Boy, what a week! I've pretty much been sick since the wee hours of Sunday morning with intestinal cramps, nausea, and fatigue (oy, the fatigue!). Some kind of bug, I guess. I barely ate or drank anything Sunday through Tuesday (a cracker and a half one day was my primo day), I managed a little broth and some beans from my dad's homemade beef and beans on Wednesday, and I had some grapes and more broth and beans yesterday. I guess I'm doing better today because I ate half a bowl of Campbell's beef and vegetable and a bit of banana immediately after getting up today, followed by a bit of chocolate a couple of hours later, followed by more grapes shortly after that, and then a York peppermint patty after THAT. My tummy has not protested once (so far), so I'm hoping I'm finally over the ooky.
Before I got sick, I went with my aunt and my second cousin to the McPherson Scottish Festival. Immediately on arriving, my cousin got her passport sheet to get stamped at the clan tents, then we ate, then my aunt and I browsed the vendors. I'm on the hunt for a MacLachlan kilt pin like the one I got my bro the last time I went to the Scottish festival, and surprisingly I didn't have much luck. The tent which had them in the style I wanted (the clan crest with a nice ancient pewter finish) didn't have my clan name, and the tent that DID have my clan name had the crest the way I wanted it, but the finish was ultra-cheesy. ::sigh:: One day, I will find it.
We did find a guy who could print up a clan's crest, coat-of-arms, history, or any combo of the three. I got two copies of the MacLachlan coat-of-arms with history -- I'm going to mat and frame one for my grandma for Christmas, and I haven't decided what to do with the second copy.
The highlight for me was the Celtic Connections tent. The woman who runs it has such lovely energy, and her merchandise was nice, too. As I was drooling over some carved wall plaques, she was telling my aunt that the artist of a calendar she was selling is donating five dollars from each calendar to Katrina relief. My aunt said, "Well, you could donate directly to my niece. She's here from New Orleans." She gave me one of the calendars. The artwork is beautiful. I haven't checked out the companion website, but Kitty (the vendor) said it's pretty inspiring. Celtic Connections is going to be at the GP RenFaire, so if any of y'all are out there, go by and check it out, and tell her the gimp refugee from NO sent you.
Tomorrow, Mom and I are going to the Buhler Frolic. It's the annual Fall festival in the town in which I grew up. I haven't been in YEARS -- probably since I was in school.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Saturday, September 24, 2005
A meme
When you see this in a friend's journal, quote Shakespeare!
Much Ado About Nothing, Act V, scene iv:
BENEDICK: They swore that you were almost sick for me.
BEATRICE: They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me.
Much Ado About Nothing, Act V, scene iv:
BENEDICK: They swore that you were almost sick for me.
BEATRICE: They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Taking Time
Funny how messages like these pop up at the most interesting moments. I'm glad the Higher had inspired me to take a good look at my surroundings when S/He did, because they won't be the same when I return.
This comes from the website DailyOM.
Taking Time
Remembering To Live
Many present-day cultures are busy ones. Wanting it all, we look always forward, striving to live optimally and successfully, improving ourselves, and immersing ourselves in the hustle and bustle of great achievements. In doing so, however, it is easy focus our attention on tomorrow while letting today slip by unsavored. It becomes difficult to stop, to soften our focus, to look around, and to consider the here and now. We forget how important it is to just take pleasure in the simple joys of existence, like clear blue skies, birds singing, sunsets, the laughter of a loved one, or the rich taste of a favorite dish. You may feel you are too busy to revel in the small stuff, but your future will wait for you and there will always be another responsibility on the horizon. Each moment of your life, however, has the potential to bring happiness, satisfaction, and growth.
There is a saying: Life is what happens while you are busy making plans. While not entirely true, there are real benefits to taking the time to experience life's positive aspects. Many of us, if we try, will find we are able to make time for living. If you are truly scheduled down to the minute, shake off some unimportant commitments so you can focus on what is vital. Give up control for a few minutes or an hour, and watch the world go by, take a walk in an unfamiliar place, bask in the sunshine, look at the clouds, or play in the snow. There are other delights that come from doing that which we enjoy, but which may not fit into our grand plans or seem like a waste of time, such as treasured hobbies or practicing recreational skills. These are vital, too.
Remembering to live expresses that you value the whole of your life, rather than just the past or the future. It reminds you why you do what you do and helps you appreciate who you are, instead of only who you will become. The path you will walk is hidden from you, but the path you are walking can be enjoyed from moment to moment, if you take the time to be a part of the goodness around you. Next time you find yourself overwhelmed with goals, healing, and becoming conscious, don't forget to just live.
This comes from the website DailyOM.
Taking Time
Remembering To Live
Many present-day cultures are busy ones. Wanting it all, we look always forward, striving to live optimally and successfully, improving ourselves, and immersing ourselves in the hustle and bustle of great achievements. In doing so, however, it is easy focus our attention on tomorrow while letting today slip by unsavored. It becomes difficult to stop, to soften our focus, to look around, and to consider the here and now. We forget how important it is to just take pleasure in the simple joys of existence, like clear blue skies, birds singing, sunsets, the laughter of a loved one, or the rich taste of a favorite dish. You may feel you are too busy to revel in the small stuff, but your future will wait for you and there will always be another responsibility on the horizon. Each moment of your life, however, has the potential to bring happiness, satisfaction, and growth.
There is a saying: Life is what happens while you are busy making plans. While not entirely true, there are real benefits to taking the time to experience life's positive aspects. Many of us, if we try, will find we are able to make time for living. If you are truly scheduled down to the minute, shake off some unimportant commitments so you can focus on what is vital. Give up control for a few minutes or an hour, and watch the world go by, take a walk in an unfamiliar place, bask in the sunshine, look at the clouds, or play in the snow. There are other delights that come from doing that which we enjoy, but which may not fit into our grand plans or seem like a waste of time, such as treasured hobbies or practicing recreational skills. These are vital, too.
Remembering to live expresses that you value the whole of your life, rather than just the past or the future. It reminds you why you do what you do and helps you appreciate who you are, instead of only who you will become. The path you will walk is hidden from you, but the path you are walking can be enjoyed from moment to moment, if you take the time to be a part of the goodness around you. Next time you find yourself overwhelmed with goals, healing, and becoming conscious, don't forget to just live.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Early morning musings
Every day, I see something new on the TV about New Orleans. Every day, I have periods where I think this isn't real. Mostly, those times are when I'm in bed with my eyes closed. It's easy to be in denial when your eyes are closed. But every day I open my eyes, and every day I'm faced with the shock that this is real. You'd think that after a week and a half, I couldn't be surprised any more. This is easily the most surreal thing I've ever experienced.
It's funny how far that city has burrowed itself under my skin, even considering how little I've seen of it. I've never been to the Garden District, and who knows how much that area will be changed. I've never been to the historic cemeteries, and who knows how many of them will still be there and intact after this. I've never been to any of the few marshes we actually have, and I know how much they have been decimated by this.
I have been to the Quarter and seen those beautiful buildings, and it hurts to think how many of them may be structurally damaged. I've made friends with one shop owner on Rue Dumaine, the amazing "Root Queen" Anna, and I have no idea where she is or how her Quarter shop and Quarter home have fared. I have friends who live in Slidell, the town on the north shore of the lake that was center-punched by Katrina's eye. Rachel and George had just moved in to their home three weeks before the hurricane, and I have no idea where they are. Did they stay to be with their new home, or did they leave and go to Texas? I know Chad and his family are safe via news from Barney, but Chad's home -- the one he lived in with his grandparents, the one his grandfather built all on his own -- was completely destroyed.
And then I see two Wichita tourists on the news whining about how they were "forgotten" by rescuers, about how disgusting the native survivors were. At least you had a home to go to and money to get there, you self-centered jerks.
And then there were the sanctimonious assholes sitting in front of me on the airplane from Memphis, judging the entire city of NOLA by what they saw on Bourbon Street, talking about how New Orleans "got what it deserved" because it's full of naked women and drug dealers on every corner and piss and filth, that it was "God's judgment" for being a city full of sin and nothing more. First of all, if you're so religious and righteous, what the hell are you doing on Bourbon Street in the first place? Second of all, if you'd've gotten off of Bourbon Street and on to Royal and Chartres and across Esplanade into the Marigny (all within walking distance of Bourbon), you'd've seen the dozens of talented street performers and the many art studios and the amazing array of music and the independent bookstores and the cafes and so many other things. You could've had incredible dinners on St. Peters Avenue or St. Louis Avenue, you could've had beignets and coffee on Decatur Street and then walked along the river, you could've gone to the aquarium or the zoo, you could've bought imported Belgian chocolate on Chartres Avenue and maybe an autographed poster on Royal Street, you could've seen an independent film at the theater in the Shops at Canal Place, you could've ridden the streetcar -- all within a mile to a mile-and-a-half radius. Only on Bourbon do you see women flashing their breasts outside of Mardi Gras, and very rarely in that defined zone do you see drug dealers. Yes, there are bad sections in ANY city, but to judge an entire city by one street or one section is unfair and outright wrong.
The terrible things that are happening in the aftermath of the hurricane aren't necessarily a reflection of how depraved the city is but of how desperate the citizens are. For all its fame and tourism, NOLA is a wretchedly poor city with a corrupt government that doesn't do much of anything to help raise its populace out of the gutter. The current administration talks incessantly about helping third world countries improve themselves, but what about the third world equivalents we have in our own country? All you have to do is watch CNN or Fox News to see that we have the third world right here.
Sorry, I know you have been wanting to hear about my time in Memphis and yada yada yada, but this is what plays through my mind over and over at night when I should be sleeping.
It's funny how far that city has burrowed itself under my skin, even considering how little I've seen of it. I've never been to the Garden District, and who knows how much that area will be changed. I've never been to the historic cemeteries, and who knows how many of them will still be there and intact after this. I've never been to any of the few marshes we actually have, and I know how much they have been decimated by this.
I have been to the Quarter and seen those beautiful buildings, and it hurts to think how many of them may be structurally damaged. I've made friends with one shop owner on Rue Dumaine, the amazing "Root Queen" Anna, and I have no idea where she is or how her Quarter shop and Quarter home have fared. I have friends who live in Slidell, the town on the north shore of the lake that was center-punched by Katrina's eye. Rachel and George had just moved in to their home three weeks before the hurricane, and I have no idea where they are. Did they stay to be with their new home, or did they leave and go to Texas? I know Chad and his family are safe via news from Barney, but Chad's home -- the one he lived in with his grandparents, the one his grandfather built all on his own -- was completely destroyed.
And then I see two Wichita tourists on the news whining about how they were "forgotten" by rescuers, about how disgusting the native survivors were. At least you had a home to go to and money to get there, you self-centered jerks.
And then there were the sanctimonious assholes sitting in front of me on the airplane from Memphis, judging the entire city of NOLA by what they saw on Bourbon Street, talking about how New Orleans "got what it deserved" because it's full of naked women and drug dealers on every corner and piss and filth, that it was "God's judgment" for being a city full of sin and nothing more. First of all, if you're so religious and righteous, what the hell are you doing on Bourbon Street in the first place? Second of all, if you'd've gotten off of Bourbon Street and on to Royal and Chartres and across Esplanade into the Marigny (all within walking distance of Bourbon), you'd've seen the dozens of talented street performers and the many art studios and the amazing array of music and the independent bookstores and the cafes and so many other things. You could've had incredible dinners on St. Peters Avenue or St. Louis Avenue, you could've had beignets and coffee on Decatur Street and then walked along the river, you could've gone to the aquarium or the zoo, you could've bought imported Belgian chocolate on Chartres Avenue and maybe an autographed poster on Royal Street, you could've seen an independent film at the theater in the Shops at Canal Place, you could've ridden the streetcar -- all within a mile to a mile-and-a-half radius. Only on Bourbon do you see women flashing their breasts outside of Mardi Gras, and very rarely in that defined zone do you see drug dealers. Yes, there are bad sections in ANY city, but to judge an entire city by one street or one section is unfair and outright wrong.
The terrible things that are happening in the aftermath of the hurricane aren't necessarily a reflection of how depraved the city is but of how desperate the citizens are. For all its fame and tourism, NOLA is a wretchedly poor city with a corrupt government that doesn't do much of anything to help raise its populace out of the gutter. The current administration talks incessantly about helping third world countries improve themselves, but what about the third world equivalents we have in our own country? All you have to do is watch CNN or Fox News to see that we have the third world right here.
Sorry, I know you have been wanting to hear about my time in Memphis and yada yada yada, but this is what plays through my mind over and over at night when I should be sleeping.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Update for Henrik
Barney and Jackie are fine. They and the kids got out the same day I did and headed for Lafayette. They are staying with Jackie's folks in Grand Couteau. I'll give Barney your number the next time I talk to him, which should be in the next day or so.
By the way, how did you find my blog?
By the way, how did you find my blog?