGJThToB/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>65</o:Words>
<o:Characters>371</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>3</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>455</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
LINKS TO THE OBITUARIES IN THE NEW YORK TIMES AND VARIETY </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
AND A SHORT GALLERY OF J-C's ART: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
http://variety.com/2013/scene/news/graphic-artist-j-c-suares-dies-redesigned-variety-in-the-1990s-1200571682/<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/business/media/jean-claude-suares-daring-illustrator-of-the-timess-op-ed-page-dies-at-71.html?hpw<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
http://variety.com/gallery/photos-the-art-of-variety-illustrator-j-c-suares-remembered/#!15/the-art-of-j-c-suares<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><!--EndFragment-->
laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-75806501731614195032013-08-12T18:55:00.001-04:002013-08-12T18:55:06.113-04:00Laura Puts Out...pictures, words, ideas: Preview "THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT: A Publishing Legend Dies"<a href="http://lauraputsout.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=swVzdkABAAA.mXkkuIqQYF86oP_Y_JC2rQ.urAJ1MeoFZEqoVtzkCSQaA&postId=549864089344112436&type=POST">Laura Puts Out...pictures, words, ideas: Preview "THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT: A Publishing Legend Dies"</a>: http://variety.com/2013/scene/news/graphic-artist-j-c-suares-dies-redesigned-variety-in-the-1990s-1200571682/<br />
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/business/media/jean-claude-suares-daring-illustrator-of-the-timess-op-ed-page-dies-at-71.html?hpw<br />
http://variety.com/gallery/photos-the-art-of-variety-illustrator-j-c-suares-remembered/#!15/the-art-of-j-c-suareslaura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-88524586068943594212013-04-25T11:58:00.001-04:002013-04-25T12:00:56.537-04:00SHIRLEY NOW AND THEN...AND THEN AGAIN<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqurhJzgEeIpLf5UOfRlAiuDfCuYenFB4fc7m8UOlOA4EDSzUXv0209JRHABNs578BO7uHVj8Yk7FsI2uVcqz1Pk19dg0z4UOOIKfftC1sj-6XaZ7IG4VmF70rIO5LL_6g3JAXi6Tr7rP/s1600/IMG_1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqurhJzgEeIpLf5UOfRlAiuDfCuYenFB4fc7m8UOlOA4EDSzUXv0209JRHABNs578BO7uHVj8Yk7FsI2uVcqz1Pk19dg0z4UOOIKfftC1sj-6XaZ7IG4VmF70rIO5LL_6g3JAXi6Tr7rP/s320/IMG_1063.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"> <i> Shirley Now and Then</i>, acrylic on canvas, 2009 Laura Cerwinske</span><br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>860</o:Words>
<o:Characters>4902</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>40</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>6020</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">Our
neighbor Shirley, who died last summer, was as indelible a presence in the
neighborhood as was her startling makeup and Indian black hair. A tiny woman in
brilliant red lipstick and vivid circles of rouge, she walked up and down the
neighborhood for at least four hours -- or eight miles -- a day. A vision of
perpetual, steady motion, her head bent forward, her frozen shoulder curved
behind, she was a moving fixture enveloped in an aura of happiness. “When I’m
walking, it’s like I’m in heaven,” she used to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">No one knew
how old Shirley was, except Harold, her deeply protective husband who was
retired from his career as a welder for Pan American Airlines and who wasn’t
much for talking. I guessed from her height (maybe 4’10”) and sun-stained skin
and fragile-looking bones that she might be around eighty. Of obvious Cherokee
descent (her hair was obsidian black and her cheekbones angled high), she grew
up on Florida’s west coast in deep orange grove territory where, on her walks
to school, she encountered all manner of “Swamplandia’s” creatures. When the
School Board insisted she ride the school bus, she refused. Her mother stormed
the School Board office, arguing on Shirley’s behalf…and won. Shirley walked
the several miles and several hours each way, in bliss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">Her mother
must have adored her, for when she asked Shirley what kind of dress she’d like
for her first grown-up outing, Shirley showed her a picture of Suzy Wong in a
frock with a Chinese collar. Her mother sewed the dress for her and added a
bauble that Shirley wore around her ear. Years later, she would have a portrait
painted of herself taken from a photograph of her in the dress and bauble. This
portrait was the beginning point of our friendship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">I, too, am
an avid walker. And whenever Shirley and I crossed paths in the neighborhood,
we’d stop and chat. Usually about our mutual love of being in nature. “I could
live happily under a tree,” she’d say. “I could live happily </span><span style="font-family: "Arial Italic"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><i>in</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;"> a tree,” I’d answer. When I
revealed to her that I was an artist, she asked if I’d like to see the
portrait. It seems Shirley also loved to paint, and it was this passion, along
with her love for the memory of that dress and her mother, that had prompted
her to have this special portrait made.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">I was eager
to see this evidence of Shirley’s history. Waiting outside the chain link fence
that surrounded the ramshackle house where she and Harold lived, I contemplated
Shirley’s devotions – walking, communing with wildlife, and now, it seemed,
art. Harold emerged through the front door carrying the portrait. Even from the
sidewalk, I could see that it was elegant and articulate. Up close, I could
easily detect not only the determination Shirley possessed in her youth, but
also her youthful beauty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">Colorful,
dare I say dramatic makeup was only one among Shirley’s notable features. Her
black eyes were starkly framed by bangs and braids. A beautician once convinced
her to cut off the braids. She compensated with braided wisps which lent her an
incongruous twist of urban chic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">Shirley’s
smile outshone everything else. I never once encountered her on my dog walks
when she didn’t greet me with a grin so generous it could fill a movie screen.
“You look so pretty today. I love what you’re wearing…or, I love those
earrings…or I love the color of your shirt,” she’d say. And she truly meant it.
She was easy to delight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">I asked
Shirley if I could bring over my camera and photograph her with the portrait so
I could do a painting of her. Harold granted permission and chaperoned the
event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later that year, 2009, I
invited them over to my house a few blocks away to see the finished work. The
painting is nearly life size, and I titled it, “Shirley, Now and Then.” Harold
nodded at it. Shirley grinned and glowed. “You’re a really good artist,” she
told me. Then I took a photo of her standing next to my painting of the picture
of her holding the portrait and then another photo of her standing next to my
painting holding the photo of her holding the portrait. (Very post modern,
indeed.) Now, added to her compliments about my appearance whenever I saw her
was always praise for my talent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">Shirley and
I often talked about animals – my dogs, the squirrels and birds she fed, her
own dog, Bonnie. Bonnie was a sweet old pit bull who, apparently, loved to
dance. Music was yet another of Shirley’s passions, and she told me how every
night she would put on a record and dance. (Learning this was reassuring,
because I’d never been entirely sure their house had electricity). Bonnie, it
seems, also loved dancing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon
hearing the music, she would stand up on her two hind legs and “walk” across
the floor to dance with Shirley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">For years,
Harold and Shirley bought birdseed to spread around the front yard poincianas
where Shirley also fed individually-named squirrels and foxes. You might have
taken her for St. Francis of Assisi…or Snow White (if Snow White could be a
tiny Cherokee woman with vivid lipstick and wispy braids), surrounded by
adoring woodland creatures and glowing with beneficence. (Knowing, squawking
blue jays perched on Shirley’s shoulders as she tossed morsels to the assembly,
their tails a riot of twitching arabesques. Then, money got tight (I assume
Harold and Shirley lived on his Social Security), and Harold determined that
the wildlife food was too much of an expense. The feedings stopped. Still, a
squirrel or two would often trot alongside Shirley on her walks, chattering,
maybe scolding, but undoubtedly sustaining the bond. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">Long after
telling me the story of Bonnie the Dancing Dog, I asked what had happened to
Bonnie. Dade County, it seems, had passed an anti-pit bull ordinance
restricting the breed from residential neighborhoods, and the dog police had
come and taken Bonnie away. Shirley related the story to me soberly, but
without anguish or even nostalgia. I was crushed. Shirley resumed her walking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt;">copyright c Laura Cerwinske, 2009</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-38508731328351646482013-04-25T11:51:00.003-04:002013-04-25T11:55:35.033-04:00TURBULENCE... A VIRTUE?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>681</o:Words>
<o:Characters>3885</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>32</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>4771</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXckZI5U4FX38MN0C0HyY7IH7ECEgDx29pBUcSMfMl6BM0XmRcKN4sWtGIEpwMktU0Rg2Y_0HmqGootf9p5M6adMDSXq3b4kllioSF_H-3Hw4_SShtauAZXYCsdfCrbKQsYtQ3IwV-fD6/s1600/DSCN2265+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXckZI5U4FX38MN0C0HyY7IH7ECEgDx29pBUcSMfMl6BM0XmRcKN4sWtGIEpwMktU0Rg2Y_0HmqGootf9p5M6adMDSXq3b4kllioSF_H-3Hw4_SShtauAZXYCsdfCrbKQsYtQ3IwV-fD6/s320/DSCN2265+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Orange Springs,</i> oil on canvas, 2003 Pat Jacobs</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>642</o:Words>
<o:Characters>3660</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>30</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>4494</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
numerous spiritual traditions, brokenness is looked upon as a path to power.
The little known Hindu goddess Akhilandeshvari, for example, typically depicted
as a woman riding like a warrior on a fearsome crocodile through deadly
turbulence across a river, derives her power from being pulled apart, from
having to live constantly in different selves simultaneously, from never being
“complete”. What does such a concept offer us, what could such an image teach?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
crocodile is a predator that kills not through the brute force of its huge
jaws, but through the power of violent disorientation. It snatches its prey
from the riverbank, thrusts it into the water, and spins it “like a dervish
seeking God.” In this way, the victim virtually scares itself to death. What
could be better!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like the
crocodile’s prey, we, too, can scare ourselves if not to death, then into
sickness, paralysis, and impossible disorientation. Our stories run our lives,
and when these stories are disrupted or in any way “broken,” the illusion of
being “whole” implodes, our specific sense of the future dissolves, our
expectations grow meaningless, and our anticipations either no longer apply...
or resound with all too much disappointing familiarity. Then, our role takes on
a new and different responsibility. We must reassemble the pieces of our
story/our lives – either back into their previous form (which can never truly
be replicated – time and energy have intervened) – or into a new shape and
motivation that integrates the changes wrought by the brokenness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">Consider
these words of one of my students: <i>Every time she erupts, I fall apart. I am
broken into pieces and sent flying. I want to come down to earth. I want to
feel whole. I want out of the paralysis of grief and terror. I want my momentum
restored.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">Because
the writer was consciously and non-judgmentally observing his emotional self
(as opposed to unconsciously acting it out), he had the option of grasping for
the shards of the old story and/or conjuring a horizon in which the
disorienting picture can be diffused, resized, re-colored, rearranged, or
dissolved. He can use his brokenness to reshape the story and realign an inner
compass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
crocodile archetype represents the reptilian brain, the neurological aspect
where the fight or flight reflex resides (in the part of the prefrontal lobe
known as the amygdale). In times of brokenness or panic, the reptilian brain
surges into action, flooding the endocrine system with hormones that put our
minds and bodies into a state of full alert. In moments of physical danger,
this can save our lives; but as a repetitive emotional pattern affixing us into
a condition of fright, the reptilian brain remains, like the crocodile, geared to
devour us with every bit of its disorienting force. The female divinity -- the
symbol of the right brain, creativity, and transformation – rides the crocodile
through the prismatic refraction of watery turbulence to arrive at a new
location, perhaps even on a different shore. Akhilanda does not tame or kill
the predator, but uses her own power – the power of non-judgmental
introspection and divine intuition -- to navigate the waves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
then, even when Akhilanda lands, battered but safe, her newfound unbrokenness
is but temporary. (<i>Ishvari </i></span><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">means female power in Sanskrit, and Akhilanda means
“never not broken.” In other words, she is the “always broken goddess.” She
must continue breaking apart and reassembling herself, riding the next
crocodile and navigating the next waves. Her brokenness is life, the crocodile
itself, the river, the spinning, the disorientation. All are elements of the
process of living, which, after all, is one of allowing our pieces to fall away
and collecting them for the next reassembling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thus,
there are always fractures, unexpected curves, and dangerous edges to our
storylines... both crisis and growth make them evident. Observing, releasing,
reinventing, and riding our crocodiles across the turbulence, we never get the
story straight. And never have. For the story – past, present, or future –
never <i>is </i></span><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">straight.
After all, nothing in nature moves in a straight line,. Our stories hold our
power, and our power emanates from the imagination which resides in the
subconscious, in the fields of our right brain, in the realm of the reptile. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">copyright<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>c<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>2013 by Laura Cerwinske<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">with acknowledgement to Julie
Peters and Eric Stoneberg<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 19px;">http://www.radicalwriting.com, http://www.lauracerwinske.com</span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-23502683838943326832013-01-30T14:28:00.001-05:002013-11-16T15:28:15.941-05:00NICE KNOBS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16pt;"><b>NICE KNOBS<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16pt;"><b>Laura Cerwinske</b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-jtnPuRkhGFWTQkWhPUAFBEjR0F3JHFiDaFCCxRpMZ1z1BXboEh-e-M09axdF1J2SmbxmVOVrwAIL6LQ6CG9iyyKeIwrLA4e6MHCdw0qDlDwO8IXp9yN_Jbd3mPm5cFwoFff2_Riyu1U/s1600/403374_10151337239040337_962440163_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-jtnPuRkhGFWTQkWhPUAFBEjR0F3JHFiDaFCCxRpMZ1z1BXboEh-e-M09axdF1J2SmbxmVOVrwAIL6LQ6CG9iyyKeIwrLA4e6MHCdw0qDlDwO8IXp9yN_Jbd3mPm5cFwoFff2_Riyu1U/s320/403374_10151337239040337_962440163_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>2169</o:Words>
<o:Characters>12368</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>103</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>24</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>15188</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Patsy
Pendarvis was known for her knockers. So, when she came knocking on Gordo’s
door, with its fine 18<sup>th</sup> century burnished brass door knob and
gilded mounts, Gordo sat up and took prompt notice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Gordo
ran an antique hardware business known for its rare and superlative knobs. His
mother, an interior decorator, had raised him in a home furnished with the
finest continental furnishings and extraordinary interior detailing, but most
of all, with an acute understanding of how “hardware is the jewelry of the
room.” This is why Gordo’s knobs were so nice -- because of how completely he
grasped the significance of touch. The knob is the most tactile of all
hardware. When it comes to touch and to the man, Gordo himself, only the nicest
will do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">This,
too, is why Patsy Pendarvis was such a revelation. Here she came with her fancy
knockers thinking she was just the Queen of the May. And she was! Especially
with those knockers. Beautifully proportioned as in the Georgian style. Yet
with the merest grace note, too elusive to be baroque, yet not quite near to
Renaissance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Patsy
Pendarvis was pretty jolly for a girl with so prodigious<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">a
pedigree. She came by her knockers naturally. Her mother had been born to a
family of French courtiers with ties to the House of Balencieaga. Her father
was a silversmith for the great Swedish silversmith Georg Jensen. Patsy,
although raised in so rarefied an atmosphere, nonetheless possessed a
constitution that was oddly robust.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">This was
fortunate in light of her previous relationship to a “bounder,” as her family
had called him, a man on the run, a man to whom running was second nature. His
urge was known to begin somewhere between his groin and solar plexus, and could
be described as a driving compulsion to take off. To find the next thing. To
get out of Dodge. Patsy had been the longest run of his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Well,
that was over. And now it was Patsy and Gordo and their grand dreams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Their
moment of formal reinvention would occur in a dazzling dew-struck garden
beneath a pergola crafted by Gordo himself, an intricate architecture of knobs
and knockers. He soldered together in an open basketweave pattern original
brass, glass, gold plate, silver, and gunmetal elements along with
reproductions in styles of the 17<sup>th</sup>, 18<sup>th</sup>, and 19<sup>th</sup>
centuries. The pergola was a work of jeweled splendor, an homage to Patsy’s
knockers. The event of their union – “joining” as it was referred to it in the
world of hardware -- promised seismic rejoicing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nuptials were announced via a hand-inscribed parchment
invitation in an envelope fastened with a small 18<sup>th</sup> century clasp.
The velvet rope could hardly handle the response. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Orders
for knobs and knockers also flew through the doors. Even the Pentagon wanted
merchandise, specifically the knob-and-knocker pergola. No wonder. A pentagram
was hidden in the basketweave. Gordo and Patsy Pendarvis were ready for a good
laugh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">After
the wedding ceremony, Gordo and Patsy retired to a gated residential community
in central Florida selected for<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">the
elegance of the wrought iron gates at its entrance and the fine hinges and
hardware upon which it swung gracefully <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">open to
greet them. Its choice was also based on the community’s smoking policy—one of
encouragement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
community, known as Pandora, was built by the same conglomerate of tobacco
companies that had conspired to buy the Associated Press and other media
sources as a way to control publicity about the effects of smoking. Pandora was
the only town in America where cigarette smoking in public was not only
allowed, but welcomed. Patsy, a lifelong and committed smoker, was a
connoisseur of Pamuks, a slender Persian cigarette that looked most elegant at
the tip of the fingers. It tasted of a dark and smoky richness that Patsy found
divine. She refused to be constrained in her smoking just as she refused to end
her habit of correcting people, to their faces, of spoken errors in grammar.
The most common – and vulgar – of these errors, which grated almost unbearably
on Patsy’s fine sensibilities, was the use of <i>me</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> instead of <i>I</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> and its positioning before the
name or pronoun, as in “me and J.J.” instead of “J.J. and me.” She first
noticed that particular grammatical blasphemy popularized on the TV sitcom
“Roseanne” when the Roseanne Barr character announced to her kids that, “Me and
your dad are ......” From that moment on she noticed it everywhere, even
eventually out of the mouths of classroom teachers and medical doctors. “Oh,
Lord,” thought Patsy, “What’s next?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Well,
next came hyperbolic redundancies: <i>a terrible tragedy</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> (is there another kind?), <i>very
unique</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> (it’s
already superlative!), <i>very monumental</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> (ibid.), <i>completely ubiquitous</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 21px;">and the
others which the ubiquitously (proper usage) </span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">hair-sprayed,
uber-tanned newscasters (not to mention weathercasters!) so dearly loved to
pepper their reports. The egregious use of such inane redundancies caused Patsy
to shield her eyes, as if the grammatical affront might harm her eyesight. She
equally deplored the habit of using nouns as verbs, as in, “The meteor <i>will
impact</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> the
atmosphere,” when the true, original verb, <i>effect</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">, worked perfectly well. Or the
linguistic atrocity that was so often repeated during the Olympics, causing
Patsy to boycott the television altogether during its two-week duration. If she
heard a sportscaster intone, “The U.S. is sure <i>to medal</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> in this event,” once more, she
would surely set someone aflame. “You mean <i>to place</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">, you idiots!” she screamed,
jabbing her finger across the remote.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Patsy
was also quite adamant about such obnoxious overused parlance as a<i>mazing </i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">(“Meaning what<i>? Beautiful,
magnificent, extraordinary, unusual, courageous, heroic?</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> I mean, if <i>I </i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">can think of a hundred more
precise modifiers, why the hell can’t anyone else!”) <i>Journey</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> (“For Christ’s sake, it’s not a
fucking journey, it’s <i>an experience, an effort, a life!</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">”) And then there was that
terrible slang for vegetables, <i>veggies. </i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Even television’s master chefs and her own
neighbors were drowning their food conversations in it, like some terrible
lumpy Russian dressing. The word sounded to her like something only a cooing
yuppie stay-at-home dad would use cajoling his insolent children to eat.
(“What’s so hard about pronouncing one little extra syllable?” Pasty’d lament,
throwing a stick of unwrapped gum at the face of Rachel Ray on the screen.
Patsy kept packs of gum at her bedside for exactly this purpose. “<i>Veg-ta-ble,
veg-ta-ble,</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">
that’s all. You’re on TV, not hanging out a juice bar!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Friends,
acquaintances, colleagues, even strangers were not immune from Patsy’s corrections.
She wasn’t a tree-hugger or a political protestor or a campaigner for justice.
Patsy’s avocational mission in life was to clean up the language, and anyone
who committed a verbal transgression in her presence was in for remark. Gordo
had lost a sale or two, one to career-long customer, over Patsy’s insistent
correction (right up close in the poor man’s face) of his use of the word<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"><i>less </i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">rather than <i>fewer.</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> “One indicates a number, the
other a quantity. Get it straight!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Once
settled in Pandora, Gordo and Patsy set about mapping out their new strategy.
Knobs and knockers had been a start, but the couple aspired to empire. The
basketweave pergolas had been only a beginning. In appreciation of the obvious,
they quickly determined their <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">new
endeavor in Pandora to be, naturally, a line of specialty boxes, Pandora Boxes.
The nature of the products they were to contain didn’t much matter since it was
the boxes themselves people would want. Gordo designed their hardware: hinges,
clasps, and joins replicating those of Napoleonic and imperial Russian
presentation boxes. Patsy created the wrappings: origamis of Fortuny-like
folds, tied with sprigs of orange blossoms collected from trees grown in their
very own groves. They had rescued these trees from the original groves just
before they were bulldozed by the tobacco conglomerate to make land for
expansion, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 21px;">for the
construction of what would become Pandora II. Patsy and Gordo rescued trees
enough trees to keep them in orange juice and decorative sprigs for the rest of
their lives. Business bloomed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Following
the much heralded success of both the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">basketwoven
knob-and-knocker pergolas and Pandora Boxes, what could possibly have been left
to the golden couple but to have a baby. Patsy had no trouble finding one she
liked online – it was available at an orphanage in Bukhara. The orphange had
been founded by a sister of the Katerine Order which had been formed in the
early nineteenth century and devoted to the production of textiles used in
Russian Orthodox Church ritual. Its name derived from Katherine II of Russia in
whose court the arts of textile design flourished and from which originated the
ritual draping of a priceless fleece shawl over the sarcophagi of popes,
priests, Tsars, and Tzarinas. After Katherine’s death in 1796, the Order was
convened for the purpose of creating the “shawl imperiale” to be draped across
the Empress’s own sarcophagus and, following that, those of subsequent
potentates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">From
the time of their creation, Katerine shawls were coveted not only for the
luxuriousness of their fleece (sheared from Tibetan goats and Siaga antelopes),
but also for their elaborate motifs. These were crafted in double-faced weaves
– the front and back being indistinguishable. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 21px;">As a
result of the vast viewing of the shawl at Katherine the Great’s funeral
(attended by monarchs across Asia, Europe, and Africa), word of its
extraordinary beauty spread beyond the empire. Ultimately, the garments crafted
by the Katerine Sisters became so highly prized that their cost equaled that of
the price of 2,000 serfs or as much as 300,000 gold rubles. A less complexly
woven scarf might require six months of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 21px;">labor;
others involving greater virtuosity commanded as long as two and a half years.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">At the
culmination of a life of intensive service at the needle, Katerine sisters
would be retired to a convent located in a bleak region where blinding snow
dominated the landscape, making optical, if not mystical vision irrelevant. For
by the time of their retirement, the Sisters’ work had rendered them blind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
eruption of the Russian Revolution forced the Katerine Sisters to take flight;
members of their Order were dispersed across the continents. Some fled to the
Houses of Worth,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Balenciaga, and
other Parisian bastions of haute couture to practice their arts and,
ultimately, thrive. Other Sisters, by various and serpentine routes, ended up
in Argentine lace-making studios and Cuban guayabera factories. One found
herself employed in the atelier of a Broadway costume designer where she became
known as Sister K of Broadway. But it was the blind sisters left behind when
the sighted ones fled who, finding safe haven in Bukhara, one of the most
ancient cities of Uzbekistan and once a large commercial center on the Great
Silk Road, founded an orphanage where they would teach, even within their
optical darkness, the arts of the needle. The orphanage was little known
outside the Soviet Union until<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Communist fall
when it became acclaimed in international adoption circles for the skill of its
orphans. The Bukharan Orphanage of Katerine Sisters was also the first adoption
agency to advertise its orphans online.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Among
the top orphans was an impish nine-year-old <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">with a
mischievious mouth and eyes like a dove. Little Osman, as he was called, had
tiny hands that, since the age of five, had proved useful for detailed
embroidery. Unfortunately, as he grew older, the fingers, knuckles, and wrists
that hung from his arms like prisoners to gravity signaled a future of manual
forcefulness. The Sisters convinced Gordo and Patsy that a child of nine would
be far more suitable for them than a mewling, puking infant. Little Osman held
up his paws for their inspection. With one glance at the boy’s digital
musculature (the implications of his strength and dexterity implicit), the
couple signed on the dotted line and whisked him back to Pandora.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little Osman was more than ready to make
his way out of the box. He adored his new parents and was eager to please.
Within a short time, fed on Florida watermelon, orange juice, and prime rib, he
grew to a towering height and showed an interest in working at the forge. With
his dextrous fingers and wrists like Sequoias, the boy determined to extend the
family legacies and become a silversmith. He set up shop under the spreading
orange trees and grew renowned. Pandora Boxes, with their clasps and inlays as
finely tooled as any presentation box from the court of Catherine II, became
for decades the <i>de rigeur</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;"> society gift. In no time, Georg Jensen would try to
knock them off.; in even less time, Patsy would rebut with a lawsuit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Gordo
swelled with pride when he spoke of his towering son. Little Osman cherished
the adoration and the dark pools of his dove-like eyes sparkled. He had made
his parents proud. He had also made his parents a lot of money. Not that they
needed it. Gordo and Patsy pondered what to do next. Their business ambitions,
financials goals, and childrearing more than satisfied, the future was theirs.
But then, it always had been.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Patsy
determined to open a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>School of
Grammatical Correctness. She enlisted a grant writer to compose a pitch to the
tobacco conglomerate for a subsidy, mentioning that </span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">she
would even allow her profile picture to include, discreetly of course, a
cigarette between her fingers. She had in mind a Cecil Beaton-like portrait of
Coco Chanel (before her Nazi collaboration days). Only a curl of smoke rising </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 21px;">behind
her frothy mane could be seen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Patsy’s
teaching method was, not surprisingly, dictatorial. Handbooks, exercises, rote
assignments, and harsh discipline for those who failed to modify correctly.
Gordo and Little Osman applauded her. Her program for errant television
personalities would have been more successful had the applicants properly
filled out their admissions forms. But once Patsy got a look at the sloppy
penmanship (<i>no</i></span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">
penmanship, in fact, since cursive writing had long been abandoned in public
education), she was too enraged to entertain the thought of their admission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 16.0pt;">Everyone
figured that pack-and-a-half-a-day Patsy would be the first to go, but Gordo’s
death, caused by acute indigestion brought on by a binge on the highly spiced
Turkish delicacies that had come as a premium with the shipment of Patsy’s
Pamuks, preceded hers by seven years. Held in kryogenic suspension until the
day when they could be buried together (in casket-sized Pandora Boxes with
silver fastenings fashioned at the hand of Little Osman), Gordo was consoled in
his state of stalled ascendance by the music track Patsy had installed and
transmitted through the kryogenic fluids in his holding tank. The music was an
endless loop of Gordo’s favorite recording artists singing, “Knock, knock,
knocking on Heaven’s Door.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-37125109434253670972012-11-03T13:00:00.000-04:002013-04-25T11:02:33.025-04:00HEAT LIGHTENING<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>4950</o:Words>
<o:Characters>28219</o:Characters>
<o:Lines>235</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>56</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>34654</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>11.1539</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HEAT LIGHTENING<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>or<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>WHEN TEMPTATION SHOWS UP DRESSED TO KILL</b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">by</span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Patti (Mary Dolores) Auslandish<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(a character from Laura's forthcoming novel <b>BLOOD ENVY</b>)</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAjpruZOURg9rBwVx089_3ONUcHli4vuhpOfMWgZHZm432TJA6KzO5ToZ48f2tEJoHVQQOP5CHP2gn6ngANK4hyphenhyphenOxlxhLAioY2xZngGySXObSIZK6mH1Lkc7-P9A3taz8mtAitXW9MNB7/s1600/IMG_3602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAjpruZOURg9rBwVx089_3ONUcHli4vuhpOfMWgZHZm432TJA6KzO5ToZ48f2tEJoHVQQOP5CHP2gn6ngANK4hyphenhyphenOxlxhLAioY2xZngGySXObSIZK6mH1Lkc7-P9A3taz8mtAitXW9MNB7/s640/IMG_3602.JPG" height="640" width="537" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Detail from <i>Connect the Dots</i>, wall-size assemblage by Laura Cerwinske, 2006</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A prominent friend of mine, an art gallery
owner we’ll call Isabel, once told me a story that featured her father, a
Venezuelan gentleman who was often photographed for the Latin society pages. "Whenever his portrait was being taken," she described, "he would turn both feet
90 degrees in the same direction. His face would be full to the camera, but his feet parallel, as in an Egyptian hieroglyph. He never gave a reason for this," she confessed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As indelibly as that image remained in my mind,
so too did another of Isabel’s stories, this one about a period of time, during
the early Mitterand years, when she lived in Paris. Isabel was then married to
a relatively penniless, but titled German, and together the two of them had
parlayed his social standing into a profitable scenario involving antiques,
national honors, ceremonial dinners, and much hand kissing and gossip. At one
of these affairs, Isabel was introduced to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Prime Minister, who was then commencing upon the longest
incumbency in modern French history. Mitterand was immediately enchanted by
Isabel, who, even today in her seventies, is very beautiful, witty, and a woman
of great sexual vitality. She often encountered the Prime Minister at occasions
of social prominence, and at one of these, Mitterand proposed that Isabel join
him for a "matinee." She quite well understood the implications of becoming his
mistress. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Of course I was flattered," she told me. "And
I considered all that this liaison might bring to me. But in the end, I
decided it was not congruent with my goals." Isabel did not
expound on these goals, but this didn’t matter. It was the idea of choosing – or
refusing -- an opportunity in alignment with a personal mission that impressed
me, i.e. that she so well understood her desired trajectory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That thought came to me recently in regard to
an unexpected escapade I had with an Italian man considerably younger than
myself and recently arrived in America. We met at a cafe in the nearby village
I often visit seeking the urban stagecraft by which I provide myself the brief
illusion that I am in Europe, preferably Italy or France. The
Mediterranean-style stone architecture that defines this place, known to its
residents as The Village, along with the luxurious shade of its magnificent
allees, lends itself to the perpetual honing of my illusion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had just spent a good part of an afternoon in
a phone conversation with Isabel that had left me dismayed and unsettled. She
is about fifteen years older than I and unusually frank about sex for her generation. Several
years ago and well into widowhood, she met a rather celebrated artist at a
dinner party, we’ll call him Donald, a vigorous, divorced man in his early 50s
who took an interest in her and who she soon began dating. They attend the
theater, concerts, and exhibitions together and afterwards they go to an upscale
downtown hotel and have sex. Isabel adores the arrangement. In fact, she is
seeking such an arrangement in every one of the locations (Paris and San
Francisco) where she has homes. The options for finding other men like Donald,
however, are poor. She laments this furiously.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Isabel, who was an actress before marrying the
titled, penniless German, is a superb raconteur. She’s always taken care of
herself, has had excellent cosmetic work, and looks maybe 60.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is on the boards of cultural
institutions in three cities and two continents, and she complains that there’s
not one man at any of these institutions to go home with. The ones in good
physical shape are gay and the rest are encumbered with trophy wives and young
children. "What am I supposed to do about my libido!" Isabel laments. This is not a conversation I ever anticipated having with a mature
social icon. "I was married for 35 years to an esteemed gentleman. I can hardly
go out and <i>rent</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">
a man! Or can I?" Isabel lives in dread of the day Donald tells her he’s found
a steady girlfriend.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">"What do <i>you</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> do about sex?" she
finally asked me. I had been hoping the conversation would end before we got to
this question. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Please," I said. "I’m on so many
antidepressants, I couldn’t even spell the word libido." It’s true. I was on a
mission to defeat depression and regain my physical and psychological strength,
whatever it required. Even though I had had considerable success as an artist
(including a solo show at the Whitney), I was depleted from decades of
emotional and physical strain – my daughter had taken her life at the age of
30; I’d broken my pelvis in a fall from a ladder while mounting a piece of art
work; and then there were the repercussions from the long string of irredeemably
narcissistic men I’d had relationships with over the years. In a pledge to
resurrection, I had sworn I would indulge no romantic detours to my recovery. This resolution required fierce focus. Accordingly, I had taken to a life of solitude and
considered myself a monk.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">"Hmmm, maybe I should start taking Zoloft," Isabel mused, still focused on her libido. </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">"This is what it’s come to!" I thought. "We've barely left the era of foot binding and now women have to <i>drug</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> themselves out of
their sexuality. When will we ever be able to withstand our own power?"</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Isabel’s
dilemma so agitated me that I got up and drove into the Village where I could
sit in my favorite<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cafe, have an
excellent dark coffee with cognac, and bury myself in a good novel. It was Sunday and the downtown was nearly empty. I parked and
headed up the sidewalk, replaying the conversation with Isabel in my mind. "Who
am I kidding?" I admitted to myself. "I’m not peeved on Isabel’s account. This is about me! When was
the last time a younger man <i>seriously</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> looked at me?" Maybe Zoloft was going to be my <i>eternal
</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">future,
I now worried.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found my usual cafe closed. My frustration rose. I ambled
further up the boulevard, passing a small Italian restaurant where a good
looking waiter was laying out cutlery on a sidewalk table. "Come, I’ll serve
you something wonderful," he beckoned with enthusiasm and in a thick Italian
accent.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Thanks,
but I’m just looking for a good coffee and a place to read my book," I
answered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"As
you wish," he smiled somewhat knowingly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
walked on and then pivoted back. The Italian stood watching me. "How would you
like your coffee?" he asked, pulling out a chair for me. His eyes reminded me of Picasso, black and intense, and they didn’t leave my gaze. He had the beaked nose and oval
head of that dangerous French actor Jean Reno, and in profile he resembled the
famous portrait of the Duke of Montefeltro by Piero della Francesca. I'd seen the original in Urbino. He snapped
a linen napkin and spread it out before me. I was charmed by his courtliness.
Then, too, there was the sleek olive skin, the Italian physicality, and the
unabashed warmth. I knew I was in trouble.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since
it was still well before the dinner hour, Lorenzo, as he introduced himself,
was free to chat me up. Naturally loquacious, he told me he’d arrived from Rome
only the week before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’d earned
numerous certifications in the culinary, catering, and hospitality fields,
traveled the world in search of gastronomic adventure, and was hoping this
little job that had brought him here would lead to larger ones that called upon
the full range of his talents and experience. He’d been married for 15 years to
a television presenter, but she had left him for a rich businessman, the owner
of a number of Rome’s most fashionable clubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despairing of the divorce and the dismal employment situation in Italy, he’d
given up hope of a future there and come gladly here to the land of
opportunity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I
appraised Lorenzo’s polished Euro hipster look, the shaved head and dark tan
(already?), muscled shoulders, slim waist, fitted black jeans and t-shirt,
careful jewelry. He was cultivated, intelligent, and totally engaging. I’m sure many
locals mistook him for gay. But Lorenzo's refinement represented a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">mature cultivated woman’s dream --</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> he was a
gay man in a straight man’s body. I was
grateful I had a book with me, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to keep my
eyes off him.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Years
earlier, I had been romantically involved with the eminent quantum
physicist Roger Skorne with whom I spent a great deal of time in Rome where he
often taught and lectured. Because of his eminence I was able to use studio
facilities at the Academia d’Arte where I also learned to speak passable
Italian. Since then I’d had few occasions to practice the language, an avocation I adored. Conversing with Lorenzo in Italian was as much a treat as sipping at my cognac-laced coffee, which was
strong, dark, and perfect. In fact, despite the haphazardness of my grammar, I
was rather impressed with how much memory of the language I’d retained and how much fun I was having elongating the syllables (<i>belliSSSSimo</i>). My afternoon had unexpectedly
turned magical: I was being charmed by an Italian and linguistically delighting
myself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On
leaving the restaurant (reluctantly), I offered to give Lorenzo a tour of The Village
on his day off. He was thrilled. Since arriving, he'd had no time to explore his new
surroundings. We exchanged mobile numbers, and as I turned
to walk away following the customary ciao, ciao peck on each cheek, Lorenzo
wrapped his arms around me in a huge hug. I’d nearly forgotten the sensation of such
warmth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The
irony of the encounter, following the conversation with Isabel as it did, was
not lost on me. If things turned out as they <i>could</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> turn out, I could
credit her with my good luck. After all, on the list of qualities I would want
in a playmate, Lorenzo possessed an impressive number: European, deep cultural
background (he’d been a professional dancer), age (he looked like he was in his
mid 30s, but was actually 49), linguistic ability<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(in addition to English and Italian, he also spoke French),
worldliness (he’d lived in the Far East, Middle East, and France), spiritual orientation
(he practiced meditation and considered himself a seeker), a passion for dogs,
and a love of nature. I had gleaned all of this during my 60-minute respite. When
it came to discussing himself, Lorenzo did not hold back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A
few days later I arranged to meet friends at the restaurant for lunch. Lorenzo’s face
exploded with happiness when he saw me, his first friend in America, walk
through the door. His ebullience in serving our table charmed everyone. His
discrete expertise, I recognized, was beyond anything anyone in this city would
appreciate. Lorenzo was a prize catch out of water.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I
knew in anticipation of our first rendezvous the following Sunday that I was
entering into a landscape of pastoral turbulence, and that no better setting
than the Village could have been cast. An 80-acre confection of Spanish,
Italian, and French Renaissance-style architecture, The Village was actually
America’s first planned development and a premiere example of The City
Beautiful movement, an approach in urban landscape design that originated in
the early 20<sup>th</sup> century. What looked as if it had been preserved for
centuries was actually a brilliant, ready-made quasi-urban fantasy conceived by
the visionary son of a potato farmer. As a boy -- Henry Almond was his name --read the <i>Baedecker’s</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> <i>Guide to the Grand
Tour </i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">and,
on his drives through the vast miles of farmland on his way to market, he would
dream of his own version of an historic place that never existed. Once he inherited the vast miles of land, he set to making his vision manifest. He called for
indigenous stone to be mixed with plaster tinted in Mediterranean ochres and
sienna for use on the houses, civic buildings, fountains, entrances, pools, courtyards,
arches, promenades, and gardens walls of this dreamscape. He planted trees,
quarried stone, cultivated fruits and flowers, trellised flowering vines, and
had carved into pediments and monuments all the classical motifs he could fit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within eighty years, the village looked
and felt as if it had been preserved in its dappled glory for centuries.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
began Lorenzo’s tour of The Village with a walk through the historic park-front
neighborhoods whose canopy of gnarly oaks are the envy of residential enclaves
everywhere. I come here often for long walks with my dog Tula, seeking not
simply the landscape’s unique glory, but the romance with which The Village was
conceived, a stone and plaster fantasy created in a time and place populated by
puritans and pioneers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As
Lorenzo and I strolled, I pointed out hidden details of beauty, hoping to
convey a touch of Almond’s story, its romance and tragedy (he died broke, a
victim of the Great Depression, ending his days working as the The Village’s
postmaster). It was The Village’s scent of theater and architectural adventure
that had captivated and sustained me after I returned from Rome, living outside
its perimeters, but near enough that its visual vocabulary became part of my
artistic tutelage. But my passion for hidden beauty was not to be shared with
Lorenzo who was intent, rather, on lamenting his recent misery in Italy: All
hope of economic progress was being hijacked by the absurd number of
parliamentarians running and ruining the country; innovation had become
impossible; there were fewer and fewer jobs. Suddenly, in mid-sentence, Lorenzo
stopped our walk to regard a tall vine-covered house across the road. "Ah, so
much like my mother’s house in Rome," he sighed. "Covered like that with roses.
At all my homes, I have always grown roses. You see how much I love them." He
unbuttoned his shirt to show me a tattoo of a rose vine climbing across his
chest to his shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aha.
Poor listener. Rose lover, I noted, recognizing that the magic of the
stagecraft by which The Village cast its appeal, the fantasy-Mediterranean
conceit on which I relied for spiritual refreshment, would never be apparent or
of interest to Lorenzo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But
then, over drinks at a nearby cafe, he recounted for me the story of the sprawling tree in Sherwood Forest to which he
had made a pilgrimage. Not only had Robin Hood lived within this tree, but for centuries,
whole villages had camped beneath it, its canopy so generous and its gnarled
roots so huge and intertwined that it offered protection from the skies, the
sheriff, and roving bandits. On his visit to the tree, Lorenzo had walked its perimeter solemnly,
asking its blessings and thanking it for its centuries of shade and protection.
Pausing to look up through the soaring architecture of ancient limbs, he was
shocked to see new growth shooting toward the sun from the top most branches.
This dinosaur of botanical wisdom was still growing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I
was impressed with the story and Lorenzo's passion for this work of nature. I was also impressed with other aspects of
Lorenzo’s history: he’d been married for a substantial length of time, he had no use any longer for glamour and nightlife, and it was <i>the
wife</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">
who had stepped out on <i>him, </i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">and not the other way around. These facts were
promising in terms of Lorenzo’s potential, and it was making me nervous. Zoloft
was no longer sufficiently suppressing my deeply-buried longings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 26px;">On one of our walks, I questioned Lorenzo about the origins of
his passion for food, fully expecting the typical associations with childhood
and his mother’s cooking. Oddly, it was something entirely different: He told
me that as he was ending his dance career and during the last days of his wide
travels, he had cast about seeking direction for the next phase of his
life. While working for a French hotelier, he heard a story describing the last
meal of the recently deceased Prime Minister Francois Mitterrand. This is the
story: “In 1981 Mitterrand was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he hid
from the French public for eleven years through false health reports. As his
health began to leave him Mitterrand planed his last meal which included an illegal
dish consisting of a thumb sized song bird. L'Ortolan, is a tiny bird long
prized for it's fatty meat. Although the song bird is now protected across
Europe at the time of Mitterrand's death the bird could still be netted and
used for food. What made Mitterrand's dish illegal was the manner in which the
bird was prepared. The bird is caught alive, and kept in a light-less box to
disrupt it's feeding habits. For an entire month the bird gorges itself on
figs, millet, and grapes, becoming too fat for flight. After the bird has
swelled to four times its normal size, it is drowned alive in Armangac, the
idea being that as it inhales the liquid it infuses the flavor in it's organs.
Finally the bird is popped into the oven for 6 minutes and served. Even by French
standards this is unusual cruelty, however the dish's illegal status hasn't
stopped a cult from forming around it. Writer Michael Paternitti was served the
dish by a Bordeaux chef who claimed it was his duty as a Frenchmen to cook the
dish. Devotee's claim that they can taste the birds entire life as they chew
it, the salty air of its Medditerranean migrations, the wheat of Morocco, the
grapes of France. If it all sounds a little ridiculous it is, no doubt helped
by the way in which the bird is eaten. A large napkin is placed over the
diner's head and the dish, to create a fume hood which wafts the flavors up
towards the nose, traditionally the napkin also hid the diner from God. Ideally
the entire bird is placed in the mouth at once and chewed for a good 15
minutes, slowly breaking through the skin and into the Armagnac soaked organs.
In the South of France, this is considered the highest of all dishes, and I
have to admit it sounds like one of the strangest and most reflective dining
experiences you can have. Sitting in a white tent, with tiny song bird under
you, Paternitti likened it to being in a confessional. Mitterrand included the
bird in a meal which included other French staples, such as oysters and Foie
Gras. But he saved the bird for last, and after he had eaten his last bite he
didn't eat another bite of food for ten days until he died.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16pt;">Lorenzo
was so taken with Mitterand’s gustatory passion and <i>haute</i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16pt;"> eccentricity, that he determined then and there to devote himself to culinary
exploration. Coincidently – or not – Isabel had once told me the same story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Another
subject of conversation into which Lorenzo and I delved was anatomy
-- his knowledge based on his experience as a dancer (he had performed roles in
<i>La Bayadere, Romeo and Juliet</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">, and was the red cape-wielding Escada in <i>Don
Quijote</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">),
mine based on years of figure drawing as well as the dance classes I’d taken
during the years I was working in clay. Often, as we were walking and talking,
Lorenzo would spring into the air to assume a gesture or pose in illustration
of some dramatic point. He once demonstrated a 180 degree turn out I couldn't believe I was seeing on a man, hips to flexible that his feet were parallel to the viewer. Sometimes his enthusiasm was so antic and his gestures so
exquisitely marionette-like, that I could easily imagine him a harlequin in the
Commedia dell’arte. At other times, he would express himself with such
poignance that I felt I was witnessing an apparition of Nijinsky meltingly
dancing <i>L’Apres-midi de Une Faun</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">. Occasionally, in one of animated demonstrations, Lorenzo would grasp my hand to demonstrate a dance step, and the
stirrings of desire I’d promised myself to resist would resurge. Lorenzo was
dangerous. He could easily turn my innocent forays into The Village into a
scene from a Fellini film. The voice in my head sang, "You <i>know</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> he’s a bad boy, however fascinating."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
began resorting to a technique of conscious detachment as a way to contain the
building sexual tension. Instead of giving into the rapture his proximity
promised, I observed, with each drive into The Village, precisely where in my
body the tension was concentrated. Sometimes it was the obvious churning in
the loins, or a knot between my legs, at other times it was an aching that bore into my shoulders
as if I were carrying my desire like a cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Like
most women over thirty (let alone 40, 50, and 60), the mirror had long since,
if ever, been my friend. The toll of gravity and grief written in my face, if
not immediately apparent, is easily readable by those who look intently. Of
course most people, especially men, are not that interested, let alone intent.
But as an artist, i.e., a person with highly exercised powers of observation, I
am typically self-conscious, if not obsessed, with the way age has affected my
looks. Curiously, during the time I was seeing Lorenzo, I looked <i>better</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> to myself than usual.
I felt more relaxed in front of the mirror, less self-critical. Was this
hormonal? Does a flush of estrogen affect the optic nerves? I wondered. Or was
it the veil of illusion produced by the prospect of romance? Or simply the
atmosphere, mysteriously energized, around that prospect? To approve of my
appearance, even glancingly, was, if not ecstatic, at least a relief.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
only place where I had ever actually loved the mirror was when I was studying
dance. To see myself in that completely physical, wholly expressive environment
was the triumph of an unanticipated dream. I had begun taking dance classes in my thirties, during the years that I was working in clay, concentrating on the egg forms and
begging bowls that would later comprise my exhibition at the Whitney. As a way
to relieve the strain on my back and shoulders resulting from the long
standing-and-bending-over postures of the work, I would break away to attend a
dance class. The satisfaction I gained from these kinetic interludes was
indescribable, even though I was years older than everyone there, including the
teachers. I felt as immediately at home on the dance floor as I had when I
first entered an art studio. Indeed, I thought, If I hadn’t been sent to a
convent as a girl, and if I hadn’t run off with a cowboy and settled on 80
acres of pine forest and grown marijuana to pay for the land, and given birth to a
daughter, and followed Roger Skorne to Rome, and become a presence in the art
world, and returned to the land to write a memoir, then surely I would have
been a dancer. Fate + free will = destiny.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
my days of concentrated work throwing clay on the wheel, leaving for the dance
studio was a way to reposition my center, to extend my focus from my
shoulders/arms/hands into the fullness of my body. Also, the atmosphere of the
dance studio was familiar. Having spent eight years among at the convent of
the Katerine Sisters, I was accustomed to discipline as well as to the fierce
focus of a female atmosphere. And, since I was trained at the convent in the arts
of embroidery, I was accustomed to the repetition of tiny, precise motions,
albeit one with fingers, rather than feet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Lorenzo’s
physical poetry -- the articulated musculature, the dancer’s spine, the trained
ability to compose and hold a pose -- evoked the desire for him to model for me. In addition, I also
wanted him to tutor me in Italian. Our casual conversations, a linguistic stew
of English, Italian, and a soupcon of French, whetted my appetite for the music
of the language, and I had surprised myself with how much vocabulary I retained
from my days in Rome. I’d even begun<i> thinking</i> in Italian. We were visiting The
Village’s earliest church, built at the turn of the century with native
cypress ceiling beams that had been hand-painted in Moorish patterns by artists
brought here from southern Italy. While explaining this to Lorenzo in</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> Italian, I forgot the word for ‘ceiling. "Soffito," he instructed </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">me. "Soffito," I repeated. "No, <i>sof fi to</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">," he pronounced, emphasizing the "f" at the
end of the first syllable and at the beginning of the second. I had slurred
them together, as if there were only one "f". I pronounced the word again. "No, you’re not hearing it. Who taught you this Italian you speak?" he demanded.
Wow, a linguistic perfectionist, I thought. Imagine what a dance partner he
must be. For more than the drawing and the practice at speaking Italian, I
wanted to dance with Lorenzo. I wanted to be held in his beautifully developed
arms and be lead from glide to pivot to turn with glancing, responsive ease. I
wanted his hand at the base of my spine directing with the slightest touch a
change of direction, a shift of gravity. This would be the gift I'd prayed for, the way to
repair my center, to regain the power lost in my decades of depletion.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I
realized my hope for this was greater even than for the potential prospect of sex which, I knew, would inevitably present a serious threat to my focus,
easily exploding, as it would, into dramas of desire. In the meantime, I
figured, we could speak to each other not only in Italian, but also in the
language of dance, and this would be the perfect segue to intimacy, if it were
to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, our lovemaking would
be a <i>pas de deux</i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">
of physical and spiritual discovery.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Lorenzo
smoked loose tobacco cigarettes (sometimes sprinkled with marijuana) which he
rolled himself. Like many Italians, he carried his own tobacco and papers in a
pouch (kept in a small carryall slung over his shoulder and holding his passport and money; it never
left his side). As casually as you might order a coffee, Lorenzo could press his fingertips together, abracadabra, and have a perfectly rolled
smoke poised between his lips. His deftness reminded me of that of my daughter’s
father, Ruben, who, </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt;">even with </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">strong and ropy </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt;">hands that were a topography of knotted veins, </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">rolled
his smokes with the same easy precision.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reuben
was a <span style="color: black;">smiling, chisled-chinned, blue-eyed white boy
who drove a ¾-ton pickup truck named Genuine Jade. He was the embodiment of all
the chisled-chinned men who smelled of equine sweat and sawdust at the stables
where my father worked and who, in my little girl mind, merged in identity with
those cowboys of early television years who I watched night before I was sent
to the convent, I worshipped them all: Rowdy Yates/Johnny Yuma/Sugarfoot/
Little Joe/The Rifleman/The Marlboro Man/Marshall Dillon. They were heroic and
stolid – Clint Eastwood/Nick Adams/Will Hutchins/ Michael Landon/Chuck Connors
/James Arness. They galloped across the screen in Rawhide/The Rebel/ Sugarfoot/
Bonanza/ Gunsmoke/The Lone Ranger. Yes, lone all right. They were definitely
loners, these men of few words and fervent, if infrequent, radiance. They rode
high in the saddle, their hats titled back on their foreheads and Bowey knives
strapped to their thighs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Brooding, crooning, and sometimes grinning, they sang in voices as
smooth as Roy Rogers and as gold as good whiskey. I was determined that one day
I would ride out with them. So, when Ruben showed up at the convent delivering
firewood, dressed to kill in his blue jean jacket and old Stetson hat and
driving Genuine Jade, I allowed him to lure me into my dreams and take me away
into a life of twilight on the trail. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But that was many lifetimes ago. Since that time I’d been the lover of,
among others, academia’s golden boy Roger Skorne, dressed to kill in Armani,
and a former priest who made Pope Julius in his papal best look like an
amateur. Now, here I was with an Italian in Barishnikov’s body and with the
charm of Marcello Mastroianni. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One
rainy afternoon, while Lorenzo and I sat at a cafe, he talked on about himself, his beliefs, and his travels, as usual, and I
distractedly listened. He was launched into a description of his emotional
disintegration at the time of his divorce when I noticed his face had dissolved into a
mask of tragedy. Not only had the wife’s betrayal befallen him, but equally
painful was having to leave behind his beautiful house and dogs and his roses.
From this suffering, he escalated into a rant about the injustices of the
Italian legal system. While he poured five sugars into his espresso, he told me of how he’d nearly gone mad after the divorce and that his sister had taken
him to a doctor. This doctor wanted to prescribe an antidepressant, or maybe
even something stronger. "I rose from my chair and walked right out the door," Lorenzo recalled operatically, leaping from his chair to demonstrate his assertive departure from the doctor's office. I looked down
at the five empty sugar packets and observed the force of Lorenzo’s defiance. I
hadn’t encountered such psychological machismo since well, the former
priest, Ruben, or Roger Skorne. The intensity of Lorenzo’s narcissism was beginning
to dawn on me. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"There’s
something else I want to tell you about," he continued, ordering another
espresso. "You’re my only friend here. I trust you like no one else." The words clearly
portended something significant. I continued staring at a cat on the sidewalk to avoid his heightening emotion.
Lorenzo reached over to me and plucked at the neck of my shirt to draw my
attention to his face. My self-observant self watched from the ethers as I slowly turned my
head toward him, a gesture as self-possessed as his had been delicate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I
tell you this story so you will understand how much I value loyalty," he began. "In Rome, my dearest friend since we are maybe eight years old came to me not
long after my divorce. He is a doctor. With a wife and young children. And he
had got himself into some very bad trouble. It’s a long story, very
complicated. He came to me because he needed a fall guy, and he knew, after the
divorce and everything I lost, I needed money. If I would take the fall for
him, which would mean going to jail for six months, he would give me 75,000 euros."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mind
you, I was hearing this story in a mash of Italian and English. I wasn’t
entirely sure if I was grasping the meaning of the word "fall" correctly or if
Lorenzo was using some sort of colloquialism or slang that meant something else
entirely. Surely he wasn’t telling me he’d been in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Even
without the money, which I sorely needed, I would have done this for my friend.
Like I say, we are like brothers. We are this loyal to each other." He held up two fingers
twined.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For
the first time, I couldn’t read Lorenzo’s face. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I
made the confession my friend needed, but something went wrong, and my friend was fingered. He told
the authorities how I had had no part in anything, and that they must let me go. But they refused and sent me to prison. Not for six months, but for two-and-a-half years."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Lorenzo
poured another five sugars into the second expresso.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the guy has a record, I thought, sitting in renewed
fascination and </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">reminded
of a conversation I’d had years earlier with a psychiatrist friend who
specialized in treating mania. She had been describing to me the recognition of
her own unconscious desire to emulate her patients. “They’re beautiful, for the
most part, especially when they’re manic. Actresses, models, anorexic,
scrupulous and obsessive housewives, brilliant lawyers and physicians. They’re
creative, fascinating, driven, laughing one moment, snarling the next, and
their stories fly around my head. I sit listening to them, rooted to my chair
and wanting to fly on their wings.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">But
even from within the cloud of fascination, I heard the dance shoe drop. I recalled that the two
essential qualities on my list of requisites for a steady companion were
emotional and financial stability – and Lorenzo was bereft of both. There would
be no moon bathing in each other’s arms, no gazing into the blackness of the
Picasso-like eyes. No Tantric sex, resisting the orgasm through penetrating
concentration upon each other’s breath to achieve release into greater
consciousness. There, also, would be no nights of wild, unleashed fucking. I
recalled Isabel mentioning that Donald had a taste for kinky sex. Did that mean
with her or with other "friends"? God knows what Lorenzo </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">had got up to </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">in prison and what kind of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">encounters</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> he </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">would have had</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">in Rome’s night
clubs. I didn’t want to know.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">I now clearly knew that I would not invest my heart, open my body, or make spillage of my time. Lorenzo was like heat lightening, the promising flash, the seductive rumble across the horizon that taunts the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">plants to release their oxygen in anticipation of rain. He was temptation without the promise of blessing, he was the refreshment that never quite arrived. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">I felt as if I had stepped through some sort of shamanic vapor and emerged self-possessed. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">Lorenzo would go on to reinvent his life, I had no doubt. He had too much talent, intelligence, and charisma not to. He would also continue squandering kindness, opportunity, and other gifts his magnetism drew. Naturally, </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I
was going to miss the perfume of romance, the provocation of curiosity, the frisson of
anticipation driving toward a rendezvous, wondering what chameleon self of his I might
be about to behold. But I had used my body as</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a shamanic medium, and it no longer ached.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">One evening not long afterward, I watched a movie called <i>Assassination Tango. </i> It was written and directed by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">Robert Duval whose character,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> a hit man, goes to Buenas Aires on a job and, while living next door to a tango bar, falls in love with the dance. His mastery of even the most rudimentary steps, which in tango are inherently narrative and passionate, changes his appreciation for life. Allowing himself to be cast into </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">a sea of music and movement, t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">he tango's beauty changes him as a man. The next day,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I enrolled myself in a course of
classes at a Fred Astaire ballroom school in The Village. It was located </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">on the second floor</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> of a building that overlooked The Village square and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">had floor-to-ceiling windows that made it a performance stage</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> for the park below. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My
instructor introduced himself as Lalo. He was a Latin-born oil executive who had taken early retirement to pursue a lifelong passion for dance. He had even spent a year dancing tango in the same ubiquitous dance bars of Buenas Aires where the Robert Duvall character had found his heart. He was as relaxed in manner as Lorenzo was intense. During the course of my bi-weekly lessons, Lalo and I quickly
discovered mutual interests. We immediately began going out for a drink after class. He
was familiar with my name from the world of art and was, in fact, himself an art collector. I soon
had the privilege of seeing pieces from his collection at his house in The Village; the rest of the collection was installed at the apartment he kept in Buenas Aires. Lalo also spoke Italian (and French) as elegantly as his
native Spanish. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now
my drives into the Village were filled with a far greater anticipation than
I’d had for Lorenzo, suffused as I was with the certain expectancy of falling easily into rhythm
in Lalo’s arms. His instruction – and even corrections – were as graceful as
they were precise. With the subtlest depression of one finger at the base if my
spine, he could change the angle of my torso and realign the distribution of my
weight from the ball of my foot to the toe. I began to feel the resonance at my
center that had been no more than a faint echo for decades. Lalo was no heat
lightning. Impeccable in crisp linen, he might have been dressed to kill, but
he was whole of heart and generous. By the third week of our dancing
acquaintance, I was as hopelessly besotted with Lalo as I was aware that he, of course, was gay.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande CE';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-57772012164338959952012-07-18T21:03:00.002-04:002012-07-18T21:05:58.489-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">A STEEP PATH</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">TO THE LAND OF OXYGEN</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dq_V_oSLleuVlkmVjD8ost3lDjc-Z8Hz9aNGvlm74TaRiMxOE1O-Ygo7EFEnYTn2FJfH4pfktahjLpv7vFYfBmBPoGpPiOu7GsQk_piPzF6dXwakStUFVdcoZDvUihpALfw16RR7ZAmK/s1600/IMG_3549a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dq_V_oSLleuVlkmVjD8ost3lDjc-Z8Hz9aNGvlm74TaRiMxOE1O-Ygo7EFEnYTn2FJfH4pfktahjLpv7vFYfBmBPoGpPiOu7GsQk_piPzF6dXwakStUFVdcoZDvUihpALfw16RR7ZAmK/s400/IMG_3549a.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;">"She Walks Away," 2012,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"> acrylic and oil pastel on canvas board, 12" x 16"</span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Century; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal;">My
daughter, Petra, is a stunt actor. Her life, perpetually on location, takes her
from one part of the world to another, falling from Mongolian racehorses in the
eastern Steppes, being tossed from a window in Berlin, or crashing a car on the
twisting road where Princess Grace died. Petra is an exceedingly calm person,
as I suppose one must be to endure the dangers and rigors of such an
occupation. Her calm is such that I always find the sound of her voice
reassuring.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Century; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal;"> </span></h2>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">Everywhere
she travels, Petra, as a diversion, seeks out native folk tales, She has
gathered quite a collection. From eastern Europe have come stories involving
incredible transmutations of nature in which, for example, a forest of dying
pillar trees is inhabited by runaway children who nurture the trees – and
themselves -- back to life. A story from Gambia concerns a tribe of trackers
who come upon a supposedly extinct species of gazelle and are taught by them to
fly. My favorite is the story of a young girl given by her father to a warring
king as a peace offering. The girl, unusually resolute for her tender years,
insists that, before she will surrender herself to the king, he must have made
for her a wedding gown sewn from a thousand s<span style="color: #333333;">pider </span>webs,
specifically the <span style="color: #333333;"><i>Sicarius Hahni</i></span><span style="color: #333333;">, a rare </span>arachnid<span style="color: #333333;">
prized for the delicacy of its silver-salivated weaving and the deadliness of
its venom. </span>The king, wholly smitten by the girl’s perfection of beauty
and intelligence, agrees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">I asked
Petra to recount that story for me during a difficult time several summers ago:
I had spent the previous months preparing to die. It wasn’t that I had a
terminal illness or doomed prognosis or complete situational collapse. It was
simply that I was debilitatingly overwhelmed with a sense of vacancy and
purposelessness, and to remain in a living, breathing body seemed much too much
hard work. The thought of death was the only thing that provided me any kind of
motivation: before dying, I would have to complete a number of professional projects
and put the last of my personal effects in order -- the will, the cremation
arrangements, the clearing of my remaining debts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">It’s not
that that summer had been without joyful events. A homecoming party for a best
friend returning after several years in Afghanistan and a celebration for
another friend who’d won a widely coveted appointment. I was surrounded by good
cheer in lovely settings filled with food and flowers. Yet I moved through the
events as I moved through my work – with momentary respites of gladness
subsumed by plodding hopelessness and the heaviest of hearts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">This was
clinical depression at its most oppressive, and it was hardly the first in my
life. In fact, such episodic sickness had been life long. Since childhood I had
been awakening each morning into a fog of despair that would require hours to
dissipate. As this particular depression progressed, I was eventually unable to
get my mind to focus until well into the afternoon. I was without appetite and
could not propel myself into motion, let alone exercise, until late in the day,
when the heat had abated and I had smoked some weed. At night, taking refuge in
the comfort of darkness, I suffered from what I can only describe as phantom
limb pain, my imaginary legs heavy with aching weakness. The message from the
subconscious was clear. I did not have the necessary strength to move ahead in
my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">I once
tried to describe my condition to a close friend who, with the exception of
tonsillitis, has never been sick in her life, let alone dreamed of
self-annihilation. She rises every day at dawn, plays a few sets of tennis,
wolfs down a hearty breakfast, and then goes off with her husband to kayak
until dusk. Sometimes there’s an interjection of yoga or biking or snorkeling
into the schedule. My lethargy and numbness are incomprehensible to her. “It’s
like a drowning person shrouded in a sodden blanket struggling to swim to the
surface,” I labored to explain. “Or clawing your way up a steep path to the
land of oxygen knowing it’s a Sisyphean task.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">Throughout
the summer I often thought about the artist Mark Rothko’s final paintings:
monochromes that bled from a suggested geometry into ethereal softness. Once
his paintings finally morphed into canvas-filling studies of black, it was only
a matter of time until Rothko killed himself. These paintings are so moving and
monumental that a chapel was built (in Houston, part of the de Menil
collection) to house them. My thoughts were not of Rothko himself, but of the
softness of the images. The seduction of the soft blackness seemed almost
irresistible. As did the thought of moving into death. For there I would find
myself in the joyous company of all my animals and loved one enfolded within
the beauty of the sights and fragrances I’d traveled the world to experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">I
consistently struggled to relieve the condition and extricate myself from the
encompassing bleakness, seeking the counsel of all those who were part of my
spiritual family, consulting a medical doctor( who changed my antidepressant),
and a holistic doctor (who gave me sacro-cranial massage, biochemical analyses,
and intense pep talks). A metaphysical healer -- and the mother-of-
all-earth-mothers -- consoled me with esoteric understandings and treated me
for endocrine and other issues. I restudied the <i>Course in Miracles,</i></span><span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;"> a profound training that had
rescued me from another depression twenty years earlier. Still the weight on my
heart, a feeling of abject futility, continued. An unrelenting sense of
meaninglessness oppressed me. My soul felt bruised and my body remained
impossibly fatigued. I secretly considered that I might have MS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">One day
as I was driving toward my house, a flock of egrets flew across the road in a
sudden, beautiful white line about half a block ahead of me. The elegance of
the formation, slicing the horizon at my eye level, brought abrupt tears to my
eyes. I expected that after six or seven of the slender, long-necked birds had
flown across the road, this vision would end. But more and more egrets appeared
from the periphery -- serene, unhurried, yet purposeful in flight, a white line
of fleeting beauty. I stopped the
car to watch. A few days after this, I was leaving my house at an unusually
early hour when I spotted a fox on my lawn, standing stock still and staring at
me. I stared back. The foxes that had once populated my neighborhood have, for
years, been unseen. A moment later, another fox appeared beside the first, and
then a third. I figured they were pups from the same litter – blue/gray, long,
like dachshunds on tall legs, and with bushy tails. Simultaneously, they
withdrew their gaze from me and disappeared across the road into my neighbor’s
mango orchard. Days after this I noticed a climbing cactus plant, high in the
crotch of one of my oaks. In the twenty years I’d lived on this property, I’d
never seen this cactus bloom, but there, hanging delicately from the plant on
the thinnest of were two vivid yellow chrysanthemum-like blossoms. I reveled in
their modest show of glory for the two days before they vanished. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">Even as
my sickness continued, I took great solace from these miracles of nature. I
repeatedly promised my dog Andy that I would not abandon him. I made a ritual
of watering the garden in the evening when the javelin cry of a neighbor’s
peacocks interrupted the fading light. And I reminded myself about how I needed
to complete my personal and professional work. In the meantime I waited… for
the depression to lift or the next act of nature to arouse me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">The phone
call to Petra was a balm. The sound of her voice and the incantation of the
folk tale, known as “The Gown of a Thousand Webs,” immediately brought me
comfort:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Faced
with his betrothed’s resolution, the king orders his subjects to scour the
lands for <span style="color: #333333;">Sicarius Hahni. Every specimen </span>is
to be brought to the palace where gardens for their breeding and thread
spinning are to be built. Each morning the royal courtiers creep carefully
among the flowers and bushes plucking the dew-sparkling webs woven the night
before. The wedding gown will require more than 10,000 strands from the one
thousand webs, and their seamless weaving together will cost the eyesight of
the kingdom’s master textile artists. The king waits restlessly. He has
crusades to attend, fortifications to build, taxes to collect, a kingdom to
rule. But, without his queen, his powers are incomplete.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Years
go by. The fragility of the webs and the complex protocols necessary to protect
the web-gatherers from the spiders’ venom makes the accumulation of the silken
strands and the assembling of the gown painstakingly slow. At the completion of
each element – a sleeve, a lacing, the draping of the skirt – the progress is
shown to the young girl who, by now, has become a young woman. She is precise
in her regard of every delicate detail. The king, a connoisseur of perfection,
respects her eye, but his tolerance is only precariously sustained. Finally,
when it appears the gown is at last nearing completion, he urges his
bride-to-be to begin the preparations for their wedding celebration. Instead,
she insists on the creation of a veil whose length is to exceed that of the
gown itself. She wishes to be shrouded from head to toe in ethereal delicacy
before her subjugation to the bloody penetration of her wedding night and the
violence of childbirth that will ultimately follow. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Years
more pass. The gown, long since completed, hangs in the bridal chamber where
mists of rose water are sprayed upon it daily to sustain its supple intricacy.
The veil, over which no fewer than 630 skilled embroiderers have labored day
and night, is lain across a cushioned frame so that not one strand of the
exquisite webs can touch the floor until it is draped from the ringlets that
will crown the bride’s head. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Barbarians
are approaching the gate. The kingdom’s coffers are depleting. The once-loyal
subjects of the once-flourishing kingdom are readying for revolt. Still, the
king will take no action until he has his bride. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Recognizing
that her opportunity for delay, which is to say her salvation, has reached its
limit, the bride-to-be at last relents. The wedding ceremony itself will be
private, while the reception is to be a spectacle grand and glorious enough to
reassure the citizenry of the king’s wealth and to intimidate his enemies with
its allusions to power. Most likely, it will bankrupt the treasury.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;"><i>The
wedding day arrives, and the bride is an apparition of beauty so celestial in
her confection of silver-salivated threads that even the king grows breathless
beholding her. Beneath the veil she has been meticulously coiffed and powdered;
beneath the gown she has been perfumed with scents extracted from flowers as
delicate as the gown itself. But on her face is a smile that neither the king
nor any of his courtiers can quite discern. It is more an expression of conquest
than of joy, of completion than initiation. The king grasps its meaning only
upon recognizing that the iridescence at her ear lobes emanates not from the
jeweled earrings he has given her as a wedding gift, but from two spiders
hanging from her soft, pink skin, their legs pulsing like drumming fingers. The
king tears through the veil, and the woman, no longer a girl, no longer young,
collapses into the folds of the gown and onto the floor. With her last
remaining breaths the sparkling webs dissolve, and the spiders, having woven
the final silver-salivated threads, scamper away into the palace walls.</i></span><span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;">I don’t
know what it is exactly about this story that gives me cheer. Perhaps only a
depressive could take heart from such a tale. Yet I comprehend in it several
lessons: patience, for one. After all, the king, in all his great foolishness
and arrogance, was willing to wait as long as needed to attain his idea of
perfection. And the girl/woman understood <i>how</i></span><span style="font-family: Century; font-size: 14pt;"> to wait, to use delay to save her
soul, if not her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-26865631624861924252012-03-08T20:45:00.000-05:002012-03-08T20:45:00.141-05:00YOUR STORY HOLDS YOUR POWER<br /><br />The Story is what's left. The Story is the destination. The Story is everything in between. Afterall, we dream in narrative, remember, anticipate, hope, despair, believe, doubt, plan, revise, criticize, construct gossip, learn, hate and love by narration.<br /><br />Humans, as conscious beings, are meant to live conscious lives, aware of our every feeling and response-whether painful or pleasurable, conventional or unconventional, pious or irreverent, constructive or destructive-uninhibited by the proscriptions of culture, religion, personal beliefs, or family values. We feel what we feel. Period. And that is neither good nor bad. How we respond to our feelings is another matter.<br /><br />To retain or regain awareness of feeling is to develop power. To deny or bury feeling is to diminish power and choice: the choice of whether to act on a feeling or not, and if so, how.<br /><br />The freedom to be conscious of our negative emotions without acting on them leads to a full emotional life, a fully present life, a healed and healthy life. We cannot be scared, angry, bored, or sad when we are living totally in the present. We are healed when we no longer hate or distrust what we feel.<br /><br />Radical Writing is a spontaneous approach to writing opens doors to expression and identifies energetic leaks in the spirit and psyche. the process intensifies our abilities to sense how and where our subconscious minds affect our physical bodies. With this awareness, we heal internally and externally.<br /><br />The novelist Don DeLillo has described writing as, "A form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture, but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals."<br /><br />Whereas psychology tends to focus on the questions of "why" and "how," <a href="http://www.radicalwriting.com/">RADICAL WRITING</a> applies the questions of classic storytelling: What happened? Where and when did it happen? Under what circumstances did it happen? It also asks: Where in my body do I harbor the memory? What is my pattern of response? What do I want the picture of my life to look like? What stands in the way of materializing it? Am I willing and ready for that manifestation? Am I willing to take total responsibility for my own power?<br /><br />Personal power requires far more responsibility than is required to live in unquestioned accordance with cultural, religious, and family training. Therefore, it is one thing to say we desire more power in our lives and quite another to accept the changes that power will inevitably cause. Only we ourselves can determine the weight of history or the measure of responsibility we are willing to bear. At certain times, we simply may not have the strength to endure the pain of a particular recollection or discovery. Honoring our limits is one way of accepting responsibility for our power.<br /><br />Resistance to acknowledging our own negativity and emotions often comes from our fear of their power. The more intensely we've kept negative thoughts and feelings under control, the more we are likely to fear that their exposure might obliterate our self-control, precipitating unstoppable rage, depression, or mania. We might well fear that our anguish will be unending or our pain will cause suffering to others. We might discover our inner resources to be inadequate-a terrible blow to the ego.<br /><br />In truth, suppression of negative feelings provides only the illusion of control. When we freely express our thoughts, we relinquish illusion and release our anguish. When we acknowledge our passions and fears, we liberate ourselves from the physical, emotional, and spiritual tyranny of unhealed wounds.<br /><br />RADICAL WRITING, an online course that turns up the volume on your perception safely, requires only 15-minutes a day and NO writing experience or expertise, not even any ability in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. You simply allow your hands -- not your head -- do the writing. teaches exactly this freedom. We learn that persistence on the path of self-exploration is a form of communion, that our devotion to that path is the art of healing, and that the role of Creator is ours.laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-36663073167508172352012-02-27T11:45:00.000-05:002012-02-27T11:45:20.286-05:00THE VISIONARY’S IMPACTHOW ONE MAN’S VISION REVITALIZED NEW YORK REAL ESTATE<br />
and PROVIDED A PERPETUAL URBAN HIGH<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrF5TUQbjKAYJdMROKFkoF50ashqb2UJE5h1Lgh3iAWHIE-hnMaFuP5PCR42CEixVttoPeBlyZnln544Hss3gxdZ503kAjxmb3sLTKpu7q9L5qt9eNWJOvq403zHmMny9wgDF1fBCcgyT/s1600/IMG_0059_scaled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrF5TUQbjKAYJdMROKFkoF50ashqb2UJE5h1Lgh3iAWHIE-hnMaFuP5PCR42CEixVttoPeBlyZnln544Hss3gxdZ503kAjxmb3sLTKpu7q9L5qt9eNWJOvq403zHmMny9wgDF1fBCcgyT/s400/IMG_0059_scaled.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It's almost as if the buildings convened to create a portrait of 20th century architectural form -- brick geometry, perpendicular glass paneling, undulating choruses of banding. Such a view! I took this photo (with my iPhone!) from one of New York City's greatest civic sites, the High Line, the elevated garden walkway linking three Manhattan neighborhoods with acres of open space atop an abandoned rail deck. Would that the visionary who conceived it, Peter Obletz, were still alive to rejoice in its pleasures and success.<br />
<br />
Part of the High Line's allure is its physical isolation, carving its way for miles through the urban fabric two to three stories above ground. It is framed mostly by the backs of buildings and billboards, with occasional views opening out to the Hudson or across Manhattan. It has provided Manhattan with a park in the sky (one of only two in the world -- the other being in Paris), pastoral, futuristic, yet accessible to everyone. <br />
<br />
Obletz lived in the then-dilapidated neighborhood where the Tenth Avenue train track ran down the middle of the street and, with distressing frequency, ran down pedestrians. (The street was nicknamed Death Avenue.) He began rallying for his reclamation idea nearly 30 years ago, but it was not until 1999 when a not-for-profit group of neighborhood residents, business owners, design professionals, and civic groups formed Friends of the High Line to engage the city's notables in its cause.<br />
<br />
The original elevated railway track was built at the turn of the century to serve the warehouses along the West Side. Train traffic soon slowed to a trickle, however, thanks to the familiar death blow of the Depression and the popularity of truck transport. The last train (said to be carrying a load of turkeys on Thanksgiving morning) ran on the High Line in 1980, leaving the artery to rust and grow wild with weeds. Conrail, the railroad's owner, wanted it gone, as did a consortium of local property owners led by one of the area’s largest interests, Edison Parking, and the City. At the height of the battle with Friends of the High Line, Edison Parking launched a propaganda campaign. One flyer read, “”Money doesn’t grow on trees, and last we checked, it isn’t growing in the weeds of the High Line.” And so the High Line languished for decades.<br />
<br />
But once the cause became invested with a certain intangible downtown sexiness -- -- a landscaped aerie planted with wildflowers, an urban oasis, a scenic retreat -- the possibilities for the long-neglected piece of industrial detritus began to excite the potential donors needed to fight for its cause. Movers and shakers of the art and architecture worlds, civic powerhouses, and celebrities such as Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick got involved, and the vision began to take root.<br />
<br />
Property owners were persuaded by the Department of City Planning to sign over their rights using the tool of allowing the owners to transfer their development rights to surrounding properties. Then parts of West Chelsea were rezoned to allow for new, larger developments. In fact, the partnership between city planners and High Line advocates was one of the most sincere efforts in recent memory to protect the public interest from an onslaught of commercialization. The final zoning regulations for the area require setbacks to protect some major view corridors; at other points, buildings are allowed to shoot straight up to maintain the sense of compression that is part of the High Line’s charm. The core of several blocks, meanwhile, remain zoned for manufacturing in the hope of maintaining some of the area’s character.<br />
<br />
Today, a dozen or more luxury towers and a new branch of the Whitney Museum of American Art have claimed the High Line neighborhood. The Standard Hotel actually straddles the Line. The surrounding neighborhood, too, has been revitalized, and real estate prices, which have escalated more than 30 percent, are now among the highest in the city. Because of Obletz' vision and the efforts of those he motivated, even the humblest civic undertaking has now become viewed as a potential gold mine.laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263405191076343821.post-9274690624321734332012-01-04T11:39:00.001-05:002012-02-12T16:42:00.567-05:00MAKING SHIRLEY'S PORTRAIT of HER and HER PORTRAIT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDL0aLyNgg1wpKrYHkbQutmvXsejnBO5S4n7M6xB1F-A0AA4HH_hMi_SMXzX62_eCGEz5DCXF18mGP4No8_lE2mi5qzhuJhQhk9VSnmRF6dbnCNwwUC3EeEjTQNT3kT1UFvnKn7wJdW6Q/s1600/IMG_1064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDL0aLyNgg1wpKrYHkbQutmvXsejnBO5S4n7M6xB1F-A0AA4HH_hMi_SMXzX62_eCGEz5DCXF18mGP4No8_lE2mi5qzhuJhQhk9VSnmRF6dbnCNwwUC3EeEjTQNT3kT1UFvnKn7wJdW6Q/s400/IMG_1064.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjwZVHM0niwizUvWO8Bt5DjDQM-34wCO5-2GoNRXxgg8E-7fKtynMcyKwQOFdlc2CYtIsbyMZjXQxJ1EV8A3lAupIxj-WZVy9Ko9sE5XWYwQUZGi8ri4YIwZMZjePniuvaWVlHlVsYM0S/s1600/IMG_0515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjwZVHM0niwizUvWO8Bt5DjDQM-34wCO5-2GoNRXxgg8E-7fKtynMcyKwQOFdlc2CYtIsbyMZjXQxJ1EV8A3lAupIxj-WZVy9Ko9sE5XWYwQUZGi8ri4YIwZMZjePniuvaWVlHlVsYM0S/s400/IMG_0515.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFKjYFMwPK8jxLmeGKMOQ1y6o8k8rnh3ox_eARGpiQNlye93LF-q4lanU6u2-Cq_3aLxjqd9SOuAt32vCQ-NAyJeEFi6YovptmoSjmljAjTlm1_os_fj89pmMLQncBTwMdubIfgDYwGlO/s1600/IMG_0528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFKjYFMwPK8jxLmeGKMOQ1y6o8k8rnh3ox_eARGpiQNlye93LF-q4lanU6u2-Cq_3aLxjqd9SOuAt32vCQ-NAyJeEFi6YovptmoSjmljAjTlm1_os_fj89pmMLQncBTwMdubIfgDYwGlO/s400/IMG_0528.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdHYGVqofC3ZFMHE9WQZ9v0yZMeqe15TOfT4W_1TB19z0dzoeZUolw4ygaYqVK0Krn6XAeul2vjwHyNgCIBaF_cGU4jwd3b2vU1nZccYAOPUBN2jQgCkYDcdV-_rRKGGS-XxXAEwSR6qQ/s1600/IMG_1061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdHYGVqofC3ZFMHE9WQZ9v0yZMeqe15TOfT4W_1TB19z0dzoeZUolw4ygaYqVK0Krn6XAeul2vjwHyNgCIBaF_cGU4jwd3b2vU1nZccYAOPUBN2jQgCkYDcdV-_rRKGGS-XxXAEwSR6qQ/s400/IMG_1061.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Our neighbor Shirley, who died last summer, was as indelible a presence in the neighborhood as was her startling makeup and Indian black hair. A tiny woman in brilliant red lipstick and vivid circles of rouge, she walked up and down the neighborhood for at least four hours -- or eight miles -- a day. A vision of perpetual, steady motion, her head bent forward, her frozen shoulder curved behind, she was a moving fixture enveloped in an aura of happiness. “When I’m walking, it’s like I’m in heaven,” she used to say.<br />
<br />
No one knew how old Shirley was, except Harold, her deeply protective husband who was retired from his career as a welder for Pan American Airlines and who wasn’t much for talking. I guessed from her height (maybe 4’10”) and sun-stained skin and fragile-looking bones that she might be around eighty. Of obvious Cherokee descent (her hair was obsidian black and her cheekbones angled high), she grew up on Florida’s west coast in deep orange grove territory where, on her walks to school, she encountered all manner of “Swamplandia’s” creatures. When the School Board insisted she ride the school bus, she refused. Her mother stormed the School Board office, arguing on Shirley’s behalf…and won. Shirley walked the several miles and several hours each way, in bliss.<br />
<br />
Her mother must have adored her, for when she asked Shirley what kind of dress she’d like for her first grown-up outing, Shirley showed her a picture of Suzy Wong in a frock with a Chinese collar. Her mother sewed the dress for her and added a bauble that Shirley wore around her ear. Years later, she would have a portrait painted of herself taken from a photograph of her in the dress and bauble. This portrait was the beginning point of our friendship.<br />
<br />
I, too, am an avid walker. And whenever Shirley and I crossed paths in the neighborhood, we’d stop and chat. Usually about our mutual love of being in nature. “I could live happily under a tree,” she’d say. “I could live happily in a tree,” I’d answer. When I revealed to her that I was an artist, she asked if I’d like to see the portrait. It seems Shirley also loved to paint, and it was this passion, along with her love for the memory of that dress and her mother, that had prompted her to have this special portrait made.<br />
<br />
I was eager to see this evidence of Shirley’s history. Waiting outside the chain link fence that surrounded the ramshackle house where she and Harold lived, I contemplated Shirley’s devotions – walking, communing with wildlife, and now, it seemed, art. Harold emerged through the front door carrying the portrait. Even from the sidewalk, I could see that it was elegant and articulate. Up close, I could easily detect not only the determination Shirley possessed in her youth, but also her youthful beauty.<br />
<br />
Colorful, dare I say dramatic makeup was only one among Shirley’s notable features. Her black eyes were starkly framed by bangs and braids. A beautician once convinced her to cut off the braids. She compensated with braided wisps which lent her an incongruous twist of urban chic.<br />
<br />
Shirley’s smile outshone everything else. I never once encountered her on my dog walks when she didn’t greet me with a grin so generous it could fill a movie screen. “You look so pretty today. I love what you’re wearing…or, I love those earrings…or I love the color of your shirt,” she’d say. And she truly meant it. She was easy to delight. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I asked Shirley if I could bring over my camera and photograph her with the portrait so I could do a painting of her. Harold granted permission and chaperoned the event. Later that year, 2009, I invited them over to my house a few blocks away to see the finished work. The painting is nearly life size, and I titled it, “Shirley, Now and Then.” Harold nodded at it. Shirley grinned and glowed. “You’re a really good artist,” she told me. Then I took a photo of her standing next to my painting of the picture of her holding the portrait and then another photo of her standing next to my painting holding the photo of her holding the portrait. (Very post modern, indeed.) Now, added to her compliments about my appearance whenever I saw her was always praise for my talent.<br />
<br />
Shirley and I often talked about animals – my dogs, the squirrels and birds she fed, her own dog, Bonnie. Bonnie was a sweet old pit bull who, apparently, loved to dance. Music was yet another of Shirley’s passions, and she told me how every night she would put on a record and dance. (Learning this was reassuring, because I’d never been entirely sure their house had electricity). Bonnie, it seems, also loved dancing. Upon hearing the music, she would stand up on her two hind legs and “walk” across the floor to dance with Shirley.<br />
<br />
For years, Harold and Shirley bought birdseed to spread around the front yard poincianas where Shirley also fed individually-named squirrels and foxes. You might have taken her for St. Francis of Assisi…or Snow White (if Snow White could be a tiny Cherokee woman with vivid lipstick and wispy braids), surrounded by adoring woodland creatures and glowing with beneficence. (Knowing, squawking blue jays perched on Shirley’s shoulders as she tossed morsels to the assembly, their tails a riot of twitching arabesques. Then, money got tight (I assume Harold and Shirley lived on his Social Security), and Harold determined that the wildlife food was too much of an expense. The feedings stopped. Still, a squirrel or two would often trot alongside Shirley on her walks, chattering, maybe scolding, but undoubtedly sustaining the bond. <br />
<br />
Long after telling me the story of Bonnie the Dancing Dog, I asked what had happened to Bonnie. Dade County, it seems, had passed an anti-pit bull ordinance restricting the breed from residential neighborhoods, and the dog police had come and taken Bonnie away. Shirley related the story to me soberly, but without anguish or even nostalgia. I was crushed. Shirley resumed her walking.laura cerwinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02915252345300409444noreply@blogger.com1