what i did during my indian summer vacation

part one of my arizona travels is up! please check it out at my october desert blog.

it's a long one. it might take a minute or two to load.

but there are pictures and you can click on them. there are pictures of me, my mom, my family. of cactus and cactus and cactus. and of clouds. clouds everywhere. we don't have a lot of cactus or clouds in california. at least not like they do in AZ. click on the thumbnails to see larger versions.

part two will include arcosanti, sedona, and the grand canyon. so keep yer eyes peeled.

overheard

m.: i mean i don't want to be a complainer.
b.: i don't want to be a complainer either, but i hate this shit.

overheards

"I asked for teal, NOT SEAFOAM!"
— client on speakerphone who shall remain anonymous

overheards

overheards

uno: you only tease those you love.
bryon burned some popcorn. this wouldn't be something to report on unless bryon wasn't the biggest, loudest, whiniest, whingiest (should i go on?) complainer about people burning popcorn in the microwave. i'm talking big blubbering baby tears. cantankerous, curmudeony protests if he even thinks he smells a hint of burned popcorn. so you can imagine our reaction when mr. westmoreland burned his own bag of corn yesterday afternoon. the microwave still has a smell lingering and its insides are a permanent ochre.

marya: bryon puts the ass in nasty.
carrie: bryon puts the ass in nasty in the microwave.



bryon leaves for australia on saturday. forever. (insert sobs and tearful goodbyes). we will miss him.

dos.
and here's a little webgeek humor for you (if you can call it humor)... my friend elias was loved by one of the pickiest art teachers at our university. if you could get this woman to like you, it was like a badge of honor. she specifically had a reputation for disliking students in my program. yet this teacher loved elias (well, who couldn't help but love him?).

marya: she loved elias. she wrote him a recommendation to get into an mfa program!
wyeth: she wasn't anti-eliased?

(okay -- was that the crowd groaning i heard? i'll hold off on the encore.).

back

i'm back from arizona... travelogue to come.

carsten's back from prague. travelogue is here.

and nigel is back from artistic limbo. so while i'm getting my act together, check out beautiful soup.

overheards

Timothy: I feel pretty good; I think I've got the moral high ground on this one.
Mike: That's the road less traveled for you isn't it?

vacation eve

i thought i knew all the people who read my site. ;) i don't do metrics, so who knows really. i think i prefer to live in a bubble and just assume it's just jeff davis road and steph-on and beth and kristin/kb when she needs a break from work and carsten every now and again. but today i found that a mysterious creature named bobbi links to me... me and many of my online friends. i read her bio and i can't figure out where i know her from... maybe she is acqalin, a friend of mld. i'm not sure. but i like the mystery and her site looks very cool. check it out at recontructed mind.

tomorrow my mom and i leave for our arid arizona adventure. first stop orange county. wait, that's not arizona or adventurous. it's my dad and janet's where we will camp out over night. and rumor has it that janet is cooking one of her amazing meals (this woman is the queen of the steak, of the wine, of the flowers and of the most beautiful china pattern you've ever laid eyes on). perhaps we'll venture out for a little punch drunk love. this is the inbetween stop when we've got one foot in our backyard and one eye scouting to the eastern horizon.

sunday will find us zooming down highway 60, 66, and 666 respectively. spooky.

later in the week we'll be paying our respects in canyon de chelly, the petrified forest, the grand canyon and all the wonderful spots in between. there might be updates.

m.

of snakes, benches, and bridges

i might be buying a painting. a painting i never would have thought i would have picked out, but it called to me. i think it has to do with all those snake dreams i was having last year. ;) it's the sonoran snake one on the top row.

so i went to the artist's site and noticed that she lives in cambria — a really cute coastal community in my county. and she has photos of a trail my good friend jim used to maintain. and what did i find but several photos of a bridge and a bench that jim built on the trail out of driftwood.

i think katherine especially would appreciate these. and i thought some of you might like to see a couple cool pics of cambria and the pacific ocean. ;)

view from trail
ozzie on bench
bridge
bench
bench and view

overheard (yesterday)

heather: (sigh) marya, i've been dying about this all week.
marya: (quizzical) but heather, it's only monday.

jimmy thinks different

click for a larger version.

overheard

marya: what are these?
alex: snacks from iran
marya: mmm! they're infidelicious!

rebel's last stand?

this might be reb's last post from down undah. read about dining with vampires who feed her vegan dinners... and more! (how's that for marketeeze?).

It's e.e. cummings' birthday

since feeling is first

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says

we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph

and death i think is no parenthesis

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

in time of daffodils(who know

in time of daffodils(who know
the goal of living is to grow)
forgetting why,remembering how

in time of lilacs who proclaim
the aim of waking is to dream,
remember so(forgetting seem)

in time of roses(who amaze
our now and here with praise)
forgetting if,remember yes

in time of all sweet things beyond
whatever mind may comprehend,
remember seek(forgetting find)
and in a mystery to be
(when time from time shall set us free)
forgetting me,remember me

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

yes is a pleasant country:

yes is a pleasant country:
if's wintry
(my lovely)
let's open the year

both is the very weather
(not either)
my treasure,
when violets appear

love is a deeper season
than reason;
my sweet one
(and april's where we're)

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

may my heart always be open to little

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

friday night overheards

marya: i blame my job; i get home from work and i need a drink.
rem: you should drink yoga instead.
marya: i would, but yoga starts at 5:30 which means you have to be there by 5:10.
rem: well yeah, east german yoga.


marya: they do dna testing and mitochondrial dna testing....
dan: i prefer t&a testing.


rem and diana are planning a weekend escapade in sf; diana wants to thrift store shop. obviously, rem's not been keeping up with the peace movement...

rem: i'm thinking the haight. haight is all i know.

jimmy carter gets his day

and although I agree with the additional message that the nobel committee is sending, i also don't want it to diminish from the great accomplishments of carter. it is things like this that give me great pride in my country.

Garrison Keiler was talking through my car radio this morning on the way to work....

Being Boring
'May you live in interesting times,' Chinese curse

If you ask me 'What's new?', I have nothing to say
Except that the garden is growing.
I had a slight cold but it's better today.
I'm content with the way things are going.
Yes, he is the same as he usually is,
Still eating and sleeping and snoring.
I get on with my work. He gets on with his.
I know this is all very boring.

There was drama enough in my turbulent past:
Tears of passion-I've used up a thankful.
No news is good news, and long may it last.
If nothing much happens, I'm thankful.
A happier cabbage you never did see,
My vegetable spirits are soaring.
If you're after excitement, steer well clear of me.
I want to go on being boring.

I don't go to parties. Well, what are they for,
If you don't need to find a new lover?
You drink and you listen and drink a bit more
And you take the next day to recover.
Someone to stay home with was all my desire
And, now that I've found a safe mooring,
I've just one ambition in life: I aspire
To go on and on being boring.

— Wendy Cope
If I Don't Know (Faber & Faber)
As heard this morning on The Writer's Almanac

praise the doldrums?

"One person in six million will be struck by lightning. Fifteen people in a hundred will experience clinical depression. One woman in sixteen will experience breast cancer. One child in 30,000 will experience a serious limb deformity. One American in five will be victim of a violent crime. A day in which nothing happens is a miracle, a day in which all the things that could have gone wrong didn't. The dull day is a triumph of the human spirit, and boredom is a luxury unprecedented in the history of our species."

— Douglas Coupland, All Families Are Psychotic

calling diane, calling barbara

Senator Barbara Boxer
Local Phone: 415-403-0100
DC Phone: 202-224-3553

Senator Dianne Feinstein
Local Phone: 415-393-0707
DC Phone: 202-224-3841

the press release

-----Original Message-----
From: Marya
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 5:49 PM
To: jim p., mary g.
Subject: RE: press - again

i believe the quote i heard the most frequently went something like, "sigh. could the project have been more perfect? it was the best experience of my life. much better than my wedding or kindergarten graduation or even those cake donuts with colorful sprinkles we sometimes get at work. i am a very very happy person and finally feel spiritually fulfilled. soon i will quit my job to work towards peace in the middle east. praise marya."

i heard that like twenty times. no, maybe that is an exaggeration. fifteen times.

m.

From: Mary G
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 9:03 AM
To: Marya
Subject: RE: press - again

I love it! Most of the quotes are so dang dry and this one has some life to it! Praise Marya!

- Mary


From: Jim
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 11:07 AM
To: marya, mary
Subject: RE: press - again

yeah, it got so prevalent that i started to tune her out. "Oh, Marya this" and "Oh, Marya that"... If I only had a son, I'd have him marry her...

STOP FEEDING DRUGS TO YOUR CLIENTS... No more ... Bad girl!!

J

migrating south

this morning kb and i walked to work. over the jennifer street bridge and down the bike trail that conveniently drops us off close to work (still have to cross the tracks and squeeze through a trail that runs between to industrial-ish-y type buildings.





this morning we walked through a playground of birds. most seemed to be finches, but there was at least one western bluebird.

bluebirds always catch your attention here on the central coast, because we don't get the often. usually we see the gradeschool bullies, the scrub jays (squawkin and hoppin and generally posturing where ever they can). but today was a small flash of blue and both kristin and i said, "what was that?!"

meanwhile, the finches were back lit by the morning sun so their wings were like little angel wings.

that's the morning corn report. i don't care if it's corny. it was a great way to start the day.

people can make the difference — be one of these people

diane feinstein was on charlie rose a coupla weeks ago. when discussing the large number of american backers for the president's war against iraq, feinstein said (paraphrased), "I represent California, which is a very populated state. I've received 10,000 calls against a war in Iraq and only 200 calls supporting it."

i was one of the 10,000. i'm glad i called. you should call too. call your senators. call your representative.

downtown there are two large "chalk" grafittis, one huge peace sign in front of the post office. and another (not sure where it is) that also has the peace sign with the words "smart weapon."

no kidding.

and finally, today on new dimensions (one of my favorite radio shows -- you should try to listen if you can), the following:

THE SYNTHESIS DIALOGUES: PART 4: TOWARDS A NEW WORLD CULTURE
with H.H. The Dalai Lama and others
In the fall of 1999, forty innovative thinkers from around the world gathered together with H.H. the Dalai Lama of Tibet at his home in Dharamsala, northern India, for a special invitation-only dialogue about the future of humanity and the planet. In this, the second of four specials, we witness highlights from the third day of this historic event. Some of the voices heard include, eco-philosopher Vandana Shiva, educator and psychiatrist Uma Krishnamurthy, M.D., Bro. Wayne Teasdale, author of The Mystic Heart (New World Library 1999), global consultant Myron Kellner-Rogers, philosopher Jean Houston, author of A Passion for the Possible (HarperSanFrancisco 1997) and others.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i truly believe the most important thing we can be doing right now is praying for peace or doing maitri practice. i want to urge (no, challenge) all of my friends to spend just 10 minutes a day doing this. we can change the world.

one of the speakers today on the new dimensions show said that our notion of creating a world of peace is as bewildering to us as abolition of slavery was to the US population in the 19th century. now, we can't imagine a world with slavery. imagine if we couldn't imagine a non-peaceful world. i'm telling you friends, it can be done and we could the the generation to do it.

m.

dragon scarves

the very nice girl at guss's loved my necklace. where did you get it? so i told her my andrea scher story (read about her online and then contacted her and then she wrote me a great email back and then i got my necklace and it is g-reat and i love love love love it.). so she went to the web site and is in the process of getting her own superhero necklace too.

hmmm, i says to myself. i wonder if it's time for another necklace. and in truth it is but first things first. my eye got caught by the mention of scarves and then click and they are all blue&dragon (old joke). in real life they are white fur and all kinds of other colors (red dragon, blue dragon, gold dragon, etc). i cannot tell you how perfect this will be for december up in pullahari. ;) so, my order is in the works.

meanwhile, if anyone feels gift-ally inclined, i am eye-ing the spice semi-precious necklace.

stange noticings
my ability to spell is waning. as is my ability to choose the right version of where/wear, my ability to use correct punctuation, and my ability to pay attention to any details at all. ever. this is not good.

fast runner slowly gets to slo town
about a million years later, fast runner came to slo town. and it's a sell out. i met ryan h. (not capo) and justin there and they were kind enough to buy me a ticket in advance. the tall guy sitting in front of me was also kind enough to remove both his hat and his glasses, both of which were propped atop his noggin. since the movie is subtitled, i was having a hard time reading around his head and then his glasses distorted words in the middle of the screen. i hate to ask people to do little things like that... but sometimes you just gotta take the assertive movie-goin' route. and besides all that, the movie was good. thumbs up. go see it if you can handle the slow pace. (yes, ironic title).

exhaustion abounds
i dunno what it is but this weekend found me beyond tired. i blame wednesday and thursday. so tired i didn't get to make it to rbean's wedding [insert tears and kicking foot at the ground]. it was a painful exhaustion, the kind that soaks into your bones and seeps into your eyelids. i'm pretty bummed about missing the bean nuptials, but take solace in that there is a huge shindig in the works for the same wedded pair next summer in the big apple. and that i will not miss that for the world.

more from rebel down under

latest post from our intrepid travelers has them hugging the great ocean road. go go go and check out this post and check out the links to the great ocean road, the twelve apostles, and all of the other incredibly beautiful land formations off the coast of NSW. beautiful.

last night was the bike happening and it was a doozy. over 260 people and a classic bike sumo. against my better judgment and despite all hesitancy i wound up at mccarthy's with alex and dan and peter. chatted with some nice english guys from manchester. and drank two southern comforts and coke even though i distinctly remember asking for nondescript light beer from a can. my head didn't hit the pillow til 3 and i'm feeling it now. darn. i blame alex and dan, respectively. but it was well worth it: fun time at the bike hap and great convos with good friends — notably jason joyce, the infamous "double zjay" (you must say this with your french accent) and my little bro, ryan capo who everyone should have the pleasure to meet.

so much is going on. news: very good sweet friend getting married and i'm not at liberty to announce to world yet (though i did get permission to announce to den and kitchen). sigh. happiness and excitement abound and life rejoices.

the stars must be aligned in a trickyfox way cuz i feel like i've got ants in my pants. crazy energy urging jennifer beal-like city-flat flashdance in torn sweatshirt (and nooooooooobody wants to see that). all these silly reminiscent thoughts wisping me back to fairytales of yesteryears. all just mind folly. i think i have reached the end of my happy-to-be-single time. whatever that means. hookinupjoojoo must abound. and too bad i'm missing the halloween party. the first one in ten years i won't be at. well sometimes you gotta change the scenery. so i'm doing a desert road trip across the great arizona arid landscape.

fall burst through the door somewhere between monday afternoon and tuesday morning. the mornings and nights are all crisp and shivery and the noon day sun is pushing 80. this is the weather of bliss. santa ana winds seem to blow me back to all kinds of memories. maybe that's the problem -- not the stars but the slowly approaching desert winds.

enough drivel. i've sent macker about three hundred email today. two full of awesome liberal bumpersticker quotes that probably make him a little nauseated and dizzy, if not out and out epileptic, as well as great quotes from jesus, buddah, and jack kerouac. now there's an interesting trinity.

overheard

note to rebecca v.: do not read this. please skip to next entry.

marya: you know stu, now that you sit in our area you are required to have a stuffed animal at your desk.
stu: i don't like stuffed animals.
marya: it doesn't matter. you must have one.
stu: i do have one i could bring in. it's a deer's head. a stuffed dear head. that's a stuffed animal.
marya: will you send me a postcard from hell?
stu: he has a name, even. bambi.

new at rebel down under

new post from reb. check it out. includes three links to pictures of shane, two to dooly, one to ana, and one to a house dinner where shane, dan, stephan, and i all look much younger. ;) funny they should show up when none of us are rebel and none of us are down under. ;) just adding house flair to reb's and jeff's australian adventure. we miss them.

m.