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Thursday, October 30Best Party YetAlong with a good number of people I know (and a lot I didn't), I attended Dorian and Amethyst's Librafest. It was the most amazing party! I went as a Femme Fatale, wearing a slinky black dress—one I haven't been brave enough to show off in 6 or 7 years. It's body-tight, backless, and has a large poof around the calves. Sorry, no pictures (but I'll try to dig an old one up from my archives). I got lots of ego-boosting goodness at Librafest. Probably about 20 strangers of both sexes commented on how much they liked my outfit (complete with long black gloves, stole and pearls). One woman asked if my name was *really* Marlene or if I'd donned the moniker just for the evening to extend my glamour. The house was very inviting, with numerous oil-lamps and candle-lanterns hanging from the trees in front. Jenny, Hopi, Gina and Chris (nice to see most of you) were in or around the kitchen fixing and serving drinks on trays. The fare—kinda pot-luck— was all vegetarian. I had about 5 drinks, which seemed like a lot for me until I reflected that I was at the party for 8 hours … 'til 5 the next morning. I didn't eat a bite; not 'cause I didn't want to, I just never did. I spent a good part of my time in the Den of Iniquity … a large enclosed tent at the back of the yard (there were open-sided tents and campfires elsewhere). Decorated in a Turkish style—with mirrors, candles, hanging cloths, pillows, low chairs—the den was the place to be. It's where a drum/dij jam went on for hours (and eventually drew an accent vocalist), and belly-dancing by numerous practitioners, including Alison. I was astonished. I had no idea Alison was such an accomplished belly dancer. I'm going to have to take lessons. I've wanted to attend a drum jam for years and this was my first. I self-consciously tried to drum. A guy named Wes was talented and encouraging, at one point thrusting a couple tambourines at me. I admitted to my shyness and fear. He said that movement was the most important thing, so I focused on getting into the music that way. I recall back to my scount band days when I did percussion (braces ended my clarinet playing). I may look into getting a couple of my favored rhythm instruments and have them on hand for future events. Maize MazeSunday morning, with little sleep, I picked up my mom and went to meet a host of friends at a Maize Maze in Thurmont MD. The corn was too high to look over and we got lost in the "extremely difficult" maze pretty much immediately (we'd entered the Scarecrow maze and someone took a "shortcut" which we all haplessly followed … the blind leading the blind). My mom bravely stuck it out for 30 minutes and then exited with Ed, Gale and their son when an opportunity arose. The rest stayed in for 20 minutes more, then we all watched as some of the guys used a pumpkin cannon to shoot at distant targets (more or mostly less effectively). The day was topped off by a visit to a nearby orchard market selling apples, honey and elderberry jam. Aurora BorealisTonight I saw the Northern Lights for the first time. Kevin Hollenbeck called to say he'd seen them the night before and urged me to go look (we've watched meteor showers in the past). I grabbed the only person interested in going … Alison's co-worker Kevin (another one) and drove over the the Univ. of MD's farms to try to get a better view. As we proceeded down a quieter "country" road we realized the pink glow in the sky wasn't city lights. It was shimmering. Off to the left blue and green curtains gently vibrated. The whole scene wasn't very defined or sharp, mostly muted softness, but the colors extended well overhead. It was magical. Here are some other people's photos, including some from Maryland. HugsFrom a book review at Amazon:
Thursday, October 23According to the Belief-O-Matic, I am a Secular Humanist (a very apt description of me). My curiosity lies in Theravada Buddhism. LoveFrom the Devil's Dictionary: LOVE, n.
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| Early in the bonfire |
Gina and her effigy |
The big picture |
Bon- fireworks |
Poor California. (Then again, good luck, bad luck, who can say?)
… a president who engages in marital infidelity—OR—an administration who outs their own CIA agents? Which deserves more of a moral uproar? Where's Ken Starr?
| Today's Political Action: Sign this petition. I was aghast when I learned about the alleged White House "leak" regarding Ambassador Wilson's wife being a CIA operative. If true, this is a shameful embarrassment to the Republican administration and party. And if true, those who perpetrated this treasonous crime need to be weeded out of public service. Unfortunately, I don't believe Attorney General John Ashcroft would be an impartial prosecutor. |
Adam Felbers has something to say about this:
So the official version runs like this: Some staffer inserts the yellowcake sentence into the State of the Union address. When the claim is refuted by the man who actually investigated it, that man's wife is exposed to a hostile world as a CIA operative. And it's all done by anonymous bean-counters, with the President and his top brass completely out of the loop. So what, says the White House, you wanna make a federal case out of it?
To which his reader Murray responded:
How many republicans believe in country above party? How many will demand an inquiry into an act that has direct implications on national security, and is an actual felony?
After dropping Alison off at the pottery studio, I went to Ginohn's (sans Gina) First Friday gathering with Kristin. I had my first hard cider in years (beer=yuck!) and talked with Jon Amigo about how to replace my gaming table-top. The low table was made by Jon and painted by me as a gift for Kristin back in 1997 (it's become their Icehouse gaming table). But people got stiff on the floor, so the lid was removed and the base returned. I wonder what I'll paint on the replacement?
After a chat with CooperDad, I'd just gotten into a conversation with Jake when I was summoned outside where Kristin was checking out Meg and Joe's RV. Then it was time to pick Alison up before the Greenbelt Community Center closed. It was still early and I thought about going back, but instead I went to bed around 11:00.
Saturday I did some research at Greenbelt Library for a painting and then ate at the New Deal Cafe for the first time … a yummy Bella Rella (portobella, mozarella) and a strawberry/banana milkshake (authentic, with bits of strawberry and banana mixed in). Since I was right there, I called John and Kory up to see if they wanted to see Lost in Translation with me at the Old Greenbelt Theatre. They were both interested but already had, and though they wanted to see it again it was too early, and they'd already made plans for a guys night out to a movie I "probably didn't want to see." I suspect they were right.
So I went to my mom's, helped her with computer stuff a bit, and we departed at 7:05 to see the 7:30 showing … just in time to catch the Clemson vs. Maryland football traffic as it let out from the University. We had to abandon the movie idea 'cause we'd have never arrived in time.
It was just as well. I'd love to see Lost in Translation, especially given that Bill Murray's in it (he plays the lead in my favorite movie), but I'll just associate it with this time and that would be bad (read: I'm going through a bad time). So though my mom suggested the movie again Sunday, I said I really wasn't in the mood.
Instead I sold my Kayak and paddle and spray skirt on Sunday. I also did a last check for my glasses at Home Depot, but they still haven't shown up. $300 down the tube. Oh well, they were doomed from the beginning (they arrived flawed the night before I moved back East, and then two days later I scuffed big circles around the lenses when I "cleaned" them using my shirt in the Grand Canyon).
All of the following was the result of searching Google for countries freest most democratic. (I'm not sure why this stuff catches my attention. I'm not religious but I do see this as possible [probable?] insight into the current neo-conservative political movement.)
Last fall I mentioned hearing about the Left Behind series on Fresh Aire. I just came across this article from 2001:
Chances are most liberals aren't familiar with the Left Behind series, the set of apocalyptic mega-bestsellers penned by the fundamentalist preacher Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. But if you want some insight into conservative rage over the recent booting of the U.S. from the United Nations Human Rights Commission—where it has held a seat since the body's founding in 1947—the Left Behind novels are a good place to start. [source]
Here's Terry Gross' interview with Tim LaHaye. He's a member of the Council for National Policy (more about them below).
Oh, hey, Left Behind has a web site which I don't seem to be able to get into. But Google has the home page cached, and here's what it says about the new book called Soon.
Imagine the world without religion. What would happen if the United States of America, once the bastion of freedom and tolerance, succumbed to a world community that outlawed religion? It's a frightening prospect that has already come to many countries. The first book in Jerry B. Jenkins's new end-times series will transport you to a world where religion is banned and the church has gone underground. It takes a look at what the world might be like in the years before Christ returns—before Left Behind.
In the books, the antichrist is the former head of the United Nations. Imagine that.
I also recommend listening to Terry Gross' interview with Gershom Gorenberg, which came right after Tim LaHaye's.
Can anyone figure out what this site's about* (what's that about The New World Order and The Rise of the Fourth Reich)? There I found a page which talks about the Council for National Policy. It's an interesting page to scan from the top.
I also found this on the ABC News web site, titled Vast, Right-Wing Cabal? Meet the Most Powerful Conservative Group You've Never Heard Of:
When Steve Baldwin, the executive director of an organization with the stale-as-old-bread name of the Council for National Policy, boasts that "we control everything in the world," he is only half-kidding. [source]
Maybe I should move to Vancouver.
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*Okay, I've figured it out ... at the bottom of the home page it explains:
Presently there are many ministries which intercede for the United States and for the nations of the world. No serious Christian can doubt that evil men have come to power in the world, whose purpose is to overthrow free forms of government and to suppress the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, few Christians seem to be aware that this same anti-Christ network has infiltrated the Church with a hidden agenda of subverting the true faith and converting believers to their false religious system.
[...] Today, the New Age Movement and other elements of the New World Order have infiltrated the Bible-believing churches and are posing as Christian ministries. According to Constance Cumbey, their expressed goal is to use the Evangelical Church as the primary instrument to bring the New World Order with its One World Religion to birth. As a result of this conspiracy, many sincere Christians are being led into deception by an abundance of false teachers and prophets on the Christian scene and organizations that have the appearance of doing good works, but are apostate in their doctrine and practice.
Check out the Practical Hippie.
Also, I'm the 186,740,948 richest person on earth!
Discover how rich you are!
My Victoria photo-travelogue is now on-line.
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| Mungo Martin House | The Parliament Building | Hippies... | The Milne Building |
I've been diagnosed with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (excellent resource!), an apparently fairly common condition that comes on (for half of sufferers) inexplicably—others because of head trauma, etc.—and after a few days or weeks, disappears. For some it's debilitating, for me most typically a minor annoyance. When I'm afflicted it seem to be triggered when I roll onto my left side in bed, which sets the room spinning until I turn back, become upright, or close my eyes and wait. This time it was also happening when I was looking to the left and up, as if over my shoulder.
According to the doctor (and Janet, who's studying to become an audiologist), calcium carbonate particles that normally move freely through the ear's semi-circular canals (which together regulate our sense of balance) travel incorrectly and interfere with proper interpretation of movement and position.
I went to see a vertigo specialist in DC. He used a new treatment on me by holding a slip-on-the-hand head massager (just like one my dad had in his barber supplies, oddly enough) gently against my skull while I lay and sat in specific ways. The vertigo went away!
…but probably not forever, since it tends to recur periodically in sufferers. I've been having it for years—at least 10—but always wrote it off as a head-cold or some other relatively minor sinus/ear ailment. Interestingly, women get it twice as often as men, and average onset is usually is in the mid-50s. No fair, my onset was in my mid-20s!
I sometimes wonder if I experienced head trauma as a baby, before I was adopted at 20 months. I had a deviated septum that—when finally fixed in 1997—I was told was not natural (the doc even asked about head trauma). I endured braces from age 11 to 16, because my jaw is not properly set (it's offset to the left), and they wanted to break it, which I wouldn't allow. So now dentists comment on my unusual cross-bite. Maybe my vertigo is another piece in the puzzle.
I've started my first yoga class! When I didn't participate in the first class (I watched 'cause I wasn't allowed to do certain movements—like lie flat or bend over—for two days after my vertigo treatment), a woman approached me afterwards, saying she'd had positional vertigo pretty bad when she began yoga, but hasn't had it since. Funny that the above resource recommends for deterrence/prevention to "avoid provocative movements and limit activities."
The yoga I'm taking is called Vishwayatan Yoga. I tried looking it up on the web, but the only relevant info revealed that it's an Indian Ashram which promotes a certain form of yoga practice worldwide. After participating in the second class, I'd have to say it's sort of a combination of light calisthenics, vigorous breathing, and standing stretches the first half hour, with sitting, squatting and lying poses the last half. I felt very stretched-out after. Today muscles ache all over in interesting ways.
Also, I've decided to stop whining and just be an artist. So I've started drawing … really actually drawing! … which I still seem to be able to do just fine, mostly. I'm going to give a weekly private drawing class to Kristin, who's always wanted to learn (I could never find room to hold the bigger class I'd hoped for). And I already have two projects to work on. Soon I'm going to start posting a weekly drawing out of my sketchbook, but I'm not quite ready yet.
Let's see, what else. Oh yeah, my 70 year old mom fell down the stairs at a vacuum cleaner store, landed face-down but was relatively unhurt. One arm twisted pretty good, leaving her bruised and quite sore just above the inner elbow, and the other inner forearm got abraded on the cement in an ugly way. But no broken hips or anything. Lucky!
But unluckily, after that happened I went on an errand to Home Depot for my mom, during which I lost my glasses. So now I'm stuck with my mildly older prescription in dark plastic frames, which look slightly too big and heavy to me, given the weight I've lost now. And there's good news, I seem to have lost two more pounds! Maybe I'll be back to my ideal weight by Christmas.
