The Farm

Fresh air, Monarch butterflies, fruitless hunting trips, corn field forts, art projects, giant hay bails, late nights spent around a bonfire, endless debates, tears, laughter, love, understanding and a sky full of stars. This place and the friends that live here have given me some of my most cherished memories. Though there isn't much more than snow this time of year, here are a few of the pictures my sister and I took at the farm this weekend.

I Can't Help Myself

The mind is a powerful thing and for the past few days I've chosen to relinquish my control and allow it to wander free. But now I'm driving myself mad with thoughts of you. Endless daydreams of romantic, and entirely unrealistic scenarios, fading in and out like a series of short films interrupted by brief intermissions of sobriety when my abandoned logic scolds me for wasting time. And for a moment I begin to snap out of the trance, but I quickly slip back into fairytale land, drunk and distracted with you. It feels too good to leave. And I could stay here forever if i didn't have reality rearing its ugly head, pulling me back into a lonely existence and reminding me that you haven't called, or written, or returned so much as a text message since I saw you last.

The Gift of Giving

Taylor and I spent the day shopping for our parents and man did we stretch our little bit of money! The gifts we chose may not be the most expensive, but we did our best to be thoughtful : ) Now I'm way more excited about watching them open their gifts on Christmas day than I am about getting anything. Oprah is right, to give is the most rewarding gift of all — and don't be fooled, EVERYONE can do it! I know of a few people who have said they don't have the means to give this year. That's total crap! Giving and being thoughtful doesn't have to cost any money at all, so no excuses! Whether it's the gift of time, a thoughtful handwritten card, a poem, or a song, try a little tenderness this season.

Home Sweet Home

Just checking in...

I've been home for a couple days now and I can't believe I thought it was freezing in NY before I left — it's unbearable here!
But the snow is beautiful.

My little sister is grown all of a sudden! Feels like it happened overnight.
Our relationship is changing and, while I'm happy we are starting to understand each other better, it's definitely taking some getting used to. I've been watching her interact with friends and I must say it's funny seeing how similar we are and, yet, she's developed her own special brand of sass ; )

I remember thinking I had it all figured out at her age, and I wouldn't believe anyone who told me otherwise. Now I know better (sort of), but no matter how much I wish she could learn from my experiences, she has to make her own choices and face obstacles on her own two feet. Sometimes I don't think parents can remember back that far, and they've forgotten how important it is to have the freedom to make mistakes during your adolescence.
I also realize I may change my tune after having kids of my own...

Anyhoo, this afternoon is family gym day — off to yoga!

Footage From Rockwood Show!

A short poem

The time is nearly here

less than 14 hours to go

Now I'm rushing like a madman

folding and packing dirty clothes

...do the laundry for free when I get home!

lol. the things I do to entertain myself.

"holiday party with wrapped figs and mulled wine"

What a difference a day makes!

Even though I lost the last button on my winter coat, I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy inside after the holiday party my roommates and I threw last night. A small crowd gathered in our kitchen and living room and we spent the evening sharing lots of laughs, more than a few bottles of wine and beer, homemade eggnog one described as "liquid pumpkin pie," a mountain of fudge chunks, Angela's experimental sweet AND savory chex mix and Kev's meticulously wrapped figs. Food and drinks led to a rousing game of taboo and a few late night rounds of charades with Josh, Harmon and I, the last remaining stragglers of the evening. Now I think I've finally got that holiday cheer! It's amazing what a few Christmas lights and a full house can do. 

Enjoy the season : )

Bah, humbug!

4 days until I go home to Minnesota for the holidays... 

It's freezing. I'm broke.

Too broke for Christmas shopping, 

too broke to do my laundry,

too broke to eat anything besides spaghetti and prego.

And to top it off, I'm having writers block,

I can't find my holiday music

and I've lost all but one button on my winter coat!

Where is my holiday spirit, you ask?

I think it may have slipped through my numb fingertips last night

while I scoured my purse for quarters and dimes to pay for a single ride metrocard.

Re: Keep your head up

I wrote this to a friend today, and thought I would post it. After I wrote it I realized it was probably more therapeutic for me than helpful to her lol...

I know what you mean. We're all still so young, but it's like we're expected to have everything together, know who we are and make it happen. Things don't work out, we pursue things that we later discover we never wanted at all, and I know I've had my fair share of what-the-fuck-am-I-doing moments — maybe for different reasons than yours, maybe not. Sometimes we do need to toughen up, but sometimes we need to go with the flow and let life do the guiding for awhile. I don't know which one of those moments this is for you, but I am not worried about you finding your way. You are strong, beautiful, gifted, and one of the most grounded people I've ever known. I know it's hard to see the silver lining sometimes, but whenever I get really discouraged with my music, when I doubt myself, when I wonder if this is what I really want, if this is worth it, I have to remind myself that I'm alive and I'm living NOW. Right now. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, not an hour from now, but now. And now is the only thing that is real. Just yesterday a friend of mine said to me, "The time is ALWAYS now." Wise words. So I switch my focus and start seeing the beautiful things that are around me. And there are always sooo many. I may not be exactly where I want to be in my career, but I can still write a song and sing my heart out, and I don't need any label executive to validate my talent or my passion because they are simply truths of who I am. Find the truth in your situation and things may start looking a lot clearer.

Show Tues, December 2nd @ 7:00 pm - Rockwood Music Hall

Just me, my guitar, a piano, and a few friends to accompany me...

I want to share my songs with you as they were written

Stripped down, without all the bells and whistles

and the Rockwood is as intimate as it gets

So if you can pencil me in, this should be a really cool show and I would love to see you there!

Dec. 2nd @ 6:45

Rockwood Music Hall (169 Allen St. btwn E. Houston & Stanton)

And it's free : )

Peace.

Charley