Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Comments
I love comments! However I don't care for anonymous comments with a bunch of garbage in them. Unfortunately I've been receiving a lot of those on this blog lately.
I've changed the comment requirement so that you have to do a word verification to leave a comment now. I really, really hate to do this and apologize for the inconvenience, hopefully it won't keep real people from leaving comments!
I've changed the comment requirement so that you have to do a word verification to leave a comment now. I really, really hate to do this and apologize for the inconvenience, hopefully it won't keep real people from leaving comments!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Poetry Day
I found a link to a new site recently, the William Stafford Archives. There are video, audio and written versions of poems. It's a work in progress and they will be adding more information so it's worth checking periodically for updates. There is a short essay on the site by Kim Stafford that begins:
In conversations at home, my father had a habit of abruptly increasing the voltage by announcing, "Let's talk recklessly!" This meant tiptoeing in polite banter was done. We were to dig deep, gossip freely about our uncertainties and strange beliefs, and lean forward and tumble into the liveliest possible interchange.
I really like that idea: talking recklessly. It's something I don't think many of us do very often. Mostly, it seems, we engage in polite banter. There is only a small handful of people who I'd say I talked recklessly with. And that's kind of a shame so I've decided to work on expanding the number. All this made me think of one of my favorite poems by William Stafford which I thought I'd share.
A Ritual To Read To Each Other
If you don't know the kind of person I am
and I don't know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,
a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood
storming out to play through the broken dyke.
And as elephants parade holding each elephant's tail,
but if one wanders the circus won't find the park,
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
a remote important region in all who talk:
though we could fool each other, we should consider--
lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.
For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give--yes or no, or maybe--
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
In conversations at home, my father had a habit of abruptly increasing the voltage by announcing, "Let's talk recklessly!" This meant tiptoeing in polite banter was done. We were to dig deep, gossip freely about our uncertainties and strange beliefs, and lean forward and tumble into the liveliest possible interchange.
I really like that idea: talking recklessly. It's something I don't think many of us do very often. Mostly, it seems, we engage in polite banter. There is only a small handful of people who I'd say I talked recklessly with. And that's kind of a shame so I've decided to work on expanding the number. All this made me think of one of my favorite poems by William Stafford which I thought I'd share.
A Ritual To Read To Each Other
If you don't know the kind of person I am
and I don't know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,
a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood
storming out to play through the broken dyke.
And as elephants parade holding each elephant's tail,
but if one wanders the circus won't find the park,
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
a remote important region in all who talk:
though we could fool each other, we should consider--
lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.
For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give--yes or no, or maybe--
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Health care & outstanding service
This is a hilarious video from Jeffrey Goldberg at The Atlantic. It is funny but it's also sad because obtaining health care shouldn't have to be this complicated.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Gloomy weather pictures
I haven't been going out and walking much because it's been so rainy and cold here. I did take a few pictures from my patio though! I like looking at the trees outside my window and the house next to me has a pretty window that you can sort of see in the pictures.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A little homesick
At least a year ago I started reading a blog called Castro Valley Boulevardier written by someone who lives in Castro Valley (you probably could have guessed that!). Anyway at the time I lived there also and put the blog into my reader where it still is. I was reading the latest entry that shows a picture of a street corner that's about 1-1/2 miles from where I used to live. All of a sudden I was attacked by a horrid sense of homesickness and sat and cried for half an hour. I was born in Castro Valley and lived there for the last 28 years and I felt like I just wanted to go home. It's not surprising though. Everyday for the last week or so I've been thinking that I wanted to go home and that I'd made a mistake in moving. I guess that's why a picture of a street corner reduced me to tears!
But the fact is I don't want to go home. I am home. And that's what I've been forgetting this past week but remembered after I finished crying. This is my home, it's where I belong and it feels right. Even though things aren't going exactly as I'd planned, ok, not even close to what I'd planned, I'm still glad that I'm here. I was driving around yesterday and got a little lost. I finally turned onto one street and realized that I knew where I was. It was a nice feeling to be able to visualize where I was in relation to my home and know that I wasn't lost after all, I'd just made a few wrong turns.
So maybe I've made a few wrong turns but I'm not lost and I know where home is. And I'm staying. Besides I don't think my cats would forgive me if I tried to subject them to another car trip!
But the fact is I don't want to go home. I am home. And that's what I've been forgetting this past week but remembered after I finished crying. This is my home, it's where I belong and it feels right. Even though things aren't going exactly as I'd planned, ok, not even close to what I'd planned, I'm still glad that I'm here. I was driving around yesterday and got a little lost. I finally turned onto one street and realized that I knew where I was. It was a nice feeling to be able to visualize where I was in relation to my home and know that I wasn't lost after all, I'd just made a few wrong turns.
So maybe I've made a few wrong turns but I'm not lost and I know where home is. And I'm staying. Besides I don't think my cats would forgive me if I tried to subject them to another car trip!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
answers, answers, answers
Ok, I think I've come up with my answers! I know you're all on the edge of your seat waiting!
Who do you most admire? This was a little hard. There are a lot of people I admire for many different reasons. But I think the person I most admire is my father. I think he's the smartest person I've ever known, he does what he believes is right even if no one else agrees with him, he was married to my mom for 43 years and after she died he kept on living and taking care of things and made a new life for himself. He's always been there for his kids even when we totally screwed up! There are lots of other reasons but I'll cry if I keep going!
List 5 things you fiercely believe in. 1) Libraries, 2) that everyone has right to their opinion (no matter how stupid :)), 3) same-sex marriage needs to be made legal, if as a country we continue to disallow it we are losing something vital, 4) kindness matters, 5) as naive and dumb as it may sound, sometimes love really is all you need.
If you had no fear of anything, what 5 things would you do? 1) travel in a spaceship, 2) climb a mountain, 3) drive a race car, 4) tell people what I really think, 5) dance.
What are the three most interesting things about you? 1) I know a lot about history, particularly Tudor England, 2) I'm willing to spend hours searching for information, 3) I'm writing a mystery.
What is the nicest thing any one ever said about you? That I wrote well.
Who do you most admire? This was a little hard. There are a lot of people I admire for many different reasons. But I think the person I most admire is my father. I think he's the smartest person I've ever known, he does what he believes is right even if no one else agrees with him, he was married to my mom for 43 years and after she died he kept on living and taking care of things and made a new life for himself. He's always been there for his kids even when we totally screwed up! There are lots of other reasons but I'll cry if I keep going!
List 5 things you fiercely believe in. 1) Libraries, 2) that everyone has right to their opinion (no matter how stupid :)), 3) same-sex marriage needs to be made legal, if as a country we continue to disallow it we are losing something vital, 4) kindness matters, 5) as naive and dumb as it may sound, sometimes love really is all you need.
If you had no fear of anything, what 5 things would you do? 1) travel in a spaceship, 2) climb a mountain, 3) drive a race car, 4) tell people what I really think, 5) dance.
What are the three most interesting things about you? 1) I know a lot about history, particularly Tudor England, 2) I'm willing to spend hours searching for information, 3) I'm writing a mystery.
What is the nicest thing any one ever said about you? That I wrote well.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
questions, questions, questions
I found a file I'd saved a long time ago with bunches of questions. I have no idea where they came from or why I saved them but decided to pull out a few for a blog post!
- Who do you most admire?
- List 5 things you fiercely believe in.
- If you had no fear of anything, what 5 things would you do?
- What are the three most interesting things about you?
- What is the nicest thing any one ever said about you?
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
one small change update
I had to go to the post office today and I realized that it's another place I should be walking to instead of driving. So I bundled up, grabbed my umbrella and walked! It's 1-1/2 mile round-trip and I felt pretty good (and only a little wet) when I got home. I felt very virtuous - got my walk in and saved gas and the environment!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Kind of funny
No offense to any countries (or men) but I thought it was funny. . .
Geography of a Woman
18-22, a woman is like Africa -half discovered, half wild, fertile & naturally beautiful!
23-30, a woman is like Europe -Well-developed and open to trade, especially for real value.
31-35, a woman is like Spain -very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty.
36-40, a woman is like Greece -gently aging, but still a warm desirable place to visit.
41-50, a woman is like Great Britain -with a glorious and all-conquering past.
51- 60, a woman is like Israel - been through war, doesn't make the same mistakes twice, takes care of business.
61-70, a woman is like Canada - Cool, self-preserving, but open to meeting new people.
After 70, she becomes Tibet -wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages.
Geography of a man
1- 90, a man is like Iran - ruled by nuts.
Geography of a Woman
18-22, a woman is like Africa -half discovered, half wild, fertile & naturally beautiful!
23-30, a woman is like Europe -Well-developed and open to trade, especially for real value.
31-35, a woman is like Spain -very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty.
36-40, a woman is like Greece -gently aging, but still a warm desirable place to visit.
41-50, a woman is like Great Britain -with a glorious and all-conquering past.
51- 60, a woman is like Israel - been through war, doesn't make the same mistakes twice, takes care of business.
61-70, a woman is like Canada - Cool, self-preserving, but open to meeting new people.
After 70, she becomes Tibet -wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages.
Geography of a man
1- 90, a man is like Iran - ruled by nuts.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
One Small Change
Thanks to Andrea at My Life's Second Half, I was pointed to the One Small Change project. It's a pretty simple and very cool project. Between now and Earth Day (April 22nd) you make one small change each month that will have a positive green impact. You blog about it at the beginning of the month and then at the beginning of the next month you blog about how your change process went and then choose a new one for the next month. I'm kind of nervous about doing this because I'm afraid I'll mess up but I'm going to give it a shot.
My change for January is actually two but they go together. There are 2 major grocery stores and at least 4 small neighborhood stores within walking distance of me. Yet when I want something I still get in my car and drive to the store. And often I buy just a few things at a time that I could easily carry. So for January I'm going to walk to the store at least once a week instead of driving. The second part is that I'm going to bring my cloth bags with me to avoid the plastic or paper choice.
So we'll see at the end of the month how I did! If you're interested, please click on the link above and join the project. If you do, send me a link to your post!
My change for January is actually two but they go together. There are 2 major grocery stores and at least 4 small neighborhood stores within walking distance of me. Yet when I want something I still get in my car and drive to the store. And often I buy just a few things at a time that I could easily carry. So for January I'm going to walk to the store at least once a week instead of driving. The second part is that I'm going to bring my cloth bags with me to avoid the plastic or paper choice.
So we'll see at the end of the month how I did! If you're interested, please click on the link above and join the project. If you do, send me a link to your post!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Silent Sunday
New Year's Eve view of the moon from my patio. Which shows you how exciting my New Year's Eve was!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Notes from the Universe
Quite a while ago I signed up for daily emails from the Universe. You may wonder how this is possible and who the Universe is. Well as to how it's possible, that's quite easy. You go to TUT's Adventurers Club and sign-up. Who (or what) the Universe is I'm not exactly sure. Anyway it sends me these emails and some of them are pretty inspiring. It can be a little confusing because some have led me to believe I didn't have to do anything - just sit back and The Universe will handle everything. So I tried that for awhile and it didn't seem to work. Then upon re-reading I realized that there may be some work expected of me. I'm a little sad about that but I guess it's ok. I save the emails I really like and I thought I'd share a few of my favorites from last year. Just remember that while they may sound good to you these were addressed to ME. Don't try appropriating my Universe notes!
One of the things I've learned from witnessing civilization after civilization after civilization, Robin, is that one should never underestimate the profound resiliency of the human spirit, nor how swiftly things can change for the better - often overnight.
Swoosh -
The Universe
Robin, the Chinese say, "The best time to plant a tree was always 20 years ago. The second best time is always today." Funny how planting trees and taking action on the life of your dreams are the same that way.
The Universe
Act with faith, Robin. Prepare the way for your inevitable success. To the degree you can, behave as if your dreams have already come true, as if you already owned a iphone, as if later today you were going to be a writer. And you shall see the power you wield as the floodgates begin to tremble, the elements begin to conspire, people in your life begin to change, insights are summoned, comprehensions soar, and clarity is born. Not to mention fierce, wild animals laying down when you pass by -
The Universe
But Robin, what if you did have the power, the reach, and the glory? What if you were given dominion over all things? And what if eternity lay before you, brimming with love, friends, and laughter? Yet still, one day, in all your radiance, bubbling over with giddy excitement, you tripped, fell, and got hurt - really hurt. Would you give up on all of your dreams? Would you hate yourself? Would you forget life's magic and promise? Or would you shrug it off, look ahead, and exclaim that it's "just a flesh wound"?
Touché,
The Universe
If you can just remember where this is all going, Robin, no road will be too bumpy, no night will be too lonely, and no price will seem too great. Plus, with just a wink your confidence will bring peace to nations.
Careful now,
The Universe
Yes, Robin, you can have whatever you want. ANYTHING you can imagine. You name it. It's yours. Done deal. Zip, zap. Bing, bong. Ka-pow. Oh, but you have to go get it. K?
I'll help,
The Universe
What if, Robin, you first got to decide how you'd like to feel - happy or sad, hurt or mad, approving or jealous - and then I had to go out and rearrange all the people and circumstances of your life to make it so? You'd like that, huh? You'd choose happy, eh?
Done.
Yeah, 'mon,
The Universe
Now let me get this straight, Robin: You want things that you don't yet have, people in your life who you don't yet know, and events to take place that haven't yet occurred, so that once these "things" come to pass you'll feel happy, confident, and fulfilled; accomplished, desired, and appreciated; treasured, adored, and like one bad mamma jama, a beautiful sight to see? But... wasn't that your rationale for all the other stuff you wanted, that you now have?
Whooohoooooooo!
The Universe
Did you know, Robin, there have been a lot of decisions you've made and followed through on, under the most trying and difficult of circumstances, that have actually become textbook examples of taking the "high road" for wannabe rock stars here in the unseen? And we've sold tons of "your book,"
The Universe
I've got a feeling, Robin, that 2010 is going to be your kind of year. That you'll be happier than you've ever been, laughing harder, smiling wider, standing taller, walking lighter, dancing crazier, hugging longer, living grander, loving louder, and if you want, selling the pictures to a tabloid to raise money for your new charity.
Can you feel it, too?
The Universe
Actually I guess I'll share the last one! I wish the same thing in 2010 for everyone reading this!
One of the things I've learned from witnessing civilization after civilization after civilization, Robin, is that one should never underestimate the profound resiliency of the human spirit, nor how swiftly things can change for the better - often overnight.
Swoosh -
The Universe
Robin, the Chinese say, "The best time to plant a tree was always 20 years ago. The second best time is always today." Funny how planting trees and taking action on the life of your dreams are the same that way.
The Universe
Act with faith, Robin. Prepare the way for your inevitable success. To the degree you can, behave as if your dreams have already come true, as if you already owned a iphone, as if later today you were going to be a writer. And you shall see the power you wield as the floodgates begin to tremble, the elements begin to conspire, people in your life begin to change, insights are summoned, comprehensions soar, and clarity is born. Not to mention fierce, wild animals laying down when you pass by -
The Universe
But Robin, what if you did have the power, the reach, and the glory? What if you were given dominion over all things? And what if eternity lay before you, brimming with love, friends, and laughter? Yet still, one day, in all your radiance, bubbling over with giddy excitement, you tripped, fell, and got hurt - really hurt. Would you give up on all of your dreams? Would you hate yourself? Would you forget life's magic and promise? Or would you shrug it off, look ahead, and exclaim that it's "just a flesh wound"?
Touché,
The Universe
If you can just remember where this is all going, Robin, no road will be too bumpy, no night will be too lonely, and no price will seem too great. Plus, with just a wink your confidence will bring peace to nations.
Careful now,
The Universe
Yes, Robin, you can have whatever you want. ANYTHING you can imagine. You name it. It's yours. Done deal. Zip, zap. Bing, bong. Ka-pow. Oh, but you have to go get it. K?
I'll help,
The Universe
What if, Robin, you first got to decide how you'd like to feel - happy or sad, hurt or mad, approving or jealous - and then I had to go out and rearrange all the people and circumstances of your life to make it so? You'd like that, huh? You'd choose happy, eh?
Done.
Yeah, 'mon,
The Universe
Now let me get this straight, Robin: You want things that you don't yet have, people in your life who you don't yet know, and events to take place that haven't yet occurred, so that once these "things" come to pass you'll feel happy, confident, and fulfilled; accomplished, desired, and appreciated; treasured, adored, and like one bad mamma jama, a beautiful sight to see? But... wasn't that your rationale for all the other stuff you wanted, that you now have?
Whooohoooooooo!
The Universe
Did you know, Robin, there have been a lot of decisions you've made and followed through on, under the most trying and difficult of circumstances, that have actually become textbook examples of taking the "high road" for wannabe rock stars here in the unseen? And we've sold tons of "your book,"
The Universe
I've got a feeling, Robin, that 2010 is going to be your kind of year. That you'll be happier than you've ever been, laughing harder, smiling wider, standing taller, walking lighter, dancing crazier, hugging longer, living grander, loving louder, and if you want, selling the pictures to a tabloid to raise money for your new charity.
Can you feel it, too?
The Universe
Actually I guess I'll share the last one! I wish the same thing in 2010 for everyone reading this!
Friday, January 1, 2010
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