Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Mysterious and Magical

I was restless and went for a walk this evening. The sky was grey and the light was magical - soft evening light that turned all the shadows pink. I wondered at the beauties and mysteries before me. The pond like puddle with its mirror image of the world, the shadowy pine trees that smelled like Germany... I wandered through my old school yard and swung on the monkey bars and bounced over a row of hopscotch, admired a very happy new mural with a streetcar in it that leaned at a perilous forty-five degree angle over its painted street. I walked down to the beach and climbed on a swing and pointed my toes at the stars, and through the branches of a tree I could see the moon, a sliver hushed around the edges by the haze in the sky.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sunshine Above

1. I really like a friend's msn message "Love is a behavior, not just a feeling." I agree with it.

2. I've had three fortuitous meetings today. I ran into Ruski on my way to class, then the excellent Jam, and now into Dragon. Awesomeness. I feel so popular!

3. They gave me a free Hot Cross Bun at Cob's bakery. YUM.

4. I finished my essay!

5. It's beautifully sunshiney out.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

I love you because you are you

I love this quote of Simmel on individuality, "Individuality - this unanalyzable unity, which is not to be derived from anything else, not subsumable under any higher concept, set within a world otherwise infinitely analyzable, calculable and governed by general laws - this individuality [which] stands for us [moderns] as the actual focal point of love."
I love his expression of the idea that individuality is something that can't be broken down into its component parts, or swallowed up by some general rule (for example, "every individual x, has the components y, z, and h"). As one who has been studying much dry and rule-bound material lately, it's lovely to think of something that science cannot capture, and it is one of the reasons why we love things... because they are themselves.

Friday, March 27, 2009

If I knew you were coming i'd have baked a cake

Well, I started off studying then Rafiki came over and we danced in my kitchen for the entire afternoon, and made marble cake for his birthday. We drank cider and I got him hooked on cinnamon sticks, and we made chocolate leaves and looked at pictures of hawaii. Then Jaja and Mama came home, so we sat around the table and chatted till midnight.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

GRUPO CORPO

I saw them.
If you ever get the chance do so.
They are a dance company from Brazil.
They are amazing.
I am in love.

take a peek:

Maybe it's spring air...

ANOTHER person introduced himself to me. This time it was a boy in my tai chi class. I love meetings, of the "You seem nice, who are you?" variety. I grow impish and wish to address all nice looking strangers thus.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Spring is in the air

1. A man was carrying at least a dozen red helium balloons on the subway today.

2. Not only did I email you on tuesday to tell you that "I decided I wanted to have FUN again, and then yesterday a boy hit on me, and then my friend from first year found me at the end of class and he, and I, and his friend Missy T. want out for hotchocolate and stayed chatting till it was very late indeed. I like the sensation of there being possibilities for fun in all sorts of random and unexpected places (and I don't mean romantic fun, although I don't exclude it either, but mostly fun in the sense of hanging out and chatting and having adventures and giggling and finding new friends). I thought it was a very good sign." but today an interesting looking boy with dyed blond hair and a very large green tattoo peeping out from beneath his shirt introduced himself after class and we chatted while walking to our next destinations. He is in more than one of my classes and he said I looked as though I might be a kindred spirit (I think it's the hair ;). I like that when I want to have fun, the world seems to want to have fun with me.

3. I saw my first robin of spring. He was strutting about the garden looking very fat and luscious, having a bath, inspecting the grounds. Our backyard seems to be full of woodland friends. A squirrel drank out of the birdbath, a nuthatch ate from our birdfeeder, Juncos shelter under the spruce tree, a very handsome cardinal couple selected seeds, and starlings scatter in and out.

4. I am quite entranced by this:

Monday, March 23, 2009

A Serendipitous Day

1. I awoke grumbly and wishing to be cheered by chatting to you, and I went online and there you were! Serendipitous.

2. The bus driver said the fare deposit box was broken and would not let us pay. It was a free ride.

3. I was thinking about how stupid humans can be, and as I walked down the street I began looking at strangers and thinking, "Take this person, for example." Deliciously wicked and amusing.

4. The teaching assistant for my logic class has a beautiful speaking voice. The chairs in the class rotated her and accompanied her beautiful voice with squeaks and groans like old men stretching after sitting for a long time.

5. There's something magical about working with a shaft of sunlight falling across the page.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

fleurs, fluff, and a gentleman

1. I met a puppy about the size of a dandelion fluff, and got to hold him as he wiggled about in my arms.

2. A handsome gentleman came to dinner.

3. Asparagus is in season.

4. Bird and I cooed over tiny orchids and african violets at the same moment.

5. We critiqued with great enjoyment all the exhibits (and especially the competitions) at the Canada Blooms show. Of particular displeasure was a gigantic twig ball that was peeing pink orchids out its side, and of particular pleasure was the representative arrangement from Italy, with a woven disk, and a burst of yellow flowers like sunshine emerging through it.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Sigh no more, Lady, Sigh no more

1. I found all of the Kenneth Branagh & Emma Thompson version of Much Ado About Nothing on youtube, and watched it in great joy. I had forgotten the poem at the beginning, and it was perfect.

2. I went for a walk with Mama into the crisp air that hints of spring.

3. A 8 month old gigantic puppy romped with a less than half his size in the ravine.

4. My favorite animal appeared on Cute Overload:

I love how they hug.

5. I drank lots of hot apple cider.

Friday, March 20, 2009

jet lagged happiness

1. I slept in until 11am, and didn't get out of bed till noon. This was extremely refreshing, as my sleeping pattern over the past few days has been thus (I figured this out jut before falling asleep in class):
21 hours awake
3 hours asleep
19.5 hours awake
2 hours asleep
14 hours awake
7.5 hours asleep
3 hours awake
2 hours asleep
11 hours awake
6.5 hours asleep
23 hours awake
2 hours asleep
14 hours awake
1 hour asleep
2.5 hours awake
then lots and lots of sleep till this morning at 11 (about 12 hours). woot!

2. A friendly acquaintance from one of my classes saw me sleeping in class on monday, and sent me an email saying hello, and how surprised to have been in class with me all year and to only have seen me now. Hooray! I have been wanting a study-buddy, and was finding classes awfully lonely without company, and he is very nice.

3. I made pumpkin pie last night, and ate it and pineapple for breakfast this morning. Jaja joined me for second breakfast.

4. I washed my knapsac. It now gives off lovely fresh whiffs of laundry detergent in class.

5. retreat peeps sent emails and liked my photos.

Friday, March 13, 2009

arguments animals and introductions

1. I saw a frog. Possibly a cokie frog. It was large and lumpy.

2. I managed to loose my temper privately and still stand up for myself, and let Aussie who triggered the tempestuous outburst (it had been building for many reasons unconnected to him for some time) what small part he played in making me angry without making him hurt or angry. So I think I dealt with that rather well.

3. Aussie gave me a shoulder hug today when I was feeling blue.

4. I finished off both the chocolate fudge brownie and the banana split ice cream.

5. I chilled with Iron at lunch time. She's AWESOME. Also, everyone else was at the beach, and the kitchen/main space was beautifully peaceful.

6. Mermaid sat down beside me when I was hanging out before class. She's very quiet, slightly spacey, and super sweet. I like her a lot.

7. I had an interesting conversation with a lighting director. He helped program one of the olympic opening ceremonies. He was very friendly and interesting.

8. Pua (cat) sat upright beside the porch post, like an egyptian princess cat.

9. A gecko climbed the screen.

10. A father and son were practicing juggling, one on a unicycle and one on the ground. There are all sorts of circus performers that appear in odd corners of rooms.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Culture

I left my cozy house for two fantastic events this week.

1. Travesties (A Soulpepper production)
Was utterly brilliant. Beautifully acted and directed. My non-university educated brain missed probably about a 1/3 of the dialogue but what I caught was fantastic and hilarious. All in all a stimulating evening.

2. A.C. Newman @ Lee's Palace
So good. Soooooo good. Beautifully written songs, exquisitely performed. Submarines of Stockholm and Town Halo were my favourites of the evening.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

hidden hawaiian secret

there are wild cardinals who sing like German bath toys.

late night ramblings

My hair feels so soft... oooo....eeeeee.....

the frogs in the hood say "cookie" "cookie" "cookie"

here they call the light rain "champagne rain" because it feels like the bubbles in champagne.

I am blissed out after a sauna. so nice.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Circus Smoothies and Singing

1. I found my sweater and scarf! There is a lost and found box. One found, only one still missing!

2. Aussie and I sang Cat Stevens songs in the kitchen last night.

3. I am drinking an EXTREMELY yummy smoothie at this very moment. It is rich creamy pineappley and delicious.

4. I taught a yoga class this morning, and I don't know about anyone else, but it woke me up and I had fun :)

5. I went on the swinging trapeze and had fun even while squeaking. I seem to like launching myself off backwards into space. It's the lazy monkey in me. wheeee.

6. It stopped raining! After 2 days and nights of solid rain (the heavens opened) the sun has peeked out through the clouds. Our raincoats and flipflops are drying up.

7. Macgyver got my memory card out of Nanermellon's computer with a very tiny pair of tweezers and an elastic. So smart and exciting, because now I have my pictures back!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Homework Time

I have a cat sleeping tummy-up on my lap, and occasionally waking up to chew on my hand.

Curly is practicing jugging on the lawn in the rain. "The sun is coming out," he says. "This water is not rain droplets on me; this is sweat!" I like his optimism.

Performer's Party

1. There was a party last night. I danced my heart out. Hooray!

2. The finale of the show/party was the instructors performing their arial arts. Nanermellon was very va-va-voom. There was also a perfect moment when all of them were in splits in the air at exactly the same time.

3. The fantastic J wore a fake mustache, eyelashes, a pleather bra, gold tights over bright pink fishnets, with a matching pink ostrich feather on her headband for her hoop routine. She looked like a mix between a smarmy french man and a cabaret girl. It was awesome.

4. We had a puppy pile when the night was over and fell asleep four people snuggled into a couch and an armchair. Aussie said it reminded him of when he was younger and his friend tied him up in a tree by his ankles and set a dog on him, and the dog would leap at him, but he was just out of reach. We're not sure why that memory came up... perhaps he was getting squashed?

5. There were jugglers and hulahoopers and firespinners and handbalancers in all sorts of odd corners of the party, being happy and practicing their craft.

6. Samurai did a BEAUTIFUL silks routine. She attacks everything as if it is possible, doable, enjoyable and interesting.

7. There were wee little ones running about dancing and giggling and walking hand in hand very seriously across the dance floor.

8. Everyone was very generous. One lady fed me a sample of her yummy plate (chocolate sauce and apple and other nibbly goodness), another handed me a flower to sniff.

9. Some nice man hugged me and Nanermellon and thanked us for being awesome.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Spring?

It's 18° degrees today and there is sun streaming on my desk.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Into the Wilds

1. There are gigantic bromeliads high in the trees.

2. There are banana trees with BANANAS ON THEM by the path.

3. There are grapefruit trees with grapefruits on them by the instructors house.

4. There was a gecko on Nanermellon's sink looking at me while I washed my hands.

5. There were wild horses grazing on the hill we hiked down.

Monday, March 2, 2009

gotta start somewhere

1. I arrived intact and in the right place! (Always feels like an accomplishment when traveling alone)

2. The cities look like burning embers from the airplane window at night

3. The San Francisco airport had a exhibit of retro space-themed stuff from the 1960s. There were tin toys and records and model plastic guns.

4. My lei was made of purple orchids and yellow flowers and made the car smell nice for days.

5. There are HEDGES of bougainvillea along the path from the airport.

Hawaii

I got leid at the airport ;)