One major up has been my job. Despite some minor crap that has been frustrating, I really really love what I am doing. My boss is awesome. I can see the difference I am making. There is so much work to do, and I am so excited everyday to go tackle it.
On the other hand I have had several bouts of impotent direction-less rage, which is a sign that I have needs that are not getting met. In this case I think it is a failure to provide adequate self-care and down time to as I try to balance the needs and demands of everyone around me. I find myself wanting to hide and not communicate, which is not productive and then I have to push through. Yes, regular stuff, but both important and hard.
There have been several hard conversations, which I am proud of everyone for having and were important, but also I am feeling tired. So tired. I am deeply grateful for the space that has been held for me, and I am trying to pass it forward, while still saving enough spoons. Sometimes it is hard to judge though how much to save for the unexpected.
I have gotten some much needed extra individual time with both
majes and jasra though, which has been delightful. I am hopeful to get a bit more quiet time with family over the holiday break too.There have been some fun events, including going contra dancing with mayaandspice, oddduckling and B. I led, which was new to me. It was like English country dancing in many ways, but different both in details and the experience of dancing a different role.
Politics - feeling so angry, scared and protective of the vulnerable. There feels like there is nothing here to be said that has not already been said. That doesn't make it feel better though.
Chiquita is navigating her own place in the world, and it is both simultaneously something I am excited for her about and a thing I spend a lot of spoons on. There is personal, highschool, job, a romantic relationship, family, college applications, career plans, and thoughts towards how to set herself up for success in the next few years.
It reminded me of when I was a kid and I would spend hours playing with snow on warm spring days. By placing it in different layers of snow thickness on pavement, you could post with how much it melted versus sublimated. I remember the delight and fascination vividly. Maybe such things don't completely change.
preraphaelite and this link. So in no particular order:I adore Castle Island. You can take the Red Line or take a bus from downtown crossing there:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/castle-island-pleasure-bay-m-street-and-carson-beach.html
The Fells is super close and has lots of variety. Depending on what end you want to do, you can take the 100 from Wellington or just take the Orange Line to Oakgrove.
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-north/middlesex-fells-reservation.html
I am particularly fond of the Emerald Necklace in the Fenway (Green Line). I often do the part near the MFA. For something with such an urban location, it is super accessible and beautiful when the weather is nice:
http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/
Jamaica Pond is lovely. It has a bunch of bus access, but you can also get there from the Green St stop on the Orange Line:
http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/park-overview/jamaica-pond/
I am fond of the Mystic River Reservation as it is so close to my house. It is an easy walk from Wellington on Assembly Row Orange Line stops:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/mystic-river-reservation.html
Beaver Brook Parkway in Belmont can be reached from the 73 from Harvard:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/beaver-brook-reservation.html
Minute Man National Park is accessible from the 76 out of Alewife. This is easy walking trail only, not hiking, but it is pretty and historic:
https://www.nps.gov/mima/planyourvisit/directions.htm
There is limited bus service that heads out to the Blue Hills from Ashmont, but it does not run on Sundays or afternoon on Saturdays. Still one of my favorite parks:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-south/blue-hills-reservation.html
I have done this park and it is surprisingly nice for something so urban. It has an MBTA bus from Forest Hills Station (Orange Line), but I haven not taken it:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/stony-brook-reservation.html
Of course the Esplanade is beautiful as well:
http://www.esplanadeassociation.org/
The river estuary in Quincy is accessible from the 202 out of Fields Corner (Red Ashmont Line):
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/pope-john-paul-ii-park-reservation.html
For more water views in Quincy, you can also tke the 211 out of North Quincy (Red Braintree Line):
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/squantum-point-park.html
Out at the Chestnut Hills station on the Green D Line, there is also
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/hammond-pond-reservation.html
Do you have other favorite public transport friendly hikes in the Boston area? I am interested in maintaining a collection of them and would love your suggestions.
May
* slept a lot and recovered
* Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum with my mom and Chiquita
* visited NB and the Bay of Fundy with
majes* hiked Welsh Dickey with
curly_chick and companyJune
* mural painting
* my birthday!
* mini vacation with
salvbardJuly
* camping with
majes* helped organize lovely birthday things for
curly_chick* went to London and visited
jasra* went to Virginia and visited
quietdeath* refinanced the house
August
* helped host the Malden party
* professional conference
* started moving forward with a few personal opportunities
* informational interview in the manufacturing sector
September
* 25th anniversary IgNoble ceremony with Chiquita
* Mt Auburn cemetery with my mom
As such I plan on doing some hiking on January 1st, since work obligingly gives it to me off. If you are interested in this as well let me know. I am happy to plan an excursion, as I am going either way.
Before the wedding
Before the ritual each said a brief speech.
The party seemed to go well, although I retreated after making sure
It was a lovely day, which I was glad to have been part of. So high time to record my recollections before I forget more.
The Friday before my birthday, I took the day off and wandered the city on my own. I spent a lot of time downtown, in particular in the Boston Commons. I did some drawing of the large fountain near Park Street Station and listened to young musicians. I lay on a blanket on the grass, enjoying the weather and the movement of people. I did some knitting and wandered down Newbury Street to get some birthday yarn. (Windsor Button I miss you!) In general it was a day devoted to whimsy and art, which a thing that needs to be indulged in periodically.
Then that evening
The day of my birthday was also a planned beach outing for R's birthday. When
curly_chick & T. T & J brought their kids. And G & A were there with the girls. There was a very good turn out, and I got to meet and talk at some length to several new people. (And hey if you know the username of anyone I saw that day, let me know!)Also on my birthday proper the whole family (with the delightful Popple) went out for Thai at Sweet Ginger, which I wasn't familiar with in Somerville. Popple got the spiciest thing ever and tried to smoke out the entire restaurant. We were not to be deterred though, and opening the door helped the stressed HVAC system cope with the problem. (Love you Popple!) Not only was I appreciative of tasty Thai food, but also I appreciated everyone's consideration of the fact that I really like to financially support places in my home city. Then afterwards we headed to the movies, where we saw Monsters University with G with her girls as well. Fun!
I received thoughtful cards from
And of course I got to go on a waterfall rappelling adventure with
There was lots of amazing experiences with people I care about, AND I got to turn a prime number.
So last weekend
salvbard and I went waterfall rappelling with Northeast Mountaineering at Ripley Falls. Originally crazybone has planned to go with us, but unfortunately they had such an unexpected response to their promotion that they filled very quickly. The date we were able to grab was sadly in conflict with one of shows the radio plays he was in.Despite the disappointment that he was unable to join us, it was an amazing day. It is a lovely trip in general, although there was some frustration in finding the bunkhouse. (Apparently most GPS and even Google maps get very confused about their location. In the future a better location to look for is Storyland as they are just a minute down the road.
This adventure is classed as beginner, which I think was reasonable. There is a moderate hike in to the falls from the parking lot, which I was grateful for to warm up muscles that were stiff from sitting in the car for so long.
We had three guides with us and 6 rappellers. They say that generally they only go up to 8 at a time unless it is one group altogether, to avoid people having to stand around as much. (Rappeling was done one at a time with another line for assisting if necessary.) One of the guides was fairly new (the intern) but she explained things really well. And one of the two guys in particular seemed very experiences. Waiting at the top of the falls we talked a lot about travel and the places he has been/hiked/climbed. His next trip was for a mountain near the Nepal/Tibet boarder.
I have never rappelled before, although
salvbard has. (He was correspondingly more graceful and had more control.) I was gratified though that I had decent endurance, and the hand and upper body strength I have acquired from pole dancing class was useful. There was one spot that was hard for everyone just because it was a slightly longer drop down than could be done in even a large step, but honestly once you got past that (it was near the beginning) it was very straightforward. I think even if you were not as active as I am though, you could absolutely do this as an experience. Level of strength and activity just makes it easier and with less soreness the next day(s).Unfortunately my shoe-wear was not as good as I had hoped. I hadn't fully realized how bad my sandals (which are nominally waterproof) were once they got soaked. Specifically the Velcro on the back of the heel did not want to stay closed once it was really wet. So I was a little shaken after the first descent.
In the end though, I did do another run, which went a little more smoothly than the first. I think this was mostly due to a little bit of experience and knowing more what to expect, but they were done two slightly different ways. The first run was done with the assist line being done from the top, and the second (and third in
salvbard 's case) was from the bottom. As they were just ready to assist if needed, this was more of a difference simply because the ropes were threaded differently, and so the assist line was a little more out of your way on the later climb.All and all, this was a really cool experience, and I was glad to have done it. Doing so with the waterfall in particular made it a little crazy and exciting. I would do it with a waterfall again, but I am glad that this was not a particularly difficult rappel, as the waterfall added interest enough. It did get me more interested in regular rappelling (and conversely climbing although we didn't do any) than I think I would have been otherwise though.
- Current Location:Niagara Falls, NY
Live flowers are like reminders of hope and promise of fruition to come. Cut flowers seem more like appreciating the good and beautiful things before they are gone. Both are important messages, but apparently we are going with the latter today.
- Current Mood:
sad
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products
We are well into the gardening preseason. Which is to say that I am hard at work with planning, but it is still too early to plant yet.
In terms of what is already in the ground:
Daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips are up but not budding yet. At least in my yard they have a few more weeks unless they are forced by unseasonably warm weather. None of the more delicate leafed perennials are out yet as it is too early. The garlic is unreasonably cheerful and thriving, and the chives are doing well.
I find my thoughts hanging on the fact that I want to get out and prune, which I could start to do anyways. Last year I wished I had more vigorously pruned back the roses, and that I could do sooner than later. The fruit trees are just starting to have close budded blossoms. The plum trees have to wait all the way past blooming to the first formation of leaves, but the other fruit trees can be a little earlier (but not yet).
The wisteria will need some loving chopping back but I am not sure when to start that. I should do some research.
Things i need to remember:
The asiatic lillies in the back yard need to be transplanted, as they are not getting quite enough sun and were spindly as a result of last year's move. The potato tower might be good to disassemble back to it's stage one state. I need to check the heather for any new growth this spring as I am not sure it survived our neighbors very thoughtful salting of the sidewalk. Tomatoes and peppers must move this year to give that bed a break. I should think about what would be good next in rotation there.
Any body interested in sharing?
I want to remulch the tiny corner bed with the lilacs and hosta. It is only like a 2.5' by 2.5' bed though, so I don't need a whole bag.
This year I would like to make some infrastructure changes to the altar garden, including adding a small flat shelf for offerings. I am not sure on whether the logistics of that will mean moving the wigeila or just trimming them back a bunch as they are overgrown from not doing so last year. And i need some good ideas for things to put on the top tier, which was empty last year.
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To that end, I have started doing the Illustration Friday prompts over on my craft blog. I feel super fortunate to have found a compatriot to join me in this venture and to help keep me accountable. If you have any interest in joining us, then the more the merrier. Please make sure to let me know where you post your art if you end up doing so, so that I can make sure I keep up with your posts.
I already posted my response to the first prompt of the year, so feel free to take a wander over if you feel so inclined.
The theme for this week is "edge" which is so deliciously full of potential. I feel like I copped out on this one a bit, but hey art!
Denver, CO
The Forks, ME
Berlin, MA
Boston, MA
Malden, MA
Mount Washington, MA
Plymouth, MA
Somerville, MA
Hudson, NY
Slippery Rock, PA
Austin, TX
Irving, TX
McKinney, TX
This year's list is a little longer than I remembered somehow, but I have lots of fond memories associated with each of these places. There was a bit more travel and adventure than many years and yet lots of places I felt safe and loved.
So the paperwork came home last night for Chiquita's picture day at school. Apparently this year all pictures are being done in front of a green screen. So the default backgrounds this year are (classic) blue or "outdoors."
Bizarre! It makes me strangely nostalgic for the shooting star background. You know back in the day when there were a bunch of pull-shade-like backgrounds. Since it is all green screen anyways, shouldn't I also get the option to inflict my nostalgia on my child?
(No I wouldn't really. She is freaked out enough that the picture from this year will be on her high school ID for the next 4 years.)
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- Current Location:US, Massachusetts, Boston, Suffolk, Charles St
Sunday: chicken drumsticks, rice, and farm share veggies
Monday: eggplant bolognese
Tuesday: ham steaks, colcannon, steamed carrots
Wednesday: minestrone soup
Thursday: - game -
Friday: - up to
salvbard and jasraAt the bus stop this morning there was a little girl who was delighting in the fact that she could both see her reflection in the glass bus stop wall as well as see through it. She told her mom "I am in the trash!" with great delight and a touch of the enticingly forbidden. I was really impressed by her mom too, encouraging her to think but not pushing in a direction: parental love and support at its most unassuming.
They got on the bus with me, the same bus I take all the time. There the little girl shyly greeted a man in a suit and tie whom she didn't know. He later joined in on the discussion she and her mom were having about possibly getting a treat at Dunkin Donuts before school (preschool from her age). Then a hardworn middle aged woman joined in with just a few words.
The little girl waved to everyone (both involved in the conversation and not) when it was time for her and her mom to go, and she received many waves in return.
It would be fair to think that this all by itself was magic enough, and you would not be wrong. But then something even more magical happened: all those closed adults on their morning commute who had opened just a little for a sparkling little girl, they stayed open.
They discussed the best local bakeries and pastry shops. They compared notes on different aspects of their lives, and it gained momentum. Several more adults joined in the conversation, including the bus driver. And as we arrived at our destination I heard an exchange of names between some unlikely pairs. "Hi Daryl, it was very nice to meet you."
All these adults rediscovering themselves and sharing despite the superficial differences of background, appearance, and affluence and finding a way to break out of their insulative commute bubbles in order to do so: magic indeed.
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- Current Location:US, Massachusetts, Boston, Suffolk, Braddock Park, 67
Clearly this post isn't late, it is just part of a greater plan to extend an extended birthday even further.
Happy birthday jasra!
I hope the coming year allows for contentment. (It is not overrated!) May your work logistics work out in a way you are happier with, such that you get to spend more time with the community you had been developing there. And may those you work with both professionally and on a volunteer basis appreciated the time and skills you regularly bring to bear to help them. I wish for you constructive criticism, cooperative working, and a free flow of the information you need when you optimally need it.
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- Current Location:US, Massachusetts, Boston, Suffolk, Portland St, 170
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