Wednesday August 15, 2007

Belated greetings once more! I've been away from the blog dealing with a few personal issues for a couple weeks, so I hope that my meager readership hasn't lost interest and jumped ship. The last time I was here I was in the midst of a big computer game programming project. I felt that project was breaking too far away from my original intent to keep the focus of this blog on the arts. It seems that Mark's Digital Arts had strayed too far into the realm of technology. I've decided to launch a separate site that will deal with Game Programming in Euphoria, since I'm a devotee of that language. I'll find some more music, art, and writing related topics to share in future posts, and save the programming topics for the other page. In the meantime I have another true story to share that transpired during the last week.

Bella is a red parrot of the genus Eclectus, who lives with my good friends Frank and Martha. She has become something of a celebrity in my apartment building and she is an unofficial mascot to all the tenants. She's only 3 years old, and has never had her wings clipped, preferring to stay near home and eat sunflower seeds and fruit. On the evening of August 1st Bella flew the coop, straight over the gate and into the wider world. It might be that her instinct to fly overrode her need for the security and comfort of home. Any caged bird must feel the pull of the skies and tall trees and wind. With Bella's departure, a kind of dark cloud settled over the apartments. Nothing seemed to work out right and Murphy's Law prevailed. I was already fighting a bit of depression and I found myself threatening to founder. They say that the one best thing about hitting bottom is that the only way to go is up. Hope was restored when a single feather was found on her cage, which had been left out in the courtyard with food and toys. That Sunday, August 5th I got up early, and went down to the courtyard and was greeted by the most beautiful sight in the world. Bella was home after her 4 day odyssey, tired and hungry and worn, but safe. She found a kindly couple a couple of towns away, and literally landed on the shoulder of the man. It took a call to the shelter and then a relieved family was reunited and whole again. The story might well have ended there, but for an almost incredible change in personal fortunes. The restoration of Bella to her perch brought luck, prosperity and balance. I don't know if it's Karma, providence or the Force, but something clicked back into place the moment Bella was home. For now I'm simply basking in the good vibes and pulling my own life back onto its path. It takes a little loss to realize what truly is important in life and what we can or can't do without. The most important are the family and loved ones that fill our lives and enable us to get on with whatever else life requires.

This is Bella!
Click on a picture to get the full-sized view.

That's about it for this week.. I'll be back next time with some fresh content and a renewed focus on art and the other oddities of life.

Send your comments and feedback and I’ll read it all and respond to some of it.
Bye for now!