Aug 27, 2010

what are you going to do?

today is my last day at this job!
people are asking me "what are you going to do?"
i never realized what a complicated question that is.
do for the rest of my life?
for the next 5 years?
the next year? next week?
tomorrow?
stay tuned!

Aug 24, 2010

what no granola? no birkenstocks?

NO VERMONTERS IN HEAVEN
by E. F. Johnstone ~ 1950

I dreamed that I went to the city of gold,
To Heaven resplendent and fair;
And, after I entered that beautiful fold,
By one in authority there I was told 

That not a Vermonter was there!

"Impossible," said I. "A host from my town
Have sought this delectable place,
And each must be here with a harp and a crown,
A conqueror's palm and clean linen gown
Received through merited grace."

The angel replied, "All Vermonters come here
When first they depart from the earth,
But after a day or a month or a year
They restless and lonesome and homesick appear
And sigh for the land of their birth.

"They tell of its many and beautiful hills
Where forest majestic appear;
Its rivers and lakes and its streams and its hills
Where nature the purest of water distills,
And they soon get dissatisfied here."

"They tell of ravines, wild, secluded and deep,
Of clover-decked landscapes serene,
of towering mountains, imposing and steep
Adown which the torrents exulting leap
Through forests perennially green."

"We give them the best that the Kingdom provides,
They have everything here that they want;
But not a Vermonter in Heaven abides,
A very short time period here he resides,
Then hikes his way back to Vermont!"


.

Aug 23, 2010

Wootstock 2010

tinies are known for having tons of good clean fun in second life, so i admit it was a bit shocking to see so many of them stoned to the furry ears on rolled up waffle reefers, laying about on the ground muttering 'peace out man' or dancing hypnotically to the live music, which was FABULOUS. 



it was their annual two-day WOOTSTOCK freakout devoted to the motto 'make waffles not war' held on a farm somewhere in Raglan. we all had a great time dressing up and dancing and playing and half of us don't half remember it already!
 click pics to see BIG

Aug 20, 2010

a tale of suspense and mystery!

he was half way through his morning tea when the feeling of horror came over him.
last night unlike his usual sleepless nights, he fell asleep on the sofa after dinner and slept through until morning.
he felt rested!
yesterday his neighbor up the hill left for a week's vacation. she asked him to lock up the chickens in their coop each evening and let them out in the mornings.
but he'd fallen asleep.
the feeling of dread intensified as he headed up the morning hill, images of massacred chickens filled his mind.
he feared the worst and arrived at the pen
only to find...the worst.
some feathers.
no chickens.
none.
nada.
gone.
he looked through the fields and woods, called the neighbors, organized a disorganized search party.
eventually 3 chickens were found.
a 4th was found in a field, wounded, but refused to be captured.
attempts to lure it into a cage were getting underway when the farmer arrived to mow his field.
no! no! wait...we have to capture this injured chicken!
there were 8 chickens when she left for the week.
will there still be 4 when she returns?
something watches us and waits.
and they say we don't have much excitement around here!

Aug 19, 2010

why i not on F-book

suppose lex luthor or j edgar hoover tried setting up a form on the internet and requiring that everyone fill one out with name, picture, some personal information...would that have worked?
i'll bet you said NO WAY!
suppose someone or some corporation a bit more sly and results-oriented used the technology from Inception to infiltrate the dreams of some college student to influence him to create an internet site with information and pictures of everyone in his yearbook?
...in the expectation (evil genius' expectation, not college student's) that this would be irresistable and soon everyone in the world for the most part would want to be on it?
don't worry about me being disappeared, very few people read my blog, and anyway it's a bit like telling people you were abducted by aliens or saw big-foot.
yeah, right.

Aug 17, 2010

well you looked like you were asleep, you were even snoring!

seeking oblivion i arrive at sleep's door
knock knock knock knock!
the door does not open.
i knock louder, pounding.
"are you prepared to sleep?" asks a poster.
teeth brushed, face washed.
wearing soft clothing.
what more?

my body then.
beginning with toes i command relaxing.
feet
ankles
calves
knees
i continue on and on
finally unclenching
neck
jaw
scalp
now all is calm and soft.

gently i knock again.
the door moves a crack.
one eye to the opening i gaze in with envy.
cats dozing in fields of poppies,
bats swaying peacefully above
and in distant water dolphins
hang motionless just beneath the surface.

but no!
before i can melt into mist
and flow through the opening -
hands take hold of me!
my job! my bank account! what i said to my friend!
no no no....pulling me back from sleep's door!
let me go!
let me dissolve and think no more today.
i grab the handle holding on for all i am worth!

suddenly!
the hands let me go
and i rebound,
flung through the door into sleep
not even knowing i am there
until the sun wakes me to another day.

Aug 16, 2010

jobs i have had - what next?

(other than summer jobs)
occupational therapist in Boston
recreation director in New Hampshire
head start in New Hampshire
medical record transcription in Florida
department store clerk in Vermont
head start in Vermont
upward bound in Vermont
piano teacher Vermont
head librarian Vermont
office manager Vermont

.

Aug 12, 2010

contemplating ramadan

fasting all day - could i ?
eat nothing -
from breakfast to lunch?
maybe.
drink nothing -
from breakfast to lunch?
doubtful.
(here i take a sip of coffee)
eat nothing -
from lunch to dinner?
gasp! (reaching for a cookie)
drink nothing -
from lunch to dinner?
impossible!
and besides -
these northern August days are long!
in Alaska do they get to eat at all?

Aug 11, 2010

holed those reigns! spellchecker is here!

(i dint write this, someone passed it along to me - maybe you've seen it before)
 
Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea,
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight for it two say,
Weather eye and wring oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long,
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.
To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should bee proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaw's are knot aloud.
Eye have run this poem threw it
Your sure reel glad two no,
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.
-Sauce unknown

Aug 9, 2010

Dilgo Khyentse 100 years - the return!

washing the saki and wine from my hair - i wonder if it attracts yellow-jackets? - i'm thinking of how much fun i have as a buddhist.
as a young lutheran i was allowed to take communion after 2 years of memorizing luther's small catechism.
i never imagined there was a religion that could transmit sacred empowerments to me by tossing flower petals in the air and reading to me (and 300 others) in tibetan for hours and hours, followed by a joyful celebration.
unlike 'holy communion' these revered holy men and women came right into the crowd, all of them in a line, each bestowing a different blessing/transmission, the touch of a transmission object to the head, or cinnamon candy in the hand, powder to make a mark on the forehead, and both wine and saki, just a bit poured into my outstretched hand, and then slurped and my hand rubbed across the top of my hair.
i wonder what the folks who have that "common cup" vs "individual cup" argument (you know who you are) would say to the "just use your hand" idea?
(click to enlarge photos)
here's a link for the curious
more information 

Aug 5, 2010

and know where your towel is

to endure cold rain
or the burdensome umbrella
which one do you choose?

Aug 4, 2010

the return

his first trip to the USA in this lifetime
an amazing event right here in Vermont, and i'll be there this weekend!
The Return