world of work and water

This is one of those intense activity times. Days slip by and I realize I haven't posted. Or I started a post and didn't finish it and it now seems irrelevant. Or I wonder what I meant by some cryptic message to myself that I left so I'd remember to do or say or type "X," whatever that may be.

For the most part, the activity right now is good and it is keeping me busy. No complaints. Just noticing.

Dragon boat practice is going really well. We did our warm-up exercises, had a shortened practice on the water, and then went to an alumni MissFit Dragons paddler's home near the dock to have pizza and watch the video of Tuesday's practice. For the large number of rookies on the team and this early on the actual boats, not bad. I am loving the dragon boats. We had our first mock race on Tuesday, as well, (just against ourselves) and that felt great. It was good to get a feel of the route and a sense of what that will be. The races are across the river, not up and down it as we all are practicing. We are allowed to do some of these mock races, even against other teams, within specific guidelines. Right now we're just doing it with ourselves. (That's me standing in the back, not falling in!)

Which has led me another new but related activity: kayaking. I have purchased my first kayak. The dragon boat captain and my trainer, Nikki, convinced me that inflatables were actually safer because they bounce off the rocks rather than hard sided ones which can crack. Okay; I'll take that. So I bought a Sevylor Tahiti self-bailer (!!) and a paddle and a dual-action pump. And a patch kit. I will be going out on my first trip on a level 1 "whitewater," which seems to mean it's slow moving and not really much if any "white" about it. Yay. It's predicted to be 70-75 on Saturday. Nikki is watching the levels, right now it may be iffy as to whether we can do it; the water is perfect right now, but dropping 100 feet per day. Apparently we need a little rain or some snow melt-off or we might not be able to make that run.

The first kayak trip which was scheduled is mid-May. The one this weekend was a last minute wouldn't it be fun kind of deal. So the mid-May one is a lesson and a kayak trip on a level 2.5. Still safe and not too much, I'm told. Still, "it would be a good idea to have a helmet" I was told. So I've added to my growing stash of outdoor water sport equipment and bought a Pro-Tec B2 Wake helmet in Gloss Punk Pink. Huh. I wonder what else I need?

On Tuesday one of the long time dragon boaters and frequenter of many Miss Fit Adventures asked if I'd blown up my kayak yet to make sure there were not leaks. While that makes perfect sense - I hadn't thought of it. I just assumed, since it was new, that all would be well. I inflated it Tuesday night and left it in a room where the cats don't go. I checked it yesterday and all was still well and I didn't hear any hissing. So I deflated it and folded it up, but there is no way I can shove it back in to the bag it came in. So, from an overhead conversation on Tuesday, I know I need to search out a bag to carry and store it in, especially when it will be wet and I need to drive it back home in my car! Oh, the things one has to think of *smile.

On top of my watery adventures, I am into the second week of my second Lit Star Training class with Ariel Gore. I have another assignment due tomorrow, which isn't done and from which I am procrastinating by writing this blog! Oh well, I will get it done and turned in.

Also on the writing front, I am involved in the layout group for an anthology of quick writes from the winter session of the Lit Star Training. I have been helping with some of the other planning. This has been an intensive project for a few weeks, but it feels like it is coming together well. Christi stepped up to be the lead for the layout and is doing a marvelous job; we call her our Layout Queen Bee. And I have named Jenny F our Resource Queen for her speedy and very helpful research on a couple different publishing options we were looking at. Lesia did some marvelous in-depth work earlier on about a couple of the primary places; Jenny found some great side by side comparisons of features and other information presented in a concise and easily accessible way. This will be a nice little square book of prompts and writings.

I am also excited and nervous about the upcoming reading and launch of the Alltopia antholozine on April 25th. I've written about that before - and it is almost here.

For the work front. Things are still going well and I'm pleased. A couple of long-term situations are coming to an end. I am doing VRS part-time, which provides a foundation that allows me to be a little less stressed about the freelance work I'm continuing to do. I am also teaching one internship course at Portland Community College this term. So I have enough work right now and I am grateful. I do have to get my basic powerpoint slides done for the summer program by the 25th (yes, I will be returning to Greeley, the land of cattle and beef - see July '08 posts for more information).

Oh - and I am just starting preparation to interpret "Frost/Nixon" on April 30th. I have already read the script and done some preliminary work; I will be seeing it for the first time tomorrow night.

And, speaking of night, it is time to sign off and get some sleep.

lift off leads to forgiveness

This has been another intense week. I started to feel disappointed when I came here to post and realized I hadn't said anything since Monday.

Then I thought, hey, wait a minute. Give myself a break, here. I just completed, in the words of Chris Coleman, a marathon. Unlike a marathon, Chris went on in his introduction and welcome to the show, Apollo at Portland Center Stage has two built in breaks for coffee, conversation, and going to the bathroom.

The play is running (no pun intended) three hours and thirty-five minutes. Rehearsal and preparation for this show was long; each of the seven times I saw it required a minimum of 5.5 hours. A total of 60-75 minutes driving and parking, meeting before the show, the show and intermissions, and a little (but not much) conversation after the show. Then there were the times translating the script and practicing at home and with other resources.

Okay. So I posted less than I wanted for this week. I forgive myself. And let's move on.

But I am now late with an assignment for the online writing workshop I am taking. It was due today and I am quickly heading towards midnight. Not that I will be punished - but I wanted to keep to the due dates. Oh well, I missed this one. I will get myself caught up this weekend. After my dragon boat strength & training workout tomorrow morning, going to REI to pick up my ordered gloves for same said dragon boats, and lunch with a friend - and before I go to work Sunday afternoon.

Oh, and around my step-daughter moving in for up to six months; which means her son, as well, on an every other week basis.

It's not that I have anything else on my mind except blogging! sheesh....

picture from the PCS website
and promo flyers for Apollo

same movie: two views

I had an interesting experience today. My partner and I went to see a movie. It was a last minute decision. We went for a walk up to our little "strip," as we call it (yay, our neighborhood has developed a little personality over the last couple years!).

Part of the plan was for her to drop off some flyers for a couple of upcoming classes. But the shop, PaperDoll, was closed. So we went down to the Bipartisan Cafe for some soup and coffee. While we were sitting there, we looked at the marquee across the street at The Academy Theater to check again what movies were playing and the times. We had a music gig to check out later tonight and a friend's birthday party; both of the events started at 8:30 pm and it was just past five. I looked up a synopsis of one of the movie's on my crackberry and we decided to go to the 6:30 showing. That would make us fashionably late to the party, which was just up the street from our house.

The movie we saw was Happy-Go-Lucky. We both enjoyed the movie - but some of our perspectives were interesting. It was like we were sitting side by side but watching a different version of the same film. The walk home provided us a nice opportunity to discuss what we saw and how we interpreted the story. I can't say that either of us is right or wrong -but I found it fascinating how differently we understood what was going on in the film. We watched the same movie at the same time, side by side, and yet we walked away with nearly polar opposite beliefs in why what had happened, happened.

Good movie. Interesting responses.

ps: We didn't make it to the music venue, because the we didn't know the time the musicians we were going to hear would be on. We did make it to the friend's birthday party up the street, but left when they were preparing to go out for karoake. I have a 10K walking event tomorrow morning in Forest Grove and need to get up early....which is why I'm calling it a night now and heading off to slumber land.

pss: Think about something you've read or seen. What could be viewed in a different way from your own interpretation of the event? Try writing the scene from a different perspective than your own and make it just as believable and true as your experience.

colorado: day 15 (wedn 7/23)

I have definitely crossed the polite "I'm just checking to see if any of my mail has arrived, yet" line - said with a smile - to the "who else can I talk to about my mail" - said with a blank I-mean-business face. I am sooooo frustrated.

The first piece of mail I was expecting was a simple envelope with a one-page tri-copy form inside. At first I thought maybe the sender didn't get it out as soon as she expected (I was guessing it was probably mailed July 11th or 14th), so I wasn't going to get concerned unless I didn't have it by the end of last week.

The second item was a new battery for my Blackberry, because, for some odd reason ("altitude" has been given as an answer, without an explanation) my phone battery is not working well. This is a new battery, less than three months old. At home it would hold a charge, *with frequent use* for two to three days. Here, I noticed pretty quickly that, despite being charged fully at night, it was down to the blinking red and yellow sliver of a battery by the end of my work day the next day. Weird! I couldn't remember the name of the company I bought it from, so I decided to just order a new one and have it sent here. That is my connection to the agencies and individuals for my work and my phone. There is not an electronic store near here, so I decided it would be more efficient to just have one shipped. I ordered that either the night of 7/11 or on 7/12. It was shipped on 7/15. I found out on Monday that there is a delivery confirmation of it arriving here on 7/18. Okay, I thought ... the weekend. It's summer. I know there are many camps and such here at the university so it will be a little slower (I've been told that at least four times by the RAs in the dorm). But now it is Wednesday.

I also confirmed that the envelope with the form which is required for a job back at home, was mailed on either 7/10 or 7/11. Now it is 7/23 and no form. No battery. My opinion: no excuse. Unfortunately, I don't know who else to go to. I will try to find out from the program coordinator if there is another contact she has. This is really ridiculous now... especially the envelope. I would expect the mail room staff to have gotten the battery here by now - since I know it was on campus last Friday. Grrrrr. I hope it all gets here before I leave. Luckily, pages are slow now and I'm not using the phone part much, so the Blackberry is holding the charge until I get back to my room. But if I make a call, it runs out quicker.

And, while annoying, my roommate has it worse. Not the mail, but her tooth. She had a tooth break on our trip to the mountains last weekend. It had been hurting and she was hoping to wait until she got home to her own dentist to take care of whatever was wrong. That didn't happen and now she has to have what is left dug out because it broke off under the gumline and it is now infected. She goes in at 7:00 tomorrow morning. I'd rather be out $20 for a battery and delay starting the job because I have to do the form after I get home than to go to a strange dentist in a strange town. Eeek.

Then there is another staff person whose husband was here with her the first week. (They had to stay in a hotel - which was fine - because we can't have guests/family staying with us in the dorms.) He left on Sunday and, on the drive home to Texas, he hit - and killed - a cow. He is fine, the dog is fine, the truck? Not so fine. But he did get someone to drive him to Texas, where he got his other truck and will go back to pick up the damaged one.
Another staff person's 10-year-old dog (I think it's a Schnoodle), was recently diagnosed with diabetes. She is also staying in a nearby hotel, because we can't have animals in the dorms, either. Last Friday the dog's blood sugar shot way up (380-400 when it should be 80-130) and she had to take it to the vet. The blood sugar has come down a little and she really likes the vet here .... but it's another thing to deal with. Then on Saturday at the mountain park, she went walking up the tundra trail with the dog. She missed the signs (it was small and low) with a picture of a person and a dog with the red circle with a line through it ... she got fined $125 for taking the dog up the trail.

Comparatively, my losses or delays are small in comparison. It still irks me; but I'll accept them if they can't be found. When I talked to the RA last night he asked if I was the person who had given him the confirmation number. I said "no," but I can provide you with one if it will help. He said it wouldn't. Apparently I am not alone in lost mail. I didn't go tonight because there was a slightly tense situation with one student and I didn't want to get any more irritated than I already was. I have been promised a couple of times that there will be a note on my door if any mail comes. Every day I get off the elevator and peer to my left to see if there is a sticky note with my name. But nothing so far.

another: New Play Reading

Quintessence Language and Imagination Theatre
presents a reading of:

"Grandma's Revenants"

a new and original play
by Alexander Lumiere

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Mago Hunt Center (at University of Portland)
7:30pm

What’s in the trunk?
Bouncing between the past and present, Alexander Lumiere’s original play bends gender and time to examine the persistence of family memory.

Harmony

I just started working out with a buddy today. I've been walking more, readying myself for nearly a month in Colorado, where I've been told the elevation is higher (well, duh, I know That!) and - oh, it will take a little getting used to. I will be without a car - though I may rent one for a weekend if I get a couple days off, so I can go see some sights - so walking will be the norm. Which is fine and is what I generally do most of my vacations - even though this isn't one of those.

So, I've been walking more. And I've been moaning about wanting to get back to the gym on a regular basis. And back to swimming which my body loves and I have a long list of excuses why it's been so hard to get there. And my schedule, which is true and yet...

...wait... I'm self-employed. Didn't I make that move so I could gain a little more control over my schedule? Yes. Oh, but it is a practice profession, which means the work available is based on others' schedules - but can't I still set some parameters?

I think I can! Once several commitments are completed, three of which come to an end this week.

So, I started planning for how to build in more time to take care of myself physically by increased time for exercise, adding back in swimming, and so on. And I really wanted someone to work out with because it's simply more enjoyable.

Then I received an email from a long-time friend whom I hadn't seen for several months. We met for lunch. She talked about her new workout and on the road to fitness routine and, voila! We scheduled our first walking date.

That was this afternoon and it was energizing and inspiring and fun. We walked for over an hour; challenging ourselves on, first, a little incline and then we saw a steeper one off to our right. We got to walk down it first, our cool down, and then walked back up; it was about double the steepness of what we'd just done. It was about 80 minutes of just wandering and seeing where we ended up and then finding our way back to our cars. And we have our next date set to approach Mount Tabor and maybe take the first flight of steps up. We've set ourselves the goal of walking up all of the steps to the top, but that will come over time.

Despite not really having any communication for several months, we have been wanting similar things: someone to travel this path to wellness with who doesn't mind a little sweat and is willing to just see where we go.

When we met today, she gave me a little pewter bauble with a leaf on one side and Harmony written on the back. It was, indeed, a moment of harmony that we connected at this moment and have found a new shared interest. Neither of us had any idea when we planned our lunch date last week.

I also know that taking a little more control of my schedule and returning to more physical activity will be a bonus for my writing. I can already feel the juices flowing again. And after I'm done with all of my grading and evaluations and this next show is done, I know I'll be using some of the time I've blocked out for just that.

Ahhhh.

photograph, Harmony, by Steve Higgs