First Day of Sixth Grade

// September 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Medea, NIHF:STEM, Ohio, family, life the universe and everything, news, personal

Middle school at the NIHF:STEM school. 

Deepwater Horizon – Gulf Oil Rig Fire/Oil Spill

// May 6th, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, china, editorial, life the universe and everything, news, nola, personal, sad

You may have heard the news in the last two days about the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which caught fire, burned for two days, then sank in 5,000 ft of water in the Gulf of Mexico. There are still 11 men missing, and they are not expected to be found. The rig belongs to Transocean, the world’s biggest offshore drilling contractor. The rig was originally contracted through the year 2013 to BP and was working on BP’s Macondo exploration well when the fire broke out. The rig costs about $500,000 per day to contract. The full drilling spread, with helicopters and support vessels and other services, will cost closer to $1,000,000 per day to operate in the course of drilling for oil and gas. The rig cost about $350,000,000 to build in 2001 and would cost at least double that to replace today.

The rig represents the cutting edge of drilling technology. It is a floating rig, capable of working in up to 10,000 ft water depth. The rig is not moored; It does not use anchors because it would be too costly and too heavy to suspend this mooring load from the floating structure. Rather, a triply-redundant computer system uses satellite positioning to control powerful thrusters that keep the rig on station within a few feet of its intended location, at all times. This is called Dynamic Positioning. The rig had apparently just finished cementing steel casing in place at depths exceeding 18,000 ft. The next operation was to suspend the well so that the rig could move to its next drilling location, the idea being that a rig would return to this well later in order to complete the work necessary to bring the well into production. It is thought that somehow formation fluids – oil /gas – got into the wellbore and were undetected until it was too late to take action.

With a floating drilling rig setup, because it moves with the waves, currents, and winds, all of the main pressure control equipment sits on the seabed – the uppermost unmoving point in the well. This pressure control equipment – the Blowout Preventers, or ‘BOP’s” as they’re called, are controlled with redundant systems from the rig. In the event of a serious emergency, there are multiple Panic Buttons to hit, and even fail-safe Deadman systems that should be automatically engaged when something of this proportion breaks out.

None of them were aparently activated, suggesting that the blowout was especially swift to escalate at the surface. The flames were visible up to about 35 miles away. Not the glow – the flames. They were 200 – 300 ft high. All of this will be investigated and it will be some months before all of the particulars are known. For now, it is enough to say that this marvel of modern technology, which had been operating with an excellent safety record, has burned up and sunk taking souls with it.

The well still is apparently flowing oil, which is appearing at the surface as a slick. They have been working with remotely operated vehicles, or ROV’s which are essentially tethered miniature submarines with manipulator arms and other equipment that can perform work underwater while the operator sits on a vessel. These are what were used to explore the Titanic, among other things. Every floating rig has one on board and they are in constant use. In this case, they are deploying ROV’s from dedicated service vessels. They have been trying to close the well in using a specialized port on the BOP’s and a pumping arrangement on their ROV’s. They have been unsuccessful so far.

Specialized pollution control vessels have been scrambled to start working the spill, skimming the oil up. In the coming weeks they will move in at least one other rig to drill a fresh well that will intersect the blowing one at its pay zone. They will use technology that is capable of drilling from a floating rig, over 3 miles deep to an exact specific point in the earth – with a target radius of just a few feet plus or minus. Once they intersect their target, a heavy fluid will be pumped that exceeds the formation’s pressure, thus causing the flow to cease and rendering the well safe at last. It will take at least a couple of months to get this done, bringing all available technology to bear. It will be an ecological disaster if the well flows all of the while; Optimistically, it could bridge off downhole.

It’s a sad day when something like this happens to any rig, but even more so when it happens to something on the cutting edge of our capabilities. The photos that follow show the progression of events over the 36 hours from catching fire to sinking.

Click on any of the images below to be taken to the Flick’r image gallery where they are located.

Jennifer Reeves: Teo

// May 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // art, china, life the universe and everything, news, personal, professional

When I was in high school I met Jenn Reeves.  She was cool.  I liked her.  She liked me.  We hung out and much mayhem ensued.  She makes films, which are also cool.  Last year…she had a baby boy, Teo.  I also find this cool.  This is a 1:30 film short about Teo.

I also find this cool.

Collage of the NIHF:STEM school “A Healthy EcoSystem” presentation

// January 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, family, life the universe and everything, news, personal

Cafe DuMorning!!!

// January 2nd, 2010 // 2 Comments » // House-of-Chaos, family, life the universe and everything, news, personal

Cafe DuMorning!!!

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

Cafe Du Monde is on Jackson Square in NOLA. I found a place to but cans of their coffee here in Akron, OH. I am much pleased. That is all.

Mia made the front page of the Akron Beacon Journal for her presentation on the Panzer wetlands for the STEM school!

// January 2nd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // family, news, personal

Making it their own

Akron STEM students conclude wetlands project by sharing presentation with adults

By John Higgins
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Thursday, Dec 31, 2009

Ten weeks after a University of Akron biology professor asked for help on a wetlands restoration project, the students at the National Inventors Hall of Fame middle school presented their findings.

They had rehearsed for weeks and now, on Dec. 4, their parents, teachers and guests sat in folding chairs in the school gym awaiting their arrival.

The fifth-graders filed in and sat on the floor in front of a podium. Those chosen by their classmates to make the presentation took seats in folding chairs along the wall behind the podium.

The kids already had demonstrated mastery by scoring an average of 80 percent or better on a variety of measures, including an old-fashioned paper and pencil test. Now they had to show what they’d learned to a roomful of adults. Their principal, Traci Buckner, gave a brief introduction.

”I will now turn this experience over to our educators for the day, your children, our learners,” Buckner said.

The adults in the audience — including the University of Akron biologist who had asked for their help, Jessica Hopkins, and the former muck farmer who had shared his land, Steve Panzner — had all contributed to creating a memorable experience.

Today, they would find out whether the children had made that experience their own. Students each took turns at a podium narrating a slide presentation playing behind them on a large screen, describing their research.

Then fifth-grader Mia Darrington, her brown hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, brought her notes to the podium and addressed the audience in a professional voice that belied her age.

”As we were the first group to ever go up and enjoy the Panzner Wetland Wildlife Preserve, we felt compelled to share our data with others,” Mia began. ”As Jerry and Steve Panzner are committed to education, we decided to focus on educating others of the importance of a wetland habitat.”

She then described how the students created a kid-friendly field guide to the Panzner wetlands with photos and written descriptions of the plants, insects, birds and animals likely to be found there.

They had written and illustrated
the field guide themselves, including the brightly colored cover by Kennedy Hunter.

”Throughout our research, we used a writing process that helped us have the best work possible,” Mia said. ”We wrote a rough draft of our thoughts and then we peer-edited one another’s work. With my partner, we found that we needed to write all over that first draft.”

Looking up from her notes, Mia smiled at the audience.

”We peer-edited a lot, and I mean a lot of times,” she said, eliciting murmurs of confirmation from the kids on the floor.

Katrina Halasa, the district’s science specialist, who had brought the university’s urgent request to the school 10 weeks earlier, was smiling too, tears filling her eyes.

The idea of checking each other’s work was essential in the real world of science, where scientists submit their work to the scrutiny of their colleagues. That these kids understood a concept such as ”peer review” was huge.

When the fifth-graders concluded their project, they presented Steve Panzner with a copy of their field guide.

Panzner, in blue jeans and and rolled-up sleeves, grinned and accepted the guide.

He praised their work and thanked the kids for giving him and his brother, Jerry, a new perspective on the land they’d known all their lives.

”Sometimes we look at it so many times that we miss the wonder of what it is,” Panzner said. ”We looked at it through different eyes, your eyes, and it was extremely fun and extremely educating for us, and we do appreciate you coming out.”

And then the UA professor who sought their help addressed the students, this time in person instead of by video.

”Impressed does not even come close to the feeling I have right now,” Hopkins said. ”You guys did a fabulous job. I’m just blown away at what you’ve learned and how you have expressed what you’ve learned. It’s really just astounding to see, so thank you for such an amazing job.”

The sixth-graders appointed Donavan Wray to lead their presentation, and he dressed the part, wearing a crisp blue shirt and tie.

”I would like to thank you all for coming. I am Donavan Wray and I will be the master of ceremonies for today’s presentation of learning.”

He outlined the sixth-graders’ research and invited representatives from each study group to describe the Web pages they had built, which included video games they designed themselves to make the pages interactive and interesting.

The final group showed a PowerPoint slide show summing up the sixth-graders’ findings.

”Thank you, PowerPoint group,” Donavan said. ”I hope that all of our Web sites have helped to show you what we have learned by evaluating Panznerland. At this time, I would like to introduce our closing speaker, Maya Frazier, who will share a story about holding an amphibian and how that helped her determine the health of Panznerland.”

He turned the microphone over to Maya, whose mother was watching from the audience. Maya wore the grayish-black sweater and gray boots she had received from her grandmother the week before on her 12th birthday.

”Panznerland is a healthy ecosystem for animals and plants, because there are no mutations, the pH level of the water was where it was supposed to be, and some tadpoles are maturing into frogs,” she said. ”Speaking of tadpoles, I actually got to hold one in my hand. It was slippery, slimy, gooey and interactive. But that’s good, because that meant that that tadpole was healthy.”

She also recalled the predatory beetle that killed the tadpole.

”My first time seeing a beetle was when my teacher, Coach [Christine] Justiss, who was running that station, showed us one,” she said. ”My opinion is: I thought it was big and nasty because I’m not the type of girl who likes bugs, but it was still cool.”

Donavan concluded by noting that the students had all written letters to U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton sharing their results and urging her to support funding to enable other students to learn from the wetlands.

Educators had spent years planning this school and months designing its first buildingwide project, but schools aren’t made for adults.

The student presentations ended with a slide show of their experiences at Panznerland.

The lights in the gymnasium were dimmed and the slide show began, accompanied by the first bouncy notes of the hit pop song Fireflies by Owl City, a song about the power of dreams.
You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell
asleep. . . .

The students murmured and laughed in the dark, pointing at snapshots of themselves and their teachers at Panznerland.

As the slide show finished, the students spontaneously joined in the song’s hopeful chorus, their voices surging as one on the final words:
I’d like to make myself believeThat planet Earth turns,
slowly. . . .

This was their song, their project, their school, their time.

---

John Higgins can be reached at 330-996-3792 or jhiggins@thebeaconjournal.com.

Find this article at: http://www.ohio.com/news/education/80399542.html

Pamplemousse the Hedgepiggy

// December 19th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, family, life the universe and everything, news, personal

Pamplemousse – All Curled Up

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

Mia’s new hedgepiggy and the newest member of the Tiny House-of-Chaos, I introduce “Pamplemousse” the hedgepiggy, showing off his “defensive hedgepiggy position” which protects his soft underbelly.

I’ve done this position many times myself! Welcome to the family Pamplemousse!

“Deck the Halls” at Stan Hywet

// December 7th, 2009 // No Comments » // family, life the universe and everything, news, personal

Akron is home to many things: rubber, LeBron James, the Zips, DEVO… Stan Hywet:

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens is Akron’s only National Historic Landmark and Save America’s Treasures project. It is accredited by the American Association of Museums.

It’s a wonderful place and I’ve spent many hours wandering the gardens, conservatory and house.

During the winter holidays Stan Hywet holds an event called “Deck the Halls” and it’s a beautiful display of lights and decorations.  On Saturday, December  6, 2009 Clan Darrington went to the annual pilgrimage of the display:

(more…)

Mr. Bird brought a friend

// December 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, funny-bone, life the universe and everything, news, personal

Mr. Bird brought a friend

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

Mister Bird has brought a friend home to roost. Could it be all the good birdie stuff I bought from Wild Birds Unlimited?

• Mr. Bird in his Tiny-Perch-of-Doom

• The $94 Question… (Birds Gone Wild)

Mia @ NIHF Honors Ceremony

// December 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // family, life the universe and everything, news, personal

Mia @ NIHF Honors Ceremony

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

Mia, at her awards ceremony from the National Inventors Hall of Fame where she was recognized for having perfect attendance and being on the Honor Roll.

Ceremony was held Wednesday, November 25, 2009.

My entry to win the “Yanko Claus” Yamaha Speaker Dock

// December 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, funny-bone, life the universe and everything, news, personal

I never enter contests.  Because I never win.  It’ s a viscous cycle; don’t win, so I never enter, thus reducing my chances of winning.

But today my beloved RSS feed informed me of a Yamaha PDX-60BL portable player speaker dock that was being given away by the fine fellow at Yanko Design. The joy and spirit of giving!  Huzzah, huzzah.

I wanted it.  I covet it.  I formulated an entry for the contest.

The rule stated that one should add a comment citing a reason why they should receive this speaker dock.  The responses were predictable:

• I just bought a house and can’t afford anything else.
• I only have my poor, poor ear-buds that came with my $400 iPod Touch or iPhone and I need speakers to add to sustain my luxurious standards.
• I live in Ireland and I can only listen to music from the sheep.

So I formulated my entry:

It’s all about pinpin’ the LHC.  The HOC for the LHC.  Heeeeyyyy!  Hoooo!  Fer’shizzle!  Indeed.  Keep your fingers crossed that the Tiny House-of-Chaos will be bumpin’ the large sounds from the Yamaha speaker dock courtesy of  Yanko Claus.

Yamaha PDX-60BL

PDX-60BL Portable Player Dock

Griffin’s Passing

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, family, life the universe and everything, magick, news, personal, spirit

Griffin - My faithful familiar

On September 26, 2009 my 13-year-old familiar and faithful kitty Griffin passed away.

In July of 2008 he has something akin to a stroke and was all wobbly for about a week.  He had stabilized by the time I took him to the vet a few days later, but inside I knew that I was living with him on borrowed time.

MardiGriffin

I got Griffin as a spindly-legged Louisiana Swamp Cat.  I was living in New Orleans in 1996 and was thinking about getting a kitty.  I was actually talking to a friend aobut this when outside the window of Kaldi’s Coffee House on Decatur in the French Quarter I see this wispy little orange ring-tail sauntering past a window.  Since the window was about five feet off the sidewalk I ran out to see what it was doing.  Outside were some gutter-punks spanging on the corner and I asked if that was their kitty and could I hold it.

They told me that some friends came through town with him and left him there and that there were trying to find a home for the little guy.  I told them not to worry that I’d take him.  So Griffin rode down Esplanade with me, riding inside my scooter helmet and covered in fleas.

In those first days he got no fewer than five flea baths with different products, but every time I dunked him in a bucket of dip all the fleas would just climb up to his head.  So dense were his fleas that they literally would fall off his head into the water because they had no more real-estate left up top.

And so, on day five we went to the vet and invested a couple of hundred bucks in a brand-new flea medication called “Front-line” and “Advantage”.  It was the first time I had ever a significant chunk of my own money in taking care of an animal.  And with that, the fleas died, his shots were up to date, he was registered to me on his rabies tag and I had my first baby!

It was just him and me for the first two years and he moved with me from NOLA to Colorado, where I followed a guy.  That relationship quickly deteriorated and I moved back to Ohio, with Griffin to recollect during the summer.  I learned I left Colorado with more than myself and Griffin when I learned in July that I was pregnant.  Griffin and I had many deep conversations on the back patio and I decided that I was going to undertake the responsibility of being a single mom.  As I bought baby stuff, Griffin thought I was buying him elaborate cat toys.

Griffin in his ExerSaucer

He was a great friend.

Mia luvs up Griffin (who is tolerating her shenannigans)

He was a good brother to Mia.

Griffin and Baby Mia

Griffin asleep in Bed

Felize, Griffin and Lucifer

Griffin and Lucifer eat the Catnip at TimberTop's patio

Griffin & Ojo - 2004

His last days:

Getting older

Griffin has left the building

Griffin has left the building - September, 26, 2009

Griffin Memorial

Griffin Memorial

I have collected some of my Griffin photos into a set over on Flick’r: You can view them here

HOC: New Roof for the Tiny House-of-Chaos

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, life the universe and everything, news, personal

Ugh!  I had to get a new roof on the House-of-Chaos before the mean Ohio winter snows started flying.  I didn’t want to.  I had much better plans for those $4500 dollars.  Really, I did!  But the one thing I couldn’t abide was the though of me being all nestled into my warm bed on a cold February night when it was a blizzard outside and hearing a creak and a crack that wakes me up only moments before the roof caves in and three feet of wet, gray and icy snow descends upon me.

That was enough of a nightmare for me to shell out the cash.

Here is what the exterior of  house looked like back in April, when we made the offer:

On October 19th the roofers started and it looked like this:

and then they laid the felt/ice guard down:

This is a slightly better view of the roof felt as the breezeway butts up against the garage:

New Roof for the House-of-Chaos

They worked on it Monday through Thursday and now it looks like this:

The new roof for the Tiny House-of-Chaos

They replaced much of the underlay of the roof, where it was leaking between the kitchen and dining room, they laid two new layers of 25-year, dimensional shingles and completely repaired the flashing on my chimney.

Nice job!

For the entire gallery of the roofing project check this out!

Matisyahu: This guy rocks!

// November 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, news

Just learned about Matisyahu, the American Hasidic Jewish reggae musician.  So good:

I couldn’t embed the ones that were my favorites, but here are the YouTube links:

One Day

King without a Crown

Youth

Indestructible:

NaNoWriMo Update – 4,971 words on day 3

// November 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, indonesia, life the universe and everything, news, personal, professional, spirit

This is my UStream webshow.  During the month of November I conduct “virtual write-ins” every evening after the kid gets tucked in.  That means from 9:15′ish to about 11 I’ll have a webcam going if you would like a virtual partner to buddy with for NaNoWriMo 2009.  On Wednesdays the Akron WriMo’s meet at Panera in Cuyahoga Falls for the weekly group write-in.  If bandwidth allows I’ll be streaming that group event too.

You can also keep current with my personal NaNoWriMo page: http://blog.chinakrysdarrington.com/nanowrimo/

or my official NaNoWriMo author page: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/227918

Free video chat by Ustream

Come hang out with us!

House-of-Chaos Travel Trippy: Great Ohio Serpent Mound

// November 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, family, news

Mia tells of the “Log Stories” at the Great Ohio Serpent Mound:

For other entries on our trip to the Serpent Mound: http://blog.chinakrysdarrington.com/2009/03/trip-to-the-ohio-serpent-mound/

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/sw16/index.shtml

Why the name change?

// November 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, magick, news, personal, spirit

Some of you have noticed that the “Words to the Abyss” has changed its name to “Words to the Cosmos” and have inquired why?

It comes from my belief that words have power and that thoughts become things.

The Abyss is the Void.  It is a place beyond matter or material.  It is a place of great power, but it is chaotic power and I think I’ve shrugged off the last of my chaotic nature.

I’ve turned from Red-and-Black to Blue-and-Gold and from Abyss to Cosmos.

I now have a connection to creation and as a reflection of that, I’ve changed one word in the title of my blog.

Thoughts become things.  Words have power.  Choose your Path carefully and remember that everything matters.

NaNoWriMo starts on SUNDAY!!!

// October 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, news

Note from Chris, the NaNoBeing:

Dear National Novel Writing Month Author,

Hi there! NaNoWriMo Program Director Chris Baty here. It’s so great to have you writing with us! Before we get rolling, I wanted to send you a quick guide to our upcoming month of literary abandon.

Here’s the plan:

Today: If you haven’t already, please make a tax-deductible donation to help us pay for National Novel Writing Month and NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program. NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit, and we’ve spent nearly half a million dollars getting this swashbuckling adventure ready for 150,000 adults and 35,000 kids and teens around the world. Our goal is to pay off this year’s expenses and set aside enough to expand and improve both programs next year. With your help, we’ll do it! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far! (more…)

“Lion & Serpent” digital archives

// October 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // magick, news

The editor of Lion & Serpent sent out the following message concerning the new issues available online, as well a s the new sponsorship program:

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Sekhet-Maat Lodge has now released more than ten years of Lion & Serpent’s digital archive for free. We have coordinated our resources to enable distribution of even the most recent issues immediately. Our intention is to make this a practice with future issues, as well, publishing both the print and PDF formats simultaneously. We are also offering a new way to support the journal. Many people from all over the world have chosen to support our work with a subscription to the print edition of L&S. It is our hope that the high quality printed artwork and collectibility of the paper version will continue to attract new and renewing subscribers. In addition to this, we are now making possible sponsorship opportunities for individuals, organizations, businesses, families, etc. You can sponsor one year of Lion & Serpent publication for as little as $10. Come view the details of this new program at our journal’s website: http://sekhetmaat.com/Journal Love is the law, love under will.

NaNoWriMo 2009 – 9 more days

// October 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, news, personal

Check out my NaNoWriMo page

Flu Trends

// October 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // news

Today GOJO Industries, the company that makes PURELL, issued a press release noting an increase in production for flu season.

Ohio supply firms working overtime to meet demand during flu season

Posted on Business – cleveland.com on October 08, 2009, 12:01AM

Gojo Industries Inc., the Akron maker of Purell hand sanitizer, has tripled production — and still can’t keep up with demand. In suburban Columbus, hospital supplies distributor Cardinal Health has started rationing some items and is trying to get its hands on more masks, gloves and pharmaceuticals. Steris Corp., the Mentor infection-prevention and decontamination company, also has increased production of the surface cleaners and hand sanitizers it sells to hospitals and other health care facilities. Full story »

I also found today that GOOGLE has an “flu tracking” gizmo…

Neat!

NaNoWriMo 2009

// October 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, news, personal, professional

Check out my NaNoWriMo page!

it begins....110109

Tiny House TV

// October 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // Tiny House Projects, news

Watch some Tiny House TV, where you can learn more about the Tiny House Movement.  According to the ABOUT section of the site:

“I also run the websites Tiny House Design and Tiny House Living but realized that people needed an easy way to get to all the great tiny house video content. You can find most of this on YouTube too but I’ve tried to make it easier to access here with logical categories, tagging, and simplified navigation. Enjoy!”

Most recent post is: Bike House

100 Thing Challenge

// October 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, family, life the universe and everything, news, personal

100 Thing Challenge

I learned to day of the “100 Thing Challenge” over at David Michael Bruno’s site.  The goal is to reduce clutter and improve organization by reducing personally owned items.  Since I made a goal of being able to live out of a steamer trunk when my daughter graduated high school back in 2006 this challenge appeals to me.  My personal goal is attached to my desire to be  extremely portable and able to live the transient, nomad lifestyle for my years of 50-plus.

My daughter was 7 when I made the goal and we lived in a 2000 sq-foot condo, I drove a Jeep Cherokee and had lots and lots of stuff.

Since then I’ve moved us into a 750 sq. foot home on less than 1/8 acre.  We’ve begun growing a portion of our food and shop for healthy, well-packaged items.  I compost and try to reuse packaging for alternative uses.  I now drive a Kia Rio.

So we have made strides.  I’ve gone from having a walk-in closet and a second, double sliding closet, to having one 24″ wide cubby where I keep my clothes.  I have four pairs of shoes; boots, work shoes, sandals and sneaks.  I have two coats; one heavy, one light.  I wear basic black t-shirts and black yoga pants for much of my off-work hours.

So, in preparation for 2010 goal planning I’m going to read more and perhaps move towards a commitment to the “100 Things” lifestyle.

Storypeople: RIP Griffin (1996-2009)

// September 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, family, life the universe and everything, news, personal, spirit

Here’s the Story of the Day: Gap The only thing that separates me from the animals is a lot of words, so when I’m not talking much, the gap closes really quick.

Beginner’s T’ai Chi Chuan by Vincent Chu

// September 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, news, personal, spirit

I’ve been doing T’ai Chi for about 5 months now.  I love it.  I love that it is slow, a moving meditation.  I love seeing how the motions connect the five bodies and the five elements.  I love the flow and the form.  I am a beginner.  I love being a beginner.  I no nothing.  I love knowing nothing.

It rocks.

So I’ve just gotten to the point where what I learn in class is awesome, but I want more.  I’m such a gluttonous addict.  It’s completely contrary to T’ai Chi. So I observe that I want to chew down hour upon hour of form and keep my teachers on the phone for hours asking questions.  But this is not T’ai Chi.  So I get one book every two weeks from the library and I read it in the bath.  I read slowly, sipping tea.  I think about what is being said.

Beginner's Tai Chi Chuan by Vincent Chu

One of these books is Vincent Chu’s book “Beginner’s T’ai Chi Chuan“.  Tai chi chuan is known at the Supreme Ultimate art – it at once embraces Taoist philosophy, is a holistic health exercise and is an effective self defense art. No wonder millions of people practice tai chi on a daily basis, making it the world’s most popular health and self-defense system. The tai chi presented in this book grew from the author’s experience in teaching at community education programs and is written with the novice in mind. As such, the traditional Yang family long form has been abbreviated and those movements that beginners usually find difficult to perform have been removed – in this way, beginners will be able to learn faster and thus start obtaining the health benefits of practicing tai chi right away.

Vincent Chu is a Sifu of the Gin Soon Tai Chi Chuan Federation in Boston, Mass.

Sacred Time and the Search for Meaning by Gary Eberle

// September 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, life the universe and everything, magick, news, professional, spirit

I read.  A lot.  I know this.  It is a big, wide world out there and I’ve got a lot to learn about it. I’ve given up trying to understand much of it and instead embraced just participating more fully in the experience.  I’ve learned that the magick moments happen when I share authentic, open interaction with something; a being, a place, a thought.  I’ve learned that all of these majick moments pass and that its useless to cling to the transient pleasures they bring.  I’ve learned that its all good…even the bad stuff.

Sacred Time & The Search for Meaning by Gary Eberle

The book “Sacred Time and the Search for Meaning” by Gary Eberle is one such book that illustrated the need to create sacred time in our everyday lives.  Yes, that included you, ‘busy person’ and you too ‘single mom’.  It’s not about running off to an ashram for two months a year or shirking responsibilities, it’s about weaving sacred moments; an hour a day, a day a week, a week a month and a month a year, into your busy, busy lives.

Table of Contents:

1. No Time like the Present
2. A Sense of Timing
3. Time and Eternity
4. Book of Hours
5. The Triumph of the Clock
6. In Search of Sacred Time
7. Finding Sacred Time

In Sacred Time and the Search for Meaning, author Gary Eberle contemplates how humans’ view of time has evolved throughout history, how we came to measure time, and why we feel especially starved for it now. Eberle seeks to rediscover a renewed sense of meaning in life through looking for ways to enter the realm of sacred time or “sabbath time”—where we can reconnect with the slower, deeper rhythms of life that have traditionally been experienced through worship, prayer, and the observance of holy days. Drawing from the work of Western philosophers from Aristotle to Heidegger, and on theorists from Jung to Foucault, he presents both an intellectual history of time and a personal account of his own search for sacred time. Along the way he formulates an insightful analysis of our culture’s obsession with speed and efficiency, and he offers guidance for slowing down to savor life outside of schedules and routines, showing the way toward finding fulfillment in this increasingly accelerated world.

Colby Watkins (CBA$), passes… :(

// September 17th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // life the universe and everything, news, personal, spirit

This just sucks. I never met CBA$ personally, but he was a close friend to many of my friends and acquaintances. He did some *very* cool and edgy stuff and any time someone with that light is taken from our reality…it makes the world a little flatter.

Safe journeying CBA$, wherever you end up next…we’ll hold tight to you memory and name on this side of things.

From Humid City (and Lord David)…

Colby Watkins, Atone Pain Tribe & Sunken City Circus Founder, Dead. (more…)

Plastic-Pop Playlist (YouTube)

// September 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // funny-bone, life the universe and everything, news, personal

I made a playlist of my favorite mindless, plastic dance songs.  The Dangerous Darrington grrrls use this to wake up to in the AM.  Set it to ‘randomize’ for best selection:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Spring 2010)

// September 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, news

I’m very, very excited about this.

Universal - Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Click the image to see the first webcast from Universal detailing the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.