A small view into a large life

Relaxed yesterday afternoon at the hotel, hit the pool for a bit, read some, general chilling out. Made plans to visit Taliesin on Friday with our friend ljtourist.

Met up with one of our local friends, dparter, for dinner at Kabul (good food, the Lamb Couscous was huge and very filling). He gave us walking tour of part of the UW campus (where he works) and we ended up sitting on the terrace outside the student union alongside the lake for an hour or more just chatting, relaxing and watching the world go by. Then back up State Street and over a bit for drink at ye olde local gay bar where we briefly caught up with another local friend.

Didn't see or hear a lick of poetry yesterday, which is fine really. My past experiences going to NPS have all been full immersion, with all the day events, volunteering and bouts I could fit in. At the end there was so little time for anything else that I came away from a place feeling I hadn't actually been there. There will be more time for poetry and poets tonight at least.

Off to find another cup of coffee.

This year was so amazing, I loved how many new people were there and such good vibes.
I enjoyed very much seeing friends from last year and getting to know them better. Bonding over fire, dance and laughter.

I got a tattoo this year, my first in the setting of Sacred Space, not my first tattoo, most definitely the best. Thank you to Abraham! Thank you to all those who held space for me, I was truly touched and honored to share this with you. I got a phoenix and it is very symbolic to me. I have often been forced to reinvent myself, sometimes though my own actions and sometimes because of circumstances beyond my control. Now it is time to be the bird, to embrace this aspect of the cycle and enjoy the place I am now. A phoenix lives a 1000 years before going to the fire unless injured or ill. I am ready for my time to soar. Other than the constant pain there was only one awkward moment here and I am working on that in therapy.

The drumming the was phenomenal! What fun to dance around the fire to such rhythms. I played sitting near one of the best female drummers I have ever seen. I could not keep up. I feel inspired to try more drumming and get better at it any suggestions as to where that can happen would be great!

I enjoyed getting dressed in the bathroom with all the lovely Goddesses
The food this year was great.

I got to dress a bride and witness my first Hand Fasting. It was so romantic and perfect.
I drummed one night it was great.

I made a conscious effort to be more independent as well as more connected this year. Holding space for other’s during their tattoos. Making a point to join conversations. Being giving of myself. I worked crew this year arriving a day early and then spending most of the first day working the Reception and Welcome tents. That was so much fun! I loved meeting all those people.

I did have a couple negative experiences,( more on the story )

I don't know why I'm putting myself through this, but I am.  I missed the last FRG meeting.  Caelan convinced me to stay home.  Instead, I'm going to the one on Monday.  I'm canceling my class for that night.  I'm going to make an effort at this.  I'm not going to dye my hair again yet.  I'm going to give that a few weeks.  However, I am just going to be myself.

I've talked to the FRG leader.  She's a nice enough woman.  At least in e-mail she's nice.  I'm going to be taking the Care Team Training with her and another wife from the troop.  That's a job that I'm convinced takes a lot of guts, but can also do a lot of good.  The Care Team is the group that goes in after the Army informs the family of the loss of their soldier in the line of duty.  The Care Team does whatever they can to help that person get through that whole ordeal.  From what I've been told, they cook, clean, help with the kids, anything it takes to help that person through it.  It's not an easy job.  Actually, it sounds like a miserable job!  I hate cooking, cleaning, all of that.  However, when it's being there for someone in their time of need, that's what I want to do.  I want to be there for support, just like I'd want that support if I needed it, as much as I hate to admit it.

I think I need to be doing this right now.  As much as a part of me hates the Army, this just feels like the right choice.  I want to do something to get involved.  A part of me thinks I'll be happier if I at least tried.  At least these women are all going through it together.  They've got an understanding.  When something bad happens, we're all effected.

I doubt I'm going to turn into one of those women that's all about their FRG.  I'll volunteer where I can.  I'll give what time I can.  I'll do what I feel I need to do.  However, I stopped going to the FRG meetings because of circle.  It wasn't because I didn't like them.  I felt awkward and uncomfortable, but I could have tried.  I could have given it a more honest chance.  Now I'm going to do that.  I'm going to make an effort.  I don't have anything but my class to stand in my way, and all my students understand.  This is a military community.  They're used to it by now.  It's not like I'm going to give up teaching, but I can reschedule classes or cancel one now and again without anyone being too upset.  However, I feel I need to do this for me.  I doubt anyone else will understand, but they don't have to.  This is all part of my quest to figure out who I am.

Oh, and on a note, starting on Monday, Caelan will be out in the field.  For how long, we don't know.  All we know is he'll be going out twice.  Fun times, really...  Love gearing up for a deployment...  Really I do...

Dear Fucking Yahoo,

Stop fucking updating the fucking email with fucking shit I do not want and did not ask for and if you get anymore gmail-like and am going to have to throw a claw hammer through my monitor because you cause me frustration I CANNOT even BEGIN to FUCKING describe. I do not use my gmail account because I do not like the way it works. I have half a dozen Yahoo accounts because I LIKE HOW IT WORKS. SO STOP FUCKING WITH IT AND LET ME CHECK MY FUCKING EMAIL THE WAY I LIKE. GODSDAMMIT.

No Love,
ME
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DEAR FUCKTARD DRIVING THE JEEP THIS MORNING,

YOU HAVE FUCKING RIGHT OF WAY WHEN YOU ARE ON A THROUGH STREET. I AM AT A STOP SIGN. I CANNOT PULL OUT IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I AM NOT BLOCKING YOU FROM TURNING IN FRONT OF ME, NOR IS ONCOMING TRAFFIC. FUCKING TURN ALREADY. DUMBASS.

Really REALLY NO LOVE,
ME
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

we are almost ready for the sale. The rest of the house is a complete shamble but the sale room has TONS of stuff, and is almost ready. TONS. stickered, signs, a ton of soda and bottled water.

It looks like a garage sale I'd want to go to. And I'd buy tons of things. if I wasn't selling things, that is.

Now I've got flop sweat of "Nobody's Coming, EEK!"

A couple of articles about Day One at NPS '08 have appeared online.

A day in the life at the National Poetry Slam in Madison
Day one scores from National Poetry Slam 2008 in Madison

First listen to THIS mpeg of In A Garden So Green. I highly recommend buying the mpeg for 88 cents to hear the whole thing. (I'll send you the cd.) It's my fav example of the magic of Owain's voice. Listening to it on my ipod got me through hours of oral surgery to remove four teeth and put in implants. (Well, that and my very sexy oral surgeon distracting me with his puppy dog brown Brazilian eyes.)

(LATER EDIT: Nevermind, I belatedly found Owain's MySpace page and YOU CAN HEAR THE WHOLE OF "GARDEN" and others HERE! I'm such a tech dork.)

We Be Soldiers Three (at Denver Renn Faire, 7/15/08)

There are tons of YouTube vids of Owain, though most I've found are annoying because they're recorded at RenFaires and there's lots of talking in the audience and crappy sound quality. The cd's are much better for true sound quality and transporting one to medieval/rennaissance land.

enough people were interested that i thought i would write a little more about the work here...( Read more... )

Went to Five Guys Burgers for lunch yesterday with ted_badger. Darn good burger and fries. Chilled back at our hotel for a few hours before venturing out to dinner at the Cloud 9 Grille. Headed back towards the main poeting area and grabbed a drink at Paul's Club on State Street before heading over to the (theoretical) venue for the 10 p.m. Worcester bout. Turned out the venue had been changed so a quick car ride brought us to the correct location. Watched and enjoyed the Worcester-Chicago MG-Lizard Lounge-Eureka bout. Ryk's piece was awesomely delivered and I don't recall hearing it before. Nice work from Bobby, Adam and Erin too. I thought the judges were on target most of the time and they seemed to remain true to themselves throughout the bout. Ted and I got back to our hotel around midnight thirty where we chilled for a bit and then crashed big time into sleepyland.

We went to the Henry Vilas Zoo today for a couple of hours. The price was perfect (free) and it was a nice zoo. A couple of cats, a few girafes, a polarbear and a pair of capyburas. Another couple dozen animal types. It was a nice way to spend the morning.

For lunch we met up with pants_monkey and enjoyed a tasty Indian food buffet. It was nice to catch up with someone I usually only see once a year at a conference. Now we are back at our hotel just relaxing. Ted is, I think, going to take a nap. I'm going to go relax in the pool. Later we will make plans for dinner. May or may not hit one of the bouts tonight. Time will tell.

If you'd like to see where the teams that competed Tuesday night stand please check the results page at the 2008 NPS website.

Worcester is currently ranked 22 out of the 48 teams that competed last night.
Boston Cantab is ranked 8th.
Boston Lizard Lounge is ranked 34th.
The Hampshire team is ranked 19th.
Manchester (NH) has their first bout tomorrow.

Read the setting, then come back here.

For the last 137 years, the ancient Gold dragon called Kardossian has watched over the children and grandchildren of the Blossom — the last heiress of the once-mighty Dalriadan empire. Six times he has watched a royal heir ride out to reclaim the empire, and six times he has wept tears of pure myrrh at the news of their deaths. For most of the last ten years, he has lain coiled around the Bastion of Storms, the residence of the current heir, Prince-Royal Erendius, and his Princess-Mother Eleanora of Aquitin. Now the boy is ten, and six years, eight, or ten at the most, some ambitious general or warlord or wizard of the court will turn his head with tales of Dalriadan glory, and he will sail off with great ambitions — and likely return only as a charred hand like his father, or a severed head like his grandfather, or an urn of ashes like his great-great grandfather. The hopes for a renewed empire recede in the minds of the people.

But Kardossian has stirred from the Bastion of Storms at least once to your knowledge. For once, when you were alone, in a solitary part of the island of Karsica, you heard the rush of great wings, saw the flash of gold as the mighty tail coiled into a great circle around you, felt the heat of breath on your face like a hurricane, smelled the cinnamon and bitumen and cardamom of his breath, and heard his whisper: "I choose you as a Champion of the Dalriada. Restore the empire." Then the noise like a thunderclap, the force of earthquake as Kardossian took to the sky, the sudden pounding of blood in your head as your legs collapsed beneath you. The dragon marked you for great things that day, and destiny has brought you opportunities for glory, fame and greatness.

Your PC is one of the Heroes. You can be a loner, a guy with a gray sense of ethics, a mysterious outsider with a complicated path. But dragons just don't choose badly, and the oldest living good dragon in the world said that you were a good egg when no one was watching, and you recognize others from time to time who've also been singled out by the last emperor's greatest champion. But just because you've been singled out doesn't mean you can't go bad somewhere along the line, either.
( Read more... )

Greetings from Madison. Just returned from Worcester's Tuesday night bout again teams from Chicago (Mental Graffiti), Eureka (CA) and the Lizard Lounge. Excellent work from the Worcester team all around. An awesome first piece by Ryk in the first slot of the night got things off to a good start and poetry blossomed from there. Second up for Worcester was Bobby who gave a strong showing despite a recalcitrant mic stand. Adam kicked things up a notch in the third round and Erin finished up for Worcester in the fourth round, earning the high score of the night in the process (a 27.8 for those playing along at home).

At the end of the night Chicago took first (107.4) with Worcester in second (106.3). The Lizard Lounge picked up third (105.0) and Eureka rocked fourth place (98.9).

A couple of nice group pieces from Chicago and one from Eureka added a touch of interest to the evening. Great hosting from Granma Dave kept the pace lively. It was a fun night.

Worcester is off tomorrow with their second qualifier Thursday night. And now, to bed.

Work has had me very drained. The problem of working with high risk population is, well, they really are in serious crises. I have not had the brain cells to write up the ART show I went to with caulay (which was a nice night, would have been nicer w/o the need for an ark), nor the Booty Vortex cruise show (which totally rocked). I have not had a chance to write up what it's been like being a therapist, doing what I've wanted to do since I was 12. I just know the last 2 weeks, now that I'm working closer to a full time schedule, has been very DRAINING. I've been doing some support of friends in crisis over IM. Some of it helpful, some not. The kids have been the kids and trying to get their stuff for the end of summer set up has been stressful. We also have house projects that need doing so trying to get contractors out here for estimates has sucked. Also, I have no idea if we're getting good prices.

I've had some nice hang out time with friends that has recharged me and some yummy time with the hubby. This has really helped. I've been trying to meditate and do recharge stuff that I teach my clients for my own benefit.

However, after 2 nights of not enough sleep, serious knee pain last night and this morning, today when I left work it had been a day where my batteries felt at close to zero. I had wanted a massage but that didn't happen (Elements closes at 8pm and Inman Oasis was booked). Instead I took myself shopping, bought new work pants, then called my sister in CO. I love her dearly and talking to her always recharges me. I have missed her dreadfully and had gotten used to talking to her 4-8 times a month while mom was dying. I think I need to make a point of calling her once a week or once a fortnight.

And now, off to hot tub while the weather is cool. Hope you are doing well, or as well as can be. *HUGS*

i know this is mostly lost on this audience, but maybe you know somebody who might be appropriate. star is desperately in need of end-of-season pelicans, who cover approximately now until mid-september. you can work for as little as one week or as much as the whole month, and if you drop my name on your application, you're pretty much guaranteed to get hired. (do let me know if you're going to do that though, since they'll check with me.)

feel free to pass this around to college-age children who don't have to be back in school, recent graduates that are still floating, or even high school seniors. (people under 18 get hired only at a last resort, but it does happen.) and of course, let me know if you have any questions.

From the CBS2Chicago news website:

Headline:
Feds Launch Self-Deportation Program In Chicago

Sub-headline:
Program Has No Immediate Takers

Poll #1235678 Olympics
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Olympics?

What's the skill in which you could win a gold medal?