A Roll in the Universe

Creature comforts. Usually I find mine in warm, fuzzy blankets, or clean, soft bath towels, or a well-made meal, or the corner of my sofa, or a warm muffler on a drafty day. This time I found it in a pair of shoes I never meant to pack, let alone wear. I have a friend in California who is basically my exact opposite: The yang to my yin. She has all the get-up-and-go I don't have, the creativity, the fearlessness, the curiosity, the desire to constantly be doing . Always taking an extra step and seeing a different view than the rest of us, always making sure she uses all five of her senses. And I, I am no match for her. I am a whole head shorter, and a whole heart wussier. I'm happy walking pavements. And yet, we get along. We talk, we share, we love each other. Now she was less than 400 miles away, in the Norwegian town her mother was from, just a plane ride away. We sat in the sun talking and got hot, so we decided to hike to a nearby lake. I got into my hiking pants, stu...

Wordless Wednesday Alice

This is a response to the comments on my Wordless Wednesday post showing a part of Håkonshallen, especially Alice's thoughts that it looks like a prison. Nothing could be further from the truth so I thought I'd give you a whole post about that. First, the pronounciation of Håkonshallen (the hall of Håkon): That funny "a" in the first syllable is a Scandinavian vowel, and pronounced like a very open "o" (approaching an ah). HOH-kohns-hahllenn. The 750-year-old Håkonshallen is beloved by the people of Bergen, and those massive stone walls make an excellent backdrop for outdoor operas. I've seen "Aida" there. The walls would have been painted white in medieval times, as was the custom then. It has occurred to me that many tourists miss this building, because they are distracted by the rather fascinating row that precedes it: In really old days, when the main mode of long-distance transportation was the boat or ship, Norway consisted of to...

This is a test for my friend Alice , for whom Blogger is not working. You may ignore this post completely, but if you've read this far, you haven't so ignore what I said.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

I have a bookmark that reads, "You are never lonely with a book." Books have been my allies for as long as I can remember. Getting immersed in a story that takes double-digit chapters to resolve or following someone's theory or life over hundreds of pages adds a break from life like nothing else. And unlike other pauses in life, what you read in a book can stay with you for years, and maybe even change your life. Alice has written about the paper-based book and has linked to an article whose author feels that a Kindle would be as distracting as his computer apparently is. First of all, anybody who wants to have a good read will shut their computer off. You are not a Real Reader if you can’t figure out how to hide away (i.e. have an arsenal of sneaky tricks and good excuses) from things and tasks and people and clocks so you can Read! Secondly, when I’m reading something that really interests me, I lose all sense of time and place, anyway. (Which is absolutely wonde...

Wordless Wednesday Later, that same night:

So over at Chez Alice's, Alice herself posted about the dearth of postings on her blog. Specifically, postings that feature writing, rather than photography. I recognize and sympathize with Alice's sense of lack since my own blog has the same dearth. The amount of time has not changed. The interest in the world around me has not tapered off. Yet all my time at the computer no longer produces creative output. Repeatedly, my creativity is spent on a comment or three on someone's Facebook status or on someone's blog. Short bursts of opinion weigh in after writing, editing, and more editing - at someone else's place. And it baffles me. Where is my initiative to polish and publish something on my own dear blog (which has been with me for 8 years and 11 months today)? Why does my creativity remind me more of junk food grabbed on the run than a proper home-cooked meal eaten where it was made? And how do I reverse this? Alice and I have challenged each other to a ...

Well, sort of. I wasn't actually there. But on the top of Mauna Kea is where Tom works and where he takes so many of his gorgeous pictures of the sunset. I have now learned that he has been goofing off (according to the gentleman on this video) when doing that. He should have been inside getting ready for work. ;-) (Found via www.sixtysymbols.com .)

This brilliant film is making the rounds. I found mine over at A Pacific View . Here's the comment I left there after seeing this video: Absolutely stunning video! Finally one that clearly gave me an idea of scale. Especially going back home. If any aliens are visiting us, it must be purely by accident, because finding us is like finding a needle in a haystack. Or more like finding a partial needle in a 1000 haystacks. Thanks for posting this, Tom! So if you aren't impressed with the story of three wise men following a star, this journey through the stars ought to give you a nice sense of awe (play the HD version at full screen for best effect!):

A friend of mine has an excellent summary of what's really wrong with society, the economy, etc.: People. No, there's nothing wrong with people. The problem is that we aren't taking care of people. The Starving Economist: People--A Liability?!

After Protege turned me on to Anggun via the hauntingly beautiful "Snow on the Sahara", I decided it was time for payback. Oddly, both Protege and I felt lost during the 90's musically, but there were gems then, too. "All I Need" (from Air's album "Moon Safari") is from the same year as Anggun's song - 1997. I hope you like this, Protege!

My friend Alice has gone on a rant about her experiences with health care in her neck of the woods (and her desire for socialized medicine that we living in other countries enjoy). The same day she ranted, I had been to see my doctor. Here is my comment on Alice's blog about that: Contrast what you say with what I experienced today (as one of those people living in another country - thanks for the linkage!): I’ve been feeling overwhelmed at work and took a sick day off yesterday to see if that would help. It didn’t (bad sign: wanting to cry today because someone asked me a question). So around 9:30 AM I went down to my doc’s office and asked if my doc could see me at all today. Oh, joy, he could, at 1 PM (he was on time, too!). They set up their day in such a way as to leave about an hour free for emergency consultations. For like when you throw your back out. Anyway, left his office with a 100% sick-leave for what’s left of this week, and 50% sick-leave for all of next week...

I have participated in NicoleB's scavenger hunt . My finds can be seen here . Whee!

I feel tagged by Protege . The rules of this photo tag are: Post the 4th picture in your 4th folder and explain it, plus tag 4 people to do the same. My definition of "4th folder" had me opening up CD art, specifically the cover to Alan Parsons Project's "Pyramid". The funny thing about boys is that they know all about cool and/or obscure music. They like to listen to Pink Floyd messing around with the stereo sound through headphones (I think it was Pink Floyd), or crank up 10cc to the point that you could virtually blow-dry your hair from the air being forced out of the speaker (which I did to "I'm Mandy, Fly Me"; it's still a favorite song ). Another pointed me in the direction of Lemon Jelly and gave me a new favorite to create daydreams to. And they introduce you to Alan Parsons Project . I first heard Alan Parsons Project when they already had a couple of albums out: "Tales of Mystery & Imagination" (inspired by Edgar...

With a nod to Protege, who did this first : Your Word is "Why" You see life as complicated and intriguing. The only thing you know for sure is that you haven't figured it all out yet. You question everything and believe very little. And whatever you believe is likely to change. You are interested in theories, philosophies, and religions... even if you don't buy into any of them. You are also fascinated by how things work. You'd like to understand as much in the world as possible. What's Your Word? It all fits (me) perfectly. After all, "why?" is the question associated with Sagittarians. ;-)

Sometimes shit happens with the best outcomes. I have yet to see how well, but it's looking good so far. The friends I usually spend Christmas with I won't be spending Christmas with this year. That means I'll be alone for Christmas. That's not a bad thing. I've done it before. So, after the initial disappointment subsided, I started thinking about alternatives. In the midst of this and the Christmas shopping, I got sick this week (I blame the Christmas ball for that - close quarters during dancing, you know). Today I'm home from work, tired of dragging my fevered self to work only to have to leave early. (With wonderful prescience, my mother sent me Vicks vaporub for my birthday. I'm using it!) My plan is to feel better for this evening's retirement party because I want to attend, at least through dinner. As the days count down to Christmas, I find that I'm looking forward to having several days to myself, answering only to myself. I ordered ...

Ah, yes, the world of belly-button lint and pure trivia, coming together in graceful order for embarrassing reveals on a blog near you. Here we go: The most difficult part of this meme is, that you can only answer the questions with a single word. (And considering that I grew up in more than one country, miss more than one person, etc., what follows is first impulse.) Where is your cell phone? — Bookshelf Where is your significant other? — Future Your hair color? — Brown Your mother? — Nevada Your father? — Dunno Your favorite thing? — iMac Your dream last night? — None Your dream/goal? — Published The room you’re in? — Messy Your hobby? — Blogging Your fear? — Unknowns Where do you want to be in 6 years? — Better Where were you last night? — Here What...

"It is the little things in life that comfort us, because it is the little things in life that bother us." —Pascal [1] After a couple of summers of not bothering with flowers on my balcony, I felt inspired this year and bought pansies, which are not only a favorite flower, but also a flower I manage to maintain. So after enjoying my one window box for a while, and since I won't be leaving home for weeks at a time this year, I indulged in planting a second window box, this time with Chinese carnations, a flower I'd had success with earlier. It is one of those oddities in life that the people who enjoy doing dishes bare-handed often wear gloves while digging in the dirt, and vice-versa. I use rubber gloves when washing up, but I love feeling the soil between my fingers as I break up lumps and set the little plants in holes I've dug in the dirt. So, on a hot summer's day 10 days ago, I pored fresh soil into my empty window box, set the carnations in it, then ...