Nope. Not at all. Not with all I've accomplished this weekend. And not when any movie -- highbrow or marshmallow fluff -- will be in short supply all too soon.
Last night it was "The Wedding Planner." Then "Enough." Then I went for the trifecta with "Selena." And now "Monster-in-Law" ... one of those TBS back-to-back things, so I caught the last 20 minutes and now I'm watching the beginning. Kind of like reading the end of the book first.
I can't seem to read much at all lately, front or back; rote romantic comedies seem to be the only thing that can put my spinning mind into sleep mode.
Yesterday: Went to my last yoga class (my gym membership ends this week). Gave my long-neglected house a deep cleaning ... and gave myself a fat lip in the process. Packed up winter clothes, record albums and a few other nonessentials. Worked out a Peace Corps packing list, a to-do list, and a timeline that makes me feel like I really can get everything done in the next six weeks -- including a trip to Tucson, yay! Made deals on virtually all of the furniture I'd planned to sell (still hoping someone will take the entertainment center, and my wedding ring).
So I think a little mind candy is perfectly justified.
Today I took things a bit slower. Got to see Miz Amy and Co. (too briefly) and Miz Melissa. Volunteered at the Community CROPS plant sale, which brought me another good contact once I settle into my new home. Turns out a former CROPS worker is in Peace Corps in neighboring Malawi, also in sustainable agriculture.
While my realtor held an open house, I spent a couple of hours at Meadowlark working out a list of everything I "need" to buy for the trip. At this point, I'm not only well over the PC 80-pound/two bag limit, I'd likely need a crew of sherpas to to it all for me.
On the search now for small, lightweight gifts I can bring ... little things for children, something nice for my host family. Ideas, anyone?
I'll also entertain ideas for a few books to bring along with me. Probably best to keep things light, though I don't think I can go so vacuous as the printed equivalent of a J-Lo movie. Send me your suggestions!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
The road to Tanzania.
For anyone I forgot to email earlier today (and, if I did, shoot me your address so I can add you to the list!):
After six long months, my Peace Corps invitation packet came this morning.
I’m going to Tanzania!
Not that I had any say in it, but if they'd asked me where I wanted to go, Tanzania would have been first on my list.
While the application process seemed to drag on for so long, suddenly things are coming to a head far too quickly! My group will have a few days of orientation here in the U.S. starting June 8, then arrive in Tanzania on June 12 for three months of training with my fellow volunteers before leaving for my site.
I’ll be a village-based extension educator, working in environmental education and sustainable agriculture. (Yes, life in an African village means pit latrines, bucket baths and no electricity – but I’ll get a mountain bike for transportation.) I’ll also be working on HIV/AIDS prevention and education. My head is already overflowing with project ideas, but I know I need to get to my site and get a feel for what the village really needs before embarking on any specitific plan.
Tanzania, in eastern Africa, is home to Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria and the Serengeti. The capital, Dar es Salaam, is on the coast of the Indian Ocean. The country shares borders with Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
I’m only just beginning to learn about the country myself. Here are some Web sites for basic info on Tanzania:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tz.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/tanzania/
I’ll be busy in the coming weeks, but I really want to make sure to spend as much time as possible with my friends and loved ones. Many of you have been critical in helping me get this far, and I want to soak up as much of you as I can. So drag me away from packing up my books, and make me take you out for a beer!
Namaste, peace and love to all ...
After six long months, my Peace Corps invitation packet came this morning.
I’m going to Tanzania!
Not that I had any say in it, but if they'd asked me where I wanted to go, Tanzania would have been first on my list.
While the application process seemed to drag on for so long, suddenly things are coming to a head far too quickly! My group will have a few days of orientation here in the U.S. starting June 8, then arrive in Tanzania on June 12 for three months of training with my fellow volunteers before leaving for my site.
I’ll be a village-based extension educator, working in environmental education and sustainable agriculture. (Yes, life in an African village means pit latrines, bucket baths and no electricity – but I’ll get a mountain bike for transportation.) I’ll also be working on HIV/AIDS prevention and education. My head is already overflowing with project ideas, but I know I need to get to my site and get a feel for what the village really needs before embarking on any specitific plan.
Tanzania, in eastern Africa, is home to Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria and the Serengeti. The capital, Dar es Salaam, is on the coast of the Indian Ocean. The country shares borders with Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
I’m only just beginning to learn about the country myself. Here are some Web sites for basic info on Tanzania:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tz.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/tanzania/
I’ll be busy in the coming weeks, but I really want to make sure to spend as much time as possible with my friends and loved ones. Many of you have been critical in helping me get this far, and I want to soak up as much of you as I can. So drag me away from packing up my books, and make me take you out for a beer!
Namaste, peace and love to all ...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
It's in the mail.
Should've written yesterday's whiny post weeks ago ... because surely it's what caused the PC gods to send me the email this morning alerting me to the fact that my invitation has been mailed.
Within the week, I should finally know where they're sending me and when.
Do I dare admit that my gut reaction was fear?
But followed quickly by all the good stuff ... elation, satisfaction, rampant curiousity, etc ...
More to come soon!
And thanks to all of you who've been so supportive. You mean the world to me!
Within the week, I should finally know where they're sending me and when.
Do I dare admit that my gut reaction was fear?
But followed quickly by all the good stuff ... elation, satisfaction, rampant curiousity, etc ...
More to come soon!
And thanks to all of you who've been so supportive. You mean the world to me!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Don't ask.
No, really, it’s nice that you do. Encouraging to realize just how many people are genuinely interested in my looming adventure.
But I have an idea that if only I were to start carrying a 40-lb. bowling ball around with me at all times, I might have an idea what a 40-weeks-pregnant mother might feel when everyone points out the obvious: "You're still pregnant?"
No one says “Hi” to me anymore … all greetings are along the lines of "Sooo ....?" or “Haven’t you heard yet?”
Obviously, I’ve yet to hear anything formal from Peace Corps. On Friday it’ll be a month since my phone interview with my placement officer – an interview that went really well and left me with the impression that I’d be getting my invitation in a week or so.
Since then, I’ve heard through the grapevine that I’ve been “placed” – whatever that means. It may be that they’ve found a program/site for me but haven’t done the paperwork yet.
I know this is happening, and they have to give me at least six weeks’ notice. So I’m trying to be constructive in the meantime … packing up nonessentials, spending as much time with those I love and doing all the things I’ll miss about Lincoln. And practicing that damn patience thing. It’ll come in handy, I hear.
The house is officially on the market -- check it out!
And I'm using Blogger to sell my furniture when I'm ready. I'll take out free ads on Craigslist and LJS, with a photo and the web site. Let me know what you think.
Spiraling outward.
I long ago adopted the spiral as my personal nature symbol. I never had any logical reason for it; it just felt very “circle of life” to me.
I never really understood why I felt so drawn to the idea of three spirals for my "jobkiller" tattoo. Why not just the one?
Krista recently sent me this passage she found in a book:
"The archetype of the spiral has existed since the beginning of civilization throughout all the world's cultures – as an art form, a religious symbol, and a sacred vehicle for medications. Spirals have been found on Neolithic rock carvings, indicating that the earliest human inhabitants of our planet considered them an important part of the their cosmological understanding. Many ancient peoples and indigenous and Eastern religions depicted our life journey using sacred circular symbols – the Native American medicine wheel, the Aztec calendar, the Mandala of Hinduism and Buddhism, the circles in the Celtic cross, the interlocking halves of the Chinese yin and yang and the mystical labyrinth.
"These physical representation of the great circle of existence and the interior journey of the soul. Each of them focuses our eye on a point within the symbol, as if gathering the outside energies and drawing them inward. In this way, they are designed as mystical and powerful forms of spiritual contemplation, inviting the seeker to travel within and discover the divine.
"Reality is not linear at all – it is circular. Life does not move forward in a straight line, but swirls around in a mysterious cosmic dance.
”This is the secret of the spiral: it brings up back to what great sages have called "the eternal Now.”
That made me happy.
It also led me to do some completely nonscientific research, via Wikipedia:
“The spiral is the most ancient symbol found on every civilized continent. Due to its appearance at burial sites across the globe, the spiral most likely represented the "life-death-rebirth" cycle. Similarly, the spiral symbolized the sun, as ancient people thought the sun was born each morning, died each night, and was reborn the next morning.”
“The triple spiral is one of the main symbols of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, often standing for the "three realms" – Land, Sea and Sky, or for one of a number of deities who are described in the lore as "threefold" or triadic. … Some Celtic-inspired Wiccans also use the triple spiral symbol, most often to represent the concept of the triple goddess.”
"A triskelion or triskele … is a symbol consisting of three interlocked spirals, or three bent human legs, or any similar symbol with three protrusions and a threefold rotational symmetry. ... Spiral forms of the triskele are often classed as solar symbols, while the legged version, sometimes including a gorgon mask or Medusa's head at the central axle point in the Sicilian version, suggests a chthonic (earthy) significance."
(In lesser company, the triskelion has similarities to the Nazi swastika and apparently has been proposed as a secret sign for BDSM practitioners. We'll just roll (spiral?) right on past those ...)
Maybe I learned these associations at some point and kept them in my subconscious. But I think it's fascinating to consider that I came up with the same symbolism as multiple ancient cultures, from far-flung parts of the globe.
Thought for the day.
“It is easy to see the beginning of things, and harder to see the ends.”
— Joan Didion
But I have an idea that if only I were to start carrying a 40-lb. bowling ball around with me at all times, I might have an idea what a 40-weeks-pregnant mother might feel when everyone points out the obvious: "You're still pregnant?"
No one says “Hi” to me anymore … all greetings are along the lines of "Sooo ....?" or “Haven’t you heard yet?”
Obviously, I’ve yet to hear anything formal from Peace Corps. On Friday it’ll be a month since my phone interview with my placement officer – an interview that went really well and left me with the impression that I’d be getting my invitation in a week or so.
Since then, I’ve heard through the grapevine that I’ve been “placed” – whatever that means. It may be that they’ve found a program/site for me but haven’t done the paperwork yet.
I know this is happening, and they have to give me at least six weeks’ notice. So I’m trying to be constructive in the meantime … packing up nonessentials, spending as much time with those I love and doing all the things I’ll miss about Lincoln. And practicing that damn patience thing. It’ll come in handy, I hear.
The house is officially on the market -- check it out!
And I'm using Blogger to sell my furniture when I'm ready. I'll take out free ads on Craigslist and LJS, with a photo and the web site. Let me know what you think.
Spiraling outward.
I long ago adopted the spiral as my personal nature symbol. I never had any logical reason for it; it just felt very “circle of life” to me.
I never really understood why I felt so drawn to the idea of three spirals for my "jobkiller" tattoo. Why not just the one?Krista recently sent me this passage she found in a book:
"The archetype of the spiral has existed since the beginning of civilization throughout all the world's cultures – as an art form, a religious symbol, and a sacred vehicle for medications. Spirals have been found on Neolithic rock carvings, indicating that the earliest human inhabitants of our planet considered them an important part of the their cosmological understanding. Many ancient peoples and indigenous and Eastern religions depicted our life journey using sacred circular symbols – the Native American medicine wheel, the Aztec calendar, the Mandala of Hinduism and Buddhism, the circles in the Celtic cross, the interlocking halves of the Chinese yin and yang and the mystical labyrinth.
"These physical representation of the great circle of existence and the interior journey of the soul. Each of them focuses our eye on a point within the symbol, as if gathering the outside energies and drawing them inward. In this way, they are designed as mystical and powerful forms of spiritual contemplation, inviting the seeker to travel within and discover the divine.
"Reality is not linear at all – it is circular. Life does not move forward in a straight line, but swirls around in a mysterious cosmic dance.
”This is the secret of the spiral: it brings up back to what great sages have called "the eternal Now.”
That made me happy.
It also led me to do some completely nonscientific research, via Wikipedia:
“The spiral is the most ancient symbol found on every civilized continent. Due to its appearance at burial sites across the globe, the spiral most likely represented the "life-death-rebirth" cycle. Similarly, the spiral symbolized the sun, as ancient people thought the sun was born each morning, died each night, and was reborn the next morning.”
“The triple spiral is one of the main symbols of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, often standing for the "three realms" – Land, Sea and Sky, or for one of a number of deities who are described in the lore as "threefold" or triadic. … Some Celtic-inspired Wiccans also use the triple spiral symbol, most often to represent the concept of the triple goddess.”
"A triskelion or triskele … is a symbol consisting of three interlocked spirals, or three bent human legs, or any similar symbol with three protrusions and a threefold rotational symmetry. ... Spiral forms of the triskele are often classed as solar symbols, while the legged version, sometimes including a gorgon mask or Medusa's head at the central axle point in the Sicilian version, suggests a chthonic (earthy) significance."
(In lesser company, the triskelion has similarities to the Nazi swastika and apparently has been proposed as a secret sign for BDSM practitioners. We'll just roll (spiral?) right on past those ...)
Maybe I learned these associations at some point and kept them in my subconscious. But I think it's fascinating to consider that I came up with the same symbolism as multiple ancient cultures, from far-flung parts of the globe.
Thought for the day.
“It is easy to see the beginning of things, and harder to see the ends.”
— Joan Didion
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