the OTHER Step It Up contestants...

Ever notice how John Edwards just looks a teeny bit like John Ritter?

At any rate, under his "issues" button, John Edwards doesn't even have an environmental header. Nor does he have an energy button. Nothing. He apparently doesn't care about the environment at all. It's a non-issue for him.

And Edwards is another guy who is slated to attend Step It Up 2007. Oh Boy.

So far, I'm not real impressed with this event.

On another note, every single one of the candidates that I have looked at have the same exact header bar. They all seem to be clones... democrat or republican... clones, I tell you. We're in deep trouble. If they can't come up with their own header bar, how are we supposed to be able to tell the difference between their ideas? They are TRYING to all look the same, despite the millions of dollars they are raising to claim otherwise. Yikes...

However, Dennis Kucinich does actually address the environment. He mentions the world population (over population/carrying capacity?). He mentions "rejoining" the Kyoto treaty (twice...) - I wasn't aware we had ever signed the Kyoto treaty, which is one thing I'm still grumpy at Clinton about. Apparently Kucinich sponsored HR1950 - the Safe Climate Act of 2007. He falls just shy of mentioning "peak oil":

"Oil is also an immense sustainability issue. With the peak of U.S. oil production some decades in the past and the world facing inevitable shortages in the near future, a continuation of our present energy policies is a prescription for unending conflicts."

So he GETS it... he just wont SAY it...

BUT... similar to (or perhaps better than) my quest for an arms-style green energy race (whole new meaning to "cold war"), Kucinich has proposed a "Works Green Administration (WGA)". The WGA, a new version of the WPA (Works Progress Administration from the New Deal Era), would be coupled with NASA & the EPA to restore our infrastructure & provided sustainable energy at the same time. I can only imagine that this would mean a more European-style highway system, covered in solar panels (hey- it's better than billboards - but with today's technology you could actually have both at the same time & place).

"The United States under a Kucinich presidency would reverse the unsustainable actions in the following areas:
1) Energy consumption
2) Military spending
3) Economic and tax policy
4) Environmental policy
5) Land and water use"

He goes on to say some interesting things about water (a subject near & dear to my heart):

""All water shall be considered to be forever in the public domain. It shall be the duty of each nation to provide accessible, affordable drinking water to its peoples. There shall be public ownership of drinking water systems, subject to municipal control Wealthy nations shall provide poor nations with the means to obtain water for survival. Water shall be protected from commodification and exempted from all trade agreements. Water privatization shall not be a condition of debt restructuring, loan renewal or loan forgiveness. Governments shall use their powers to prevent private aggregation of water rights. Water shall be conserved through sustainable agriculture and encouraging plant-based diets. Water resources shall be protected from pollution. Our children should be educated about the essential nature of water for maintaining life. [I would] recommend a series of declarative sentences which can serve as the basis for a course of action. We shall call these ten principles "Water Marks."

1. All water shall be considered to be forever in the public domain.
2. It shall be the duty of each nation to provide accessible, affordable drinking water.
3. There shall be public ownership of drinking water.
4. Wealthy nations shall provide poor nations with the means to obtain water for survival.
5. Water shall be protected from commodification and exempted from all trade agreements.
6. Water privatization shall not be a condition of debt restructuring, loan renewal, or loan forgiveness.
7. Governments shall use their powers to prevent private aggregation of water rights.
8. Water shall be conserved through sustainable agriculture and encouraging plant-based diets.
9. Water resources shall be protected from pollution.
10. Our children shall be educated about the essential nature of water for maintaining life.""

I think this is where he loses me (and all the cattle ranchers big & small, the restaurant owners, the butcher shops, the cattle feed people, etc). I'm a big fan of water conservation. It should be a no-brainer. But this is a bit off the deep end, and I CERTAINLY don't want my water controlled to that extent by the Federal Government. The Feds are the same people who have compromised our personal information a total of 4 times in 5 years... I don't want them to have this much control over what I MUST ingest to stay alive. Remember when Bush decided that a little more Arsenic in our water was an OK thing? Do you want the Federal Government to tell you that you will now be a vegetarian? No, I want off that ride. I'm pretty earthy-crunchy, and I'm a fan of change, but that's taking it too far. It will never work, and I don't want it to.

Step it up?

So I've been getting emails about Step It Up 2007. A "National Day of Climate Action" where we try to get presidential candidates to discuss their environmental policy in public, all on the same day (Nov. 3). The most local event to me is in Concord, MA.

So far, only 3 Presidential hopefuls have said they will attend one of the many events: Senator John McCain, John Edwards & Representative Dennis Kucinich.

In reading McCain's website about his "environmental policy", his language struck me as a bit odd. Exactly HOW MANY buzz words can you fit into a statement about environmental policy that says nothing relevant at all? This is how it reads: "buzz word", "republican buzz word" and "liberal bad buzz word" He ends up saying essentially nothing relevant at all. Nothing says "I don't have a CLUE" like what he wrote. I kind of feel ill having read that. It was certainly a waste of my time.

As a friend said: "I read this and my mind just goes blank. It doesn't want to deal with processing it. I just can't...."

And McCain is one of the guys who agreed to go! Ugh.

Up until this point, I hadn't ruled anyone but Mitt Romney out - Romney is a tool and he tried his hardest to destroy our state. Not to mention that Mitt can't figure out what he believes in, let alone tell anyone else why they should believe in him.

I don't have the heart to research what Edwards & Kucinich have to say about the matter at this point...

But I have to admit. I did invite Sen. Clinton (as did 280 or so other people). I actually like what she had to say about the environment. It made me a bit hopeful. She seems to be following my line of thought that all we need is a sort of 'alternative energy arms-type race' with her "Apollo-like Program dedicated to achieving energy independence" (THAT is going to require a better name, and more detail, I think, which is why I invited her... "Green Arms Race" would be better than that). My biggest hope? She'll take it to the next level, create a cabinet position regarding the issue, and appoint Gore to that position... And then maybe somebody will actually get something done.

Voting Day! (updated)

For those of us who are in whatever congressional district (5th?) has a vacant seat in congress, today is voting day. And while I don't necessarily care, I know I should. I'll vote anyway.

Roland S. Martin (whoever that guy is) has posted a brilliant article on CNN's website. It should have been called "you should care, damnit - otherwise you're an idiot". Downside: nowhere in there does he mention the climate & energy issues facing us. But it's a start. Mr. Martin has a radio show on WVON - an AM talk radio station in Chicago - from 6-9 a.m. Monday thru Friday. They stream via internet. I think I'll give a listen next week (apparently, he's out this week). He might just have a clue. And people with a clue are somewhat hard to find.

UPDATE: got this email from the Town this evening after the polls closed:

STATE ELECTION Special 10/12/2007

Total voting: 844
Total registered voters: 3056
Percent voting: 27.6%

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS

Jim Ogonowski 382
Nicola S. Tsongas 404
Kurt Hayes 40
Patrick O. Murphy 12
Kevin J. Thompson 6
Blanks 0
Write-ins 0

That means that 27.6% of the people in my town voted. My husband & I consisted of 0.1% of the total vote. That just seems WRONG.

Come on, people, they had FREE CANDY there! And there was certainly no line...

I heart...the Vatican? Wow.

I'm not a fan of religion. All it does is lead to war, to putting people into an "us vs. them" mentality, and causes all sorts of fanatics to hurt each other, often times taking along us innocent bystanders with them. Think about it- every major war in history was either based on religion or egged on by it (or religion was used as a veil for political dominance aspirations). Based on this long standing belief of mine, I was very surprised by a story that I heard on NPR this morning.

The Vatican is trying to go carbon neutral (the Pope hopes to install solar cells & preserve forests -do they have forests in the Vatican, or does he want to go with a carbon offset?). Pope Benedict XVI held a conference on global warming. The catholic church is listening to scientists. This is the same church that spawned the inquisition! But maybe there is hope yet.

"The Vatican considers global warming a pressing issue — in part because there is evidence that man is contributing to the problem, and in part because the effects will be felt most intensely by the poor."

This statement says a lot. A) The Catholic Church leaders are listening to science instead of persecuting the scientists. Think about that for a minute. B) The Catholic Church is stepping where leaders of some developed countries couldn't be bothered - to save those people on the so called margins of society - the poor. The Church recognizes this as a big social issue, a global social issue, (complete with real evidence) and not some theoretical discussion. The Catholic Church is saying that this is real, and needs attention.

I never, EVER thought that the Catholic Church would be more progressive than the President of the United States. Bushy should be ashamed of himself - he was one upped by the Catholic Church - an institution with a very poor track record when it comes to science.

Apparently, the church has decided that while the bible does say that man has dominance over the earth that "God" created, humans have to take responsibility of the earth as it's stewards on behalf of "God", and to clean up the mess we have made of "God's" creation. I could dance little circles up and down Main Street for this idea. I'm willing to ignore the other issues with this statement (umm...creationism?) in order to support the church in their attempt to practice stewardship.

Additionally, the NPR story mentioned above depicts how church leaders are trying to tell their followers that hurricanes & Volacanos aren't the will of God. It's not God's fault, it's ours. At this point, you might be falling off your chair. I'll wait.

cool imagery

Update on the NW Passage: This is a pretty cool satellite image of the Northwest Passage from mid-September, with major landmarks depicted. I suggest you take some time to poke around the EO Natural Hazards website (NASA) - there are some just plain cool images on there, and they are really sharp.

For instance, here is a satellite image of hail damaged crops in Montana back in June. Apparently, the hail stripped the leaves off of the vegetation, resulting in a loss of 'green' areas as seen from space. And this image shows just how overly green Texas is because of it's over abundant rain & flooding this year - and it also depicts drought conditions in Oklahoma to the northeast.


In reading today's Boston Globe, I came across an article that discussed some insurance companies not renewing homeowners policies along the coast of Massachusetts. One woman who lives in East Boston was featured in the article - she can't even see the ocean from her house. I'm thinking here that maybe the homeowner & the author of the article are missing the bigger picture... Yes, the insurance companies are trying to limit their liabilty, and yes, it sucks to loose your insurance. BUT, you've got to wonder why... there has got to be some hard science & good reasoning behind why the insurance companies aren't willing to take on some policies. "Blocks" away from the ocean is not going to help much with a drastic sea level rise. I don't think it's just the increase in storm frequency & intensity that has them worried, but it also has something to do with projected (and unprojected) sea level rises. At a 2 meter sea level rise, East Boston starts to look a little soggy - at 7 meters, it looks largely underwater (this map goes up to 14 meters).

Pea Tendrils

We woke up this morning, had our cup of coffee, and got ourselves to the farmer's market in Harvard, MA for the first time. We've been meaning to go for weeks, but the stars haven't aligned for us to make it yet (stupid house maintenance - we slacked off on the house all spring & summer to train for the PMC, and alas, the house has started falling down just in time for winter).

We discovered pea tendrils for sale at the farmer's market. I had no idea you could eat the pea GREENS. And to think, when I grow peas, I just let that stuff de-compose in place (no hassle compost). Shows you how much I have to learn. At any rate, we sauteed the greens/tendrils up with garlic, onion & olive oil in a the stir fry pan. Very tasty.

We also had a surprise visit from our pal who lives in California - it just happened to be his birthday. Just when I was despairing that we lived so far out in the sticks that no one ever came to see us, this guy from the left coast gives us a call, and shows up for lunch. It was great. We had great weather & it was a beautiful day. And instead of hearing 'you guys live in the middle of no where' we heard 'wow- this is BEAUTIFUL' - a very nice change. I think the foliage & sunshine helps...

What else? we caved in & turned the heat on. We had a huge condensation problem last night - and its in the 50s in our bedroom, so I guess it's time. Bummer though. This winter is supposed to be brutal on the heating oil bills.

As soon as the red sox hurry up & win, I'm going to bed.... 'night!

It begins?

Water wars are a-brewing... Georgia's Governor has asked the Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the water flow from Georgia to Florida & Alabama...

Water wars have not been uncommon in the west, but it seems highly unusual to me to have this occurring other parts of the country.

Oct . 15th Bloggers Unite!

Monday is apparently a new internet holiday - Blogging for the environment day. Bloggers Unite!

I dunno. This idea seems a little too cute for me... It's like the virtual world/environmental version of Valentines Day - a holiday invented purely to get other people sucked into buying something because they are "supposed to"... only in this case, no one is buying, but dedicating a day to virtual lip service. I can see why it's appealing to get the whole blogosphere focused on one issue on one day, but most of the blogs I read are environmental minded anyway... If the average Joe joins in, THEN I'll impressed. I guess I'm happy that it's on blogger.com's main page prior to the even though. Will people join in? Who knows. At least it's not a waste of paper or anything :-) There is nothing to lose I suppose.

Atlanta, GA: Lake Lanier provides 1/3 of Georgia resident's water supply (including Atlanta), and Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management says there is enough water left in the lake to provide 121 days worth of water. They are begging people to conserve water. Litterally.

The long range forecast for the area is calling for their drought to continue into December.

I've also heard from a friend that parts of North Carolina is running out of water as well.

Don't think global warming is all that bad? Think about this: droughts are forecast to become greater in frequency & duration due to climate change. We just don't know exactly where this will happen. Some areas will become wetter & cooler. Others warmer & drier. We don't really know where the line will fall in the U.S., but if global warming exists, then this sort of scenario that we are seeing in the SE United States right now is likely to play out again and again. I'm not saying that the current droughts are indicative of global warming - I'm just pointing out that as bad as it is now, it's likely to get a lot worse & become more widespread.

And so...

On Tuesday, I went into MIT for a symposium on earth revolutions (i.e., climate change). At some point the taped & edited version be up on the internet, and I'll come back an add the link. It was very interesting, and I got more out of it than I thought I would. I had to blow off my studio session to do it, but that's OK. Opportunities such as that don't present themselves often. It was free & open to the public, so I had little to lose.

There were some pretty reputable people at this symposium. We are headed down a really scary road if we don't do some very, very quickly. I'm seriously hoping that 2007 turns out to be the year that we all wake up.

For instance, the whole opening of the Northwest passage thing. NOBODY was predicting this would happen. No model's were forecasting it - it caught everyone by surprise. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), which incidentally was awarded half of the Nobel Peace Prize today, certainly didn't forecast it. Here's a nifty little graph that overlays this year's arctic sea ice loss with IPCC's forecasted sea ice loss (complete with ranges, and the average loss rate). This should be really, really scary. Nobody saw this coming so soon. And with the loss of the albedo effect (sea ice is white, white reflects light & thus heat, which keeps the arctic cool, preventing the oceans from warming at an accelerated rate, which impacts the entire global climate), then you SHOULD be loosing sleep at night.

It's not easy. There is more information out there than you can sort through, and it's frequently confusing & conflicting. But the ONE strategy that seems to be the most sound, and the most all-encompassing is to buy local whenever you possibly can. The less stuff that you buy that has to be shipped in, the better off you'll be. This goes beyond "buy American" (which means little - my subaru was built in the midwest, but aren't a lot of american cars now built in Mexico where labor is cheaper?)

Besides... buying local helps your neighbor. It keeps him in business. It keeps money in your community, and you can directly see who benefits. It keeps your neighbor employeed. It keeps their mortgage paid, their house lived in.

For instance: I decided I wanted a turkey pot pie yesterday. Turns out that the turkey farm 5 min up the road sells more than Thanksgiving Turkey's. In 15 minutes, I had gone to the store, picked up not only a frozen turkey pot pie, but also a turkey meatloaf for later use, come home & put them in my freezer. I know where those turkey's came from, and where that meat was processed - and I trust it. Meanwhile, ConAgra was fighting to avoid a recall on their chicken pot pies, even though 139 people in 30 states have gotten salmonella poising from them. I did a quick spreadsheet yesterday using recall notices on the USDA website. To date, over 22 MILLION pounds of meat have been recalled this year. That's just WRONG.

The silly season is coming. My mother & my sister are already bugging us about what we want. I'm going to try to see whether I can do the whole christmas gift thing by buying local. I'll let you know how it goes.

Eventually, our entire lifestyles are going to change drastically over time. We can deny it, or we can make it for the better, and make it ours. It's kind of like the difference between aging gracefully or repeatedly getting costly & drastic plastic surgery and continuously dying your hair/mustache/eyebrows...

I have a lot of changing to do. My lightbulbs were all changed years ago. It's not enough. I garden, I compost, I recycle. But it's not enough. There is always one more step to take, one more small thing I can do. So we'll try doing Christmas gifts local. It's a start.

Firefighter

Recently, 2 firefighters in Boston died while fighting a fire. This week, their autopsy reports were leaked to the media because traces of cocaine were found in one of the firefighter's system, and the other firefighter had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10, where in Massachusetts the legal limit is 0.08.

Now, everyone is upset about the reports being leaked, and there is an official investigation in the works. From the families points of view, I can understand why you'd be upset - they lost their husbands/fathers and now these results come to light. I can't imagine the suffering that they were going through before these results were released, and now they have to deal with this too? It's awful.

BUT - the fact that the mayor, and the firefighters union seems to be MORE upset about the leaking of the reports than the content of the reports seems a little suspicious. They said that they are reviewing drug testing procedures, but no one has said "they have a clean record, they've always tested negative" - I wonder if they had been tested at all? It just seems...odd.

It's not like these guys are sitting in an office all day, not hurting anyone. They had jobs that required the use of heavy machinery, and they were directly responsible for public safety. Their job required on the spot smart decisions at a moment's notice. How would you feel if you were in a horrible car accident, and the guy that came to pull you out of your twisted car smelled of alcohol? Would you trust any instructions he gave you? Would you trust that person to try to revive your spouse, or use the jaws of life while your kid was inside a car? What about their coworkers? Firefighters have to depend on each other for their lives. You HAVE to know that the people you work with are able to do their job and do it well - it's a matter of life & death.

It's very unfortunate. I feel very badly that at least one of these guys made a bad decision, and ended up paying for it with his life, and dragging his family into hell in the process. It's sad to see, and I wish it hadn't happened. But at the same time, maybe we need to look at WHY it happened & how to prevent rather than critizing the media for bringing it to light. Maybe they should be focusing on how to prevent this from happening again, rather than prosecuting the people who leaked the story. These guys are paid with public funds - shouldn't we know when they are abusing controlled substances while on the job, and when they may be impairing the safety of those people who pay their bills?

While writing this, an incident from August comes to mind. We went to a pub in the town next to us - there was one very drunk and beligerent guy yelling, starting fights stumbling around. He was wearing a firefighter's t-shirt (like some of the guys in this picture), as were all his buddies (and the apparently very young-ish girl with him - she was at least 10 years younger than him, barely old enough to even be IN a bar). It was only 5 p.m. - and someone called the police about this guy. The police basically showed up, told him to knock it off & settle down (it looks like they knew him on a first-name basis) and then the police left. They didn't even make him leave the bar, let alone take him into protective custody. This guy was completely lit up. He smelled like alcohol, he was slurring his speech, he was litterally stumbling drunk. His friends were holding him up. AND he was itching for a fight - taking on the very people who were trying to help him.

I'm not saying that all fire fighters are bad - on the contrary. I know some very good people who are firefighters. However, it's like every other job: there are good people & bad people. Unfortunately, though, the few bad apples have a lot of responsibility for public safety and it just seems like a bad mix.

do it yourself!

I've just found instructions for a do-it-yourself solar hot water heater. It sounds like something that could be right up my alley. I've been looking for a way to wash the dogs outside without making poor Kuma shiver to death (whether its irrational Kuma-fear or a reaction to near-freezing well water, I'm not sure). The best part? The instructions say it'll cost $5. Thats WAY cheaper than paying a plumber to put a hot water spigot on the outside of my house, which may or may not be "legal".

The Northwest Passage exists after all!

The fabled Northwest Passage DOES exist. Or at least as of early September of this year it did. All those explorers were just early!

The BBC reported on Sept. 21, 2007 that the NW passage is open, and we might see an ice free arctic by 2040. The scariest part of this article is that in it someone says "yay, now we can get to more oil"...

Alternative estimates for an ice-free summer arctic range from 2015, 2023, 2040 to the end of the century. Corresponding sea level rise? somewhere between 1m (now considered outdated, after this summer's melting) and 25m. Or 80m, depending on where you look.

At what point do we all sit down, stare at each other and say "Oh CRAP!" ? Take a look at this google map. Look up where you live, and where your friends & family live....

Here's an interesting article regarding one reason why maybe we haven't heard an appropriate alarm about this: when scientists raise a big red flag, their funding gets cut off. Damn. Makes it hard to do any research that way.

As of 2005, NASA says that sea level has risen 16mm. Not that much. Read the above article though. I can't find any sea level data more recent than 2005. I'd love to get my hands on that.

The National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) posts updates every few days regarding the shifts of sea ice/melting of sea ice. It changes THAT quickly that they update surface area figures & such every few days. Amazing. Here is their "melting season wrap-up" for this past summer - published yesterday. They detail the NW passage, and also note that the date of lowest ice extent in the year is getting later every year. And the winter re-building is shorter & not as extensive.

Apparently all these changes are already impacting the indigenous cultures in the arctic. They use the sea ice to travel & hunt. If there is less of it, they have to completely alter how they survive, and it's already happening. The Polar Bears are being impacted, and I imagine seals are also being impacted.

I've just been told all this is on the front page of the NY Times....

Irony

Has anyone noticed the irony of fighting a war to spread democracy while our own constitutional rights are being eroded, and our 'checks & balances' system is becoming a 'blank check' system?

It just seems odd to me.

It also seems odd to me that nobody cares. Or says anything.

Another month passes...

But I have an excuse - I was on vacation for a few weeks. It was fun, and I have almost no pictures to prove it. We went to Hawaii to visit family and then to the Bay Area to visit a friend. We had a good time, and really enjoyed California. We got to borrow a friends convertable Audi TT while we were there, did some hiking, went sailing in San Francisco Bay, went hiking in Yosemite, went for a motorcycle ride (then learned how to ride the damn thing - so now, if I find myself trapped in an action movie, I can take off on a motorbike to escape the evil villians), went kayaking and a wonderful bonfire on a beach in Santa Cruz. I wonder if I can live in a place with no seasons... The Bay Area was beautiful, and it seemed to fit us well. AND K's company has an office there that I think he could probably transfer to in a little while.

Hawaii was good, but mostly family oriented. Jet Blue lost my luggage for 5 days. On a direct flight that I was 4 hours early for - go figure. So I ended up having to drag all my in-laws around Kauai looking for underwear & a bikini. What's more fun than the degradation of bikini shopping? Doing it with an audience... They were very nice & understanding about it, but it was a pain in the butt to have to do all that (and time consuming. I felt really bad about that). Kauai was beautiful - we went snorkelling (I saw an morey eel and got a little freaked out) and stayed in a beautiful condo in Princeville, which just happened to have a view towards Hanalei, AND which just happened to include a perfect sunset. My in-laws also surprised me by buying me a ukelele of my choosing for my birthday. Wa-HOO! (I was planning on getting one for myself anyway).

I will be going back someday. Carry-on only.

I took these photos with my iPhone. Before the price dropped...






Sunset in Princeville.

















Where we went snorkelling, just beneath the condo.













Sunset on the plane out of Hawaii. I took a LOT of these out of sheer bordem.










I have a few more to post, but I've got to get going at the moment...back to the darkroom...

Pun

Here's a really funny pun sent to me by a friend:

"Gandhi walked barefoot almost everywhere, so he had very caloused feet. he also ate very little, which made him frail, and because of his odd diet, he had bad breath. This made him a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis."

So I spent part of the night sleeping on the back deck. No, I wasn't in trouble - I was there by choice. The height of the perseid meteor shower. We saw many meteors, but it started to cloud over around 1 am, at the supposed peak, so we went inside. I was up again at 330 to check (still cloudy) and by the time I got up at 6, it was raining. Damn.

But I did get to see some. And it was a beautiful night for sleeping outside. Maybe I'll do it again tonight.

And - Bonus - just found out that there is a total lunar eclipse when we will be in Cali. sounds like a good time to go find a dark spot to spend a night.

Apple Addict

I've become an apple addict. I finally got my iphone, and spent the rest of the day on saturday sighing and saying 'i'm so happy', much to the amusement of my husband. Its very handy to have the internet in your pocket. It feels kind of magical, in a harry potter sort of way. You need to look something up? I have the wiki in my pocket! email in my pocket. news, weather, in my pocket. i don't think i'll have to text much anymore - send an email, its free & unlimited!

you can't get every website. but you can get most. things that run on java wont load (security feature) - so, for instance, I can't look at property values on zillow.com (I tried).

the camera isn't so hot in low-light or if the subject (or you) is moving. but its OK. I'll live.

Oh, I dearly wish I had bought that apple & AMD stock back when apple first came out with itunes.... i thought of it but didn't in the interest of diversification. but i should have, diversification be damned. ugh.

I don't feel sorry for this guy...

So, as I was reading on CNN, there is a guy in Texas (where else?!!) that is suing 1-800-flowers for sending a thank you note for his order to his house. The problem is, those roses weren't for his wife, and she's now trying to divorce him (for the 2nd time).

Morale of the story? You're not divorced until you're actually divorced. And until you're actually divorced, maybe you shouldn't be sending other women flowers...

I dunno. I just find this very funny. And I hope the woman wins her bundle o' money... Instinct...gotta stick with your instinct...

uh-oh, things a-changin'

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."

~ Robert Frost

I've been frequently reminded of this poem this week. Fall is coming. Its getting lighter later day by day, and its now dark by the time I eat dinner. The flowers are dying, the crickets are loud, and the apples are bright green orbs in the orchards. The fall-only farmstand opened this week. And the light just looks autumn.

I don't know if I am ready for this.

Maybe it's been happening all along, and I'm now just noticing that life is moving on now that I've surfaced after the PMC - but it suddenly feels like we should be eating roasts, and butternut squash ravioli, and picking out pumpkins.

I can't believe another summer is almost over.

cool timeline

So while looking for something else, I ran across this cool little timeline - now they just have to update all the events to link to wikipedia & I'll be happy...

spread of obesity

Here is a fun little interactive map of how the obesity epidemic has spread over the past 20 years or so. The 1991 to 1995 change was fairly alarming, as was the 1997 to 2001 change.

So the 1985/baseline map - this is when I was 7 years old or so. I had one family member who was obese, and people would actually comment on it. It was an oddity. In 1991, I was 13, and this person was still an oddity - and I can remember specific instances of biased treatment of this person. But just after 2001, I moved to the South. I was amazed by how this same family member would be considered "normal" or within a normal-ish range where I was living in Texas & Mississippi.

The most interesting thing about this map, that I see, is that 1985, half the states didn't even collect data on obesity. In 1991, 3 states still didn't collect the data. In 1991, the highest obesity rate was 20-24% (found in 4 states). In 2004, only 7 states had an obesity rate under that 20-24% that had been the highest rate 13 years earlier. Its really scary. I don't even want to see the projections for the future. I'm not even sure I want to know where we are now in 2007.

And we wonder why health care costs are out of control...

I don't know what the solution is. The transfat bans are a place to start, but thats not an answer, just a mere piece of the puzzle. I wonder how strong the correlation is between 'cheap credit' and obesity... if credit is easier to obtain, maybe people who previously had to walk places are buying cars. Or maybe as credit was easier to get, more people bought houses and moved out to the suburbs where they had no where to walk to and in turn had to start driving everywhere. I guess that way to figure that out would be to look at the areas that have had giant suburban building booms over the past 10 - 15 years, and see how that correlates to the spread of obesity map.

Maybe cheap credit is hazardous to our health?

Birthday Continues

So, despite the no-gift birthday, My family did give me some small things that they had apparently purchased before I told them it was a no-gift birthday. One of my gifts was a manila envelope full of past birthday/holiday cards that people had given to me. Most of these cards are from people who have long since passed away, and for once, I was glad my mom saved something & gave it to me. Very strange to see handwriting & messages to the child-me from people who are no longer able to tell me anything.

Until right now, I didn't understand the whole card-giving culture. I figured it was hallmark-invented thing whose sole purpose was for generating money. I GET it now. And when my kids get cards, I am saving every single one of them for them.

The timing of this is perfect - I now see a real good reason to work on making my own photo cards. A lot of the greeting card choices out there are awful, and I can never find one I like. And if you are going to give something to someone that they might keep for 20 or 50 years, it might be nice if you liked the card you give that person in the first place. Once you are gone, that might be all you leave behind to remind them of you. It might as well reflect you accurately.

Because I can never find cards I like, I tend to just not give them. I think I need to adjust my thinking a little bit. Just because the cards I find are BAD doesn't mean I can't make something better. It might mean that other people are looking for better options too... And thus, it looks like K's Aunt is right, and I need to get going on making cards...

Hooray!

Its my birthday. I feel kind of like Sarah Silverman... I can't seem to help myself from telling people. I got carded while buying a bunch of beer & wine for a BBQ I'm having, and even my husband tells the guy 'it's her birthday!' And I added 'but I'm not turning 21'.

So the question is...why do I actually like it this year? Usually I kind of dread it. I think the reason has something to do with the fact that I have mandated it a 'no-gift birthday'. No social awkwardness to be had! I asked my family to donate to our PMC ride in lieu of any and all gifts for this entire year. Suddenly, I don't have to pretend to like something :-)

And as for my hubby, well, I didn't get him anything for his birthday, either. So it all evens out, and suddenly, I can just enjoy the day for the day. Good food, good friends, and of course - naturally- it is stormy out. The house is even clean HOURS in advance of when people are supposed to be here. I got up at 6:30 this morning. And I'm happy about it. I think I've finally just figured out the my birthday dread issues. A huge weight has been lifted.

I think that there is something to be said in just celebrating good health, general happiness, and just being alive.

Itchy Feet

I have itchy feet. I've spent the past week indulging in an obsession to move to the Bay Area. It'd be hard to leave my comfy little quite country home...but I'm BORED. Perhaps things area a little too tame around here. We'll see how I feel after we head out there to see friends & family, though. But the climate & diversity is really appealing... and living closer to the city.

on a side note, I got a Where's George bill while on an 80-mile ride yesterday. The bill itself is really boring. I'm the only one who has logged in its location since it was put in the system in 2005. It's travelled 59 miles in that time (although I'm sure its been further - that's just its official/logged travel). But this system of tracking bills is really a neat idea. I'd like to see someone say "I was sick and coughed on the bill before spending it" :-)

iphone cozy

So I got to play with a friend's iphone last night, and I am definitely hooked. Despite the ridiculous service plan cost, not to mention the ridiculous cost of the gadget itself. Why I actually NEED one is beyond me. But I need one. Who knew I needed a sexy phone? I do NOW, of course... I honestly think that if I were offered a choice between diamonds or a new car or an iphone, the iphone would win.

But my problem is the screen of the iphone. It looks like it'll get beat to shit in about - I dunno - about 20 seconds once I actually activate it. And another problem - there is not yet a plethora of iphone cozy's out there. I am way too lazy to make one. And I can't ask *SS* because she's busy virtually arranging her new apartment.

but hey... at least the iphone doesn't have an antenna that I can snap off. I'll have to get some kind of a cloth covered bubble wrapped thing with a leash on it.

Comcast...sucks!

I saw a plane flying above my town the other day, trailing a banner that says "FIOS IS HERE!!!" - so I biked home as fast as I could, only to find out that Verizon lies. Fios is NOT here yet. Apparently the plane was just turning around or heading to the airport or something. The bastards. such a tease!

So I've bit the bullet, and I broke down & ordered DVR from comcast... like I don't give them enough of my money every month, right? What's another $15? I ordered it last week. And had to schedule an installation appointment, which means I had to wait a week before I could actually enjoy it. They couldn't just send me the stupid box, right? I'm very good at plugging things in - especially when I am unplugging one thing and swapping it with something very similar. I mean, with two science degrees in the house, you'd think we'd be capable... but then, I guess, comcast wouldn't get their 'installation fee'

So I'm now 1.75 hours into my 2 hour installation window. I'm sure they'll call me at 4pm, an hour after the end of the service window (1-3pm) to tell me they wont be able to make. At which point I'll have wasted an entire day for them not to show up. How do I know? It's happened before.

And I think when that happens, I'll tell them to keep it. And explain that I've lost hours of productivity waiting around for them to blow me off, so I'm not interested in giving them any more money. And then I'll tell them that as soon as FIOS shows up, Comcast is getting the Axe. And then I'll tell them that in the mean time, I'm getting a Tivo.

15 minutes left, guys...

2007 PMC (1 of Many posts, I'm sure)

So I've plotted out the Route for the 2007 Pan-Mass Challenge that we are participating in on August 4th & 5th. Unfortunately, it took me a couple of hours to do this on google maps. There may have been an easier way to plot it, but this is the only linkable map I figured out how to create.

So if I'm tired from plotting the route, how am I going to feel after I actually RIDE it? (duh - exhausted).

A few folks whom I know read this have asked for the link to our fundraising page. After we complete the ride, I'll post pictures (we're buying a small point & shoot specifically for this purpose).

Ferrari Man

I completed my first Century yesterday. Kind of a milestone for me. (For those of you not familiar, a century is a 100-mile bicycle ride). I was pretty sore last night, but I'm feeling better this morning... which is good - I'm supposed to do 60 miles today, according to the PMC training plan. Of course, according to the afore-mentioned training plan, I was only supposed to do 90 yesterday. So we'll do no more than 50 today. and if you factor in the unplanned 20 miles I did on Friday, we might bring that down to about 30 miles, to keep the training load about even. And then its supposed to be 90 today, with thunderstorms later, so we'll see how much I actually get done.

The ride was mostly uneventful & I'll spare you the boring details. But the Wayland-Weston-Sudbury area is amazingly beautiful (and more or less flat). I highly recommend Water Row in Wayland (or maybe its just over the Sudbury line). But BEWARE: the town of Sudbury PADLOCKS their port-o-pottys... the sadistic bastards. (Also, Acton has nice clean port-o-pottys at some of their parks, and THEY don't lock them.) I guess this means I'll never move to Sudbury - out of SPITE.

The high light of the ride: When we were headed home going west on Rt 117 through Maynard, we came across THE definition of a mid-life crisis in action. A man in his 40s or 50s (yes, balding, slightly over weight) had washed his nice red Ferrari in his driveway, and was drying it with a leaf blower. He was holding the leaf blower above his head to get just the right angle. The only way this could have been any better is if he had been using an actual hair dryer.

Perhaps this Ferrari man is the very same Ferrari man I saw a couple of weeks ago in Acton trying to fit a case of coors light into his shiny red Ferrari. Now, I ask you. If you bought a Ferrari, wouldn't you choose a more high quality beer? A micro brew perhaps? That scene has really bothered me... I guess there is no accounting for taste.

Le Tour

Ahhh... it's Tour de France time. There's nothing like watching how bad other guys have it to put your own suffering into perspective. I'm sore today - on our ride yesterday we shaved a whole MPH off of our 60-mile route (which is still a pitiful 15.7 MPH average). But I'm not NEARLY as sore as, say, Robbie McEwen who crashed hard, and then came back to win the stage yesterday. I'm willing to bet that he's WAY more sore than I am - the aches that I feel? eh... not so bad then.

The whole tour is roughly 2,205 miles. In just over 3 weeks time. Every day is a ride that I would consider epic. They do it day after day after day. And they can't take anything because of all the doping issues. I don't even think they can take NSAIDs.

On a recent visit to my chiropractor, he mentioned that on some level, I must enjoy pain since I am a cyclist. I thought he was joking, but as I approach weekend totals of 150-miles, its starting to dawn on me that he must be not far from the truth... what is wrong with me? In addition, I heard someone refer to cycling as 'the worlds most cruel sport'. Here's a funny article someone forwarded me yesterday - at least, I thought it was funny.

Fishers

So we were riding through Acton on Pope Road between Rt 2A & Strawberry Hill Road, and for the second time in the month, found a Fisher running across the road in front of our bikes. For a mammal that is known for being very secretive & elusive, we've seen this same Fisher in the same place twice in a month.

Today he wasn't alone: he (its always a 'he' I don't know why - don't ask) stopped in the middle of the road when he saw us coming, and kind of prarie-dogged up to look at us, then turned around and ran back to where he came from. As he went over the stone wall and into the woods, two other fishers joint him bounding off into the woods.

Despite their il repute for munching on fluffy little kitties, these guys were beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And silent.

Half squid, half octopus

So I ran across this story of a half-squid, half octopus... my father-in-law used to work at this facility some time ago - I can't wait to ask him about it (the deep sea pipes, not the octosquid). The pictures are kind of interesting - on par with the Chupacabra of south-central Texas. I'm all for new species - especially the odd ones.

For some reason, it gives me a lot of hope to know that there are unknown mysteries of the deep still out there. Like giant squids, or Octosquids... or other creepy slimy creatures...

Of course, I feel just a little bad that we oblly find them because we suck them into filters, or catch them in giant nets... but at least there is a little unknown out there.

so 5 months pass...

I'm not the most reliable person, apparently. I disappear for LONG periods of time. Months, in fact.

I'll just skip the last few months. You didn't miss much. I went snowboarding in Salt Lake City, which was amazing. Beautiful weather, great riding, and good friends. Can't beat it. Although there was the one racist drunk shmuck in downtown SLC - if you're of a minority, put on your thick skin before visiting SLC.

Lots of Photography. Started using the large format (B&W only). Started doing portraits. Chickened out from entering a show at the Fitchburg Museum of Art. I'm currently struggling with what to bring on our August trip - we're going to Hawaii & California, and I'm not sure how much gear I really want to bring. In an ideal world, I'd bring my large format, but its too much crap to carry.

We are riding the PMC again this year. The PMC (PAN-MASS CHALLENGE) is a 2-day, 192-mile bicycle fundraiser that raises money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston through its Jimmy Fund. Want to help support our ride? We could really use the help... Last week we rode 145 miles. Next week we'll ride 170-miles or so...

So other than riding a lot, life continues. We eat, sleep & ride now. And work. I'm really looking forward to August, when I can take some time off from riding. Of course, then we start running - we've agreed to do a 1/2 marathon in the DC area in March. Should be....interesting. to say the least.

Some gratuitous eye candy, until I return...

NPR StoryCorps

So I have these friends *JA* and *EWS* - friends from childhood, still friends. Been through a lot. And apparently, used to get in the worst fights... Listening to *JA* tell these stories over gmail chat, I was falling off my chair laughing. One thing led to another, and I've decided I want to get them together in a room with a recording device & a microphone. And send it into StoryCorps, and get their childhood fist fights logged into the Library of Congress. A La 'Ira Glass'. Should be a good time - their friendship just completely fascinates me, and I cannot believe how sister-like they are to this day (their familes are basically the same family now - siblings & all). I figure it might be used as fodder for when their kids hit the teenage years.

Have you heard of StoryCorps? This is by far the coolest thing I've heard of in quite some time. Aside from SunTubes. The idea that these two's fistfights over barbie shoes can be cataloged in the Library of Congress is extremely funny. When they are old, and deny they ever did such things, and the rest of us are too old to argue (or worse- gone), it'll be there. Permanently.

Winter Came!

It arrived, finally. It was negative 0.5 degrees this morning. Its now all the way up to 13 degrees. I haven't drank anything cold today.

Its funny what cold weather does to people, at least here in the Northeast. While I haven't been able to find time to do these house projects I've been wanting to do - like replacing the carpet in one room with a cork floor, and painting the room at the same time- suddenly, it seems like 'nesting' is THE most important thing I could do. Maybe its because its productive, yet I don't have to leave the house.

My version of nesting is a bit different. It involves pry bars and skinned knuckles... but to each his (or her) own. I've managed to remove all the carpet & padding, and almost all of the trim work. Now I can 1) patch the walls, 2) paint and then 2) put the flooring in. I hope to have a new room to play with by the end of the month. The yoga room, which will double as a studio of sorts. It should be a pretty neat space.

And in between bouts of the lovely creaky noise of forcing nails out of their proper place, I've had time to work, read, reflect, and learn to knit. I love winter just for weeks like this.

"ki" saw an add in the paper for the Harvard Extension School for a Master of Liberal Arts in Environmental Management. Ahh, the idea of going back to school. So terrifying, in a way, although I'm sure I'd love it.

Maybe this isn't such a bad idea... I'd have 5 years to complete the degree... 4 required courses (3 of which are online courses), 5 electives (there is a whole long list of them, half of them are online, but the electives I choose will determine a LOT about the direction my career takes, so I'm not sure that what I will want to do will be online), and a masters thesis (scary, but not too scary). I'm sure I can do this. I'm pretty sure I can get in, given my undergrad performance and my work experience (both are required).

Its funny. I used to say I wanted to work for a few years, and then go back and get my masters. Then I forgot about it. Then I didn't want to, and now, suddenly, its not scary, and its not impossible, and it makes sense. Luckily, the next information session isn't until June, so I don't have to rush it. I might have to put photography on hold for a little while, because I might want to keep working. Or not. does it really matter? If most of the classes are online, I might be just fine.

Maybe its just time. I'll sit on it for a little while and see what happens.

PMC Strikes Again

So, its January. The middle of January. Its finally snowing. So what did I do? I signed both "ki" and I up for a 192-mile, 2 day ride from Strubridge, MA to Provincetown, MA. In order to fund the Jimmy Fund. We are officially an additional $7,200 in debt (even if we cancel, we owe the money). If thats not impressive enough, consider this: the night we spend in the middle of the ride, we'll be sleeping in a tent, on the ground (sore muscles and all). But, because we are physically able, we feel that we have to.

Last year, we didn't sign up in time. We missed out, and were left with a 'one day' ride option. It was great, but this year we get to do the whole shebang. We've already done the hilliest part. Now we have much longer to train (in theory). Much longer to fundraise. Its time to get creative. Ideas welcome. Donations welcome. People to come and cheer and clap welcome.

We all need goals, right? How about curing cancer & helping the Jimmy Fund? thats a pretty heavy goal. The PMCs goal this year is 27 Million. Last year, they had reached their goal even before the ride started, and had to adjust to a new goal. I can't wait to see what happens this year.

Shoot Yourself Mag

So while I was in Hawaii, looking for something to read on that crazy long flight home, I came across a magazine that had this headline on the cover: "Shoot Yourself" and i thought ah-hah! this is perfect. A photo mag with a sense of humor. Out of all the magazines I bought, this one was by far the most entertaining. The magazine is called JPG, and its all about reader submitted photos.

While at first you might groan, this is the best part. Every month, they have different topics, and readers submit their shots to be printed. This month is "Street: Show the world as it is," "9-5: Photos of people on the job" and "Elegance: Beauty in the everyday"

It changes every month. There are 7 days left to submit photos for issue 9. If you become a member (free) you can upload up to 10 high quality pics a day. 72 dpi or a minimum of 2200 pixels tall or wide.

Warning: that website will suck you in... I need to get to work...

Wacky weather

I saw a robin today. Mid-January. high temp tomorrow is 19 degrees F. Winter finally shows up...and here is the robin, arriving just in time. that poor little guy is not going to make it.

and - oh- its flurry-ing out. for the first time here this winter that i've seen (although I've heard from a reliable source that is has actually snowed at my house- just not while i've been here).

such a crazy winter.

iTV

I cannot wait for iTV to get here next month. I am so sold on this idea. I'm sure they'll improve it and I'll have to upgrade in 2008, but thats a risk I'm willing to take.

My iPod just crashed. Its on the table, hooked up the receieve on the other side of the room, and its charging mechanism (my laptop) is over here... just think...I could 'beam' my itunes all the way over there :-) Thank god January is half over.

we all need priorities, right?

Yet another 2 month pass...

My excuse is the holidays. They just suck the life out of me. Spent Thanksgiving in Washington State (the only real snow I've seen this winter to date...), and Christmas & New Years on the North Shore of Oahu. Lots of long plane trips. It was good though.

Hit a flat spot in the shooting. Maybe its the lack of light & all the rain here in New England. I'm just kind of rolling along. A reactive type existence... someone pokes me, I move. Although I did manage to spend a whopping 2 hours in the gym today. I discovered the steam room - it came right after the hot tub and just before the sauna. It was a good day.

I did get some neat waterfall shots while in Washington... on film, which I've printed, and scanned while my old crappy scanner was on its last legs (I killed it...new & improved one should be here by next weekend). In the mean time, this is what I have so far:

So while in Washington, we went to a Japanese garden, as usual. The one we visited this year was called "Kubota Garden" in Seattle. It was cold. It was rainy. It was Seattle at Thanksgiving.

I was going to add another print here, but the photo button seems to be broken... maybe later...

The good news is that I have finally learned my lesson, and I am trying to scan all my 'keep-able' prints before I don anything else with them (like frame them and give them away)... its a lot easier to share that way. So when the technology stars are finally aligned, I'll be back to post some more... Although the Hawaii stuff isn't ready to go yet, as I've been really slow in the studio as of late.

In the mean time a few exciting highlights from our Washington trip:

• People in Seattle can't drive in the snow, even when they go looking for it on purpose.
• A chest freezer can hold an awful lot of whole salmon
• It takes a long time to smoke salmon...especially if your smoker is on the fritz
• Sake (or at least a couple of bottles of it) is best when shared with the in-laws...

2 months later...

Two months later...

I've finished my first B&W photo class, and I am so hooked. I actually feel bad about my color photography, because there is nothing going on there at all. At the end of the session, we mounted the photos we wanted to show to the rest of the class, and then during the final class we showed them in a little mini-show type of thing. It went really well. I had too many. Of course, this means that what I have done is now mounted to mat board, and its too much of a pain to scan them to share... so in the future, I'll be scanning my work BEFORE I mount it :) If anyone is still bothering to check this here nearly abandoned blog, you can check back periodically in the next few weeks and I will try to scan & post as i complete things...thus avoiding a big backlog. hopefully.

At any rate, the showing went well, and I was invited back to show the night class (more advanced) what I had been doing. Paul (instructor) didn't tell them I was a newbie - when they found out, they were surprised. I felt a little awkward, but I was glad that I went. I now have a lot more ideas...

So...work...is still going. I tried to quit on Wednesday, actually, but was talked out of it with the promise of the company being more sensitive to my scheduling needs. So hopefully, there will be fewer trips down to the office (100 miles, roundtrip). I might try and take every other week off. something like that. but I simply need more studio time. and house time. and dog time. So maybe if I work from home, it'll be easier to get house & dog stuff done. I hope to be spending 3 full days a week either shooting or in the darkroom. I'm doing 2 days a week easily now, and a little extra time would be nice.

Its funny. this year may actually be my 'golden year'. Things just seem to be lining up. We've paid off all of our bad debt (cars & mortgage = good debt). Work is fullfilling for both of us. We have friends. I'm being validated big time with my photography, and in general, we're just plain happy.

and its very odd to be happy. for once. just plain happy. at least for me. The problems that i have (and i still complain, only not as much) are really good problems, and don't deserve to be complained about. I can't help but realize how lucky and happy we are every day.

and, thusly, beware the undertoad. Are you familiar with the undertoad? its that uneasy feeling lurking around in the background. that 'waiting for the other shoe to drop' feeling.

In the past week and a half, I've had a set of 3 deaths - a friend of mine (from texas, rather suddenly), a friend's father was seriously ill and then his aunt passed away, and another friend lost her father. i firmly believe in the set of 3, so I hope thats all there is for now.

but yet that undertoad lurks. its there. and it makes me uneasy. beware the undertoad.

Tuckerman's Ravine

So we went up to Jackson, NH last weekend for a romantic escape from reality - something we've been dying to do for years now, but we've been prevented from doing by the military (logistically, anyway). For Labor Day Weekend in the White Mountains, traffic wasn't all that bad.

This is where we stayed: The Inn at Jackson The innkeeper, Don, was a really nice guy, in a laid back, non-sugary, not overdone kind of way. We definately plan on going back this winter, although I think I'll spring for a room that has a fireplace so all of our gear will dry out - probably better for both our gear and the room...

So on Sunday, it was a crappy day. Cold, rainy, windy; Former Hurricane Ernesto was coming through. What else could we do for fun other than climb the mountain with 'The Worlds Worst Weather'? I mean, its there, right?

So we did. We started late, around 11 a.m. - after, of course, a very large and filling breakfast at the inn (I had a huge omelette, toast, fruit, juice, coffee, and a muffin - but I didn't finish the omelette). We took the Tuckerman Ravine trail from the AMC visitors center at Pinkham Notch (Elevation: 2032 feet above sea level (ASL)), and climbed...up...

It wasn't too steep, but it was constant. Obviously it varied over the 4.1 miles or so to the summit. We veered off the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to get onto Lion Heads trail at about the 2.3-mile mark (elevation: 3825' ASL). The AMC guide had said it would take us 2 hours, 5 minutes to reach this junction - we had been climbing for 1 hour and 11 min. We thought we were in pretty good shape to shave an hour off that ascent. Its not that we weren't, but thats where the rapid progress stopped.

Once we got on the Lion Head Trail, the trail became much narrower, and much less user-friendly. K & distrated ourselves with discussing greek & roman mythology (which stemmed from a comment about how I was glad I married K, since he was the only person I had ever found that would do stuff like this with me - he said it was like stringing Ulysses bow - I'm still not sure if thats a good or a bad thing).

The Lion Head trail required much scrambling, and it seemed like it started raining harder the instant we stepped on the trail. At one point there was either a ladder or an extremely steep staircase- hard to tell which- bolted to a rock face. K made a comment that he would have used 6" lag screws instead of the 4" they decided to go with. I guess I did marry an engineer... At any rate, the ladder/stair held, although it was a bit slippery from all the rain.

Every rock was starting to get pretty slippery. It was getting noticeably cooler, as we were climbing more steadily. The views, although obscured by clouds and fog, were simply amazing, especially after the trail levelled off a bit and followed the ridgeline near Lion Head (elev: 4950' ASL or so). I'm sure we'll have to do it again someday, when it is clear, preferably during foliage season. But simply to be that high up, and have the valley below you dissappear into the fog was breath taking. When we got to Lion Head (an actual point on the map), I stood on a rock and peered over into Tuckerman's Ravine below, which was obscurred by fog/clouds. And I laughed and laughed and shouted. To be suspended above a ravine that steep in such bad weather was just really amusing for some reason. I couldn't see the bottom. I think if I had KNOWN what it looked like during good weather, I may have been nervous. As it was, K was worried about being blown off. But it was just really funny to me. In a crazy sort of way. In a 'I can't believe I'm doing this' sort of way.

Eventually, we rejoined the Tuckerman Ravine Trail near the summit of Mt. Washington (elev: 5675' ASL, distance: 3.8 mile. est time: 3h, 45 m. Actual time: approx 2.5 hr). At this point, the 'trail' became more like climbing a giant rock pile. K commented that this was NOT what he was expecting... Much more scrambling and picking your way across boulder tops than the word 'trail' connotates to us. But it was fine. Kind of slippery in the rain (which was coming down/coming across steadily now, and the wind had picked up to about 30 MPH- so it was blowing sideways, and the straps from the pack would hurt when they smacked into you). We had put on most of our clothes, and our gloves at this point. We were soaked to the bone, and I was starting to get tired.

Eventually we made it up to the summit. It was...windy- about 40 MPH; 40 degrees (F), and the rain was blowing sideways into us, through our rain gear & our clothes. Needless to say, there was no view :) Official summit elevation: 6288' ASL. Distance: 4.2 miles. estimated time: 4 hr 15 min. Actual time: 3.5 hr. We finished one of our water bottles and stuffed it in the pack.

We sat in the lodge/gift shop/observatory building and had a surprisingly NOT over priced chilidog & a hot chocolate. I seemed to get colder and colder just sitting there, inside. I assume they had the heat on in there, but maybe not. There were a whole lot of miserable hikers in there. After about half an hour of sitting, eating, and trying to warm up, we gave up and headed back down the mountain- after putting all of our wet gear back on, as well as our softshell jackets UNDER our rain gear. I was still cold.

When we left, there were two hikers behind us who left at the same time, and they were yelling like crazy into the wind like I had been earlier. We ended up splitting off the trail with them when they went down the way we had come up (via Lion Head trail - didn't envy them that). We went down Tuckerman's Ravine, just for the change in scenary. And because I did not want to go down what I had just come up- I was holding out hope that the Tuckerman Ravine Trail would prove to be a little easier because it was the more popular route.

I don't know that it much easier. It was down right scary at the headwall- the sheer drop combined with the slippery rocks... But the view, or what we could see & hear of it, was beautiful. Maybe it was more beautiful because of all the rain - the waterfalls were gushing right along. The wildflowers were also in bloom, and that, combined with the fog, the rain, and the waterfalls made it feel very close to eden. That, and when we got to the headwall, we were out of the worst of the wind.

There is a trail that branched off just before we got to the headwall; it was called the "Alpine Garden Trail" - it crosses from that point to the Lion Head Trail and to Huntington Ravine Trail and points beyond. That trail must be absolutely gorgeous, given its name, and what I saw of its beginning. Next time, I think I'd prefer to go UP Tuckerman's Ravine, and take the Alpine Garden trail over to Huntingon Ravine & down, or work our way down otherwise. From what little I got to see of the view from Tuckermans, I think the more ravines I can find, the better off I'll be :) And you can always drive up Mt Washington to see the view from the top. I've done that now & I'd like to explore a little more.

After the waterfalls & the floor of the ravine, the rest was just downhill. By this point, my knees were hurting pretty badly, and I just wanted to be done. I was tired & sore. When we finally got to the bottom, we heard voices behind us, and the same 2 guys from the top had rejoined our trail, so apparently, they survived the rock faces and the ladder on Lion Head, although it must have slow going- we stopped to enjoy the view frequently, and so did they, apparently. So I don't know about those time estimates in the AMC guide.

When we were unloading the pack (soaked) in the car, we pulled out one of the empty water bottles that we had stuffed in there at the summit. The bottle was all deformed and sucked-in on itself- apparently the air at 6,000-feet is less dense :)

It's coming

These last few days have been the sort of summer days that, although beautiful, remind you that fall is definately on its way. Perfectly sunny, warm during the day, cool at night, and no humidity (well, not NONE... 45% or so). Its like 9/11 was. 'an almost too perfect day' as Ani Difranco has said. Wonder if I'll ever be able to enjoy a late summer day without comparing it to that day.

When I woke up this morning, it was 54 degrees outside (you folks who aren't here in America will have to do your own calculations...). I put on fleece socks, jeans, a long sleeve shirt and a light weight but very fuzzy wool sweater. I was cold. It was beautiful.

There are flocks of Canada geese around too. I think its a little early for them to be migrating, but what do I know. I haven't seen many this summer and suddenly there a little packets of them in the fields where there were none last week.

The local orchard/farmstand opens today. I can't believe its that late in the year. They'll stay open until just after the Holidays, I think... although they might close after Thanksgiving. Soon I'll have to be dodging droves of weekend apple-pickers with their toddlers as the slowly cross the street...in a 45MPH zone. And I'll complain heavily, I'm sure.

Soon enough, though. Soon enough. 54 will feel WARM. I'll leave the heat turned all the way up to 60 and will tell K to get a sweater. The dogs & the cats will curl up together on the dog beds, huddling for warmth (and they'll suck me in). We'll be watching the thermometer drop, hear reports of black ice (which never apply to us since we live more or less in the middle of nowhere). There will be days where I'll refuse to leave the house, except maybe to shovel. Which reminds me- I need to get the snowblower repaired. Now.

This is why I love New England. No matter how BAD or how GOOD out it is, you know its going to change. It always changes. Something is always coming or going. It leads to a short attention span when it comes to weather. And scenery.

Foliage is coming. Frost in the morning. Big meaty stews, and buttenut squash ravioli's. Crunching leaves under foot and that fall smell. And lets not forget turkey (ahhhh thanksgiving, the one holiday I kind of like, as long as I don't think too hard about what it actually means- how horribly we treated the natives).

Life is short, and there is nothing like the cycle of the seasons in New England to remind us of that. It's coming.

The Pan Mass Challange (PMC)

So today was the Pan Mass Challange - aka the PMC. The PMC is a 1 or 2 day long bike ride from central Massachusetts to the cape, or to eastern Mass. Of course, its a fundraiser- in this case, a major fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund, which does a lot of work with cancer in children, and for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute which treats cancer patients of all ages, as well as performs cutting edge research on new cancer treatments.

We chose a one-day, 72-mile (in theory) route from Sturbridge to Wellesley. We got up at 3:30 in the morning, and drove to Sturbridge for the 6am start. We were done riding by about 1 pm. So it took us about 7 hours ride to 80 miles (this was the first year for this particular route, and it was very poorly marked once the different routes split up).

Today was one of the best days of my life.

Basically, I rode 80 miles, most of the time slapping the hands of little kids who were holding them out, waiting for just that gesture. There were a lot of people cheering, and saying 'thank you'. Entire families out cheering on their lawns at 6 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday. All 4000 riders, and 2000 volunteers, and all those countless supporters - all united for the hope for the future. The hope that a cure for cancer can be found. I helped raise $25 Million today. And it felt SO good to be a part of that, to feel empowered, and not feel so alone. Everyone there was there for a reason - either they are a survivor, or they know a survivor, or they have losted a loved one. We were all in it together, we all have that common thread, but we all had our own individual stories and reasons. And they are all painful to hear & think about (but, becuase of the hope we've helped raise, the atmosphere almost all day long was one of celebration).

I remembered over & over the day I signed K & I up for the ride- the day of the funeral for a friend of the family. I couldn't make it home for the funeral (we were on the road for K's job, and with such short notice, it wasn't possible), so I signed up for the PMC instead. I just remember how helpless and miserable I felt on that day, and today went a LONG way towards soothing that. It can't be fixed, but it can be turned around a little bit so that SOME good can come out of it.

There's a good chance that either my sister or I will be diagnosed with cancer at one point in our lives; our mother had cancer, and many relatives have had cancer. The PMC is one way to help our own personal fight on two levels: I can help raise funds for research that may one day directly benefit me & I can train for this event year after year, giving me a focus and a reason to maintain my physical fitness, which will likely reduce my risk for developing certain types of cancers, or at least, keep me stronger when it becomes my turn to fight it.

Of course, we, like many other people, have a long list of friends and loved ones that we have seen fight cancer; many have lost the fight, but many are also winning the fight. The ONLY way, really, I can help any of us is to help raise funds for research- so that we might all reap the benefits.

The ride is done for this year. But there is always next year, and next year will be bigger. and better.

Birthdays, in general, suck

This is my issue with birthdays: they never really work out. There is always SOMETHING negative that I can remember from every year- and then on my Bday, I add to the list, and remember them all at the same time. Its the one day a year where you can usually remember where you are, and it backfires in the worst way.

This year was pretty good, until the husband says he hoped to make up for all the crappy ones we've endured since we got married (and into the military). Then I remembered how bad it'd been in the past, and all the different places I'd been on my bday because of his job, and I just kind of realized how ridiculous and meaningless the last several years have been, and started wondering, what, exactly, am I going to do with myself now that I've started down this road and flushed my career down the toilet - and done so of my own free will. One thing just leads to another and it spirals out of control. And he meant well, and I know what he meant, and I appreciated the sentiment and it was WAY better than the ones in the past, except that I can't run away from my own memories, even just for a day.

And then my sister completely ignored the whole thing. I wasn't looking for a gift (I don't really understand why, except I don't like gifts from my own family- we have very different tasts and desisres, yet I always have to act happy and thankful, lest I be labelled 'ungrateful' - obviously I haven't TOLD them I have a BLOG. I don't tell them much, actually, out of self-preservation). But a phone call would have been nice. An email, even. I'm not even asking for a card :) My own sister. Who ever has these warm fuzzy feelings about sisters has apparently not spent any time with my sister & I.

I guess it boils down to this: Birthdays are just another one of those calander days that make you reflect on what you've accomplished in life, particularily in the past year, and I HATE days like that. I have nothing to show to myself, for myself. I feel very much like I am living in that Be Good Tanya's song "waiting around to die". It sounds a little harsher than intended, but basically its true. Another year has gone by, another tick on the wall, and I'm still waiting for....what? Life to start? life to hurry up and end? I imagine myself living to old age, and still trying to figure what is going on, what I want to do, and still having no answers at the age of 90.

Birthdays are just really emotionally packed days, where incindental things by other people get magnified & take on extra meaning (like my sister) and then you remember those things way longer than is healthy. Or I do :)

I'm tempted to stop celebrating all together, except I know deep down I'll still be thinking 'this used to me my birthday' and then nothing is really accomplished at all. I've tried that with Christmas, to no avail. The holidays suck too.

giant furry flying crayfish

So I was hanging laundry in the back yard and I saw a giant, furry, flying crayfish looking thing -it had a proboscis like a hummingbird, only it was curved and didn't appear to be as fixed as a hummingbirds. It had a tail that was segmented-looking, much like a crayfish or lobster. It had attenae too- very odd. What was even more odd is that it could have cared less that I was following it around, trying to figure out what it was. It didn't run away, and it didn't attack me.

After some googling around, I've discovered that it was a "hummingbird moth". A moth that appears in the daytime and eats nectar. woulda thunk?

it was cute, in an ugly sort of way. I've never heard of, let alone SEEN, anything like it.

Its been a month

So its been OVER a month, really, since I had anything useful to say. For those of your keeping track (which is few, if any, I know :) ): I've had a birthday. not a milestone birthday, not by any means, but its the first time i've actually noticed I'm getting older. Maybe because this is the year when life actually STARTS and the limbo is over (for me personally - not normal by any stretch of the immagination).

This week, I've had adventures in endurance sports. On monday, I rode my first metric century (62 miles...on a bike)- my longest ride ever. not a huge deal, but its a start. 'longest ride ever' really has a special ring to it. On Thursday, I ran about 4.5 miles. again, not a huge deal, but the second longest run I've ever done. with both of these 'events', it was just something I went and did, with very little forethought or planning- just happened. I think subconsciously, this is my retaliation against 'getting old' - and i am no where near old yet.

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I went to Decordova, a local art museum, and discovered I inadvertantly stole my blog title from them. I don't remember reading it on their website, but there it was 'Sense of Place' - an exhibit - so I must have seen it at some time and not recognized it when I spewed it out later on. I like the title, obviously, but I guess it will have to go. damnit.

After viewing their sculpture park, it occurred to me that I have a yard deeply in need of some sculptural help. I have some really neat stuff lying around (as any packrat would), and so I have some ambitious yard-sculpture plans in the making. Something that is, at least initially, shiny and will reflect light or at the very least make moving shadows for the dog to chase. I have NO idea what I am getting into, but if anyone has an old bicycle lying around that they would like to donate, by all means- let me know. hopefully, it'll make noise as well as shadows/reflections. we'll see. a toy for the dog - mere eye candy. for the dog. naturally.

Walden

Looks like summer is finally here. We've had out first 90+ degree days (they came and went quickly in typical New Engalnd fashion). And so has the time of year when the swimsuit doesn't ever get to fully dry out. Pulling on a wet swimsuit is SO much fun...

I've been to Walden twice this week. Once for kayaking (where we found a kayaker named *J* who demanded to know whether *K2* knew how to save his own ass if he happened to flip - as if it were any of his business.... If I want to die from stupidity, please let me...) - and I have found that, in general, the kayakers at Walden seem to fit in well with the Concord scene... "Look at my expensive boat, and lets see how much info you can spew out- whether the other person wants to hear it or not" or "lets sit around in our kayaks and talk but not really DO anything, as we are on a small pond that i have paddled a hundred times, and really once was enough". I WISH like hell I didn't want to move to Concord in a few years, and buy a nice little house. BUT they have coffee shops, and art galleries, lots of open space for trail running, easy access to the commuter train, they're dog friendly AND they have Walden. Everything I want, but I know I'll just complain about my neihgbors, the people, constantly. Everything that I love Concord for is also what draws the people I want nothing to do with. Like a moth to a flame... but I digress...

The second time to Walden this week: yesterday, on the solstice. What better way to spend that magical longest day of the year. In the warm light of the waning solstice...golden, perfect. The sun warming my shoulders. Thanks to Las Vegas, I think this is the tannest I've ever been this early in the year. Lets hear it for skin cancer.

Yesterday was sacred. Theres no denying it. A perfect celebration, far better than any birthday or Christmas. Just the quiet simplicity- I didn't even hear any young kids screeching across the pond. There were some really loud teenage boys who, undoubtedly, were celebrating being out of school, gearing up for a summer of heavy drinking and womanizer training.

But the quiet, the stillness. the golden late day sun. the light patterns dancing off the water and lighting the showdy parts of the trees that are growing close to shore. I kept thinking "this is new england summer at its best" - but how can the best day of summer be the first day of summer? what does that say about the rest of the season?

The good news is that I have a new 'happy place' to mentally teleport to in times of stress, or when I need to mentally check out of my body.

The fish were incredible. I wasn't swimming for exercise so much as diving to look at fish. beautiful fish: yellow; striped; baby fish, silver schools darting around, parting as I dove through their cloud; big fish too. More fish than I saw all of last year put together.

As usual, I pulled the '5 more minutes' routine... and with about 4.5 minutes left I was visciously attacted by a turtle. Well, no, not really. It swam into my back, near my shoulder. I was just standed there, treading water. Not so surprisingly really, but ironic since I had spent the entire evening joking about the pond monster that lived in the deep dark part of the pond. But it caught me by surprise, and I yelped. The Pond Monster got me. And apaprently, it was as surprised as I was, and took off in the other direction, most likely thinking 'that was not a big white rock at ALL'. I heard it was brown.

So there is a lesson for you: the Pond Monster can sneak up on you when you least expect it, and with no advance warning.

In other Walden news: there is something in the water at Walden... The car key that *K* (the other K) had in his pocket became all discolored. Not muddy, not dirty, but actually physically altered. The metal has oxidized or something. WHAT is in that water? Is that why there are no weeds growing?

Also, all my little crawfish friends that lived along the rock wall part of the pond are dead. They were lying upside down on their backs beneath the water. I think they dorwned in their little rock wall crevice homes because the water is so high this year. If I had to guess, the water is 3 FEET higher than it usually is. All the benches are underwater. It might be safe to declare the drought over. But I'm not really a hydrogeologist anymore, so don't take my word for it.

Relics and the tale of Kitchen renovation

Yesterday the other half of k2 & I went to an architectural salvage store in Amesbury, MA. We didn't find what we were looking for (old soapstone farmers sink), but there was an insane amount of really cool, but really dirty/dusty stuff. It reminded me of walking through the attic of the old house that the other 'ki' owned in Arlington Heights.

Mostly, they had old windows, old doors, old mantles, old urinals (from schools, it looked like) and door knobs. Its funny though- looking through all this stuff- it really seems like I'd see a lot of it in people's houses in the past. All the pieces were so familiar, it was comforting. Well, not the urinals, really. but the other stuff :)

We didn't buy a damn thing. But I think I'm hooked now. And I decided that we couldn't afford the sink we want, even if we happened to find it. Upwards of $1000 is too much to spend on a sink. And, apparently, the newly manufactured ones are cheaper than the older ones. Which defies logic to me, but oh well. Back to home depot for the acrylic composite, stain-proof microban sink for under $200. Call me cheap, but this house has way too many problems for me to spend that much on a sink. There is too much work to be done.

We ordered a really cool vent hood/microwave/convection oven from home depot a few weeks ago. the delivery day was supposed to be today (finally), and they were supposed to call me yesterday to set up a delivery time. they didn't call, at least not before I went to bed. They called me at almost 11 p.m. Getting woken up to an automated voice at 11 p.m. is ridiculous. I don't like getting called that late, and you can't tell a machine to go to hell (well, you can, but your point is lost). I thought someone had DIED. And to boot, I wont be home when they want to deliver it. SO... luckily, I'm not ready for it, and I will battle with them today to arrange re-delivery.

Imagine... If i had hired someone to do this for me, they would have to deal with all this crap. BUT it would cost me 4x as much, and all at once, and then I'd have to rely on them to get it RIGHT, and not let the cat out of the house. I'll take the 11 pm automated phone calls, I think...

i'm not dead...and other things

The tournament didn't kill me. I have one giant bruise, but thats nothing. And we won, so it was a good day. And I don't have to play again, I don't think...

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Its funny how the simple idea of NOT moving every 20 months or so will change a person. Suddenly, local politics are no longer 'not my problem, because I wont be here'. I CARE who represents me (why? I dunno. I think democracy is still largely a myth designed to keep all of us little people quiet...). That, and I don't vote in Texas; voting in Texas was about as exciting as littering- I threw my vote away. But I voted anyway. If I can give up my career so my spouse can defend me so called democracy (i have a big problem with THAT concept- how invading a sovereign nation amounts to defending democracy, I'll never know, but thats not the point here), I might as well take 45 minutes to wait in line to throw my vote away. But now, living here, its not a foregone conclusion that logic looses. There's a chance that sanity could prevail. So I'm paying a little closer attention. And it feels good. Like I'll have the right to complain when issues don't work out the way I had hoped they would.

I heard recently that something like 3 times as many people voted for the latest American Idol than voted for the latest presidential election. Maybe if we ran elections like American Idol, we'd have a representative government? I can't say for sure, having never been tortured by watching American Idol.... but it sounds good on the surface.


Another way that the idea of not moving across the country in a matter of months has changed me is on the home improvement front: suddenly, the idea of stretching the budget isn't a BAD idea. What I WANT (as opposed to resale value) suddenly carries weight. I can choose paint colors, and tile, and flooring, and appliances based on what I want, not on resale value. Instead of trying to create a box-store image of 'perfect', i can choose what I want, take a 'chance' (in this context, it sounds so melodramatic. but choosing colors is HARD. I'll have to like this stuff for YEARS). I can let myself be expressed (imagine this: a whole house full of personal expression that I am afraid to share with anyone.... nothing says 'hermit' like a remodelled house that no one is allowed to visit :) ). Also, I can NOT do a project, and save it until next year, or the year after... theres a lot less pressure.

These are just 2 examples. Overall, I feel very consciously that I am rebuiling my life, rebuilding me, piece by piece. Its a unique chance, not one that everyone gets, and not one that comes along often. Its terrifying, and liberating- more of the latter than the former. I'm thrilled. Imagine, getting that clean slate to start over with- how would you build yourself? What would you do? And how would you react to the idea of any future unhapiness you may experience could be related directly back to the decisions you make while the sky is the limit. Its idyllic, but scary at the same time.

what kind of brain do you have?

I'm either this:

Your Brain's Pattern

Your brain is always looking for the connections in life.You always amaze your friends by figuring out things first.You're also good at connecting people - and often play match maker.You see the world in fluid, flexible terms. Nothing is black or white.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Although i'm not good at connecting people (i don't LIKE people). everything else seems to fit.


Or this:

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is a creative hotbed of artistic talent. You're always making pictures in your mind, especially when you're bored. You are easily inspired to think colorful, interesting thoughts. And although it may be hard to express these thoughts, it won't always be.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Actually, I think I am a mix of the two, and the second one is more heavily weighted.

the tournament

Today is the big day. I've been dreading and hoping for this day for about 2 weeks. Dread: it might kill me. Hope: I get to play soccer (I like soccer- played in college, and I don't often get the opportunity).

Let me back track... my hubby 'ki" (technically, we're both 'ki' - otherwise known as k2- but here I am known as I, because its mine, all mine...) is in the military. I'm not saying which branch, and I'm not giving rank. He's getting out soon, so its a mute (moot? which is it?) point anyway. At any rate, he's in the military and he's having a group vs. group soccer tournament this afternoon.

In the military, or in some parts of it, you have group PT (physical training, usually some aerobic activity) on a weekly basis (somethimes more often, sometimes not at all). Historically, I've always gone, unless I was working - some structure is good, and being forced to get some exercise isn't a bad thing.

This spring the aerobic activity has turned visciously competetive. I've been sent to the ER once (got hit point blank by a disc directly in the nose and the bleeding would.not.stop.) and should have gone a second time (head injury from being decked by the Lt. Col - thanks, man). I have a permanent lump of scar tissue on the inside of my right leg, above the ankle, on the bone. it was swollen and bruised for weeks (it still hurts, and i think this happened in early March). I've had a cramp in my calf since late March, which I am blaming on PT as well, because thats when it first showed up.

So, this afternoon, is the tournament. I've been invited to play (kind of amazing since I am a lowly spouse, and a girl to boot- its like being a 2nd class citizen or a leper). Its 85 degrees, hazy, and humid. I'm seriously hoping for a major T-storm to cancel it, because otherwise, I'm afraid this will kill me, or maim me enough so that I can't function properly for a while. But for some reason, my pride wont let me NOT go. damn that pride. Lets pray for some severe weather to get me out of this mess.