What is beautiful today?

There is something nice about coming home at night, after the cool has set in.  And being the only one up in the house.  Reading a letter in silence and flourescense.  

I ask people the same question : what is the most beautiful thing you've seen today? I want to know the answer because beauty could mean something sad or happy.  Beauty to me distinguishes something remarkable.  And it flushes out a moment.  I remember walking down a grey street with Ilana on a wet Eugene day.  The colors of the plants were bright in the rainy light.  We were speaking, one at a time, exactly that which was in us.  

I want a new answer to this question "what is the most beautiful thing that you've seen today?" every day. It doesn't have to be a sight really. It's the experience that is beautiful.  Today I witnessed a family forming.  It is bright and loving and really, really funny, it's made of strangers who somehow pooled themselves together in Albuquerque... Imagining what really brought each of us here is exciting. Why are we here? What are we teaching each other? That is the most beautiful thing I saw today. 

there there

Two Stories.

new printer

Yesterday my printer arrived.  It's really big.  I mean, takes up a fourth of my room big.  But if you have a fax number let me know, because seriously, I will fax you something. 

irish kisses

Sarah Daegling emailed me this: " I found this great thing! " and then a link.  This is the link: http://rgweb.registerguard.com/news/2006/03/18/d1.cr.linesonly.0318.p1.php?section=cityregion

I followed the link, and took a nice little stroll down memory lane.  Maybe you're curious why I titled this story "irish kisses." Click on the link.

Self Made Circus

After training one afternoon we Americorps volunteers entered a room called the Garage.  The transition was seamless between tired, slightly stressed-out trainees to extremely energetic and talented four year old children.  We dressed in a variety of hats, wigs, faux fur vests, and rocket ships.  We hula hooped, drummed, danced, and dug crazily through a treasure trove of boxes.  Stef actually jumped through hoops, as you can see in the picture (The one with the legs abnormally afixed to the air), Mary drummed mad beats while we learned the Tinku, Bryan wore a feather boa, and I found a sweater with enormous shoulder pads.  We also started a project in which everyone wore the same wig.  A full documentation of this art peice is available on facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2187105&l=8ff11&id=11511088

Haiku Photographs

can you get up there?

get up on the roof there, Hon.

haiku photographs

The second time it rained!

My Ear is Tired Like you

Hello Readers (?) and Illuminated Persons,

I am here in my dining room. Sipping my green tea, trying not to yawn excessively because it tires out my jaw. There are some New Mexican sunflowers looking at me...

Today we "visioned" the next year at work.  Which means we brainstormed what art projects we want to do with the kids we'll be working with.  I am most excited about publications and performances.  Documentation also seems ludicrously exciting.  I have visions of perfectly planned puppets, zines that describe the puppets eating habits and habitats, and an army of costumed kids performing time based art for quarters in the park.  We'll see...

We also learned about schizophrenia and manic depression today.  So I'm critical of every thought I have wondering if I'm showing early signs of mental illness.  Other than my constant desire to misdiagnos myself I find the information incredibly interesting. For instance schizophrenic thought appears to resemble surrealistic thought in many ways!

I think I should show you my roommates.

                       

                                      

This is (left to right) Stef (in Vera Wang), Mark (in Armani) and Me (in St. V de P).  I said something along the lines of "act like you just saw a blow dryer with legs" but instead we all did our photo faces. I should ask for photo faces and save time. 

Sunday Number Two

So far I spend Sundays in Prayer.  The first Sunday I prayed for it to rain. And when it rained for twenty minutes I ran out into the rain saying "thanks!"  The second Sunday I said grace for ample sleep by laying around in bed. Then I bowed to the sun, and lit Throat Chakra incense to sing with.  After my hyms I bought Mullien and Scullcap for some ceremonial smoking.  Stef and I baked cookies--offerings of chocolate to curb the appetite of the Lazy Afternoon god, and we watched a movie.  Just now I sat on the back stoop. I watched the cockroaches scurry below, and the white full moon above, and said a little prayer to the stone I was standing on- thankful that the moon, and not the cockroaches, was standing on it with me.

Spices

Today the Park Ave. family rearranged their spices, and the kettle was polished to a high shine.  It was also my first day of work, but gosh... that's the news.

Also THIS

WE sometimes go to a place we call the "beach"

This morning Steph, Mark and I went to the beach.  It's actually a man-made lake, and we didn't actually get there until afternoon.  But it's called "Tingly beach" which I really appreciate, and it's full of ducks, geese and little silver fish.  I love it. It's blue because it looks up at nothing but sky.

I'm Not in OREGON anymore, no SIR, NOT THIS TIME.

Dear Friends and Loyal Readership.

I am officially living in Albuquerque NM.  I live in an amazingly cute house in a great part of town with two cool roommates.  Yesterday Stephanie, Mark and I went to an art show at the fair grounds.  

I had a moment of sizzling joy as we crammed into Marks boyfriends car.  There were six of us squeezed into the vehicle, all women or gay men.  All deliciously talking about jewelry (one of the men manages a jewelry shop and Mark had been oggling a 200 dollar bracelet which apparently Sean could get him for 30 bucks "OH MY GOD!").

My room is at the back of the house, and has a door that leads out to the backyard.  I've kept it open at night to listen to crickets, 6 of which I found dead outside this morning... I hope it wasn't me that killed them.   

There are curved adobe houses, spanish words, and motorcycles everywhere.  But I already miss Eugene, tall trees, and the ocean.  And people. I miss you beautiful people.

Love,

Christy

This is a roll of film