Delicate

I enjoy this song...immensely.

Don't believe everything you see on TV

There has been a lot of critical acclaim going around for HBO's new miniseries, Generation Kill. The story centers around the Marines in the First Recon Battalion in the days leading up to the fall of Baghdad in 2003. I've also read a lot of reviews of the show by people (often military) who think that it panders to the Hollywood stereotypes of what Marine snd Soldiers are: uneducated, violent, videogaming kids.

I haven't seen the show - and thus, cannot comment on it. However, I *did* just finish the book of the same name on which it is based (by Evan Wright). I thought the book was quite good - an unbiased (IMO) account of the experiences of those Marines.

The edition I read had a new afterword by the author which was very interesting - especially this part:

After the publication of Generation Kill, [one of the main character's] reference to Grand Theft Auto was cited in several news stories as proof that to the young men and women serving in America's armed forces, war was no more real than playing a video game.

In struck me that such analyses had it backward. It's the American public for whom the Iraq War is often no more real than a video game. Five years into this war, I am not always confident most Americans fully appreciate the caliber of the people fighting for them, the sacrifices they have made, and the sacrifices they continue to make. After the Vietnam War ended, the onus of shame largely fell on the veterans. This time around, if shame is to be had when the Iraq conflict ends - and all indications are there will plenty of it - the veterans are the last people in America to deserve it. When it comes to apportioning shame my vote goes to the American people who sent them to war in a surge of emotion but quickly lost the will to either win it or end it. The young troops I profiled in Generation Kill, as well as the other men and women in uniform I've encountered in combat zones throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, are among the finest people of their generation. We misuse them at our own peril.

Amen to that, brother.

This? this is funny regardless of whose "side" you're on . . .

For some reason, I'm having trouble embedding the video for this - but if you didn't get a chance to see it on SNL, check out the Palin-Clinton (equal opportunity) lampooning here.

seen

I spent a lot of time just hanging in my own neighborhood this weekend. (Been a while since I did that . . . )

How to have the best Saturday morning ever

1. Do not set your alarm clock;

2. Wake up when you *want* to wake up, not when you *have* to wake up;

3. Read in bed for a little while;

4. Get a phone call from your brother . . . WHO HAS JUST PROPOSED TO HIS GIRLFRIEND!!!!!!!!! (who said YES, of course!)

5. Spend the rest of the morning talking to various and sundry relatives and friends about how excited we all are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. Talk to your now official future sister-in-law(!!!) and get her side of the proposal story;

7. Freak out with sheer happiness and live on cloud nine for the rest of the day!!!!!!!!!!

why can't we all just get along?

I do believe that we all have parts of ourselves and facets of our lives which we hide from everyone else. It's human nature. Those buried down parts that you think "Man . . . if anyone else knew xyz about me, they would run screaming in the opposite direction."

But, really, you know what the beautiful thing is? We all - each and every one of us - can relate to each other because we all have those deeply buried places, no matter how translucent a life we try to lead. And it is that part . . . that part we even try to hide from ourselves at times . . . which helps deepen our capacity for compassion, understanding, and love for one another. In theory at least.

Now, if only everyone could just *realize* this, we'd be well on our way to utopia . . . or something like that. heh.

Friday Five - Back to School

1. Is anyone going back to school, as a student or teacher, at your house? How's it going so far? I'm taking two classes this fall: Spanish & Arabic

2. Were you glad or sad when back-to-school time came as a kid? Both. I loved summer vacation but I've also always enjoyed being a student.

3. Did your family of origin have any rituals to mark this time of year? How about now? We always took "first-day-of-school" photos.

4. Favorite memories of back-to-school outfits, lunchboxes, etc? I loved - and still love - getting new school supplies.

5. What was your best year of school? Ooh. Tough question - I'm not sure. College, perhaps. Junior year abroad...that was pretty awesome.

Seven years later

9/11? Never heard of it . . .

For as much as I love SF & living in the Bay Area, I still get pissed off by some of the consequences of living on the Left coast. I know . . . I shouldn't complain . . . it's my choice to live here . . . blah, blah, etc, etc. But I have spent a lot of time this week looking for any 9/11 memorial events or services happening anywhere in SF County. I would like to go to something . . . anything. But my search has come up null and void. There are a couple of events up in Marin County, but I have yet to find anything here other than the 911-Truth events, which I will most definitely not be attending.

 

My search for official "Patriot Day" activities brought me many results about Tom Brady's season-ending injury. (Sucks for him, sure, but not exactly what I was looking for . . .) I would think that at least the folks in City Hall might have some sort of something planned for the early morning hours here . . . unless they've all-but-forgotten that some of those planes were headed for SFO.

 

I'll keep looking around this afternoon, but if all else fails, I can always go to the big Catholic church near my office and light some candles before going to work in the morning.

 

Prayer for our Men and Women In Military Service

O Prince of Peace, we humbly ask Your protection for all our men and women in military service. Give them unflinching courage to defend with honor, dignity and devotion the rights of all who are imperiled by injustice and evil. Guard our churches, our homes, our schools, our hospitals, our factories, our buildings and all those within from harm and peril. Protect our land and its peoples from enemies within and without. Grant an early peace with victory founded upon justice. Instill in the hearts and minds of men and women everywhere a firm purpose to live forever in peace and good will toward all. Amen.

for thought

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. -Proverbs 13:12

I think this fall is turning out to be a season of learning for me - both secularly and spiritually. The secular is pretty obvious (language classes); the spiritual is starting to unfold itself.

I have to admit that coming out of the summer, I'm out of balance - spiritually speaking. When I'm heavily involved in performing, my extramusical relationships get put on the back burner. This includes my Vertical relationship with God. Even though I still pray and seek God, it's not a daily occurance during these busy times. I have been blessed with some wonderful friends who know that yes, when I'm involved in a show, my time is limited, and is mostly spent with a select group of castmates for an intense period of time ranging from several weeks to a few months.

I realize that I have been uniquely placed in the SF music scene as an artist who happens to be a Christian. I do not see myself as a "missionary" to my fellow musicians; I don't wack anyone over the head with a Bible during rehearsals. Rather, I pray that I'm the exception to a lot of people's stereotypes of what or who a modern day Christian is - and that being a Christian artist is not an oxy moron; that it is possible to honor God with and through all types of art. However, when I don't spend the time on my own nurturing my spiritual side, it's more difficult to take joy in that role, and much easier to get bogged down in the "Singing is the be-all-end-all-of-my-life" mentality.

Tonight I met with a small Bible study group. We're doing a shortish study on the book of James...which is a very practical book. James talks about how to apply God's teachings to our everyday lives, and live them out accordingly. I think this is going to be a very good season of learning - and reminding - for me.

When I decided not to take a performing role this fall, I immediately felt at peace with that decision. However, over the last week and after many questions from family and friends, doubts and feelings of guilt started to seep into my brain about saying "no." After this evening, I feel at peace again. I feel that this is a time for me to draw nearer to God and examine some things in my own (non-musical) life which I need to address. Besides this study on James, I'm also going for a few Sunday mornings before service to a group which will discuss world views...and determining what exactly my own world view is in relation to different religions and even to my own Christian religion. Should be interesting.

Because I had to write it down somewhere to keep it straight

A list of all the kiddos in my life - friends' babies; adopted nieces & nephews; real-life cousins (in alphabetical order):

Lake Alexander
Kingston Cairo
Hannah Dockins
Clark Friedman
Baby Foerscht
Sydney Forester
Baby Garcia
Abigail Gavin
Baby Janik
Cameron & Timothy Ko
Baby Miller
Zach Moller
Addie & Carter Schantz
Olivia Tafao
Bella & Lilian Termini
Baby Weidner

Some are here, some are on the way, and all are precious as can be. But there are probably a couple I'm even forgetting . . .(ack!)

Third Annual Milbloggies

It's time to nominate your favorite Milblogs for the Third Annual Milbloggie awards! Get excited!

If you are wont, please visit Milblogging.com for the rules and regs of nominating your favorite Milblogs.

how do you say "oops" in Spanish?

I start my Spanish class this evening, and am very excited about this. (Cue sniffing new spiral notebook...ahhh).

However, I forgot about one thing. Textbook. Now, when I received my registration confirmation/payment receipt in the mail, at the bottom was a note reading "Textbooks not included." I read it and thought nothing more of it.
This was...a month or two ago.

Fast forward to today when I looked up the address for the class meeting online. There was a new link under course description for "textbooks". I click it and - lo and behold - there is a text and a workbook listed there. But, there's also a note reading "textbook optional," but only under one of them. So . . . ? Not sure. I click the link and it takes me to an online store to purchase the texts, where - in big, red, bold letters - it reads "REQUIRED." But the course descprition said optional. Hmmm.

I'll just be "that guy girl" who shows up on the first day of class without a textbook. I hate that. (The perfectionist student part of me is alive and well, so it seems...) Luckily, my adult brain chimes in with a "well, it's not like your permanent record matters or anything - you'll be okay".

is this thing on?

Blogger seems to be having some problems...ack.

 

Testing this out.

update

He was just a kid.

surreality

Living here in SF, I've become accustomed to a lot of things.

I don't look twice at two men or two women walking down the street hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm. (Unlike the busloads of tourists now being let out to take pictures of people in the Castro these days...wtf?)

People in chaps and leather? Neon and feathers? She-male hookers on Polk street? A random qi-gong parade downtown? I've come to expect these sights. Really - almost nothing surprises me anymore.

I'm *not* yet - and hopefully will not ever be - used to seeing people sleeping up against walls, outside in makeshift cardboard "shelters" and wind-barriers. I do notice, however, that when in other cities, I tend to mentally compare the numbers of homeless people I see on city streets. Usually, there are fewer than here, and if I'm with people not "used" to seeing people out on the streets, their reaction is different from mine. I will offer to buy people food, but not give them money. And I hope that I would continue to be like that.

But last night, I saw something I never expected to see and never hope to see again. My college friend was in town and we were on the bus. And our bus pulled up to the intersection at Fillmore street just as the SFPD was taping off a crime scene. A man had been shot, and we could see the body. Lying right there outside of our window, in the road, by a parked vehicle. And it was one of those horrifying moments of...not being able to look away and being so shocked at what we were seeing. It was surreal. And neither L nor I had words to say anything. Eventually I croaked out that I was glad I hadn't let her come by herself downtown (I am sick, and considered not going at all) and let's pray for that guy and his family.

I have been to (too) many funerals and have seen many dead people in that context. But not in this one. It was such an odd feeling...I felt much more detached than I thought I should feel. But I think that was just shock: my mind numbing itself to keep me from going over the edge. When we passed by that same quardened-off intersection a couple of hours later on our way home, two young women in front of us were loudly discussing the whole incident. "I wonder who it was who got shot? Wonder if it was someone we know? I wanna know who it is. Let's find out. Let's ask around...I wanna know what happened." Her friend stayed silent, but a young man turned around and said, "You should just be praying it's NOT someone you know. You don't want to know - I'm telling you - you don't want to have to go through that." As he said that, his eyes were filled with a combination of admonishment and deep sadness . . . someone who *knew* and had lived through such an experience, but who had had part of himself die in the process.

It was - and still is - very surreal. It will probably be a while before my brain wraps itself around this one. Or, well, perhaps it never will, but perhaps . . . I don't know. Closure? Something. In the meantime, I'll be praying for the families involved. Tragic.

do not try this at home

Vampire stories + nightime tylenol cold medicine = wacked out dreams.

Added bonus? Going to the Symphony after a hit of Afrin and more cold meds only to listen to Ligeti's Lontano. Not my favorite piece of music, but it basically proved to be the perfect soundtrack for my wacked out vampire dreams. Best part? Ligeti's Romanian, of course.

Friday Five - Vulnerability

1. Is vulnerability something that comes easily to you, or are you a private person?
In real life (as opposed to this blog, I guess) I am a private person - stemming from shyness - but I have learned to work with and around that and force myself out of my shell, both in my private life as well as my musical life. Part of that stems from being a shy child and expressing myself through music (piano playing); also, I tend to "come across" better in written language than in my tongue-tied self. As pertains to my performing, I've written about being vulnerable on stage here, here, and more recently, here.

2.How important is it to keep up a professional persona in work/ ministry?
Depends on your line of work - heh. As "executive assistant" yes, it's pretty important that I be professional. (Though I am the token "artsy" one in the office). As an actor and singer...well, professional has a dfferent meaning, I think. Professional is different from vulnerable. One must be on time, know ones lines and be a good ('professional') colleague. If the character you're working on demands you be vulnerable, then you learn to be vulnerable on stage. The transition between acting life and real life gets easier the more you do it.
Also - while ministry is not my vocation per se, I find that being real (or vulnerable) with people is a great deal more effective way to minister than beating someone over the head with a Bible verse or anything like that.

3. Masks, a form of self protection discuss...
I have them - we all do. I've learned to recognize them and get rid of a few along the way; some people unmask me while others almost necessitate that I put on one mask or another (for protection, indeed).

4. Who knows you warts and all?
My closest friends. They know who they are. And my family, perhaps.

5. Share a book, a prayer, a piece of music, a poem or a person that touches the deep place in your soul, and calls you to be who you are most authentically.
Barber's Adagio sung with an Agnus Dei text. The hymn Amazing Grace. Chopin's nocturnes. Lots of music moves me for different reasons. Listening to certain pieces of music with people - especially in live performance - is an extraordinarily strong experience for me. There's nothing quite like it.

hmm

Things I am thinking at this moment:

1. I *think* I might be getting a cold. But I'm not sure. So I will try to get a lot of sleep tonight.

2. The only problem with #1 is that I really want to finish the books I'm reading this week (the Twilight series). They are a fast and easy read, and Stephanie Meyer knows how to write a captivating story. Even if I *do* find myself irritated with the main character at times, I think it's because I'm sucked-in (pun definitely intended) and invested in their relationships. It's also quite interesting to see how these particular books affect me in a way. Not sure what it is just yet.

3. And just to balance things out, literature wise, I'm going to read The Idiot next. There's nothing like a good juxtaposition of Young Adult Vampire fiction with intense Russian literature.

4. I am looking foward to a college friend's visit this weekend. We're going to the symphony & the de young musuem. Too much culture and she is the perfect friend for these adventures, as we were both music majors & both studied art during our adventures abroad.

5. I'm also looking foward to seeing Rona this evening for drinks at the new Mini Bar on divis.

6. I *also* get to see my friend The Queen this weekend to belatedly celebrate her birthday. I've not seen her in a long time - since my birthday, I think, so that will be fun, too.

7. And yet, this all brings me back again to #1, with the hope that I'm not *really* getting a cold. But I always one to leave that admission to the very last minute. ack. Here's hoping . . .

A few pictures

I'm trying as hard as I can to hold on to my vacation feeling this week. In honor of that, a few pictures:

1. Batmobile outside of Wasilla, AK

2. Mount Denali in the distance

3. Rocky beach in Homer, AK

It's almost like being there

Alaska by the numbers

Days of vacation: 10
Miles logged in Ford Excursion rental: approximately 1,200
Not including: 160+ miles on a bus

Seen:
Grizzly bears: 5
The peak of Denali: twice
Moose: 3
Arctic chipmunks: tons
Willow Ptarmigans: 2
Loons: 4
Mosquitos: billion
Mosquito bites: 1
Beautiful panoramas: infinite
Old, bearded fishermen: infinite
Espresso joints in every town, outpost or wide spot in the road: minimum 2 each
Batmobiles: 1 (just a few miles from new VP Candidate Sarah Palin's hometown)
Giant Ice Cream cones: 2
Ted Stevens 2008 signs: 100+

National parks visited: 2 (Denali & Kenai Fjords)
Hikes taken: 3

Pounds of fish:
Caught by family: 58 (halibut, silver salmon, cod & rockfish)
Being sent (frozen) to our house: 30
Consumed by family: too many delicious pounds to count

Alcohol:
Bottles of wine purchased by family: 15
Microbrews tasted: at least 6

Gasoline:
$5.38/gallon just outside of Denali National Park
$4.38/gallon everywhere else

Trips to the ER: 1

Mementos:
Sea shells: 3
Rocks: 7
Books on moose (for dad): 2
Postcards: couple dozen
National Park stamps for passport book: 4
Long-sleeved t-shirts: 2

Average hours of daylight/day: 16
Average hours of sleep/night: 9

Road-tripping up and down Alaska with the family: PRICELESS

Things I learned from our Denali tour guide

1. Never turn your back on a (cannibalistic) arctic ground squirrel

2. Come to Alaska: land of depression and alcoholism

3. Four people died climbing Denali this year

4. "We've never lost a bus over Polychrome Pass before. Nope - we always find them at the bottom of the cliff . . . " (kidding, folks)

5. Alaskan goldrush "winter harvest" is: the collecting of frost-bitten limbs and digits.

good stuff.

The End of the Road

Today, we took a 13 hour (round-trip) bus ride up into Denali National Park. Private vehicles are only allowed about 15 miles up the Denali Park Road, so we had to go via school bus. (And by today, I really mean Tuesday, because that is when I'm writing all these posts and setting them to publish throughout the week! whoot).

Today. Was. Awesome. Denali Park is over 6 million acres, 1/5 of which is covered in glaciers (including Mt. Mckinley aka Denali mountain). The Park road only goes in 82 miles, and then it just stops. There are no other ways in or out. If you want to camp or hike out backcountry, you take a bus, they drop you off and you go anywhere you want. When you are finished, you have to make your way back to the main road and then wait for you bus to come get you.

Talk about hardcore. And absolutely gorgeous!!! I took a ton of pics and will put a few up when I get back. Wow.

what time is it?

It is daylight here for 17 hours at a time right now. CRAZY. And kinda cool, though I have lost all control of my internal body clock! oops....

FYI

If you encounter a bear - do not turn and run, they will chase you down. You're supposed to make yourself big, wave your hands in the air and speak calmly. If the bear charges, hold your ground, as most of the time it will just be a fake out.

If you encounter a moose, on the other hand, turn and RUN.

The above is the helpful advice posted by the National Park service along the hiking trails. And no, we did not have to put it to use (yet).

somewhat live blogging from AK

SO, sitting here in Denali national park at our lodge...and my brother had to bring his laptop to finish up some work (boo on work), but that means I'm just throwing a quick post on the blog today.

We went hiking in the national park - a short hike, but it was beautiful - today and have enjoyed the sunshine and clear weather up here. We've seen the peak of Mt. McKinley twice - and, apparently it's only visible 20% of the time - so we consider ourselves among the lucky few. Woot!

The Food Meme

(Stolen from Blackbird)

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you have eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at Very Good Taste linking to your results.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding - does boudin noir count? If so, then yes.
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (never again, I might add...)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (maybe...not knowingly, anyways...ha)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Enquiring minds

. . . want to know. How *do* the male Olympic divers keep their swimsuits up whilst diving?
I guess that's why they're so tight . . . ?

Pivot Questionnaire

Bernard Pivot's questionnaire

1. What is your favorite word? Love

2. What is your least favourite word? Goodbye

3. What inspires you creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Music, relationships, God, natural wonders

4. What turns you off? Lying and manipulation

5. What sound or noise do you love? Music in minor keys; accents different than mine; that one "nee-ner nee-ner" sound in the Star Wars films after the words have scrolled down the screen.

6. What sound or noise do you hate? Squealing tires; excessive whining; strangers sucking face on an elevator.

7. What is your favourite swearword or curse? scheisse!

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Translator; Travel correspondent

9. What profession you would not like to do? Politico

10. If God exists, what would you like to hear him say to you after your death?
Welcome home, dear one. There are lots of folks here who’ve been waiting for you . . .

On vacation!

Well, folks...I'm finally off on vacation today. We're taking a family road trip across Alaska!
Lots of wildlife + family fun = crazy stories to come, I'm sure.


In the meantime, I've set up some autoposts. (So you won't miss me *too* much...hahahaha).

Friday Five - dates

Five things to ponder about dates!

1) Datebooks--how do you keep track of your appointments? Electronically? On paper? Month at a glance? Week at a glance?
For work, I have to use outlook – and I keep track of three people’s appointments. For myself, I use pen and paper…if I don’t physically write it down, I’ll never remember. The last few years, I’ve used small book-like calendars, featuring a week-at-a-glance, and they have been in different languages from my travels (Italian, then German). 2008 was purchased stateside BUT has the pleasure of including several languages.

2) When was the last time you forgot an important date? I almost forgot my parents 40th anniversary yesterday. But remembered in time.

3) When was the last time you went OUT on a date? Oh goodness…less than a year, more than 6 months. I think.

4) Name one accessory or item of clothing you love even though it is dated.
Oh gosh. My kick-ass blue doc martin boots. I love them, and I’ve had them for over 10 years, but don’t wear them very often anymore.

5) Dates--the fruit--can't live with 'em? Or can't live without 'em? I can’t remember if I’ve ever eaten one before . . . but, I’d probably like them.

This is not funny

. . . except for one thing: the name of the guerrillas involved. You can read the story here, but I'll fast forward to the funny part for you. The English name for the group involved in this (quite violent and sad) story is abbreviated as MILF. And I did not make up that acronym - it is taken directly from the BBC themselves.

Perhaps I'm feeling particularly sophmoric and/or snarky. But when I heard the story on NPR BBC news this morning...I started cracking up. Because really? In my pre-coffee stupor, the idea of MILF guerrillas was hilarious. I can always count on the BBC for a good laugh . . .

It's all in your head

Mentally, I am already on vacation. I am pretty much just phoning it
in at work this week and biding my time until I leave Saturday morning.
Whooohooooo....bring it on!!!

Another shot at organized chaos

SO, the same extremely wealthy man who hired our HMS Pinafore show for a command performance last December has hired our Mikado for a command performance this holiday season.

And - again - when I say "hire our show", I mean ENTIRE show: sets, costumes, orchestra, entire cast & chorus, etc. Though, this year, instead of performing for an audience of 10, this is supposedly going to be a fundraiser for the theater company. How AWESOME and crazy is that???

Wild.

I can't imagine having that kind of disposable income . . . you know, tens of thousands of dollars to spare on private theatrical performances . . . but I suppose that if I did, I would do my part to support the arts, too. I'm not knocking it, no way. I am grateful for patrons like this!

Seen (a.k.a. your blanket generalization for the week)

Seen: A prius driving around San Francisco with a "W" sticker on the bumper.
It's a highly unlikely combination in *this* part of the world. Perhaps the two cancel each other out, thus producing that elusive creature, the political centrist? hmmmm . . .

Testing this out

NOTE: I am just now exploring some of the more advanced blogger features . . . this post, for example, I'm submitting via email. If this works, than you'll all be reading this right now . . . and it means I might even be able to submit little posts whilst on vacation (in order to keep up with Blog365) without having to set up a week or so of auto-posts...woot!

 

This was our final performance weekend, and I just returned from our cast party. All four of our San Francisco performances were sold out. As were both shows LAST weekend in Napa. But this weekend was especially awesome, I have to say. As an actor, you can *feel* the energy coming from your audience - good or bad - and this weekend . . . it was good. I have had more fun performing this role than almost any other, I think. It was a great role with awesome music . . . and I got to be up there performing with a bunch of people who are all part of my extended theatrical family. So, despite a few painful rehearsal moments . . . this was a wonderful performing experience, and I will miss this show!

 

Death Star seen in San Francisco!!

Quick - get your lightsabers & blasters!! (h/t to LT. Nixon for the warning!!)

Friday Five - Memories

1. Smells, and memories. Do you have a scent that when you smell it, brings up a memory? Do share. Patchouli. It reminds me of summer youth camp in New Mexico.

2. Songs. Is there a particular song that brings back happy memories? Song title and memory, if you care to share that much. Glenn Miller's "In the mood" reminds me of being a little kid and dancing with my grandmother to her big band music blasting from the enormous record player in her living room.

3. How about a song that brings up painful memories? Song title and memory, if you care to share that much. Amazing Grace is forever etched in my soul as it was sung at my aforementioned grandmother's funeral.

4. Food. Is there a certain food that conjures up memories? Orange muffins and root-beer floats are some of my earliest taste memories . . . we used to have those at my great-grandmother's house!

5. Clothing? Do you have an item of clothing or if you see a certain item, does it make you think of a time/place or person? hmmmmm. Velour jogging suits will forever and always remind me of my father. Those are his outfits for leisure around the house.

Who ya gonna call?

I love the zany that is XKCD.

The original caption for this comic reads:
"Okay everyone, cross yourselves, then cross the streams."

danger

I inventoried our first-aid supplies at work today. We've been putting together our business continuity plan and working on our emergency preparedness for about the last 6 months.

Last time we inventoried our "earthquake supplies" was in 2005, when I first started working here. However, I didn't check our major first-aid supplies at that time. Well, since then we've moved and I have unearthed our kits. They are easily 20 years old, and most of the medication in them expired in 1995. Whoops.

So, I've been researching how to dispose of old hydrogen peroxide and betadine solutions. We have a few bottles, and it can't just be 'thrown out' so . . . good times. That, and we have a ton of old (and leaking) alkaline batteries which were in with those supplies. I should have worn my HazMat suit to work today!

a quick note

...to say thanks for all of the encouraging words, emails and calls. I appreciate them all!

Impeccable timing

Me: "I can't wait to watch Michael Phelps swim tonight. NBC's going to broadcast it in an hour. I missed seeing his other swims this weekend."

Sibling: [grabs the remote, switches to ESPN]

ESPN: blah blah blah . . . Mark Sanchez' knee will be fine . . . blah blah blah . . . and in other news, Michael Phelps wins his 3rd Gold of this Olympic games.

Me: !!!!

Sibling: [sheepish look. Giggles.] "Oops. Must be one hour tape delay between ESPN & NBC. Well, now you don't have to wait to see who wins ....*chuckles*.... sorry....!"

Me: "Yeah, but . . . but . . . I wanted to *watch*.....*sigh*...."

Sibling: [flips channel back to NBC; walks off] "Okay. Goodnight. Have fun watching the swimming. Oh, and hey, at least you now have something to blog about today....ha ha ha ha!"

numb-ish

I am numb. More like numb-ish. Numb because I'm having to guard myself from a huge emotional blow...and numb-ish because I know that it is impossible to shield myself from this one and I can already feel the cracks in my armor starting to give way, though they haven't fully broken just yet.

Even though I've not lived there since 1997, when I think of "home" I think of CO. Yes, I think of the physical place, of course, and the mountains and all, but even more so, "home" is represented by people for me. As the saying goes "home is where the heart is," and well, my heart belongs to a great many people back in CO, as do their hearts belong to me. A vast majority of these beloved folks are family friends from my church back there. All of us kids from those families grew up together, and I consider them among my best friends *still* to this day. That church family was instrumental in my upbringing. I learned how to sing there; my piano teacher was the church pianist; I was baptized there; hell, I even learned some not-so-churchy things there (spin-the-bottle, anyone?) NEEDLESS to say, that place and those people represent the "village" in my own personal "it takes a village to raise a child" story.

Well. It seems that that church - and a chunk of my heart - has just imploded upon itself. A possible church-merger went very, very wrong and many feelings have been hurt in the process. The merger itself was not the problem, but the execution of said idea was . . . less than ideal. I fear that, figuratively and literally, families might have been ripped asunder. And this grieves me beyond . . . beyond feeling. Beyond comprehension. This is why I am numb-ish. This is why the tears start to flow and then stop short. This is why I feel like something elemental to me has been irreparably broken. And I don't know what's going to happen. I will probably never, ever be returning to that place again. I know for certain that my parents will not be returning - that's for sure. What I don't want to happen, and what will be very tricky to navigate, is for those ties -those mentors; friends; surrogate families; those people whom I love so dearly - to come unraveled. The ties which have been my . . . home . . . for as long as I can remember.

Everything will be fine with us kiddos. We are spread around the country - hell, around the globe - and have managed to keep up with each other and remain friends despite location, life situation, etc. And the rare happy holiday times when we are all back in CO at the same time have become precious jewels to which I look forward with much anticipation. But, really? I am as much friends with the parents of all of these beautfiul people and other adults in the church as I am friends with the people my age. Call me greedy, but I want those friendships to remain intact. And I will be praying that they do . . . but there will have to be much healing involved.

The damage is such that I can think of a few of the people who came and sat with me at the hospital while my dad underwent open heart surgery - just this last November - might now be sliced away from my parents', and thus, to an extent, my life. Not by my choice, but by the events that have transpired. They've effectively cut themselves out. And it makes me sick...just...SICK to think about.

I am angry. Angry that grown-up, adult people are acting like they are two years old, arguing over a toy truck. Angry that something that did not have to be handled so poorly WAS handled so poorly. And just ... unbelieving and hurt at the whole thing. I want to rip my hair out and shred my clothes and mourn in the Biblical sense.

I don't know. Some of this is just my first gut reactions and spilling of emotion onto the page. But some is not. I really won't know anything more until I go home and see the aftermath for myself, later this year. Right now, I get only a couple versions of what's happening. I just....I don't know. I just feel so ... disgusted. And sad. And broken. And I feel this not just for myself, but for everyone involved. It completely sucks.

Baby Boom

One of my oldest and dearest friends J just had her second baby last night...welcome to the world Baby Carter!!!!!! I can't wait to meet you over Christmas time!

Also: my coworker had her son last weekend (welcome, Baby Kingston!) AND I just found out that my good friend from grad school Bettina is having a little Irish leprechan baby of her own next March!! YAY!

I love being an "auntie" to all these great kiddos!!!

Weekend in Napa

I'm headed up to Napa for our weekend shows. It should be fun - it's always so beautiful up there and laid back.

Catch ya'll on the flip side.

Friday Five - summer

1. What is your sweetest summer memory from childhood? Did it involve watermelon or hand cranked ice cream? Or perhaps a teen summer romance. Which stands out for you? Most of my summer memories are linked to time spent in the mountains. Growing up, summer vacations were spent in the Rockies with family and friends: hiking, fishing, canoeing, boating . . . I have wonderful memories from there. In college, I spent a couple summers in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina - the place where I've seen more shooting stars than one should be allowed to experience in a single lifetime. Truly magical and beautiful country out there.

2. Describe your all time favorite piece of summer clothing. The one thing you could put on in the summer that would seem to insure a cooler, more excellent day. My all time favorite piece of summer clothing now - for SF - is my brother's fleece (I've "borrowed" it) because most of the time the summers here are cool and foggy! However, there were SEVERAL summers growing up that my absolute fave piece of clothing was this awful tan canvas fishing hat (with or without a 'do-rag underneath). OH MAN! I loved that hat. It travelled with me everywhere there for a while.

3. What summer food fills your mouth with delight and whose flavor stays happily with you long after eaten? Strawberries! I love them. And cantaloupe.

4. Tell us about the summer vacation or holiday that holds your dearest memory. I have really fond memories from the summer I graduated from high school (1997). I had an *awesome* graduation party - truly, it was one of the best parties I've ever had the pleasure of attending. (And I do say "attending" because my mom put the whole thing together - she is where I get my love of throwing parties.) I had (still have) some incredibly talented friends whose combo played jazz for the night; a family friend did a bunch of gorgeous flower arrangements; and there were a ton of beloved people there to celebrate. That was also the summer I turned 18, which was a HUGE deal for me, because it meant I no longer had a strict curfew and could enjoy the remainder of my last real Colorado summer with all my friends.

5. Have you had any experience(s) this summer that has drawn you closer to God or perhaps shown you His wonder in a new way? I have had the opportunity to get to know some of my musical colleagues better and deepen existing friendships with them. I definitely count that as a way in which God shows himself - by showing me how to love people. Along those same lines . . . I have also had an extremely frustrating summer in regards to one particular person, and have been quite angry as a result of those frustrations. Only now am I getting through that anger, and I believe it's only because of God's grace and lots of prayer that this is happening. He's showing me how to humble myself and love that person - even though that is the last possible thing I've wanted to do (and have been putting it off!)

Bonus question: When it is really hot, humid and uncomfortable, what do you do to refresh and renew body and spirit? Shower, cold drink, and an ice pack (or a package of frozen peas) on the back of my neck.

Give me your hands, if we be friends . . .

Personally, I can think of few things more artistically satisfying (as an audience member) than a well-acted comedy by William Shakespeare. Such wit! Such joy! Such randy humor! In other words - something for everyone.

Tonight I had the most wonderful pleasure of going to see some friends perform in Benjamin Britten's operatic adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." This was a fantastic production on the whole. Rather than become bogged down with Shakespeare's difficult and at times archaic vocabulary, the actors (well, singers who had to act - and act they did) clearly had put in their time and knew exactly what they were "talking" about, and were thus able to clearly communicate to us their audience. And every bit of humor came across.

The scene-stealing stars of the show were Bottom & his merry band of common Athenian workers. Their scenes - especially in Act III - were some of the most well-executed bits of stage comedy I have seen anywhere on the local theater scene, and I'm not just talking opera productions. I have not laughed as hard at anything else in quite long time. Well-played, gentlemen!

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening - and I am feeling delighted and inspired all because of it.

The Human Condition

You ask me "why," and "how can you be so sure," and I am slow to respond. Not because I’m hunting around in my head for a justifiable reason, but because I have too many reasons from which to choose. Where to even begin?

Shall I start with the big picture – the overall effect? How each time you are near, the involuntary butterflies commence their fluttering in the pit of my stomach? Their fluttering transforms into trembling throughout – from the tips of my fingers to the ends of my toes. And I stumble for words.

Or perhaps I should start with the small things. The hard-to-see-but-impossible-to-miss details (and we all know that the devil lies in the details.) The imperceptible-except-for-the-way-the-hairs-raise-on-the-back-of-my-neck movements when you stand next to me, slowly inching closer, until the book we’re both looking at has become merely a prop: a convenient excuse for standing closer than necessary to one another.

There are those accidental – yet on purpose – moments: I lean in to whisper a joke in your ear, and you lean in to laugh . . . and then neither one of us moves away. Frozen in place and scared to break that connection, yet terrified to complete it. Or what about when we’re sitting next to one another and our hands land in almost the exact same spot, mere millimeters apart? Those hands, which have yet to be so bold as to claim the other one as its own, remain suspended in action, waiting for the moment when they can freely express themselves.

And the looks! Don’t get me started on those hidden glances, stolen out from under a heavy-lidded gaze. When you think that I miss those glances because you think that I think that you’re solely focused on the task in front of you. But no, I still notice. Even if I were blind and couldn’t see them – I would still feel those eyes dart in my direction and . . . linger.

It is an exquisite torture.

Cracks me up. Every time.

oops

My days and nights are completely mixed up now. *doh*

The thing

**Updated**
Really interested? You can read all about it here.
**End Update**

The thing about getting reviewed is if you choose to believe the good reviews, well, you have to believe the bad ones, too. Right?

In other words, it's good to take any and all reviews with a grain of salt.

That being said, our show got a really nice review in one of the East Bay newspapers this weekend (including a mention of yours truly). I'm not gonna lie - it still is exciting to read good reviews. I generally take the bad ones as challenges to step up my performance. Hopefully, the word will spread and boost ticket sales for the remaining shows.

That is all.

Saturday

I've got a matinee performance today and one of my bosses is coming - which is nice. I'm grateful for that support. But it IS always funny when those two worlds of mine collide, because really? I'm animated (to some extent) at my "day job", but the theater just brings out an entirely different side.

Friday Five - Lock me out, Lock me in

1) How do you amuse yourself when road construction blocks your travel?
Listening to the radio. Or talking to my mom on the cellphone WITH my hands-free headset, of course.

2) Have you ever locked yourself out of your house? (And do you keep an extra key somewhere, just in case?) Ha ha. Oh yes. And now? Let's just say I now know how to break into my own house. It only took one time to learn this - and, also, now some folks have spare keys.

3) Have you ever cleared a hurdle? (And if you haven't flown over a material hurdle, feel free to take this one metaphorically.) Not literally. Metaphorically speaking, sure, many times. One that comes to mind is the hurdle of being shy. It's become much easier as I've aged; but as a kid? I was painfully shy - to the point that a lot of people thought I was stuck up because I wouldn't talk to them. But it was the opposite - I was too scared to strike up a conversation!

4) What's your approach to a mental block?
I've come to realize that in a lot of cases, my typical M.O. for dealing with mental blocks is to ignore them, go around the problem, and hope whatever it is goes away. This is not always the best approach (ha). I'm learning to deal with my blocks - be it through prayers; seeking out wise council from friends and family; or sometimes it just relaxing enough to think through whatever the block is.

5) Suggest a caption for the picture above; there will be a prize for the funniest answer! Do the Safety Dance!

It's Opening Night!

*finally*

visualize serenity

. . . rendered speechless

Damn. I don't even know what to say . . . I'm rendered speechless for a number of reasons, and from a number of angles. Where to begin? Mainly, there's the fact that I don't jive with capital punishment. But - and secondly - the man in question committed some horrific crimes. Horrific! And thirdly, just...wow. Imagine if YOUR boss rang the death knell for YOU.

This is going to explode in the media. Especially in this neck of the woods.

complex simplicity

For as much time as I spend around music, performing music, listening to colleagues perform, studying music, practicing music and buying music . . . sometimes I forget how much I actually really just enjoy LISTENING to music for music's sake. Not while commuting or walking or using it as the soundtrack for some other activity, but making the listening the main focus.

A few weeks ago, I felt like I had returned to college when a friend and I sat around for an hour or so just listening to new bands. We had started a discussion prior to that about rock guitar . . . and it just spiraled into an "oh...yeah, you'd like these guys, check them out. And if you like THEM, then I need to play THIS for you." I spent hours of my life doing that same exact thing in college, and I had missed that.

Last night, on my way home from rehearsal, I was listening to Spanish guitar and flamenco guitar on NPR. It just hit the spot - all the stress of the day melted off. When I got home, I tuned the radio to the same station and listened to the entire program. It was lovely.


**UPDATE 9:28 PM**:
As I am sitting here at home, writing some letters and listening to the radio . . . I just heard an advertisement for my show. That was pretty cool, I have to admit.
(We open on Thursday!)

Coincidence? I think not...

I just found out yesterday that the man Formerly Known As LTG and now known as Capt.G is friends with and a frat brother of MY brother.

Consider my mind blown. And please - every and anyone who reads this - get up to speed here.

snippet

Me: "Hey, Dad - how'd you get that odd little bruise in the center of your thumb?"

Dad: "Oh, this? From work the other day."

Me: "Work? Weird. How'd you do that? It's such an odd spot for a bruise . . ."

Dad: "The power switch on our linear accelerator was broken, so everything had to be done manually, and the manual switch sticks. Switching it back and forth hundreds of times throughout the day caused the bruise."

Me: "So. What you're saying is that your injury was caused by a linear accelerator?"

Dad: "Well, yeah."

Me: "You are the only person I know who would ever be able to utter the sentance, 'I bruised my thumb with the linear accelerator.' That is pretty awesome. And funny."

Friday Five - All that you can't leave behind

What are the five things you simply must have when you are away from home? And why? Any history or goofy things, or stories?

1. Some means of telling the time. It could be a cellphone, watch, sundial, etc. Even if my final destination involves lots of lazing about, not bothering with the time . . . I MUST know what time it is when I'm en route (plane, train, auto, etc). I wouldn't want to miss any connections!

2. My camera. I love taking pictures. Though - in a pinch - my cellphone works for that, too.

3. Drugs. Legal ones for allergies and asthma. I've had too many close calls resulting in trips to the ER not to have them with me.

4. A book. Or a few. And I have this habit of buying a book at the airport if I'm flying, even if I already have one with me. I read so quickly, I've got to keep something on hand.

5. Music for listening. Went from walkman to discman to iPod. For as long as I can remember, music has been a must-have for me on any trip. Family trip? Airplanes? Cruise ship? Road trip - good music for the car is a MUST.

Chickens, Muppets, and Music, oh my.

Seriously. These videos brought me to tears, I was laughing so hard. (And it might just be that I'm the right combination of tired/stressed and music nerd that they hit me square on the funny bone. But man...LOVE 'em!!!)

Thanks to AZ for sending the link.

Transformation - yeah, it feels a little like this

Focus. Forget what's just happened. Forget the mistakes, the stopping and starting, the frustrations of the day thus far. There is only this moment - this one chance to get it right.

Wind-up, wound-up. Coiled. And waiting.
Pacing. Wait - No. No pacing. Pacing diffuses energy – did you ever stop to think about that?

Standing. Waiting. Still…yet not. Placid calm belied only by anger, desperation, and “unbe-fucking-lievable”-ness building behind the eyes.

Poised. The pinball pin about to come smashing through the gate.
Crouching tiger, hidden…wait - wrong country, wrong story.

Somewhere – in the back corners of her mind – music registers.

Happy?
Joyful?
Laughing?

How DARE they delight while she suffers in the shadows!
How can they be so ignorant? How can they not see in her writhing body the pain that each peal of laughter brings?
Straight pins shoved up underneath her fingernails wouldn’t compare to this torture.

Laugh upon stabbing laugh upon stabbing and cutting and bruising laugh builds up quickly. And agonizingly . . . slow. Each laugh reinforcing the shattering blow of the previous one.

The dam gives way, the torrent breaks through: she teeters on the brink. With sudden, crystalized clarity – the confrontation begins.

No one ever yet died of a broken heart.

one of these things is not like the other

There’s a lot of hullabaloo surrounding Obama and his current campaign trip abroad. I’m not going to comment on any of that right now, other than to say that I’m just glad Iraq & Afghanistan are back in the news at all. The recent trending has seen both The Long War and The Forgotten War preempted by such fascinating items as Britney giving up custody of her kids and Brangelina’s twins being born.

Who knew?

I never realized that there was an arrow in the FedEx logo until today. I guess my brain never processed that! Crazy!

A few weeks ago at brunch with Sibling

meh

I was awake all night long and didn't fall asleep until 5am. Partially due to the chai I had at dinner...and partially due to a stomach bug. food poisoning...I don't know. ugh. Today, I've been laying low and drinking gatorade. Hence this really exciting blog post. *awesome*

It Came From The Desert

The title of a B horror film? If only. I present to you, dear readers, the CAMEL SPIDER:



And why, you might ask, am I posting a picture of this potentially nightmare-inducing creature? Because of the email I received from P this morning:

The other big event was encountering a camel spider the size of a kitten outside our showers. They eat meat that they tear off large mammals with their fangs. They run around with their front legs in the air and attack whatever they bump into if it seems like its made of meat-fearsome!

HOLY CRAP! The size of a KITTEN????????? *shudder*

Friday Five - What's in a Name?

1. So how did you come up with your blogging name? And/or the name of your blog?
Well, my blogging name, MezzoSF, is a combination of my location and voice-type. As for my blog name "Random Laundry" ... it came from my very first blog post, which I just went and re-read - and DAMN! It's quite the tirade, if you ask me. Thankfully, in many ways, I am very different from the girl who wrote that entry almost four years ago, now.

2. Are there any code names or secret identities in your blog? Any stories there?
I try to use - or I've tried as of late - to use nicknames and initials when talking about other people. I have a couple of codenames for certain people (ex-boyfriends and the like). A lot of times, though, those nicknames are actually used in real life. For example, my brother and I really DO address each other as "Sibling" instead of using each others' actual names. It's pretty funny.

3. What are some blog titles that you just love? For their cleverness, drama, or sheer, crazy fun?
I'm partial to the title of yesterday's post, actually. It cracked me up when I wrote it. And puns...anything with puns or very pithy titles I love.

4. What three blogs are you devoted to?
Hmmm...how about let's do three categories of blogs I'm devoted to:
Real-life friends (see sidebar); Milblogs (again - sidebar); and further down, total strangers, whose blogs hold a strange power over me (can you guess? sidebar). I have a few updates to make to my sidebar. But probably not right now.

5. Who introduced you to the world of blogging and why?
AZ got me hooked to the blogging thing. I'm not sure why. Maybe she wanted someone to link to? Or to link to her? Whatever the reason...well...I've had fun thus far. Especially this year - the blog 365 thing has been more challenging than I thought it would be.

Bonus question: Have you ever met any of your blogging friends? Where are some of the places you've met these fun folks?Other than the people I was friends with before-blogging who now also have a blog...I have not! But I'm sure they are all quite wonderful people!

Because buying school supplies in the fall turns me on

I just signed up for two classes this fall. They both meet once a week and run
10 - 15 weeks.

1. Spanish I: This is through UC Berkeley extension program. A few years ago, I took private Spanish classes for about 6 months. It was great for my conversational skills and some vocab, but not for grammar. I know how to learn languages and I needed something a little more structured.

2. Introduction to Arabic: This is through an independent language school - the other places I looked at didn't have schedules which would work for me. I've never learned or studied a non-western language before; I'm looking foward to the challenge.

I know - at least where Spanish is concerned - I'll probably start off filtering everything I learn through French, then Italian, and then (hopefully) spitting out the correct answer in Spanish. It's happened before. As far as the Arabic class goes...who knows. I have always thought it a very interesting and beautiful language - visually and aurally - and would like to know how to say more than just [ir fawu adeikum terra armi], [salaam aleikum], and [shaku-maku].

Thank you, Steve Perry

Math Jedi came up with this little gem here...

All I Really Needed To Know I Learned From Journey

Don't stop believing. Hold on to that feeling.
Burning love comes once in a lifetime.
You learn to take the laughter with the tears after all these years.
Two hearts born to run, who'll be the lonely one? Wonder who's crying now?
Give me all of your sunshine. A spark is all I need to take away all of the shadows.
Don't give up, never walk away.
I'll be alright without you, there'll be someone else.
Someday love will find you, break those chains that bind you.
Inside is where the heart grows.
If he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you.
I'm not a dead man walking without you, you know I'll be alright. I'm showing signs of life.
So you think you're lonely? Well, my friend, I'm lonely too.
It's sad, oh there's been mornings out on the road without you, without your charms.
When you can't give no more, they want it all, but you gotta say no.
It won't be long, yes till you're alone, when your lover, he hasn't come home, 'cause he's loving, he's touching, he's squeezing another.
Compromise, the price they had to pay.
Take a chance now, the timing's right.
Oh, no, you should be holding on to him girl, just like you want to do.
Any way you want it, that's the way you need it.
There's a time to fall, there's a time to rise above it all.
Some will win, some will lose, some were born to sing the blues.
The memories never fade away.
The road ain't no place to start a family.
To forgive is to forget.
Only so many tears you can cry 'til the heartache is over.
You stole my heart, but you'll never get a piece of my soul.
Living without you, living alone, this empty house seems so cold.
You know I still love you, though we touched and went our separate ways.
Roses never fade.
Be good to yourself when nobody else will.
When you're down in deep despair, ask the lonely.
The fighting is worth the love they save.
When you love a woman, you see your world inside her eyes.
I was alone, I never knew what good love could do. Then we touched, then we sang about the loving things.
You can reinvent your world anytime you like.
Being apart ain't easy on this love affair.
Love's a promise that he made.
Wheel in the sky keeps on turning. I don't know where I'll be tomorrow.

(compiled by DGS, from lyrics by Journey and their various members and collaborators over the last three decades)

Hooray!!

GRAND LAKE has a blog!!!!!

I'm so excited, I don't know what to do!?!??!!?!?!?!

SO, go check out the Grand Lake Outdoors blog. woot!

le spam

For the last couple days, I've been getting French spam in my email.

It's still annoying, like regular spam, but I have to admit that I am secretly thrilled to read it - because I miss speaking French!!

Must. Find. A. Language. Outlet. Soon.

See Also: Nostalgia

It makes me a little sad to think that kids today probably have no idea what The Encyclopaedia Britannica is, much less The World Book.

I spent many happy childhood hours holed up with a volume or three of The World Book. I could study, say, the flags of the world for an entire afternoon.
(And yes, I do realize that this makes me a huge nerd. Still am.) I am pretty sure my parents still have our (now vintage) copy of the 1990 edition packed away in the basement storeroom somewhere.

I’m a big fan of the interwebs and all – don’t get me wrong – but there was something special about opening the a volume for the first time. It was the smell of the gold-edged pages; the crackling of the virgin binding; the silky feel of the thick, glossy paper beneath my fingers. Oooh! And remember when the words “See Also . . . “ were magical? Those two little words would send me into paroxysms of delight! I’d run off to the bookshelf to grab the other four volumes I needed in order to continue down the rabbit hole of knowledge. An article on "Creole" would inevitably be followed up with See Also: "France," "Louisiana Purchase," "New Orleans," "Canada," "Cuisine: French," and on and on. The possibilities? Endless!

Sites such as Wikipedia and RefDesk help to fill the hard-copy, heavy-tomed reference void. And if anything, they make following those rabbit holes much more efficient - everything's just a click away!

But . . . it's not quite the same, you know?

(Perhaps, freshly in my 29th year, I'm becoming more nostalgic for things past already? hahahaha)

wasting time

I can waste time with the best of 'em.

Shoot. If you have an old set of World Books sitting around the house, that is hours of entertaining time just *begging* to be wasted by me.

Anyway. The point is . . . I can waste time perfectly well all by myself, thank you very much.

I do NOT need to be called in to a three-hour, Sunday night rehearsal and sit. On. My. Ass. The. Entire. Time.

I did not do one damn thing during those three hours. Well, not one thing on stage. Off-stage, I sent some text messages, wrote a letter, and shot the shite with my friends there ALSO being under-utilized for the evening.

But I *could* have done all of that at home. ARGH.

off to a good start

well....I guess so far 29 is off to a good start.

Kicked things off with drinks & dinner last night with a small group of friends at Bissap Baobab...tasty Senegalese/West African food. Tasty.

I managed to go to the ATM before leaving the house...and upon getting to the restaurant, I discovered I had forgotten my wallet. oops. Which, would have come in handy because apparently on your birthday (with proof of ID), the restaurant gives you a free pitcher of drinkage.

Sibling got my tab, though...yay! Anyway. It was a good mix of folks. I had wanted to have a big house party like last year. But really? My house is just too small for that. Maybe I'll rent a place out for the big 3-0 next year. hmmmmmmmm. . . .

Dos Vacky Chermins

I'm not sure what it is with wacky news coming out of Germany this week...but, here's another story for you.

Apparently, there's something in the German constitution that would allow for giving children the right to vote . . . via their parents, I believe. STRANGE, ja?

Still headed up! (I ain't over the hill just yet :P)

Friday Five - Summer Camp

1. Did you go to sleep away camp, or day camp, as a child? Wish you could? Or sometimes wish you hadn't?
Yes. I went to summer camp - a couple of them. In middle school, I went to "nerdy camp" for two weeks: the Summer Enrichment Program up at UNC. We stayed in the dorms for two weeks and took cool classes. I remember taking drawing, photography and jazz choir.
I also went to a Christian Outdoors camp (Eagle Lake) for ... like 5 summers, staring in middle school. This camp couldn't have been more different than the other. It was two or three weeks long, and we slept in tents, went on 9-mile hikes, learned how to eat bugs, obstacle courses. oh. And lots of singing (Christian songs) around the campfire. I loved that place.

2. How about camping out? Dream vacation, nightmare, or somewhere in between?
Camping out now is somewhere in between for me. I like the idea of camping...and I love being out in the quiet, seeing the stars at night, etc. But seriously. The last few times I've gone camping, it has rained. Poured. I hate wet sleepingbags!!

3. Have you ever worked as a camp counselor, or been to a camp for your denomination for either work or pleasure?
Never was a counselor - though, I wanted to be one. Well...I *did* work at Lake Junaluska (as a singer) for a couple summers. It is a retreat center of sorts, and I think they hold camps there....not for my denomination though. But those were good times.

4. Most dramatic memory of camp, or camping out?
Camping out memory: a crazy weekend spent on a mountain near an abandoned ranger station in NC. This was a poorly planned, last-minute trip and we had no idea where to go, so we just started driving at dusk and ended up somewhere...nearish....to Pisgah Forest, NC about 10 pm on a Friday night. The next morning, we awoke to a glorious sunrise. But to this day, I couldn't tell ya where we were.
Camp story: I totally bit it one year at Camp, running back up the hillside to our tent...I think I had forgotten my jacket or something...can't recall. Well, I slipped and tore open my knee on the rocks. Man it hurt, but it produced the best scab I've ever had! (Gross - I know!) Needless to say, that one left its mark!

5. What is your favorite camp song or songs? Bonus points if you link to a recording or video.
Favorite Camp Song - from Eagle Lake - was to be sung at sunrise on top of a large mountain right above the main camp. This song was to be sung in order to wake up the rest of the campers:

Way up in the sky, the little birds fly!
While down in the nest, the little birds rest!
With a wing on the left, and a wing on the right,
the little birds sleep all through the night.
shhhhhhhhh THEY'RE SLEEEEEEPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The BRIGHT sun comes up; the dew goes away!
"Good morning, good morning!" the little birds say!
The farmer comes out, with shotgun in hand.
BOOM BOOM, BOOM BOOM, "No birds on my land!"
"Ha ha! Ha Ha! You missed me that time!"
BOOM BOOM, BOOM BOOM, "I got you that time!"
The maggots crawl in, the maggots crawl out,
They twist and they turn and they EAT YOUR GUTS OUT!

fortun(ate) son . . . or daughter, as it were

I knew it was going to be a long week, when by 7:30 a.m. Monday morning, I needed a drink. I finally got that drink tonight, and eventually, the topsy-turvy events of the evening led me to a fortune cookie!

In this particular cookie there were FIVE fortunes! Count 'em - FIVE!
But I only kept this one:

A four-wheeled adventure will soon bring you happiness.

hmmmm....well, I AM going to be criss-crossing SE Alaska on a mini-roadtrip next month.....hmmmm.....! And I'm expecting that to be a happy time!







But really? The ony reason I kept it was because it's freakin hilarious and makes no sense at all . . . once you tack on the "in bed" at the end of it. HA!

NPR has a sense of humor

Two funnnny things from SF's local NPR station today:

1. Around 2pm, a quick news brief from the BBC was supposed to come on. Instead of the BBC news intro music, this is what happened:

SF Announcer: "And now, here's the BBC news."

...dead radio air...

Brit #1: "FUCK! This thing's not queued up"
Brit #2: "Oh...should I call someone? Wait...hang on...."
Brit #1: "%*#* ... should be on now..."
BBC Announcer: "And in the G8 summit today . . . blah blah blah"

...more dead radio air...

Brit #2: "Oh for Chrissakes...not working again.....let me...."
Brit #1: "Oh...fuck it...we gotta get someone"

...deaaaad air ...

SF Announcer: "Well. Seems as if BBC is experiencing some difficulties in-studio. Let's move on to local area news"

The whole thing only lasted a couple of minutes...but was HILARIOUS! I do wonder, though, how much the FCC is going to fine for this?


2. NPR ALSO ran a solid 15 minute segment on the string of German bunny rabbit murders. Apparently, there's been a rash of 40+ murders of pet bunnies in Germany. Someone has been breaking into rabbit hutches, decapitating the animals and leaving them bloodless for their owners to find. WTF????
One bunny owner has constructed a hutch which she affectionately calls "Fort Knox for bunnies," due to the many locks keeping her precious pets safe. The fear of rabbit-cide is driving many German bunny owners to hide their hutches in the woods. Some officials think that the murderer or murderers might be using geothermal imaging to determine which homes have rabbit hutches in their yards.

YES, people. A 15-minute segment was spent on this story. I can't even believe it. I mean...do you KNOW how freaking difficult it is these days to get news on say . . . the Iraq war? Afghanistan? But bunnies? Hell YES - we got bunnies.
I think we should sic Bunnicula on the killers. He would retaliate by sucking all their veggies dry!

Taking Care of Business

Last week's mystery spot answer:

Dubrovnik, Croatia.
(BB - your guess was not too far off the mark! And it would make a lovely painting!)

- - -

In other news...P's parents got an email from P this morning. They were worried and wanted to hear from him - especially his dad, who had surgery last week to remove titanium rods put in last year after he broke his hip. (He kept them and showed them off to us...ouch!)
As per the email, P's AO (area of operations) is the safest in the city - possibly even the country. All of us back home take that to be GOOD news (even if it might mean P's bored and frustrated not to have much to do...that's gotta be better than the alternative.) Also - it seems that even sandstorms have an upside: they keep the temperatures down a little.

irony? or just plain mean?

I saw the following two article headings side-by-side today:

"Your best body ever!"

and

"Our #1 Cinnamon Roll recipe"

ha. It made me laugh.

La belle France

* le sigh . . . * o, mon pays doux...que tu me manques . . .

Mystery Spot

Can you guess this mystery spot? I'll take country and/or city.

O beautiful, for spacious skies . . .

Photo from the Maverick surf competition earlier this year.

Happy Independence Day!

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Home

Yup - these are boat docks. Snowed-in boat docks, to be exact. I'm headed here for the Fourth . . .though hopefully it will be significantly warmer this weekend than it was in this picture :)

Overheard: Cafeteria edition

I work adjacent to, and sometimes in, the HQ of what I’ll call a “fashion empire.” As is such, most of the employees in and around said few blocks worth of offices are what I’ll call the “beautiful people” of SF. Fashion forward, indeed.

Said HQ has a cafeteria for said beautiful people, as well as us - the ‘wacky’ nonprofit neighbors. Below is a conversation overheard between the Elderly Asian Security Guard (EASG), who checks ID badges for entry into the cafeteria, and a Youngish Caucasian female employee (YCF).

EASG (in a very Mr. Miyagi voice. Don’t hate – I’m not discriminating - he really does sound like Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi): Hey – you get married? You gaining weight. Why. [He stares at her belted waist]

YCF: [Stopping to turn around] What? No. Not married. Yet.

EASG: Oh. Well, why you gain weight? [Perhaps he thinks she’s pregnant…?]

YCF: Uh…........because I eat too much? I guess?

EASG: Don’t eat too much. Ok. Yeah.

- - - and……..scene- - -

YCF was not svelte, but she appeared to be proportional to her height if on the…Rubinesque…side of things. I imagine it’s hard enough to work in an industry where most of the female (and some of the male!) employees waltz around in skinny jeans, backless tunics, and pointy shoes all-the-damn-day-long without having extra attention called to one’s not-built-for-skinny-jeans body (again – no hate here – I’m more Botticellian, myself). I mean, you should SEE the clientele at our neighborhood coffee shops. But GEEZ - that conversation was just not right. I felt embarrassed for YCF, but didn’t now what to say – so I kept right on walking.

And people wonder that today’s “enlightened 21st century grrrrl-power” women still have body-image problems . . .

In the mood. Or not.

I went to half of SFO's production of Ariodante tonight. And, while Susan Graham was STUNNING as the title character in voice and action (heck - I forgot she was a woman playing a man - she was pretty studly, there), I kept "head bobbing." I was getting bored, and it was hot and the man sitting to my right was a heavy breather which was quite distracting.

So. I left at the mid-point. Good 'ole G.F. Handel will just have to accept my "I'm sorry, dear, but I have a headache" excuse for missing the second half of his opera.

And now? I'm watching Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith as I do my laundry and write email.

All in all - a nice, balanced evening.