Note

I recently invited a colleague to go to a movie. She had caught my eye immediately, and I eventually came to suspect that she is an exceedingly bright individual. I looked for a ring on her finger several times and only got a clear, discrete look at her left hand on two occasions. Neither time did I see a ring.

So I jumped with both feet.

It was only after her politely rendered non-acceptance (it did not feel like rejection) that I later saw a ring on the ring-finger of her right hand.

Blood rushing to my face and body temperature elevated, suspecting that all will soon know me for the letch that I must be, I begin cowering in the corners of my cubicle.

Is she left-handed? If not, does a ring on the right hand count? Why isn't this in the manual?

In any case, no offense was intended. I will hope none was taken.

(Did any of this require a semi-colon?)



posted at 12:37 PM | link

This vehicle may be in need of a tune-up, or complete overhaul. With a well-paying job came a long stretch of lethargy. Used to hike, used to camp, used to practice yoga, used to be much more carerful about what kinds of food I took...

Used to be more content.

Leaving this job might wake up the soul, but I know that it takes more self-discipline than I have exercised in the last year to be healthy. I imagine taking off in my '85 Chevy and finding a new place to live for some time. I consider submitting apps for teaching certification in California, Oregon, even Washington, thinking that there is something in the plan to land in a small community, find some part-time work, and filling in at a school or three.

Wanderlust gives way to practicality, though, after long moments spent enjoying such prospects, and I end up thinking that maybe trying to get away from this valley is still premature. It is possible that I will not be able to leave fully until my youngest is of age. ("He needs you.")

I also consider applying to attend a workshop at Arcosanti. Five weeks of hard work and reflection, away from the city, away from Babylon.


I have visited several times. I was squatting there for about a week, several years ago, with the help of an intern. The interns (participants in the workshops) live down by Sycamore Creek in cubes - small cubicle concrete dwellings just large enough to stretch a hammock or a pallet across. Following each workshop, one or two of twelve or twenty interns are invited to stay on as residents. That would be the goal.

posted at 10:52 AM | link

This may call fer a wee bit of price comparison, but looks to be a good source:

Mountain Rose Herbs | Bulk organic spices, teas & essential oils "Since 1987 Mountain Rose Herbs has become the Leading Organic Supplier in not only the finest organic botanical products, but the freshest as well."

posted at 1:49 AM | link

Signing up here:

BookCrossing "...the books our members leave in the wild are free... but it's the act of freeing books that points to the heart of BookCrossing. Book trading has never been more exciting, more serendipitous, than with BookCrossing. Our goal, simply, is to make the whole world a library. BookCrossing is a book exchange of infinite proportion, the first and only of its kind."

(Read it and pass it on, what a novel idea.)



posted at 1:42 AM | link

Here, you have some spinach stuck to your neurons:

mental_floss "This country is trying to learn and no one is on its side. The people need something; the people need hope. So, mental_floss is rising to the challenge, covering every topic under the sun. We blur the lines between a great education and great entertainment."

posted at 1:21 AM | link

Loggin this for future reference:

The Caretaker Gazette - Property Caretaking & Housesitting Opportunities "THE CARETAKER GAZETTE is a unique newsletter containing property caretaking and housesitting opportunities, advice, and information for property caretakers, housesitters, and landowners. Published since 1983, it's the only publication in the world dedicated to the property caretaking field."

posted at 1:14 AM | link

Resignation from the BrainDrain leaves an open agenda for the summer. Might be able to make it to the Gathering, would hope to make a potluck beforehand, maybe find a travelling comrade. Very inviting narrative of the event through that hypnoLink...

Then, there should be plenty of time to plan a trip to Seattle for a bit of festival.



But, that may just be a pipe dream.



posted at 12:32 PM | link

Virtual mind fodder, this:

The Unreal Estate Boom "The 79th Richest Nation on Earth doesn't exist. The population is 225,000, the hourly wage $3.42. Welcome to virtual paradise, where a carpenter can live in the castle of his dreams - if he doesn't mind an 80-hour workweek double-clicking pig iron and hoarding digital dung."
By Julian Dibbell

posted at 7:38 PM | link

What is that sound? I have given notice to my employer that I will no longer be an underpaid consultant who is not only undervalued but also underutilized (did not use those exact words). And, as I am the fourth or fifth person to serve notice in the two weeks following a laying off of six others, one gets the sense that the sound is that of rats scratching toward the edge of a sinking ship.

But spring has sproinged, and life is rife with possibilities. Another season, another reason.



posted at 12:41 PM | link