dream segment...

i am at a school fund-raising function, lots of people there, walking down one crowded hallway i stop and talk with one of the organizing "Moms", i am going to help by selling books of postage stamps...talking with other moms...in the cafeteria, there is a food buffet and a wine bar...at one of the tables i meet Jimmy Carter!!!, when i go to get a glass of wine, he wants me to get a roll of nickels for him...when i come back to the table, i have forgotten the nickels, so i go back to get them...i'm getting another glass of wine, but the first bottle i pour from is really gross and filled with some nasty decomposed matter, so i dump that out and go to another bottle...the roll of coins that the guy gives me has dimes in it too, so i figure that might be o.k. and head on back to the table...

What I Am Reading...

I have just begun reading 'In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan, and on page 100 i found what is my favorite wording thus far: "Renner documents how Price eventually came to see the problem of diet and health as a problem of ecological dysfunction. By breaking the links among local soils, local foods, and local peoples, the industrial food system disrupted the circular flow of nutrients through the food chain. Whatever the advantages of the new industrial system, it could no longer meet the biochemical requirements of the human body, which, not having had time to adapt, was failing in new ways." This passage sums up a large part of my world view, and food is a major facet thereof...i love food and what it means for all of us animals, and worry endlessly about the industrialization of our "food-production"...

Check out 'evolve happy'...

One of my favorite bloggies, 'evolve happy' has published a manifesto, and is looking for input, comments and the like...these critters are my pals, and i would love for you to check them out and give them some love, criticism and stuff like that...yeah!

Rose-breasted Grosbeak sighting...

Our first ever rose-breasted grosbeaks came to visit this week, three of them, all males...decades ago Mom & i enjoyed a few winters with Evening Grosbeaks, but they haven't visited since, much to my dismay...this fine photo is thanks to "birds eye viewer" on Flickr...
wait, hold on! Chuck & i just looked at the feeder, and there is a female also, yay!

dream snippet...

we are all in the kitchen, and suddenly Dale comes charging in the door! i yell out, "DaleBert's home!", and both Chuck & Melian say oh wow, yay! and come into the kitchen to see him; he's hungry, so Chuck gets a small bowl of crunchies just for him...Dale is next to where the cat crunchies used to be, so i call him over next to me, and put the bowl down for him in a secluded spot so he won't be all freaked out, and i hand feed him the first crunchie...after he's eaten some he walks around a little, and some of the other cats come up to check him out, all is going well, and we are all so happy that he is home...

Local church updates their look...

Here is the new sign up at Olive Branch Baptist Church. Not sure what the deal is with this message either, but at least it's not quite as obscure as the previous one (see "Religious Marketing" post from 2/16/2006). Can't wait to see what the new one might be!

Because it's just not enough to cut off our clitorises...

This article and video at Feministing is a mind-blower. I had never heard of breast-ironing before. Notice how once again the girls are being punished, that is to say tortured, for the imagined (presumed) sexual appetites and approaches of the males. I laugh (yeah: ha-a-ha) every time I hear someone say that female genital mutilation is equivalent to male circumcision. That argument just doesn't "cut" it, HAHAHA. Let's see, boys: can you still have an orgasm after circumcision? YES. Can a woman still have an orgasm after clitoral removal? NO. And let's say that it's not even about orgasm, o.k.? Can a woman even stand to have any kind of sex at all after having her labia and clitoris removed? NO NO NO. And let's say that it's not even about intercourse, o.k.? Can a woman even stand the pain involved in urination after genital mutilation? NO. Yeah....

Again, this is why i absolutely adore Twisty Faster @ IBTP...

"I hate Komen because they’ve brainwashed millions of people into believing that if they buy pink shit they are “making a difference.” Snap out of it! All you are doing is buying pink shit. Komen is a marketing facilitator. They do not reduce breast cancer occurence. They do not reduce breast cancer deaths. All they do is hook up sanctimonious shopaholics with corporate leeches who want to shine up their tarnished public images."
Read this post....

dream segment...

i am riding a motorized skateboard down a major highway, about to merge onto a superhighway when the power to my board dies...i skate to the shoulder and take out my cell phone to call for help, the battery to my cell in dead, too...as i stand there for a minute trying to decide what to so, two other people walk up to me and ask if i need a ride, because they do too! then a guy walks up ans days he can give us all a ride, so we walk, RUN! across this big road over to the other shoulder to get to his car, it's a VW bug...as i'm trying to climb in, i slip in the snow and slide down in the ditch, the snow is really deep there and i'm thinking whoah! i'm going to get buried in this snow, but i manage to climb part way out and one of the people gives me a hand so i can climb all the way out...

see it while you still can...

I drive by this fabulous rock formation on my way to work every day...recently, this area was "approved"by the county for a new housing development ...i despair the fate of this compelling earth form, soon to be the site of a new McMansion???

Remember to always Vote Hemp...

New store opening in Adams Morgan: Capitol Hemp...they (Adam Eidinger and partner) hope for an opening day later this month. Yay! Yesterday's Washington Post ran this small piece in the Business section. Fabulous!

dreamie-dream...

i am at a friend's home, and we're having some live music...at one point the guitar player hauls off with his instrument and whaaaacks the drummer right in the head, he falls off the chair onto the floor...at first we are all dealing with a laughter response, but we quickly realize that there was no theatre involved, that was a blow dealt in anger...so everyone is hopping around trying to get the whole thing back together and make sure that everyone is in one piece!

sometime after the show, i am at Gwynne's house, and trying to get to the bathroom to pee...there are a lot of people there hanging out, i have to climb over some of them...all of Gwynne's furniture is falling apart...

7 o'clock a.m. with a cuppa java...

this morning's light reflected all through the house...

Literary Barbie...

Barbie gets nekkers in the library...which brings to mind 'Mondo Barbie' by Lucinda Ebersole & Richard Peabody...(see 'Gargoyle')...this is my original barbie from my kidhood, who has been hanging out in the library for quite a few months now, i think she's worked her way down through all the Charles de Lint...

Twisty does it again.....(as usual)

"That’s the thing about patriarchy. It does the defining, not you. That’s what makes it the dominant paradigm. You can abstain from sex, you can fuck your way across the universe, you can be a stone butch dyke with a utility belt, you can get your boobs amputated and your uterus ripped out, you can be sex-neutral in your own crackpot mind, you can be ugly or hawt, you can be the Democrats’ presidential nominee, you can even age out of desirability, but you will always be defined in terms of, and used according to, that which the dominant culture describes as your essence: sex. Or, as you are alternately defined: a receptacle for the perpetuation of male supremacy."

IBTP, see "The continuing exploits of the fetus-lovers"...

brand_baby_530...

NextNature.org gives us this compelling image...which comes from AdBusters Culture Shop..."We are all born into a world which has been designed already."

I'm ready for my disney tie-in Mr. DeMille...

car crash dream...

i am driving along and the line of traffic i am in comes to a halt, a mild halt, but the person behind me does not stop in time, and crashes into my car...so i ram gently into the car in front of me, but damage is done nonetheless, even though no person is injured...so we all get out of our vehicles and do that insurance exchange thingie until the police show up...

slice of dreaming...

i am going down Logmill Road (driving? walking?) and there are more houses being built on both sides of the road, all over the place...and a big super-highway overpass being built over on the left in one of the farm fields...i am horrified and saddened and angered as i go along and see all this destruction/construction...

i adore rainy moondays!

the moon is in Aquarius
and the color of the day is lavender
my lavender sweatshirt is in the dirty clothes
so i wear a purple tank-top
and a
baby blue fleece,
by the melding of the two colors i can achieve a
lavender
of the spirit

" 'cause I'm a dancin' fool"...

tarantism:

a dancing mania or malady in medieval Europe

from Merriam Webster's "Word of the Day":

"Did you know?

Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Taranto, Italy was hit by a dance craze unlike any other. The town was afflicted by a malady that would come to be known as "tarantism" and was characterized by a hysterical impulse to dance. Some people claimed tarantism was caused by the bite of the European wolf spider, which is also known as the tarantula (and is also named after Taranto); such folks declared that dancing off the venom was the only cure. Musicians supposedly traveled to the region to help cure the epidemic, and some believe that the Italian folk dance called the "tarantella" resulted from the craze (though it is also possible that the name of that dance derived independently from "Taranto" and has no connection with "tarantism")."

(Thanks, FZ, for this post's title...)

dream snippet...

there is a very large male moose in my backyard, and he has found a huge grain-cake that i made, and has removed it from the "pan" ,and is eating it...he finds and eats a second one...i say out loud, "that's for you!"...

the moose looks like a cross between your average moose, and Horton; from of course, Dr. Seuss' book 'Horton Hears a Who'...the Horton-ness is represented by big flappy ears which look like bat wings...

Fun With Radiation...

As a teenager in the 1940's, my Mother had radiation treatment for her acne. In 1980 she had ovarian cancer, which was successfully treated with surgery. Then in 1991 we found out that she had colon cancer which had metastasized to the liver. That was inoperable, so it was chemotherapy for two years until her death. I have always figured that it was the radiation "therapy" that got her. In reading 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb' I found a reference to how radioactivity used to be considered "tonic". The Germans even used it in a toothpaste (!) which was named "Doramad". Yeah, it's no wonder we all die of cancer.

Also: read this article by John LaForge published in CommonDreams.org...

Fangs Up!!!

Here's Melian's tremendous portrayal of Gabe of Cobra Starship. "I'm like a machine but I still have dreams..." Viva la Cobra!!!

wine club delivery dream.....

the UPS truck pulls up into the driveway, it is raining, two UPS guys hop out of the truck with my wine club box; one is my regular delivery guy and one is a trainee, there is a third UPS guy still in the truck...i make small talk as i sign the pad...

This month's Virginia wines are a red (55% cabernet sauvignon-30% cabernet franc-15% norton) and a white (65% viognier-35% vidal blanc) from Virginia Wineworks out of Charlottesville...both 2006 varietals...

I used to buy mostly imported wine, but have really been getting into VA wines these past two years. Check out the Virginia Wine of the Month Club, it's cool. We have so many new vineyards operating here now, it's fantastic.

"Films Viewed" update...

Children of Men
The Good Shepherd, 2006
Pirates of the Caribbean "At World's End"
Zodiac (David Fincher), 2007
Ratatouille, 2007
Blades of Glory,2007
Death of a President (Gabriel Range), 2006
Astronaut Farmer
Sicko (Michael Moore), 2007
3:10 to Yuma (James Mangold), 2007
You Can't Be Neutral On a Moving Train, 2004
Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo dal Toro), 2006
The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
American Gangster
Michael Clayton

Macro-Mania...

All right. These are what i was talking about. I realize that they are the obvious subjects, but it was good to test out the compatability of my "analog" lens with my digital camera. I also fixed the handle on our woodstove while i waited for the battery to charge. And had a Cherry Wheat. And read some. I love a good day off! What i really, REALLY needed, you betcha...

Life is funny.....photographically speaking, that is...

I just got all geared up to do something i've been wanting to do for a year now (!!!!), which is put my old Micro-Nikkor P.C Auto 1:35 f=55mm lens on my new Nikon D70s. O.k., clean everything up nice, fit it and outside i go for some micro shooting, yay! Right. That would be the time that the battery would need recharging. Of course. So, you'll just have to wait to see how the "experiment" turns out. Photos to follow.....

Cheny doesn't care what you think, pal...

Oh, please watch this video of our vice president "flip(ping) the virtual bird" at us (as Michael Moore called it) from an ABC-"Good Morning America" interview with Martha Raddatz on 3/19/2008. Which was the 5th "anniversary" of Bush's Iraq war. Also, please note that our US soldier death count has now hit the 4,000 mark. Yippee.

Great Band Name...

KLOP...

(German) is a "vicious compound of picric acid and bleaching powder...", the Brits (WWI) called it vomiting gas--- see page 94 of 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb' by Richard Rhodes...

dreaming.....

i have a new coffee maker, i am learning how to use it... somehow the instructions, and the carrying out of them, are sexually stimulating and i am thinking whoah, if making coffee every morning is now going to be like THIS, that could be kind of weird!... this machine grinds the beans and then makes the coffee all in one unit, so as the java making process begins, water and grinds are spilling everywhere, it's a total mess, the carafe just does not seem to fit very well...so NOW i'm thinking that this just isn't going to work, and hopefully this machine isn't going to continue to malfunction...as i am cleaning up the spillage, there is another person helping me, and we are at a store working and Charlie Kidwell comes up and tries to buy some small stuff (candy?) from us, i am annoyed that he is bugging us because can't he see we are busy? but the other person helps him and off he goes, yay...

i have a package which i have readied for UPS pickup, i leave it on the patio table as i go to do something else...the postal delivery has come, and there is a large envelope from the company about something she (not sure who this other person is, Mom? not sure...) has recently sent back, i open the envelope and inside, spilling out are a lot of postage stamps as her refund...some one says something about that package which i had set aside, and i worry that it has been misplaced, but when i go check on it, the UPS guy ( who delivers to the store where i work) has picked it up, his name starts with a "D"......

i am driving along a road, there is a body of water (lake) on my right hand side as i drive and i am looking over there, the area has been decorated with lights...there's a pavilion and a pier and picnic area ,and the lights look really cool, white ones and red ones, some delicate and all beautiful shining on the water and through the trees...

i am eating broccoli with cheese sauce...a LOT of broccoli...

i am in a contest where you get to announce a big upcoming event to the public if you win...

3/23/2008.....

amazingulonimbus clouds off to the left
and then
behind me
how do i drive and stare slack-jawed at them
at the same time? at the same time i
smile and try to feel the weight
try to sail
the lenticular highway
of essence and crystalline sky
vast and grey and heavy with unknown
proportions and
unknowable touch

Women's History Month??? Really???

Here's a beautiful quote from Twisty at I Blame The Patriarchy:

"I’ve said it before and I’ll again: patriarchy isn’t some vague intellectual conceit invented by radical feminists to pass the time in between trips to the Birkenstock store. It’s an actual humanitarian crisis, and it has actual consequences, even for you, even if you say it doesn’t."
_________________________

I love her for this.

Sunday ,Moon in Libra...

Oh my goodness, not a good day to be inside Sandi's head. I woke up happy that i didn't feel depressed as i had a few days this past week. But then it all started to backslide as i was getting ready for work. I ended up at one point crying quite profusely while at the register. And not because i'd had any crappy customers or anything, but just because. And it was not hormonal weirdness either. It just was. My eyes still feel heavy with the tears behind them.

"Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act".....

The AETA, which Bush signed into law last year, is another alarming attack on our civil liberties. It strikes very close to home to me as an animal rights defender, vegetarian and organic gardener. We are not "terrorists", and this bill criminalizes us; animal advocates, practitioners of civil disobedience,whistleblowers and protesters. Check out the Equal Justice Alliance website: here.

dream snippet.....

i am looking for our telescope...where we usually keep it, where we don't, all over the place...under stuff, behind stuff, i can't find it...i tell Chuck that someone has stolen our telescope; he says that he doesn't think it's been stolen...

time for another "books read" update, no?

The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, 2007...one of the most politically educational books i have ever read...
Nobodies by John Bowe, 2007
The Price of Loyalty by Ron Suskind, 2004
Putin's Russia by Anna Politkovskya, 2004
The One Percent Doctrine by Ron Suskind, 2006
Arsenals of Folly by Richard Rhodes, 2007
Blue Gold by Maude Barlow & Tony Clark, 2003
Deadly Feasts by Richard Rhodes, 1997.....this was a very interesting and somewhat nauseating read...the search for the agent that drives kuru, CJD and BSE...brings to mind the recent occurrences of people who work at pig slaughtering plants in the "head" room getting extremely sick because of aerosolized pig brains...one "fun" thing about this book is Rhodes referencing Kurt Vonnegut's book "Cat's Cradle", and mentioning a conversation he had with Vonnegut...

dream frag.....

Lorraine and i are getting ready to do heroin together...the set-up is very ritualistic...we sit on the floor next to a low table as i get the heroin out...it is in the form of small grey blocks which are like ashes pressed together...there are two blocks, i break each into two, we are going to do half at a time...we ingest the half-blocks...later i am in a room (a bedroom, perhaps) by myself, looking around the room, out the door, out the window...there are clothes lying on the bed and chair...i am thinking "now what?" as i cross my arms and slowly rub my biceps, staring...

Skateboarding is Not a Crime...

But this Baltimore cop IS:

America: Home of Stuff Not Made Here Anymore!

Sweatshop labor, we love it! Watch Lee Camp break it down here:

Snowkiting in North Dakota...

Check this out! Also see this article in the EcoSpace blog about 2XtM. Showcasing the wind energy potential of North Dakota, these three guys snowkited from the Canadian border 400 miles across N.D. to the border with South Dakota. Fantastic!

Flying Dream segment...

i am flying toward the beach (like Ocean City), veering off to the left approaching the water...there is a fence running along the beach, i try to fly over it, but lose altitude and land on the sand "side" of the fence...i walk along and find an entrance to the water "side" of the fence...there are a few people there, as i walk along the beach i talk to an older gentleman who listens as i tell him of how this beach used to be when i was a kid, when i used to come here with my parents...it used to be lovely, and you could camp right on the beach..over the years it got more restricted, and we stopped coming when they built the big fence...walking now, it is a very sad looking area, tangled wire everywhere, debris washed up ashore that you must climb over...

Cukes not Nukes

Also, check out "Bikes Not Bombs"...and "Healthcare Not Warfare"...

dream segment...

here at home my daughter is having a sleepover with a few friends...we are having a good time, and the party is now winding down, it's time for jammies and sleeping bags...as we are all doing so, Dean comes over to the house with a large quantity of friends/tour buddies, like maybe 30 people or so??? i try to make the best of it, entertain to a small degree, but mostly try to let everyone know that we are all ready to wind down here, but the "party" takes off on it's own...Dean tries to talk to me, and even touch me, but i tell him to leave me alone, to get off me; one of his close friends looks at me and just shakes his head and i cannot decide if it is with sympathy or something else...i walk down to the end of my driveway, and am concerned about all the people, but notice that they have pitched tents, so that is o.k. ...at one point Dean has decided to come inside the house and recline on "the couch" (funny, that) but i go after him and tell him to get out, i try to hit him with something (a chair? a folding table?) but do not really make much of an impact even thought i do manage to drive him outside...when i come back inside i talk with my daughter, and help her & her friends get settled AGAIN for their sleepy-time...she asks where Chuck is, and i look at the clock and see that it is 3:00 a.m.!! he should be here getting ready for work!! so i go into our bedroom and call him on my cellphone...he answers and when i ask him where he is, he says, "Detroit", and apparently i should have known that he had left to do the job there, but i had thought that it was later in the week...so at one point he stops talking, so i hang up and go tell my daughter where he is so she won't worry...

that happens to me in my dreams; trying to hit someone who is trying to harm me, but the blows not really connecting...it's like i lose the impetus of the punch on the way to delivery...

dream segment.....

i am at home, and Armand comes over to visit...this is great! I have gotten out the movie projector and begin to screen some old home films, mostly about Mom...some how Mom is also here, and watching, and cries at the screening...

dream segment...

i am on the computer, and Adam Duritz sends me three songs...he also sends me an IM telling me why he'd sent me the special songs, because he knew that i was having a bad day...i began to listen to the first song, and wanted to send a reply back to him, but the usage was so different from any i'd seen before i couldn't figure out how to send my reply..the more i scrolled around, the more frustrated i became...the visuals of the videos were fabulous and the music was very good, but it was so difficult to concentrate as i was really trying all different kinds of ways to send Adam a reply...really wanted to thank him...

"Plastic Soup"...

This article from AlterNet is about a floating mass of plastic garbage in the Pacific that is " twice the size of the continental United States". This is horrifying and maddening. Oceanographer Charles Moore discovered this mess in 1997, and has since become an environmental activist.

(Related Content: Frazz , from 2/5/08)

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault...

On February 26 (last Tuesday) the Norwegian government opened the "Doomsday Vault", with a ceremony led by the prime minister and Wangari Maathai, placing the first seeds inside. Read this
and this. The intent is to maintain crop diversity in the future. Which is something that Monsanto, et al., are working very hard to destroy right now.

And, as an interesting read into the politics of the vault, read this new article from Keya Acharya...

Peace Symbol turns 50 this month...

The Peace symbol was designed in 1958 by Gerald Holtom and first displayed at a march for nuclear disarmament. Read this
and this, and check this out! Yes, yet another great 1958 occurrence! I, too, will be a quinquagenarian this year.

"My Name Is Buddy"...

This album by Ry Cooder is a must-listen. I love the politics, the humor and the music which only Ry Cooder can deliver. Be sure and get a copy so you can read the lyrics and the story line. Now you know, "I'm A Red Cat Till I Die"!!

the "Mosquito"...

What is up with this??? A device which emits high pitched sound which only people under 25 can hear. Moving Sound Technology Inc. is selling these to Brit businesses for the purpose of keeping teenage "loiterers" at bay. This offends me and my sense of civil rights on so many levels it's absurd!

small photography dream snippet from last week...

Brother Wayne hands me a camera to take some snapshots with...it is a Polaroid camera outfitted with an alternative developing process as Polaroid has stopped making film for its cameras...the camera body has a heavy, rubbery plastic bag attached to it which holds the developing chemicals...i take a few photos with it...

Why I'm Not Vegan...

CHEESE...oh, cheese...i love cheese...mmm...cheeeeeeeeeese...

Vague Dream Snippet...

i am at a bank location, there are a few other "customers" there also...we all realize that the people who are the bank employees are actually thieves, they are masquerading as workers, and are in the process of a robbery...someone whispers "call 9-1-1", and someone else uses their cell phone to do just that...quickly there are sirens heard, and the police show up and apprehend all the robbers...we are all thanked for our assistance...

An Update...

This would be where Judge Cooper puts the major smack-down on Bush's Navy sonar anti-whale fantasies!

Moon in Capricorn......

The color of the day is red. Courage & good fortune!. I feel much better than the past month...I resumed my weight-lifting workout today. Ah! Amazing the difference, I feel energized and more aware of the cosmos. As a matter of fact, the only Biorhythm cycle that is up on my chart is the "emotional"one. Crazy! Not only that, but I listened to The Pixies while I lifted, yeah!

dreamland...

This past week my dreams have been so full of detail and intricate plot that I have not figured out how to even begin writing them down. I am not pleased with myself about the lack of writing, because my subconscious must be working out some major stuff, and playing it out. Later perusal would be interesting, but alas...

February surprise...

Yesterday morning as I was walking out the door to leave for work, I happened to notice that four of my yellow crocuses were blooming! Early, even for those early bloomers.

Friday's literary recommendation...

I have just now finished reading one of the most brilliant books I have ever read. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. I have learned so much from this book. The subtitle is:"The rise of disaster capitalism". I never really looked at major world events from an economic standpoint before, except for an awareness of class struggle, but now the whole picture has opened up for me as regards the "Washington Consensus", and the Friedmanite /Chicago School of thought and shock tactics...amazing...Ms. Klein is quite a journalist and author. Read this book!!

Wear Scarlet...

of course full moon in Leo
full moon cold moon
transition felt-
emotional state opened
and moving strong

It's all about the comfort...

Yesterday Chuck built a marvelous futon-type bed for Rhiannon. Her old chair was getting a bit raggedy. So of course, who is in it first? Panther. Later, Lenah lays there looking all troll-like. Now, Buddy is deeply a-snooze. I can't wait to come home from work one day to find ALL of them curled up together!

The Steward of the Environment in Action...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/16/AR2008011601536.html

Read this article in the Washington Post about the White House giving an "exemption" to the Navy regarding the environmental laws which protect whales from sonar testing damage. Amazing. It's the whole "End Times/Rapture" thinking coming to the fore again when this administration turns its thick skull toward anything even remotely environmental. Who needs whales? We need more nuclear subs fully equipped with sonar for our "national security"!!!

Today.....

CHECKLIST
woodstove fire...yes
comfy pooch...yes
sleeping kitties...yes
good book...yes (The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein)
good craftbrew...yes (Sam Adams "Black Lager")

Sunday morning...

Driving to work, pass by the pond which got "restructured" for the new housing development a few years ago...I always look over to check on how the pond looks, what's happening there, and to keep an eye out for the kingfisher I see there often...not to be disappointed, there he was! On the powerlines looking down at the pond...also there was a mallard pair, the male dipped down into the water to snag a snack...

Reading list Update...

The Terror Dream by Susan Faludi, 2007
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson, 2007
Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast
The Greatest Story Ever Sold by Frank Rich, 2006
Blackwater by Jeremy Scahill, 2007

il neige...

gone
is the early morning's dark feeling
of despondency
as i feel the sky weigh heavy
on the house
i feel my spirits ascend
the healing snow falling
has brought peace
to my troubled mind

dream from a couple of days ago...

i have gone to Florida with my significant other, we arrive at the hotel, it appears to be quite fancy...we are shown our room up this rather grand staircase...we are getting our luggage up, and getting organized/settled in...i have taken a job there at the "Giant" grocery store...i realize that i am going to be late for work...i am looking through the phone book trying to find the telephone number there to call and tell them of my plight...i finally get in touch with the store, but they are not understanding of my situation at all...

Another Bookstore Dream.....

I am back at Crown books as the manager, having just replaced someone who resigned...the store looks quite ratty as i walk around looking & helping customers...one of my employees (whom i am meeting, all for the first time) i find sitting on the steps up to the office playing on her Nintendo DS, which she has plugged into the wall...i stop her, saying how about straightening the books??? with just a hint of sarcasm when she asks me what should she do...the bookshelves are wooden and so very dusty, i see cobwebs!...i walk back upfront at one point to see all the other people "working" there this evening just leaning around talking...so i put some of them onto cleaning those filthy shelves, wondering what in the world the old manager ever asked them to do...i look on the schedule and see that someone named "Michele" is to come in as my relief when it is time for me to get off from work, but she is very late...

"Not My Poem"....

after the point
of impact
drift off into
dreams of
many
window frames

Dream from 1-3-08.....

I am at a house party... Lots of people are showing up...in the downstairs rec room people are smoking herb...when it's time to go, i find Melian and ask her to get ready, she talks to the kids she was with and then says o.k....i find Rhiannon, she is running all over the house with her dog friends, and i get her ready to go...i walk out to the pick-up, and start to put stuff in the back...i notice that the melons that i had brought for the party have rotted, forgotten, in the front seat...three of the "kittens" have come to the party, and i am trying to get them all into the truck at the same time!!!, but some people have come outside to hang out or help, and they are spooking the kittens...i'm telling everyone to keep still so that i can herd the kittens all into the truck...Rhiannon tries to jump out at one point...it is difficult, and i am on the verge of tears...

Thank you, dictionary.com.....

Word of the Day for Wednesday, January 2, 2008

faineant \fay-nay-AWN\, adjective:

1. Doing nothing or given to doing nothing; idle; lazy.
* * * *

That's right! Now there's a word for you. Let's use it in a sentence, shall we?
"The woodstove and the coffee are warm, the book is good, and the cats and I are all quite faineant."

11/9/1977...

the power of the flame
the incense smoke and
the secrets
of the
night on skin

12/26/1976

moon in scorpio
we ascend
into our deep dark flowing waters
in tune, in tune
time of the subconscious
celebrate
rejoice,
the cycles again!

12/18/1976

the energy is different here
in the midst of the forest
out of the pine and cedar grove
away from the field:
abandoned vine-covered house

white
with snow
grey sky
green brownblack forest
i sit quietly on a fallen tree
an intense pink hat
on my head

No More War

yearning...

i want to knit sweaters
when i retire
i want to ride my bike nowhere
and photograph nothing
read everything
and brew great beer
drink green tea
and do yoga on the beach
under the full moon
of course

Mater Connexion

today a woman i didn't know
recognized me
thought i was my Mom
praised her as a wonderful woman
all the kids thought of fondly
i felt so proud
and grateful for her kind words
she said it was my smile
and positive attitude
she said we resemble our mothers
as we grow
older
and that other people have said
the same
of her

The Usual Suspects.....

The pumpkin, the woodstove, the poet.....

Pledging Peace for this holiday season.....

Join me in this pledge with Code Pink for Peace ...how many years has this been a dream/wish for so many of us? Decades...

The most recent Jim Hightower video...

new woodstove.....dream.....

i walk into the living room and recoil in horror, then spring into action as best i can, the woodstove is broken...it's off of the hearth, the front glass in tiny shards all over the floor, wood and embers are burning on the carpet...i'm trying my best to get it all under control, even through my anger at the fact that i know my father has done this, caused this dangerous situation...i'm frightened at what a serious blaze this could have caused in the house had i not caught it in time...as the dreams progresses, i realize the fire could have spread to my jobsite as well...i am talking to people and showing them the mess, and still cleaning up...

Can You Guess Who This Quote Is From?

In today's Washington Post, there is an article titled "Putin Accuses U.S. of Interference". Contained therein is the most amazing quote! Try & guess: "I am particularly troubled by the use of force by law enforcement authorities to stop these peaceful activities and to prevent some journalists and human rights activists from covering them..." Wait, it doesn't stop there!!! : "The freedoms of expression, assembly and press, as well as due process, are fundamental to any democratic society..."

Great stuff, right? Did you guess? No, it's Pres. George W. Bush...Unbelievable, I know. What blatant hypocrisy. Read The End of America by Naomi Wolf for perfect examples of Bush's administration doing just the above, and more...

Summer's passing...

I was Zappa for Halloween this year.

stress night.....

Get in bed to read, make it for about an hour, then out like the proverbial light. Exhausted. Sleep for three hours then awake, groggy, and into instant stress alert. What could I find to worry about? Oh, everything! And then some! No more sleep for me for about two hours, then into the land of stressed-out dreams. Somebody is driving a pick-up truck up into my yard and then trough my yard, and all around my property...i holler to Chuck "look at this crazy person", as i'm getting even more angry, i see that this truck-driving guy has climbed up one of the oak trees, and is sawing it down! the tree falls directly onto my car! I'm really pissed now! The guy comes up to the house to "talk" and wants to negotiate a payment plan for fixing my car, i am livid...he's acting so cocksure i want to punch him...(i wake myself up crying)...

Movie viewing extravaganza, up-to-date...

Boys Don't Cry (dir. Kimberly Pierce), 1999
The Way of the Gun (dir. Christopher McQuarrie), 2000
The Departed (dir. Martin Scorcese), 2006
The Pursuit of Happyness (dir. Gabriele Muccino). 2006
Borat
A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, 2006
The Proposition
Narc
Broken Flowers
Half Nelson
Mothman Prophecies
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Man of the Year
The Salton Sea
Thumbsucker
The Squid & the Whale
The Fountain
Memento
The Mission, 1986
American Splendour, 2003
The Long Good Friday, 1979
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix, 2007
Mulholland Falls
Good Will Hunting (Dir. Gus Van Sant), 1997
Hildago (Joe Johnston), 2004
Fast-Food Nation (Richard Linklater), 2006
The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirrelles), 2005
Awakenings (Penny Marshall), 1990
Smokin' Aces (Joe Carnahan), 2006
The Astronaut's Wife (Rand Ravich), 1999
The Simpson's Movie, 2007
Bound
Breach
Four Rooms
Garden State (Zach Braff), 2004
Apocalypto
Bridge to Terabithia
300
House of Flying Daggers
Suicide Kings
The Ice Storm
Before Night Falls (Julian Schnable), 2000
We Are Marshall (McG), 2006
No End In Sight (Charles Ferguson), 2007
Seraphim Falls (David Von Ancken), 2006
Lonely Hearts (Todd Robinson), 2006
Letters From Iwo Jima (Clint Eastwood), 2006

It's all about the food, fool.....

Keeping within the great tradition of un-read blogs everywhere (except for Twisty's "I Blame the Patriarchy"), I now present for you what I've been cooking:
Butternut Squash Soup
Chili
Cornbread
Sweet Potato & Apple casserole
Raspberry Cheesecake
Pumpkin Pie

I worked Thanksgiving Day, so this has all taken place on Sat. and today, my days off from work. Rhiannon & I took a fabulous hike today as well. We set a bruising pace, no mere mortal could have kept up with us, the Trail Queens!!! Next culinary project: preparing the humongous pumpkin I acquired by slightly duplicitous means.

Reading Update.....

Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Spook Country by William Gibson
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Our American King by David Lozell Martin
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Unraveling of the Bush Presidency by Howard Zinn
The End of America by Naomi Wolf

The Day Of Many Wandas.....

I have left "Coldstone Creamery". Behind in the dust, as a matter of fact. I am once again in the grocery store world, and loving it. I am using my brain and my brawn, my charm and my sense of humor. It's a beautiful thing. I have seen so many people that I know, both as past customers and as past co-workers, that I really feel a sense of Home at this job. I have also gotten quite a few new "fans" in my customer base this week. I'm so happy! I feel like I am really DOING something, and being appreciated for it.

Wow, this is what I've read since my last "What I've Been Reading".....

Palestine Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter
It Can Happen Here by Joe Conason
Blinded By The Right by David Brock
At the Center of the Storm by George Tenet
You Can't Catch Death by Ianthe Brautigan
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
A Power That Governments Cannot Suppress by Howard Zinn
Belle Ruin by Martha Grimes
The Tokyo-Montana Express by Richard Brautigan (re-read)
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, 1997
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K.Rowling, 1997

Why Do I Have To Go To Work Today?

Liz cannot understand how it is possible that i am not awake
and yet functioning
while she cannot function when she is
awake...
i don't know the formula for this,
but i do know that the time
for morning has come far too often of late
without any readiness
on my part
regardless of quantity
of sleep...
a fog
a lassitude
a sorrow,
i find i am excited by life,
but enamored by
sleep

Ms Ethel Does Fleetwood Mac.....

"Tell me lies, tell me sheet metal lies....."

Rose & Chamomile shampoo.....

"Your hair smells good. It smells like 'Fruit Loops'."

The last 5 Books I've Read.....

• Failed States by Noam Chomsky...without a doubt this is my favorite Chomsky book yet...he managed a biting sarcastic wit throughout, while delivering the facts in a most direct manner...informational and eye-opening...highly recommended!...modern day governmental abuses? imagine that!
  
• The New Nuclear Danger by Dr. Helen Caldicott...while this information is "older", this book still delivers a punch that most people probably don't realize is still relevant, most likely even more so...nuclear is most definitely NOT the "new green"...well written as always by Dr. Caldicott...
  
• Hubris by Michael Isikoff & David Corn...I found this an interesting read, in a different style than I've read some of the same subject matter...new twists and facts, very compelling...the Bush (W) administration never ceases to amaze me with it's horror and corruption!
  
• Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci...This book is about Islam in the world, and how that religion impacts our world, past & present...Ms. Fallaci fascinating as always...her style emotional and sensational, she's persecuted for this...I found the book itself quite interesting and enlightening, but the speech/afterword was a dissapointment...I thought it boring and had to feel that it layed blame on many people who would not be her enemies at all!
  
• Shadowplay by Tad Williams...I was one of the people who read the first book, Shadowmarch, in it's online format, when Tad wrote two chapters a month for us subscribers. So I truly couldn't wait for this second book. And oh, yes, it did not dissappoint. My copy had a lot of editing problems, but oh well...my only complaint really, is that I read it too fast, and now must wait ???? for the next book??? One of my all-time favorite fantasy writers, and an all-around great guy, too. I met him at a "Barnes & Noble" in Reston, VA during one of his speaking tours.
  

The Last 5 Movies I've Viewed.....

• Clerks II...Hilarious and annoying at the same time. I so dig Jay & Silent Bob...Only funny if you have seen the first Clerks movie...
• Marie Antoinette...Way to go, Sofia Copeland!! What a beautiful, visual treat. And what a vastly different and interesting take on a historical subject...
• John Q...One of the few times that I have enjoyed a Denzel Washington performance so much...jerks your emotions, but it's great...
• The Insider...this was good, but not great because of a couple of unreal premises, fine acting...
• Babel...Wow...interesting all the way through...my favorite aspect being Japanese Deaf culture...
  

My darling, I shall miss you...

Oh, Kurt Vonnegut.

The Post Office, 1993...

Max, "Mom..."
Me, "Yes, son?"
Max, "Mom, do you douche?"
Me, "No, son. Mommy has a self-cleaning oven."

dream segment (a couple of weeks old)...

I am riding in a car with my father, who is driving...he is driving on the incorrect side of the road, I tell him this and then calmly suggest that he pull over so that I may drive...he agrees to this, saying that he is tired...I get behind the wheel and take us toward our destination which was one of the places he worked when I was a child: Purceville, or the newspaper in The Plains...so I am turning left onto a road, and he is no longer in the car, I am talking with a woman on my cell phone about him, I am telling her about the driving mishap...she knows him, and sympathizes...as I drive this road I realize that I am very near her office, I pull into the parking lot, and go inside to introduce myself to her...we chat a bit, then I go on...

Amazing Visual Morning...

Driving to work this morning the sky was just amazing. I, of course, did not have my camera with me. Nor could I turn around and go get it! I was running late. The early morning sky was full of altocumulus clouds densely packed. The sun's rays were beaming out under each clump of cloud. Shining a small sundog at each puff. Luckily, I was on a road which did not have much traffic, so I could look as I slowly drove along. Beautiful beyond measure.

I give it a "10"...

And then some...Modest Mouse's new song "Dashboard" has to be one of the most dance-able songs ever!!! My hips get loose each time i hear it...yeah!!!

Here is my 1976 Gitane bicycle. I rode it to Nova Scotia and back when I graduated from high school. For a long time I didn't own a car, just rode my bike everywhere. It was originally bright yellow. One time I painted it silver, then red. I retired it in 1992. Recently, I've kept it in the front yard as an art installation. Many miles.