Two things are bothering me these days.
One is that I have a mild case of that phenomenon where it's hard to tell people apart. There was an article about it in the Globe last year, and I was able to tell about 60% of the faces apart -- Robert got all of them. I'm one of those people who loses the plot when someone in a movie puts on a disguise, even a bad one. I have a hard time telling which actors I've seen before when I go to a play.
And at work, there are are two pairs of men whom I confuse. The problem is that I'll go up to the wrong person and start a conversation that would make perfect sense if I were talking to the other member of the pair. I think both of the "wrong guys" think I'm just friendly and picking up on odd little bits of conversation. But really, I'm continuing something that started with an entirely different person.
A few weeks ago, I went up to one guy and said "I haven't seen you for a while." He told me he'd been in meetings and the gist of what was being worked on... and all the while, I thought he was my next door neighbor who comes in once a week. I finally passed this second guy while he was sitting in his office. He gave me a big friendly smile. Uh hi. And whoops.
I also went up to someone who had just returned from a long European trip and with whom I've had several friendly conversations. "Welcome back!" I said. "From where?" he asked? I blinked and said "I'm so sorry; I thought you were someone else" and walked off. Whoops again.
There are so many opportunities to feel like an idiot.
The other thing is physical. For a few weeks, one of my thumbs has been less than opposable, though it has been quite oppositional. It's not on my main hand, but it turns out that I use that thumb a lot, or at least I'd like to. It occasionally wakes me up in the middle of the night just to remind me who's boss (believe me, I'm not forgetting). I've even switched mouse hands at work to give Mr. Thumbkin a rest. Then I feel like I'm "all thumbs" (all toes?) when I try to mouse. I'm trying to up the ibuprofen and just get through this latest episode, but heavens, I hope it's not a several-year ordeal.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
misc. hijinks
Thursday afternoon, I went to a Red Sox game, courtesy of my company, which has season tickets and raffles them off to employees. Red Sox tickets are increasingly difficult to come by, as the team improves its standing and the resellers snap up tickets faster than mere mortals can. So this was a real treat.
I was honored to take my friend, JCK, who is a baseball geek. She was able to explain some of the finer points and fill me on a little baseball gossip while we watched. We hadn't seen each other in months and spent some time catching up with each other, too.
We were under a cover, so we didn't even get wet in the passing showers, the sun was out for a lot of the afternoon and I, at least, was warm enough the entire time. So we neatly escaped the dangers of being outside during a spring afternoon -- too much heat, not enough, too much rain, and too much sun. Such a nice afternoon. Oh, and the Sox made some spectacular plays and then won, making the event a little sweeter.
----
Then I came home and did a stupid stupid reply/all to the entire R&D department when I'd meant to forward a private comment to my boss. The message I sent out implicated my boss in revealing a secret to me early, so I feel even stupider, because I'm mortified that I might have somehow hurt her in the process. I apologized to my boss and to my boss' boss (the original sender of the message). I'll seek out my boss when I show up on Tuesday and attempt to apologize in person.
One person replied and was very very kind (we all do this; the last time I did it, it was intentional and I still feel bad - your move wasn't even intentional; don't worry about it - it will blow over). Robert heard an endless stream of how stupid I am, and did not even hear the more endless stream playing in my head. I avoided work email completely Friday and Saturday and just looked today so I would have time to recover from the abuse by Tuesday. Fortunately, not one other person responded. Phew. Maybe it will blow over as my unexpected ally claims it will. D'oh!
----
Last night, we went to a lovely near-end-of-season contra dance, led by one of the sweetest, gentlest callers we know. The music was fantastic -- guitar, bodhran, and hot hot fiddling.
Before the dancing started, a friend I haven't seen for ages walked in. D had a heart attack last fall and has been on the mend ever since. We've talked a few times since then. He's been working hard at getting better and says he's about 80%. He let me feel the staples in his chest. (I was immediately reminded of finding Char's chest staples in her ashes, but didn't ruin the moment by articulating that thought. Still, it was great to feel staples in the chest of someone who's alive and well and breathing!). And I had the honor of the first dance with D. He seems as good as ever, at least to me. Hooray!
And also, four completely deaf people, brand new to dancing, came last night. When the first two showed up, I approached one of our regular dancers who's hearing but grew up in a deaf household (and went to Gallaudet). He immediately engaged them in conversation and started in on some teaching, with help from Robert. Sometime later, a friend of theirs who's hearing and signs came too.
Meanwhile, I found another dancer who signs and asked him to be on the lookout for other signers and to help welcome our newcomers. And it all just worked. The new dancers were *really* good -- they picked up the movements very quickly. They were incredibly attentive to cues from the other dancers. Those of us who don't sign (the unsigners, I guess) were able to pantomime the moves. And the caller told me that he quickly tossed some of the more "unstructured" dances he had planned and just stuck to dances that adhered well to the beat.
Midway through the evening, I sat out a dance and watched -- the new dancers were fairly indistinguishable from folks who've been with us for a while. Wow.
Part-way through the evening, the drummer leaned over to the caller and said that she couldn't think of one other dance community to which four brand new deaf people could show up, be welcomed, taught, and integrated into the group. That felt very good and very exciting. I hope they come back!
It also got me thinking about the part of the dance experience that is auditory. We dance to gorgeous live music and we listen to the instruction provided by the caller. Those of us who are handicapped by our ability to hear need all the parts to make the dance work. We had to communicate what we take in by ear to people who couldn't hear it but who could feel it (through vibrations in the floor, at the very least).
Another part of the dance is coming together in community -- of relating to other dancers, people we come to care about over the course of an evening, or a couple of years, or even, as is now becoming the case, a couple of decades. And another part is the sheer joy and occasional humor in the dance. It all mixes together into an evening that works. And it is joyous when some of the parts are taken out and it still works. Lovely.
----
This afternoon, we're off to a party at the house of good friends. They host on Memorial Day weekend, Labor Day weekend, and Thanksgiving. It's always fun and thoughtful and amusing and delightful. Looking forward to it.
----
And yesterday, we finished the last bit of work on the cabinets. So they're now ready to be hung. If I had a Staples button, I'd push it for the satisfaction of hearing "That was easy." In lieu of that, here's an electronic version (sound required):
We have a little rewiring to do and a lot of packing up. But the packing can be fairly casual, since we're not actually moving anything, just storing it temporarily. We'll pack tomorrow and the person doing the construction will come by for some last-minute consultation. And perhaps soon we'll be working in our new (ish) kitchen!
Oh, and a friend is taking six of the eight old cabinets. The seventh will likely go to a neighbor, leaving just one last cabinet to get rid of. It's fairly nasty anyways, so I don't mind tossing it. That was also easy.
I was honored to take my friend, JCK, who is a baseball geek. She was able to explain some of the finer points and fill me on a little baseball gossip while we watched. We hadn't seen each other in months and spent some time catching up with each other, too.
We were under a cover, so we didn't even get wet in the passing showers, the sun was out for a lot of the afternoon and I, at least, was warm enough the entire time. So we neatly escaped the dangers of being outside during a spring afternoon -- too much heat, not enough, too much rain, and too much sun. Such a nice afternoon. Oh, and the Sox made some spectacular plays and then won, making the event a little sweeter.
----
Then I came home and did a stupid stupid reply/all to the entire R&D department when I'd meant to forward a private comment to my boss. The message I sent out implicated my boss in revealing a secret to me early, so I feel even stupider, because I'm mortified that I might have somehow hurt her in the process. I apologized to my boss and to my boss' boss (the original sender of the message). I'll seek out my boss when I show up on Tuesday and attempt to apologize in person.
One person replied and was very very kind (we all do this; the last time I did it, it was intentional and I still feel bad - your move wasn't even intentional; don't worry about it - it will blow over). Robert heard an endless stream of how stupid I am, and did not even hear the more endless stream playing in my head. I avoided work email completely Friday and Saturday and just looked today so I would have time to recover from the abuse by Tuesday. Fortunately, not one other person responded. Phew. Maybe it will blow over as my unexpected ally claims it will. D'oh!
----
Last night, we went to a lovely near-end-of-season contra dance, led by one of the sweetest, gentlest callers we know. The music was fantastic -- guitar, bodhran, and hot hot fiddling.
Before the dancing started, a friend I haven't seen for ages walked in. D had a heart attack last fall and has been on the mend ever since. We've talked a few times since then. He's been working hard at getting better and says he's about 80%. He let me feel the staples in his chest. (I was immediately reminded of finding Char's chest staples in her ashes, but didn't ruin the moment by articulating that thought. Still, it was great to feel staples in the chest of someone who's alive and well and breathing!). And I had the honor of the first dance with D. He seems as good as ever, at least to me. Hooray!
And also, four completely deaf people, brand new to dancing, came last night. When the first two showed up, I approached one of our regular dancers who's hearing but grew up in a deaf household (and went to Gallaudet). He immediately engaged them in conversation and started in on some teaching, with help from Robert. Sometime later, a friend of theirs who's hearing and signs came too.
Meanwhile, I found another dancer who signs and asked him to be on the lookout for other signers and to help welcome our newcomers. And it all just worked. The new dancers were *really* good -- they picked up the movements very quickly. They were incredibly attentive to cues from the other dancers. Those of us who don't sign (the unsigners, I guess) were able to pantomime the moves. And the caller told me that he quickly tossed some of the more "unstructured" dances he had planned and just stuck to dances that adhered well to the beat.
Midway through the evening, I sat out a dance and watched -- the new dancers were fairly indistinguishable from folks who've been with us for a while. Wow.
Part-way through the evening, the drummer leaned over to the caller and said that she couldn't think of one other dance community to which four brand new deaf people could show up, be welcomed, taught, and integrated into the group. That felt very good and very exciting. I hope they come back!
It also got me thinking about the part of the dance experience that is auditory. We dance to gorgeous live music and we listen to the instruction provided by the caller. Those of us who are handicapped by our ability to hear need all the parts to make the dance work. We had to communicate what we take in by ear to people who couldn't hear it but who could feel it (through vibrations in the floor, at the very least).
Another part of the dance is coming together in community -- of relating to other dancers, people we come to care about over the course of an evening, or a couple of years, or even, as is now becoming the case, a couple of decades. And another part is the sheer joy and occasional humor in the dance. It all mixes together into an evening that works. And it is joyous when some of the parts are taken out and it still works. Lovely.
----
This afternoon, we're off to a party at the house of good friends. They host on Memorial Day weekend, Labor Day weekend, and Thanksgiving. It's always fun and thoughtful and amusing and delightful. Looking forward to it.
----
And yesterday, we finished the last bit of work on the cabinets. So they're now ready to be hung. If I had a Staples button, I'd push it for the satisfaction of hearing "That was easy." In lieu of that, here's an electronic version (sound required):
We have a little rewiring to do and a lot of packing up. But the packing can be fairly casual, since we're not actually moving anything, just storing it temporarily. We'll pack tomorrow and the person doing the construction will come by for some last-minute consultation. And perhaps soon we'll be working in our new (ish) kitchen!
Oh, and a friend is taking six of the eight old cabinets. The seventh will likely go to a neighbor, leaving just one last cabinet to get rid of. It's fairly nasty anyways, so I don't mind tossing it. That was also easy.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
cabinet deadline is within sight
Wow. All eleven cabinet boxes are constructed. We've figured out which accessories (doors, drawers, and so on) go with each box. Tomorrow, we'll make progress installing hinges and drawer rails. And then next weekend, we'll finish the kit project and pack up the kitchen so that deconstruction and reconstruction can start just after Memorial Day.
Ikea makes the process a little time consuming but fairly straightforward. The instructions are almost entirely in pictures -- I wish I could write documentation like that -- with just a few words when absolutely necessary. And once you figure out the first one, the subsequent cabinets go together in identical fashion.
I think the resulting effect will be quite presentable. So far so good.
Ikea makes the process a little time consuming but fairly straightforward. The instructions are almost entirely in pictures -- I wish I could write documentation like that -- with just a few words when absolutely necessary. And once you figure out the first one, the subsequent cabinets go together in identical fashion.
I think the resulting effect will be quite presentable. So far so good.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
one down, ten to go, plus plus plus
The Ikea boxes arrived today, nearly a cubic meter of flatness, at least according to one of the lists I received. After dinner tonight, we verified that all items on the list had actually arrived. Then we worked together to construct one of the smallest cabinets and got the basic box done. Most of the instructions are in goofy little pictures, not necessarily clear until you've created one, but the thing feels sturdy and it went together neatly.
We decided to quit while we're ahead. So next time we're both available, we'll try attaching the hinges and figure out if the doors go on before or after hanging on the wall.
I may attempt the other one or two small cabinets on my own and we'll continue constructing as we're available. There are eleven cabinets in all, some with more goombahs on them than others -- shelves, drawers, and so on.
We'll also need to clear out the kitchen -- empty the cabinets, clear off the counters, take things off walls.
Our builder was very kind and said that if we can't get it all done by our self-imposed date, he has other things to keep him busy. It's hard to know how long it will all take. But so far, so good and we'll keep plugging away at it.
Oh, and the builder suddenly realized that the friend who recommend him to me is working on her kitchen. After some discussion back and forth, it sounds like she will take at least some of the cabinets off my hands. I'll probably freecycle the rest, or at least attempt to do so.
Oh, and I'm playing with twitter and some of my twits (tweets?) are visible on the right side of this page. Comments are welcome.
We decided to quit while we're ahead. So next time we're both available, we'll try attaching the hinges and figure out if the doors go on before or after hanging on the wall.
I may attempt the other one or two small cabinets on my own and we'll continue constructing as we're available. There are eleven cabinets in all, some with more goombahs on them than others -- shelves, drawers, and so on.
We'll also need to clear out the kitchen -- empty the cabinets, clear off the counters, take things off walls.
Our builder was very kind and said that if we can't get it all done by our self-imposed date, he has other things to keep him busy. It's hard to know how long it will all take. But so far, so good and we'll keep plugging away at it.
Oh, and the builder suddenly realized that the friend who recommend him to me is working on her kitchen. After some discussion back and forth, it sounds like she will take at least some of the cabinets off my hands. I'll probably freecycle the rest, or at least attempt to do so.
Oh, and I'm playing with twitter and some of my twits (tweets?) are visible on the right side of this page. Comments are welcome.
Monday, May 12, 2008
weekend and dancing
We had a nice weekend, fairly quiet, which means not too many activities. I finally heard from Ikea about the cabinets which should be here in flat form in 85 separate boxes on Wednesday. Then we need to get busy with construction in time for installation. Bye-bye garage! At least until early June.
We went to a dance on Saturday night, our only organized activity of the weekend. It was a combined English-contra night, always a lot of fun. For some reason, we had a lot of brand new people (hooray) who didn't know even the simplest moves. Our contra caller, who is sweet and patient, and also blind, couldn't always tell during the walk-throughs how much people didn't know, so we had a tiny bit more confusion than usual. During the actual dancing, though, she can tell how we're doing by how unified our feet shuffling is. We got through it, and the newbies stuck with us far longer into the evening than they often do, and that was a happy thing.
The musicians were delightful with the contras and barely stumbled through the English. Alas, last weekend, we were treated to music played by the guy who actually wrote the book of tunes that all English players use -- the Rise Up Singing of English dance. So it was an extreme let-down to hear musicians struggle to play the same music that was so beautifully played the weekend before. Alas.
Maybe next year our organizers will consider scheduling English-contra night a month before dance camp as a kind of advertisement for camp. The evening really was fun overall, and we ended up leaving much later than we usually do.
Yesterday, we caught up on some house work. We spent some lovely time in the yard, with full sun and not too much heat, finishing up the weeding job started by our spring-cleanup landscapers. We now have mulch, some trees in full flower, lilacs that are about to hit peak, and a mowed lawn. The house always looks stunning at this time of year.
We went to a dance on Saturday night, our only organized activity of the weekend. It was a combined English-contra night, always a lot of fun. For some reason, we had a lot of brand new people (hooray) who didn't know even the simplest moves. Our contra caller, who is sweet and patient, and also blind, couldn't always tell during the walk-throughs how much people didn't know, so we had a tiny bit more confusion than usual. During the actual dancing, though, she can tell how we're doing by how unified our feet shuffling is. We got through it, and the newbies stuck with us far longer into the evening than they often do, and that was a happy thing.
The musicians were delightful with the contras and barely stumbled through the English. Alas, last weekend, we were treated to music played by the guy who actually wrote the book of tunes that all English players use -- the Rise Up Singing of English dance. So it was an extreme let-down to hear musicians struggle to play the same music that was so beautifully played the weekend before. Alas.
Maybe next year our organizers will consider scheduling English-contra night a month before dance camp as a kind of advertisement for camp. The evening really was fun overall, and we ended up leaving much later than we usually do.
Yesterday, we caught up on some house work. We spent some lovely time in the yard, with full sun and not too much heat, finishing up the weeding job started by our spring-cleanup landscapers. We now have mulch, some trees in full flower, lilacs that are about to hit peak, and a mowed lawn. The house always looks stunning at this time of year.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
elusive terrorist turtles
I swear, that town next to us gets more dangerous by the day. First it's drivers speeding through the stoplight in the center of town, and now, at least according to the police blotter, it's the turtles. To wit:
Tuesday, April 22, 4:35 pm
A caller reported a woman was helping a turtle cross the road near Minister's Pond. The caller was concerned for the woman's safety. [Hey! What about the turtle?] An officer checked the area but the woman [and presumably the turtle] was gone.
Wednesday, April 23, 6:39 pm
A person came into the station to report a turtle was crossing Great Road at Minister's Pond and was causing traffic problems. An officer reponded to the scene but the turtle was gone upon arrival.
Thursday, April 24, 3:53 pm
A caller reported a turtle was crossing Great Road by Minister's Pond and was causing traffic problems. The turtle was gone upon officer's arrival. [Now I'm beginning to think there's a turtle conspiracy to mess with the minds of the police.]
I think we should be very afraid of these turtles. Why, if the police in the next town over don't do something to curtail them, our town is next. I am deeply concerned. I do hope that the next-town police are vigilant against this threat and that they somehow manage to protect us all.
Tuesday, April 22, 4:35 pm
A caller reported a woman was helping a turtle cross the road near Minister's Pond. The caller was concerned for the woman's safety. [Hey! What about the turtle?] An officer checked the area but the woman [and presumably the turtle] was gone.
Wednesday, April 23, 6:39 pm
A person came into the station to report a turtle was crossing Great Road at Minister's Pond and was causing traffic problems. An officer reponded to the scene but the turtle was gone upon arrival.
Thursday, April 24, 3:53 pm
A caller reported a turtle was crossing Great Road by Minister's Pond and was causing traffic problems. The turtle was gone upon officer's arrival. [Now I'm beginning to think there's a turtle conspiracy to mess with the minds of the police.]
I think we should be very afraid of these turtles. Why, if the police in the next town over don't do something to curtail them, our town is next. I am deeply concerned. I do hope that the next-town police are vigilant against this threat and that they somehow manage to protect us all.
i'm clearly missing something
Our democratic process winds on while the Democratic primaries continue to generate heat. I've heard so much from the media, yet again, about how divisive and wrong it is for the Democratic nomination to be unsettled "at this late date."
We have two serious contenders, two capable people vying for the nomination. They've debated at great length, talking about trivial ideas, but also surfacing important themes. They've gotten people to think about and talk about some of the difficult issues we as a nation face. And they've inspired voters to come out in droves, including people who haven't voted for years.
And this is bad exactly how?
We have two serious contenders, two capable people vying for the nomination. They've debated at great length, talking about trivial ideas, but also surfacing important themes. They've gotten people to think about and talk about some of the difficult issues we as a nation face. And they've inspired voters to come out in droves, including people who haven't voted for years.
And this is bad exactly how?
Monday, May 05, 2008
brief dance camp report
In a word, lovely. I'm so glad I went.
The camp is a Y camp in the summer, rented out in the off-season to all manner of groups. This particular site has been kept in an extremely natural condition, with paths and trails through the woods, interrupted occasionally by a building or small cluster of buildings. The cabins I usually stay in are arranged around a little grassy "town common" area. And the whole camp wraps part way around a barely-inhabited lake.
It rained and was cold nearly the entire time. I brought my Muck boots, a giant umbrella, and lots of warm bedding. There are heated cabins, but the one I stayed in is not heated. I was fine -- toasty, warm, and dry inside the cabin, despite the lack of a heated human next to me. (I did have cabin mates, gracious and kind people, who slept on the opposite side of the cabin from me.)
The dancing was lovely. As a group, our dancing has improved over the last two decades. (In fact, a first-time camper mentioned how impressed he was with the high level of dancing.) We had one English caller, whom I've been dancing to since he started calling. He's gotten wonderful -- gentle, kind, forgiving. One of our contra callers was terrific. His wife, also a caller, is very good, but kept screwing up. (oh, I forgot to tell you.... and then she'd tell us the one thing that would have made the dance work.) When she was on, though, she did a great job and was funny and a good instructor.
Our musicians were sublime. The pianist is a total cutup and he put together one collection of tunes based on old television programs (mr. ed, mickey mouse, the addams family, and so on). We were all dancing and snapping our fingers at the appropriate moments, and laughing and singing. The flutist also plays the sax, which sounded terrific.
And the dancers -- many of us came from New England and New York. There was a guy from Germany who'd just been to a big dance festival the previous weekend. Someone came from England, someone else from Florida, another person from Cleveland, and two guys came from San Francisco. In the last few years, San Francisco has developed a gender role-free dance community and they just had their first (wildly successful) dance camp a month ago.
Oh, and a number of newer dancers came from our home dance, including three trans-men who cross-dressed as women at our costume dance. Now, *that* shows security in one's own gender identity.
I had three dances with one of my favorite partners -- ok, so I'm a selfish pig, but it was sooo much fun. You're really supposed to switch around. There were people I never got to dance with, but I have few regrets. I did dance with a lot of people -- old friends, complete strangers, newbies, people more experienced than I am. The newbies are all coming along beautifully.
The food was not sublime, alas, but the company at meals was. I spent a lot of time this weekend talking to someone of whom I've always been fond, but I think we got a little closer at camp, which makes me happy. And I missed some dancing to talk to an old friend I hadn't seen for a while, and who's moving to Maine within the month.
I was so busy that I managed to visit the snack room just once, to hang out with people a little, before moving on to the next activity. I didn't even take the time to make a button (the crafts portion of our camp experience) so I just threw two pre-made button images into the button basket. Maybe next time.
And there was a special event, an afternoon "tea and social" that I just loved. Two men put it on. One put together a CD full of waltzes. You could waltz or sit on the sidelines and chat. The other man put together an actual tea, with scones (he baked 120 of them), whipped cream (no clotted was available), jams, three varieties of tea, cream OR soy milk, different varieties of sugar. It was so elegant, so delightful. I had thought I'd pop in, steal a scone, and dash off, but instead, I stayed and relaxed.
I'm also pleased to report that my old ankle injury did bother me a little at the start of camp. I self-medicated with a moderate amount of ibuprofen, but not a lot. By the end of camp, I was dancing without my brace and left camp in no pain whatsoever. All those exercises I do have been paying off. I'm quite happy.
I had a short drive home, less than an hour and a half, through back roads of Connecticut. My fourth load of laundry is just drying now, and I'm about to go off to work. I'm already looking forward to next fall's camp, which could be as fabulous as this one, if not more so. But for now, back to the real world.
The camp is a Y camp in the summer, rented out in the off-season to all manner of groups. This particular site has been kept in an extremely natural condition, with paths and trails through the woods, interrupted occasionally by a building or small cluster of buildings. The cabins I usually stay in are arranged around a little grassy "town common" area. And the whole camp wraps part way around a barely-inhabited lake.
It rained and was cold nearly the entire time. I brought my Muck boots, a giant umbrella, and lots of warm bedding. There are heated cabins, but the one I stayed in is not heated. I was fine -- toasty, warm, and dry inside the cabin, despite the lack of a heated human next to me. (I did have cabin mates, gracious and kind people, who slept on the opposite side of the cabin from me.)
The dancing was lovely. As a group, our dancing has improved over the last two decades. (In fact, a first-time camper mentioned how impressed he was with the high level of dancing.) We had one English caller, whom I've been dancing to since he started calling. He's gotten wonderful -- gentle, kind, forgiving. One of our contra callers was terrific. His wife, also a caller, is very good, but kept screwing up. (oh, I forgot to tell you.... and then she'd tell us the one thing that would have made the dance work.) When she was on, though, she did a great job and was funny and a good instructor.
Our musicians were sublime. The pianist is a total cutup and he put together one collection of tunes based on old television programs (mr. ed, mickey mouse, the addams family, and so on). We were all dancing and snapping our fingers at the appropriate moments, and laughing and singing. The flutist also plays the sax, which sounded terrific.
And the dancers -- many of us came from New England and New York. There was a guy from Germany who'd just been to a big dance festival the previous weekend. Someone came from England, someone else from Florida, another person from Cleveland, and two guys came from San Francisco. In the last few years, San Francisco has developed a gender role-free dance community and they just had their first (wildly successful) dance camp a month ago.
Oh, and a number of newer dancers came from our home dance, including three trans-men who cross-dressed as women at our costume dance. Now, *that* shows security in one's own gender identity.
I had three dances with one of my favorite partners -- ok, so I'm a selfish pig, but it was sooo much fun. You're really supposed to switch around. There were people I never got to dance with, but I have few regrets. I did dance with a lot of people -- old friends, complete strangers, newbies, people more experienced than I am. The newbies are all coming along beautifully.
The food was not sublime, alas, but the company at meals was. I spent a lot of time this weekend talking to someone of whom I've always been fond, but I think we got a little closer at camp, which makes me happy. And I missed some dancing to talk to an old friend I hadn't seen for a while, and who's moving to Maine within the month.
I was so busy that I managed to visit the snack room just once, to hang out with people a little, before moving on to the next activity. I didn't even take the time to make a button (the crafts portion of our camp experience) so I just threw two pre-made button images into the button basket. Maybe next time.
And there was a special event, an afternoon "tea and social" that I just loved. Two men put it on. One put together a CD full of waltzes. You could waltz or sit on the sidelines and chat. The other man put together an actual tea, with scones (he baked 120 of them), whipped cream (no clotted was available), jams, three varieties of tea, cream OR soy milk, different varieties of sugar. It was so elegant, so delightful. I had thought I'd pop in, steal a scone, and dash off, but instead, I stayed and relaxed.
I'm also pleased to report that my old ankle injury did bother me a little at the start of camp. I self-medicated with a moderate amount of ibuprofen, but not a lot. By the end of camp, I was dancing without my brace and left camp in no pain whatsoever. All those exercises I do have been paying off. I'm quite happy.
I had a short drive home, less than an hour and a half, through back roads of Connecticut. My fourth load of laundry is just drying now, and I'm about to go off to work. I'm already looking forward to next fall's camp, which could be as fabulous as this one, if not more so. But for now, back to the real world.
Friday, May 02, 2008
those darned polygamists
I've been fascinated to read about the polygamist sect out in Texas -- the awareness of law enforcement but the long wait to do anything about it; the allegedly alleged call to police complaining of abuse; the pictures of the women; the stories about the children. In doing some surfing, I stumbled on a video of Carolyn Jessop speaking about her harrowing escape from the sect and felt like I got a lot more perspective on the situation. (Apologies, but there was no obvious embed tool -- the video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJAvqc5u9KM.)
More recently, we've raised a collective yawn at reports about young girls in the sect being forced into marriage and young sex. Oh well, that's just the way that religion operates, not a problem. And then a few days ago, gasp, we started hearing that young boys were also (allegedly) "abused". Now wait right a minute, I can hear us say collectively. It's not *really* abusive to make mid-to-late teenage girls marry or bear children. But boys? Heavens, no! How shocking!
I look forward to getting a clearer take on the whole story by reading more first-hand accounts as they become available. I'm just ever so slightly tired of the media's hay-making of things that aren't news and ignoring things that are.
More recently, we've raised a collective yawn at reports about young girls in the sect being forced into marriage and young sex. Oh well, that's just the way that religion operates, not a problem. And then a few days ago, gasp, we started hearing that young boys were also (allegedly) "abused". Now wait right a minute, I can hear us say collectively. It's not *really* abusive to make mid-to-late teenage girls marry or bear children. But boys? Heavens, no! How shocking!
I look forward to getting a clearer take on the whole story by reading more first-hand accounts as they become available. I'm just ever so slightly tired of the media's hay-making of things that aren't news and ignoring things that are.
best laid plans... are back on again.
Yeah! Yeah! I'm back from the dentist, who was quite wonderful, by the way. She did all the typical experiments (well, typical based on one data point from last fall). We are taking the most conservative approach, which is to go on antibiotics for a few days, report back, and decide on a course of action based on the results. I also have her cell phone number ("Don't feel special," she said, "I give it to all my patients. I don't think you'll need it.")
During the course of the exam, she told me that she got a dental degree, researched bone regeneration for twelve or so years, then went back to school and got a specialist degree. She now works at four practices and loves the freedom that affords her -- no hiring or firing, no dealing with landlords, the flexibility to be with her kids. And, she said, wherever she goes, she feels like, and is treated like, a guest.
Because I saw her at my regular dentist's practice, I was able to participate in a consultation between the two of them. A good experience all around.
So I'm off to dance camp after all. Back to packing!
During the course of the exam, she told me that she got a dental degree, researched bone regeneration for twelve or so years, then went back to school and got a specialist degree. She now works at four practices and loves the freedom that affords her -- no hiring or firing, no dealing with landlords, the flexibility to be with her kids. And, she said, wherever she goes, she feels like, and is treated like, a guest.
Because I saw her at my regular dentist's practice, I was able to participate in a consultation between the two of them. A good experience all around.
So I'm off to dance camp after all. Back to packing!
Best laid plans...
I'm supposed to go to dance camp this weekend. Robert is staying home to commune with, and likely nap with, the animals. I thought for a long time about going by myself and decided to do it. I want to be in the woods, dance with my friends, eat camp food (well, not really, but it's not *that* bad), hang out by the camp fire, sleep in bunks. The linens are packed, the shopping list is made, and I'm making progress with the rest of packing.
Meanwhile, I've had an "irritation" in my mouth since before Christmas. I mention it to my dental caregivers every opportunity I get. The last time I said something, I was told that my "plate was full" (well, yes, two crowns, an extraction, and an implant in a few months does make for a full plate) and we'd deal with it later.
Hmmm. Later might be now. We have had further developments on the irritation front over the last few days. Ordinarily, I'd just sit with it for a few more days -- it's livable, after all. But the idea of being over an hour from home and having this flare up concerns me, so I just called my dentist. The root canal specialist happens to be in today, so I'm not even bothering to see my regular guy -- skip go, do not collect $200. D'oh!!
I'm still hoping that I can go away, maybe even dance. We'll see.
Meanwhile, I've had an "irritation" in my mouth since before Christmas. I mention it to my dental caregivers every opportunity I get. The last time I said something, I was told that my "plate was full" (well, yes, two crowns, an extraction, and an implant in a few months does make for a full plate) and we'd deal with it later.
Hmmm. Later might be now. We have had further developments on the irritation front over the last few days. Ordinarily, I'd just sit with it for a few more days -- it's livable, after all. But the idea of being over an hour from home and having this flare up concerns me, so I just called my dentist. The root canal specialist happens to be in today, so I'm not even bothering to see my regular guy -- skip go, do not collect $200. D'oh!!
I'm still hoping that I can go away, maybe even dance. We'll see.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
new blog: nocwyhfd
Apparently, on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog. Nobody cares what you had for lunch, either. If that's true and you're totally bored by the subject, keep reading this blog, which I will continue to write on my usual irregular schedule.
I've added a second blog, The Dinner Report, as a supplement to this one. It's more public than this blog, so for TDR only, I've created more restrictions on comments. Apologies, but these are the precautions one has to take these days.
Enjoy! And if you are inspired (or repulsed, or whatever), I'll be interested to hear about it.
I've added a second blog, The Dinner Report, as a supplement to this one. It's more public than this blog, so for TDR only, I've created more restrictions on comments. Apologies, but these are the precautions one has to take these days.
Enjoy! And if you are inspired (or repulsed, or whatever), I'll be interested to hear about it.
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