Chewable Vitamin C

Man! I was doing fine. Richard was sick, but I was cruising. And then this afternoon my throat started feeling sore and now my glands are swollen and sore and I am EATING Vitamin C. Here I was thinking my immune system was kicking butt! Damn. Have to help it along as best I can. I do not want this crud that is going around.

Come on immune system. Kick in baby. I'm counting on you.

At The Reptile Zoo

I took a couple of postcard shots of an iguana and of an emerald boa. These are beautiful creatures. However when the staff rolled out the dead animal cart with dinner for the snakes, the show was less about beauty than it was about the mammalian-reptilian food chain. One of the mamba's actually forced its way out of its cage at the sight of the cart, or maybe the smell of it, which was really rank. All of a sudden, there was a moment of panic as all attention turned to the problem of the mamba out of its enclosure and headed for the plate of dead mice. Before it could be contained and returned to its habitat, it inflicted three bites on the hand of the staff person attempting to corral it. Meanwhile the boas were methodically crushing their dead rats to make sure they were definitely dead before eating them and the cobra was swallowing a large rat whole. Tre really got into the display of reptilian table manners, "Eat the head first, eat the head first" he chanted, much to the chagrin of those of us who felt there was no way to deny we were with him.

Anyway, we had a good time at the Reptile Zoo in Monroe. The sun was shining and nobody got seriously injured. The kids got to handle some snakes and even a tarantula. But the discussion of the relative merits of cockroaches as pets was way too far around the bend for me.

Burning Man Update

Today I heard back from a burner I contacted about maybe joining their BM camp. All I knew from the information I had was that they weren't a "noisy" camp. I was looking for a relatively quiet burner camp, so I wrote to the guy. It turns out they call themselves TRIBE OF ELDERS, and the core members of the group that sets up the camp each year are burners in their 60's. They have an enclosed shower, they take turns cooking for the camp, they have two guys who do massage, and they are not into loud music. They basically circle the trailers and carpet the middle area, and that's where the tents set up. It sounds great. Wow. I want to be adopted.

The only problem I can see is if Vince and Wendy don't want to be in this camp with us, since we are meeting them there and I was expecting we would be camping together. I don't want to have to choose between my brother and TRIBE OF ELDERS.

I'm clear Richard and I would be comfortable with TRIBE OF ELDERS, however.

I'm going to bring my massage table and my Tarot cards, along with a folding table and chairs so I can give readings. I already told Paul (Sparky) that I would be happy to cook Italian for the camp one night as part of our participation in the camp.

I'm wondering how they will be with both of us being retired from Corrections. All I said about us was that we're retired. All of a sudden I was uncomfortable saying that we are retired parole officers. Like I'm afraid it will put people off, make them uncomfortable with us. Sigh. Have to get over that shit.

In The Pass

There's hardly any snow left in Snoqualmie Pass. The clouds are right on top of us, and it's doing that Washington "trying to rain" thing, producing an annoying drizzle but no more. I'm glad it's not snowing, which is forecast for tomorrow. We definitely don't need to try to pull this old trailer through the snow. Tre is doing great, but he's such a typical five year old, asking every few minutes if we're there yet. I think he finally dozed off. Sleeping will definitely make it easier on him. We should get to Yelm in time for dinner and before dark. Richard isn't feeling well, and he wanted me to drive for a while, but I chickened out. Pulling a 28' trailer just makes me nervous.

We passed a military convoy, several tanks in the lead. Tre loves all things military it seems. We had a long discussion about how to succeed in life, with the emphasis mainly on getting a good education. He says he wants to be a scientist when he grows up, not a soldier. I heartily approve.

It does seem strange to leave Spokane and go to the WET SIDE when the sun was shining at home. Oh well. Ah, life in the Great Northwet.

It's all good.

New Blog: Soul Visions

Okay, I started a new blog for spiritual discussions called "Soul Visions." It would make me really happy if it became interactive. I would love to have a dialogue with other people about their spiritual experiences and beliefs. To me, there is nothing more interesting. Come over, take a look and don't be shy.

Just like waking up

This afternoon my diet kicked in. I started the Adkins a few days ago, so basically I haven't had any carbs for a couple of days. Last night I noticed I was feeling really hungry, which is part of the process of getting to the burn stage, where your body converts stored fat into energy, basically back into the sugar from whence it originally came. When this diet starts working, you get more energy than you are used to having. You can feel your body cooking. Wow, what a jolt! It was like waking up from a state of dozing off. I immediately turned up the radio and started singing. Whew! Energy to spare. And knowing that I am burning stored fat and getting rid of it just makes me so happy!

Yay!

Leap of ... something

It's a leap anyway. I leaped into a Doctor of Metaphysical Counseling degree program through the University of Metaphysics. This is the same school where I got my Holistic Life Coaching certificate. I'm already also an ordained Spiritual Healer and a Reiki Master.

In Landmark they say life is empty and meaningless and it's empty and meaningless that it's empty and meaningless. I have never really agreed with this assessment. I believe everything is a manifestation of the universal intelligence, and that a universal life force unites all living things. There is a universal consciousness expressing itself in material and metaphysical manifestations.

I personally experience connection with this dimension of existence through what I refer to as my higher self. This is the part of me that is always observing, with an attitude of peace and impartiality, calmly. This is the core of my being as I know it, my soul.

My soul has had many lives. I've seen this in a vision during an out of body experience. I have many lives ahead of me, and many lives behind me. This current life is one of my shorter lives. This time in history is one of the noisiest, most cluttered and frantic places and times in all of history. It is, compared with my other lives, a strange place to be.

Well, suffice it to say I have a lot to say on this subject. Meanwhile, my grandson is spending the day, so right now I need to play.

Cat-astrophe

Last night my cat, Rascal didn't come home. This morning Richard went out to get the newspaper and found him laying dead in the road in front of our house.

Rascal was the last surviving of Flower's kittens. Flower disappeared herself, from my daughter's house, a couple of months ago. She was a calico cat. Rascal was a tuxedo cat. He was bright and high-spirited and slept with the dog. He hated being inside, so we reluctantly let him go out. He was hard on the birds, but inconsolate if he was locked inside. He was talkative and extremely affectionate.

Rascal will be missed.

He is one in a long line of cats we have lost to Evergreen Road. Before it was extended over the freeway, this was a safe road to have pets on. Since the extension, it has become a drag route. Cars from other neighborhoods use this road as a back way around the busier main streets. They drive too fast. They drive like nobody lives here.

Richard wants to move. I have to say right at this moment, I pretty much agree. A quieter street would be nice.

My Hat

My hat for Burning Man is a Sorcerer's Apprentice hat from Disneyland. It has mouse ears. I've always loved it, though I hardly ever get to wear it. At Burning Man you do what you want to do, and as they say in New York, "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke." So I'm going to make myself a matching cape. Richard is going to make me a magic wand. It will be magic because I am magic. My dearly departed friend, Marty used to say that all the time.

How did I get caught in this cynical cycle I've been in? The truth is I've always been a believer. I believe in reincarnation, contacts from people who have died, energy healing and psychic intuition. I believe there are evil people who do black magic. I sometimes see auras. Among other things. But there is no sort of organized system that I belong to. The things I believe are based on direct personal experience, like out of body experiences and spirit guides.

But most of the time when I get involved with "new age" types, they are so full of shit I can hardly stand to be around them. There is just a wheelbarrow full of bullshit they buy into, and they tell you all about it as if it was fact. So periodically I get cynical about all of it, and I withdraw into a narrow view, where I pretty much give up on all of that new age stuff.

And then being cynical just gives me the blues. So at Burning Man I'm going to be myself. I'll give people Tarot readings and Reiki treatments. Wear my hippie clothes. Tape poems all over my trailer.

To hell with cynical and resigned. I'm leaving that shit home.

Daily

This is supposed to be a daily blog, but it hasn't turned out that way. The things I actually do daily are few. They include reading the paper and doing or attempting to do the puzzles, brushing my teeth, taking a bath and checking my email...writing my 100 words at http://www.100words.com (which I love doing), and what else? Brush my hair, blow my nose and eat. Go to the bathroom and take my medication. I mean when you have to list bodily functions, you have too much time on your hands!

The End

I am at the END of being fat. As of this morning, I'm on the Adkins diet. I did this when I was in my 30's and lost bunches of weight and felt great. Today I ate ham and chicken and drank diet Coke. This is not balanced. There needs to be lots of green vegetables and salad, hard boiled eggs and cheese and tuna fish (or any fish), and maybe some peanuts. For the first two weeks, it's pretty hard, but then your body starts to burn the stored fat and convert it into energy (sugar...from whence it came to being with), and the pounds start to melt away. I have to lose 30 pounds by August. I am not going to Burning Man fat.

Sand Poets

We have decided on a game to play at Burning Man. We are going to create a "Sand Poets" display, using the walls of our trailer. Participants write poetry and post it on flip charts, and then attach the flip chart sheets to the walls of the trailer. Hopefully, it will soon be covered with poetry. I have ordered T-shirts that say "Sand Poet" on the front for the first 100 poets who participate. Now all I need is a massive supply of flip chart pads, a couple of easels and folding tables, lots of markers in brilliant colors and a whole lot of good tape.

endings

Last night was the end of the seminar I've been taking through Landmark Education. I was happy to have it complete. I'm also clear I don't want to take the next one. Simultaneously, "Our Town" ended last week, and our Corbin Players comedy shows end tomorrow. And the current community college quarter ends this week as well. A lot of things are winding down all at once. We will celebrate by taking Tre with us to see our other grand children in Yelm during their Spring Break next week. We'll all be on vacation together, and I'm looking forward to it.

A Vase From Transylvania

Shit breaks. Have you noticed? Down here on the rock, spinning around in orbital space, bits and pieces collide, go bump, crash, burn, pop and grind to bits. It is not an easy place for a vase from Transylvania to survive. No surprise, then, when it fell over and cracked apart. Jesus Christ himself could have broken that vase, Wanda said, but even that just made Richard feel even worse. There he was trying to help, and the damn thing just had a life of its own. Ever tried to hold onto something when it was hell bent on disintegrating in your hands? Sometimes there is just nothing you can do to prevent it. You grab and grasp, and try to hang on, but you just can't stop the fall. It lands. It breaks. All the King's horses and all the King's men...

Where the hell is Transylvania, anyway?

Letter From Darfur

Dear President Obama,

Today in Darfur the water trucks didn't come. The rice is running low. And people are getting a crazy look in their eyes. My mother put her arms around me, and her hands were shaking. She said I should stay close by. I started to feel afraid. But then I saw your picture on a wall nearby. You were smiling. And my father says you are a very powerful man. He says you are the most powerful man in the whole world. So I am thinking you will come to Darfur and help us. But please hurry.

A child in Darfur

why I love acting

For starters, it's a guarantee of an interesting exchange that I get to be part of. Even if it's only pretend, it is always interesting. Even if I've done it dozens of times before, it is still a challenge to make it happen in real time. Acting is engaging. Talk about taking your mind off of yourself!

Today my friend David and I did a scene from Pinter's "The Birthday Party." What a blast. I mean, is Meg crazy or just stupid? I'm decked out in dangly earrings and a satin robe (okay, over my clothes), and I'm flirting outrageously with a man who is not my husband. After 20 years of marriage, that in and of itself would make it worthwhile. And it's all for fun. And it is fun. Never mind that his (David's) character is thoroughly disgusted by my advances. The truth is he's having a blast too, being disgusted.

I tell you, there's nothing in the world like acting. Unless of course you are a pathological liar who makes shit up all the time. But even that wouldn't be this much fun. Hell it would be too serious to be fun. For a pathological liar it's a damn survival mechanism. But for actors, there is really nothing at stake.

My friend and fellow actor, Allen calls it Kindergarten for grown-ups. Have you ever watched little kids pretend? Reminds me of a funny story. I was working on a role in which I needed to shed a few tears, and I mentioned to Richard (my husband) that I was worried I might not cry at the appropriate moment during performance of the scene. My five-year-old grandson, Tre happened to be with us at the time. "Just pretend to cry," he said. "I do it all the time." Then he climbed up on the arm of the couch and taught me how to do it, complete with demonstrations.

Kids pretend with gusto. They don't hold anything back. And when you see something like that, it's inspirational.

20th Anniversary

Tomorrow is our 20th wedding anniversary. Yikes! How did time fly by so fast? We've been together so long, we don't even try to surprise each other anymore. We just take each other shopping. He wants to take me to the jewelry store and buy me a ruby ring. Part of me likes the idea, but another part of me doesn't want to spend the money. I never have any idea what to get for him! He doesn't want anything, except maybe a book, so usually I get him a gift card to his favorite bookstore and call it good. He seems to like that well enough. If I do buy him something, I have to save the receipt so he can exchange it for something he REALLY wants.

Then there's the problem of picking out a card or cards for him. We used to buy each other a whole bunch of cards and place them in strategic locations around the house to be discovered on the day of. This year, I don't even have one card, never mind an assortment. This is the problem with spending all our time together. We are never alone long enough to go shopping for each other.

Fortunately, I have a breakfast meeting in the morning, so I will go directly to the mall after the meeting and see what I can come up with.

Mostly we will probably blow a lot of money on a nice dinner out. What we need to really do...is get in the car and drive to Montana to our favorite hot spring for an overnight in the tubs. I think I will suggest it when I get home from my meeting tomorrow.

Putting Emily to Bed

We wrapped up our performance schedule last night. I've seen the DVDs of "Our Town" productions that were filmed, both the old and the new. And I have to say that our company, The Sage Players, put on a great show. Our characters were lively and well-developed, we got a lot of laughs, especially in the second act, and you could hear a pin drop during Act 3. As a group, we never stopped developing our characters and deepening our performances.

But one thing I have discovered about acting is that I have no life during a show. The show takes everything out of me. It is all I can do. I eat, I sleep and I act. Oh, well we did manage to make love in between naps over the weekend. And we managed to stop at the store and buy snacks for the green room, but that was pretty much it.

Goodnight Emily.

Goodnight George.

Key West

Before seeing key West, we had pretty much decided not to return to Florida. But then on a 'wild hair' we turned south on U.S.1 and followed the road to the road's end. And there was key West. Where people dance spontaneously in the street, singing too, where the party spills out into the street and the street is only too happy to have it. Where the primary colors are turquoise, and pink and lemon yellow. And the people you see seem happy. And we were happy, singing and dancing when the mood hit us. Talking to people was easy. Being inspired by the ocean all around us was easy. We went dolphin watching and snorkeling, and wandered in and out of cafes and bars along the way. We had the most wonderful time. We felt an absolute certainty that we would come back to key West.