Art of Seeking

computer flu

Apparently while I was at school yesterday, an unauthorized person was granted access to my computer. When I got home, I was informed that something was wrong with it.

So this unauthorized person used Internet Explorer instead of Mozilla, and “accidentally” downloaded some malware.

While we have some major problems worked out (I can SEE my SCREEN now!!), others are still driving me nuts. For example, uploading pictures, in most cases, just doesn’t work.

Let’s see if  Wordpress will work…

Nope. Errors. DAMMIT. And I even got an awesome shot of the full moon tonight…

Well, if you’re awake right now, I guess you’ll just have to look out the window.

So I’m sipping some crappy box Merlot and thinking I might get into the liquor since I was supposed to be at band practice with the Quorum (HA! that makes me laugh) and getting a consultation at a tattoo place, but band practice was canceled because the guy with the effects tech equipment couldn’t make it, and since we’re not going to be up that way, we’ll have to do the consultation another time.

Meh, I’m in no hurry.

Maybe I’ll just curl up with my Bioarch book and a second glass of what I’m only tentatively referring to as ‘wine’ because my brain is too tired at the moment to manufacture a decent insult for it.

In the meantime, here are some quotes from the last couple of weeks:

“So, you’re saying it’s like a promise that there is cake, somewhere under the icing?” – Prof. Mark Jefferys, Biology of Religion/ Evolution of Storytelling class, on what is meant by “based on a true story”

“(What might result is) a child with a massive thyroid who glows in the dark.” -Dr. Haagen Klaus, Bioarchaeology, on how many roentgenograms (or was it MRI’s?) it might take to verify certain things about the growth patterns of subadult skeletons

“I wish I had a loop pedal. I could have fun playing with myself for a change… I mean, someone would actually be following me! Because it’s ME!” Angela, violin player

Arielle: “This is, like, an evolutionary error.”

Me (imitating Arielle’s oft- heard insult voice): “You’re an evolutionary error!”

Arielle: “Yeah! I’m YOUR evolutionary error!!”

…And this is where I applauded Arielle on her very first decent comeback.

Matt’s gone to visit friends. Tomorrow he’s going to a friend’s house where someone lives who I cannot bloody stand, but that’s okay because I’ve been invited to the hookah bar with a couple of the belly dance girls. Sounds like fun to me… I hope they don’t mind if I wander off for a bit. Maybe I should forewarn them about my wandering isolationist tendencies.

Oh- I’ll be performing on stage at the Covey Center for the Arts with Gypsy Tapestry Belly Dance Concert on, um… well, in the first two weeks of March. We’re not sure of the date yet, but I’ll keep you posted…

developments across the board

If my life gets any more interesting, I’ll be a great case study soon. But until then, I’m rather enjoying the oddness.

First, I’ve found out that my intermediate belly dance class will be performing in the first two weeks of March. The choreography is awesome, and the music is everything I’d hoped for. It starts out sounding really tribal, then this heavy bass kicks in… hell yeah. My teacher Natalie is a sweetheart AND a good teacher. Very patient.

Then, there’s the explanation for this picture:

(That’s me in my funny hat on the djembe and Matt on didgeridoo, Angela on violin, Glen on djembe/ banjo, and that one guy I just met on doumbek and effects pedals. No, the drum set wasn’t played and I have no idea what the skillet is for.)  Matt and I were asked if we wanted to perform with our friend’s band, Delphi Quorum, on Feb. 5. Sure, why not, an excuse to play music is an excuse to play music. This is an…. interesting musical experiment- some guy is using effects pedals (including a loop) on some odd sounding vocals and Matt’s didgeridoo. Then there’s a few djembes (including mine) and my Remo klong yaw that Matt is pretty good at using as a “talking drum” because it’s so out of tune.. I guess you have to hear it and know a little about tuning drums to understand why. But anyway, there’s a banjo and a violin as well. Yeah. Experimental. It’s fun, but I’m sure plenty of folks might see it is strange or just plain creepy.

So, I was at my acupuncture appointment getting jabbed when for some reason, in a conversation between me and Brent and Allie, it was mentioned that Brent knows an Incan Shaman. I’m about to start writing a research paper on medicines and hallucinogens in the ancient Andes, so it seemed quite serendipitous. He hasn’t seen her for a bit but says he’ll look her up for me. Meanwhile, I’m also doing a research paper on NAGPRA, and Ana just revealed to me that her best friend’s father is a Lakota Shaman. Perfect. And weird. But cool… I’ll be attempting to set up some interviews soon.

Meanwhile…

I’ll be doing a photo shoot this Sunday with a few models. It will hopefully involve a collection of antique tools, really colorful clothing, railroad tracks, possibly a raccoon skin coat, and a crumbling silo. Sounds like fun to me.

If you’re not calling your favorite legal drug dealer (i.e. psychiatrist) for some Prozac on my behalf yet, it’s only because you know me well enough. I guess. Thanks.

I’m making some Pozole and hoping the damn hominy is done before the cornbread is. I need to get to sleep soon… long day tomorrow…

Oh, yeah. The top picture is my friend and tattoo artist Randal, playing a variation of chess invented by our friend Kurray and some other guys. Possibly including Randal. Matt helped make the board a couple years ago. The board they’re playing on has elevated squares in a roughly pyramid shape, and the corners are decorated each with tropical island, Antarctic, desert, and jungle scenes. No idea how it’s played. I always lose chess. And Hearts. And Gin. And… well, everything but scrabble and connect four.

Back to the “grind…”

old dreams new

It’s late at night on a far- away shore. The moonlight is so strong that flashlights aren’t necessary. I’m not alone- I’m talking to others around me, but I don’t know who they are.
Talking about the stones we’re walking on.

They are black- volcanic, I think. But they aren’t just stones, they are ruins. There is something important here, I can feel it.

The tide is coming in, the waves are crashing. Then, I see it. Something that looks like carving in the stone.

I call the others over. We all begin to examine the stones. Then, for some reason I don’t know, I look up.

A huge, flat, rectangle stone is on the ground. It looks to me like a door. I walk toward it, I walk on it. The waves are crashing louder.

Someone is standing in front of me, a man. An authority. He’s saying we need to go, but we’ll return.

But I don’t want to go. I feel there’s something here I need to know…

I woke from this dream many years ago.
Then today, in class, it all came flooding back to me when Dr. Haagen Klaus showed us pictures of Peru.

And there it was- the rocks, the beach, the flat stone, everything. Ruins soon to be excavated. The only difference was, the picture had been taken during the day.

I talked to him after class about going to Peru, but the next two excavations are full. However, he said he can help me study those ruins for my Master’s.

Literally, a dream come true. I can’t wait.

(*NOTE: I did my best to find stones in my picture archives that look like the ones in my dream, but this was as close as I got. The stones in my dream were all black.)