soft. tender

, originally uploaded by emdot.

“A newborn is soft and tender,
A crone, hard and stiff.
Plants and animals, in life, are supple and succulent;
In death, withered and dry.
So softness and tenderness are attributes of life,
And hardness and stiffness, attributes of death.”

— Tao Te Ching; 76 Flexibility

July 3 the writing's on the wall

July 3 the writing's on the wall, originally uploaded by emdot.

okay. so i leave home without de-furring the chapin fur from my shirt. rzzl frzzl. i'm running late. and then hot coffee accidentally spills all over my bcbg pantalones. {insert tears}

i considered turning around and going home and starting the day all over again. i considered turning around and going home and calling in stupid. or clutzy. or bad luck (hi, i'm sorry i can't come in today as i have a bad case of bad luck.).

but i decided to suck it up. coffee stains and chapin hair, all.

but it's going to be tough.

soft spot

soft spot, originally uploaded by emdot.

i guess it sounds bad to say you love your own photo. but i love this photo.

saturday i had the day to myself while sir sevens was a-slavin' away. so i read the paper and read my book and went to lunch and went shopping and took photos around silverlake.

this was an odd chair in the women's room in a little restaurant called Flor Morena. (note: Flor Morena has amazing french toast; they let me sample it).

little things i love

• people running for the bus (and catching it)
  it's just so cute. and very human. and sweet when the bus driver waits
• autumn morning light
  it can't be beat
• walking to work
• walking home from work
• thinking that maybe my sister will work on campus
  cross your fingers
• croissants
  a little too much

Shhh

Shhh, originally uploaded by Orrin.

hot damn i am crazy about him.

Count Meerkatula

Count Meerkatula, originally uploaded by deadeyebart a.k.a Brett.

count meerkatula

Snort! Oh my god, I so love this photo. So much so that it has been my desktop background for the last week or two. It is the perfect work desktop background cuz it makes me laugh or at least crack a smile several times a day. Sheesh. That Count Meerkatula (look close and notice the fangs). (I so love an animal with subtle fangage).

Caiapó face

Caiapó face, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

this photo knocks me out. click on it to see it larger and to see the rest of tati's stream, which is a magical place that sees the beauty in all people.

nothing but love

nothing but love, originally uploaded by yes_yesterday.

world, i have a message for you

(please see photo above)

sincerely,

emdot

heirlooms loom tastily

heirlooms loom tastily, originally uploaded by emdot.

goood morning: it's fall

I just slipped on both a sweater and socks. SOCKS!! Cozy super soft bright red socks, but still socks and that can mean only one thing: the season is changing.

Yet, it's supposed to be 80 degrees or so here today -- offshore winds blowing in the heat. Nippy mornings yielding to offshore winds bringing in hot hot beautiful days = fall. = socks. = a signal of change.

I will readily admit that I love a lot of things. But offshore winds are way way up there. I love offshore. I hope to get to the beach today or tomorrow, take Mr. 7s and do some rock - shell bounty hunting.

the mystery gift

I got a mystery gift Thursday night. A book. Sent from the UK. Written by a Norwegian. It looks great. I read the first page -- I was hooked. (That is my litmus test: books must grab me in the first page). But I have no idea who sent me this book. I friend in the UK? Pat from Norway? Who who who? If you are the benevolent gift sender, please let me know so I can tell you thank you. Very thoughtful. Can't wait to read it.

for someone i know....

477, i love you

477, i love you, originally uploaded by R.bean.

i just fell in love with the netherlands.

central coast of california via amtrak

central coast of california via amtrak, originally uploaded by emdot.

i haven't completely left my blog. no sirree. no sir. no way. no how.

in fact, i did blog just a coupla days ago -- and it was a good one, i tell you -- but the blogging function between flickr and blogger was acting all "i love you no i don't" and so it just seemed as if my blog post posted, but it didn't. darn it all.

lies

i realize there are lies we tell ourselves that might once have been true, but have faded into only a script we think that is true for ourselves.

for instance, i like to think that i am a great cusser. cuz i love to cuss and i love cuss words.

only, it seems, not so much, really. i can't remember the last time a teeny tiny little "shit" even escaped my lips, much less any derivitive of the mighty-f-word. in fact, just this morning i said "gosh" with all sincerity and yesterday i said "darn it!" more than once.

sigh. i'm so losing my verbal edge. or was it cerration?

it's fall

today i was walking back to my house from the train station and i felt it from the wind. fall. it looks warm but the breeze has dipped just a bit and the days have a new nippy aftertaste. you might not notice it when you first leave the house, sleeveless and jacketless, but within minutes you can feel it -- the little nagging doubt of, "wait... am i chilly?"

yes, dear, you are and it the world doesn't wait for september 22 to turn down its global thermometer.

great date

i had a great date last night. a great date that is worthy of its own post and its own blog entry, so maybe i will go do a couple of things and come back and write about it. but first i'll give you the teaser: birthday present; hollywood bowl; wine; picnic; music; fabulous.

more later, gators.

the tree inside

the tree inside, originally uploaded by emdot.

I've been having nightmares.

Wolves at the door. Killer at the door. Problems seemingly brewing at the service and me, scared shitless and moving too slow. Moving too slow. Moving too slow.

In one dream I call 911 and realize I can't get through. So I call my dad.

"Dad!!" I say, when he answers the phone. "You have to call 911 for me. I can't get through!!"

And he says, "Marya, you got yourself into this mess...."

The waking question the last two mornings has been, what mess have I gotten myself into? I don't know and I'm afraid to find out. Meanwhile, I feel like I need to make a list of all dangling issues and participles.

blue moon

blue moon, originally uploaded by emdot.

well it's about time

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Of all the times in your life when you have been in captivity, this has to be one of the least arduous and frustrating ever. I'll go so far as to say that I have rarely seen a more beautiful prisoner than you; for a drudge in bondage, you're ravishing. As hard as it may be to contemplate, however, it's almost time to escape. Your dark though sexy night of the soul will soon come to an end. Don't you dare linger any longer than you have to. [rob brezny]

?

?, originally uploaded by senzor.

this photo... i have been loving this photo now for many days. i had to share it here, too. this photo knocks me out.

More photos I've recently loved...
(these as well are not my photos; please click on the photo to see the photographer's stream)

Utata Speaks banner

Utata Speaks banner, originally uploaded by Utata Staff Account.

Check out Utata Speaks

Another great project from the fine folks at Utata: Utata Speaks. Utatans were asked to do photojournalistic essays. Great reads and pictures. Don't miss it!

They're like this a lot, actually

They're like this a lot, actually, originally uploaded by DDAnsaro.

just one of those photos that i faved a long time ago on flickr and keeps popping up in my "photos you commented on" stream. this photo cracks me up and so so so captures a side of sisterhood. i can't look at it and not chuckle. brilliant. :)

(also, i love how their outfits are the same but different colors)
(how their bodies mirror each other)
(do you think they will love or hate this photo when they are adults?)
(i bet love)

nathan

nathan, originally uploaded by emdot.

Meet my nephew, Nathan! Cutest thing ever. :)

Born: July 15, 2006 at 2:32 AM
Curly hair!! :) Long fingers and toes. Likes to yawn. Incredibly adorable.

yea! cute overload!!

i just found out that my sand-snorting elephant seal was featured on cute overload. coolest! thing! ever! so stoked! thanks to whomever submitted the photo. and thanks to whomever decided to post it. that totally made my day. :)

» get your overload on

starbuc

starbuc, originally uploaded by myla kent.

a photo from myla kent that came with this quote:

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.

You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. "

— Lucille Ball

don't hate me because i'm beautiful

don't hate me because i'm beautiful, originally uploaded by emdot.

i am plum tuckered out.

kristin's coming over. she can't get her soon enough as the only thing my body wants to do is pop open my new white wine and drink it in the midst of girl talk whilst sprawling on the couch.