The Next Part May Be Grander

Posted on November 18, 2012 by russtowne

“Part of the adventure in life is not always knowing what’s going to happen next. The next part may be grander than your original plan. The key to enjoying the journey is being open to the unknown.”
(I saw this quote via Jay Ligda/Online Wellness Network)

While I’ve lived through parts of life that I wouldn’t wish on anyone–as I’m sure many of you have done too–I really love THIS part of my life, so if the next part may be grander, SIGN ME UP!

I’m ready for the next part of the adventure to begin while I’m thoroughly enjoying this one.

Russ

Posted in Adventure, Quotes I Love | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Rain

Posted on November 16, 2012 by russtowne


Liquid smoke
Ever-changing
Ethereal and ephemeral
Whispering wisps
Bellowing billows
Fading away
Rain.
–Russ Towne

Posted in Nature, Poetry I Wrote | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Surprise That Got Me In Hot Water With My Beloved

Posted on November 15, 2012 by russtowne

My recent “Holiday Humor” post received a bunch of comments, and below was my reply to one of the comments. I thought more of you would appreciate reading it than would see it in the comments section, so I decided to turn my reply into a post:

Yeah, I can see a hubby doing that (telling his wife he’s in a bar next to the jewelry store) AFTER buying the necklace but intentionally neglecting to mention it until he sees her in person…

Actually, now that I think about it, I sort of did that once. I was out buying a car as a surprise gift for My Beloved but the deal took a LOT longer to transact than I’d anticipated, so I called her a couple of times to keep postponing when I was going to be home “while being out with a friend”. I hadn’t lied; the friend was with me–but I’d left out the little detail about surprising her with a car.

By the time I got home it was VERY late, hours later than I’d originally planned, and she was STEAMING. I came in all sheepishly and told her that “something happened to your car” (it had; it got replaced by a much better one but she didn’t know it yet). At that point my life expectancy was probably about two minutes.

I somehow convinced her to go outside. There she saw her brand new car wrapped in a huge ribbon with a great big bow. On the steering wheel was a Teddy Bear and a bottle of Champagne.

It had been my turn to get a new car so she was very surprised when she got another new one before I got one.

The evening ended well…

Russ

Posted in Humor, Marriage, True Stories I've Written | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

An Ode To Hairietta L. Pawturr

Posted on November 15, 2012 by russtowne

(This ode is in reference to the story in my last post.)

Ode to Hairietta L.Pawturr

Hairietta L. Pawturr
Is a cat who’s REALLY “liked”
Two kids beat their father’s challenge
When their Facebook “Likes” spiked.

The End (of this Cat’s Tale) ;-D!

Can you tell that I’m in a goofy mood today?

Russ

Posted in Dogs & Other Wonderful Creatures, Humor, Poetry I Wrote | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This Cat is REALLY “Liked!”

Posted on November 15, 2012 by russtowne

I saw his article on The Sideshow and thought you might enjoy reading it:

Dan Urbano’s two kids really wanted a cat. So, Urbano jokingly made a bet offering to adopt a feline friend if they could get 1,000 “likes” on Facebook in support of their effort.

The combined power of social media, kids and cat proved too much as the Boston-area children far exceeded their dad’s challenge, generating more than 111,000 “likes” and 100,000 shares.

To accomplish their feat, 7-year-old Remi and 1-year-old Evelyn posted a picture on their mother’s Facebook page. In the photo, Remi is smiling while holding a whiteboard that reads:

“Hey Facebook! My sister and I really want a cat. Our papa promises we can get one if we can get 1,000 likes. Please like this picture. Thank you!”

Evelyn stands next to him with a huge grin on her face and appears to be pumping her fists with excitement.

After the photo went viral, Urbano honored his end of the bet, picking up a pet from a local animal shelter.

‘”Never, ever did we think this was going to happen,” their mom, Marisa, said in an interview on “Good Morning America.” “We figured our friends and maybe their friends would be nice and kind and share with each other.”

The kids named their new cat Hairietta L. Pawturr, with the “L” standing for the massive amount of Facebook “likes.”

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dad-buys-kids-pet-cat-win-facebook-bet-025013406.html

Russ

Posted in Children, Dogs & Other Wonderful Creatures, Parenting, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Holiday Humor

Posted on November 15, 2012 by russtowne

A couple was Christmas shopping at the mall on Christmas Eve and the
mall was packed. As the wife walked through the mall she was surprised
to look up and see that her husband was nowhere around. She was quite upset
because they had a lot to do.

Because she was so worried, she called him on her cell phone to ask
him where he was.

In a calm voice, the husband said, “Honey, do you remember the jewelry
store we went into about 5 years ago where you fell in love with that
diamond necklace that we could not afford and I told you that I would
get it for you one day?”

The wife choked up and started to cry and said, “Yes, I remember that
jewelry store.”

He said, “Well, I’m in the bar right next to it.”

Posted in Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

“You Hijacked My Heart”

Posted on November 14, 2012 by russtowne

My co-writer on this one is Marty Dolciamore. He is also the vocalist,musician, and producer. This song has a very different feel and sound versus most of what I write. I’m not fond of the characters in it, nor how they think and act. It is one of the reasons why I’ve decided to write my own lyrics most of the time going forward, so that my lyric “voice” will be much more purely my own–for better or worse. The song’s music is longer than I wanted–I’d have ended it at the 3:03 mark (about 1:12 sooner) and I’d have removed the bright “duh-dun-dunt” sound which I find distracting and somewhat jarring. It was one of my earlier song efforts and I let my co-writer keep in parts of the music I wasn’t fond of. The fault is completely mine (and besides, many listeners might love the parts I’m not fond of). He is a talented co-writer. We just have different collaborative and musical styles. I enjoyed working with him on this one-time experimental project.

I don’t plan on listing this one on the song-selling sites.

Russ

Posted in Anger, Choices, Feelings/Emotions, Pain & Grief, Songs I've Written or Co-Written | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Song I Co-Wrote “Makin’ Memories”

Posted on November 14, 2012 by russtowne

I recently realized that the earlier songs that I’d written/co-written couldn’t be accessed via this site, so I’m posting them now. My co-writer on this one is Denis Loiseau.
Russ

Posted in Friendship, Making Memories, Songs I've Written or Co-Written | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

My First Song: “What Kind Of Man Does That”

Posted on November 14, 2012 by russtowne

I co-wrote my first song less than three years ago. My co-writer was Denis Loiseau. It was recently re-demoed with a different vocalist, musicians, and producer so that Denis and I would have full rights to the song and we could list it for sale on various song-selling sites. The new version is twangier than the original and for that reason I like the original version better, but I thought you might want to listen the new version too, so here it is.

Russ

Posted in Challenges, Choices, Parenting, Song Updates, Songs I've Written or Co-Written | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seeing Things

Posted on November 13, 2012 by russtowne

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
– Anais Nin

If we see things
as we are
not as they are,
then it follows
that if I want
to experience
more good things,
it pays to keep
seeking and sharing
whatever goodness
I can find
within myself.

Russ Towne

Posted in Goodness, LIfe Lessons, Quotes I Love | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments