Aveline Winter

I was at the Kandace Springs concert last night and something from one of her songs put a thought in my head - that someone could be giving their heart, but reserving one last piece of it for when they know they are with the right person. I resolved to write a love poem, maybe even a song, when I got home and it would be called Last Piece of My Heart. The last two lines had even been worked out: The last piece of my heart Just might be yours But when I started to write, the words came out differently and this is what I ended up with: Manifesto of a broken heart It begins with a glance Or sometimes a smile A hint of romance That's all gilt and guile Always it starts But never it lasts Can't give my heart When it all ends too fast So I hold something back To lessen the hurt To tighten the slack When it all doesn't work This piece of my heart Is all I've got left So when things fall apart I won't be bereft The tone is completely off and I

The Handmaid's Tale is amazing. I can't remember the last time a brand new series with something so important to say captured my interest in the same way. I mean, I have binged other series before, but this one is relevant and timely. As well, the acting is superb and the tone is right on. It is so heartbreaking to see how quickly women's rights eroded from the time a barista called Offred a slut, to all women losing access to their bank accounts and then their livelihoods, and then to the totalitarian regime where women are enslaved into singular roles: Handmaids, Wives, Aunts, Marthas, or Jezebels. Just like how the ancient Greeks (and then Romans) had different goddesses represent female traits because no one woman can possibly be more than one thing. When I read the novel, the nation of Gilead seemed like a farfetched idea, but the current political climate in the US could indicate the early stages of a breakdown. How much more would it take for the current co

As a relatively new convert to jazz, I knew very little about Miles Davis and even less about John Coltrane, but enough to know they were legendary in their craft. I had the chance to watch two films last night that illuminated parts of their lives and careers. The first was Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary . It was fascinating to hear about his warm, loving nature from his step and biological children, and I learned that his musicality advanced as his career progressed. I also had no idea that he played with Miles Davis. The second was Miles Ahead , which has been described by others as an impressionistic take on the comeback years. It is a pretty apt description since the film was not meant to be an accurate portrayal of actual events. Instead, it was a fun romp with gunfire, car chases, and intense portrayals of relationships beginning and ending courtesy of Don Cheadle, who is always entertaining. After both films, I found myself more intrigued by their music

It seems like it has been years since I've written anything personal for the public arena aside from the occasional tweet and less frequent Facebook post. It wasn't that I had nothing to say, but rather that it was a hassle to use my old journal since the platform had gone to seed and my schedule made it inconvenient. I had also routed my thoughts into multiple offshoots so the options were either to regularly update the separate blogs, which had become a chore, or else have them lie fallow. I gave up when life got busy. For years. Tweeting helped, but it felt like all my thoughts had to be truncated into ugly 140 character morsels that left a lot unsaid. I even adapted to skipping the second space after a period - the horror! Twitter was fun, but its non sequitur nature only satisfied me at a surface level. Writing used to be a form of therapy for me and I want to start again - not only about my thoughts and experiences, but also creatively. I'm convinced I used