Urban Moroccan Paradise

New Goal:

"Mr. Guerra was 30 when he moved into that apartment, a lofty space with a back terrace he layered in potted plants, imagining a Moroccan garden. He lined the floor with moss and added pine trees, Japanese maples and wisteria, until the terrace was walled in with greenery. Friends would take midday “vacations” there, sunbathing nude and weeding for pleasure."  -from article linked below

I don't have a porch or roof access, but this sounds lovely.  Somehow my basil plant is thriving even though it doesn't get much light, maybe I should be brave and try more plants. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/garden/on-city-rooftops-scrappy-green-spaces-in-bloom.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1  

article about green roofs and such in NYC. 

A Tale of Two Cities

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way-- in short, the period was so far like the present period, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." -Charles Dickens (opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities)

How many times have you heard (or said) that first line?  Now be honest, have you actually read the entire book?  I just started reading it and have been astounded by the writing.  The brevity of every sentence clings to the soul.  I am almost a third of the way through the book and almost nothing has happened, but I didn't even notice because his commentary about general life is so thought-provoking.  Even though Dickens wrote this in the late 1850's I think this opening line holds profoundly true in today's society as well.  Boulder is especially indicative of this -- I mean people think we are so progressive here and environmentally concious and friendly and open-minded, but open-mindedness doesn't necessarily just mean wisdom, it can also mean that you don't actually have anything to stand on, that you just go with whatever everyone else is doing.  I could go on and on, but maybe I'll just leave it at that.  If you all have any thoughts on the quote or my comments then let me know. 

Slut walk?

Check it out, some cop in Toronto said that women shouldn't dress like sluts so they won't get attacked. 

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/20/137304051/hundreds-march-against-sexual-assault-in-slut-walk

Really interesting arguments.  How a woman dresses does not give someone else a right to attack them.  But you also shouldn't be stupid.  Sure, if you dress like a slut and hang around outside by yourself at night, you probably have a higher chance of being attacked.  But no matter what it is not the woman's fault.  The attacker makes the choice, and if they are out to attack someone, I have to think it doesn't matter what anybody is wearing. 

Boulder Run

My run this morning. 

Started slow.  Ran through a field that used to hold fiesty cows, now just contained a gentle doe or two.  Headed towards some mountains rising out of the plains.  Ran along a creek that was flowing full.  The sky was full of birds and the fields full of prairie dogs.  Turned around and ran back again, but faster.  Saw a beautiful bird that sounded like a hawk, but wasn't much bigger than a pigeon and had red by its beak and under its wing and tail.  Had energy to push it in faster than before and ran over an hour.  Hopefully I can keep this up and get in good shape.

Be Present

Well turned out we couldn't have the dog in our apartment.  We've been really bummed about it, though it is probably for the best.  I don't know if I am ready to have a dog. 

Last night we had a dinner/bible study and the topic of discussion really was illuminating for me.  We talked about time and being present and productivity. Our culture really thinks of time as a commodity- something you can waste or spend or give and we have come to almost idolize productivity (doing more in less time).  It was interesting to realize how much of our identity we put in our productivity.  I was amazing to discover that is exactly why I was so depressed after classes got done and I didnt' have a job and my thesis work wasn't going very quickly.  It seemed like everyone else I knew was being so much more productive.  It is important to not become so wrapped up in productivity that you miss opportunities to build relationships with people or just gloss over other things in life that really are important to slow down and enjoy.  Or some people you can tell that even when you are talking to them their brain is thinking about their grocery list or the report they need to write (for me a lot of times when I'm doing something fun I feel guilty like I should be doing work). Being fully present to what you are doing in a given moment is so valuable. 

So my goal for the next while is to try and block my time out better, so that I have working time, and social time and that way I can be more present when I am on leisure time instead of constantly feeling like I should be working on stuff.  I challenge you to find out what you need to do to be available for the important things in life.  It may be exactly the opposite of my goal, maybe you need to make goals to work less and set aside time for coffee breaks or something else.  Let me know if you set a goal and we can keep each other accountable!

This weekend

Britta and Andrew, my sister and brother in-law, were here this weekend.  We hiked up Mount Sanitas, made pad thai, went camping on whim, almost bought a dog on another whim, saw red rocks and coors, and finished our time at Rib City.  

I've never wanted a dog before, but Nate's been showing me pictures of puppies, and when we ended up at the Boulder Humane society, we fell in love with this little sweetheart of a puppy.  Some of the dogs there were so cranky and barky or scary looking, but this one just was so happy all the time and never barked.  Right now we have the dog on hold, but we need permission from our landlord: the lease doesn't say we can't but the website says cats allowed. 

Michigan and Red Rocks!

Last weekend, Nate and I went to Grand Rapids for a wedding of a high school/ college friend.  The whole trip was packed with catching up with old friends.  It felt so great to be amongst people who accept me for me. In Colorado I'm starting to feel like I have friends, but it has taken so long to get to the point where I can have real conversations with people without having to worry about what image I'm presenting. Its hard to not care what people think sometimes.  I've never really had to make new friends before.  Anyway, being in Michigan was really fun, I don't think we went to bed before 3am the whole time we were there.  I hung out at Uccello's, the Riverhouse condos, and went to Jersey Junction for ice cream.  On Sunday we joined my Great Aunt and Uncle out at their lakehouse at Sandy Pines.  Looked like an amazing place to spend the summer. 

On Tuesday we went to the Earth, Wind, and Fire concert at the Red Rocks Ampitheater with some friends.  That place is spectacular.  It is a theater cut right into the rocks!  And the whole concert experience was just awesome.

My brother and sister in law are coming to town today for the weekend.  I'm excited to show them around, maybe go hiking or something.  Think I'm going to try to make pad thai for dinner tonight. 

Stay tuned for either a recap of our fun with Britta and Andrew and then thoughts on yoga. 

River

The river rushes by,

Unawares that all along its lovely banks,

We rush and rush around. 

The river, we think, is always there,

steadfast in its presence,

summer, autumn, winter, spring it flows. 

Around we rush and rush,

always doing, never stopping,

but where are we going?

The river rushes by,

springing from the mightiest peaks,

and where does it run to?

As people rush around,

going nowhere in the end,

the river rushes by,

telling the mysteries of the high-topped mountains

to the sea. 

The $300 Dollar Home

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/01/opinion/01srivastava.html?_r=1&hp

Thought this was interesting.  Different perspective on trying to help the poor.  People always think their own way is the best. 

Some poetry

     “It is the month of June,

The month of leaves and roses,

When pleasant sights salute the eyes,

And pleasant scents the noses.”

-Nathaniel Parker Willis


Okay I haven't written for a while.  Not too much too report, was a little depressed, but right now I'm so so excited to see a lot of my college buddies tomorrow in GR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Should be fun running at sea level again too!!!  Maybe I won't be so depressed about how bad running feels.  Yay!  Got up and ran at 5:30 this morning though!  That was interesting, you feel groggy for a bit, but you don't have a whole days tiredness in your legs either.  I think we'll probably keep trying to do that, especially as it gets hotter here. 

I'm so distracted from my research because I get to see friends tomorrow!!!!

Maybe next time I'll write my own poetry :)