Sandy

Damages from Sandy are estimated at $20 Billion. Millions of people are still without power. Many have lost their homes and loved ones.

(Via AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

I am grateful that we fared well, and am delighted to see that yellow ball in the sky this morning. With climate change is this more of what we can expect to see?

Fake Hurricane Sandy Photos

The worst of the storm has past, and we are fine. So many others are not. 25% of our town had no power this morning. There are trees uprooted in the neighborhood, and most of the leaves are down, but there is still a surprising amount holding on for dear life.

I am fascinated by how social media makes urban legends spread like wildfire. Do people actually check their sources before they post? Check out this article to see some of the junk that circulated.

Recent Reads

106. Graceling

It is always fun to find books with strong girl characters, and this YA book is an enjoyable read. A coming of age, and sexual awakening story. I especially liked the exploration of how to be in a relationship without losing yourself. I plan to read the other two in the trilogy. Rating: 3/5 stars.

107. The Third Gate

I was looking for a thriller/page turner for a trip, but was disappointed by this one. The story has interesting ingredients - Egyptology, treasure hunt, near death experiences, etc, but the plot was plodding, and the characters one dimensional. Rating: 1.5/5 stars.

108. The Graveyard Book

My 10 year old niece Bella is reading this for book club, so decided to read it at the same time so we could discuss it as well.

I am a Gaiman fan, so was expecting to love this book. Did not. Loved the premise - it takes a graveyard to raise a child - but I think my issue with the book is that it really is a collection of short stories, and I'm not a fan of short stories. The imagination and language is pure Gaiman, but I did not get swept away by the story. Rating: 3/5 stars.

Oregon Collage

We are as ready as we can be for Hurricane Sandy. We certainly expect to lose power, so in the meanwhile am playing with photos.

This collage captures the essence of the fun ramblings with my sister.

Hello Sandy

Look at the size of Hurricane Sandy! The eastern portion of the US has been on high alert since Friday. Landfall is not expected until later today, but we've been feeling her effects for the past 24 hours.

Here in the Boston area, we are hunkered down and waiting to see if she'll play nice or not.

Oregon Rambles Pics

Home again, and finally in the right time zone. Am slowly sorting through photos and videos from the trip. Love this mural I found on a Portland street.

Had a fun time catching up with my sister. You can see some of the pics from our rambles here.

BBF

A nice day for the Boston Book Festival. Every session so far has been in wonderful old churches. This is a view of the Old South Sanctuary where I'm waiting for the Graphic Novels session to start.

Frankenstorm

We are battening down for Hurricane Sandy. The boat is in the winter slip, and the goal today is to reduce her windage and put on storm lines. Doesn't it figure that today would be a fab sailing day?

Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life

When game designer Jane McGonigal found herself bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion, she had a fascinating idea for how to get better. She dove into the scientific research and created the healing game, SuperBetter. In this moving talk, McGonigal explains how a game can boost resilience -- and promises to add 7.5 minutes to your life.

Click her to see her fascinating talk, and don't forget to play along.

Family in Vegas

I've been hanging out with my brother and his family in Las Vegas. It has been wonderful catching up. Heading home tomorrow. Feels like I've been away from home for a long time.

Something borrowed

Kids grow up so dang fast. Am loving spending time with my nieces. They ask such great questions. And guess what? I was able to borrow shoes from one of them. How fun. Check out our footwear for this evening.

Swimmers

My nieces are the next generation of swimmers in our family. Watching them doing drills reminds me of so many fun years of swimming competitively as a kid.

 

Attended a meet earlier today. Here are my lovelies before their heats. Love these girls. 

Journal page

Journaling while traveling is a fun way to spend time while waiting. And there is lots of waiting to be done. I find the movement of a pen and brush soothing.

Window seat

Leaving Oregon for Nevada via California. It is a lovely day to fly.

Powells

A city of books. My fave bookstore. Every time I visit Portland I spend several happy hours browsing the stacks. I would consider moving to this city just for this bookstore. Love it.

Portland, OR

Left the rainy Pacific Coast, for the rainy city of Portland. You know how you can identify the tourists in Oregon? We have rain gear and umbrellas, and in general are dressed for the weather. Locals walk around sopping wet in their cotton hoodies. Nuts.

Enjoyed a fab view of the city from Portland City Grill this evening. If you go you gotta try the Kung Pao calamari. Yummy.

Rain with a chance of rain

The weather is is enough to drive a girl batty. If I stay still I'm concerned that moss will start growing between my toes. Other than my first day, it has rained the entire time I've been on the Oregon Coast. 

Went to check out the Lincoln City Kite Festival today, and saw some interesting flying techniques. These are not the kites I used to make as a kid. Remember using newspaper and twigs and twine. Kites have sure been upgraded since then.

And if the rain was not depressing enough, the Patriots lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the last couple of minutes of the game. Sigh. Moving base camp to Portland tomorrow. 

Tillamook

The rain continues in these parts. The fog rolls in, and it is spooky. During our explorations today, had to stop in and sample the cheese and ice-cream. Came away with extra for later. Yummy.

Ahoy Matey

I'm glad I got around to exploring the area before the rains rolled in. It is pouring in these parts, and expected to rain until the day I leave. In the meanwhile am having fun catching up with my sister, and trying not to get flogged.

Pacific City, OR

A beautiful day to explore coastal Oregon. 

Arrived in town yesterday to hang out with my favorite sister. There is something magical about long walks on the beach. Sunset was lost behind the fog bank, but still lovely.

Readers

In our house everyone is a reader. Makes for lots of good conversation. If you are a reader, you know exactly what I mean.

Time flies

Where the heck does the time go? Babes and I are celebrating 21 years. 21. Guess we are now legal. :D
Happy anniversary Babes.

Journal page

Cataclysm. One of those great words. Was inspired by art in a magazine. Reminds of looking down from the window seat of a plane at 30,000 feet. Something I will be doing myself in a couple of days. The world looks so different from that perspective.

(Click on image to enlarge).
Pen and watercolors.

Recent Reads

103. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
I read this for book club, and am delighted that I did. I am fascinated by neuroscience, and this easy to read book blew my mind. Lots to noodle over. Is there really a ghost in the machine? When you argue with yourself, who really are you arguing with? A book that changed my mental models. I scrutinize my actions, thoughts, and emotions in a whole new way. Very cool. Rating: 4 stars.

104. The Leftovers
I listened to this on audio for book club, and honestly would not have finished it otherwise. It was however really well narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris.

I was intrigued by the premise - a non-religious rapture takes place. Random people from all over the world simply disappear. One minute they are there, the next gone. Vanished. The story is told using five narrators, and explores the fallout of those left behind - the loss, grief, incomprehension. Everyone copes differently - some get really fit, others join cults. The most interesting way a person coped was to publish a magazine with salacious details of the disappeared - as proof that they were not deserving of such an honor. I think there are some interesting parallels to be drawn between this story and how we deal with death (people disappear in a sense), but overall, I did not find the story, or any of the characters interesting. Rating: 2 stars.

105. 12.21
This book has all the right ingredients - end of the Mayan calender, an epidemic, the end of the world as we know it - but did not grab me. It has been touted for "Michael Crichton fans", and as one, I suggest that the bar is set too high. Interesting premise, but I almost gave up on it several times. Rating: 2 stars.

Journals for my nieces

I love journaling with my nieces, and always take along journals whenever I visit. Here are the new ones I made for them.



If the embedded video does not work, click here.

Journal page

And just like that it is October and sailing season in New England draws to a close. I fully expect to get in some day sails before the snow flies, but the regular season is over. Sigh.

(Click on image to enlarge).
Pen and watercolors.

Sweden’s Newest School System Has No Classrooms

With all the technology changes, it is about time we changed the structure of education. Classrooms are not for everyone. And the days of one teacher standing in front of huge classes are not going to last. Online education is available now, and has been for some time. The changes are trickling in. Slowly. All over the world. Check out this new school in Sweden. Wouldn't it be so cool to go here instead of those prison-block type schools we have today?

October Rambles Travel Journal (pre-trip)

My new journal for my trip next week is ready.



If the embedded video does not work, click here.

Wayne McGregor: A choreographer’s creative process in real time

We all use our body on a daily basis, and yet few of us think about our physicality the way Wayne McGregor does. He demonstrates how a choreographer communicates ideas to an audience, working with two dancers to build phrases of dance, live and unscripted, on the TEDGlobal stage.

Click here to watch this interesting TED talk.

Where letters come from

With the help of the Egyptians, Sumerians, and Phonecians, Jason Novak illustrates what characters in the alphabet originally represented. Click here to see the fun roots of the alphabet.