Main » Random
April 3, 2008
The Return of Doctor Who
Doctor Who fans, season 4 is about to start, at least in the UK. I am completely and unabashedly in love with this show and its star David Tennant. Took an episode or two to recover from the loss of Christopher Eccleston and his sexy, swagger Doctor. Tennant is decidedly more subtle in his performance than Eccleston. But, boy can he act. He skillfully fills the range required by the role. Charming, exuberant, funny, determined, loving, sad, lonely, Tennant can navigate across all of these qualities and emotions within moments. The good Doctor returns for another adventure-filled season and I can't wait. Billy Piper comes back. Catherine Tate joins the cast. Here's a review.
Who is your favorite Doctor Who?
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (0)
February 20, 2008
It's About Time
Stanford announces financial aid enhancements.
Stanford University today announced the largest increase in its history for its financial aid program for undergraduates.Under the new program, parents with incomes of less than $100,000 will no longer pay tuition. Parents with incomes of less than $60,000 will not be expected to pay tuition or contribute to the costs of room, board and other expenses.
The program also eliminates the need for student loans.
Other significant enhancements have been made to the program that will benefit aid recipients at all levels of income.
When I was at business school I heard former Stanford president Donald Kennedy speak on the need for those of us "best and brightest" to go into public service. I talked to Mr. Kennedy after his talk about the financial realities of this. When I got out of undergrad my school loan payments were as high as my rent. There is no way I could afford to take a job that didn't pay much. In fact, my observation was that the only people who could afford to work for non-profits were those with trust funds, or those who had gone to a state school and weren't loaded down by debt.
I didn't pay off my combined business school and undergrad loans until I was in my mid-thirties, and then I celebrated by throwing a "zero net worth" party.
As an alumn, I'm tired of having my donations to the school go to maintaining more and bigger buildings. Stanford has a huge endowment, one of the largest in the country. There is no excuse to saddle their students with huge debt burdens that take decades to pay off and limit career choices.
Thanks to similar announcements by top tier East Coast schools, Stanford has been compelled to offer more aggressive financial aid, just to stay competitive.
All I can say is that it is about time.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (0)
August 28, 2007
Time
Photo by Shuna Fish Lydon
Someone sent me an email to request a conversation with me tomorrow at 2:00 pm. Ever since I stopped wearing a watch with regularity a couple of years ago I've been struck by how tethered we are as a culture to the idea of hours and minutes. Time, as in the time of day, days of the week, is so woven into the fabric of our lives that we have a hard time organizing ourselves without considering it. We have difficulty imagining what a day would be like if it weren't broken up into hours and minutes.
Slots to be filled with useful activities.
So, when someone wants to have a phone conversation with me, instead of just picking up the phone, they send an email, and try to find a particular slot, bounded by numbers, in which I might be available to talk with them, in a particular slot, bounded by numbers, which works well for them.
Don't people just pick up the phone and call anymore?
The problem is that now that I work for myself, building a business that requires just my creative attention, not a consulting business that is bonded to time constraints of clients, I have a hard time with doing anything at an appointed time, and submit to it only because it is necessary and important to others. There is also TV; Dr. Who comes on at 8 pm on Friday and if I miss it, god help me if I can find a rerun. I get almost a little panicky around the hours that I need to remember, because so out-of-time-consciousness am I that I easily, completely forget. Yet when I need to wake up at a specific time, I can do so, without an alarm. Can you?
Days are a bit easier. Wednesday in the food section. Saturday I can usually get some work done because I'm not bombarded by a hundred emails that need answering. Sunday is church, whether I go or not. I'm addicted to 2 TV programs at the moment, but I don't usually remember that they are on until a half hour before. Monday dinner, "oh, the Closer is on." Friday dinner, "Yikes! Dr. Who starts in 5 minutes." (Except when it doesn't. Half the time our cable company shifts it to another time slot on Friday. Ironic. Dr. Who is a time lord.)
Posted by elise to Random, Social Commentary | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (5)
June 2, 2007
Free Credit Report
Just found out about this in the New York Times. You can get a copy of your credit report for free at http://www.annualcreditreport.com. Amazing, my report lists my addresses back 20 years.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
March 16, 2007
Elise on Japanese "Blog TV"
My interview starts a few minutes into the segment.
I was recently interviewed on Technorati Japan's Blog TV, a part of which apparently really gets broadcast on to TV over there. Also interviewed in the segment are David Sifry, CEO of Technorati, and Ben and Mena Trott, founders of Six Apart, the company that makes Typepad, Vox, LiveJournal, and Movable Type blogging tools. The interview was held in Technorati's South-of-Market San Francisco offices, by Fumi Yamasaki, marketing manager for Technorati Japan, and director Shuichi Fujiyasu.
Continue reading "Elise on Japanese "Blog TV""
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (3)
January 26, 2007
Why Tree Work is So Expensive
For the last 3 days my brother Matt has been cutting back one of our walnut trees. Our house was built in a former walnut orchard and all of the walnut trees around here have reached the end of their natural life and are dying. Matt is a tree man, or at least he used to be. Now that he's in his forties he prefers to sell tree equipment. Anyway, the tree he was working on was a monster. It used to shade most of the back yard until just a few years ago when the leaves got smaller and the limbs started dying.
Continue reading "Why Tree Work is So Expensive"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (4)
December 30, 2006
What Kind of Superhero are You?
Well, at least it's not the Hulk. Wonder what Batman's got on me? :-)My results:
I am Wonder Woman
|
You are a beautiful princess with great strength of character.  |
Continue reading "What Kind of Superhero are You?"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (3)
November 2, 2006
My Sister on the Dr. Phil Show
My little sister Karen works for Film Roman, the studio responsible for The Simpsons. Up until now (she's been there since Season 2) the biggest perks I recall have been discounts on Simpsons merchandise. Comes in handy around the holidays. But recently she actually had a cameo on Dr. Phil, when Dr. Phil did a snippet on being made into a cartoon character for this year's Halloween Simpsons. Okay, so her 15 minutes of fame is actually about 3 seconds, but still. It's Dr. Phil! How cool is that?
They took down the clip! :-(
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (0)
October 24, 2006
Cooking with the Girl Scouts
A couple of weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure of leading Junior Girl Scout Troop 2656 of Massachusetts in a cooking class at the home of my friend Heidi and her Girl Scout daughter Reilly (age 9). We made chocolate mint pudding cakes in individual ramekins. The girls all pitched in and practiced or discussed buttering the ramekins, breaking eggs and separating eggs (a fun, gooey mess), raw egg safety, and how to measure out flour (don't scoop with the measuring cup, but something else and gently add the flour into the measuring cup making sure not to compact the flour). The good news was that the pudding cakes only took 11 minutes to cook, leaving plenty of time to prep, cook, and eat the cakes.
Many thanks to troop leaders Dale and Diana, our hostess Heidi, and the girls of Troop 2656!
Continue reading "Cooking with the Girl Scouts"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
October 3, 2006
The Barney Song
My goddaughter Piper sings the Barney Song.
Twice.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (4)
September 15, 2006
Chen Style Tai Chi
Amazing. This kid must be 8 or 9 years old, and he's already mastering tai chi.
Here's another example.
Continue reading "Chen Style Tai Chi"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
August 13, 2006
Bull Fest 2006 - Mutton Busting
Cody Upton, age 8, of Yuba City, California hangs on for the longest ride of the day
Mutton busting? That's bull riding for little kids, on sheep. Pictured above, Cody Upton, age 8, has been mutton busting since he was 4. He'll have to retire soon, though, as he is out-growing the sheep. You can find mutton busting events at many rodeos; this one was at the California State Fair Bull Fest event. (See more Bull Fest photos on my Flickr slideshow.)
Continue reading "Bull Fest 2006 - Mutton Busting"
Posted by elise to Fun things to do, Random, Sacramento | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (2)
June 19, 2006
New Zealand All Blacks
Just got back from several days in Auckland, New Zealand. By an incredibly lucky coincidence, I was staying at the same hotel as the New Zealand national rugby team - the All Blacks. By another amazing coincidence, my client Jane used to work in marketing for the All Blacks. And, they happened to be having a game against Ireland on Saturday night (June 17, 06). And, there were two tickets still available in the covered area of the stands, not subject to the pouring rain that fell down on the field for most of the game (thank you, Jane Dent!). The game was great fun; the All Blacks won, naturally; my companion Hayden entertained us all with well placed insults to the field and gorgeous Maori songs.
Continue reading "New Zealand All Blacks"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (3)
October 14, 2005
Madly in Love...
...with my goddaughter
Continue reading "Madly in Love..."
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (2)
July 20, 2005
Geodesic Dome Chicken Coop
A few weeks ago at a party I met a terribly interesting couple who built a geodesic dome chicken coop to house their chickens. What I was curious to know was did the chicken coop smell? Every other chicken coop I had been near really smelled bad. Simon and Kathleen invited me to check out their coop in person, which I did the next day. And guess what? The coop simply did not smell, at all. Seems like the deciding factor is having enough room for the chickens to move around. Click on photos for a larger view.
Here I am with Simon feeding the chickens
Simon has even created a live webstream for his chicken coop which can be accessed at http://nakedchicksontheinternet.com, so you can see these happy chickens for yourself.
Continue reading "Geodesic Dome Chicken Coop"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (0)
July 6, 2005
Stockdale
Retired Vice Admiral James Stockdale passed away yesterday, July 5, 2005. He was 81 years old. Most people know of Stockdale as Ross Perot's running mate in the 1992 presidential election and his flubbed debate participation against Al Gore and Dan Quayle. I remember watching this debate, head in hands, upset that not only was Stockdale completely unprepared for the televised event, but that people would walk away not knowing anything of who this man was.
Vice Admiral Stockdale was an American hero of the finest order. Shot down over Vietnam in 1965, he was captured by the North Vietnamese, severely beaten, and placed in a POW prison for seven years. Most of that time he was in solitary confinement. He was routinely tortured. While a prisoner he devised a way to communicate with other prisoners of war by a series of taps on the wall. As the most senior officer in the camp he did his best to keep moral up among the others and to keep them from going insane from the torture. He drew upon the philosophy of the Stoics, which he had studied in graduate school at Stanford, to keep himself sane.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (2)
February 16, 2005
Who Was J.R.R. Tolkien? - Fr. John Folmer
Father John Folmer, of the Sacramento Catholic diocese, gave a fascinating lecture this evening on John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (pictured left), author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These are my notes from the evening.
Fr. Folmer became acquainted with Prof. Tolkien in the mid 60s, when he was a theology student in Europe, through Tolkien's son John, a Catholic priest. Fr. Folmer described an interaction in which he had told Prof. Tolkien that everyone he met in Germany kept on trying to get him to pronounce his name in a more German way. Tolkien then recounted a story of when he was in the first World War. After a battle he came across an injured German officer and in German, asked him if he would like some water. The officer replied that he would. And after Tolkien brought him some water, the officer proceeded to lecture Tolkien regarding his German pronunciation.
Tolkien was born in South Africa and returned to England with his mother and younger brother when he was three. His father died in South Africa before he could rejoin them. His mother received help from both sides of the family to raise her family, until she converted to Catholicism, which alienated both sides of the family from her. She died of diabetes when Tolkien was still quite young and JRR (Ronald as he was known) and his younger brother were taken care of by a Catholic priest from the Birmingham Oratory, founded by John Henry Cardinal Newman.
Continue reading "Who Was J.R.R. Tolkien? - Fr. John Folmer"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (4)
December 24, 2004
Merry Christmas!
Here's wishing you and your family a safe and warm Christmas.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
December 13, 2004
Blow-Out!
Have you ever seen a tire so shredded? This was my adventure this weekend. Saturday afternoon west bound I-80, 75 mph, fast lane. All of a sudden I think the guy in the lane next to me needs a muffler. Then, shit, why is the road so bumpy? Then, what the ? My car is shaking so hard it's all I can do to get it over to the right lane. There's been some road work so there is no shoulder and I'm blocking traffic in the right lane. I call 911 and am assured the CHP is on its way. After a few cars slow down at the last minute to avoid hitting me I realize it is not safe in the car. I walk down a ways and start flagging oncoming traffic away from my car as most cars are zooming by at 70-80 mph.
Fortunately two young men in two different trucks stop and help me out. While I'm diverting traffic, they put on the spare, and by the time the CHP finally shows up 15 minutes later, they are just finishing up. With a handshake and a smile they are on their way. Thank you gentlemen. Thank you for your help and for reminding me that we live in a great country where people will go out of their way to help a stranger.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (4)
October 29, 2004
New Hampshire
Columbus Day weekend with my best little friends. To celebrate Alden's 5th birthday we all went up to New Hampshire for the weekend. Alden and Reilly made the treck up this peak with me and their mom. Somehow Heidi made the last quarter mile or so up with Aldie on her back. Trails are so steep in New England! I guess switchbacks were invented after these trails were made. The trail we climbed is actually a cross-country ski trail, practically straight up. It goes to two peaks, or humps. We made it to the first one; this is the view from the top. Gorgeous fall day.
Continue reading "New Hampshire"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
October 24, 2004
If Cats and Dogs Could Blog
Click to enlarge
Seen over at Small Pieces Loosely Joined.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (0)
October 23, 2004
Carlisle in the Fall
I know no more beautiful place than Carlisle, Mass in the fall.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (0)
October 15, 2004
Smokey Day in Sacramento
Click to enlarge
There are three simultaneous fires going on in the region. Yesterday, Oct 14, was the smokiest day I've ever seen here. You could look directly at the sun without a problem all day.
Posted by elise to Random, Sacramento | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
July 8, 2004
Which Tarot Card Are You?
You are the the Hierophant card. The Hierophant, called The Pope in some decks, is the preserver of cultural traditions. After entering The Emperor's society, The Hierophant teaches us its wisdom. The Hierophant learns and teaches our cultural traditions. The discoveries our ancestors have made influence the present. Without forces such as The Hierophant who are able to interpret and communicate traditional lore, each generation would have to begin to earn anew. As a force that is concentrated on our past and our culture, The Hierophant can sometimes be stubborn and set in his ways. This is a negative trait he shares with his zodiac sign, Taurus. But like Taurus he is productive. His traditional lore can provide a source of inspiration for the creatively inclined, and his knowledge provides an excellent foundation for those who come into their own in the business world.Seems like 2004 is the year of the Who Are You quiz. So many different types. Thanks to Scribbling Woman for the tip. Looks like we are both Hierophants - wise stubborn sages.
Image from: Morgan E. Cauthers-Knox.
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/m/o/morganc/morganc.html
Which Tarot Card Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (2)
June 18, 2004
Seven Commandments for Being an Extraordinary Person
26 years ago, I spent two weekends in an remarkable workshop that eventually developed into what is now known as The Forum, by Landmark Education. My main insight at the time, which has served me well throughout my adult life, is that the way I see the world, my belief-system, is only just one view, one perspective, how my mind makes order out of the universe. Everything I know to be true is just my interpretation. This insight helped crack my mind wide open, allowing me to thoughtfully entertain new ideas, adopting them for my own if they worked for me, and letting go of intellectual prejudices that no longer served me.
The second insight was that I, and only I, was responsible for my experience, happiness, and life. I could never again blame anybody else if I didn't like the way my life was working out.
Pretty good for a 17 year old.
Continue reading "Seven Commandments for Being an Extraordinary Person"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
June 4, 2004
Category RSS Newsfeeds
Not Always On now hosts RSS newsfeeds by category. Scroll down on the right hand side and click on "Syndicate this site" to see the feeds. (Click on the link below it - What does this mean? - for an explanation if you are unfamiliar with RSS and Syndication).
Given that this weblog is essentially a brain dump of random information and details I am amazed that 1) anyone other than myself reads it, and 2) that anyone other than my uncle (my only relative who knows what RSS is) would subscribe to the newsfeed of it. I'm pleased and flattered when someone links over here, but also scratch my head and wonder, why? Certainly people who are interested in the New York art postings will not be interested in the Sacramento restaurant postings. I have found myself holding back from truly brain dumping as much as I would like for fear of boring the very few people who do look at this site once in a while.
Continue reading "Category RSS Newsfeeds"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
May 23, 2004
Ice Cream Headache
All about ice cream headaches.
Posted by elise to Random, Science | Permalink | Email to a friend
April 12, 2004
Questions
These questions were posted at Jen's Blog - Life Begins at Thirty.
Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says.
"When they praise the 'faith' of Abraham, they are not commending his orthodoxy (the acceptance of a correct theological opinion of God) but his trust, in rather the same way as when we say that we have faith in a person or an ideal." (Karen Armstrong, History of God)
Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?
Clothes in my closet, the sliding door isn't all the way closed.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
April 1, 2004
Guest House - Rumi
"This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the sham, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond."
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
March 29, 2004
Photographing the Earth, One Degree at a Time
Got GPS? Join the thousands in photographing the earth's lattitude and longitude degree confluence points at the Degree Confluence Project. Here's the Wired article.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
March 21, 2004
Spring?
This was the scene in Carlisle, Massachusettes Thursday morning when I left to come back to California. Here in Carmichael the temps have topped 80 degrees for almost two weeks now. San Francisco has even been balmy in the 70s.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
March 20, 2004
Fairy Godchildren
Everyone should have their own fairy godchildren. Here's a movie of mine - Reilly, Piper, and Alden. Quicktime required.
Hat tip to The Amateur Gourmet for his inspiring hilarious QT videos.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (4)
February 29, 2004
What a Way to Go
I once house-sat next door to a condo whose owners kept 300 rats as pets. Not in cages. The rats eventually ate into the walls. I alerted a neighbor who alerted the Dept of Health. They had to fumigate the entire complex. Kicked a whole block out for a week. But my story has nothing on this guy.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
February 9, 2004
70s Slang
Remembering the 70s (and Peter Max)...
Acid flashback
Allright!
Age of Aquarius
Are you for real
Bitchin'
Boss
Cat (like Dude; i.e. Hey, who’s that cat?)
Cool
Copasetic
Dig it
Dude
Far out
Flower Power
Good (or bad) vibes
Groovy
Hang 10
Hang loose
Hip
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (9)
December 2, 2003
How to Differentiate
Years ago I came across this helpful summary of relationship guidelines based on the work of David Schnarch (author of Passionate Marriage). "Differentiation" has to do with our ability to distinguish between our issues and those of our partners. It's so easy to blame others for our own dissatisfaction. We feel a lack in our lives and get upset that others aren't supplying what is lacking. I've noticed especially in relationships this tendency gets magnified. Here are highlights of steps to take towards creating healthy, well differentiated relationships:
1. Stop blaming your partner. It only makes you sound like a helpless victim. When you close that avenue in your life, many new ones will open. You will start putting your attention on yourself where it will do the most good.2. Ask yourself about your own happiness. What isn't working for you? How can you take charge of your life?
3. How are the current relationship issues made worse by you, your attitude, your timing, your way of looking at it, your inability to ask for what you want vulnerably, your defensiveness, your impatience, or your unexamined life?
4. Confront yourself not your partner. This will change your life. Are you living your own integrity? Are you the person you want to be? Are you living up to being the best you?
Continue reading "How to Differentiate"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
November 22, 2003
Astrology.com
I've always been curious about astrology. Every year my uncle/godfather prepares my astrological chart and spends an hour going over what Pluto is doing in the 7th house and how Mercury is rising, etc. etc. Given that I don't know what any of this means, these expanations usually shoot right by me. A few years ago I began to notice that many of my detail oriented friends happened to be Virgos, and many Virgos I met happened to be neat freaks, so I began to take notice. Maybe there's something to astrology after all. In the spirit of exploration, I decided to try out sample reading from Astrology.com and fork over a few bucks for a reading or two. A $12 "Career Path" report yielded the following excerpt:
Continue reading "Astrology.com"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
November 13, 2003
Oprah Rocks!
After Wednesday's taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago.
I'm writing from Chicago where friends Mike, Shirley, and Connie and I flew in to be in the audience of the Oprah Winfrey Show. Apparently, it is very hard to get tickets. You either have to know someone who knows someone who works on the show, or you win tickets at a charity auction. We didn't know anyone; Mike and Shirley were beneficiaries of the auction route who generously offered to share their bounty with Connie and me. Oprah has two scheduled tapings per day. We arrived at 7 am for the 9 am taping. The line was already pretty long when we got there. About 300 women and maybe 5 men.
Continue reading "Oprah Rocks!"
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
| Comments (1)
September 19, 2003
Googling for baby names
Another take on baby naming. David Brittan in the MIT Technology Review recommends using the google image search engine at images.google.com to enter baby names to see what visual associations those names reveal.
The true test of a name is, and always will be, how other people respond to it. And, unless that name is unique, people’s response will depend heavily on their experience of other people who bear the same name. So, in selecting a name, you want to know what associations it is likely to trigger in somebody’s brain. That means you need to get a good look at some real-life Jennifers, Dimitris, Ezekiels, Maximilians, Kazuos, Tiffanys, or LaToyas, and see what fires in your brain. You want to stand them in a row and size them up—give them the white-glove test. And now you can.I checked out "elise" and found a lot of images of a gorgeous sports car and a lot of healthy looking cheerful gals. Yet another useful way to use google.
(No, I do not have baby on the brain.)
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
September 1, 2003
How popular is your baby's name?
The Social Security Department collects data on baby names. To see how the popularity of a given name has changed over the last few years, enter the name and the number of years (up to 12 years back). Please note that the name you select must be in the top 1000 most popular names in order for the name to appear in the table produced by your request.
Also fun to review are how the popular names have changed over the years. Here are the top 10 names by year of birth for years 1880 through 1997, based on a 1% sample:
Top 10 given names (1880-1919)
Top 10 given names (1920-1959)
Top 10 given names (1960-1997)
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
May 29, 2003
Elvis Stojko at Yerba Buena
Went to practice ice skating at Yerba Buena today. Who else would be skating at the same time? none other than Elvis Stojko, the world champion from Canada best known for his quadruple jumps. So while I'm puttering around, trying to skate backwards on one foot, Elvis is weaving around the rink at a high speed performing triple triple combinations, landing right in front of me and others. He did spins so fast all you could see was a blur. Most people couldn't seem to make up their minds whether to feel inspired or intimidated. He's just so good. What a treat!
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
April 17, 2003
A year ago
A year ago this month, my housemate and dear friend for many years, Elisabeth Targ, MD, was diagnosed with brain cancer, a condition which rapidly progressed until it overtook her last summer. It was Easter weekend when the results came back from the MRI of the golf ball sized tumor on the right hemisphere of her brain. A year ago today she was recovering from her surgery to remove the tumor, was walking without pain, doing yoga every morning, beaming as much love as she could to all who came to visit. She was asking forgiveness of everyone, including me, whom she felt she had slighted or wronged. The enormity of what she was facing weighed down on all of those of us around her. Spring was here, the daffodils, tulips, and roses in the garden were all blooming. ET came into my rooom after a shower, and laid down naked on a towel, telling me about her future plans with her husband-to-be, our other housemate, Mark. I listened with as much love as I could, trying not to let my fear of the future jinx her chances for a miraculous recovery and the possiblity of the fulfilment of her dreams. She laughed about her nudity, telling me she didn't care anymore and hoped I didn't mind.
It's the small moments I remember.
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
April 16, 2003
Wage Peace
Thank you poet Judyth Hill. (Poem often mistakenly attributed to Mary Oliver).
Posted by elise to Random | Permalink | Email to a friend
