An impression and a memory

1) Impression: There's a kind of grouchy, 1950s father type, who sits in the basement and wears glasses and he's working on something scientific. He tries to make connections with wires and that sort of thing. His son sits on the floor of the basement and he (the son) watches him being all grouchy about it. And he's got a very sort of White Anglo Saxon Protestant work ethic. An "I must work to be a good person and I must be grouchy while I'm working or its not real work" attitude.

2)I have a memory of visiting a dusty playground at a Jellystone National Park somewhere in upstate NY (like around Albany, probably) when I was about six. I was rather surprised/horrified when I saw some other little girls on these small plastic toy horses on metal springs, tilting the horses back and forth, so that the noses of the horses touched the ground all the way. It seemed kind of dangerous and grotesque to do that to those toy horses. Later my friend and I ate some multicolored (probably red green and yellow) candy which was shaped like a folded up umbrella and I went on these tilting spring horses too, but, in truth, I didn't really like it and was always rather uneasy about it.

Memories of childhood playgrounds might be good to write about.

Kinds of "Fun"

So. I've been thinking about how some people like to fill their time with different types of activities. And some people are very passionate and dedicated about being successful at their specific chosen activity. I think, at certain times, it can be good for sort of, how should I say, for lack of a better understanding of expression, "gung-ho types" to consider that just because you currently have the opportunity to go skydiving and really feel like going skydiving, it doesn't mean that you have to be all like: I know that skydiving is the coolest thing ever, and you are obviously stupid for not thinking so. Now, just watch while I have the most fun skydiving that it is possible to have. And by the way, I hope it makes you feel sorry that it is something which you aren't ever going to do. Ever! to other not so skydiving-ish people. Maybe the other person is either going to be more into skydiving some other time, or is currently more into another activity. Like deep sea diving. Would it mean that you couldn't be happy for them if they go down and get to see lots of cool tropical fish? Or something.

redorangeyellowgreenblueindigoviolet

As of today, I've decided. Its about time for this whole dizziness / lower back / 1st chakra / multi- chakra / issue / whatever to improve, cease, heal and/or subside. Preferably more rapidly than gradually, but I'm still not quite sure what to do about it. (Allopathy? Acupuncture? Acupressure? Diet/Lifesyle change?) A potential new housemate works at a physical therapy/acupuncture clinic; that might lead to something.

Reading

I actually grew up to enjoy reading, in spite of commericals like this one:
Captain O.J. Readmore
Way weird (but fun) to stay up late into the wee hours watching a bunch of '80s cartoons intros in a room full of upper 20s/30-somethings...

Getting my "land legs" back...

Today I walked around beautiful, sunny Green Spring Gardens (no good pictures, just as well, keeps it less crowded for the rest of us!) slowly at first, then a bit more swiftly, with looong breaks of lying down (not sitting) on cool green grass underneath sheltering trees, because after all, what else are parks for? Ah...back therapy...Also heard Junot Diaz read from his novel while standing and/or walking around Borders' music section (because its far more comfortable than sitting is right now). When I was a T.A., one of my classes read his story, "How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie." I found a reading of it here at about 34:02. It comes after an introduction about the history of "How To" books and then a rather long story about giving a woman driving lessons around Chicago...Hmmm, I just read in Wikipedia that the author was stunned when he was accepted at a certain school because his then-girlfriend applied there for him. That reminds me of a story a Moroccan guy at work told me. His then-girlfriend entered him into the lottery, without him knowing, and so he came to the U.S. She did not. How many of those stories are there out there? Are there any where the boyfriend did that for a girlfriend? C'est la vie... Speaking of French...FouxDaFaFa Some of my friends at work think these New Zealand guys' songs (like Business Time) are funny...yeah, maybe... ;-)

Two endings

Though I don't mean to ruin it by showing the ending...
Silent Waters
Central Station
(In Portuguese, which I don't understand, but I know whats going on.)

Recovery

Today, without muscle relaxers or narcotics, I drove to the closest bank, deposited my paycheck via the ATM, ate a virtually tasteless chicken salad (at the closest diner), and then, as fast as my little legs would carry me (NOT FAST!), walked over to the nearest store, just to see what was up. It didn't take very long for my languid shuffle to attract some suspicious attention. Northern Virginia is not the South. *smile, shrug* "Can I help you?" an employee asked, without the faintest trace of genuine concern on his face. (NOVA is not the South.) I laughed, "Oh no, that's okay, I'm just walked slowly because I hurt my back recently." He looked as though he didn't believe me. "Well, just let me know if you need anything," he said, with a really nervy, piercing, intense stare...I decided that he was the universe's way of telling me to go back to bed and take my muscle relaxer. So I drove home, and that's what I did. However, I established further contact with the outside world by watching JETSET. If you watch it long enough, you'll not only learn about couchsurfing websites and the religion of Google, you'll also get to see clips of the Central Park roller bladers! I myself saw them only a few short years ago...I have recently come to believe that the passage of time between ages 18 and 20 (2 years) feels roughly equivalent to the passage of time between ages 23 and 29 (6 years).

Kamosh Pani Silent Waters

Really bored

I managed to drive to the store on just an ibuprofen this morning. Unfortunately, nothing I bought tastes particularly great. Maybe because of medications. However, I got a free classical Indian music CD from a "Kitchens of India" dinner.

This crazy summer

Much illness in the family. Plane rides and roadtrips through many states. Unfortunately, I can't drive six hours to see family on a trip I'd planned for tomorrow. After straining my lower back (and passing out when I did it in the hot shower yesterday) I'm in a muscle relaxer/narcotic half stupor. Sooo...let's watch Talula.
Prescription drugs: I like and don't like them simultaneously.

Music tonight

A Peruvian/Bolivian/Andean panpipes kind of music is being played outside, quite loudly, perhaps it is coming from the football field of Thomas Jefferson Highschool. So I lit a candle (tall, pink, faintly rose-scented "Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe") and I turned out the lights, and then I found this Peruvian dance. I didn't listen to the music, I already had music to listen to coming in from outside, but I was quite entranced by the dance, and I thought, can I go back there sometime? According to the person who posted it, this particular one "is about some secret love, where the only way the guy and girl can meet is if he is disguised as a girl." As of 9:30 p.m., it sounds like maybe the marching band is trying to play the music...

Hello, little video.
Somewhere over the rainbow by Iz Kamakawiwo ole

DC excursion

Saw this film, Brats, tonight with a friend; we met in high school and found out that we'd played together on an army base when we were two.
Also, visited the Sackler and Freer Galleries, the Museum of African Art, and the Folklife Festival!

Inanna

Inanna or, a cool clip about the making of Boys for Pele.

Excerpt

Currently reading Stones From The River by Ursula Hegi, an author from Washington state. I somewhat avoided reading her when I was younger but in the back of my mind was always planning to read her work. Here is a book excerpt. (What a strange word, I wonder what the etymology of "excerpt" is...)

the appearance of waterfall as wedding veil

see the end of Bjork's Isobel

chanson le weekend

So this weekend my highschool prom date (a girl) got married! (To her boyfriend.) The wedding was in a park on the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria, behind Olson's Bookstore. Shortly after the ceremony this song came on, and I liked it very much. But the music video of it is a little weird. Not quite evocative of that nice hot and drowsy sitting in the wedding tent feeling. The song is Across the Universe, covered by Fiona Apple. So, here's another version a girl did on youtube. All hail the sun salutation...Nothin's gonna

algunas poemas

Alice Fulton & Tori Amos

About Music For Bone and Membrane Instrument
Interview/Spark live
Spark
Maidenhead
Jackie's Strength

CATSTER

And with very special music!

Things I do not know

Why is it that sometimes when I send my resume via e-mail, it gets mangled, or the colors, sizes, fonts, etc. get changed. For real, those words do not look that big or blue in my orginal word document. And why can I also send the same thing to someone else and they say, there are no problems with fonts or words getting cut off, but the alignment gets messed up. But on my machine, the alignment was fine, and the text was not. "Maybe you just have a weird machine." Arrgh...