hardwood floors

5:50pm: P. S. Some cool transit articles

Free transit in NYC?

Transit ridership is up!

New Urbanism - the new american dream

Amtrak!

5:46pm: I got home today from spending 2 1/2 weeks in the great state of Washington. We were in at least four different ecosystems and saw a lot of beautiful places. The end.

10:01am: four to eight
I had a revelation recently. My favorite group size for hanging out is four to eight people, including myself. I think that is why I often tie myself up in knots about inviting people over. Once you have more than a couple of people over, others wonder why they weren't invited to the party, but if you want to keep it under eight people, you can't invite everyone you know. Proclamation: If you here about me having people over and you're not included, feel free to mention it to me, and I'll make sure you're invited at some other time! I'm sure that I'd love to have you, but I don't want to have everyone at once. Note that I do also enjoy myself in other sized groups, but I think my favorite is 4-8 individuals.

11:10pm: Jane Austen themed dance in Philadelphia area April 30
If you're a Jane Austen fan, or if you want to be, come dance!

http://dancewithjaneausten.com/

free and very fun dance event happening soonish.

10:50pm: We spent a few days in Montreal – March 17-19, 2008. ( Here’s what we did.Collapse )

12:45pm: lambs
I live on a farm at the moment, for a few more days at least. Yesterday at 7:23am we got a call from John, one of the sheep partners. One of the many very pregnant ewes was starting to give birth! We leapt out of bed and ran down to the barn.  M

andolin, a ewe who is older than some of the others, had a small foot sticking out of her rear end.  I really had never seen anything like that.  Three of the girls in the community were down there cheering her on.  Mandolin was fenced into a smaller pen separate from the other sheep so she wouldn't have to compete for food and water, and could have her own space while giving birth.  We watched Mandolin turn around and around in her pen with a foot and then a foot and a nose sticking out of her.  The humans were coaxing her to lie down so that she could continue to give birth, but she was clearly distressed. 

After about 15 minutes, John got in the pen with her and tried to help her.  Apparently lambs are supposed to be born two feet and a nose first, but this lamb had one foot stuck.  Only one foot and a nose were trying to come out.  John needed someone to help him hold Mandolin down, so his daughter Marta got in too.  But Marta was too small to keep her down, so I got in and basically sat on the sheep while John pulled the lamb out.  It worked though, and the little baby was just fine once she got out of there. 

The girls named the new lamb Unicorn.  I was rooting for Umbrella, personally, but they thought that was a little strange.  We watched Mandolin lick her new daughter, and watched the baby learn to stand up (within 20 mins of being born), and eventually learn to nurse (within the hour).  While we were watching, suddenly, a very large dark sack popped out of Mandolin REALLY QUICKLY.  It was another lamb!  A boy was born, also healthy, but smaller.  He learned to stand up even faster.  They were SO cute!  They are Icelandic sheep so they have really long hair.  When they're born their hair is all curly and cute.  It later grows shaggy and straighter.  The end. 

10:57am: Yesterday afternoon I did some Cobb Hill errands.  They were:
1. Deliver accordion
2. Mail postcard
3. Feed sheep
4. Sign-up for Garn feeding

In other news, the duo from the movie Once is giving a concert in Philadelphia on May 20.  Anyone who saw that movie probably wants to see them.  Does that include you? 

There are 12 new inches of snow, and it's still falling.  Do I do all the shoveling now, or wait until it stops snowing?

11:16am: Happy New Year!
I am pretty behind in writing in this thing, once again.  Anyway, ...

My New Year's resolution is to be less stressed out.

Highlights of 2007 were many!  Here is a small sampling:
-The Contraptions!!!!  (also a highlight of 2006 and probably of 2008)
-Working part time for the second half of the year.  While I didn't have the eons of free time that I hoped for, I did have a lot more flexibility in my schedule and some more time to devote to things that don't pay any money!
-Morris dancing.  I discovered that I actively like morris dancing, and I also like playing fiddle for morris dancing. 
-lots more music and dance gigs than in 2006.  I love doing this stuff and it's great to have had lots of opportunities to do it!
-English and American Week at Pinewoods.  I was officially on staff, though in a funny way, but that wasn't really the most significant part.  It was just a really fun party with lots of great friends all week!
-growing and developing friendships with lots of great people.  I'm so lucky to know so many great folks! 
-singing!  more singing is always better.
-lots of other great things, too numerous, personal, memorable, forgettable, religious, special, happy, or something, to mention.

I'm already enjoying the beginning of 2008 with a tour with the band Lightning Strikes.  I'm in North Carolina at the moment, headed to South Carolina this afternoon.  Then back to NC, then Tennessee!  Whee!

4:16am: holiday activities
Last Saturday there was caroling!  About 20 people wandered house to house in Lansdowne, PA ringing doorbells and singing merrily.  It was quite a sight to behold - all of us stretched out along the sidewalk singing together.  Everything was not perfect, but people were generally happy, and I'm so glad that it happened.  Next year it will be even more fun!

Tomorrow (today?) I leave for Berea Christmas Country Dance School in Kentucky!   I would be a lot more excited if I didn't have a pretty serious cold that is making me feel like my head is going to explode from the pressure.  But I'm sure it will be great in a couple of days when I'm feeling better.  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2:52pm: house and home
Since early October I've been house sitting for a couple who were away for about 3 months. They are coming back on Monday. I know them pretty well. They have a picture of me graduating from hight school on their fridge, a fact remarked on by many who have visited me here. These friends who own this house have invited me to stick around after they get back. This is very thoughtful and kind, and I'm going to take them up on it, at least for the moment while I am around. I think it could be fun to live with them, though I think I'm likely to also feel like I'm in the way. We'll see how that all works out. Having a place to call home is often both useful and pleasant.

6:17pm: computers
I am becoming, once again, less and less attached to and interested in computers. When I am home, I don't want to turn on the computer. I'd rather put a cup of water on my forehead and try to drink it without using my hands. I'd rather play the piano, wash the dishes, cook, talk on the phone, go for a walk... My interest in the computer is on a downward spiral. I don't feel the pull of email checking or facebook meadering. What is happening to me? Is it because my wrists hurt (that never stopped me before, or at least, not usually)? Is it because my internet connection is kind of stupid and I have to stay plugged in rather than wandering around the house using wireless? Is it because I went on a 2-week mostly-computer-free vacation? Soon I may stop checking email entirely, but somehow I doubt that. More likely I the downward spiral will reverse. But, we'll see.

5:18pm: houses!
I've had a series of houseguests, in varying numbers, at the house that I'm currently sitting on.  When it's owners come back Dec 15, I'll be sad to have to get up off of this house because it is nice and has lots of space for having guests.  Not counting the king sized water bed which we're not supposed to use, there are three double beds and two twin beds.  With all of those full, that's eight people.  I didn't quite have eight, but I had seven on two different nights, and I've had one or another person a bunch of nights.  I love houseguests, especially when they are friendly and filled with music and happiness.  Now they are gone away, but more people are coming on Friday.   I'm now thinking about moving again, since the house owners return for real on Dec 15, which feels fast approaching.  

I'm getting bounced around a bit at work since a permanent, full-time person got hired to sit at the desk where I had been sitting two days a week.  For some reason, when I moved, I stopped being able to receive email at work, or print things.  However, they're fixing that.  I am still feeling useful and efficient though, but I think I'll be ready to finish when I'm done in a few weeks.  I think my last day here will be Dec 20 this time.  

I fell a little bit of haze that may be caused by being slightly sick, or just getting over tired somehow, or something.  Thinking a lot about <lj user="lucubr8r"> a lot, though not calling her enough or visiting her at all.  Wondering again what to do with my life.  Thinking that I should really want a career and money a lot more than I actually do. 

11:04am: travel!
I'm in New Orleans!  This is the last stop on my travels.  I'll be headed back towards Philly tomorrow.  Short stops occurred in Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, and Austin.  Longer (overnights) were Bloomington, IN, Houston, and here, New Orleans.  FIddles were played outside in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Houston, and New Orleans.  Actual gigs were played in Bloomington and Austin.  Good friends were visited in Chicago, Bloomington, Houston, and New Orleans.  I got to see the Gulf of Mexico for the first time.  Dolphins were surfing in the wake at the front of giant ships.  They were so cool!  We saw lots of dolphins in the gulf, and rode on a ferry to an island.  Ok, more later, hopefully.  

8:25am: Public Transit
I used to think that some day I'd grow up and get a car.  In the last few years, I've been taking notice of everyone who I know who is older than me and doesn't have a car.  There's an Arcadia University Professor who has made a commitment to only ride transit.  There's the choir director who used to direct a group I was in, but is now working with one of the best known churches and largest choirs in the area.  There's my co-worker, an accountant, who is a neighbor of mine.  And then there are lots of people who have more than one adult in a household, but use only one car.  Those are good too, but not quite the same.  I think that at this point, it is unlikely that I will ever be in a 1 adult = 1 car situation where I am the adult. 

There are many reasons why I ride public transit, but one big one is that it's a good environmental decision.  I talked to a person from the Clean Air Council when I was at an event I was covering for the paper.  Here are some quotes from one of their handouts:

"If one in ten Americans used public transportation regularly, U.S. reliance on foreign oil could be cut by more than 40%."

"Public transit produces 95% less carbon monoxide per passenger mile than private vehicles."

"A big bus with just seven passengers is more fuel-efficient than the average car.  A full bus?  Six times more efficient.  A full train, 15 times more efficient."

And, NPR recently had a repeat piece (as in, they had a similar one several years ago) about comparing long distance travel by plane, car, and train.  They started by saying how bad planes were in terms of emissions, but then said that even so, cars are worse, so if those are the only two options you will consider, you should still fly.  However, trains are SO much better than either driving or flying, that those are really the way to go.  Yay trains!  My favorite way to travel by far.  I'm about to go by train from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh to Chicago, then from St. Louis, MO to Longview, TX, then from Houston to New Orleans, then from New Orleans to Philadelphia.  Five long distance trains!  I'm so excited!

10:58pm: new media addiction
So I've just discovered ummahfilms.  I find this guy hilarious and have been enjoying watching the videos.  In fact, I have to stop myself from watching them all at once and doing nothing else, like sleeping.  I'm not sure if people without some significant connection to everyday Muslims will find these videos funny, but I am laughing my head off over here. 

8:42pm: job
If you ignore the 6 weeks that I didn't work there this summer, I've now been working for Children's Literacy Initiative for three years!  Who ever knew I'd do anything for three years!

8:27pm: I am really loving this lifestyle.  Four different jobs (or more, depending on how you count the music and dance ones), lots and lots of time flexibility, moving a lot (I only sometimes love that part), seeing lots of people, and having time to myself.  I'm serious, I really do love having a life like this.  Hmm... 

2:10pm: Eid
Ramadan is over!  Happy 'eid (literal translation=holiday) to everyone!  It's a day to eat a lot and party, so enjoy.  Last year I answered lots of questions.  This year I was in the paper!  Best wishes! 

5:00am: moving, thinking, doing
moving:
I am in the middle of moving.  Right now about half my stuff is gone, and half my stuff is here, in moving-out-of-house, where I still am at the moment.  I am either allergic to moving (a likelyhood, since I am allergic to dust) or a little bit sick (also somewhat of a likelyhood).  In either case, I've been up since four am since my head is too full of juice to sleep.  I'm looking forward to living in moving-into house for a while.  It's a nice place!  I'm also looking forward to a new perspective on all the busses and trains I know of that go by there.  I'm pretty familiar with all of them already, but I will be taking them in new and exciting ways to the same places I already go.  The transit downsides: there are no trolleys near there and it is also very far from the El.  I have basically never lived so far from the El in Philly.  I think that may be sad.

thinking:
I still have insecurity, fear and self-doubt, but on the whole, I think I am happier with myself and more cheerful about everything than I have ever been in my life before.  I remember moments of sadness and isolation in my past that seem so distant they are difficult to recall.  It's a relief, actually, to be solidly centered like I am right now.  May all who read this feel happy and centered as well! 

doing (or not):
I'm not sure where I'm going to be in 2008.  I may not be going to Vermont in Feb and March after all (still unclear).  I may try to go to Oberlin for a while during or after that time, or I may just be here in Philly area.  I don't have a job for then, or really any prospects.  I'm not looking into or applying to grad schools for fall 2008, and now is the time to do that.  I'm not really sure what is going to happen.  When I quit my job, I was afraid of people joking that I had retired, and I definitely planned to return to full-time work at some point.  Now, I'm not so sure.  I may end up making a life out of odds and ends of work, plus frugality and fun.  We'll see.  If anyone has any good life or living ideas, I'm open to suggestions. 

12:51am: i'm published!
The News of Delaware County, Boroughs Edition, published an article I wrote about the Lansdowne Arts Festival on the front page of the Wednesday September 19, 2007 edition.  I'm famous!  Ok, maybe not famous, but in print, anyway.  It's not online, and they gave it a headline I don't love, but it's really very exciting.  If you live in Aldan, Collingdale, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Glenolden, Lansdowne, Sharon Hill, or Yeadon, PA, or happen to be passing through one of those places, you might be able to find the paper in your local Wawa or in a box sitting somewhere on the sidewalk.  For the rest of you, you can ask me about it when you see me.  I may be carrying it around for a while because I'm proud.  :)

4:42pm: music and friends
I went on tour with The Contraptions, my amazing band of playfulfordian, Bill Q., and often (including this time) Rick M. as caller and/or fiddler.  We had six gigs in twelve days, but they weren't every other day.  There was one, then four in a row, then another one.  We really hit our stride by the end, learning more of each others' tricks and figuring out what works for us when we're playing together.  I discovered a groove on a set we didn't play until our last gig and I'm looking forward to trying that again.  Unfortunately, my wrists did hurt by the end of the tour, but only at the last dance.  I played with a brace on my right wrist, and am still using it a little bit, and trying to type and play less for a few days until both wrists feel normal again. 

We had the mixed fortune of being able to visit lucubr8r in New Haven in the middle of our tour.  It was great that we got to see her and play a few tunes for her, but we ended up going to visit her because she had landed in the hospital.  However, she appears to be recovering now, and expects to be released in a day or two at this point (in sha'allah).  

A few people have asked us about recording, and we have mentioned it ourselves.  BQ is sketching possible Contraptions logos (many options there) and I am thinking about all the possible things I could do on a recording.  I'm really not sure what type of thing will come of this or when it might finally be in the works, but it is in our minds, at least sometimes.  The Contraptions is headed to Texas shortly, and more local gigs after that, plus one in DC in December.  We've had inquiries for others in the spring, but I'm so unsure about where I'll be and what I'll be doing that it is hindering us committing to anything. 

I spent this evening singing some songs with phillyjazzcat, reminding me that I really need to think about whether I want to have a whole set of songs that I sing with a guitar player(s) or not.  I also have a very long list of songs I'd like to learn, but have not been making a lot of progress learning them. 

Playing with the Contraptions really has been a formative experience for me.  I think my piano playing and my enjoyment of music have both grown a lot with them, and they're also just amazingly cool people who I love spending time with.  I'm sort of worried that my inability to live in one place during the coming year will prevent the band from doing some stuff, but maybe it won't, or maybe I'll end up in Philly more than I think I will.  Only time will tell! 

4:20pm: living places
Ramadan Mubarak! I'm enjoying day 3 of Ramadan and I hope you are too.

I live in Lansdowne, PA. On October 1, I am moving to Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, PA to house sit. Then, from Dec. 15-25 and Jan 1-6 I will be living in to my parents' house in Roxborough, Philadelphia, PA. In that hole in time I will be in Kentucky. Then from Jan 6-27 I will be on tour playing for contra dances with a band of Oberlin folks who I don't know from college. Corey and Jonah, with David calling. We'll be on the road playing and calling in all sorts of places. None of those places will be called home. After Jan 27 I'll be back at my parents' house for a few days, then I'm headed to Hartland, VT to stay at Cobb Hill until March 29. I'm not sure where I'm going for a while after that, but I'm considering spending several months in Europe (Italy, France, England) and maybe Morocco next summer, so I'm not sure when I might next have somewhere where I really live.

A practical question. Would anyone like to babysit a single fouton bed for the next six months or possibly longer? It is a big stuffed chair, but folds out to be a bed. It is one of my favorite pieces of furniture, but it needs a home until I have one again.

4:07pm: workings
In October 2004, I started working for Children's Literacy Initiative. I had three different positions there and the third one, Program Coordinator was a really pleasant job. I had responsibility, a variety of job tasks, nice, interesting co-workers, and significant flexibility of hours. But, I quit. As of June 30, 2007, I was no longer a CLI employee. Until... I started working there again. As of August 20, 2007, I am a Grant Report Writer. I work two days a week in the office plus a half day per week from home. It's just about exactly half-time, and I like it a lot! I'm learning things about development and about writing. Actually, writing for a living has suddenly snuck up on me. I am working on an article for the News of Delaware County. If they publish it, that will be my first newspaper writing experience. I don't really think of a writer, so writing at CLI and maybe even for a paper is pretty far from what I ever expected I'd be doing. I like it well enough and I'm definitely learning things! The newspaper thing might not even happen at all, and if it does, it might not be often or last long. The CLI grant report thing will end some time in December. Who knows what's next?!?

4:51pm: Maghrib
I have been missing Morocco a lot in the past few days. When I miss Morocco, it's a very distinctive and physical experience. It feels like I accidentally left behind a piece of my soul, and it's calling me to come get it. I want to wince and hold still until the painful yet strangely pleasant sensation goes away. When I am feeling the pull of the broken off scrap of soul, I am there with it for a moment. It is a kind of connected feeling that is rare for me in life, but which happens sometimes for a select group of places, people, and experiences.

Sometimes I get this feeling when I miss the experience of singing tight harmonies in a small excellent group, or for a few places: Pinewoods, Morocco, and Philadelphia. There are also a fairly small number of people who have occasionally elicited this type of response when I'm separated from them. People who I miss from my core sometimes when they're not around. With people, the momentary feeling is like they themselves are the missing portion of soul, and that I can't feel complete until they return to my presence. But I can also sense them in that moment of missing them intensely, like they are somehow present for the moment.

All of these intense, corporeal "being away from" experiences are only momentary, and they don't happen often. I both dread and relish them. Have you ever experienced something like that?

2:05pm: gre
I just finished taking a GRE practice test. In the approximately three hour long test, you are allowed three one-minute breaks and one ten-minute break. I'm not really sure if I can handle that.

I just updated my website a little bit. Please go peek at it if you haven't lately, and come see me do stuff! website

I've been traveling a bit, but am back in philly now. I had a week at pinewoods which involved almost no sleep at all, but was great nonetheless.