Sunday November 14, 2010
Some More New Things(why does everything seem so new recently?):
-I love eggs. I eat fried eggs all the time. Ever since I have decided the grocery list I have not bought eggs. I don’t mind the taste, but they make me sleepy. Until about a month ago. I bought some eggs and fried one for breakfast the morning before I left for San Jose to fly back to New York in October. And now I’m hooked. I hardly eat meat or cheese here and think my body is asking for protein.
-My body has been asking for lots of things lately. When I’m hungry its not just hunger, it’s craving. It’s always craving. I get more exercise here then I’ve gotten since high school and I feel my body responding. It’s become gluttonous for exercise. I’ve always felt better the more active I’ve been but it’s risen to a new intensity. Even one day without at least 20 min or exercise and I find myself slipping into cranky and sad. I’ve always been intimidated by people who NEED to exercise every day and now I am one of those people. I wonder about the month I will spend in Brooklyn over Christmas and New Years. How the hell will I exercise in the freezing cold?
Monday, November 15, 2010
Changes
Tuesday November 9 2010
The weather here has taken a somewhat sudden turn. Gone are the endless rainy days and here are the freezing-cold-crazy-windy days. Just like that. I woke up one day and that was how it was. No gradual cooling off of the days and lessening of the rain. And now I go to work in my long underwear and wool hat.
Showering in the cold is…an experience. I have what I’ve heard called a “suicide shower.” Cold water running over hot electric coils for a warm shower. The hotter I want the water the slower I have to pass it over the coils which means less water pressure. These days my choice is usually between low pressure with lukewarm water or a falling trickle of scalding hot water. Believe it or not the second option seems pretty great on some of the colder mornings.
I am happy about this change in the weather because it means I get to wear my long underwear to work under my pants. I know I already mentioned that I do this but I did not mention how happy it makes me. How warm and snugly it feels. I love layers. Today I wore wool socks, long underwear, pants, tank top, t-shirt, sweater, hoodie, raincoat, wool cap and scarf. And. I loved it.
Another cool thing that has happened recently: a sloth sanctuary has opened by my house. Right by my house. For all intents and purposes, right next door. I like this for a number or reasons:
1. Now I can cross “live next to a sloth sanctuary” off my list of things to do.
2. I feel safer.
3. Lazy bears are cool! That’s a direct translation from Spanish. Oso perezoso = lazy bear. I picture Care Bears.
(How many items must a list have to merit the making of the list?)
On Sunday I went to the last free open house (are all open houses free?) before the official opening on Monday. This is what I learned:
• Lazy bears are not actually related to bears. They are related to armadillos and anteaters. Common characteristic: strong back. Lazy bears use them for hanging, armadillos and anteaters use them for digging.
• Like a cow, sloths have four chambers in their stomachs.
• It takes about one month for food to pass thru the digestive system of a lazy bear. This process takes about 32 hrs for humans.
• Lazy bears poop once a week. They have to come down to the ground to do it.
• Lazy bear digestion is so efficient that they don’t have to drink water. They get all the water they need from the leaves they eat (or fruits, flowers and leaves depending on the type of lazy bear).
• There are two types of lazy bears: two-toed and three-toed (two toad, three toad, one fish, blue fish). I don’t remember which is which but one kind has external genitals and the other internal. The way to differentiate between the sexes for the type with internal genitals is by the color of the patch of fur on their backs. Yellow = male, white = female.
The sloths at the sanctuary have been rescued from a wide range of trauma – sideshow, dog attack, kid attack, animal attack, hunters, hit by car, electrocuted on power lines. There is one lazy bear at the sanctuary by my house who had one arm burnt badly by a power line only to fall to the ground and be attacked by a dog on the same arm. When she arrived at the sanctuary they amputated the damaged arm. She is the only three legged lazy bear in the sanctuary She is also the only (not so)lazy bear that has escaped from her enclosure in the sanctuary, and she has done it three times.
The weather here has taken a somewhat sudden turn. Gone are the endless rainy days and here are the freezing-cold-crazy-windy days. Just like that. I woke up one day and that was how it was. No gradual cooling off of the days and lessening of the rain. And now I go to work in my long underwear and wool hat.
Showering in the cold is…an experience. I have what I’ve heard called a “suicide shower.” Cold water running over hot electric coils for a warm shower. The hotter I want the water the slower I have to pass it over the coils which means less water pressure. These days my choice is usually between low pressure with lukewarm water or a falling trickle of scalding hot water. Believe it or not the second option seems pretty great on some of the colder mornings.
I am happy about this change in the weather because it means I get to wear my long underwear to work under my pants. I know I already mentioned that I do this but I did not mention how happy it makes me. How warm and snugly it feels. I love layers. Today I wore wool socks, long underwear, pants, tank top, t-shirt, sweater, hoodie, raincoat, wool cap and scarf. And. I loved it.
Another cool thing that has happened recently: a sloth sanctuary has opened by my house. Right by my house. For all intents and purposes, right next door. I like this for a number or reasons:
1. Now I can cross “live next to a sloth sanctuary” off my list of things to do.
2. I feel safer.
3. Lazy bears are cool! That’s a direct translation from Spanish. Oso perezoso = lazy bear. I picture Care Bears.
(How many items must a list have to merit the making of the list?)
On Sunday I went to the last free open house (are all open houses free?) before the official opening on Monday. This is what I learned:
• Lazy bears are not actually related to bears. They are related to armadillos and anteaters. Common characteristic: strong back. Lazy bears use them for hanging, armadillos and anteaters use them for digging.
• Like a cow, sloths have four chambers in their stomachs.
• It takes about one month for food to pass thru the digestive system of a lazy bear. This process takes about 32 hrs for humans.
• Lazy bears poop once a week. They have to come down to the ground to do it.
• Lazy bear digestion is so efficient that they don’t have to drink water. They get all the water they need from the leaves they eat (or fruits, flowers and leaves depending on the type of lazy bear).
• There are two types of lazy bears: two-toed and three-toed (two toad, three toad, one fish, blue fish). I don’t remember which is which but one kind has external genitals and the other internal. The way to differentiate between the sexes for the type with internal genitals is by the color of the patch of fur on their backs. Yellow = male, white = female.
The sloths at the sanctuary have been rescued from a wide range of trauma – sideshow, dog attack, kid attack, animal attack, hunters, hit by car, electrocuted on power lines. There is one lazy bear at the sanctuary by my house who had one arm burnt badly by a power line only to fall to the ground and be attacked by a dog on the same arm. When she arrived at the sanctuary they amputated the damaged arm. She is the only three legged lazy bear in the sanctuary She is also the only (not so)lazy bear that has escaped from her enclosure in the sanctuary, and she has done it three times.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Reflections
October 24, 2010
This morning at meeting an older man came in wearing dress shoes, slacks, a button down shirt and a cardigan. Half of the cardigan was tucked neatly into his pants with his shirt, the other half was not. I imagined him tucking in his shirt and not realized that he’d also tucked in his sweater. I couldn’t help but think that it was somewhat adorable, cute, endearing. I feel like it’s patronizing to call old people cute, but I also feel like its true.
Both of my parents have recently fallen into this Cute Older Person category. They have both also recently had their 60th birthday which maybe allows them to be cute, or allows me to see them as cute. Their most recent cuteness?
In the Charlotte airport during a layover on my most recent trip back to the States I call my dad to let him know that…well…that I’m in the Charlotte airport on a layover. This is what is wonderful about parents: it’s so easy to call them just to say hi. He barely registers this information and launches into something which sounds to me like bullfighting school. It must be a poor connection.
The following day when my family gathers in NJ I realize that I heard correctly. He and my Uncle are going to sign up for bullfighting classes in CA. While he’s at it, my Uncle is going to take stunt-driving classes in NJ. Ji-Soo is with me and I look to him to gauge his reaction only to see him launch into conversation with my Uncle about how fun and relatively affordable stunt-driving classes would be. I wonder if my wacky family is a surprise for him or if somehow, through knowing me, he is prepared for this. I wonder: in his mind, am I part of this group?
Mom, just in time for her 60th birthday, has joined the local rowing club. She updates constantly about the goings-on of the Indian River Boat Club. She is excited. I comment to Ji that although both of my parents are mature and capable adults, they both have a certain childlike quality about them. They both get very focused and excited about new endeavors they take on. I wonder if this has been passed on to my brother and I. I wonder if this is part of what first drew my parents together. I wonder, am I part of this group?
A few months ago during children’s meeting the facilitator had the kids draw two pictures of themselves: one of how they see themselves and one of how they think other people see them. I was at the same time overwhelmed by the difficulty and depth of this task and by my desire to try it. How do I see myself? How do others see me? In a recent email to a friend I confessed, “It may make me a total sap, but I just miss hanging out with you.” She responded, “You’ve always been a total sap, and I miss you too.”
This morning at meeting an older man came in wearing dress shoes, slacks, a button down shirt and a cardigan. Half of the cardigan was tucked neatly into his pants with his shirt, the other half was not. I imagined him tucking in his shirt and not realized that he’d also tucked in his sweater. I couldn’t help but think that it was somewhat adorable, cute, endearing. I feel like it’s patronizing to call old people cute, but I also feel like its true.
Both of my parents have recently fallen into this Cute Older Person category. They have both also recently had their 60th birthday which maybe allows them to be cute, or allows me to see them as cute. Their most recent cuteness?
In the Charlotte airport during a layover on my most recent trip back to the States I call my dad to let him know that…well…that I’m in the Charlotte airport on a layover. This is what is wonderful about parents: it’s so easy to call them just to say hi. He barely registers this information and launches into something which sounds to me like bullfighting school. It must be a poor connection.
The following day when my family gathers in NJ I realize that I heard correctly. He and my Uncle are going to sign up for bullfighting classes in CA. While he’s at it, my Uncle is going to take stunt-driving classes in NJ. Ji-Soo is with me and I look to him to gauge his reaction only to see him launch into conversation with my Uncle about how fun and relatively affordable stunt-driving classes would be. I wonder if my wacky family is a surprise for him or if somehow, through knowing me, he is prepared for this. I wonder: in his mind, am I part of this group?
Mom, just in time for her 60th birthday, has joined the local rowing club. She updates constantly about the goings-on of the Indian River Boat Club. She is excited. I comment to Ji that although both of my parents are mature and capable adults, they both have a certain childlike quality about them. They both get very focused and excited about new endeavors they take on. I wonder if this has been passed on to my brother and I. I wonder if this is part of what first drew my parents together. I wonder, am I part of this group?
A few months ago during children’s meeting the facilitator had the kids draw two pictures of themselves: one of how they see themselves and one of how they think other people see them. I was at the same time overwhelmed by the difficulty and depth of this task and by my desire to try it. How do I see myself? How do others see me? In a recent email to a friend I confessed, “It may make me a total sap, but I just miss hanging out with you.” She responded, “You’ve always been a total sap, and I miss you too.”
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