into the woods

i am going into the woods for a couple weeks - ergo, won't be posting. try not to miss me too much. 

post the hundred-fourteenth, 2013

Sleeping out
Under the stars
Morning breaks sunny
Make up the fire
Eggs cooked in a tin can
Rouse the others
Coffee bacon bread-on-a-stick
All deliciously charry
Make the most of it then
Pack your stuff and head home

post the hundred-thirteenth, 2013

i didn't want to go.

it was late, i was hungry, and most of all i was geeking out over this report i was pulling together. nothing like pivot tables to glue my ass to the seat.

on the other hand, i DID want to go, but only to have it done. i didn't want to go for going but wanted only to be finished.

so, i went.

i decided the best way to keep my attention was to do something different so i jogged over to this set of steps i like and hadn't been to in a while. i ran them x10 and it was good, felt good, hard work, sweat dripping off my eyelashes. next i thought to run behind the park and pick up the bike trail -- another place i hadn't been in a while -- for the return to the office. so, headed that way, picked up the path. it was good. just as i remembered, except there were a ton more hobos napping on the benches. not sure what was up with that.

then i got to the turn and the turn was no longer a turn. it was a branch and had been made into a branch by the fact that they'd added a branch. i mean, before, it was a path. now, it was one of two. of course, i took the new one.

actually, it didn't seem new-new, but it was new to me. i was really curious to see where it would go. it went past a concrete yard or something, maybe a quarry. continued across a RR track, down past the backs of warehouses, past old train cars, it just kept going. it was an amazing spread of trail. i saw several men working - at the quarry, around the warehouses. there were a good number of cars at the cross streets. i saw one other pedestrian.

after probably 15 or so minutes, i saw a trail map sign, so i stopped to see where i was and was gobsmacked to see how big the greenway system is now. i was also somewhat concerned over how far i'd come so i decided to exit the greenway at the trailhead. (there was a map because it was a trailhead.)

when i left the greenway the scenery changed. mostly because i was now in front of stuff instead of behind it but in addition, there were these really neat -- like neat-and-tidy neat -- townhomes that backed up to the greenway access path i was on. they looked new -- the landscaping was young and raw. overmore, most of the roads around this area were pitch-black with new pitch. clearly, this was urban renewal.

around the corner was a really cool fountain. i stopped to read the sign and learned the fountain was part of a small community park built to commemorate the early use of the area. there was something about sulfur water, healing properties, like a spring was there or something. i was pretty worn out and didn't really read that closely. the fountain was, like i said, really cool. it started at the top of a small rise, where the road ran past the park. up there was a sort of trough with spigots, and from the trough was a stepped sluice worked down the middle of the sidewalk to the main pool fountain. it's hard to explain something so exquisitely visible with flat words.

overarchingly, it was as if i had stumbled into a whole nother world.

i jogged on up to the road and hung a left, back to town. after like 5 blocks i realized i had turned the wrong way. i circled the block, and another block, and up another block, and finally got going the right way. by now i was in nearly an hour and i was well away from my destination, so i was quite happy to be going the right way and didn't notice right away i had veered out of urban renewal and landed in the heart of the unrenewed. by the time i realized where i was, i was nearly on top of a drug deal taking place in the sidewalk. oops. nothing to see here folks, move along, move along. definitely not the place for a white girl in a pink top and skimpy running shorts. tired as i was, i picked up the pace.

when i reached the main highway and saw across the way the park i'd started in, as i was waiting there for the traffic signal to change, my very legs were literally shaking. was it the 10x step start? the distance farther than i'd been in weeks? the adrenaline borne of running up on a drug deal, finding myself in a neighborhood i needed to get out of quickly? the sheer force of heat and humidity?

probably it was all of the above. it was a difficult, trying, stressful run filled with discovery, joy, and learning. it was the most fun i have had in a long time. the only thing missing was someone to be there with - to experience the steps x10, see the amazing fountain, feel the hilarity inherent in running up on a drug deal.

i am glad i went. this post doesn't half do it justice.

post the hundred-twelfth, 2013

too much stuff.

too. much. stuuuuffff.

you have to bring bedding, you know. pillows. towels. shoes take up space. at least one pair of long pants, like jeans or whatever. a sweatshirt, some shorts, shirts, socks.

i just want to bring less. i took out a ton more stuff tonight and still it's so much. i think i will take some more out tomorrow. it's not like i want to have so much stuff, but i want to have enough stuff and i have trouble discerning when enough becomes too much.

it's the clothes, really. it always comes down to the clothes.

maybe i will take another look right now.

thing is, in all, it's only 15 days.

yeah, it's bugging me.

i am going to remove some things right now.

later gaters.

post the hundred-eleventh, 2013

i found this in a pile of old stuff. yeah, i am a bit of a digital packrat, but if it's words (not pictures or music) it doesn't take up all that much space. anyway, the point is that i found this in a pile of old stuff and DAMN i used to be funny.

------

Common Knee Pain Issues

Whiner's Knee

Described as a painful, often debilitating condition characterized by tightness, "clinching", and pain. Studies have shown that there are no discernable outward symptoms such as swelling or bruising, and medical professionals cannot detect damage, stress, or swelling in the knee area. The one singular symptom, pain, is reported by the patients (see psychosomatic). This condition falls in the class of "anteactivitus excusarius", or by the more common term: "excuses before activity". This is a general term encompassing many conditions (see performance anxiety). Conditions in this group include: golfer's thumb, test-taker's pencilitis, and wife's headache. These conditions manifest themselves in such a way as to provide a mitigating circumstance to a perceived or foreseen poor performance. Whiner's Knee should not be confused with the less common, but more acute, Miner's Knee, developed from long hours stooping in the coal mines; or, Shriner's Knee, developed mostly in middle-aged overweight males who ride miniature cars or miniature motorcycles in parades.

post the hundred-tenth, 2013

look at this. LOOK

people really don't make things like they used to. even a simple bathroom in a simple bungalow can have an intricate floor. everything's done carefully -- done in a way that's full with care. people cared about outcomes of even the most obscure things... just for the sake of living in a quality world, a world where quality exists. i don't think people care anymore. not like that, anyway. not like they used to.

post the hundred-ninth, 2013

i don't see why 

he'd mention to me

something like that

to someone like me 

if you think he would

then i must not be

who you'd think i'd be

nor neither is he

the one who you think

him to be

post the hundred-eighth, 2013

60 seconds in a minute
60 minutes in an hour
24 hours in a day
7 days in a week
4 weeks in a month
12 months in a year
10 years in a decade
10 decades in a century

cats are gonna love cats.
dogs are gonna love dogs.
all kinds'a people in this big wide world
you and me, we're a pair, after all.

4 ounces in a gill
2 gills in a cup
2 cups in a pint
2 pints in a quart
4 quarts in a gallon
32 gallons in a barrel
2 barrels in a hogshead
2 hogsheads in a pipe

fish gotta swim in the rivers.
birds gotta fly in the air.
all kinds'a people in the big wide world
after all, you and me, we're a pair.

3 barleycorns in an inch
2 inches in a stick
6 sticks in a foot
3 feet in a yard
22 yards in a chain
10 chains in a furlong
8 furlongs in a mile
3 miles in a league

sheep gotta graze on the grasses.
lions gotta graze on the sheep.
all kinds'a people in the big wide world
we're a pair, after all, you and me.

post the hundred-seventh, 2013

red:apple::green:__________


sky:__________::road:car


______:rectangle::circle:oval


golf:ball::______:goggles


cowboy:horse::aquaman:______


gutenberg:______::bell:telephone


______:shirt::rubber:tire


hat:head::______:hand


grape:raisin::plum:______


trumpet:_____::calculator:maths


______:window::wood:door


hot:fire::______:ice


milk:cow::egg:______


french:______::spanish:spain


______:web::bird:nest


tiger:zoo::______:aquarium

post the hundred-sixth, 2013

when you're 12, it's 1 and 1x2.
when you're 24, it's 2 and 2x2.
when you're 36, it's 3 and 3x2.
when you're 48, it's 4 and 4x8.

and, that's it. you can't be 5 and 5x2. i mean, not unless someone puts on their thinking cap really tight and figures out how to keep us alive until way past when we'll currently be dead. so. point is. if you're 48, that's your last chance to be tens-digit-and-tens-digit-times-two. last. chance. and, you don't get many last chances. i mean, you get one last chance for each XYZ-whatever, but one's all you get. they call it a last chance because... dundundunnnn -- it's the last. blam, that's it, no more. you don't get two last chances because if you got two, one is by definition penultimate. take, for instance, tens-digit-and-tens-digit-times-three. by the time you get to the last chance tens-digit-and-tens-digit-times-two, you've already passed the last chance tens-digit-and-tens-digit-times-three. if you weren't watching, you probably missed it. so. point is. it's really simple: life is a series of last chances so you'd better pay attention because this could be your last chance.

post the hundred-fifth, 2013

i made up this song today while i was out running in the heat of the late afternoon.

to the tune of "deep in the heart of texas". (don't forget to clap!)

the sun is high - it's big and bright!
hot as the farts of satan!
suburban sky - is wide and high!
hot as the farts of satan!
ragweed in bloom - is bad perfume!
hot as the farts of satan!
reminds me of - nothing i love!
hot as the farts of satan!
The old crows cry - ki-yip-pie-yi!
hot as the farts of satan!
nothing can rush - around dry brush!
hot as the farts of satan!
old dogs wail - along the trail!
hot as the farts of satan!
babies bawl - and bawl and bawl!
hot as the farts of satan!

that's it. feel free to sing it whenever you want. farts wanna be free and whatnot.

post the hundred-fourth, 2013

this is a picture from my car where safety pins are a-strewn about. that happens when you're a runner.

"no geewah on red" i (heart) this sign.

farmer's market strawberries. mmm. yummy.

last week i randomly chose a trailhead without realizing it was a lonely 1/4 mi from the trail. lonely trailhead trails be lonely.

lonely trailhead chips gotta be chillin.

lonely trailhead loners gotta be alone.

lonely trailhead... ew.

post the hundred-third, 2013

a gentle rain is falling steadily. we're watching 'friends' reruns and sipping coffee, surfing the net, reading the newspaper, chatting. people get all hepped up over sunshine, but i'm telling you, nothing beats a rainy day for total relaxation.

i just ordered some contact lenses using the supplier's website. that's a technology i am completely on board with. on the other eye, the technology where they use lasers to adjust your vision? not so much on board with. and, that's why i ordered the contacts.

this morning i slept in, till like 8AM, then we went to breakfast. so, i've done nothing really other than sleep, eat, drink coffee, and this little bit of nothing. now i feel like i need a nap. can too much coffee make you sleepy? that'd be ironic.

the past couple days i have been wearing this one necklace - a silver key on a chain. it's simple, but apparently eye-catching. i've gotten compliments from friends, family, and even random strangers like the waitress this morning. it's nice but oddish.

the guy next door is like 85 years old. this morning, we brought his paper up the drive. he didn't answer door or phone, so we took the spare key and went to check on him. he was in back getting dressed. i wonder sometimes if he wants to be left alone.

post the hundred-second, 2013

we were watching that "what would you do" show. you know - they set up an awkward moral-dilemma type sitch then wait with hidden cameras to see which regular folk step in to intervene. stuff like fake-pregnant ladies drinking alcohol or somebody telling their kid she's fat. this week one of the setups was this guy and his friends in a shoe store - something like finish line - and he tells his friends he's gay. they start persecuting him. various takes revealed there were many different people willing to step in and defend the young man and to encourage him. very heartwarming. wonder if they'd have been so quick to come to his defense if he'd said he was a druid. i don't have an answer. just wondering. 

post the hundred-first, 2013

look. i know posting's been sparse. and, i realize now that this here is almost worse than sparse -- to be subjected to this thin gruel, this meatless porridge. but you, all 2.68 of you, my average daily readers, you're just going to have to bear with me 'til i get the hang of this thing again.

i've been filling a lot of my time with angry birds, the star wars edition. HEY. don't judge. i played the original angry birds and found it boring with a capital O-Ring but this star wars edition is over the top. off the hook. down the street and around the corner. it's got gravity fields and and force fields and light sabers, lukes and leias and r2d2s. the gravity fields curve trajectories and cause orbits. the force fields are well nigh impenetrable. each bird has this wicked weapon like a light saber or a ray gun. leia can stick and pull stuff like a little pink bubble gum wad. r2d2 sends electrical pulses. obi wan creates a shock wave. chewbacka just slams the hell into stuff. there are, also, of course, the pigs - regular pigs, space pigs, droid pigs, floaty pigs, sticky pigs, pigs that defy gravity, pigs that defy TNT, pigs hanging from stuff, pigs hiding under stuff. whew. pigs!

so, anyway, lots of star wars angry birds time and very little time spent contemplating the connection between universal truths and our daily lives, much less contriving the grammatical constructions that would communicate those connections to you, my dear, loyal, 2.68 average daily readers.

am i apologizing? no. it is what it is. i don't owe you anything. we have no pact. i am my own man. i will not apologize for having not been here. no. i will not do that... however i will go so far as to alert you that i'm renewing my personal efforts to be here more going forward from now on into the future.

post the hundredth, 2013

well. that's what happens when you make something optional. it just goes to hell in a handbasket. vigilance. yes. vigilance is the key to a well-ordered and productive life. without order there's no happiness. without production there's no happiness. without happiness there's no happiness. vigilance.

post the ninety-ninth, 2013

happy new month!

we went to the farmers (farmer's? farmers' ? farmers's?) market in town this morning for the first time. they've been there several years... why didn't we go before? ah, one of life's little mysteries.

today, junior and mrs junior were camping and would miss the opportunity to pick up their CSA for the week, so mrs junior offered it to us. yay! two things i've been meaning to try - farmers market and CSA. the window for their CSA pickup is 8-11AM so we headed over a little after 8. when we got there, the car park was already packed. we chose a spot a good ways away because most of the folks in this town drive giant vehicles whilst sipping coffee and talking on the phone with a dog in their collective lap. sometimes the dog's talking on the phone. anyway, we didn't want to have a tussle in the car park. (little known fact: "tussle in the car park" was to be the name of the rolling stone's third album, but their manager nixed it.)

after i'd circled the entire market twice then asked information, we found the CSA with no trouble at all. the farmers are friendly and helpful and showed us how to get the basket and choose the CSA items. after getting the CSA stuff, we went on to get: homemade hand cream, strawberry jam, eggs, sausage, strawberries, honey, and donuts. yes, nothing says "healthy homegrown food" quite like fried dough. i wanted to get homemade soap, fresh bread, a hanging plant, a crocheted owl-face purse, and this cute little wooden wolf from a wood carver who was sitting there whittling, but you know, you have to draw the line somewhere.

here's an observation: today's young farmer has, as a general rule, several dozen tattoos. well, it's the boy farmers more than the girls, but these young men were inked all the hell up and down their arms. now, don't get me wrong. i am young enough to appreciate some good ink and all the pictures and colours and what people decide is important enough to them to permanently emblazon on their body -- it all fascinates me. however, i don't associate farmers with tattoos. i associate farmers with yelling at or maybe even as much as despising people with tattoos. well, i mean... i just see the two groups as mutually exclusive. so, this was really cool to me -- cool to think these young folk are like: "we do this and we also do this" as if there aren't any boundaries at all.

no boundaries. huh. imagine that.