Artistic frags

If you're new to Friday Fragments, it's a cyber party hosted by Mrs. 4444s that gives us a chance to put out there the bits and pieces that are floating out in our brains.

This week, it turns out my frags all have a creative bent to them. Consider it my attempt to bring a little culture to the blogosphere.

First up: A haiku! You may remember from your literature class in junior high that a haiku is a poem that has three lines and a syllable pattern that goes 5-7-5. For some reason, Mike likes the haiku. So much in fact that he has a blog called "How You, Haiku?" that he updates from time to time. This week he wrote and posted one that I just love.

Frivolity stops

A beetle crosses boy's path

He sits and watches

It's about Robbie playing outside and stopping to watch a bug. I don't know why, but it makes me smile.

*******

Today's second frag is a quote that a guy I knew in high school posted on his Facebook page:

Sound when stretched is music,

Movement when stretched is dance,

Mind when stretched is meditation,

...Life when stretched is celebration.

~Ravi Shankar~

The classmate who posted it is an artist himself, living and working in Cocoa Beach, Florida. I asked him when he became an artist. He said, in true artist form, "at birth." Grooooovy!

**********

Last week, I got together with a bunch of my sorority sisters to celebrate our 40th birthdays. One of my friends is an attorney in Manhattan. Her husband is working on his music career as part of a "melodius acoustic rock" band called The Hillary Step. I've listened to a few snippets of music on their website and it didn't make me want to turn the audio off. I would probably even buy a song or two off iTunes. Mostly, I was interested because of the origin of the band's name. Apparently, the Hillary Step is the last step climbers take before reaching the summit of Mt. Everest, a nod to Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person ever known to reach the top.

**********

Do you know what kind of art I just don't have an appreciation for? Ugly animation. All that Japanese anime stuff? YUCK! My boys love shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Dragon Ball Z Chai. I can't get past the ugly animation to see if I like the story or not.

Give me something with softer lines and more cheerful colors anytime. Something like this:

Or this:

************

Of course my favorite art is the stuff made just for me:

The best day ever

Aside from the day I got married and the days that my children were born, today just might be the BEST DAY EVER!

After an almost year-long search during that tested his emotional fortitude, my patience and at times the "for better or for worse" part of our marriage vows, Mike signed an offer for a new job this afternoon. He worked his tail off to get this offer. He starts in less than 2 weeks!

That would have been quite enough to earn the playing of the Spongebob "best day ever" song. But tonight, we came home from a party at my boss' house and I found out that I'm one of the five nominees for "Best Family Blog" to be given at the Blindy Awards at next week's Blog Indiana conference.

I'm not familiar with three of the blogs: 4tunate, MomAdvice.com, and dadsinc.org. I'll have to check them out.

But the fourth one is the blog to beat. Mooshinindy is written by Casey Mullins. She's a very funny and gifted writer and a fabulous photographer. She's a goddess in social networking spheres. If you don't believe me, note that she's also in the running for the Social Media Superstar Blindy.

So, the chances that I'll come out bearing the Blindy title of "Best Family Blog" are slim. (You can vote for me here.) But I'll worry about that next Saturday when the winners are announced. Today, Mike is the winner of a new job and I've been nominated along with some terrific Indiana blogs. It really might be the best day ever.