"soul is to be found in the vicinity of taboo".
well at least i am in the vicinity. HA
12 years ago
Friday, March 5, 2010
UPDATE to defining soul (see happy birthday, soul sister 2.26.10)
"soul is to be found in the vicinity of taboo".
well at least i am in the vicinity. HA
Friday, February 26, 2010
happy birthday, soul sister
ah, i met her my first day of work at at a natural foods grocery store in texas...nearly 20 years ago. she knew all about wine. i knew a lot about food, and wanted to know more about wine. and there you have it: the recipe to feed a friendship that has lasted half my lifetime. we spent 16 years together in the same city, several of those as upstairs/downstairs neighbors and at the same workplace. whether we see each other 3 times a day, or 3 times a year, each new time picks up right where the old one leaves off. a seamless continuum of human connection -- the connection for whom you always pick up the phone,for whom you always have a shoulder for tears or an ear for laughs, for whom you are a ready rescuer from a bad date, for whom your futon and extra pillows are always available. THAT person.
i was able to visit THAT person's neck of the woods for a few months recently. i had not seen her in 3 years, maybe more. we poured wine. we broke bread. we relived our memories of each other, our lives, our loves, our laughs, our foibles, our sorrows. we confessed to one another how "that little thing you did, that simple gesture back in 19_ _ or 20_ _ it saved me", each of us having no idea how the actions of our friendship sustained each other in challenging times.
we toasted and smiled. we were warm and wonderful.
as i watched my friend cook (as she insisted while i sit at the table and sip my wine), our conversation veered into the most magically stimulating discussion. i cannot recall what preceded or triggered the topic, but we found ourselves wrangling with the meaning of the word soul.
soul. the human soul.
that oh so ponderable never-never-place that is touched but not with hands, that is felt but not by nerves, that is seared but not with heat, that is rocked but not by music, that is pierced but not with arrows, that is soothed but not with medicine.
from soul, we meandered to afterlife, heaven, religion, politics, art, literature, humor, food, wine and friendship and back full circle to soul. and, no closer to a tangible understanding, we decided, or maybe we let the wine decide, that we are not here to define soul, but rather to live it, and let it live, and that eventually, we would understand soul better, but also respect it as undefinable, not finite, not absolute. we toasted to our wine-laden revelation and thanked our lucky souls for these things:
happy birthday my dear friend. i can't wait to see you in a few weeks and pick up where we left off.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
of running and religion
so, when you have found the thing that brings you peace and balance, getting addicted to it is easy. and so it goes for me and running. or perhaps some my call my gait jogging. anyway, a good 5-6 mile trek before/at dawn is my peace. it's a time for a new day's first thoughts, reflections, plans, musings, meditation, or just a sunrise solitude with whatever comes to my mind*body*soul.
running.
it's my choice of workout, too -- it's free, i don't ever have to wait for a machine, i do it on MY time, and all i really have to do is put one foot in front of the other. usually, i go to a local high school track. the surface is so easy on my middle aged knees. i can really lose myself in my steps, too, b/c there no traffic to dodge, no surprise potholes, no traffic lights, etc etc. it's nice, but can be monotonous. so sometimes, for a change, i hit the local streets, which in these parts, are quite hilly. the hills are not my favorite, but they add a periodic challenge to the aforementioned joys of running. either way, it's great to have choices of where to run.
until this winter.
unless you have been living under a rock, you've heard about some snow. 2 feet, then 3 feet then another 2 feet. usually, a DC-area snowfall is plowed and cleared within a day or two, so it's not long before you see your fellow runners out and about. but not this winter. plow crews are just not quipped with manpower nor machines to handle the recent dumpings. those addicted to that runner's high endorphin, like me, sought out gyms or treadmills i guess. i have neither option. even though i got some great upper body workouts of shoveling in, i haven't not gotten in a good long run in several weeks. it's just not safe: there are ice patches in the roads; roads still not plowed; the high school track is a huge white tundra. i have found an alternative "workout", though...i don my snow boots and go for a long long snow hike. it gets me moving, yes, but it's not running. it's just not. but i resigned myself that it will have to suffice until things thaw out.
then one day in my car travels, i noticed a HUGE church parking lot. it had been plowed clean, no ice remaining, and it was FLAT! what a great place to ruuuuuuuuuuuuun! this flat, big, dry, church parking lot can be my morning sanctuary for now. AWESOME! addicts find ways to get their fixes and i found mine.
so this morning, so thrilled, yet oh so jonesing, that is where i went. what a great feeling to find my stride, circling the quarter mile perimeter (which of course i had measured w/my car odometer)! and JUST when i was breaking sweat, just when i had transcended into my own little endorphin-secreting meditative state, i saw him.
he was about 6 feet tall, well coifed salt and pepper hair, friendly eyes. he was all dressed in black, save the collar. you know, that pastor/priest/clergy ring of white. he smiled at me, and asked me if i knew i was on private property. this was so disturbing on so many levels (mainly because it had interrupted my run) so i came to a stop but stood there, jogging in place (refusing to let go of the beautiful endorphins). a few seconds went by and i tried to come up with something, ANYTHING to keep going, when the following words came out of my mouth:
"yes sir, i do. but here i feel so much closer to god"
and with that, he gave me an authoritative but relenting ecumenical nod, and walked back into the church. as i picked up my pace and got back to the rhythm of the sweet solitude of my meditation, i looked at the cloud-wisped morning sky and thought:
our god is an awesome god.
she really is.
running.
it's my choice of workout, too -- it's free, i don't ever have to wait for a machine, i do it on MY time, and all i really have to do is put one foot in front of the other. usually, i go to a local high school track. the surface is so easy on my middle aged knees. i can really lose myself in my steps, too, b/c there no traffic to dodge, no surprise potholes, no traffic lights, etc etc. it's nice, but can be monotonous. so sometimes, for a change, i hit the local streets, which in these parts, are quite hilly. the hills are not my favorite, but they add a periodic challenge to the aforementioned joys of running. either way, it's great to have choices of where to run.
until this winter.
unless you have been living under a rock, you've heard about some snow. 2 feet, then 3 feet then another 2 feet. usually, a DC-area snowfall is plowed and cleared within a day or two, so it's not long before you see your fellow runners out and about. but not this winter. plow crews are just not quipped with manpower nor machines to handle the recent dumpings. those addicted to that runner's high endorphin, like me, sought out gyms or treadmills i guess. i have neither option. even though i got some great upper body workouts of shoveling in, i haven't not gotten in a good long run in several weeks. it's just not safe: there are ice patches in the roads; roads still not plowed; the high school track is a huge white tundra. i have found an alternative "workout", though...i don my snow boots and go for a long long snow hike. it gets me moving, yes, but it's not running. it's just not. but i resigned myself that it will have to suffice until things thaw out.
then one day in my car travels, i noticed a HUGE church parking lot. it had been plowed clean, no ice remaining, and it was FLAT! what a great place to ruuuuuuuuuuuuun! this flat, big, dry, church parking lot can be my morning sanctuary for now. AWESOME! addicts find ways to get their fixes and i found mine.
so this morning, so thrilled, yet oh so jonesing, that is where i went. what a great feeling to find my stride, circling the quarter mile perimeter (which of course i had measured w/my car odometer)! and JUST when i was breaking sweat, just when i had transcended into my own little endorphin-secreting meditative state, i saw him.
he was about 6 feet tall, well coifed salt and pepper hair, friendly eyes. he was all dressed in black, save the collar. you know, that pastor/priest/clergy ring of white. he smiled at me, and asked me if i knew i was on private property. this was so disturbing on so many levels (mainly because it had interrupted my run) so i came to a stop but stood there, jogging in place (refusing to let go of the beautiful endorphins). a few seconds went by and i tried to come up with something, ANYTHING to keep going, when the following words came out of my mouth:
"yes sir, i do. but here i feel so much closer to god"
and with that, he gave me an authoritative but relenting ecumenical nod, and walked back into the church. as i picked up my pace and got back to the rhythm of the sweet solitude of my meditation, i looked at the cloud-wisped morning sky and thought:
our god is an awesome god.
she really is.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
today i was remembering
laugher-filled and kiss-dotted scrabble games. turkey sandwiches and pinot grigo. loading my grandparents' picnic basket with cheese and fruit, putting the top down and getting LOST.
i was remembering
those balmy sunsets
the angelica
cafe japon
unhinged productions
margaret cho
roundtop
austin
kurt & courtney
and chai tea.
i was remembering you today.
i was remembering
those balmy sunsets
the angelica
cafe japon
unhinged productions
margaret cho
roundtop
austin
kurt & courtney
and chai tea.
i was remembering you today.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
i'll take light rock for a hundred, alex
i'll take light rock for a hundred, alex
so i was thinking about the tv game show jeopardy! and i thought up a category group of my own. it's called "light rock". in this category, i will give you contemporary or classic rock lyrics and you are to come up with the title of the song, which includes the word "light". (artists are not required, but are listed here)
here are the answers and the questions:
$100
Answer:
Mamma always told me not to look into
the eyes of the sun
But Mamma, that's where
the FUN is!
Question:
What is "Blinded By The Light" (Bruce Springsteen)
************
$200
Answer:
All the world's indeed a stage
And we are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each anothers audience
Outside the gilded cage
Question:
What is "Limelight" (Rush)
**************
$300
Answer:
Time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre
Question:
What is "Light My Fire" (Doors)
**************
$400
Answer:
Sun turnin' 'round with graceful motion
We're setting off with soft explosion
Bound for a star with fiery oceans
Question:
What is "2000 Light Years From Home" (Rolling Stones)
**************
$500
Answer:
It was late last night
I was feeling something wasn't right
There was not another soul in sight
Only you, only you
Question:
What is: I Saw The Light (Todd Rundgren)
here are the answers and the questions:
$100
Answer:
Mamma always told me not to look into
the eyes of the sun
But Mamma, that's where
the FUN is!
Question:
What is "Blinded By The Light" (Bruce Springsteen)
************
$200
Answer:
All the world's indeed a stage
And we are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each anothers audience
Outside the gilded cage
Question:
What is "Limelight" (Rush)
**************
$300
Answer:
Time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre
Question:
What is "Light My Fire" (Doors)
**************
$400
Answer:
Sun turnin' 'round with graceful motion
We're setting off with soft explosion
Bound for a star with fiery oceans
Question:
What is "2000 Light Years From Home" (Rolling Stones)
**************
$500
Answer:
It was late last night
I was feeling something wasn't right
There was not another soul in sight
Only you, only you
Question:
What is: I Saw The Light (Todd Rundgren)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009
in no particular order, these are some of the things i did in 2009:
1. saw stevie wonder, bono and bruce all on one stage in the same day.
2. stood for 6 hours in sub-freezing temp's to see the 44th president get sworn into office.
3. reconnected with my high school, junior high and elementary school (hello facebook)!
4. dipped my toes into the atlantic ocean, pacific ocean and the gulf of mexico!
5. had my first hot stone treatment/massage.
6. saw a shooting star.
7. picked figs from a napa valley tree.
8. saw the fab faux - TWICE!
9. overcame my fear of flying.
10. celebrated the best dog in the world's 10th birthday.
11. went to my first "high tea"
12. went to the legendary warner theatre for the first time.
13. ate a porterhouse steak and had the best cabernet ever at francis ford coppola's "cafe zoetrope"
14. partied with a drag queen dressed as anne coulter.
15. walked on air
16. saw the full moon and the morning sun in the sky at the same time on opposite ends of the sky.
17. saw fireworks.
18. showered outside.
19. poured brandy in the hot chocolate.
20. planted flowers, raked leaves, shoveled snow.
21. lost my job.
22. won tickets to U2.
23. prayed a lot.
24. gave thanks.
25. threw a penny in a fountain (no really i did) and made a wish.
26. ate coffee cake in brooklyn.
27. hiked a marin headlands trail.
28. gave blood.
29. slowed down.
30. kept the change.
31. got by with a little help from my friends.
32. moved forward using all my breath.
33. forgave myself.
34. laughed. cried. connected. lived.
What did YOU do?
Monday, November 16, 2009
not that i would run, but...
my platform
don't worry, i am sure there are damaging images of me somewhere that would preclude my run for office...but if i WERE to run...here's what i would be screeching about:
-damaging images no longer preclude one from a political career.
-get out of Afghanistan and Iraq
-end the war on drugs/decriminalize marijuana
-rapists, child molesters and elderly-beaters - life in prison no parole
-overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act
-tax the churches
-annex mexico
-legalize prostitution (regulate the business, protect the sex workers and clients from disease and abuse)
-liberals: NO MORE WHINING
-conservatives: NO MORE PREACHING
-shut down Monsanto
-condoms on every corner
-birth control in the water
-every American must screen Waiting for Guffman when they turn 18.
-every American must sample The White Album and Dark Side of the Moon, whenever they want, but before age 25.
-no more plastic production
-Dancing With the Stars is the new enemy of state.
-more rights for divorced dads (overhaul the family courts)
-teachers, social workers, care-givers, first responders -- all get audited and those still standing get 40% raises.
-2 words: solar power
-pinot noir, goat cheese, and ginger snaps become their own food groups
-free health insurance for pets (put THAT in your reform pipe and smoke it)
-tea parties are limited to little girls and old ladies, and tea is actually SERVED
-no commercials during Mad Men, The Office, Southpark, or The Famliy Guy.
-stupid is now class 1 misdemeanor
-breeding stupid? a felony
-production of styrofoam, phenylalanine, Scientologists, bovine growth hormone, and Jon Gosselin's TV career stop NOW
-bike lanes in every city and town
-Halliburton-KBR pay us all back for the wanton quadruple over-billing of the wars in iraq and afghanistan - WITH TREBEL DAMAGES.
-no more selling "skinny"
-dark chocolate for everyone!
my name is andrea and i approve this ad
-damaging images no longer preclude one from a political career.
-get out of Afghanistan and Iraq
-end the war on drugs/decriminalize marijuana
-rapists, child molesters and elderly-beaters - life in prison no parole
-overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act
-tax the churches
-annex mexico
-legalize prostitution (regulate the business, protect the sex workers and clients from disease and abuse)
-liberals: NO MORE WHINING
-conservatives: NO MORE PREACHING
-shut down Monsanto
-condoms on every corner
-birth control in the water
-every American must screen Waiting for Guffman when they turn 18.
-every American must sample The White Album and Dark Side of the Moon, whenever they want, but before age 25.
-no more plastic production
-Dancing With the Stars is the new enemy of state.
-more rights for divorced dads (overhaul the family courts)
-teachers, social workers, care-givers, first responders -- all get audited and those still standing get 40% raises.
-2 words: solar power
-pinot noir, goat cheese, and ginger snaps become their own food groups
-free health insurance for pets (put THAT in your reform pipe and smoke it)
-tea parties are limited to little girls and old ladies, and tea is actually SERVED
-no commercials during Mad Men, The Office, Southpark, or The Famliy Guy.
-stupid is now class 1 misdemeanor
-breeding stupid? a felony
-production of styrofoam, phenylalanine, Scientologists, bovine growth hormone, and Jon Gosselin's TV career stop NOW
-bike lanes in every city and town
-Halliburton-KBR pay us all back for the wanton quadruple over-billing of the wars in iraq and afghanistan - WITH TREBEL DAMAGES.
-no more selling "skinny"
-dark chocolate for everyone!
my name is andrea and i approve this ad
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