Category: Introductions

written by Daniel
April 6, 2021 0

Hi All,

As luck should have it, I am the newest member of a corporate family. Therefore, introductions are in order. In the pre-covid days this would be done with much fanfare, celebration, food, wine, dance, performances by Oscar winning actors and Grammy winning singers. Fire breathers, contortionists, magicians would take the stage and set the proper ambience for the round of introductions that happens when a new member joins the team. But Covid has changed our world and this time around the team decided that in lieu of all that, I should simply write a brief introduction and email it to everyone.

Very well. I can do that.

In a place Gatsby refused to agree is a small town, in the one thousand nine hundred ninety first year of our common era, I was born in spring month of May, amid the blooming of the flowers, likely resulting from the rain in April. I grew up just a few miles north of that lovely town in a small city known as Royal Oak and from there moved to Rochester hills. I hit the requisite marks, submitted the necessary paperwork and was properly institutionalized at Michigan State University, an institution of higher learning (or so they say). There I spent 4 years plotzing along a predefined path through their curriculum and received a lovely document that hangs on my wall.

I have done a great many things in the passing years. I spent some time teaching people how to sail boats. Indeed, I have a project boat waiting for me this summer at the family cabin. With any luck I can get her sea-worthy without too much trouble. I spent some time making short documentary videos and even applied for a PBS grant to develop a show about local artists. I did not get the grant but hope to still produce the show for a YouTube audience eventually. I spent 3 years as a project manager for small tech firm specializing in experiential marketing technologies geared towards the event world.

 At present I have settled in a quaint habitat in the city of Madison Heights. My parents decided I do not get to take my dogs with me when I moved out and so the house is often a little too quiet where I should hear the constant noise generated by Teddy and Mishka. I intend to bring them home one day.  But first I should probably fix the holes in the fence? That is a discussion for another time. In any case, when I am not working, I dabble in photography (and am a member of the photographers guild of America), film production, Event streaming, music, reading, writing, languages, among other things. I love spending time in the woods with a bon fire going, the grill nice and hot, the puppies bouncing like lunatics, while the cheap Bluetooth speakers attempts to produce some pleasing noise based on my Spotify playlist. Prior to covid I was known to host dinner parties regularly and would often have friends, family, or coworkers over for a multicourse meal on a random Friday night. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and that is a tradition I can start back up soon.

I hope this overly dramatized introduction gave you all a minor glimpse into the controlled chaos and fun we are all about to embark on as I fully integrate into the family.

Figure 1: Screenshot of recent livestream

Figure 2: Sample of portrait photographs

Figure 3: Mishka(left) napping with Teddy(right)

Figure 4: The table is ready, anyone hungry?

Figure 5: You all have fun, I’ll be on the water.

written by Daniel
January 1, 2014 0
written by Daniel
January 1, 2014 0

 

 

Hello my friend. Here we are once more on the final pages of this chapter in our lives. The pages scrawled with the tales of times we’ve lived.  As you can see, the new chapter, those pale blank white pages up ahead are already unfolding. They are beckoning us to move forward and greet them with open arms. However before we move on, we must as all humans do, reminisce on that which was. We stand here on the spine between the chapters, trying to move forward but those memories are holding us back.

Those memories. Those wonderful happy times . The hours spent in laughter with friends, family, significant others. Those terrible times of pain or sorrow. The moments we wish never to think of again. But here we stand between the then and the now and we see all those moments once more.

The chapter behind us will forever be a part of us. We will never lose it. The lessons it taught will help in defining who we are. However we cannot allow it to dominate our existence. Our existence lies in that chapter ahead. Its blank pages staring us in the eyes. Frightening us to our very core as we know not what will soon fill those pages.

But HALT! not all is grim in that which is not known. The unknown, if we embrace it, tends to be the most exciting experience of our lives. What lies ahead my as yet better all that came before. What lies behind was merely there in preparation for what awaits us in these pages to come.

Here we are again, old friend, just the two of us. Sitting and dreaming of where we’ve been and where we are going.  We’ve shared plenty of moments filled with great laughter, and quite a few filled with tears. And in all that we had each other. Without the support of each other we would never have made it to where we are.

And here, as we go ahead I make this promise to you, old friend. Wherever these next pages take us, wherever we may land, whatever may be scrawled to fill the blanks, when the time comes, and you need to sit together once more, I will be at your service.

So go forth, my friend. Go forth and take care. Embrace the adventure that lies ahead and know that you do not walk the streets alone. I share in your experiences, both good and bad, and I support your endeavours. I believe in your capacity to succeed and I believe in your ability to make the most of this fine new chapter.

One day we will look back upon the chapter that now only lies ahead, and we will recall fondly all that we have done. Until that day, hold your head high, and go forth.

 

Wishing you all a happy new year,

With love and affection for all,

Daniel Allen

written by Daniel
November 15, 2013 0
written by Daniel
November 15, 2013 0

We have migrated!

Sure, this post doesn’t fit into any category that was promised initially.  Then to be honest, the project doesn’t really start for another month. Thus, we don’t feel too bad about it. Plus, now we are on own domain. How Sweet is that?

 

You heard correctly, you can now find this blog at 365inletters.com .

 

I may or may not be a little too excited about this. Oh hell, no such thing as too excited.

 

All the best,

D.

written by Daniel
November 4, 2013 0
written by Daniel
November 4, 2013 0

I have been writing for many years.  I suppose that in and of itself is nothing special. Many people write. In fact, it is difficult to get through grade school without having written something. Quite a bit of something, really. Massive lengthy essays, the majority of which no one particularly cared about then nor now. This, of course, uses a rather simple and boring definition of writing. It assumes that all that is required for writing is the placement of thoughts to paper. It ignores the magic that happens when those thoughts are put into words and those words into sentences, those sentences into the paragraphs of prose or lines of poetry. It ignores the essence of the writer, who opens up his heart and soul and deliver his message. There is always a message. Whether the author is sharing something about his life, or something about people, about humanity, about the world, there is always something the author meant by the text.

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