So I have had the honor and pleasure of being invited to help, in my own small way, with the completion of the glorious steampunk pirate ship being built by Andy (an amazing and freakin' awesome dude) for Burning Man. Here's a video of the work in progres:
Andy and his crew welcomed me with open arms from day one and I've had a blast helping out, even though all I've done is solder some LEDs and slap on primer. This thing will be incredible when it's done, and I'm so happy I got to join in. Here's the website that shows more info and how you can donate or offer a hand if you live nearby:
http://www.lostmachine.com/
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Dixie Mountain Crybaby
So some of you know, and some of you don't, that I love to drive. When I'm restless, or sad, or just bored, I love to drive. Not with a goal in mind, but just for the joy of going somewhere I haven't been before, seeing something new, finding out where that road leads. Not everyone enjoys this. Some people see driving as just a way to reach a destination, and that's just fine, but to me driving itself is the joy, and I'm always a bit sad when it comes to an end.
So today I set off down St. Helens road, feeling unsettled and a bit low. At some point I turned left (don't ask the name of the street because I never looked), because that was the direction in which the hills lay, and forested hills are among my favorite places to lose myself. I twisted and turned past farms and horses, over a one-lane bridge, past mailboxes, a few abandoned-looking cars, and one startled doe.
I found myself going up, up in the trees. I could tell this wasn't virgin forest. (If you've been in enough forests you just know which ones are there by their own free will and which have been shaped by human hunger). I glanced to the right and saw a sign telling me I was on Dixie Mountain Road. Never heard of it. There's a Dixie Mountain in Oregon? Huh, who knew?
So I drove up and down, curve to the left, to the right, not knowing where I was or where I would end up (which is the best way to be, I think) and then, all of a sudden, I was stopped in the middle of this narrow gravel road with tears streaming down my cheeks. Streaming like a waterfall in the middle of the spring melt. "Oh you are such a silly girl" I thought to myself as I felt the tears flow down my face and plop onto my fuzzy green sweater (Only $6.99 at Goodwill).
You see, yesterday I sent out an email to a handful of friends, maybe six or seven or eight people I know, offering them some plants from my garden. You may also know, or maybe you don't, that I love plants. I love flowers. I love being surrounded by colors and living, growing things. I wanted to share some of these beautiful things with others, so I sent out an email offering what I had to spare.
One person replied with a joke that, as so many of his jokes do, went right over my head. Another friend responded with annoyance that each time I replied to the first friend it was giving her alerts and it was becoming quite irritating. That's it. No one replied that they would love some plants, or "thank you, but no thank you", just a joke and a reprimand. Seems like such a ridiculous thing to have hurt feelings over, but there it was.
So I was sitting in my car on a narrow gravel road, looking at thin swords of sunlight stabbing through those glorious trees as they stood all silent and alive and dressed in the softest dream-green moss, and tears were streaming down my cheeks because, though it did not occur to me at the time, what I had really wanted, what I had so very much wanted was to be given the pleasure of doing something nice for someone simply because I could. What I really wanted was to be allowed to do something nice, and make someone smile. And all I got was a joke and a reprimand. Crybaby, that's me.
The moral of the story is simple: Sometimes the nicest thing you can possibly do for someone is allow them the pleasure of doing something nice for you. Think about that one for a little while. I'm going to go outside and watch bees, because that's another thing I love to do.
So today I set off down St. Helens road, feeling unsettled and a bit low. At some point I turned left (don't ask the name of the street because I never looked), because that was the direction in which the hills lay, and forested hills are among my favorite places to lose myself. I twisted and turned past farms and horses, over a one-lane bridge, past mailboxes, a few abandoned-looking cars, and one startled doe.
I found myself going up, up in the trees. I could tell this wasn't virgin forest. (If you've been in enough forests you just know which ones are there by their own free will and which have been shaped by human hunger). I glanced to the right and saw a sign telling me I was on Dixie Mountain Road. Never heard of it. There's a Dixie Mountain in Oregon? Huh, who knew?
So I drove up and down, curve to the left, to the right, not knowing where I was or where I would end up (which is the best way to be, I think) and then, all of a sudden, I was stopped in the middle of this narrow gravel road with tears streaming down my cheeks. Streaming like a waterfall in the middle of the spring melt. "Oh you are such a silly girl" I thought to myself as I felt the tears flow down my face and plop onto my fuzzy green sweater (Only $6.99 at Goodwill).
You see, yesterday I sent out an email to a handful of friends, maybe six or seven or eight people I know, offering them some plants from my garden. You may also know, or maybe you don't, that I love plants. I love flowers. I love being surrounded by colors and living, growing things. I wanted to share some of these beautiful things with others, so I sent out an email offering what I had to spare.
One person replied with a joke that, as so many of his jokes do, went right over my head. Another friend responded with annoyance that each time I replied to the first friend it was giving her alerts and it was becoming quite irritating. That's it. No one replied that they would love some plants, or "thank you, but no thank you", just a joke and a reprimand. Seems like such a ridiculous thing to have hurt feelings over, but there it was.
So I was sitting in my car on a narrow gravel road, looking at thin swords of sunlight stabbing through those glorious trees as they stood all silent and alive and dressed in the softest dream-green moss, and tears were streaming down my cheeks because, though it did not occur to me at the time, what I had really wanted, what I had so very much wanted was to be given the pleasure of doing something nice for someone simply because I could. What I really wanted was to be allowed to do something nice, and make someone smile. And all I got was a joke and a reprimand. Crybaby, that's me.
The moral of the story is simple: Sometimes the nicest thing you can possibly do for someone is allow them the pleasure of doing something nice for you. Think about that one for a little while. I'm going to go outside and watch bees, because that's another thing I love to do.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Things I Don't Want To See
Video clips, documentaries, short films........some are just troubling, some make me feel sick, but it's all part of the world we live in, the world we see and the world we don't see. We should know. We should see.
"Postcards from Heaven" from Sara Anderson on Vimeo.
One woman's story of the horrors of human trafficking from waterbrook multnomah on Vimeo.
Blue Vinyl - Documentary Highlights of the Toxic Plastic from Mario Vellandi on Vimeo.
I was going to try to post more, but I think this is enough for now. I hope I don't have nightmares tonight, yet at the same time I feel like maybe I deserve them, me and my easy, blessed life........
"Postcards from Heaven" from Sara Anderson on Vimeo.
One woman's story of the horrors of human trafficking from waterbrook multnomah on Vimeo.
Blue Vinyl - Documentary Highlights of the Toxic Plastic from Mario Vellandi on Vimeo.
I was going to try to post more, but I think this is enough for now. I hope I don't have nightmares tonight, yet at the same time I feel like maybe I deserve them, me and my easy, blessed life........
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Short Films
Just some great little films I've found around the web today. I really like the Pac Man one :)
Memoirs of a Scanner (Martinibomb Version) from Damon Stea on Vimeo.
ARK from grzegorz jonkajtys on Vimeo.
Memoirs of a Scanner (Martinibomb Version) from Damon Stea on Vimeo.
ARK from grzegorz jonkajtys on Vimeo.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Yumminess
Red Bell Pepper and Mushroom Soup
1¼ cups half-and-half
1 cup water
1 large red pepper
2 handfuls of sliced mushrooms. Or more. Whatever.
1 diced yellow onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/8 Tsp ground white pepper
½ Tsp ground coriander
1/8 Tsp tarragon
1/8 Tsp oregano
2 chicken bullion cubes
½ stick of butter (hell yeah)
½ Tsp sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Puree half of the red pepper with the water in a blender, rough chunks.
Saute onions and garlic in the butter over medium heat until just brown
Add the half-and-half and get simmering over low heat
Add pepper puree, mushrooms, bullion, and spices and return to a simmer
Add the other half of the red pepper, diced, about 10-15 minutes before serving. Don’t want them getting totally mushy.
Just before it’s done add the cornstarch (I assume you know to mix it with a little cold water first) and stir it in until it’s as thick as you like.
Sarah’s Awesome Pear Cake
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cups almonds. Whole, chopped, whatever.
2 eggs
¼ Tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract.
½ Tsp salt
2 cups diced ripe pears, peeled or not, whatever you prefer. You could use canned, but they’re so mooshy. Barf.
1 cup sugar
1½ cup flour
½ Tsp ground cloves
½ Tsp ground ginger
Mix it all together, bake at about 325 for about an hour, hour and a half. Peaches work well, too. (If you're not familiar with baking don't try this recipe, I'm terrible at precise recipes.)
1¼ cups half-and-half
1 cup water
1 large red pepper
2 handfuls of sliced mushrooms. Or more. Whatever.
1 diced yellow onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/8 Tsp ground white pepper
½ Tsp ground coriander
1/8 Tsp tarragon
1/8 Tsp oregano
2 chicken bullion cubes
½ stick of butter (hell yeah)
½ Tsp sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Puree half of the red pepper with the water in a blender, rough chunks.
Saute onions and garlic in the butter over medium heat until just brown
Add the half-and-half and get simmering over low heat
Add pepper puree, mushrooms, bullion, and spices and return to a simmer
Add the other half of the red pepper, diced, about 10-15 minutes before serving. Don’t want them getting totally mushy.
Just before it’s done add the cornstarch (I assume you know to mix it with a little cold water first) and stir it in until it’s as thick as you like.
Sarah’s Awesome Pear Cake
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cups almonds. Whole, chopped, whatever.
2 eggs
¼ Tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract.
½ Tsp salt
2 cups diced ripe pears, peeled or not, whatever you prefer. You could use canned, but they’re so mooshy. Barf.
1 cup sugar
1½ cup flour
½ Tsp ground cloves
½ Tsp ground ginger
Mix it all together, bake at about 325 for about an hour, hour and a half. Peaches work well, too. (If you're not familiar with baking don't try this recipe, I'm terrible at precise recipes.)
Friday, April 16, 2010
One evening, on the mountain
Last summer I and the person I was involved with at the time, whose existence I would prefer to forget, decided to drive up to Larch Mountain. My dad kept telling me how gorgeous it was up there so I finally gave in and off we went. After a minor detour (Okay, when you tell someone that the road will fork and you have to take the uphill side of the fork, it helps to mention that there are TWO places where the road forks. Sheesh.) we found the right road, winding through the woods and up and up.
One weird thing happened on the way: we were just starting to pass a big patch of clear cut and this car was facing us up ahead and started flashing their headlights, so we slow down and they're pointing frantically off into the clear cut, but we couldn't see a damn thing, and then they drove off, so I now I have to spend the rest of my life wondering if I just missed seeing Bigfoot or what the hell that was about. At least roll down your damn window and yell "Bigfoot!" or "OMG elk!" or "We can't find grandma!" or something! Seriously, people.
We made it up to the parking lot, where I obediently shoved my dollars into the parking fee box, which some yahoo had recently blasted with a paint gun, because nothing convinces your fellow yahoos of the size of yer balls like finger painting with a damn toy gun. Anyway, we walk up the trail, my knees creaking and crunching valiantly along, and get to the top just in time for the beginning of a truly wonderful sunset over a big open world. The best part was when a group of foreign college students (maybe Greek, it was hard to tell) began signing what sounded like a folk song. It was one of the most lovely things I've ever experienced. Say yes to adventures, people. Once you're dead, you can't go back and do all the things you passed up.
One weird thing happened on the way: we were just starting to pass a big patch of clear cut and this car was facing us up ahead and started flashing their headlights, so we slow down and they're pointing frantically off into the clear cut, but we couldn't see a damn thing, and then they drove off, so I now I have to spend the rest of my life wondering if I just missed seeing Bigfoot or what the hell that was about. At least roll down your damn window and yell "Bigfoot!" or "OMG elk!" or "We can't find grandma!" or something! Seriously, people.
We made it up to the parking lot, where I obediently shoved my dollars into the parking fee box, which some yahoo had recently blasted with a paint gun, because nothing convinces your fellow yahoos of the size of yer balls like finger painting with a damn toy gun. Anyway, we walk up the trail, my knees creaking and crunching valiantly along, and get to the top just in time for the beginning of a truly wonderful sunset over a big open world. The best part was when a group of foreign college students (maybe Greek, it was hard to tell) began signing what sounded like a folk song. It was one of the most lovely things I've ever experienced. Say yes to adventures, people. Once you're dead, you can't go back and do all the things you passed up.
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