Rejection - a poem

Rejection

----Big Frank Dickinson

Rejection like a reflection
Always comes back to you.
The unanswered phone call
Calls you back in silence.
The discarded letter
Has its unwritten response
In your mailbox - again and again.
An empty extended hand
Returning limply alone to your side.
The blank answer creating words
That circle you like crows
Drawn to animals rejected by cars.
A resounding echo that repeatedly
Asks you what you had asked.

Denver

Big Frank is back from a terrific visit with his family in Denver: Dan, Susan, and Julia. And . . . cousin Rob came down from Boulder to say hi also. It was a weekend jammed full of activites, great dinners, visitors, games, conversation, and lots and lots of laughter. Big Frank arrived Thursday, and after dinner Dan announced he had courtside seats to watch the Nuggets! The view from there was amazing - what way to watch a game. Then Saturday Susan cooked a fantastic dinner and they invited friends over; lots of good conversation followed by a very close scrabble game (ultimately won by Dan, but only on the last move). Rob stopped by with his girlfriend, Jenna and they went out with Julia and Goldmine Bob. The weekend seemed to fly by - so much fun, and so good to see Dan!

This last photo is an attempt at an update of the photo below - Julia standing in for little Konrad - Dan even wearing a somewhat similar shirt to photo below.

Off for Denver and Dan!

Big Frank is taking off to do a little work in Denver, and (most importantly) to see his little brother, Dan! It's been way way too long since he last saw him face-to-face - it's going to good to reconnect. Dan is undergoing chemo now (yet, again!) for his multiple myeloma in hopes of getting his cancer numbers down low enough to increase the likelihood of a successful stem cell transplant. Big Frank thinks the world of his brother - a brother in every sense of the word! It is going to be so good to see him again! Here's Dan's website - check in to get the latest on Dan.

The photo was taken of Dan with Big Frank's son, Konrad (who is now 26!), . . . a few years ago.

Walking

Big Frank really enjoyed this day - free of work with sunshine aplenty. He spent the early afternoon walking with along the edge of Lake CDL with the sun in his face. People were riding their bikes, running, walking their dogs (what is it with those dogs?), and enjoying this rare warm January day. Walking along the lake with his good friend, Laura, discussing FLOW - the pyschology of engagement whereby you can increase the quality of your life by getting involved in activities that require high skill to meet high challenges. The more you do this - the greater the enjoyment of life. Great day!

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Thing I Know Little About (but something)

2. Eye Glasses

Big Frank wears glasses, so he knows they give you clearer vision. He didn't start wearing them until he was 37 when, after returning to the U.S. after having spent 7 years in Poland, he was told by the driver's license bureau that they would not give him a driver's license until he corrected his vision. When he went to the optomestrist they made Big Frank look through something like the person-end of a periscope that had a couple of disks that rotated. The optometrist would rotate them and ask him repeatedly, "Is this better or worse?" He kept doing for some time until things really did look better, and then he wrote out on a piece of paper a couple of numbers and Big Frank took these to a store where they sell glasses. Big Frank picked out some frames (this was 1987 - so they were BIG and plastic). One week later they were on Big Frank's face (when he drove anyway). Big Frank has no idea how they were made, but he imagines that the plastic lenses were matched in some way with the numbers on that piece of paper. Big Frank had to later go back over the years and do this over again many times. Now he wears the glasses seen in the picture.

Big Frank's dad knew a lot about eye glasses - he was an optometrist. However, he died when Big Frank was only 2 years old, so nothing of that actually got passed on to him. While Big Frank spent his childhood in his namesake - Dickinson, North Dakota, he was actually born in Conrad, Montana - where his dad had his optometry practice. However, after his dad died, Big Frank and his family moved back to Dickinson. It was over forty years before Big Frank revisited Conrad. He drove into town, entered a local cafe and asked the woman behind the counter if there was anyone that she knew who had lived here forty years ago. The woman pointed to a nearby booth, and said that there were three people in it who had lived here that long. Big Frank approached the booth and asked if any of them knew his parents. All three knew them - one had gone to college with his mother, and had lived across the street from Big Frank (for the two years that he lived here). Big Frank's dad died of polio, and this woman's husband was the only other person who had also contracted polio at that time. She also knew where Big Frank's dad's office was and took him over and showed it to him. Now it had been absorbed into a large furniture store, but she knew in which part Big Franks's dad had his optometry practice and showed it to him. It was now full of loungers and side tables - there were no glasses to be seen.

The Things I Know Little About (but something)

1. The Garbage Disposal

The garbage disposal is under your sink attached to the drain pipe. Actually it sits right above the drain pipe. It can dispose of garbage by grinding up food scraps. It is not intended for non-organic waste like wood, glass, paper etc. The interior of the garbage disposal is a complete mystery to me. I have, however, looked into its mouth and saw some small round discs that evidently go round and round very fast and grind up food waste. It is important to keep the water running when food is being ground up - I'm not sure why. I was told this the first time I used one, and have never tried to grind up food without running the water. I have also been told that putting ice cubes down it can sharpen the blades. I do that also; although I have no real proof that it actually does sharpen blades. I'm not sure why I listen to people when they tell me these kinds of things. Maybe I'm more amenable to suggestions regarding machines or appliances than I am on, for example, psychological or spiritual suggestions. I mean, if someone told me that he had heard that a good way to improve your psychological well-being or spiritual wholeness (whatever that means) would be to, for example, sleep with you feet facing south or to clap your hands at the moon in January - I would not believe that without some kind of evidence. However, with garbage disposals I'm easily influenced. Lately there seems to be some kind of new enlightened view of garbage disposal use that is being propogated - minimal use. I've heard this from a couple of people. Basically they told me; don't put your food waste down the garbage disposal; put it in the garbage because the garbage disposal is only for the minimal food scraps that somehow inadvertantly get left in the sink. This I do not follow because it's like saying that you should not actually drive your car anywhere unless you find yourself in the car inadvertantly going somewhere.

More Street Fashion

Big Frank continues now with some tips on blogs that focus on fashion. Heres' one -Fashion Killed My Wallet - that includes a number of good photos of street fashion. Mordecai Rubinstein, who works for Men's Vogue, has a very good fashion blog called simply Mister Mort with good pictures of real people in real clothes. Then over to Germany and tak e a look at Stil in Berlin - more street stuff. The site has description below each photograph telling you what the person is wearing and where they got it (or if they made it themselves). It also has lots and lots of links to street fashion in other cities around the world. Finally - Street Style: Pics by Poca Dot - straight from London - check it out. Then on to Amsterdam and Fad Tony (the picture above comes from Fad Tony.

Fashion (again)

Big Frank is back with more sites and comments on fashion. Here’s a good site “the it lists – fashion and trend blog”; it has pretty short posts and focuses on, following its title, current trends in fashion (one of the latest – shoe jewelry (why not?). Next “the fashionator” written by Melissa Kagan of iVillage. Melissa is a former fashion executive whose mission now is to expose the crazy fashion trends and make people aware of sane ones – see if you agree with some of her choices. One nice feature is that she goes through her office photographs people and then explains their fashion choices (note: these are reasonably priced approached to dressing, not thousand dollar outfits). Next, another street scene fashion blog, "Mr. Newton" who writes that he that “ Accessible but aspirational is often what I’m going for – the cool girls and styling assistants who mix Alexander Wang with vintage with Topshop with something they made themselves – the girls who realize that the glue that pulls an outfit together is often just confidence and attitude.” That's Mr. Newton's photo above.

Fashion on the street

What it is - is FASHION. Big Frank has been checking out fashion websites and fashion blogs. The typical person in the street, the typical blog reader - you, most likely, along with Big Frank can be a little mystified by much of what is found on the catwalks. However, it is always interesting to see what is found on the street, and luckily there are lots and lots of blogs that cater exclusively to that. The preeminent one, of course, is The Sartorialist; do visit that site, because in many ways all the others are attempts to duplicate what he does so well - capture real people on the street showing fashion in its real public face. There are lots and lots of other sites in lots of other countries. See stylebytes for a pretty good list of sites along with a few short descriptions of each. Many of these sites have links to others, and some like styleclicker allow you to view fashion shots by the cities in which they were taken: it covers everything from Bangkok to Vienna. Then, of course, there is Bill Cunningham of the New York Times who posts media slide shows of his shots on the streets of New York, and also other cities. Here is his post on the rise of boots (look out the boot craze is growing and is now going OVER the knee). Finally, Washingtonians, not to fear, there is also a street fashion blog that focuses on Seattle 21arrondissement. What about fashion on the streets of Spokane? As of yet - no blogs on that; maybe Big Frank will take his camera out on the streets - could be interesting (or else not).

Crossroads

The End of the Line---- Big Frank Dickinson

"There are always moments in which a person can stop; crossroads where you can change course . . . there are those moments . . . until there aren't any more." Jess Walter

"I went down to the crossroad, fell down on my knees." Cream

His method of keeping track of all his options took up a major portion of his life. He remembered back to when he realized that if he didn't start charting all the courses available (especially possible changes) that it would be too late - he started that day. Typically he liked to wait to the last possible moment before he made any changes "There's Always More With An Open Door" was his motto, and it was displayed in cartoon fashion; in the first frame Goofy stood in front of an open door empty handed, in the second he's seen outside with his arms full of stuff: fishing pole, hoola hoop, yoyo etc.). He incorporated his chart into his home so that everything in it was a reminder of a crossroads. His favorite coffee cup showed him that projected last day that he could stop working at his current job and still be able to find another: it was written on the bottom of the cup (June 1, 2012 - quit or fit). On his pillow: (August 5, 2014 - stop dreaming/start scheming). On the bottom of his bathtub: (February 15, 2010 - she's the only one for you or you are through). On the bottom of his shoes: (January 8, 2011 - junk the hunk or get ready to plunk). Right now he was looking in the mirror and obviously shaken for on it was written: (today - only one road, lighten your load).

Blue Moon - 2010!

Big Frank took the above picture last night while out snowshoeing on Mt. Spokane. It was snowing and overcast, but at one moment this gorgeous moon (only once) peeked out in all its blueness and Big Frank snagged it. Below, to go with the photo is a poem, and then, of course, Van Morrison's great song "Once in a Blue Moon" - that once - it's NOW!
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BLUE MOON
---- Big Frank Dickinson

Blue Moon, Blue Moon, why only once with you?
Why is it you're there just one time, Blue?
And the Blue Moon succinctly, once to you:
I'm alway there it's true - but just once blue.
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Now listen to Van Morrison's take on the Blue Moon - just click here.