Settler words&music in S'ólh Téméxw, (leanpub.com/upsun) living where privilege meets precarity in MST country. she/her/they———– Novels: Midnite Moving Co., Upsun; Sweep Off Those Waves coming soon, Hair Sinister after that. —Restore All Indigenous Lands!
Indeed. So, I won’t bother to mention when I went to bed last night, but I blasted through the exceeding wonderful Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last night; a lot of people die!
If you go to Veritaserum.com there’s a streaming video of Jo Rowling reading the first chapter of the book. Scroll down until you find it.
I have completed another section of “the difficulties”. I find Jericho Beach a most inspiring locale – I may go down there for a day sometime and just sit around and write.
I am adjusting rather better to the shift in workload and priorities. The customers are being kind as I learn, and my predecessor (he went to a different department) kinder yet. The new hire accepted and agreed to start July 30th o frabjous day.
I will be heading out for a family dinner with Mike M tonight after I go talk to Paul.
I reread Lilith’s Brood, the Oankali stories by Octavia Butler.
I’m taking a little break from Patrick O’Brian.
My back hurts constantly these days, and my foot is very numb. Walking helps, as does sitting on the posture ball at work. I’m having a lot of trouble finding a comfortable sleeping position.
I have been sad for the last couple of days, not so much this morning, thanks to KatieK, a friend of mine whom I invited over for dinner and an earflapping last night. Those of you familiar with my family’s folkways will know that this is a chat, live and in person, usually unattended by males (or they flee, brows furrowed, into quieter and darker corners, while the womenfolk screech and flap and gabble.) Anyway, she’s been through what I was through, but worse and darker and different, of course, but she doesn’t waste more than a breath on self-pity before she gets up again and starts assessing her life for the possibilities of happiness. She’s berloody amazing and I intend to see more of her.
I just wrote two paragraphs about my emotional state, and they were so self-pitying and morose that I’ve done my readers a favour and deleted them. Someday I’ll look back on this time in my life, shake my head and laugh. But that time is not now, and it’s not a good time to be writing about it. Had I the pen of Elizabeth Smart, perhaps, perhaps.
And then, of course, the phone rings, and it’s Keith announcing that he’s picked me up the latest Harry Potter book, and despite the rain and fog, the sun has come out again.
I think I’ll call my mother.
It’s the expression on the faces of the choristers while they are singing that makes this video so great.
Because then I will be saying, “Are you looking at my beaver?”
mOm, in particular read the comments, although I loved the blog post.
Muriel P died on Friday. I talked to Jim P tonight and he’s doing okay; he and Carly are going to Ottawa for the memorial service on Friday.
I didn’t know her at all, and only met her twice, once when Keith was weeks old, and once at her husband’s funeral.
I am working on a long poem called (the difficulties).
Jeff and I nearly ran over a deer yesterday in Jeff’s car – a young buck wandering across the Gaglardi/University Drive East intersection (and about 30 meters from the last place I nearly hit a deer myself, on the ramp in a thick fog. Did I jump!). Jim and Jan have a cougar story, but I’d prefer them to tell the story, so I’ll wait until they send it to me 😉
The sunset is so stunning I nearly burst into tears when I saw it. I am absurdly sensitive to colours and scenery these days, it’s like everything was turned up maximum gain.
I am so glad to be writing again, and I practiced mandolin for about 45 minutes tonight, too.
Actually bought fresh fruits and vegetables and ATE THEM. It’s driving me nuts, I’m point two of a pound away from breaking 180. Hopefully quitting coffee, with all that cream and sugar, will push things in the right direction.
Visited with Stephanie yesterday and had the great privilege of watching her work on some art. She had spent an hour an a half being slathered with plaster of paris so she could do a torso mold, and she was making various course corrections in the hardened clay piece and making a stand for it. As we got to sit out in her gazebo while she was working, it was exceeding pleasant, but wow, it was some hot yesterday. When everything is done she’s going to glaze and fire it, and seeing as how it was already very fine I can hardly wait to see the finished piece.
We also had lunch at Havana. I had had a very rough night’s sleep on Friday – worst night’s sleep I’ve had in quite some time – so I pleaded intense sleepiness and deked home around 4, and so missed meeting her new boyfriend; you can tell how bagged I was that my curiosity was overcome by exhaustion. Got home and literally went to bed and slept for 12 hours, having the most bizarre dreams you can imagine. I was chased by a naked Robin Williams, refereed a discussion between two three year old girls (but I want you to stay fowa my pawty) (but I’m not feewing weww), found out that the entire time I was living at the Augur Inn there was a (cue ominous music) secret room; got shit from Keith for packing his stuff without labelling it and there were more dreams on top of that, mostly involving Paul, although it was all very civil.
Keith is coming over today briefly and then to Tom and Peggy’s for supper, yeah.
Since I finally have a printer I can work on moving some of my books around with Bookcrossing – I can make labelz…
I’m hoping that all the guys I know who are at the Arlington Air Show are having a good time. The weather has been good and hot.
She broke some bones coming off Jake (her scooter) but is expected to make a full recovery. Dr Filk has flown to her side to render aid and comfort to the stricken. And make sure she takes her irony supplements – without which, life is completely meaningless, hein?
I am at Planet Bachelor (Paul and Keith’s new digs) for supper, having trundled Keith’s B-day prezzies over here, and we are anxiously awaiting Miss Katie, who’s off work now.
I am still in a very thoughtful mood. Watching the sun go down yesterday felt really good, and I, like a fool, have commenced the deep thinking that accompanies the start of a new, long poem.
There’s Katie, gotta run.
It’s been bugging me for ages that I don’t have a picture of the rainbow that appears on the cafeteria floor every sunny afternoon. mOm, do you remember the rainbow we used to get on the livingroom floor when the sun angled through the fish tank? Nostalgia fit commences 5, 4, 3…..
Jarmo grabbed a pic on his cell phone camera.
Acid comes out of the closet. Another important centenary this weekend!
Oh, and Alex Grey gets mentioned. Go to alexgrey.com and click on multimedia for one of the coolest things on the internet. Many thanks to the “never mentioned by name on this blog” coworker who turned me on to him.
and email myself all of my songs…. I have a request for one of my tunes from one of the guys out at Jericho so I need to scrape them off the hard drive and send them over to myself. I thought I had actually backed them up, but I was wrong.
Tonight, Thai food with Keith & rest of famille.
Today, arranging books. I have figured out how I’m going to do that now; it only took me nine weeks.
The four of us are planning to get together for his birthday. I already bought his present but it will probably arrive next week.
Had the folks over for beers last night; in attendance, Melissa, Ryan, Brian C, Jarmo and Rob of Nine, who was, unfortunately, not able to massage my printer into compliance as there is no driver for it. Drat.
After they all left, Swampy came over for a beer and told me that things are going much more smoothly than he anticipated and it was just really pleasant to have him here – and we discussed a couple of books, including Focusing and The Dosadi Experiment (which is basically a fast forward through Dune without the religion and with a kickass courtroom scene at the end). Then at nine my date came over. We sat outside next to the fountain until about the fourth time he slapped a mosquito (imagine that… a guy who gets bit by mosquitoes more than I do!?) at which point I said that I found it unconscionably inhospitable to contribute to his discomfort so, and besides, there was beer and a bathroom back at my place…
So I guess I’ve had a very sociable weekend already and it ain’t even noon on Saturday yet.
Today is the 100th centenary of Heinlein’s birth. How I wished he could have become a blogger. Okay, I don’t but it makes me laugh to think about how he would have talked about the last three or four sets of American governments.
I talked to Kira on the phone today. She was purring. Zeek!, thank heaven, is back to his old self and the bloody spot under his chin has cleared up. His bloodwork came back okay so the 1200 vet bill Paul and I were looking at turned out not to be necessary.
Keith will come by today before work with more Aubrey/Maturin for me. (more, more more!) and some other media for me to peruse (hopefully Fables III and IV).
I watched Denis Leary’s music video of Asshole last night. I always liked the song, but the video was brilliant, IMO.
Facebook is extremely amusing, and I’m having loads o’ fun with it. Mostly poking people. I’ve gotten into a poking contest with two people; I know that sounds rude, but it’s harmless virtual primate fun.
Here’s a cool “matrix style” domestic argument, from Japanese TV.
Tonight I:
Spoke for the first time to the best prospect from Craigslist. He reads SF (including my litmus novel, Frank Herbert’s the Dosadi Experiment)! He’s a union man! He sings bass! He has long hair and a beard! He made me laugh my ass off! I am meeting him Friday night!
Arranged in my own mind – okay, started spade work with the CUC – to work on a social justice refresher course for my church (welcoming gays, lesbians, transgendered and gender rebellious people of all stripes.)
Spoke to my mother on the phone. Spoke (briefly) to my Kitty Kate on the phone.
Hung with one of my fave exinlaws. Being Swampy.
Sat in a brilliantly sunny patio and watched the world go by while so doing.
Pondered how to put a retraction in my blog about beer. Okay, deep breath, here goes. I like beer. It’s staying.
Wrote a song:
Give me five, give me ten
give me round the bend again
you will know when I blow through your town
Give me five, give me ten
give me round the bend again
As I impart the wisdom I have found
You may stray…. so far away
you may go where only God can follow
But your mind will find a thousand ways to shine
and your heart may ache and never yet be hollow
chorus
You may wait … for an important date
And find that life has gone by in the meantime
But it’s one short breath between your birth and death
so you might as well enjoy yourself between time
Chorus.
I need another voice, (verse!), but I’m quite happy as things stand. It amazes me how much I can do when I am happy.
Godawmighty, the techsphere’s buzzing like a rhythmically whacked wasp’s nest about the Iphone. Boingboing.net went so gaga they might as well be writing advertising copy for Apple, and someguy over there said ‘THIS IS THE UI WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR’. They are aware, of course, how breathless and ecstatic they sound so they posted under the title “Jesus is Risen”. o RLY. Indeed, as RobofNine would say.
Just so, as mOm would say.
I just found the remote that came with my computer. Who knew, back in 1992, that computers could have remotes?
Saw Keith, read TWO (okay, most of two) Aubrey/Maturin books yesterday AND went to Shrek III. Yes, Shrek III isn’t ‘as good’ as the first two. But it’s still way funnier than just about everything else out there. Would have been nicer if it had taken me less than an hour to get home, but oh well. That’s life with no car. While he was here I unlimbered my credit card and bought (or so I believe, but I never got a frikking confirmation email) two books about … gee… can you guess???? Aubrey Maturin!!!! One of them is a book by book atlas and the other is detailed illustrations of all those heaps of frikkin nautical terms. I’ll probably break into them before I give them to Keith, but he’s jiggy with that. Anyway, with any luck they’ll get here before his birthday, and if they don’t nae borra. He’ll be 21. Can you believe I pushed him out of my body 21 years ago??? it’s bizarre. He’s so adult and calm and inspiring, and so easily pleased.
Day 1 of no beer. At Katie’s grad I said I didn’t think I could live a month without beer. Then I realized that this was the single saddest, and possibly stupidest, thing I had ever heard myself say. After taking thought, I figured if I can pass most of the month of July without beer, I’ll be in good shape. Dunno how I’m going to get through Tuesday though – I always drink a beer before I perform (One beer Only), as I find it prevents worry. More than one beer, though, impedes performance. Didn’t Shakespeare do a bit on that? It’s also bizarre to think that in my personal take on Ol’ Abe Maslow’s Cone of Consciousness, Beer outranks Sex. What am I, Homer Simpson??? Sad mismanagement in that, dear friends.
Off to the weight room now, I have an appointment with one of the infernal machines.
Poor Burnt and PhD had SOOOO much alcohol left over from their wedding that they threw a party to get rid of it. I made myself one appletini, but mostly I stuck to the Rum Punch, which was superb. I stopped drinking early in the evening, but I didn’t leave early enough – I got to Production Way half an hour after the last bus.
I’m thinking, erm, doesn’t look good, but I’ve memorized the Bonny’s Taxi number and honest to Murgatroyd, the taxi came around the corner just as I came up from Lougheed to stand where I could be easily seen. I called for a taxi at 1 on the nose and was in the door at 1:13; I was somewhat perturbed to see that the taxi driver had ditched another call to pick me up. I suspect my tipping habits have stood me in good stead with the drivers. I’ve only failed to tip once in ten years, and he deserved a tip alright, the tip of my boot.
Sigh. Wish I’d taken my makeup off before I crashed; fortunately the massage oil worked great at sluicing it off this morning. I did wear the flight suit and Scary Clown immediately asked if I was jumping out of an airplane tonight as soon as I showed up. Wise ass. All was forgiven later as we (me, one of LTGW’s nephews and Shorn) drifted over to Scary’s apartment to admire his artwork and for him to check if his site was down (I told him it had been earlier, but it wasn’t, it was just really freaking slow). I was waiting for the reaction shots of the guys who hadn’t been there before and was not disappointed….Shorn looked around and said, “How many computers do you HAVE?” plaintively.
I had one of those party experiences where virtually wherever I was standing or sitting, I was in someone’s way. Finally I tried to sit as far away from everybody as I could and just kibitzed… it was fun in a low key way. Myself and a coworker traded sad stories about having teenagers, and it was all very pleasant.
Today I think I’m finally caught up on laundry, so I’m going to lie back down with Lucky Jack Aubrey, who’s just been sprung from a French pokey by his best friend’s squeeze (also his cousin in law), and take up the 7th book, Ionian Mission. At least Stephen and Diana are finally married now. I mean, he’s chased her across the ends of the earth at this point.
Later, off to see my Livejournal pal….It’s bucketing rain, think I’ll break down and take my brolly.