Beautiful Contrast

       A friend of mine from college died over the weekend. Heart attack. Out of nowhere. He was forty-nine. A beautiful man.
        Yesterday, I attended his wake in New Jersey. His legacy was apparent, as the line to pay respects was out the door, and around two corner blocks. It was supposed to end at eight. I left with a friend to drive back to Boston at seven. There was no way the funeral home was going to be able to close it’s doors before ten o’clock. That’s the kind of love and respect he created in his all too short life.
       This morning, I awoke to snow. I love when it snows, so I was out the door within ten minutes. Didn’t even take the time to brush my teeth. I can do that later. It’s snowing now.
       Like my friend’s life, snow is an all too brief experience of beauty, wonder, excitement, fun, and love. This picture reminds me of that. It also reminds me of life’s stark contrasts. And how I sometimes struggle to live inside of them.
       Don’t we all?

©2013 Clint Piatelli, MuscleHeart, and Red F Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

44.0536° N, 71.1289° W

North Conway, New Hampshire. Six-forty-eight AM. Five degrees, Fahrenheit. 

©2013 Clint Piatellii, MuscleHeart, and Red F Publishing.

City's Edge

I live on the edge of the city. My neighborhood of Cleveland Circle is quite urban. Across the street, literally, Boston city limits terminate, and now you're in the suburbs. And that rather arbitrary distinction could not be visually more stark. Because across that street there's a giant felid and a reservoir surrounded by woods. So if I want the city, I come out of my brownstone and go left. If I want natural surroundings, I go right. I'm grateful to live in an area that offers me two environments I enjoy and am equally at home in.

©2012 Clint Piatelli, MuscleHeart, and Red F Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

Death Valley At Sunrise

Death Valley in August is...hot. Incredibly hot. And, as we can see, beautiful.

©2012 Clint Piatelli, MuscleHeart, and Red F Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

Pirate Christmas

At The Piatelli Christmas Party in 2003, I called my buddy Cusa and proclaimed, "The private theme for you and I this year is "Pirate Christmas". I have no idea how or why I came up with that absurd combination, as the words have about as much to do with each other as "Corporate Generosity". But, as I knew, Cusa rose to the occasion.