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.