Cat Presents

Rafiki loves to bring me presents. Usually it is still alive when he lays it at my feet.

This morning, my present was a little field mouse. Do I know the difference between a field and house mouse? I do not. But since it was brown, assumed that meant it was a field mouse.

The little guy was in a state of shock. Rafiki drops it near my yoga mat while I’m in the boat pose. Well, got out of the boat in a flash. Must have startled the mouse who made a quick get-a-away dash. Yelled at Rafiki to “get him” and he obediently brought the mouse back. Frantically looked for a rag/towel/shirt to pick it up in, and then let him go outside. The little mouse fled down the stairs into the early morning darkness.

So here is my dilemma. Can one really scold a cat for showing love in the way he is programmed to show it? And to add to the confusion, I did tell him to catch it when it was trying to escape. At least this gift was living. Other gifts have not been so lucky, and then the entire saga takes on a dark tinge. The most exciting gifts are the ones that get away and hide under furniture. Ever tried to catch a chipmunk? They are darn fast.

News from North Korea

Is anyone else a little squirmy about Diane Sawyer’s dispatches from North Korea?

I think she is a very accomplished journalist, and maybe that’s the problem. Granted this is Good Morning America (GMA) – I catch about 10 mins before I run out the door in the morning.

Stories like “We’ll see what they eat for breakfast” can hardly be considered news from a country that is planning a second nuclear test. I know that she’ll probably have her visa revoked if she said anything controversial, and maybe we’ll hear the real scoop once she’s back in the US. But, I for one am disappointed at my peek into what makes “those people” tick.

Do we really need another wealthy American asking the “natives” why they hate America?

I for one want some real news – like what exactly is the problem with Madonna adopting a child from Africa?

Anniversary

Over the Columbus Day Holidays, S and I celebrated our 15 year anniversary.

I couldn’t quite believe it and actually had to do the math several times! 15 years! How did that happen?

It’s been a ride with ups, downs, thrills and spills. It’s wonderful to know that we can make things work when we’re both really busy and stressed out, and when we are both taking extended periods of time off. We’ve learned how to be together and when to take needed time apart. We continue to change, challenge each other and most importantly find each other immensely amusing.

For the blessing that we still talk for hours daily, that we often have great ideas to solve the world’s problems, that we still surprise each other, that we are still best friends, warts and all – I am incredibly grateful.

Quote of the Day

"Health is so necessary to all the duties,
as well as pleasures of life,
that the crime of squandering it is equal to folly."

 --Samuel Johnson

Charlie

I have gripped for ages about the "old school" Boston T system. Granted it is an old system, but let's catch up with the rest of the century already.

Why can I not buy a card that allows me to swipe my way through? A card that allows me to carry a balance and skip all that wasted time trying to find tokens I bought on previous trips to “save me time” later.

Well, the MBTA gods have answered my prayers.

Enter the Charlie. Now those of you, like me, who were not aware of the cultural significance of “The Wizard of Oz”, might be wondering at the name.

Charlie? Who is Charlie? Turns out the name comes from an old song about a guy who did not have a nickel to get off the trains (payment was required at exit not entry), so rode about forever – while his wife handed him sandwiches for sustenance. Why not simply hand him a nickel? All I can say is that I do not claim to understand everything of cultural significance.

Those of you (and you know who you are) who relish Big Dig sagas, know that there is a catch. And it’s a big one. Only a handful of T stops can handle the Charlie. For most of the stops you still need tokens. So now, I’ve doubled what I have to look for on every trip – tokens and that card. (much shaking of head).

Tigers

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge baseball fan.
Sure, I'll watch a game if it's on in front of me, but go out of my way to catch a game? Hardly.

I have watched quite a few games in the past week or so however. How could I not when Susan has dug up the old Tigers pendant and baseball hat? The win on Saturday was super sweet for all those Detroit fans - who have been waiting since I was 2 (and knew nothing about baseball) for a moment like this. A good game that was decided in the bottom of the ninth (yup- I do have all the lingo down).

If only to make my partner happy - I say:

Go Tigers!

Commute

I spent the first week at work trying a different route to and from work each day. Found that time on the highways made me tense and I’d arrive at work with my shoulders tight. Decided to try back roads, and have found the perfect one. It takes me past farms, a river and ponds. It is windy and offers much to look at. The places where traffic back up are not too bad.

I listen to audio books on my drive. Discovered the joy of audio books several years ago, and find them perfect for books that I am not hot to actually read myself, but am interested in.

Not all books make good audio books. They must be written well. Be read by someone whose voice and reading style does not put your teeth on edge. Not require too much concentration – at least for me.

I’ve listened to both fiction and non-fiction audio books. Last week I laughed my way to and from work listening to a Jimmy Tingle CD. The guy is really funny. Am currently listening to “The Hungry Tide” by Amitav Ghosh. So far so good.

Daily Walks

When I started working in tech again, I decided that this time around, I was going to be diligent about having more balance in my life. Make the time to play, read, do things that fill my batteries. One of the commitments I made to myself was that I would take a daily walk. And I am quite proud of myself. I have only missed one day since I started work 4 weeks ago.

I usually go out first thing in the morning – cannot wake up enough to have a conversation with myself – as I talk myself out of it (too cold, too tired, etc). I’m on my walk around 5:30am, and it has quickly become one of the favorite parts of my day. Something I do just for me.

I get to greet the morning and slowly wake up outside as my heart gets pumping. I get a chance to noodle over things that happened the day before, or plan things that need to happen that day. I watch the leaves turn, the moon wax and wane, the stars twinkle, the clouds change shapes, the birds and little critters wake up.

As we head towards the Winter Solstice, the days shorten, and my entire walk is in the dark. Not really being able to see has its own rewards. I rely less on what I can see and am more tuned in to what I hear and smell.

This has become a daily ritual that sustains me.

Foot Binding

(Click on images to see larger)

This topic has been on my mind since reading the book "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See. I'll write a review of the book later, wanted to comment on several things:



1. I do not think that I appreciate my feet enough. So have started to regularly slather them with lotion and give myself a good foot massage.

2. While reading the book, I was actually in tears at the time the main character has her foot bound - guess I never really thought about how it was done. And now that I know, I am not sure I am better for it.

3. A couple of women met at Laurels to discuss the book (not my regular book club) and one of the things I asked the group was "what is so appealing about helpless women in all cultures?" Okay so we don't have foot binding as the Chinese practiced it, but look at this:










Is that not a form of foot binding? Jimmy Cho is spitting on his white persian rug at the moment I'm sure. But honestly, what gives with wearing shoes that "look great, but I cannot walk in"?

One woman last night nailed it for me - "It makes my ass look higher".

"The Science of Sleep"

"Stephane Miroux (Gael García Bernal) is an eccentric young man whose dreams constantly invade his waking life. While slumbering, he is the charismatic host of Stephane TV, expounding on "The Science of Sleep" in front of cardboard cameras. In "real life," he has a boring job at a Parisian calendar publisher and pines for Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), the girl in the apartment across the hall. Unable to find the secret to Stephanie's heart while awake, Stephane searches for the answer in his dreams. A playful romantic fantasy written and directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

Cast: Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat, Miou-Miou, Pierre Vaneck, Emma de Caunes, Aurélia Petit, Sacha Bourdo, Stéphane Metzger, Decourt Moyen, Inigo Lezzi, Jean-Michel Bernard, Yvette Petit, Eric Mariotto, Bertrand Delpierre"

This was probably the longest 1hr and 45mins of my life - and I did not stay 'til the end of the movie! As much as I like Gael G Bernal, this movie was too surrealistic - even for me.
If you liked it, I'd love to hear why.

"The Year Of Magical Thinking"

by Joan Didion, was my book club selection for this month.
12 women gathered at the marina decks on a beautiful afternoon to discuss this incredible book.

I was hooked from the beginning. This is the story of woman whose life changes in the blink of an eye. And she wrote about it. Her husband of 40 years dies at the dinner table, and this while her daughter lies in a coma. It is the story of a woman who suddenly finds that the world has run out of air. She is blunt and honest, and takes us on a journey through the year after her husband's death. Death. Grief. Mourning. Things that in our culture we don't look at squarely in the face.

The women who attended the book club had such a diverse range of feelings about the book. Some felt that she was whining and incredibly selfish. Others: how brave she was. Either way, a book that gave one pause and food for thought.

Mariner Luke

Susan, Luke and I spend 9-11 down at the boat. Beautiful fall day.
(Click on pics to enlarge).


It was Luke's first time down on Hajime since he was a baby. He was so proud when he finally was able to buckle himself into his life jacket without help.









I had mailed him a postcard of USS Constitution, and he brought it along to help us "find" it. :-) Because it was 9-11 Old Ironsides was closed, so we'll have to go aboard a different day.









What is it with boys and guns? He kept trying to "shoot something".







9-11 on Boston Harbor










We were able to board the USS Cassin Young. Hours of fun to be had.








Luke with his Aunty Susan

End of Cinemascope

I recently decided to end a group that I started and have run for years. Part of the email that went out to the group's members:

I want to let you that I will cease all Cinemascope operations in September.

Way back in 1994, I started this group to develop a network of women who like to go out and play, and at that time, there were few existing groups of that kind in Boston. Through Cinemascope, I have met many wonderful women, developed some very good friendships, and had countless fabulous times.

However, the time has come for me to move on to other areas of interest, and so I will no longer administrate the Cinemascope group and it's email list.

It's been a fun ride. Remember to Get Out and Play!

Quote of the day

"I have found that you do have only to take that one step towards the gods and they will then take ten steps toward you. That first step, the heroic first step of that journey, is out of, or over the edge of your boundaries, and it often must be taken before you know that you will be supported. The hero's journey has been compared to a birth: it starts with being warm and snug in a safe place; then comes a signal, growing more insistent, that it is time to leave. To stay beyond your time is to putrefy. Without the blood and tearing and pain, there is no new life."

- Diane K. Osbon
"Reflections on the Art of Living - A Joseph Campbell Companion"

My "Visual" Bookshelf

I've been fascianted by visual journals and art books and have been reading some really wonderful books:

1. "A Year In Japan" by Kate T. Williamson
- A watercolor journal of a young woman's trip to Japan
- Small and delightful
- Captures a place and time
- Inspires me to be more visual in my own journals

2. "Watercolor Journeys: Create Your Own Travel Sketchbook" by Richard Schilling
- Pages from the journals of a dentist who travels around the world on aid missions
- Has "how-to" exercises: Tried one and loved what I created
- Easy to see what captures his attention
- Inspired me to create a sketchbook of my own

3. "Drawing From Life: The Journal As Art" by Jennifer New
- Observation; Reflection; Exploration; Creation
- This wonderful book opens up the discussion of why we keep journals
- The book showcases samples of people's journals - from artisits to engineers; it's fascinating to see how others see and make a record of their lives

Ode to Pollock

It's never to late to have a happy childhood!
Created these with Crayola crayons.

Click on the images to get a larger view.

Post Secret

Just finished this great book: "Post Secret" by Frank Warren.
He left postcards in library books, at art galleries, etc with the following instructions:

"You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, or childhood humilation. Revel anything - as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before. Be brief. Be legible. Be creative."

Great idea. Amazing results.
Also check out http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com

Inside 911

Incredibly well done documentary about 911 and the events leading up to it.
Answers so many questions, and connects dots that the mainstream media does not even begin to address.

http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/channel/inside911

Nephew Days

When the Jeep was dead and we had to buy a new car, one of my requirements is that I could carry the boys around.
Misson accomplished.















Chasing Monarch Butterflies on the "wildflower lawn" in front of the house.

Constitution Marina

Early morning pics of the marina.