"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..." Kerouac

When I graduated from high school my AP history teacher approached me after an awards ceremony. He was a short hairy man who climbed rocks in his sparetime. His beard never looked clean. He put a hand on my shoulder and said You'll do ok, Mella. You've just got to hold on to that wild heart.

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I nodded anyway. The best I can figure, he probably said it because of my final paper on the Beatnik Counter-Culture revolution and my adoration of On The Road. He also referred to me as earthy-crunchy. Whatever that meant. As far as I could see, if either of us was earthy or crunchy it was probably not me - since I was actively aware of my appearance and took care to bathe daily...and his beard always seemed to have strands sticking together or, worse yet, crumbs of something in it.

Anyway, fast forward almost ten years and here I am. Still have that beatnik quote echoing in my normal, non-earthy-crunchy heart. Although I've spent time overseas and have done a bit of travel, for the most part, I've traded in dreams of world exploration and On The Road adventures for degrees, jobs, wedding rings and burp cloths.

Don't know if I can give it up entirely though. Let's call it a hiatus.