tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86740816642441589972024-02-19T09:44:26.038-05:00stultifying leaps & houndsherding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.comBlogger316125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-54240438971904200032016-04-18T17:59:00.002-04:002016-04-18T17:59:40.274-04:00foaming at the mouth <div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/26333064935/in/dateposted-public/" nbsp="" title="before the crowds"><img alt="before the crowds" height="445" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1502/26333064935_b322c101db_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
It's amazing how many emotions the same day can hold. This morning started with the joy of drinking good coffee (from <a href="http://sevenseeds.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a>) while starting a new book and eating my favorite meal of the day. Fast forward an hour later, and I experienced murderous rage, contempt, and helplessness as some a-hole yelled at me after our dogs got into a scuffle. Good times. Yes, my dog was a jerk and did his unfortunate snarl, tumble, snarl louder routine during which the other dog yelped. It wasn't enjoyable to witness, but it was over in about 10 seconds, and I yelled my face off while zapping his e-collar to stop the encounter. Red came over to me while the guy marched forward with what I assume he intended to be an intimidating chest thrust and said, "that's the second time your dog has done that to my dog. you need to get control of your dog." To which I apologized and asked if his dog was okay in an attempt to diffuse the anger and address the important issue of whether there were any actual consequences from the interaction. He yelled some more stuff about control to which I gave the same response: sorry, is your dog OKAY? Rather than check his dog, the man proceeded to walk away while announcing that he was going to gut my dog if he tried to start anything again. I said, "That's not necessary" because I couldn't help myself, and it was nicer than telling him to go fuck himself. He whirled around and chest-thrusted towards me saying I don't know what because I stopped listening. I said, "look I know you're afraid,* but I just want to make sure your dog is okay." He finally stooped to inspect his dog which was thankfully unharmed. Then he stood up and said "I'm serious, I will gut your dog if that happens again" as he walked away for good. <br />
<br />
WHO SAYS THAT?<br />
<br />
I said a nice quiet "fuck you" as he walked away. I wish I had said something with a little more zing, but it probably would not have improved the situation. Best not to poke the lion.<br />
<br />
Fast forward 8 hours and I'm walking home from the train with birds chirping, crabapple blossoms over my head, and weather warm enough for shorts (that I did not have on because I came from work).<br />
<br />
And now for something a little shorter:<br />
<br />
the last book I read**<br />
made me want to run away<br />
to where, I don't know<br />
<br />
*I'm so glad the guy didn't react to that word because people don't generally liked to be told they're afraid even though that's most likely the emotion driving this guy's rage. Jackass probably didn't hear me right.<br />
<br />
**<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/books/the-unlikely-pilgrimage-of-harold-fry-by-rachel-joyce.html?_r=0" target="_blank">The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry</a> - go read it now please. be prepared to cry and reflect.<br />
<br />
<i>picture: woman running with her dog along the Southbank Promenade by the Yarra River, Melbourne AUS, March 2016, film, Leica M6 (unintentionally blurry, but I kind of like it) </i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-48750100305688799012016-04-14T20:06:00.000-04:002016-04-14T20:06:44.169-04:00sonny days<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/26333049925/in/dateposted-public/" nbsp="" title="lounging"><img alt="lounging" height="445" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1474/26333049925_10b134afb8_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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<br /></div>
Tis the season for quarterly reports at work, which is why this post will not be a continuation of our trip. It will instead be a brief whining interlude about being too tired to write. So brief that I am done right after this short version of laughing until I cried at my own terrible joke.<br />
<br />
sometimes you just need<br />
a good pun to get the tears<br />
streaming down your cheeks<br />
<br />
<i>picture: Sonny, the whippet, warming up our clean towels at our friends' home in Melbourne, AUS, March 2016, film, Leica M6</i><br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-83108598256760178852016-04-13T20:54:00.001-04:002016-04-13T20:54:27.964-04:00planes for yonks <div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
We spent the first 4 days of our trip in Melbourne, once we finally arrived. Our original nonstop flight from LAX to Melbourne was cancelled, so we got stuck on flights from LAX to Sydney <i>then </i>to Melbourne. But I'm getting ahead of myself because the plane to get to LAX was delayed by six hours (sensing a theme?). This had me freaking out about our LAX connection and getting stuck in LAX for an ungodly amount of time waiting for the next Qantas flight. Thankfully, we found out that the plane from JFK was the same plane all the way to Sydney. Once I had that information, I was able to lean in to the delay (literally, because I couldn't sit for very long at a time without my tailbone protesting). We actually found out about our flight from JFK before we left the house. Being the neurotic that I am, I couldn't handle sitting around for that long, especially because I had visions of the flight getting moved to a less delayed time, which would have been disastrous had we been sitting at home "relaxing." So we left only about 45 minutes later than we had originally planned. Yes, Charrow deserves a medal for putting up with my lunacy.<br />
<br />
Clearly my soothsayer skills need some work because our flight was most definitely NOT moved up, and we spent far too long sitting around the international terminal at JFK. So long, in fact, that I forgot we were still in New York because of all the foreign languages being spoken. On the bright side, we bought our body weight in the healthiest airport food we could find because we got $20 vouchers (each!) from the airline for the delay. The first of a long line of failures in our ability to maintain a small footprint during our T-Rex sized air travel footprint. So much plastic. And that brings me to the end of my ability to think straight for the day. Installment 2 of 347 tomorrow. Here's the short version with Australian lingo picked up from our friends (or should I say mates?):<br />
<br />
we waited for yonks*<br />
nearly driving ourselves spare**<br />
where are the hoppies***?<br />
<br />
*yonks = ages<br />
** drive X spare = drive X crazy (X being your pronoun of choice)<br />
*** hoppies = kangaroos (an obvious one)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>picture: Moreton Bay Fig trees at Princes Park, Melbourne, AUS, March 2016, film, Leica M6 (they look remarkably like magnolia trees in person) </i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-41413212327557945202016-04-12T20:24:00.001-04:002016-04-12T20:24:54.546-04:00here we go again <span id="goog_326230657"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qgWlu0qChe20FzPJh09JMTfUIvCOpj4u0ygsNdlCJYb1haC1O66OPIpb_48dKdVBfcSRHPjcqyNgvpFyfdlK7oCDe9JuUymItZYxK1wo2mN3fFzpDmxpfrkEjBYQrGYVBZl2ec1CyZQ/s1600/wall_fountain335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qgWlu0qChe20FzPJh09JMTfUIvCOpj4u0ygsNdlCJYb1haC1O66OPIpb_48dKdVBfcSRHPjcqyNgvpFyfdlK7oCDe9JuUymItZYxK1wo2mN3fFzpDmxpfrkEjBYQrGYVBZl2ec1CyZQ/s640/wall_fountain335.jpg" width="700" /></a></div>
<br />
We returned from New Zealand exactly three weeks ago today. Strange how it feels like so much longer, but when I look at the pictures (oh so many pictures), it feels like I could walk outside and hop into our Rustbucket to do it all over again. Except we don't own that Rustbucket, which is what Charrow aptly named the fifteen year old van we drove all over the south island of New Zealand. Anyway, I've had some trouble getting back here. At first it was the exhaustion of hiking somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 miles over the course of twelve days (the hiking didn't really start until we hit Tasmania) and the 24 hour trip home. Then I felt exhausted by work. Then I got better and better at being an internet zombie and simply giving in to the comfort of not showing up. Major advantages of not writing: more free time and less anxiety about flopping. But I've noticed that what I do with that free time verges on practicing for a zombie contest. Facebook, instagram, Facebook, email, Facebook, repeat. Searching for who knows what and getting very little return on the investment. I also noticed that the relief of not posting comes with a nagging sense of letting myself down. So here I am. Ready to flop and flail and feel like a dweeb in the name of creating art instead of molding away with my face glued to my phone. Prepare yourself for pictures, travel stories of varying degrees of interest and a neverending stream of bad haikus.<br />
<br />
we suffered delays<br />
welcomed hardships and scaled cliffs<br />
fueled by sandwiches<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>picture: kid playing with the fountain wall at the <a href="http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/" target="_blank">National Gallery of Victoria</a>, Melbourne, AUS, March 2016, film, Leica M6</i><br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-50888608673848444182016-03-01T13:00:00.002-05:002016-03-01T13:00:58.452-05:00into the hills we go <div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
Last minute preparations got the better of me yesterday. Going crazy before the day of departure means we aren't rushed, which is great, but I'm totally spent from not sleeping very well for the last week while also going nonstop. So I will leave you with my final haiku for awhile.<br />
<br />
cats lounging in sun<br />
bags piled high by the front door<br />
ready for a nap<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>picture: a different view of the playground plane in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 2010, film, Canon Tlb </i><br />
<br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-50161864592424694292016-02-28T20:35:00.000-05:002016-02-28T20:35:00.395-05:00tenacity <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Success! We have managed to trim corners and implement the ridiculous strategy of wearing extra layers to the airport, thus paring our pack weights to 1-1.5 pounds below the requirement. I left a buffer in case the luggage scale I bought isn't accurate. We are also stuffing underwear in our coat pockets, which sounds ridiculous, but I don't care. I'm not above such trickery if it keeps me from having to stand around a baggage carousel stressing out about what time the rental car place closes. I have a picture of the final gear, but I'm saving it for a packing post, which will happen we return unless by some miracle I am more prepared than I think Tuesday morning (fat chance). It's likely to bore the pants off most of you, but fellow packing crazies might find it useful. If all of my efforts are for naught and we get foiled in some other way (full overhead bins, a cranky airline agent who disagrees with my interpretation of top/bottom of the bag, etc.), I'm sure you will hear about it! For now, I leave you with this:<br />
<br />
when you travel, there<br />
should be no wrong or right way,<br />
only this or that<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>picture: wet, moss-covered boulder near the top of Pico de Papagaio, Ilha Grande, Brazil, September 2012, digital </i><br />
<br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-41221761494703711852016-02-27T21:36:00.001-05:002016-02-27T21:36:38.362-05:00editing <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Well the final tornado has begun. We spent this afternoon packing our bags, editing, then repacking, and repeat. At one point, we layed down on the living floor to see if 1 sleeping bag would unzip enough to cover both of us (answer: yes), and that silly dog wormed his way in between us the second we had the bag over our bodies. End result: two adults crammed together with a giant dog butt sticking out of the top of the bag. We're still not down to the ideal combination of necessary gear that keeps us within the carry-on weight limit (15 pounds) and the annoyingly small dimensions (22"x14"x9"). Yes, we are attempting to go to the other side of the world for 3 weeks with one 32L backpack apiece and our "personal item" - aka a tote bag of food to avoid eating airline and airport "food" and my camera bag. I think we can do it! But we might not look or smell very pretty in the process. Hobocamp here we come. In the meantime, here's today's other exercise:<br />
<br />
we might fail as snails<br />
but we're getting pretty close<br />
who needs extra socks?<br />
<br />
<i>picture: giant snail on the porch of our Airbnb house in Ilha Grande, Brazil, September 2012, digital </i><br />
<br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-62066204059895641912016-02-26T23:03:00.003-05:002016-02-26T23:03:41.106-05:00slowwwww<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/24008381616/in/dateposted-public/" nbsp="" title="never enough plants"><img alt="never enough plants" height="570" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1622/24008381616_ae7197d165_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
It's late, and I'm distracted by 703 things, so here's a haiku about going out to dinner with Charrow's parents at an upscale Indian restaurant in the east 50's with glacial table service:<br />
<br />
Minutes ticked by while<br />
Volume rose and Patience ran<br />
away with the Spoon.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>picture: collection of seedlings and other plants seen while visiting a friend's parents' in Vermont (selected because I'm ready for some GREEN around here), June 2014, film, Canon Tlb </i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-2723549308855061022016-02-25T20:19:00.003-05:002016-02-25T20:19:45.646-05:00frenzy <div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
Well, I finally have all of our sleeping arrangements settled for the trip. There are 15 nights to cover because we are spending 4 days with friends in Melbourne, and we will be on a plane across two calendar nights, which boggles the mind. There are many ways to go about vacation planning, and I chose a medium level of insanity when it came to accommodations, with a few days of flexibility thrown in. To be honest, the "flexible" days are the ones that make me insane. I have nightmares about driving around the bush of New Zealand trying to find a freedom camping site that isn't full on the two nights that I haven't booked something in a holiday park (similar to the American KOA campgrounds with regard to "amenities," and ubiquity, and price, from what I can tell). There are two more days of work that bookend a weekend of packing, cleaning for our houseguest, and visiting with a close friend whose child delivery we are going to miss. Too much! and we have yet to begin. So why don't I get to the end and share today's haiku about that silly mutt:<br />
<br />
wap-wap-wap! go his<br />
ears every morning as he<br />
stretches out of bed<br />
<br />
<i>picture: that silly dog while camera testing at low light with the camera sitting on the floor to avoid handshake, film, Leica M6 </i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-19063684563081152792016-02-24T21:01:00.003-05:002016-02-24T21:01:36.897-05:00millimeters <div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
I'm nearly to the end of a book entitled <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snow_Leopard" target="_blank">The Snow Leopard</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snow_Leopard" target="_blank"> </a>by Peter Matthiessen. It chronicles his expedition through a remote region of the Himalayas (maybe that's redundant?) with a fellow scientist. He also goes into detail about his concurrent spiritual/meditative journey. Highly recommended for anyone interested in eastern religions, presence, and nature. I've gotten a little bogged down in some of the history (true confessions: I've skipped about three pages because I just couldn't handle the dry facts and the change in pace). Right now I'm reading about his descent back to civilization, which isn't going very well. Mood swings and culture shock that have shaken the equanimity he built during the expedition's stay at a remote monastery village high in the mountains. There's a sense of futility that I can relate to. The throw your hands in the air why bother kind where you try to so hard to build a skill (like patience), and then when the shit hits the fan, you react in the knee-jerk way you always have. It makes you question the point of trying, but maybe the explosions get a little smaller or they take more kindling to provoke. I'm sure there's some incremental change that is just too hard to sense when you're in the throes of reacting while simultaneously feeling like a failure. The more I learn about therapy (both giving and receiving), the more I realize that change happens in the increments. You can't hold out for some sudden transformation because it doesn't work that way. Movement happens when you keep showing up in whatever little way you can manage. Sometimes I use the analogy of filling a sink: it will happen even if you're just adding one drop at a time. Granted, you have to make sure the plug fits, but that's a whole other metaphor. And now for the other exercise of the day:<br />
<br />
i stood in the rain<br />
listening to the chorus<br />
of puddles filling<br />
<br />
//<br />
<br />
that burned bridge may not<br />
be the only way to cross;<br />
build another one<br />
<br />
<i>picture: a bridge in Portland, OR (sorry, can't remember which one), October 2011, cross-processed slide film, Canon Tlb </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-71711387069015062292016-02-23T19:40:00.000-05:002016-02-23T19:40:00.293-05:00don't talk amongst yourselves <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
For part of my patchwork trip home from NC last week, I took a train from DC to Penn Station. I love riding the train, and I miss it now that we have a dog because we tend to drive down for family visits. The train has a water fountain (albeit nearly impossible to use and right above an electrical outlet which makes NO sense). I get to stand up and walk around whenever I want. The windows are huge. There's no brake-happy lurching that you find on a bus. I don't have to pay attention to traffic. Basically, it's amazing, but only in the Quiet Car. The rest of the train is an annoying din of voices made even more intolerable by the people on their cellphones. One of my least favorite conversations to listen to is the twenty-something opposite sex pair who clearly don't know each other, but are working their way through the usual questions with all the posturing and giggling you can imagine. Vomit. Anyway, I made the customary long walk to the front of the train to score a quiet car seat. As I settled into the luggage area behind my seat, care of a sore tailbone that caused me to stand for over half of the three hour ride, a man sat down in the seat across from me and said "Ahhh, salvation" in reference to the silence. Amen to that, brother. And now I leave you with 17 syllables and some silence of your own:<br />
<br />
lately my mind goes<br />
blank when i get to this point<br />
but now it's over<br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>picture: Amtrak train waiting on the opposite side of the platform, Union Station, Washington, D.C., February 2016, film, Leica M6</i><br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-61251157830556796682016-02-22T20:47:00.002-05:002016-02-22T20:47:38.043-05:00hyperdrive <div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/4171943305/in/photolist-DVDDcj-B9aAtu-d5f9uo-cJZh5A-aYXYeR-ah9vhD-ahcj81-9ZwPRi-9ZwRD4-8FroAA-7FfPKN-7mEioZ-6HgLE2-5xMS5c-5x2hMH-4QqjkV-3bjCaH" nbsp="" title="the trumpeter"><img alt="the trumpeter" height="570" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2611/4171943305_04611b7c8e_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
You know it's February when 35 degree mornings feel warm. It was hard to leave the park with the comfortable temperatures and the sun streaming through the trees, but I had to get cracking on our trip. Spent the first three quarters of today sifting through hiking options, checking mileage between points to minimize driving times with my sad rear end, and looking for "holiday parks" as the kiwis call them. Then I went in to work for my evening client (lest you think I just sit around). I'm concerned about our ability to find internet, which means my natural tendency to over-plan has kicked into hyperdrive. We do have the benefit of only traveling to english speaking countries, so I get the privilege of not having to worry about communicating should we need help finding something (hopefully). But that might be mitigated by the fact that half the places we're headed are pretty unpopulated. Well, except for the tourists and everybody knows tourists don't know where they're going. Jokes. I hope we know! In the interest of sleep and sanity (yours and mine), I'm heading for the haiku now:<br />
<br />
birds trilled as i ground<br />
coffee and started making<br />
lists on top of lists<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>picture: a friend's parents' bird. I believe her name is Molly and she makes the most god awful trumpeting sound when anyone leaves the room. Every. Single. Time., Bluemont, VA, August 2009, digital </i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-1380263634883265012016-02-21T19:59:00.003-05:002016-02-21T20:01:09.497-05:00meandering <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuseNviyqib8B6tZR5sIAbZjiIHp99fnSVL2-krPeR0NbQQBrlROFv1vCj6REG2OddEu29GR7ifpWdKso3Y1W5Q8X_EsuqkHS5Vp5WYS9jfz_r_SvBQbqGV3pj6dGPG3uMY3rmo20Lg1I/s1600/eddie_close270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuseNviyqib8B6tZR5sIAbZjiIHp99fnSVL2-krPeR0NbQQBrlROFv1vCj6REG2OddEu29GR7ifpWdKso3Y1W5Q8X_EsuqkHS5Vp5WYS9jfz_r_SvBQbqGV3pj6dGPG3uMY3rmo20Lg1I/s640/eddie_close270.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My dad's side of the family consists of a lot of talkers, which is ironic given the austerity with which he communicates (although there is a common goof streak between brothers). Maybe he gave up trying with a house full of gabbers? While I was in NC last week, I saw two uncles that I haven't seen in about ten years and they spoke in equal volume, but very different content. One could talk of nothing but medical problems and ways in which the world is out to get him. The other (pictured), touched on a broad range of topics from pedophiles in the Catholic church to stacking firewood for his grouchy mother-in-law to the benefits of Obama (who knew). Sometimes I wonder what I would be like if my family hadn't left the rural part of central NC where I was born. Would I have found my way to the same interests? or would I spend my time griping about the price of pork boston butts at the Food Lion while I tamp down Donald Trump signs in my front yard?<br />
<br />
Anyway, I realized while I was down there just how much time my brother and I used to spend outdoors. I thought my love for nature was somewhat recent (say the last 10 years or so), but the more I think about it, the more I can see that it's been there all along. Catching lightning bugs at dusk. Wandering down to the creek behind my grandmother's house. Sneaking off to the park when we were supposed to stay put until our mom got home. Fishing for hours on end at our aunt's lake house. Getting eaten alive by mosquitoes at our other aunt's house because we refused to come inside until the last possible minute. Playing catch in the back yard until it got so dark someone would get hit by the ball (usually me). There's no point to this list except to say that I cannot wait until the weather warms up so I can while away as much time as possible outside with comfortable digits. In the meantime, we leave for the other side of the equator in 8 days, where we will hopefully get more than our fill of the great outdoors. This incohesive post was brought to you by feeling distracted by the amount of planning still left despite the ridiculous amount I've already done! Now for the haiku:<br />
<br />
i prefer the sound <br />
of rustling leaves over the<br />
chatter in my head<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>picture: my dad's second oldest brother who lives in the mountains of NC, February 2016, film, Leica M6</i><br />
<br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-26795418985264721752016-02-20T22:21:00.001-05:002016-02-20T22:21:31.939-05:00through the middle <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MnLIcBKt_a-dNwwHsuQFM5ji-n3yleqWitK4sr0AqlJxA92pR-UfW6zfPcfvUadeZPX8PmWDFMQEcV5b5HKZjZqaWgejC3wQ_p4lpGmeA9f9BERnKUTZf6u_eCm1g787eQfu1RZ_0Dc/s1600/IMG_6918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MnLIcBKt_a-dNwwHsuQFM5ji-n3yleqWitK4sr0AqlJxA92pR-UfW6zfPcfvUadeZPX8PmWDFMQEcV5b5HKZjZqaWgejC3wQ_p4lpGmeA9f9BERnKUTZf6u_eCm1g787eQfu1RZ_0Dc/s640/IMG_6918.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Note to self: always write before entertaining guests for dinner. My brain is fried from making conversation for the last three hours, which is hard work for this particular introvert no matter the quality of the company. I'm too stubborn to indulge the desire to skip this, but I also don't have much to give, so here's my stab at today's exercise (about exercise):<br />
<br />
i've circled this park<br />
for eight years, but it's taken<br />
pain to explore it<br />
<br />
<i>picture: the canal in the southern part of the Prospect Park on my "exercise" walk today, Brooklyn, NY, iPhone 5</i><br />
<br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-40532461956576777422016-02-19T20:57:00.001-05:002016-02-19T20:57:12.958-05:00pool hair <div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/24714852600/in/dateposted-public/" nbsp="" title="sleepy dog"><img alt="sleepy dog" height="570" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1549/24714852600_05e782be1b_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
Going to get straight to the point on this sleepy Friday evening. Plenty to say, but little energy left for crafting complete sentences. Better to stick with syllables, although they also might not make that much sense!<br />
<br />
chlorine mingles with<br />
wafts of cat food while the dog<br />
snores amongst blankets<br />
<br />
<i>picture: that silly dog taken while testing out the new camera last week, film, Leica M6</i><br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-39349798613134210882016-02-18T20:42:00.003-05:002016-02-18T20:42:33.302-05:00cosmic <div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/7369419284/in/photolist-dfXoxP-dbpgBW-dbpgKw-cedcBb-9Ac9bX-9Ac8YP-9ekTSF-99HGPL-8HSNou-8HPEEB-8HSPzS-8HSPp7-8HSPQW-8HaFLB-8rVDwk-8jmDLm-89Kfhw-8eXB1R-7Sr2yy-7AHhcX-6MUuvE-5c93md" nbsp="" title="home for shadow puppets"><img alt="home for shadow puppets" height="570" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7215/7369419284_5893a4e2f1_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
Monday night, I drove my dad's car up-town (as it's called when you drive from my grandmother's rural address into the small town of Oxford, NC) to the grocery store. I tried to turn the volume up on the radio, but I accidentally turned the station knob instead. What did I stumble upon? A Phil Collins live question and answer radio hour. Some of you may already be aware of my irrational love for Phil Collins (not so much his disney stuff, but I can still muster some appreciation for it). Nary a big-box grocery trip goes by that I don't hear him and stop in my tracks to give a quick smile to the radio gods. To hear him after living in a weird, fucked up southern time warp for the previous 24 hours was like rereading an email from a friend you miss. I know, it's ridiculous, but it was like the universe said, "go back to the happy place." And then. THEN. The show went into a musical interlude between callers, and the song they played? "Take Me Home." Couldn't have said it better myself, Phil. And now, I take you to this evening's angsty haiku:<br />
<br />
windshield wipers on<br />
low, ice lining the shoulders<br />
my mind stuck in park<br />
<br />
<i>picture: shadow at the brooklyn botanic garden, NY, June 2012, film, Canon Tlb </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-45275670274096735942016-02-17T20:43:00.000-05:002016-02-17T20:43:41.718-05:00start where you are <div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/24383540733/in/dateposted-public/" nbsp="" title="one of my favorite trees"><img alt="one of my favorite trees" height="570" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1625/24383540733_410e48d8e8_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
Well, it finally happened. I missed a day. No, two days. I forgot that it's Wednesday! My grandfather's funeral was Monday, which was exhausting in ways I can't even explain to you because I'm not willing to bare THAT much of myself to the internet. Then I had to move my trip home from Monday night to Tuesday in a very convoluted fashion, so I couldn't bring myself to write anything last night after a day of riding in cars, trains, and more trains. I'm close to skipping tonight as well, but this is how the waterfall of stopping begins. So I'm here to write this cryptic post as a space filler until I can muster a more involved one about the experience. In the meantime, here's a haiku loosely inspired by having to sit through a southern baptist funeral service:<br />
<br />
the lord giveth me<br />
a headache, a sore butt, and<br />
a commute from hell*<br />
<br />
*more on this later. I'm referring to the trip home yesterday and not my commute today, although that, too, was convoluted and sardine-like<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>picture: one of my favorite trees in the park taken right when my light meter started to go haywire and I accidentally pushed the shutter, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, February 2016, film, Leica M6 </i><br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-68953954924578810532016-02-14T14:40:00.001-05:002016-02-14T14:40:27.272-05:00Frozen <img src="webkit-fake-url://63958f0d-4a0c-4103-9915-3df1a79f7bd9/imagejpeg" /><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="400" src="webkit-fake-url://b692494a-5e0c-49a6-ba19-1c11324c3b42/imagejpeg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
Nothing like hanging out at JFK on a bright, frigid Sunday for HOURS. My 12:30 flight to NC is delayed until 4:30, so I am trying to make do with podcasts, people watching and book reading (and trying not to send too many whiny texts). Seems like a good time to listen to the TED radio hour episode entitled "to endure." Not going to spend anymore patience typing on a tiny screen, but it seemed wise to use this "extra" time to check this box for the day. Now for the short form about airport observations:<br />
<br />
two sparrows hopping<br />
along collecting carpet<br />
snacks in the warm sun<br />
<br />
//<br />
<br />
Glittered bags scattered<br />
Across three chairs as she squawks*<br />
And I seethe alone<br />
<br />
*This woman engaged in all the behaviors I cannot stand. Spreading her shit everywhere, listening to music without headphones, yelling into her speaker phone, and smacking her food. Needless to say I moved seats as fast as I could. No point in expecting her to change.<br />
<br />
<i>Picture: taken during our insanely cold walk this morning (3 degrees), prospect park, brooklyn, NY, iPhone</i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-67062756961317035242016-02-13T21:19:00.001-05:002016-02-13T21:19:53.302-05:00verdict is in <div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/24917062101/in/album-72157662317302813/" nbsp="" title="afternoon light"><img alt="afternoon light" height="570" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1682/24917062101_125bca9c58_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
I finally managed to scan and upload some pictures from the first two rolls of film from the Leica. I'm really happy with the sharpness and the color relative to my Canon Tlb. Definitely need to work on framing (it's hard to see the frame lines in the viewfinder especially with glasses). Turns out I loaded the film properly! and I have confirmation of the difference film quality can make. 1 roll is an el cheapo Fuji (from where, I have no idea. maybe a gift?) and the other roll is Kodak Ektar 100, one of my favorite films because of the color saturation. Anyway, I don't have time to geek out more (lucky for you) because I am heading to NC tomorrow for my grandfather's funeral. No condolences required; he was not a nice person. But funerals are not really for the dead; they are for the living, and I'm going to support my father and my grandmother (although there are complications in that relationship too, but potentially salvageable). For now, I leave you with a few more nonsense pictures and 17 nonsense syllables. For even more test shots of something besides the dog, go <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/albums/72157662317302813" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
every night around<br />
the same time, a baby cries;<br />
me too, kid, me too.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/25010354545/in/album-72157662317302813/" nbsp="" title="artist at work"><img alt="artist at work" height="570" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1539/25010354545_3f74bb212a_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>(charrow painting at her standing desk)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/24984042566/in/album-72157662317302813/" nbsp="" title="treat me"><img alt="treat me" height="570" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1625/24984042566_57895214eb_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>(Red hoping for a special treat from the pet store)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/24642736069/in/album-72157662317302813/" nbsp="" title="incoming!"><img alt="incoming!" height="570" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1469/24642736069_11c230b3a3_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>(Red running like a maniac from the common "backyard" behind our building)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>top picture: Red soaking up our afternoon sunlight, which he follows around the room like a cat </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>all pictures: film, Leica M6</i></div>
herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-15708439095226874772016-02-12T20:57:00.000-05:002016-02-12T20:57:34.683-05:00capital gains <div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/7369222198/" nbsp="" title="beware of fronds"><img alt="beware of fronds" height="570" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/7369222198_ac6e62f28f_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
I can see how people might sit around watching TV all night after they've come home from work. We watch shows during dinner, and it takes some serious effort to hit that pause button (because it's always on a computer) to come here and write whatever nonsense I have for the day. Then I move on to practicing my banjo in an attempt to play at least 5 minutes a day. How is it that 5 minutes feels hard most days?? Meanwhile, I can check gmail, facebook, and instagram incessantly with no feelings of sacrifice or effort, but the gains are almost always inferior to what I get from making music or from laughing over whatever silly joke I put into haiku (that might not actually translate, but I get to laugh at it anyway). The path of least resistance is so often the path of least reward, but we are wired for comfort. And on that note, I shall move on to the short version so I can get a little bit closer to the comfort of my bed:<br />
<br />
everything takes more<br />
time when you can't budget for<br />
running to catch up<br />
<br />
(because my usual emergency strategy for not being late is to be the idiot running down the street in business casual clothes)<br />
<br />
<i>picture: some sort of palm (?) that I love because it's so pointy, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, NY, June 2012, film, Canon Tlb </i><br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-24282328170185239192016-02-11T20:00:00.000-05:002016-02-11T20:00:05.713-05:00hurry up and wait <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKSMRIheWaQ3iKJwPKKUK7BNMPrc9yXwPvWEX5PjxnLZdkvUwqhopCwIOpgev8uISJKdqmYQKHfQY5Foc2y6A4s5u412fuCjabY34ouxZTBbKuecPhrKawU66tdFcXmrPysGDXY4MYwE/s1600/IMG_6571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKSMRIheWaQ3iKJwPKKUK7BNMPrc9yXwPvWEX5PjxnLZdkvUwqhopCwIOpgev8uISJKdqmYQKHfQY5Foc2y6A4s5u412fuCjabY34ouxZTBbKuecPhrKawU66tdFcXmrPysGDXY4MYwE/s640/IMG_6571.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Good grief it is effing frigid outside. Between that and the news of my grandfather's impending death, today has been a brain scramble. Charrow and I said fuck it, and went out for fancy cheeseburgers (at moderately affordable happy hour prices) and beer (well I ordered the beer and charrow sipped at it because she doesn't really like beer). Sometimes you just have to throw yourself off the wagon to feel the bumps. And now I'm ready for bed. Here's the short version:<br />
<br />
they say you will feel<br />
warmer if you don't tense up<br />
what a bunch of crap*<br />
<br />
//<br />
<br />
when life hands you crap<br />
ball it up and throw that shit<br />
right into life's face<br />
<br />
*sometimes this works, but not when there's a wind chill of 6 degrees (F).<br />
<br />
<i>picture: part of a manhole cover, Brooklyn, NY, Tuesday (the day of never-ending errands), iPhone </i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-37174494063114047162016-02-10T20:55:00.000-05:002016-02-10T20:55:13.845-05:00a tired snob <div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/6412263963/in/photolist-aLCwFe-aLCwv8-aLCwhe-agk3iw-agk42w-agk3vu-aghjo2-agk4ey-9wUYbq-9wUYfo-99HY1A-99EQFe-99HXNs-99EPpM-99HWFU-99HWqC-99HWbS-99EPAT-99EPPB-99HXBC-99ENgr-99HVB9-99ENsa-99HVob-99EMm6-99EMB6-99HUFb-99ELUD-99ELGR-99HU2S-99HTej-99EKYv-99ELek-99HSZq-99EKeH-99HSmo-99EJxK-99EJZH-99EJi2-99HRzy-99JmNS-99EHqp-99HQxG-99HQLW-99HQ9L-99HGPL-99HDbo-99EGSV-99HPW5-99HPDf" nbsp="" title="coffeemates"><img alt="coffeemates" height="570" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6412263963_7c9779e92b_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
I had interesting things to say related to podcasts and contrasting themes, but my contacts are like little cinderblocks in my eyeballs, and I have to get up early again tomorrow morning. So the cohesive thoughts will have to wait. In the meantime, here's today's exercise about part of my morning routine:<br />
<br />
the pacing cat shrieks<br />
as the brewing coffee steams*<br />
never enough time<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>*</i>V60, not a drip machine, and yes, I'm snobby enough to specify<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>picture: waiting for brunch outside <a href="http://broderpdx.com/" target="_blank">Cafe Broder</a> in Portland, OR, October, 2011, cross-processed film, Canon tlb</i><br />
<br />
<br />herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-44774695982718076972016-02-09T20:18:00.000-05:002016-02-09T20:18:35.409-05:00hypervigilance <div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peanutbutter14/23690719002/in/photolist-CGRzqr-BKkHXL-C6t8os-4zcb33" nbsp="" title="hard to look away"><img alt="hard to look away" height="570" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/631/23690719002_6e02272bd7_b.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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So much walking today! I finally gave in and listened to a podcast while walking during my afternoon errands, which came to a total of about an hour divided into 20 minute chunks. I'm all for being present and listening to the sounds around me, but I was aggravated by the slowness of it all (each of those 20 minutes could have been about 3 minutes on a bike), so I listened to the Ted Radio Hour podcast (highly recommend).<br />
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Earlier in the day, I went for a walk in the park because Tuesdays are usually running days, and it makes me feel a little more sane to keep some semblance of that routine. In a more isolated section of the walk, I crossed paths with someone who said hello, so I returned the greeting and went about my way. A few seconds later, he comes running up next to me and starts asking me how many laps I do when I walk and other exercise related questions. He then proceeded to walk my direction instead of the way he was going, which sent up red flags (note: this story has a neutral ending, so don't brace yourself for something traumatic). I hate that I felt threatened, but as a small-framed, female bodied individual, there's just no way around feeling physically unsafe around men of any size. When we reached my turn off, I gave the usual "okay, great, have a nice walk, I'm going this way" and he made as if to walk his own direction. Then he came jogging back and asked if he could walk with me. I should have said no, but in the moment it felt too harsh even though it's exactly what I wanted. I figured okay, fine, maybe he'll walk like 5 minutes and turn back. No, boyfriend walked with me for 20 more minutes. Basically, all the way to the entrance of the park where I was prepared for a direct "No" if he asked to continue with me. About 10 minutes into the experience, I texted charrow to tell her I had started walking with some random dude just so she would know in case something crazy happened. A dramatic gesture, but it was comforting nonetheless.<br />
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Am I seriously paranoid? Maybe I watch too many crime shows, but all I could think was this guy could totally turn on me in the middle of a relatively empty park and there's no way I can outrun or overpower him. He creeped on me a bit at first (asking personal questions about who I'm dating), which did not help my dark imagination. But mostly he was just a curious, naive, twenty-something dude-bro. When I told him that I'm a therapist, he launched into his own experience with depression and asked me what I would tell someone in his circumstance. So yeah, just another person dealing with some shit and trying to talk to anyone who will listen. And now for today's haiku about the confusing state of gray this morning:<br />
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smoky clouds hang low, <br />
horizon glowing, is it<br />
sunrise or sunset?<br />
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<i>picture: charrow watching the sunset over Morro Bay State Park, CA, June 2014, film, Canon Tlb </i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-31408226697141732902016-02-08T20:46:00.000-05:002016-02-08T20:46:14.654-05:00cheese please <div style="text-align: center;">
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I'm happy about my decision to stay home last night. Felt much better this morning, although the junk food craving and the achiness persist. I had to walk from Grand Central over to my physical therapist's office around one this afternoon, and in the process I had to pass a cluster of hole in the wall food places (the kind that may as well be food trucks because there's no seating and people stand on the sidewalk while waiting for their order). My desire to rip a piece of pizza out of one guy's hand was <i>so strong</i>. Instead, I inhaled deeply and cursed him for his iron stomach or his ability to disregard whatever pain it might cause him. Glutards unite. I know, it's not a very conscientious way of saying gluten sensitive. Consider it a reflection of rage and not political commentary. And now for today's bite sized portion:<br />
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folded cheese slice<br />
so close I could steal it and<br />
run like hell. Oh wait*<br />
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//<br />
<br />
I could sidle up<br />
to that kid and make her laugh<br />
while I steal a fry<br />
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*I STILL CAN'T RUN<br />
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<i>picture: Fellini's cheese pizza (dear god, do I miss this pizza), Atlanta, GA, June 2008, digital (I've used this picture before, but it was 8 years ago, so oh well) </i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8674081664244158997.post-50443432330182882082016-02-07T19:46:00.003-05:002016-02-07T19:46:53.827-05:00the hermit strategy <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another day of sneezing and aching. I'm just sick enough to feel cranky and pathetic, but not sick enough to keep me out of the park in the morning. I did skip a Superbowl invitation in the interest of sleep and avoiding junk food. It's amazing how much I crave it when I'm sick, but that's exactly the time I shouldn't eat it. So I stayed home with that snoring dog of ours to eat my lentils and squash while watching Friday Night Lights, and when I'm done writing this, I'm going to go to bed at an unreasonably early time. For now, here's today's exercise about that silly dog, written from his point of view:<br />
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wistfully sniffing<br />
at greasy, crumpled bags, wait!<br />
I need that squirrel!<br />
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<i>top picture: a happy dog rolling in the park (little hard to see, but it's the black blob in the middle), Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, today, iPhone 5</i><br />
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<i>bottom picture: the squirrel hunter sniffing around the picnic area where the giant trees live, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, today, iPhone 5</i>herding tapewormshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05058739169848944179noreply@blogger.com0