What's going on:
Laura has some great ideas for getting some of us motivated, community focused people together and starting our own tall ship program. That's very exciting stuff. Maybe it's not just a pipe dream? Not if we pool our efforts!
Had a twinge of envy during the last week - getting emails from Andrew, who's in Morrocco with his girlfriend; Amy, who is on her way to Hong Kong; and Jarad, temporarily living in Prague. But my goals are keeping me motivated.
Polly and I have discovered Yahoo Messenger and it might very well get us fired.
Jesika is still stuck in the OC. Read her blog though. It's funny.
Lots of folks are joining the myspace tall ship sailors group. We've already got Jimmy, Laura, Erin, Bhodi, Jesika, Allegra, Kent (Ingalls, not BuntMan), Kento, Carley, Stacey, Marty, Matt Gempler, plus a bunch of new sailors and volunteers I've never met, and many many east coast sailors as well! So join up. It's free!
I hear that Steven Mann is going to captain the Lady again! Captain Steven is an excellent sailor. He and The Boy will make a great team. I almost wish I was there to join them. But a month in Sac? Forget it!
That's about it. I'll be visiting Oregon sometime in the Spring. Let me know if you're in the area at that time...
oh and I found a good line in a song called Loose Lips by Kimya Dawson, regarding the below post:
"they think that we're disposable but our thumbs are opposable"
Apathy is My Enemy
My rant for the week:
For everyone out there who says "I'm don't even care about voting, because nowadays most people's votes don't even matter."
I say this - I believe that eventually the conflict between the popular vote and electoral college will spark change. At the very least, every vote helps government and the public see where the people really stand.
I have the option to be just a social security number and a tally on the census, but too many people fought for my right to have some small say in things. How shitty it is to disregard that!
For everyone out there who says "I'm don't even care about voting, because nowadays most people's votes don't even matter."
I say this - I believe that eventually the conflict between the popular vote and electoral college will spark change. At the very least, every vote helps government and the public see where the people really stand.
I have the option to be just a social security number and a tally on the census, but too many people fought for my right to have some small say in things. How shitty it is to disregard that!
ADF
onto other, less important topics....quite possibly the coolest place in Austin is the Alamo Draft House. It's a large theater with every other row of seats removed and replaced with long narrow tables and a lowered walking aisle. You look at the menu (great microbrews, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, espresso, etc.) and then write your order on a piece of paper. Then you prop the paper up with a little clip on the table. The waiter sees it from afar, discreetly retrieves it, and arrives 10-20 min later with your food. But that's just the food service... the coolest thing about ADF is audience interaction. Some shows are specifically designed for audience interaction (the Michael Jackson video singalong, complete with props; Videoke, where you choose a movie clip to reenact on stage while the movie clip plays behind you; The Mr. Sinus Show (a twist on Mystery Science Theater), where three great local comedians play a cheesy movie like Red Dawn and throw in jokes throughout) but even when it's just a regular movie, people here are so used to the comfort of ADF that they feel just fine laughing really loud or calling out "bring it, Michael!". Not to the point where it's annoying - just to where it feels like we're all hanging out together like old friends. Why don't they do this in Seattle? Everyone gets so stuffy up there sometimes!
Anyway, they've got a great lineup for Halloween month! Check this out:
THE WOLFMAN GYPSY FEAST
(There is also a ticket option for the movie only, without the meal)
Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms, and the moon is full and bright. We're thrilled to present the classic horror tale THE WOLF MAN starring Lon Chaney Jr. and Claude Rains with a special Gypsy feast that will bring out the beast in food lovers everywhere.
We start with Roast red peppers stuffed with roast chicken and three onions, and then an authentic gypsy Found vegetable soup, the main course is Matho Ballo - Pork with whiskey sauce, corn cakes, and braised kale, for dessert we have Bakhlava with apricot and pistachio.
Showings (click on a show time to buy tickets):
Sunday, October 16
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Serenity
Nostalgic for that boat-family feeling? Check out my favorite movie so far this year...
SERENITY !
(that's the name of the "boat")
and Zoe is KICKASS
Cancer Horoscope
I'm no anticapitalist. By all means, you should go out and make some dough. But don't let it conflict too much with your own short- and long-term happiness, which is something I lately suspect you of doing. I think there should be a maximum ceiling on how long you let yourself be miserable, especially when it comes to just making money. There are ways and there are ways. If you really think sacrificing your well-being and capacity for joy just to receive a pitifully small paycheck is your only option, you're not being creative or resourceful enough. You're probably underestimating yourself, too. Let this Libra new moon be the end of that bullshit and the beginning of a chapter where profit and happiness can coexist.
Better Than Grog Blog
My beloved sea cook, one of the cutest and best women I know (don't tell her I called her cute), started a blog. Can I believe it? No. But lucky for the world she did, because the imagery in her writing kicks ass. I love her and miss her so much!!!
link! link! -----> JeSiKa StaRR
link! link! -----> JeSiKa StaRR
ACL Fest
Landon got me a free pass to the Austin City Limits music festival for tonight. I get to see Keane (whom I have a slight crush on), Spoon, Thievery Corporation and John Prine. Sweet!
Free Tibet!
I got to see a glimpse of the Dalai Lama today. He's touring the building where I work right now.
filler
I have no patience for learning HTML and my pic of Tu & Mathilde
was covered up by my profile crap on the right, so I'm putting this up
because I had it in photobucket - it'll push Tu's pic down so you can
see it. This is an old collage that I had thought of using as a
background on Myspace. Pics of me as a kid, my dad and his cabin, my
old RV, living in the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Halloween as a cannibal,
etc...
was covered up by my profile crap on the right, so I'm putting this up
because I had it in photobucket - it'll push Tu's pic down so you can
see it. This is an old collage that I had thought of using as a
background on Myspace. Pics of me as a kid, my dad and his cabin, my
old RV, living in the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Halloween as a cannibal,
etc...
My friends' babies
While I haven't met them yet, I'm pretty excited about my friends'
babies. My shipmates are unique people, so when two fascinating people
have a child, I'm so curious and excited about their development!
Here's Mathilde & Tu. Noelle said she will be sending more pics too.
babies. My shipmates are unique people, so when two fascinating people
have a child, I'm so curious and excited about their development!
Here's Mathilde & Tu. Noelle said she will be sending more pics too.
Hold fast to ye trusstackles!
Monday is National Talk Like A Pirate Day and Landon wants me to come to the downtown Austin bar where he bartends and join the festivities. The Jolly GAAAAR!rogers are playing.
I'll try not to school them when they start calling their beer grog and on the true meaning of A Hoy.
Spoke at length with Noelle on the phone yesterday! It was so nice to catch up. You people know that all my friends are virtual now, right? The phone is as close as I get to real and consistent interaction. Anyway, Noelle had a seriously painful delivery but said it was totally worth it, of course, and it sounds like she, Craig and Ewan are doing well even though they have to live in Modesto, CA for awhile. Both she and Tu are excited about the Attachment Parenting methods that they are practicing. While I was on the phone with Noelle she was giggling because Craig was making her smell the lavender he had picked outside. And I could hear Ewan gurgling baby-style in the background. I lightheartedly spoke of my depression and negativity since I'd moved to Texas and she said "well at least you're positive about being negative!" which I thought was funny.
Did I already mention on this blog how OBSESSED I am with the canceled tv show "Firefly"?? There's a movie called "Serenity" coming out. Before you see it you should rent the 4 Firefly cds. This show is so cool because the crew on the ship Serenity interact just like us sailors. Different backgrounds, similar terminology, an awesome captain, cool engineer... and my fave is Zoe. I want to be just like her!!! This show is made by the same people who did Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
So now I join the ranks not only of the people who spend too much time online, but also the people who become obsessed with certain TV shows. And so it goes with Life on Land.
I'll try not to school them when they start calling their beer grog and on the true meaning of A Hoy.
Spoke at length with Noelle on the phone yesterday! It was so nice to catch up. You people know that all my friends are virtual now, right? The phone is as close as I get to real and consistent interaction. Anyway, Noelle had a seriously painful delivery but said it was totally worth it, of course, and it sounds like she, Craig and Ewan are doing well even though they have to live in Modesto, CA for awhile. Both she and Tu are excited about the Attachment Parenting methods that they are practicing. While I was on the phone with Noelle she was giggling because Craig was making her smell the lavender he had picked outside. And I could hear Ewan gurgling baby-style in the background. I lightheartedly spoke of my depression and negativity since I'd moved to Texas and she said "well at least you're positive about being negative!" which I thought was funny.
Did I already mention on this blog how OBSESSED I am with the canceled tv show "Firefly"?? There's a movie called "Serenity" coming out. Before you see it you should rent the 4 Firefly cds. This show is so cool because the crew on the ship Serenity interact just like us sailors. Different backgrounds, similar terminology, an awesome captain, cool engineer... and my fave is Zoe. I want to be just like her!!! This show is made by the same people who did Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
So now I join the ranks not only of the people who spend too much time online, but also the people who become obsessed with certain TV shows. And so it goes with Life on Land.
Vegetarian Poodle Clipping
Heard Zappa on the radio lately? Well this is for you, Captain
Christopher, along with Rage lovers, Guns n Roses, and many other
rarely heard tunes can be heard on KAOS. Find it in iTunes free radio
under "Public". It's a station out of Evergreen State College. I love
the internet!!! But I'm still partial to KEXP.ORG
ANYWAY... the lovely Nanette Brown-Clampitt came to visit me in Austin!
Here she is, standing directly under the largest windchime I've ever
seen at the "Great Outdoors" nursery, where I bought a tomato plant and
a lemon verbena.
We went to Ruta Maya coffee house one morning for coffee and breakfast tacos. There was a toddler yoga class going on.
Then one night we wandered around the 6th street area and found
ourselves exploring the Hilton. We had it all to ourselves! One of the
banquet workers adjusted the lighting to our liking and took our
picture together. The luxury of the Hilton lobbies stands in vivid
contrast next to the convention center. While peering down from the
Hilton lobby lanai we could see cots and clothes belonging to NOLA
evacuees.
Below
are Nanette and Landon along the riverwalk in San Antonio. We toured
the Alamo last Sunday. Fascinating stuff. We rented the movie that
night to complete our All Alamo Sunday.
Christopher, along with Rage lovers, Guns n Roses, and many other
rarely heard tunes can be heard on KAOS. Find it in iTunes free radio
under "Public". It's a station out of Evergreen State College. I love
the internet!!! But I'm still partial to KEXP.ORG
ANYWAY... the lovely Nanette Brown-Clampitt came to visit me in Austin!
Here she is, standing directly under the largest windchime I've ever
seen at the "Great Outdoors" nursery, where I bought a tomato plant and
a lemon verbena.
We went to Ruta Maya coffee house one morning for coffee and breakfast tacos. There was a toddler yoga class going on.
Then one night we wandered around the 6th street area and found
ourselves exploring the Hilton. We had it all to ourselves! One of the
banquet workers adjusted the lighting to our liking and took our
picture together. The luxury of the Hilton lobbies stands in vivid
contrast next to the convention center. While peering down from the
Hilton lobby lanai we could see cots and clothes belonging to NOLA
evacuees.
Below
are Nanette and Landon along the riverwalk in San Antonio. We toured
the Alamo last Sunday. Fascinating stuff. We rented the movie that
night to complete our All Alamo Sunday.
La Grande Hermine - Infiltration
cool site, and fun article (what sailors would enjoy on vacation)
http://www.infiltration.org/boats-hermine.html
...listening to Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker album. I'm really falling for this bluesy alt country rock stuff.
http://www.infiltration.org/boats-hermine.html
...listening to Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker album. I'm really falling for this bluesy alt country rock stuff.
Pride and Self Sufficiency
Andrew emailed and said that the bobstay gave out. He said everyone is in good spirits. Someone else commented on the Bill site and said Leann is not currently aboard Pride 2.
Read a Katrina story by 2 EMS workers who'd been attending training in New Orleans when the hurricane hit.....
Read a Katrina story by 2 EMS workers who'd been attending training in New Orleans when the hurricane hit.....
Pride 2 caught in squall
rec'd from Nathalie Reginster today:
It is believed that Erin and Bhodi are currently crewing on the Pride of Baltimore II. They were supposed to join her crew when she reached Europe. In a transit from Britain to Spain they were hit by a squall - 40 knots and seas to match. They lost the whole rig while at sea. Nobody was hurt. Apparently the bowspint carried away and the fore and main followed suite not long after. Everything went by "the board" as they say (over the side). They motored 80 miles inland and made an emergency landing in France dragging the remnants. My friend App's brother, who is also crewing said its the biggest rats nest he's ever seen. The spars have all been reduced to kindling and some of the sails are salvageable.
See the article for more info
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/4941345/detail.html-
... and as far as I know, Andrew Mckee is still first mate on board, and Leann from Lynx is there too.
... and as far as I know, Andrew Mckee is still first mate on board, and Leann from Lynx is there too.
So Much To Click
I'm attach some new links to my blog here, but here's a preview:
Bleep.com is great for previewing good music. Search for " PROEM " and listen to my favorite tune on the Socially Inept album, it's Number 3 (Invisible For All). Proem is Richard Bailey, my fellow coworker in the dungeon where I work. He'll be performing at Chop Suey for the Decibel Festival on Thursday, September 22nd.
Join the crew (literally) on myspace. Erin& Bhodi from Lady Washington, Hawaiian Chieftain, Bill of Rights, Amistad, Bounty and Pride 2; Laura Levin from LAMI & Ocean Institute; Macgregor from Lady Washington and Bill of Rights; Jimmy Mcmanus from Talofa and Bill of Rights; Stacey Lary from Lady Washington and Adventuress; Meghan from Lynx and Lady Maryland; plus some other cool people from around the country are already part of the Tall Ship Sailors group and we're checking in almost daily.
my other favorite links:
Captain Mason Marsh's blog from Portland, OR (one of my old captains from Lady Washington)
Yuri Padowinikof's blog from Tortola's West End, British Virgin Islands (friend and shipmate)
Ian Spain's blog from Moldovia, where he's doing Peace Corp work (worked aboard Providence, Denis Sullivan and Lady Maryland)
Sam Levin's blog - ALWAYS interesting! (my fellow deckhand during my brief time on Providence)
Bleep.com is great for previewing good music. Search for " PROEM " and listen to my favorite tune on the Socially Inept album, it's Number 3 (Invisible For All). Proem is Richard Bailey, my fellow coworker in the dungeon where I work. He'll be performing at Chop Suey for the Decibel Festival on Thursday, September 22nd.
Join the crew (literally) on myspace. Erin& Bhodi from Lady Washington, Hawaiian Chieftain, Bill of Rights, Amistad, Bounty and Pride 2; Laura Levin from LAMI & Ocean Institute; Macgregor from Lady Washington and Bill of Rights; Jimmy Mcmanus from Talofa and Bill of Rights; Stacey Lary from Lady Washington and Adventuress; Meghan from Lynx and Lady Maryland; plus some other cool people from around the country are already part of the Tall Ship Sailors group and we're checking in almost daily.
my other favorite links:
Captain Mason Marsh's blog from Portland, OR (one of my old captains from Lady Washington)
Yuri Padowinikof's blog from Tortola's West End, British Virgin Islands (friend and shipmate)
Ian Spain's blog from Moldovia, where he's doing Peace Corp work (worked aboard Providence, Denis Sullivan and Lady Maryland)
Sam Levin's blog - ALWAYS interesting! (my fellow deckhand during my brief time on Providence)
Erotic Irony
I have a weekend to myself. It's bliss. My body is so tense from worry and guilt - not feeling or acting the way other people think I should or wish that I would. "Be happy! Just want you to be happy, Kim!" That's what everyone says and my response is a resounding LEAVE ME ALONE! Mike W. and I once had a discussion about the kinds of music we listened to. I chose music that lifted me up and avoided the more depressing tones and lyrics that he often enjoyed. He didn't find his music depressing, and even if it was, he said that he liked experiencing different emotions "good" or "bad" when listening to music.
I've had two major personal revolutions in my life when it comes to music. After growing up in a classic rock/top 40 saturated suburban high school and neighborhood, a fit of rebelliousness at the age of 15 led me to run off and live with my estranged mother in what Seattle calls it's ghetto (it's not). My new friends included the jazz bands from both Roosevelt and Garfield High Schools, and my stepfather turned out to be a professional jazz musician. These friends unknowingly taught me to really listen to the individual instruments being used, and they encouraged me to join the concert band (they were lacking a baritone horn player). For several years after this I'd say my musical interests were not up to par with my punk/alternative/indie obsessed friends now, but they were a huge step above the Jimmy Buffet my dad raised me on, plus all things Madonna and MTV.
The 2nd big change in my interests was over a period of years. When I was 20 I was in love with Ray Robson, a 29 year old punk music junkie from a big family in Pennslyvania, who looked like Henry Rollins and had an immense library with bands like Built to Spill and Poison Idea. He made audio tapes for me and taught me how to shoot big shotguns and handguns in the Idaho wilderness. My best friend at the time was Maiya Jones, the first girl I ever kissed. She made me tapes with the Cranes, Wolfgang Press and the Butthole Surfers. Maiya and I would walk the back alleys of Boise while Ray and our husbands who were both old enough to drink watched shows at the Neurolux. We had to go to a kiddie hole in the wall but we OWNED that place when we got on stage and danced. Years later I dated a few musicians in Seattle who opened my eyes to some great stuff. Now I've become a pretentious snob compared to the masses who thoroughly enjoy top 40 and whatever else is played on the usual stations.
Anyway, the whole point is that good music is important to me. Regardless of the lyrics, it's a more evolved and peaceful type of communication than all the words that get me in trouble. Compared to many people here, I now listen to the "sad" stuff. And I like it that way. So I know what Mike W. was talking about. Watching all the frat boys and sorority girls dance around town with bleached blonde hair and beers in their hands makes me want to wait out my time in my two caves: the stone block air conditioned little house I live in, and the tiny oppressive office where I work. But I don't exactly flourish under flourescent lights so I go outside every now and then.
In Other News: I've begun reading Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth". Here's 2 quotes I like so far:
regarding the Hero's Journey...
"It's not to deny reason. To the contrary, by overcoming the dark passions, the hero symbolizes our ability to control the irrational savage within us."
and, regarding truth in writing...
"The writer must be true to truth... And that's a killer, because the only way you can describe a human being truly is by describing his imperfections. The perfect human being is uninteresting--the Buddha who leaves the world, you know. It is the imperfections of life that are lovable. And when the writer sends a dart of the true word, it hurts. But it goes with love. This is what Mann called "erotic irony," the love for that which you are killing with your cruel, analytical word."
Now I can better describe why Bhuddism has never been for me. And anyone who knows me knows why I relate to the rest of this latter quote.
I've had two major personal revolutions in my life when it comes to music. After growing up in a classic rock/top 40 saturated suburban high school and neighborhood, a fit of rebelliousness at the age of 15 led me to run off and live with my estranged mother in what Seattle calls it's ghetto (it's not). My new friends included the jazz bands from both Roosevelt and Garfield High Schools, and my stepfather turned out to be a professional jazz musician. These friends unknowingly taught me to really listen to the individual instruments being used, and they encouraged me to join the concert band (they were lacking a baritone horn player). For several years after this I'd say my musical interests were not up to par with my punk/alternative/indie obsessed friends now, but they were a huge step above the Jimmy Buffet my dad raised me on, plus all things Madonna and MTV.
The 2nd big change in my interests was over a period of years. When I was 20 I was in love with Ray Robson, a 29 year old punk music junkie from a big family in Pennslyvania, who looked like Henry Rollins and had an immense library with bands like Built to Spill and Poison Idea. He made audio tapes for me and taught me how to shoot big shotguns and handguns in the Idaho wilderness. My best friend at the time was Maiya Jones, the first girl I ever kissed. She made me tapes with the Cranes, Wolfgang Press and the Butthole Surfers. Maiya and I would walk the back alleys of Boise while Ray and our husbands who were both old enough to drink watched shows at the Neurolux. We had to go to a kiddie hole in the wall but we OWNED that place when we got on stage and danced. Years later I dated a few musicians in Seattle who opened my eyes to some great stuff. Now I've become a pretentious snob compared to the masses who thoroughly enjoy top 40 and whatever else is played on the usual stations.
Anyway, the whole point is that good music is important to me. Regardless of the lyrics, it's a more evolved and peaceful type of communication than all the words that get me in trouble. Compared to many people here, I now listen to the "sad" stuff. And I like it that way. So I know what Mike W. was talking about. Watching all the frat boys and sorority girls dance around town with bleached blonde hair and beers in their hands makes me want to wait out my time in my two caves: the stone block air conditioned little house I live in, and the tiny oppressive office where I work. But I don't exactly flourish under flourescent lights so I go outside every now and then.
In Other News: I've begun reading Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth". Here's 2 quotes I like so far:
regarding the Hero's Journey...
"It's not to deny reason. To the contrary, by overcoming the dark passions, the hero symbolizes our ability to control the irrational savage within us."
and, regarding truth in writing...
"The writer must be true to truth... And that's a killer, because the only way you can describe a human being truly is by describing his imperfections. The perfect human being is uninteresting--the Buddha who leaves the world, you know. It is the imperfections of life that are lovable. And when the writer sends a dart of the true word, it hurts. But it goes with love. This is what Mann called "erotic irony," the love for that which you are killing with your cruel, analytical word."
Now I can better describe why Bhuddism has never been for me. And anyone who knows me knows why I relate to the rest of this latter quote.
