My first miksaang experience, so far loving it, an online class taught by Miriam Hall. Now we are at the lesson on space. And then on to dot in space.
Like Alexandra Horowitz in her book On Looking, i walk around my block that i've walked so many times, but now with each lesson i walk with new vision, or with new aspects calling to me. Colors, light and shadow, texture and pattern, noticed for themselves, not as an attribute of something else.
Experiencing space and photographing it are two different things. The sky...easy! And so seldom boring. A field -- not so easy. It becomes a photo of a tree, or of tufts of grass, or a hill. The road, looking down it, is still a busy picture of things. But looking straight down at it...there is space! Is space in a photo just sameness?
We're talking about what you see in the picture. I looked down AT the road at my feet and did not exactly experience spaciousness, but did experience not-thing, not-object, not-pattern. It is surface, but not texturey nor patterny. It is a dusting of powder and sand ground down from mountains and boulders by the miles high ice of the glacier over thousands of years and piled by our rivers and lakes to be dug out and spread on this dirt road. There's space for you! But is there someone who can show that in a photo?
Still, the photo i take of the road is quite calm, easy on the eye, pleasant, even nice, a spacious experience.
Ok i will try some more today. I only took 75 pics on my walk around the block yesterday (one mile half on dirt road and half on 2 lane paved road.
Oh, and also, the idea in my mind of Dot in Space brought to my attention several astonishing things i had never noticed before on my block -- pictures that are not space nor dot in space really, but hmmm maybe in a way they are.
Showing posts with label 5 senses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5 senses. Show all posts
Apr 10, 2016
Mar 19, 2016
early morning with camera and without it
Not much gets me out of the house before breakfast, but this morning i wanted to try taking pix in the slanty morning light as part of the "light on objects, front, side, backlit" segment of the miksang class. I actually was dressed and out the door (ok no earrings) by 8, wearing a hat with a brim (the better to see the camera screen) and gloves with bare fingertips. I took about 2 pictures and within 5 minutes was back in the house putting on heavy wool gloves, scarf, wool toque covering my ears....it was bright and sunny, but all of 25 degrees F.
I did go for a long walk, noticing all the flashes of perception and inspiration i could have tried to photograph if i'd been willing to take my hands out of my pockets.
Back at home i sat on the enclosed porch (60 degrees!) with coffee and english muffin and just drank in the sunlit trees woods and fields. It actually hurt to be so aware of the colors and the light on objects and on its own, the shapes and textures. No wonder people fiddle with phones and cameras and everything else. It's painful to live in open awareness.
I did go for a long walk, noticing all the flashes of perception and inspiration i could have tried to photograph if i'd been willing to take my hands out of my pockets.
Back at home i sat on the enclosed porch (60 degrees!) with coffee and english muffin and just drank in the sunlit trees woods and fields. It actually hurt to be so aware of the colors and the light on objects and on its own, the shapes and textures. No wonder people fiddle with phones and cameras and everything else. It's painful to live in open awareness.
Dec 16, 2015
getting in yet another tangle about time
What would our minds be like if the sun didn't rise and set each day?
I know, i know, it's really the earth turning, and we wouldn't have gravity etc blah blah, you can work out all the details of how there could be such a situation.
All i'm wondering is, what would be our concept of TIME. would we measure it by how fast we walked, or by the time it took a rock to fall from a cliff, the time it took a seed to sprout or a plant to grow?
We think ahead in series of days.
Maybe we'd invent clocks even without having had sundials and stonehenge? No we don't have the stars either, that's cheating. No seasons. Ok so what is time then?
Meet me when the.... What is 'when'
Yipes.
Do we only have time because the earth turns relative to other stuff in the universe?
I know, i know, it's really the earth turning, and we wouldn't have gravity etc blah blah, you can work out all the details of how there could be such a situation.
All i'm wondering is, what would be our concept of TIME. would we measure it by how fast we walked, or by the time it took a rock to fall from a cliff, the time it took a seed to sprout or a plant to grow?
We think ahead in series of days.
Maybe we'd invent clocks even without having had sundials and stonehenge? No we don't have the stars either, that's cheating. No seasons. Ok so what is time then?
Meet me when the.... What is 'when'
Yipes.
Do we only have time because the earth turns relative to other stuff in the universe?
Apr 18, 2014
wigs and perception
i went to see a friend who is in the midst of a series of chemo treatments.
she had a cute new wig.
it was grey like her hair, or almost like her hair.
just for fun i tried it on, and to our surprise it matched my hair perfectly.
she said she'd give it to me when she's done with it.
i came home and told john about it, told him it was the same exact color grey as my hair.
he said with surprise "your hair isn't grey"
curious, i said "what color do you think my hair is?"
he said "it's blonde, of course!"
hahahahahahaha
i wonder if when he looks at me i'm also 25 and don't have wrinkles!
she had a cute new wig.
it was grey like her hair, or almost like her hair.
just for fun i tried it on, and to our surprise it matched my hair perfectly.
she said she'd give it to me when she's done with it.
i came home and told john about it, told him it was the same exact color grey as my hair.
he said with surprise "your hair isn't grey"
curious, i said "what color do you think my hair is?"
he said "it's blonde, of course!"
hahahahahahaha
i wonder if when he looks at me i'm also 25 and don't have wrinkles!
Dec 3, 2013
my imaginary friends may be real and you maybe not
so i got another box from the attic.
stuff my mom saved from my childhood and then gave to me.
maybe i can get rid of it!
here's my baby book, something mothers worked hard at.
oh look, i had an imaginary friend, a rabbit.
i have no memory of such a thing.
apparently it had to have a place to sit at dinner.
my parents loved this stuff.
i'm thinking my next imaginary friend was Jesus,
i took to him at a very early age.
my parents were not so happy about that,
but they let me live in that rabbit hole until i outgrew it.
which i did, and then went without imaginary friends for years.
were those my years as a grown-up?
now that i'm a Buddhist i have many many imaginary friends!
if i become a Hindu i'll have multiple times that number.
my friend the Shaman has his power animal (i keep wanting to say 'familiar' but that's witches)
it sits by him at dinner (apparently on the floor) or so he mentioned at dinner recently.
is that his imaginary friend, or is it real?
in which case aren't they all real?
real as anything else?
stuff my mom saved from my childhood and then gave to me.
maybe i can get rid of it!
here's my baby book, something mothers worked hard at.
oh look, i had an imaginary friend, a rabbit.
i have no memory of such a thing.
apparently it had to have a place to sit at dinner.
my parents loved this stuff.
i'm thinking my next imaginary friend was Jesus,
i took to him at a very early age.
my parents were not so happy about that,
but they let me live in that rabbit hole until i outgrew it.
which i did, and then went without imaginary friends for years.
were those my years as a grown-up?
now that i'm a Buddhist i have many many imaginary friends!
if i become a Hindu i'll have multiple times that number.
my friend the Shaman has his power animal (i keep wanting to say 'familiar' but that's witches)
it sits by him at dinner (apparently on the floor) or so he mentioned at dinner recently.
is that his imaginary friend, or is it real?
in which case aren't they all real?
real as anything else?
May 13, 2013
But Wait! That's ME?
a very weird thing has happened.
there's a blog called Lucy Tornado's Blog.
that's really the name of it!
and it has nothing to do with me, Lucy Tornado!
how can this happen?
the worst part is someone might go to the blog thinking i wrote all that.
what should i do?
i hardly use this blog but still would hate to have ideas and opinions attributed to me that are not like me.
what to do what to do fret fret fret.
there's a blog called Lucy Tornado's Blog.
that's really the name of it!
and it has nothing to do with me, Lucy Tornado!
how can this happen?
the worst part is someone might go to the blog thinking i wrote all that.
what should i do?
i hardly use this blog but still would hate to have ideas and opinions attributed to me that are not like me.
what to do what to do fret fret fret.
May 6, 2013
science marches on!
apparently a study has shown that children have significantly fewer allergies if their parents cleaned off a dropped pacifier by licking or sucking it.
i'd like to know more about this!
were those parents all men?
did they have allergies?
what effect did it have on the health of the parent?
will this help my 30 something son if i lick or suck a pacifier and then give it to him?
what about lighting someone's cigarette, or sharing a joint?
will it help my sister, who has allergies, altho i pretty much don't, if i share some saliva with her now?
what if the dog licks it off?
does this involve some ancient knowledge now remembered in the phrase "he's the spit and image of his dad?"
i'd like to know more about this!
were those parents all men?
did they have allergies?
what effect did it have on the health of the parent?
will this help my 30 something son if i lick or suck a pacifier and then give it to him?
what about lighting someone's cigarette, or sharing a joint?
will it help my sister, who has allergies, altho i pretty much don't, if i share some saliva with her now?
what if the dog licks it off?
does this involve some ancient knowledge now remembered in the phrase "he's the spit and image of his dad?"
Apr 25, 2013
brown brown brown
for years i've used a particular eye medicine to control glaucoma. works fine, and has LOL in the name, so it must be good!
now comes the suggestion that i switch to a newer drug, which doesn't make your eyes dry.
and it's not a beta blocker.
and i wonder if i might have less (make it stop!!) tinnitus, fewer crazy dreams?
don't know.
here's the thing about the newer drops...
it darkens your eye color.
so me with hazel/green eyes would end up with BROWN EYES.
not reversible.
who would i even be with BROWN EYES???
one of my friends said "I've had brown eyes all my life...not a problem."
and i say "Easy for YOU to say!"
if there were a medicine that turned brown eyes green, i'll bet she be on it in a flash.
brown eyes.
yeah, right.
now comes the suggestion that i switch to a newer drug, which doesn't make your eyes dry.
and it's not a beta blocker.
and i wonder if i might have less (make it stop!!) tinnitus, fewer crazy dreams?
don't know.
here's the thing about the newer drops...
it darkens your eye color.
so me with hazel/green eyes would end up with BROWN EYES.
not reversible.
who would i even be with BROWN EYES???
one of my friends said "I've had brown eyes all my life...not a problem."
and i say "Easy for YOU to say!"
if there were a medicine that turned brown eyes green, i'll bet she be on it in a flash.
brown eyes.
yeah, right.
Mar 31, 2013
visions of hallucinations!
i've read a number of books on the para normal. tale after tale of people's real experiences with the dead, with their own near-death, trips out of body, religious or ecstatic visions and visitors.
in some the point is to convince us these things happen, and that they are quite common. sometimes the conclusion is they must therefore be real.
in some, it's just part of someone's story, like Hildegarde of Bingham's visions and revelations, taking at face-value that they are from god.
and i read Mary Roach's "Spook" -- her scientific investigation into ghosts and after-death experiences. lots to laugh about and be amazed by, but no final answers to be found.
i just finished Oliver Sacks' "Hallucinations" which covers some of the same territory from a neurological point of view, appropriately not considering any other possible explanation. he begins with simple hallucinations in some blind people (Charles Bonnet syndrome), easily understood as the brain's reaction to loss of vision. then he leads us on further into various phenomenon not so clearly explained neurologically, but then goes on to explain them now that we are primed to hear such views.
so he tells of patients with ecstatic religious visions, hearing of celestial voices, seeing deceased loved ones, having out of body experiences, and gives us the details of how the brain is bringing all this about. he ends with the neurological explanation for the not uncommon feeling of a presence, that we are not alone, in a helping way or in a threatening way, and he surmises that this leads humans to the idea of god.
round and round we humans go trying to understand our experiences and our brains, using our experiences and our brains -- each expert feeling a different part of the elephant. (you know the elephant story i'm sure). my conclusion so far...it's all hallucination!
in some the point is to convince us these things happen, and that they are quite common. sometimes the conclusion is they must therefore be real.
in some, it's just part of someone's story, like Hildegarde of Bingham's visions and revelations, taking at face-value that they are from god.
and i read Mary Roach's "Spook" -- her scientific investigation into ghosts and after-death experiences. lots to laugh about and be amazed by, but no final answers to be found.
i just finished Oliver Sacks' "Hallucinations" which covers some of the same territory from a neurological point of view, appropriately not considering any other possible explanation. he begins with simple hallucinations in some blind people (Charles Bonnet syndrome), easily understood as the brain's reaction to loss of vision. then he leads us on further into various phenomenon not so clearly explained neurologically, but then goes on to explain them now that we are primed to hear such views.
so he tells of patients with ecstatic religious visions, hearing of celestial voices, seeing deceased loved ones, having out of body experiences, and gives us the details of how the brain is bringing all this about. he ends with the neurological explanation for the not uncommon feeling of a presence, that we are not alone, in a helping way or in a threatening way, and he surmises that this leads humans to the idea of god.
round and round we humans go trying to understand our experiences and our brains, using our experiences and our brains -- each expert feeling a different part of the elephant. (you know the elephant story i'm sure). my conclusion so far...it's all hallucination!
Feb 22, 2013
more placebos
 |
| mupie's pseudoceuticals |
are they taking them as directed? are they working?
or did they sit them on the shelf as a cute conversation piece (bah).
she has a brilliant idea, and several requests for ... ta da!...
assisted suicide placebos
(it being February and all)
but is nervous about actually giving them to anyone.
if you believe in the placebo effect, well, what would they do??
Feb 19, 2013
the unseen becomes felt
often people become more 'spiritual' as they age.
the usual explanation is that they feel the approach of death.
but i think it's expanding awareness.
picture my baby son at the ocean.
the infinite sky, the endless beach, the limitless sea.
what did he do?
picked up nearby cigarette butts.
as children our area of awareness is so small, because everything is new.
once the nearby is familiar we extend our awareness out another step.
awareness expands and grows as we age and become familiar with a wider and wider circle, until it reaches and then includes the unseen, the felt, the sensed world beyond our 5 senses, the world we maybe scoffed at in our body-centered youth.
the usual explanation is that they feel the approach of death.
but i think it's expanding awareness.
picture my baby son at the ocean.
the infinite sky, the endless beach, the limitless sea.
what did he do?
picked up nearby cigarette butts.
as children our area of awareness is so small, because everything is new.
once the nearby is familiar we extend our awareness out another step.
awareness expands and grows as we age and become familiar with a wider and wider circle, until it reaches and then includes the unseen, the felt, the sensed world beyond our 5 senses, the world we maybe scoffed at in our body-centered youth.
Nov 22, 2012
Rude Veggies
in one of those british tv shows, as kind of a casual aside from the plot, there was a box for collection of rude vegetables. apparently there was to be a contest judged by -- of course --the parish priest.
i had no idea what a rude vegetable might be until the contents of the box were shown!
what a fun idea! carrot growers especially have had many a hoot over their crop. i mentioned it to my neighbor, and she brought this one by yesterday.
could my town have a contest like this? not likely! this is america - we are above that sort of thing.
i had no idea what a rude vegetable might be until the contents of the box were shown!
what a fun idea! carrot growers especially have had many a hoot over their crop. i mentioned it to my neighbor, and she brought this one by yesterday.
could my town have a contest like this? not likely! this is america - we are above that sort of thing.
 |
| *giggle snort* |
May 31, 2012
charivari for the right to make noise!
'charivari' to me was a cool word, like tatterdemalion... cool but no longer around.
nobody uses it.
but in Montreal they had a charivari as a form of protest last week - how cool is that?
not only the marchers, but those along the route came out to bang pots and pans in support.
The Guardian's Adam Gabbatt writes from Montreal:
Indeed, at the pot banging near the Jarry subway on Friday night the age range of the crowd was strikingly diverse. Sensibly dressed fortysomethings wearing hiking boots and kagools intermingled with long-haired students wearing only shorts. Men and women pushing young children in prams were flanked by hipsters on fixed-gear bikes.
The range of protesters was matched by the diversity of utensils they chose to create noise. Some had reached past the saucepan and wooden spoon, with the Guardian spying such unlikely pairings as a colander and a drumstick, a pan lid and a pair of chopsticks, and a barbecue lid and a pair of tongs all being put to alternative use.
As the protesters marched for more than four hours through various Montreal neighbourhoods, many people had taken to their balconies in support, bringing their own kitchenware and adding to the din.
kind of reminds me of the 60s when race riots spread across the USA and the one black guy in vermont exploded out to his curbside and set his paper-recycling bin on fire. (the good paper one, not glossy, that makes toxic fumes).
nobody uses it.
but in Montreal they had a charivari as a form of protest last week - how cool is that?
not only the marchers, but those along the route came out to bang pots and pans in support.
The Guardian's Adam Gabbatt writes from Montreal:
Indeed, at the pot banging near the Jarry subway on Friday night the age range of the crowd was strikingly diverse. Sensibly dressed fortysomethings wearing hiking boots and kagools intermingled with long-haired students wearing only shorts. Men and women pushing young children in prams were flanked by hipsters on fixed-gear bikes.
The range of protesters was matched by the diversity of utensils they chose to create noise. Some had reached past the saucepan and wooden spoon, with the Guardian spying such unlikely pairings as a colander and a drumstick, a pan lid and a pair of chopsticks, and a barbecue lid and a pair of tongs all being put to alternative use.
As the protesters marched for more than four hours through various Montreal neighbourhoods, many people had taken to their balconies in support, bringing their own kitchenware and adding to the din.
kind of reminds me of the 60s when race riots spread across the USA and the one black guy in vermont exploded out to his curbside and set his paper-recycling bin on fire. (the good paper one, not glossy, that makes toxic fumes).
May 28, 2012
Apr 10, 2012
a bird in the hand
could be the fever, or the cough syrups -- my sore tongue drove me to google "why is my tongue sore" because google knows everything about me.
it was worth it for the laugh when i got to the third possibility!! and the last one could be of interest to Salazar, as it seemingly involves maps.
Searches related to why is my tongue sore
Vitamin deficiency
Any disease caused by chronic or long-term vitamin deficiency or caused by a defect in metabolic conversion, such as tryptophan to niacin. they are designated by the same letter as the vitamin.
Canker sore
A type of oral ulcer, which presents as a painful open sore inside the mouth or upper throat characterized by a break in the mucous membrane. its cause is unknown. ...
Thrush
A small or medium-sized songbird, typically having a brown back, spotted breast, and loud song
Herpes
Any of a group of viral diseases caused by herpes viruses, affecting the skin or the nervous system
Geographic tongue
Condition of the tongue affecting approximately 3% of the po
...
it was worth it for the laugh when i got to the third possibility!! and the last one could be of interest to Salazar, as it seemingly involves maps.
Searches related to why is my tongue sore
Vitamin deficiency
Any disease caused by chronic or long-term vitamin deficiency or caused by a defect in metabolic conversion, such as tryptophan to niacin. they are designated by the same letter as the vitamin.
Canker sore
A type of oral ulcer, which presents as a painful open sore inside the mouth or upper throat characterized by a break in the mucous membrane. its cause is unknown. ...
Thrush
A small or medium-sized songbird, typically having a brown back, spotted breast, and loud song
Herpes
Any of a group of viral diseases caused by herpes viruses, affecting the skin or the nervous system
Geographic tongue
Condition of the tongue affecting approximately 3% of the po
...
Sep 20, 2011
the song garden
yesterday T. (not just a pretty face) took me for tea in the morning to a place he'd just discovered in new hampshire, about 1/2 hour drive.
you turn onto a dirt road and drive and drive for what seems like it must surely be the wrong road, and then you come to a wide meadowy place
overlooking distant hills and the mts of vermont, and there is a very large flower garden consisting of rows of flowers arranged in rows by color.
at the entrance to the garden are scissors, baskets, sun hats, jars, ribbons, flower-preserver packets.
you can go in and cut whatever flowers you like to take home with you!
there is a box if you want to leave a donation.
if you walk up the hill there is a small one-room cabin with chairs on a tiny screened porch and a tiny deck on another side.
inside is a table and chairs, set with a lace cloth, china dishes and teacups, fresh flower arrangement.
along the sides are all kinds of interesting objects, plus a big electric container of hot water, all kinds of teas,
a little fridge with half and half, a little sink to leave your cup in, a daybed with lots of pillows, classical music playing.
nobody is there. you are invited by signs to have tea, have a scone or biscotti or granola bar, use the china, etc, wander around, and leave a donation.
you can buy or take some pot pourri and leave money in the box.
and up the hill a bit further is a pleasant outhouse!
isn't that amazing? it was such a beautiful sunny day and so relaxing, that in the afternoon i dragged john over for afternoon tea and he loved it too!
you turn onto a dirt road and drive and drive for what seems like it must surely be the wrong road, and then you come to a wide meadowy place
overlooking distant hills and the mts of vermont, and there is a very large flower garden consisting of rows of flowers arranged in rows by color.
at the entrance to the garden are scissors, baskets, sun hats, jars, ribbons, flower-preserver packets.
you can go in and cut whatever flowers you like to take home with you!
there is a box if you want to leave a donation.
if you walk up the hill there is a small one-room cabin with chairs on a tiny screened porch and a tiny deck on another side.
inside is a table and chairs, set with a lace cloth, china dishes and teacups, fresh flower arrangement.
along the sides are all kinds of interesting objects, plus a big electric container of hot water, all kinds of teas,
a little fridge with half and half, a little sink to leave your cup in, a daybed with lots of pillows, classical music playing.
nobody is there. you are invited by signs to have tea, have a scone or biscotti or granola bar, use the china, etc, wander around, and leave a donation.
you can buy or take some pot pourri and leave money in the box.
and up the hill a bit further is a pleasant outhouse!
isn't that amazing? it was such a beautiful sunny day and so relaxing, that in the afternoon i dragged john over for afternoon tea and he loved it too!
Aug 17, 2011
another baby story
must be baby season! everyone's having them recently!
i admit i'm not up on the latest trends in childbirth and baby care, so when these pictures came via email of friends and their newborn, i was very surprised!
decided i'd better disguise them, they might not want to be blogged.
you think there's people who object to women nursing in public, wait'll they see THIS on the subway!
i admit i'm not up on the latest trends in childbirth and baby care, so when these pictures came via email of friends and their newborn, i was very surprised!
decided i'd better disguise them, they might not want to be blogged.
you think there's people who object to women nursing in public, wait'll they see THIS on the subway!
Mar 20, 2011
what do you say to a dead man?
i fell in love with Warren Christopher yesterday
npr's website said he diedi knew the name. i clicked the link
i saw his picture
my heart burst with love
an old man 85
a good man
he tried - he worked so hard
he did so much
his heavy spirit clung to me
i held his spirit i didn't know what to say
it would not leave me
my heart was so full
i said what little i knew
or understood
of how to guide the dead
he would not let me go
i need to learn more
in case this happens again
i tried to send him off
to people who know how to help
in these situations
but the love between us was so strong
at last i remembered that today
i am going to a friend to work on a project
a friend who knows
who can guide the dead
or the living for that matter
my heart grew lighter then
and i wrote this
Feb 20, 2011
Mars - another excuse for human curiosity
why does the japanese astronaut selection process involve origami?
who ate the onions experiment?
what happens if you don't bathe or change clothes for 2 weeks?
how much will NASA pay you to stay in bed for 3 months?
what happens to your bones then?
so how do old ladies benefit from space research? (get it?)
how do dolphins have sex under water?
is that why they don't let male dolphins in the swim-with-the-dolphins pool?
what is astronaut chow?
what concoction best simulates human shit for test purposes?
what tests are those??
what percent of people can light their farts?
why is drinking Orange County's water kind of like being an astronaut?
did you ever think that sustainability engineering and human spaceflight engineering are just different sides of the same technology?
PACKING FOR MARS by Mary Roach - a book by a science writer who walks the fine line between making fun of and seeing what is funny about space exploration and the research that is part of it!
i loved this book, and had a new view of the value of it all... all the research spills out into everyday life. her last paragraph is surely thought provoking - to summarize, any money saved from not funding space exploration would not go to any of the things you feel it should be used for anyway! you know that! so why not play and learn.
oh just read it, you'll laugh out loud at sentences like "The zero gravity fart has been a popular orbital pursuit, especially on all male flights."
Jan 13, 2011
harnessing the mind!
great news in medicine!
tiny mention in NYT science section a few weeks ago.
this could change lots of things.
doctors have discovered
that if they TELL THE TRUTH
then in certain illnesses, such as I.B.S.,
they give the patient a placebo, and
they say something like
"this is an inert substance, like a sugar pill,
that has been found to produce significant improvement
in I.B.S. symptoms through mind-body
self-healing processes"
the patients given the sugar-pills
in a bottle marked "PLACEBO"
reported significantly better pain relief
and reduction in severity of other symptoms
than those who got nothing.
not just a little better!
"The magnitude of effect here is very large."
said Dr Ted J Kaptchuck a researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
think of it!
trigger the mind-body self-healing process
by giving a pill!
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