Shine from the inside

I found a way, to steal the sun from the sky… Long live that day that I decided to fly from the inside (Shinedown)

Howl at the Moon “Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” — Allen Ginsberg Do you follow Ginsberg’s advice — in your writing and/or in your everyday life?

I also connect the Allen Ginsberg to another saying –

Dance like there is nobody watching

Love like you will never get hurt

Sing like there is nobody listening

Live like the it’s heaven on earth

And speak from the heart to be heard (William W. Purkey)

It is difficult to remember in this fast paced world, but there are often times I do break out, embrace the ‘inner moonlight’ the ‘dance like there is nobody watching’ embrace the freedom of judgment from others – it is an amazing feeling – as close to flying as I can get.

Ode to the PB&J

A fierce staple amongst millions of sandwiches; you never disappoint.

How many ways to eat you; let me count the ways… with smooth or crunchy, with jelly or jam, strawberry, raspberry, boysenberry, currant, and who can forget grape! Shall I add a hint of fluff or let you stand on your two magnificent complimenting flavors alone? It is all so overwhelming and yet… I know you will fulfill my craving without fail in perfect combination.

Your beautiful blend of thick peanut protein, sugary jammy berries, and carbohydrate bread will sustain me for many hours, allowing me to not just ‘make it through the day’ but will fend off any chance of hunger that may lurk nearby (the bastard!).

You have brought smiles to millions of faces (and stomachs), overlooked by the masses as a form of gourmet meal, and remain your humble self.

PB&J, I salute you; in full, glorious, PB&J smeared fingers!

Say your name

I follow quite a few different blogs to inspire me and hand me a question for which to write and today’s question made me pause. “Say your name”. Sounds simple enough. The assignment is to edit your name and tag line, but I can’t and ultimately I won’t.

When I was young, and for many, many years, I disliked my name so much. Most people could not pronounce it so it became a nuisance to the point of not even correcting them. Others, who were much older, would recall an actress by the same name well before I was born and I didn’t care who she was for I was bored with the same story over and over.

My parents were very clear on how I received this name for it was not a whim, in fact, it was an all out brawl between my mother, her sisters, and ultimately my father stepped in and took control. You see, this is not a family name, nor was it the first choice. Giselle is the name of a ballet, beautiful, tragic, complex, with music that ebbs and flows and all the time while watching or listening to it, you are transported to another place. Wow that is so much to live up to, yes? On the same note (pardon the pun) it is also an amazing story which will stay with me as long as I can tell it.

More specifically, after my parents brought me home from the hospital with no name, my mother gave it her all and stuck to her guns and told everyone, her name will be Eugenie (and you though Giselle was a mouthful, right?) As a woman from a family of eight siblings, the sisters all voiced their concerns, mainly the relentless teasing from all the children in school and the community. After several days, my father came home from his long day of work to hear the ballet playing on the stereo. The rest is history.

In recent years something magical happened; I grew into the name, embraced it, became one of a kind. Although many people still mispronounce it, I don’t care because I know chances of them meeting another Giselle in person are slim.

So you see, I cannot change SimplyGiselle because that is exactly who I am, SimplyGiselle…no more, no less, and I have the story to prove it.

Say your name

Deconstructing the misconception of the Bostonian

The amount of articles citing Bostonians as being racist, snarky, and just downright rude, could not be further from the truth. Bostonians, and I lump people from several different parts of New England into this category, are more loyal than any watch dog you could purchase.

Why are we so sarcastic, stoic and snarky upon first meeting? Well, simply put, we don’t know you. You see, there is a bit of a test that we put people through before we can call them a ‘friend’ in the true sense of the word. Not an acquaintance, not someone we just met or a work mate, a true friend, and we don’t use the term often, so when we do; you know we mean it. That is how serious we are about it.

It is a timely procedure, yes, you can equate it to a job interview where you are required to return a few times before you are told you have the job. You will be asked a hundred questions about your past, your relatives, and your high school. You will be made fun of, you will be tortured with relentless jabs and ribbing, you will be reminded of the horrible mistakes that you have made and not let you live them down, and will laugh at you… just like any family member would. And we expect the same in return. After all, if you are not receiving such a ‘roast’ you better run; it’s a clear sign that you are being tolerated but not liked.

We will not give you the ‘no there is nothing wrong with our friendship’ smile, while promptly texting and FB’ing everyone what a d-bag you are. We will not tell you that the awful Member’s Only Jacket is making a huge comeback and you are on the cutting edge. We will not agree with your choice of sport’s team, especially when one of our players turns rat and leaves the team for yours.

We are going to hit you smack in the face with the truth, because although it hurts more for the first few seconds, it won’t follow you around like toilet paper stuck to your heel.

We need to be sure that you are going to stick around, because when times get tough, when the ‘stuff’ hits the proverbial fan, we need to know that you ‘have our backs’ as much as we will have yours.

It is not unlike many families motto; I can make fun of my family all I want, but you say something, and you will get your ass handed to you.

So you see? We are not some heartless, sardonic, people; We have a heart of gold, sprinkled with a little sea salt.

Labor Day Weekend

There are those of us that take on the challenge to travel on a long three day weekend. I am not one of those people. I prefer to do local events and keep the road rage to a minimum.

So if you live in New England, here are some ideas to get you outside and enjoying the last few remaining days of what the calendar calls ‘summer’. I would like to challege the calendar as it has not been over 90 degrees for more than 5 days this ‘summer’.

Mass Brewer’s Fest: Join us for the 5th Annual Mass Brewers Fest on Friday, August 29, 2014 from 6:30pm. We will be sampling 100+ different beers from 30+member breweries, including a special collaboration brew! What: Local beer, live music by Three Day Threshold, and a great way to spend one of the last nights of summer! Where: The World Trade Center Head House Concourse – a beautiful indoor/outdoor venue on Boston’s historic waterfront. Cost: $40.00 advance purchase with beer samples included! RAIN or SHINE

Portland Brew Fest: The fourth annual Portland Brew Festival is set for August 29 and 30, and event organizers promise more brewers, additional activities and expanded food options. The 2014 event, which returns to the Portland Company Complex at 58 Fore Street in Portland, will feature more than 40 brewers with more than 120 brew products along with home brewing equipment, a Maine Brewers Guild fundraiser, and more.

Gloucester Schooner Fest: Aug 29-30 The Gloucester Schooner Festival celebrates the impact of the fishing schooner on the history of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Featured are the last remaining great Gloucester schooning vessels competing in the Mayor’s Race for the Esperanto Cup, a trophy from the first International Fishermen’s Race sailed in 1920. See schooner masts fill the harbor’s skyline, a lighted boat parade and fireworks over the harbor.

King Richard’s Faire: Aug 30 – Sept 28, Carver MA.  New England’s largest and longest-running Renaissance Festival, opens its 2014 season on August 30th and runs eight consecutive weekends thru October 19th including Labor Day and Columbus Day Mondays. Tucked away on 80 acres of beautiful, enchanted forest off Rt. 58 in Carver, Mass., the Faire is open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. (This place is a blast! I highly recommend going! Don’t forget your Groupon and visit the House of Torture..insert evil laugh here)

and so much more to come

It’s a big world out there and we all need help to navigate it. I have the aspirations for this blog to inform, educate, and share everything from travel, books, wine and let us not forget, to vent about the bumps in life that we all have our own opinions about. Hopefully those that may read this will share their thoughts and advice about any and all topics.

But where to begin? Well, more tweaking is involved, more surfing the site, and more importantly, much more to come.

“Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy” Benjamin Franklin (cheers to that one!)