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Positive Energy: Xavier Rudd’s Honeymoon Bay

Carl Setzer

I discovered Xavier Rudd years ago, but during the quarantine, I’ve started binging his music. I find his music fills me with joy and with hope. Check out one of my current favorites.

Lyrics: 
Angels flying, wind at her heels
Serpents gliding, nothing revealed
Full back circles
I believe, I believe
It’s my beginning, woah, oh, oh

 

Gone are those winters
Gone are those days
Gone are those choices, to be recklessly brave
I’m guided by angels,
Decided by choice
It’s my beginning, woah, oh, oh

 

I believe, I believe, I believe
Woah, oh, oh, oh
We are young, we can fly, we are free
Woah, oh, oh, oh
Take a chance, take a chance
And see
Woah, oh, oh, oh
I believe, come believe with me
Woah, oh, oh, oh

 

Honeymoon waters, Honeymoon Bay
Safe to assume now,
That we’re on our way
Sweetwater turtle, mingly roads
It’s our beginning,
Woah, oh, oh

 

A dream of stories, etched in the stone
Time to dream now and create our own
Forgotten by angels

Today’s Motivational Quote: Dale Carnegie

Carl Setzer

​If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. 

Dale Carnegie

It’s easy to let fear paralyze us. But the path thru is clear: motion. Each step taken in spite of fear strengthens us, empowers us. Thus the importance of simply taking the first step.

#NaPoWriMo poem: April 8, 2020

Carl Setzer1 Comment

amongst these tall trees

light now flowing from the east

songbirds still chatter

This Vet Reflects On “Soldiers Stories”

Carl Setzer

Reflections on a blog post:

Soldiers’ Stories | Life After Iraq & Afghanistan

These are the stories of US combat veterans. Powerful stuff. Stuff that resonates deeply with me, a vet, but not a combat one. These are stories that every citizen should read and consider before we blithely send our youth to war.

This evening’s contribution to #NaPoWriMo

Carl Setzer

cherry blossoms fade

azaleas celebrate spring

life continuing

Spring marches on. Summer will be here before we know it. Time’s relentlessness.

Today’s #NaPoWriMo Contribution

Carl Setzer

ah, cherry blossoms!
yet there are more plants blooming
much beauty in spring

Ten…well, Eight Things The Oatmeal’s Matt Inman Learned About Creativity

Carl Setzer

I’ve long been a fan of Matt Inman’s “The Oatmeal“. I admire his work, and his creative vision. I recommend this little comic essay on creativity.

Today’s contribution to #NaPoWriMo

Carl Setzer

a crow staring
upon the weathered fence board
a spring morning

How are you doing with our social distancing? As something of an introvert, this isn’t as challenging as it is for so many friends. I hope you’re finding peace during this time.

Exploring Canva Premium

Carl Setzer

I’ve fiddled with Canva for the past few months, mostly for editing images on my Samsung S9, but have mostly been an adherent to Photoshop for anything serious. I have some free time (good ol’ Covid19), so decided to experiment with the premium version. I have a 30 day free trial, and it looks easy enough to cancel it if I don’t want to keep it.

I like it a lot for mobile editing. I think it creates fine images, especially for posting to Instagram or Facebook. Most of what I’ve done is put some of my haiku on some photos I’ve taken. I also have created some images for a real estate agent friend’s Instagram and Facebook pages. I’ll see what I like and don’t, then go from there. Right now, I do like the tool, the way the UX works, and the final products. But we’ll see as I try to be more deliberate with it and, perhaps, have a production sort of mindset.

If you’re interested in trying Canva out yourself, check it out here. Full disclosure: this is a rewards link. It gives me some Canva credits if you download and use the app. This page explains it more.

 

Floral Fireworks: A Haiku

Carl Setzer3 Comments
Floral Fireworks

walking in the rain
flowers in all their glory
fireworks of spring