Monday, July 28, 2008

Moving to Wordpress

I'm so fickle. I am once again moving my blog. Please update your link (if you so desire) to my new home.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Weekend blahs

Still no good news on someone/anyone wanting to buy my house. Every time I get the slightest bit of hope that a buyer has appeared, that hope is ripped away from me. It happened again yesterday. It's not a definite "no" right now, but I am not too optimistic that it'll be a "yes." So...I wait. More.

I have two more boxes of B's stuff ready to ship out to her. After that, I have five boxes left. Then, her stuff is gone. My dining room is full of stuff to get rid of. I plan to have a "moving sale" in two weeks. Whatever is left after that is getting donated somewhere.

Yesterday, I decided that the big ol' 3/4 empty entertainment center had to go. It's now sitting off to the side in the living room waiting for sale day. I hope it goes. I took an old wood cabinet, that in previous lives served as the base of an altar, an office-supply cabinet, and an all-purpose junk cabinet, and I refinished it. It looks pretty good. I cut a hole in the back for electrical cords and my dvd player now rests inside on the shelf. My small dvd collection is below that. And all of my candles are safely stored on the other side. The whole setup looks so much nicer than the gargantuan entertainment center. It's now a much simpler, and uncluttered, look. This photo didn't come out too well. It's a dark, rainy gloomy day here, and the color on the cabinet looks more red than it is. It's actually a darker espresso color, and the color is more consistent than this photo shows.

Speaking of dvds, several years ago, B bought Angels in America for me for some occasion. I never watched it until this weekend. I wanted to see it because Emma Thompson is in it, and I will watch ANYTHING with her. Basically, Emma Thompson could fart "God Save the Queen" and I'd be enthralled, ok? So, anyway, this film was not what I expected. It was good, but I wasn't nuts about it. So, I packed it up in one of the boxes to go to B and she can watch it.

I guess I'll get back to my blah weekend. Or rather, what's left of it.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Estelle



Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE Golden Girls fan. So, it is with great sadness that I learned that Estelle Getty (who played Sophia Petrillo) passed away today at the age of 84.

You'll be missed, Estelle. No one could have played Sophia better than you!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Walden Pond

This post is long overdue. I went to Concord, MA on June 14 to visit Walden Pond and Sleepyhollow Cemetery.

The first thing I did after finally finding a parking spot at Walden Pond (State Park) was use the restroom. I walked in and immediately saw a woman's bare ass; she was putting on her bathing suit right by the sink. She did not even take the time to use one of the stalls. My trip was off to an interesting start!

I checked out the replica of Thoreau's cabin which is situated near the parking lot. It holds a bed, small table, writing desk and chair, small stove, fireplace and rocking chair. It was all that he needed.

Then, I began the hike around Walden Pond. Lots of families were enjoying the water and hiking trails. I'm sure that Thoreau would love that people are getting outside and enjoying nature. However, it was not very tranquil.




I spent a lot of time at the site where his actual cabin was. The cabin spot is designated by nine small stone posts that outline the location. Small, yes, but it was enough. I walked into the center of the posts where there is a stone on the ground that indicates below it is the actual stone foundation for Thoreau's hearth.

I stood there and closed my eyes for a moment. I did a quick meditation (because other people were nearby who wanted to get into the site, too) and put my energy out there to mix with H.D.'s and everyone else's. It was calming to me to be there in the cabin location and on the walking paths that Thoreau, himself, walked.

After walking the trail around Walden Pond, and a quick visit to the gift shop and restroom again (no surprises this time), I drove into the center of the village of Concord. I walked to Sleepyhollow Cemetery to the Author's Ridge section. There, I saw the family plots of the Thoreaus, Alcotts, Emersons and Hawthornes. It was quite amazing being on such hallowed ground, especially for an English major.

I left a small stone offering on Louisa May Alcott's grave in gratitude for her writing that my mom loved so much as a child.


And I left a small red stone on the top of Thoreau's headstone. This time, I had a little more time for a meditation as there was no one else around.



This was a journey that I'm glad I made alone. The solitude afforded me time for reflection which I probably would not have had if someone was with me. I did manage to read one short passage from Walden while I sat on the trail overlooking Walden Pond. It was a passage on solitude.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Photo Friday Challenge: Spiral

This was on a gate that encloses a family plot in a Bennington, VT cemetery. I love the rust.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

You've got to smile when you see this

I just watched this video and it made me smile. Most days, it feels like there's too little of stuff that makes us feel good. This video just proves that, no matter where you go in the world, we really are not that different. Enjoy.





Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

George Carlin was right

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Awesome



My poor bike is 10 years old and barely used. But, this is changing, starting today. I have a very inexpensive Rand Trail Blazer 2 that I got at Wal*Mart. For just beginning, it'll be fine. Eventually, I'll get a better bike.

Thursday, I bought a helmet.
Yesterday, I went to a local bike shop and Amy, one of the owners, helped me pick out some bike shorts, a shirt and some cycling shoes. I realize that I might not necessarily need all this stuff just starting out, but I'm going for comfort here. Also, with the amount of money I spent, I hope I will be even MORE motivated to get out on my bike. The shop has Friday night beginner rides that Amy leads, and I plan to participate as soon as I can.

This morning, my first time on the bike in several years, I attached the new bike rack to my car and loaded on the Rand. (I supposed I should come up with a name for her, eh?) I drove down the road to the high school parking lot. I road around and around several times to get the feel of the bike. Then, I felt ready to hit the road. Donning my new helmet, out I went. I didn't go far because I didn't want to push it and I realized that I needed to make some adjustments to the seat height. I rode past the local farm. The morning breeze was incredible, and I observed nature as I could not do from the car. Going at the slow pace I was traveling, I saw a white plastic colander discarded down a slope, a broken fence that I never noticed before, and a close-up look at the twenty or so geese who live at the farm. As I passed in front of the geese on their side of the road, I was concerned one or more might come after me as they tried to protect the younger ones. But, a couple of them merely extended their necks a bit further and watched me. They're so accustomed to cars going by, but I don't know how many cyclists they see.

I have been obsessing about biking lately, trying to read as much as I can about it. As a beginner, I don't even know how to do basic things like shift! Or do basic maintenance. But, I will learn. I am determined. This morning, I even took photos of me in my new bike shorts and shirt. I will track my weight-loss progress as well. I need as much motivation as I can get.

Thanks to awesome blogs like that of my online friend Johnny and his bike-specific one, I am inspired. I'm going to add a couple other bike blogs to my list on the left.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Still looking


I was born and raised Catholic, but I stopped going to church after I made my confirmation. In the 30 years since, I have been searching for a religious and spiritual home. I was a practicing Buddhist for a couple of years. I've attended several Unitarian Universalist services in the past two years. In the past three months, after B left me, I've been praying to God again. I've been reciting my favorite prayer, The Serenity Prayer, in my head lately. In fact, I just ordered a plain silver ring with the prayer inscribed on the inside of the band. I'll wear it as a reminder to let go of the things in my life that I cannot change.

My submission for Photo Friday: Religion

Monday, June 23, 2008

Friday, June 20, 2008

The Great Outdoors


The Great Outdoors can't be contained to just the outdoors. It needs to come indoors. (Please click on image for a better view.)

Today's Photo Friday: The Great Outdoors.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Photo Friday Challenge: Movement




I know this shot is blurry, but Jiro looks like he's having such a great time! So, I decided to use it for today's Photo Friday Challenge: Movement.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Itching to travel

I started out 2008 by planning to travel to Cairo in October. That is on hold for now until I know what the hell is going on with the house. I feel like I can't really travel anywhere until the house sells. Yeah, I feel so fucking stuck here.

I created an account on the Travel Buddy website. Part of the member profile is to make your own map of where you've been. Mine is pretty damn sad. But, that will only get better, right?











Thursday, June 5, 2008

A lot has changed

Since my last post, a lot has changed in my life. In fact, my life was completely turned upside down. I was blindsided. The rug was pulled out from under me. You get the picture. My partner of ten years decided to move on in her life without me. It's over. No indication whatsoever.

Now here I am, 2 1/2 months after the breakup and I'm surviving. Our house is on the market. I'm still living here. She has moved many states away. It has been an emotional rollercoaster over the past two months, but I'm really trying to remain positive.

The world is wide open to me now. I have a passport and a credit card, so I can go anywhere I want to. I've thought about maybe getting certified in TEFL so that I can teach English abroad somewhere. Or, maybe I'll become an expat! Either way, I want and NEED to travel. As soon as the house sells and I can get the hell away from here, I want to see what's out there. All I can do for now is save money and plan and dream.