BLOG | everyonebuttwo

Nov 19, 2017
2 min

The Great Benny

A funny for Sunday: Last weekend, we celebrated my grandfather’s 91st birthday (Benjamin Graham- the subject of the documentary). It was not lost on me that this is the second birthday he has celebrated without my grandmother. It is one of those things that go unsaid, but we all feel it. Even being in the space without her is still hard. Because of this, I thought it would be nice to add some levity to a celebration that remains bittersweet. Since I have had numerous one-on-o

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Carla Joelle Brown

Jun 20, 2017
10 min

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

PRE POST: CURRENT Source photo courtesy of Y. Alston, 2017 *As of this post, Aruba is officially over, and in the past. My timing was spot on, because as of next week, I will be out for the count. I do not anticipate that I will post during this time. Recovery time for my surgery is around 6 weeks, and my only true goal will be to focus on that only. After surgery, I have major plans, and getting back to 100% is paramount. This recovery time will not be only physical. It will

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Carla Joelle Brown

Apr 28, 2017
15 min

Jumping Ship

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 During this entire trip, this is the only morning, besides the day I return home, that I had to be serious about obeying the alarm clock. This is also the only morning thus far that there was not a bagel somewhere in my hand with a coffee. Because of the time, and the fact that I would be fed on the ship, trying to run out for a breakfast sandwich seemed like a waste. When I purchased the ticket for the cruise, I was told that I was to go to Pelica

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Carla Joelle Brown

Apr 21, 2017
13 min

Lost & Found

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016 Song "Lost and Found," courtesy of Shafiq Husayn, feat. Bilal and Jimetta Rose, 2009 Most days, when I wake up,Monday through Friday, it is with a scowl. Scowl at the alarm clock for disrupting that final hour of the best sleep ever, scowl for reminding me that I have to get somewhere by a certain time, and lately a scowl for rebooting all the thoughts that I had finally managed to quiet. While I have been on my “life sabbatical,” when the alarm c

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Carla Joelle Brown

Apr 13, 2017
7 min

Dushi Does It

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2016 It was already Tuesday, and I was nervously recounting the days remaining for this trip. I didn’t feel like I had been there long, but I also felt that I had all the time in the world, and I knew that couldn’t be right. TUESDAY- WEDNESDAY- THURSDAY- leaving FRIDAY. Ok. 3 full days. I snoozed a few times, and then realized I was fooling myself. Eventually I got out of bed, looking forward to another day of blue skies, and even bluer, azure waters. An

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Carla Joelle Brown

Mar 30, 2017
14 min

Personal Pizza

MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2016 Although I loosely set my alarm clock, I woke up feeling pretty refreshed. I do not know how it is possible for a bed to feel that much more comfortable than your own, pillows and sheets included. If my bed felt like this, I could conquer the world every morning. Well, except for Mondays. Whenever I experience this supreme comfort at hotels, I tend to try to find a way to recreate it at home but I come up short. I would go to a store and take each pl

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12.5211° N, 69.9683° W, 15 Miles North Of Venezuela

Carla Joelle Brown

Mar 3, 2017
14 min

12.5211° N, 69.9683° W, 15 Miles North Of Venezuela

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17 - SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016 In the beginning of 2016 I felt this trajectory in my life pulling me in vigorous ways that often I said that I was either on the verge of breakdown or a breakthrough. I felt that the pendulum was finally going to swing in one way or the other and it would only be a matter of time before I knew which (triumphant or defeated). All year the answer to this question was a crescendo of events that had been leading towards a true vi

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Carla Joelle Brown

Dec 31, 2016
4 min

What Remains

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016 Recently my parents decided that their (old) dog needed to learn some new tricks. Little did he know that he was one more early morning wake up to getting set on the steps with his suitcase. The older he has gotten, the more attached he has become to sleeping in my parent's bedroom. Sleeping in their room had never been an issue until he decided he wanted to wake up and then wake them up. Many months of interrupted rest had passed and it is now affecti

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Thank Goodness For Baseball - America's Favorite Pastime

Carla Joelle Brown

Dec 31, 2016
7 min

Thank Goodness For Baseball - America's Favorite Pastime

WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2016 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 An invitation to join my father for a baseball game was put back on the table and I accepted. It was a nice, late summer day and it sounded like a great way to end the week. Baseball is a passion for my father. He lives and breathes this stuff. If given the opportunity to go back in time, with the ability to direct and change the course of his life, he would have done whatever he could to be a professional baseball p

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Carla Joelle Brown

Dec 30, 2016
15 min

The Sun Rises And The Sun Sets

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 Last night, it was spelled out clearly that we were leaving the house before 6 am, weather permitting. Tropical Storm Hermine was coming up the east coast and could possibly delay the already delayed trip. We were going to play it by ear. Fortunately for us, the storm was not going to interfere with our plans. I had my alarm set for some ridiculous time and I kind of woke up. My body got out of the bed, but my mind wanted to keep counting the sheep

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Carla Joelle Brown

Dec 29, 2016
3 min

The Quiet After The Storm

Benjamin and Frances, image courtesy of the Grahams FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 When I woke up, I felt a little disoriented. I knew what happened the day before, but it was still hard to digest. Something clearly happened, my sister was here (by herself), and there were random foodstuffs in the house. It was quiet in the house, but it seemed almost normal otherwise. My father had an appointment for his haircut and left us in the early afternoon. I left my sister downstairs to t

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Carla Joelle Brown

Dec 29, 2016
11 min

I Guess It Was Good (Homegoing)

Me (in the middle), my sister, cousin and Frances, 1979, image courtesy of the Grahams THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 Today would prove to be the true test. This was the height of the emotional roller coaster barreling around the last few days. The morning was fairly quiet and swift as we started to prepare for the long day ahead. It was not a day for a big breakfast. We all ate slightly enough to settle our stomachs. The wake was to start at 11:00 am, with the funeral starting

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Carla Joelle Brown

Dec 9, 2016
5 min

Monday Funday (the winding staircase)

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2016 Sunday my sister had put together an entire fun-day itinerary for us since I was still there and she was determined to make the most of it. She and the kids were going to take me to a breakfast place that they adore, and then we were going to go to Ocean City’s (New Jersey) boardwalk and hit the arcade. In the meantime, she and her husband were also starting to work on big birthday plans for my nephew now that everyone was home. I was beginning to get

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Carla Joelle Brown

Dec 8, 2016
2 min

After/Shock

Letter from me to the Grahams, letter courtesy of the Grahams SUNDAY, AUGUST, 28, 2016 Today was still a haze of sorts. There was not much going on except the typical summer hang at the house. We got in the pool, hung out, washed up, watched TV, and played Wii; who knows. I think there were definitely calls made back home to our parents and some texts here and there to friends. I was debating on when I should go home. I wanted to come back today but my mother and family thoug

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Carla Joelle Brown

Dec 2, 2016
8 min

On The Road To Damascus...

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2016 Whenever I visit my sister, I set my alarm clock. Being a non-parent and not a child, I would typically be the last person to wake up. For some reason, I always feel like I would be judged about making my way down after 10:00 am. My sister said she wanted to leave at a certain time, and I knew once she was ready, I better be ready. I came down and said good morning to everyone. Things were their usual hustle on the weekend. In the meantime, my brothe

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Carla Joelle Brown

Dec 1, 2016
4 min

Mother/Sister/Lover

My sister and I, Paris, 2013. Image courtesy of brother in law (blurry, but one of my favorites.) FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016 It was finally Friday and it was time to get out of here. I went to work for a half day and did my best to get through the few hours. I never got an oil change like I wanted and my oil life had since dropped to 10%. I am not sure why I obsessed over it, but I knew that the trip out west put me over and I didn’t like the idea of something happening to the c

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Carla Joelle Brown

Nov 27, 2016
2 min

Don't Make This The Last (Goodbye)

Sign hanging above kitchen door at the Grahams THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 One day at a time. That is all I can do. I am one more day closer to going out of town and doing whatever it takes to escape everything. This is what motivates me. I went to my grandparent’s at lunch time today since I will be leaving tomorrow. Is this going to be the last time I see her? When I got there she was sleeping but my mother said that she might wake up if I went in the there. She had told her

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Carla Joelle Brown

Nov 10, 2016
3 min

pre·mo·ni·tion

Frances braiding my hair, May 3, 1981, image courtesy of the Grahams FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2016 In the hour of the morning when I was supposed to be waking up, I was lost in a vivid dream. It could have been the ramification of the heavy grease on my stomach from the fish and fries last night or the day of exhaustive and tense thoughts. Somewhere in the middle of the dream is what I recall. I don’t know why, but I was driving a coach bus. There was an emergency situation that re

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Carla Joelle Brown

Nov 3, 2016
4 min

Chapter 2: Where Do We Go From Here?

*Once I returned from the trip to the Dakotas, I continued writing. Initially, I was undecided about sharing the writing because I was not clear if it was relevant to the story and it became deeply personal, very quickly. However, after much consideration, I have accepted that this is an indispensable and unwritten chapter of the “Life and Love,” story of Everyone But Two. I have also accepted that as a storyteller that is making an observational record of the events as they

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Everyone But Two

The Great Benny

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Jumping Ship

Lost & Found

Dushi Does It

Personal Pizza

12.5211° N, 69.9683° W, 15 Miles North Of Venezuela

Slow And Steady Wins The Race They Say

What Remains

Thank Goodness For Baseball - America's Favorite Pastime

The Sun Rises And The Sun Sets

The Quiet After The Storm

I Guess It Was Good (Homegoing)

Monday Funday (the winding staircase)

After/Shock

On The Road To Damascus...

Mother/Sister/Lover

Don't Make This The Last (Goodbye)

pre·mo·ni·tion

Chapter 2: Where Do We Go From Here?

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