The morning hustle and bustle
The morning hustle and bustle has officially begun. The drones line up one after another to get their daily fueling. Like gas powers a car, caffeine powers the people. They look fatigued. Her eyes are puffy. His eyes are half open. These people appear dead, out of sorts, dazed and confused. Perhaps sleep is not something these addicts have experienced. She orders dirty chai tea latte with two extra shots of espresso and four pumps of hazelnut syrup. He orders an iced vanilla coffee. I witness these behaviors because I am the scientist, watching my experiment to see how it unfolds. Will my hypothesis come true or will I have to account for variables? I don't appreciate the price of that $4 specialty drink that I could make infinitely better. After all, I too used to be a barista. I order a regular coffee but add chocolate. The poor gal's mocha. The barista didn't call "Carmen" as I expected. She instead yelled, "coffee with mocha." I add some half and half, a dash of vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa and nutmeg. Yeah, why not? I like to take risks. I can make my own specialty drink thankyouverymuch. I had originally purchased this coffee as a crutch, to support my lack of sleep from a late night with my lover. But by the time the concoction caresses my lips, I've already awakened. Just as the morning glory opens up for the dewy dawn, my mind has revived. At this point, my consumerism allows me a critically acclaimed spot in the cafe so I can have a spot to type ferociously. So here I am. At least it's Tuesday.
You are here. In this body. Just once.
Life is short. Enjoy it while you can. Enjoy the big moments like weddings and skydiving and buying your first house. But don't forget the little moments, which make up most of our lives. Those little moments count. A funny movie. A glass of wine with friends. A nice stroll through the park with your puppy. The sun coming out after days of clouds and rain.
You are here. In this body. Just once. Sure, those aren't complete sentences, but I'm trying to get a point across. Soak up your life. Soak up this lifetime. Be thankful for this day you have been given. Others are not so lucky.
 |
| R.I.P. Penelope |
Wind Whispers
We sat at the wooden bench.
The sunshine soaked into me.
I felt the rays warm my entire soul.
It's so joyous.
A monarch fluttered by us elegantly.
The wind whispered secrets of Earth's essence.
- Carmen Varner
Alien
 |
| Photo by: Carmen Varner, 2012 |
An excerpt from "Alien," which I wrote July 29, 2012.
"Alien"
By: Carmen Varner
I'm not sure where I am.
All I know is that I'm an alien,
a martian, a one-eyed green monster.
Out of place and alone
in this house of white.
To be alone,
to feel alone
is not as simple as being by yourself.
It's entirely real to be alone in a crowd.
Don't Get Lost
Don't Get Lost
By Carmen Varner
I think I've been down this road before.
But it's too early to tell.
The signs are familiar, yet the street is different.
I hope I don't get lost again.
The times they are a-changin.
But patterns are patterns,
They don't alter when you falter.
Q&A with Lizzie Armanto
NAME: Lizzie Armanto
AGE: 19
LOCATION: Santa Monica, CA
How long have you been skating? 5 years.
Why do you skate? People tend to do what they like and for me skateboarding is one of those things.
What do you having coming up? There's two contests coming up this month, one in Portland, Oregon and another in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Schools coming up and filming some more. Hopefully getting to the beach and surfing more. Other then that, lots of eating and sleeping.
In terms of skaters, who do you look up to? I look up to my friends but I mostly look up to Pat Ngoho. There's tons of people who can skate and do tricks but not everybody has a nice style. Pat's got it down, without trying. He's rad.
What do you do when you're not skating? Well, I'm probably eating, sleeping, or on my phone. Other then that I like cooking. I am learning how to surf and getting driving down. I finally got my license this year. I have a blog that I share with two of my close friends [somethinggreatpurple.com]. I sometimes draw. Film adventures/trips and edit videos.
So you were in Thrasher. How did that feel? It's just a building in the sketchy part of town, so pretty good.
What's the next step? Forward.
What advice do you have for the skaters reading this? Do what makes you happy and have a passion for whatever you do.
What's one unknown fact about you? If I told you it wouldn't be unknown.
What's your favorite TV show, musician and movie? Don't watch TV enough to have a favorite show. My favorite musician is Kate Nash/Katy Perry, I like them both. For movies I'd have to say the Original Pink Panther Series.
AGE: 19
LOCATION: Santa Monica, CA
 |
| Photo by: Ken Hada, used with permission |
How long have you been skating? 5 years.
Why do you skate? People tend to do what they like and for me skateboarding is one of those things.
What do you having coming up? There's two contests coming up this month, one in Portland, Oregon and another in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Schools coming up and filming some more. Hopefully getting to the beach and surfing more. Other then that, lots of eating and sleeping.
In terms of skaters, who do you look up to? I look up to my friends but I mostly look up to Pat Ngoho. There's tons of people who can skate and do tricks but not everybody has a nice style. Pat's got it down, without trying. He's rad.
What do you do when you're not skating? Well, I'm probably eating, sleeping, or on my phone. Other then that I like cooking. I am learning how to surf and getting driving down. I finally got my license this year. I have a blog that I share with two of my close friends [somethinggreatpurple.com]. I sometimes draw. Film adventures/trips and edit videos.
So you were in Thrasher. How did that feel? It's just a building in the sketchy part of town, so pretty good.
What's the next step? Forward.
What advice do you have for the skaters reading this? Do what makes you happy and have a passion for whatever you do.
What's one unknown fact about you? If I told you it wouldn't be unknown.
What's your favorite TV show, musician and movie? Don't watch TV enough to have a favorite show. My favorite musician is Kate Nash/Katy Perry, I like them both. For movies I'd have to say the Original Pink Panther Series.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
