Poetry Thursday and Preparing for Australia

The House of the Winds...

...I think this was called.
We must have got that from the Michelin Guide
Since we talked to no-one about it,
Not that there was anyone to talk to about it
When we were there:
No sight nor sound of anyone indoors,
The street bare of people
And not even a stray dog around.

I can’t check the name of the place
(Since I gave the Guide away),
Whether that was it or why it was if it was.
And the Guide wouldn’t say anything
In any case
About the open window,
Why it was open when there was no glass
Anyway
And the air was free to flow through all floors
So what was special about that room?

Ah, that is the room the winds blow through,
And that wide-open window is the one
That draws all memories
Into the gloom,
Where they swirl for a while
Then drift off into the void.

It stole our thoughts
From the street where we stood
And read the Guide
And forgot what it said
And lost the name of the town
And the time of day;
And I can’t now recall
What we talked about then
Or if we held hands as we walked away.

H.S. Toshack from Images of Portugal

I love this poem. It really captures the feel of visiting some obscure place written about in a guide as you travel through foreign lands. I thought it was a perfect pre-Australia Poetry Thursday poem. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that this poem is meant to be viewed with a photograph. You can check it out here.

Last night we had a very fun dinner party. Melissa, Jason, Sean, Katie, Rick, Jeff, Eleonore, Nico, Jojo and her new man Andy came over. Jojo made some delicious crab cakes (she resents the "Jojo's got crabs and wants to share them with you" slogan, yet she keeps playing into it), and yummy (plus extremely plentiful) corn and potato salads. I grilled up some pollo and carne asada from Trader Joe's and we made tortillas. I also made a green salad with lettuce, mint, tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries. For dessert we had Jojo's rasberry crumble with vanilla ice cream and Sean's homemade lime sherbert. It was quite a feast! I ate myself sick.

Today I'm packing and preparing for my travels. I'm so excited and can't wait for the trip. I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow!!!

Deep Thought of the Day

"What if the hokee pokee is what it is all about?" (from a bumper sticker).

Tales from NYC

"Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish."
– Ovid

I got back from NYC on Monday morning. P. came with me and we had a great time. He attended the men's class and volunteered to be on a men's panel (doing Q&A for the women on Saturday). He loved both of those, but especially the men's panel. He complained that the only problem was just that it was too short. He sounded just like his son after getting off the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios. My friend C. also took the class and spoke on the panel. He's single and quite enjoyed all the female attention. His final words to me: "I owe you big."

Now, I'm in "getting ready for Australia" mode. We leave on Friday. Most of my preparation is centered around thinking about thinking about preparing. I actually haven't done anything. I feel like mental preparation is 9/10 of the job, so packing should be no problem, right?

I feel like I'll have more interesting things to post about from Down Under, so I won't post too much now. That being said, my days are lovely and full of pleasure ... this morning I went running on the beach with Katie. Mid-run we kept jumping into the ocean to swim with the dolphins (there were a couple dolphins very close to shore). After our run, we spread out our towels and I gave her reiki. It was a beautiful morning.

Yesterday, Katie and I had a lovely lunch with Eleonore at Dreamworks. We were planning the movie that we're putting together for the NPI Project. Going onto the lot to talk about a movie, made me feel like I was having a real "power lunch." Life is grand.

P.S. I saw a rat while I was sitting in the Spring Street subway station. It was running through the tracks. I didn't even flinch!



C., P., and I at a party following the Men's Course on Friday night in NYC.

Poetry Thursday and News on the Leave

This is my poem for Poetry Thursday. It's a bit morbid, but somewhat captured my mood about how fast time seems to be flowing.

It's Time, My Friend...

It's time, my friend, it's time! The peace is craved by hearts...
Days flow after days -- each hour departs
A bit of life -- and both, you and I,
Plan a long life, but could abruptly die.

The world hasn't happiness, but there is freedom, peace.
And long have I daydreamed the life of bliss --
And long have planned, a tired slave, the flight
To the removed abode of labor and delight.
-Alexandr Pushkin

Even as I'm taking this time to slow down, life appears to be moving at laser speed. I'm finishing my second week of absence and am about to head to New York for my fourth and final Mama Gena weekend. This time P. is coming with me. There's a "Men's Course" tomorrow night and he's participating in that. I feel so blessed to have a guy that's willing to fly all the way across the country to take a class on how to make me happy. :)

So how have I been spending my time? I'm not quite sure. I've been painting some, going to the beach some, cooking some, napping some, hiking some, doing yoga some, hanging with P. and other friends some, and just taking down time to feel more like myself again.

Last night I went with P, my brother Marc, and his fiancee Efua to see Rent at the Pantages Theater. I love this play -- I'd seen it twice before on Broadway. I think generally speaking the Broadway production was better though I liked how this show dealt with certain aspects better (e.g., the death of Angel). In any case, it was still quite well done and it felt great seeing the play again. This play has been a part of my life (through it's music) for 10 years, so watching the show felt like spending time with an old friend.

Update

"There's only so much you can learn in one place
The more that I wait, the more time that I waste

I haven't got much time to waste
It's time to make my way
I'm not afraid I'll face
But I'm afraid to stay
I'm going down my own road
And I can make it alone
All work and no fighting
I'll find a place of my own "
-Madonna, from the song "Jump"

It's been a while since I've posted but not for lack of trying. I've had some technical difficulties with blogger.

Anyway, I'll give you the brief rundown on some of the latest.

-I'm on a two month leave of absence from work. I'm getting healthy and figuring out some things about my life. I just finished my first week of absence. It feels really good, though at times I feel rather untethered.
-I had my first art gallery exhibit last Saturday. I exhibited 10 paintings and it was absolutely wonderful. The show was very well attended and I felt like such a "real" artist.
-I'm going to Australia for 3 weeks in 2 weeks. I'm going with P. and his kids.
-I'm going to NYC next weekend for the forth and final Mama Gena weekend. P. is coming with me.
-I went to Universal Studios today with P., his kids, his brother-in-law, and his neice. P's work had a work event there. It was really fun, though my feet are KILLING me right now.

Life is good, though full of unexpected twists and turns right now. I almost feel like from day to day, I have no idea where I'm going to be and what I'm going to be doing. It feels wonderfully free and terribly scary at the same time.

Gibran Poem

"You often say, 'I would give, but only to the deserving.'
The trees in your orchard say not so,
nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live,
for to withhold is to perish.
Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights,
is worthy of all else from you."

Kahlil Gibran
Lebanese Poet and Philosopher