My friend Jackie told me this past week that I was a bad blogger. She said she didn't want to be rude or anything, but she was checking in on me thru the blog...and I haven't updated my blog in way too long. So...she's right. Here is an update...
Something I really enjoy is a good postcard. I should be better about sending them...and I'm not- but getting a postcard in the mail is about the best thing ever. It means, to me, someone cared enough to stop looking at the beautiful surroundings on their vacation, or saw a postcard stand at Borders...or whatever- and just wanted to drop a "hello" note that is generally free of any negative connotations. Postcards usually have no anger, no guilt trips, no "hey, i've got incurable TB," no "You're awful- wish you were here." It's just a nice unabashed way to say "hi." My friend Jen Hopper has sent some awesome postcards, Venus is a queen of postcard sending, John has started sending me postcards from his fires (sometimes the location of the fire and the postcard don't match...but that adds to the mystique). I think my love of the postcard started with my Grandma. I remember having a photo album with some photos and postcards in it...and me being so proud of it her telling me that she liked postcards a lot, too. I remember wanting to send her one...but, sadly, I don't remember actually doing it.
So- speaking of postcards, one of my Sunday morning habits is to check PostSecret.com as it is updated weekly with new postcards that have secrets on them. There isn't an archive of the new postcards- so you have to catch them while they're available. The secrets vary from the extremely happy to the extremely tragic...and they're always an interesting read. Today one of the postcards really hit home. It was a woman in a yoga position...the card said "I purposely do poses incorrectly in my yoga class so my teacher will reposition me. Otherwise I would never have any human contact. I miss being touched." Ok - so I do get touched on a regular basis - John, hugs from friends, my dogs (not human, close enough). However...having felt and now missing those helpful nudges in Yoga class...making the pose better, connecting with another human being. I miss that, too. I've been doing a good bit of yoga at home...by myself. It is a great class led by instructors at YogaToday.com where they post a NEW yoga class EVERY DAY for FREE. I love the setting (Jackson Hole, WY), I love the classes and I love the challenge. What I'm missing is that human contact/instruction... *sigh* So- this postcard...hopefully will inspire me back into actual classes with actual people. It's hard though...I hate being self conscious in front of other yoginis.
And, speaking of postcards...my dear cousin Meliors has started an art happening/project that I plan to take part in today. I am not supposed to post about it BEFORE I complete the project - so this is a teaser. Courtney has already beaten me to the punch...so I have some catching up to do. However, as Jackie pointed out, I'm a terrible blogger...so it may be July before you get the update. Keep your fingers crossed...and I'll try to update on this project before too long.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
Why I hate fire
So, Global Warming is causing our planet to die a very untimely death. You can watch Al Gore's Oscar-winner, you can read about it in the Economist...or hell the Wall Street Journal...you can feel it when it hits 85 degrees in early May. However, the way that I experience the pain of global warming is as the wife of a Wildland Firefighter.
I never really knew I'd be so well versed in fire. As a former Coloradan, I was at least aware of wildfire because we're a semi-arid climate and fire is always a threat. Forest Fires and the fire danger that Smokey talks about- always top of mind, especially in the Summer when you go camping or hiking or you're just driving in the mountains.
Well, now as an Illinoiseian...I wouldn't really care as much about wildland fire, except I married into it. And...it seems to be closing in on us. This past week, John went to the UP to fight a Fire called the Baraga Bump fire. It wasn't that big of a deal...they got it contained quickly...and I foolishly hoped he'd get sent home. No deal. Now he is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and he's fighting the "Ham Lake Fire." Check this out for more news and info about wildland firefighting: http://www.inciweb.org/.
Both of the fires John has been on this year are far from here. So, we all have a false sense of security. However, I'd like to remind everyone of a very baaaad night in Chicago and Wisconsin history. No, not the night Chicago died...but when we burned. October 8, 1871 was a bad night for Chicago when a cow (or a drunk) started a fire and everything burned down. That is why we have so many frickin fire hydrants taking up valuable parking real estate. However, just north of here in Peshtigo, Wisconsin an even deadlier fire started the same night. Conditions were windy and dry (similar to the weather here...and in the upper US). I could retell the story, but that is not my point. My point is...I think we may start to see Wildland fire creep closer and closer to our metropolitan areas if we continue to have the experience ever-worsening drought conditions. And why is it so dry? Because of global warming. We're all screwed. Thankfully I live close to a lake.
But that isn't why I hate fire. Fire can be really great for our forests and prairies. I hate fire because it takes my husband away for weeks at a time and plops him in the middle of the wilderness with no cellphone coverage. So, as I sit here and type and try to ignore the whining of my boy dog...I curse global warming for making this fire season start so early and with such a bang.
P.S. Please keep the safety of John and all the firefighters in your thoughts...it's a risky business.
I never really knew I'd be so well versed in fire. As a former Coloradan, I was at least aware of wildfire because we're a semi-arid climate and fire is always a threat. Forest Fires and the fire danger that Smokey talks about- always top of mind, especially in the Summer when you go camping or hiking or you're just driving in the mountains.
Well, now as an Illinoiseian...I wouldn't really care as much about wildland fire, except I married into it. And...it seems to be closing in on us. This past week, John went to the UP to fight a Fire called the Baraga Bump fire. It wasn't that big of a deal...they got it contained quickly...and I foolishly hoped he'd get sent home. No deal. Now he is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and he's fighting the "Ham Lake Fire." Check this out for more news and info about wildland firefighting: http://www.inciweb.org/.
Both of the fires John has been on this year are far from here. So, we all have a false sense of security. However, I'd like to remind everyone of a very baaaad night in Chicago and Wisconsin history. No, not the night Chicago died...but when we burned. October 8, 1871 was a bad night for Chicago when a cow (or a drunk) started a fire and everything burned down. That is why we have so many frickin fire hydrants taking up valuable parking real estate. However, just north of here in Peshtigo, Wisconsin an even deadlier fire started the same night. Conditions were windy and dry (similar to the weather here...and in the upper US). I could retell the story, but that is not my point. My point is...I think we may start to see Wildland fire creep closer and closer to our metropolitan areas if we continue to have the experience ever-worsening drought conditions. And why is it so dry? Because of global warming. We're all screwed. Thankfully I live close to a lake.
But that isn't why I hate fire. Fire can be really great for our forests and prairies. I hate fire because it takes my husband away for weeks at a time and plops him in the middle of the wilderness with no cellphone coverage. So, as I sit here and type and try to ignore the whining of my boy dog...I curse global warming for making this fire season start so early and with such a bang.
P.S. Please keep the safety of John and all the firefighters in your thoughts...it's a risky business.
Monday, April 9, 2007
terrible fertility
Right...I am terrible. I haven't posted in over a month. I have an infant blog that has been languishing without much attention. Occasionally, I will look at my blog and think "I need to update...I have no witty links or photos to post" and I hang my head in shame...I'm a terrible blogger.
But- I do have interesting news. Sadly...I had to euthanize a fish...and then my goldfish had babies...twice! I am new to the world of amateur aquarium hobbism...but everyone I have told about my goldfish babies have a small aneurism and usually ask "are you sure it isn't guppies?" No! My goldfish are very fertile and frisky!
Here is the story...my favorite Goldfish (Klaus) had a swimbladder problem, which meant she swam upside down all of the time...it was tragically funny, but she was still healthy and eating, and obstensibly enjoying life. Well, then she got an open sore on her belly, and she wasn't eating or enjoying life...so we decided to send her to the big pond and end her suffering. It was pretty heartbreaking to lose her. Klaus was a great fish, named after one of my favorite Wilem Dafoe characters. Well, not 3 days after we lost Klaus...I was looking at the tank and thought I was seeing some floaties...and they turned out to be BABY fish! Crazy. Goldfish Fry? Can they be real? Well, they are. And there are 8.
So, to save the babies, we moved the remaining big fish into a smaller tank. Then we moved the big fish back. And, then, last night...what did I see...but goldfish eggs in the small tank! So...this means that the one male, Steve, has been very prolific...and the ladies (Pabst, Pricilla or Hari) have fallen victim to his lady-fish killer ways.
I will keep you all posted on the fish developments. And by you all I mean perhaps the one or two who might maybe be checking my blog because they've got nothing else to do. Maybe I will put photos up at some point...exciting.
I have stories of Easter and our dogs enjoying Wisconsin, tales of eating my weight in sugar, a deepening of my yoga practice...and how much work sucks. REALLY sucks. But, I'm mostly excited about the baby fish. I know. I'm a geek. It's fine. I'm learning to be content with my inner fish-geek. :)
But- I do have interesting news. Sadly...I had to euthanize a fish...and then my goldfish had babies...twice! I am new to the world of amateur aquarium hobbism...but everyone I have told about my goldfish babies have a small aneurism and usually ask "are you sure it isn't guppies?" No! My goldfish are very fertile and frisky!
Here is the story...my favorite Goldfish (Klaus) had a swimbladder problem, which meant she swam upside down all of the time...it was tragically funny, but she was still healthy and eating, and obstensibly enjoying life. Well, then she got an open sore on her belly, and she wasn't eating or enjoying life...so we decided to send her to the big pond and end her suffering. It was pretty heartbreaking to lose her. Klaus was a great fish, named after one of my favorite Wilem Dafoe characters. Well, not 3 days after we lost Klaus...I was looking at the tank and thought I was seeing some floaties...and they turned out to be BABY fish! Crazy. Goldfish Fry? Can they be real? Well, they are. And there are 8.
So, to save the babies, we moved the remaining big fish into a smaller tank. Then we moved the big fish back. And, then, last night...what did I see...but goldfish eggs in the small tank! So...this means that the one male, Steve, has been very prolific...and the ladies (Pabst, Pricilla or Hari) have fallen victim to his lady-fish killer ways.
I will keep you all posted on the fish developments. And by you all I mean perhaps the one or two who might maybe be checking my blog because they've got nothing else to do. Maybe I will put photos up at some point...exciting.
I have stories of Easter and our dogs enjoying Wisconsin, tales of eating my weight in sugar, a deepening of my yoga practice...and how much work sucks. REALLY sucks. But, I'm mostly excited about the baby fish. I know. I'm a geek. It's fine. I'm learning to be content with my inner fish-geek. :)
Friday, March 2, 2007
Fish Fridays
Happy Friday, everyone. I seem to have just wasted a vacation day just laying on the couch and sleeping. Originally J and I were supposed to travel up to Madison and then on to Rib Lake, WI to take part in the Timm's Hill Trudge. However, we are wimps and when we heard about the potential "blizzards" forecast ed for upper WI...we opted out of adventure and exercise...and decided to stay home. But, a weekend of adventure is still in store as my friend Steffie who was joining us for the snowshoeing will be instead joining us in Chicago for a pedicure/Art Institute/Spanikopita filled weekend. Yea!
J still went up to Madison today (he had an interview...keep fingers crossed), so I stayed here to catch up on life. I should have worked as I have a million change plans to write...but I didn't. Instead, I spent time with the puppies and the fish.
Background: In September of 2005, I set up a 37 gallon aquarium in my apartment. My friend Venus helped me get set up and educated on the art of owning fancy goldfish. I selected 5 baby goldfish for my tank, with plans to bring 2 or 3 more into the tank. These goldfish were tiny. They were the size of a quarter. They were so cute. One looked like Elvis. Two had huge read Brain-heads. One had pom-poms over her eyes. And the smallest, she could only look upwards. And, no one expected them all to survive. At least, that's the feeling I got when they warned me not to name them...yet. (But I did...Lil Elvis, Girl, Steve Zizzou, Klaus and Hari)
Now it is March 2007 and I think it is safe to say all 5 are still living and swimming. They inhabit a total of 92 gallons in the condo after we added a tank so they could spread out...and each goldfish is the size of a small fillet. I remember as a kid, whenever we'd go to a fancy restaurant with an aquarium (I always thought it was fancy if there was an aquarium), invariably there would be an Oscar the size or a dinner plate...bleakly oblivious to his surroundings and the fact that all the jokesters entering the restaurant would point at him and say "Look, it's dinner. Har har." Now I live with 5 of these creatures, and thankfully for them I don't eat fish.
They have been through some harrowing events...first the move to the condo. Then being left alone for 5 days in an unconditioned condo in July. Then the power outage in August. 2 of them actually were upside down... but I brought them back to life. Unfortunately for Lil' Elvis, he lost his sideburns and became Lil' Priscilla.
So, Fish Friday takes on a very different meaning for me than it would my Catholic friends...I've been cleaning the tanks, watching the fish float and bump around the tank, and contemplating why goldfish create such copious amounts of waste. It's been productive and relaxing. As Venus says, it's very meditative to give your tanks a good cleaning. Ok, she may not say it exactly like that...but, however she says it, she's right.
J still went up to Madison today (he had an interview...keep fingers crossed), so I stayed here to catch up on life. I should have worked as I have a million change plans to write...but I didn't. Instead, I spent time with the puppies and the fish.
Background: In September of 2005, I set up a 37 gallon aquarium in my apartment. My friend Venus helped me get set up and educated on the art of owning fancy goldfish. I selected 5 baby goldfish for my tank, with plans to bring 2 or 3 more into the tank. These goldfish were tiny. They were the size of a quarter. They were so cute. One looked like Elvis. Two had huge read Brain-heads. One had pom-poms over her eyes. And the smallest, she could only look upwards. And, no one expected them all to survive. At least, that's the feeling I got when they warned me not to name them...yet. (But I did...Lil Elvis, Girl, Steve Zizzou, Klaus and Hari)
Now it is March 2007 and I think it is safe to say all 5 are still living and swimming. They inhabit a total of 92 gallons in the condo after we added a tank so they could spread out...and each goldfish is the size of a small fillet. I remember as a kid, whenever we'd go to a fancy restaurant with an aquarium (I always thought it was fancy if there was an aquarium), invariably there would be an Oscar the size or a dinner plate...bleakly oblivious to his surroundings and the fact that all the jokesters entering the restaurant would point at him and say "Look, it's dinner. Har har." Now I live with 5 of these creatures, and thankfully for them I don't eat fish.
They have been through some harrowing events...first the move to the condo. Then being left alone for 5 days in an unconditioned condo in July. Then the power outage in August. 2 of them actually were upside down... but I brought them back to life. Unfortunately for Lil' Elvis, he lost his sideburns and became Lil' Priscilla.
So, Fish Friday takes on a very different meaning for me than it would my Catholic friends...I've been cleaning the tanks, watching the fish float and bump around the tank, and contemplating why goldfish create such copious amounts of waste. It's been productive and relaxing. As Venus says, it's very meditative to give your tanks a good cleaning. Ok, she may not say it exactly like that...but, however she says it, she's right.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
February Dreamin'
I've been in a big movie watching mood recently...and have finished off some real gems recently (e.g. The Queen, Elizabeth I, The Departed). Over the course of the weekend, John and I started The Science of Sleep by Michel Gondry. Gondry has directed many amazing music videos as well as a coupla my favorite films (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and also Dave Chappelle's Block Party.)
Anyway...The Science of Sleep was not only a beautiful movie, but it really messes with one's dream sequencing. Especially if you fall asleep while watching the movie...it may screw you up for days. And, seriously, when you finish the movie...you have no idea where you are between reality and dreams...John said "Everything seems so dreamlike right now..."
There is something about Gondry films that are so lovely and simple, but with certain devastating heartbreak lurking in the corners. It's that feeling you get when life is so sublime and perfect, and then you realize it's not real but you're in a very realistic dream. That sad in-between moment when you want nothing more than the dream to keep going even though you know it's incredibly fleeting. (Usually that moment occurs for me at 4:45 and I languish in the bittersweet pre-dawn quiet for a couple minutes before the damn alarm goes off.)
The movie has done two things to me. First, I'm already a very active and prolific dreamer...and the movie only intensified my dreamworld for the past couple nights. Second, I've been thinking and rethinking some of my favorite movies that mix dreams and reality...including Waking Life, the aforementioned Eternal Sunshine, Neverending Story, Labrynth (aka David Bowie in hotpants), Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, Eraserhead, Run Lola Run and more recently Pan's Labrynth (AMAZING!). I would recommend any and all of these movies, especially if you're looking for some interesting fodder to dream about.
g'nite.
Anyway...The Science of Sleep was not only a beautiful movie, but it really messes with one's dream sequencing. Especially if you fall asleep while watching the movie...it may screw you up for days. And, seriously, when you finish the movie...you have no idea where you are between reality and dreams...John said "Everything seems so dreamlike right now..."
There is something about Gondry films that are so lovely and simple, but with certain devastating heartbreak lurking in the corners. It's that feeling you get when life is so sublime and perfect, and then you realize it's not real but you're in a very realistic dream. That sad in-between moment when you want nothing more than the dream to keep going even though you know it's incredibly fleeting. (Usually that moment occurs for me at 4:45 and I languish in the bittersweet pre-dawn quiet for a couple minutes before the damn alarm goes off.)
The movie has done two things to me. First, I'm already a very active and prolific dreamer...and the movie only intensified my dreamworld for the past couple nights. Second, I've been thinking and rethinking some of my favorite movies that mix dreams and reality...including Waking Life, the aforementioned Eternal Sunshine, Neverending Story, Labrynth (aka David Bowie in hotpants), Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, Eraserhead, Run Lola Run and more recently Pan's Labrynth (AMAZING!). I would recommend any and all of these movies, especially if you're looking for some interesting fodder to dream about.
g'nite.
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