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"Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life. You must never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you."
-Unknown
When I was blogging exclusively on AOL, I swore that I was a member of the very best journaling community on the Internet. I didn't mind that AOL didn't have all the custom bells and whistles that other blog servers did. I didn't mind that there was irritating quirks from time to time with the software, because I had realized, not too long after I began Ellipsis, that it wasn't the bells and whistles...it was the individual people who wrote in those journals and blogs that made it the best journals community on the Internet.
Friendships formed on the world wide web can be difficult to maintain. The first friend I ever made, I met in a chat room. She was a lovely lady and we shared many things in common. We unfortunately parted ways over a situation that somehow couldn't be resolved, or at least it seemed so at the time. I still think about her often and I always wished her well, and I still miss her happy energy. Sometimes in life things take odd turns and often it really isn't anyone's fault, everyone has a comfort zone or a code of ethics and therefore they must do what's right for them. I miss her however...even to this day.
The next friend I made, I made by accident one day. I was lonely and decided to reach out so I decided to see who was online in the AOL member directory. I saw someone's profile who seemed to share a lot of my interests, and we talked for a little while, and we have been good friends ever since. It was a nice, happy surprise. I was weary of friendships of any kind, I was just beginning to emerge from Anhedonia, and was a little tired. I tried to go out on a limb, I mean, what's the worst that could happen? As a matter of fact...what was the best that could happen? That's right I made a very good friend.
But back to Journal Land. I think an even bigger surprise, then finding a good friend in the sea of strangers that is the AOL Directory, was finding a whole community of friends that shared my passions. Politics, history, art, music, cats, cooking, ghosts, museums, you name it, and along came a friend. I can't tell you how good it felt to learn little by little I was interesting to someone. I now have had some of these friends for nearly three years. People who I can email when I am in a panic and say, "I am scared, will you think good thoughts for me?" People who I can just be myself around, and who already understand before I even say what the problem is. Recently I asked some of my friends to do my Johari Window. I was surprised at how many took a couple moments to help me with that fun little meme. Thanks again everyone. I guess I take it for granted that I am nothing special, not because I have low self esteem, but because I am surrounded with people who possess great talent and who are compassionate and endearing.
When a good portion of AOL bloggers and journalists made the decision to join in the exodus from AOL to other parts of the Internet, I didn't fear for a moment that I would lose anyone who I had come to care about. I brought them with me and they are on my sidebar or in my bloglines listing. I have had some difficulty keeping in touch as well as I want to, but they are in my heart all the same. It's a good feeling to know that I am still among some of the finest people I have ever known.
Recently, when I needed some support due to some health concerns, I received some very special emails and comments, that both informed me about what to expect from my coming Mammogram, and suggestions about how to ease my nerves as the date for the test approaches. See, I wasn't feeling very courageous earlier last week, but with the help of my friends and readers, I feel good about going in for my test next week. And I promise to keep you up to date. In fact, I am taking the digital camera with me, so you never know what photos I might decide to post! WINK!
As if my heart wasn't warmed enough, I got a very nice email the other day from my darling Natalie, she emailed me to ask if it was ok if she wrote an entry about me. I was touched that she thought enough about me to do that, I smiled the rest of the day. After the entry posted, I found out that Paul, author of the journal, "Aurora Walking Vacation," had also mentioned me and my current journal in an entry and Karen said that she had as well. It was overwhelming, but in a very nice way. I have to admit, my first reaction is always, "what do they see in me?" A good friend responded to that question the other night with, " you can make people smile, and you listen...sometimes that all people really want...someone to listen." I like listening, when I do, I hear all kinds of music. Yeah, that's what it's like...each journal author is like a different song, playing for the world to hear, if the world will just take the time to listen. Natalie is a song, Karen is a song, Steven is a song, Paul is a song. I have always enjoyed all kinds of music, and I am so lucky to be just one note in such a beautiful symphony. And yeah, if I had met Einstein, I think he would have liked me. :)
PS If you haven't done my Johari Window yet and would like to join in the fun, just go here. And if you make one and want me to play along either email me the link or come back here and leave me a link. :)
-OndineMonet
Make your own silly Einstein pic here.
Note: I found the fun Einstein site by way of, "By The Way." LOL. Check out John Scalzi's entry here.
"If you want to know your future look at what you are doing right at this moment."
-Tibetan Proverb
Weekend Assignment # 100: Share 10 facts about yourself...from the next five years. Imagine what you see happening over the next half decade and then tell us about it, in interesting fact form. You can be serious, or silly, or somewhere inbetween. But give it some real thought and then take a stab at your future facts. If you find 10 facts too much, just do five. Either way it will be fun.
Extra Credit: So, who will be president in 2011?
-John Scalzi
A Half A Decade Ago...
The "could be" account of the last five years.
(A maybe future as documented in semi-fiction).
It's a little past midnight on February 23rd, 2011. Five years ago, I decided to write down John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #100: Fact's From The Future, in a special journal to see if indeed I not only made it to this year, but also to see if my dreams and goals actually came to fruition. It's been so long, that I am not sure I remember them correctly, so let's open the special envelope that has held them for half a decade's time. Or is that really a good idea? Oh well, a lot has happened...so let's see if my future dreams came true or if my worst nightmares got in my way...
February 23rd, 2006 12:00 A.M.
Berkeley, California
Weekend Assignment #100: Facts From The Future.
Hmm...10 facts, about me, that will occur in the next five years. Jeepers. Well, I know that right now my number one concern is getting myself into a regular routine of (1) T'ai Chi and Meditation, with that working right for me, then I can finally move on to my goal of(2) attending the Academy Of Art University. I want to earn a degree in Digital Photography, so that I can walk into a gallery, or a magazine office somewhere here in Northern California and interview with confidence in my work so I can begin make a living through my love of photography. In the mean time, I still continue to work on my book, "Silver Key."(4). I have been pleased with the pace I have kept lately, so five years from now I would love to look on my book shelf, that sits above my desk, and actually see it in print. Because it has been difficult lately to take photos and write as much, and they way I would like to, I have taken up drawing. Alan seems to think I do well at it, and I have to admit I like how it relaxes me. The (5th) goal I have is to learn to paint. I would like to transfer some of my floral and still life photographs onto canvas.
On a more practical note. I want to feel better in five years. I will only be 47 and I want some of my energy back, that will mean keeping a commitment to myself to keep up with both my psychological counseling and my body, mind and spirit regimen. That is goal number (6). Goal number (7), would involve being able to finally let go of people, places and things that have hurt me over the years. Looking back is not a good thing, when all it brings you is negativity. There is so much to embrace about life. Maybe I will go back into volunteering. As I sit here right now, I don't have an 8, 9, or 10 prediction of the future. I think I will let future history write itself. When I get to February 23rd, 2011...I will know what those significant moments would have been, and I promise to share every detail, so you will just have to comeback and visit me five year's from today. :)
Extra Credit: I have been happily enjoying the first term of President Barack Obama. He and his Vice President, Barbara Boxer, have worked hard to unite the country and bring us back to hope. It's a good feeling indeed.
-OndineMonet
"Sweet Still Life"
San Mateo, California
February 23rd, 2006
Afternoon
"We ought not to treat living creatures like shoes or household belongings, which when worn with use, we throw away."
-Plutarch
Several years ago, on a warm, sunny autumn day, I was driving in my car, around Berkeley, just taking in all the sights that only occur in fall, only in Berkeley. Leaves of gold, crimson, yellow and dark brown falling silently to the earth, enthusiastic young men and women on their way to and from the grounds of Cal-Berkeley campus, and the mist off the bay, as it slowly floats up into the hills, each day, in the late afternoon. It can be intoxicating, if one just stops to observe it all at once. Clearly, to drink it all in properly, it should be savored slowly, by the observer, experiencing each street, each neighborhood with eyes wide open, to the uniqueness of it all.
Indeed, if you drive throughout Berkeley, you will find something off beat in each neighborhood that will stimulate the senses, be it a single flower in someone's well manicured yard, or an antique hobby horse on a driveway of a house in the hills. It might be an Art Deco sundial sitting near a recycle bin, or even the annual display of discarded sofas that sit, waiting to be recycled, in front of the frat and sorority houses that make up the neighborhood directly in front of the university. As I have emerged from my psychological coma of several years ago, I have come to realize that out that each season, there comes a different phenomena that happens unique to that season, such as the sofas in autumn. In winter, we seem to have a parade of shoes.
I went for a ride in the afternoon, this past Christmas Eve, looking for what Berkeley had to offer in the way of the unique, and mixed with the sights of late autumn, were the sights of the new winter. The sun with that certain glint that only occurs when the sun is close to the earth, there were fancy decorations proclaiming, "Peace On Earth," and "Happy Holidays," and everywhere mixed among the usual observance wishes, were apparent spontaneous displays of shoes. Sometimes they would be in a cluster of 20 or so hanging from telephone lines, or wrapped around the branches of trees, sometimes they would be placed with care at the front gate of a simple house on Collage Avenue. Or like in the case of the shoes in the above photograph, they might simply be placed in an open area, all clean and waiting for their new owner, as if fate would somehow lead the shoes to who they were destined to be owned by.
One incidence in particular I found fascinating, pertained to a pair of sneakers, that were placed on top of a Payless Shoe Source box that was sitting on top of a recycle can on Shattuck Avenue. They were used, but seemed to be in good condition, so I think what might of happened was, someone bought a new pair, took off their old ones, and instead of throwing them away, left them to be picked up by someone who perhaps had no shoes. What a nice thought. Sometimes I can't imagine what life would be like, if I didn't have my camera to see the world by. I think in the hectic flow of day to day life, I would miss a lot of journeys, both my own, and of others, if not for my camera. My camera slows me down, and shows me life has all kinds of views, if you look at it with eyes wide open.
"The journey of 1000 miles, begins with a single step."
-Lao-tzu
-OndineMonet
"The Shoes"
Berkeley, California
December 24th, 2005
Late Afternoon
"The eyes see a thing more clearly in dreams than in the imagination awake."
-Leonardo da Vinci
Is this a cool picture or what? That is the Digital Retinal Scan of my hazel/green left eye. I wish I could say I took the photo, I think it is the coolest thing. I think it kinda looks like the Aurora Borealis. How about you? So tell me, what do you see when you look into my eyes? ;) Leave me your thoughts. :)
-OndineMonet
"My Green Eyes"
Walnut Creek, California
February 9th 2006
"A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without it's springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road."
-Henry Ward Beecher
A couple more of the books I ordered from Amazon.com, "The Idiot's Guide To Meditation," and " The Idiot's Guide To Yoga," finally came in the mail the other day. I have been reading a lot lately, whether it be to understand my Fibromyalga, or to expand my meditation skills, or even to refamiliarize myself with Qi Gong, it has been a good feeling to learn additional skills in order to care for myself and learn to deal with the changes that have taken place since I was formally diagnosed. For example, I learned the other day, from one of my books, that in India, they use humor as a form of meditation. They take their humor seriously. In fact, they take it so seriously, that they actually have designated squares and parks where one can go and just meditate through laughter. You just start laughing. You don't need to have anything in particular to laugh at, you just jump right in and laugh until it hurts. :) I LOVE that idea. God, doesn't it feel so good to have your sides hurt because something has touched your funny bone just that much?
I learned to laugh at myself years ago. I haven't begun to tell you about all the weird times and situations I have found myself in over the years. Humor is just a part of who I am...and I have to say...I thank GOD for it every day. I wish however, that we American's could have a similar place to go, a park, a town square or something similar to let go of whatever stress we have in our lives, that might be taking not just future moments, but indeed future years off our lives. Stress causes all kinds of physical and psychological ailments to happen to us. Hypertension,and heart disease, just to name a couple examples. Laughter, on the other hand, boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, which are disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon, and laughter also releases endorphins, the bodies natural painkiller. Makes sense to me. I have seen it in action in my family. Those who had NO sense of humor, seemed to be sick constantly, while others who DID have a sense of humor were able to kick whatever affliction that may have come along. So I do have some practical examples to follow...and I plan to. :)
The sound of laughter seduces me. I love people who aren't afraid to laugh out loud and as loud as they want to when they feel it well up in them. God it's a good feeling, and really it is one that is to be shared...often. So tell me, when was the last time you made someone laugh? Did you tell them a joke? Did you make a funny face? Did you commit some kind of foible and laugh along with them? Share it with me. Leave your story in the comments section, and let everyone know what you did to help someone live a little longer, by giving them the gift of humor. Come on, if I can share, so can you. I will tell you right now what I plan to do this week, so hold on to your dentures. On whatever day I feel the best this week, I am going to go to the closet, open my box of found, fake boobs, put on an extra pair and go to the mall. Only maybe I will mix and match. You know, a size 32-AA on one side and a size 40-DD on the other. LOL. That will make the one side of my boobages to appear as a 84-DDDD! Yep, I am a 4.11ft and I have 44-DD's how I never tipped over is beyond me. LOL. Who says GOD himself doesn't have a sense of humor? :) Now go be funny...you know you want to. :)
-OndineMonet
"I Don't Care"
Please click on the above image to see the larger version.
"You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take a picture (or find a picture) of something with stars...the "twinkle, twinkle" kind, not the "famous people" kind. However, they don't have to be real stars: Fake stars...like the ones on Christmas trees, on neon signs or on the Hollywod Walk of Fame are just fine, too.
-John Scalzi
Don't you just love Nietzsche. LOL. I think he's right though, I would have to chaos in me if I gave birth to a dancing (star)fish. LOL. I have always enjoyed gazing at the stars, and these stars were beautiful. I stood at the tank, in the museum room at the Point Arena Lighthouse, for what seemed like forever. They just mesmerized me. :) They would stay in one place for a little while, then they would just let go and float for a while. They were lovely. :) It was a truly relaxing way to spend an afternoon...gazing at the stars. :)
-OndineMonet
"The Stars"
Point Arena Lighthouse
Point Arena, California
August 21st, 2006
Afternoon
Just goes to show you, even in the best of marriages, come those moments of total and complete exasperation! :) LOL :)
Precious And Few
By Climax
Precious and few are the moments we two can share
Quite and blue like the sky, I'm hung over you
And if I can't find my way back home
It just wouldn't be fair
Precious and few are the moments we two can share
Baby it's you on my mind, your love is so rare
Being with you is a feeling, I just can't compare
And if I can't hold you in my arms
It just wouldn't be fair
'Cause precious and few are the moments we two can share
And if I can't find my way back home
It just wouldn't be fair
'Cause precious and few are the moments we two can share
Precious and few are the moments we two can share
Quiet and blue I'm hung over you
And if I can't find my way back home
It just wouldn't be fair
'Cause precious and few are the moments we two can share.
-OndineMonet
"Precious And few"
Palace Of Fine Arts
San Francisco, California
Spring, 2006
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of it's sorrows, it empties today of it's strength."
-Corrie Ten boom
The other day my favorite girl in the land, Phinney, sent me a link to The Breast Cancer Site. They have a program running right now where you can help ladies who either have no medical insurance or who are low income receive a free Mammogram, just by visiting their site each day and clicking the appropriate button. That's right...every time you click on the "Fund Free Mammograms" button, or make a purchase at The Breast Cancer Site's store, you generate funding for women in need. It was ironic, Phinney's email came to me at an unusual moment, and a timely one, see I had just made the decision to schedule an appointment for myself to have a Mammogram. It seems that I have a lump in my left breast that wasn't there a month ago, and it is a pretty good sized one, which means it has grown rather quickly.
Yikes. Things might be getting a while lot more interesting for me. I first found it early last week, and immediately went into some very comfortable denial. I am prone to cystitis and therefore that is what it must be, or so I had decided to think of it. By Tuesday, I thought I better talk it all over with Alan. He is pretty level headed and he would more then likely tell me that it was nothing. Nope! He didn't let me off the hook. What a thing to discuss on Valentine's Day. Sigh. Wednesday, I went to see my therapist, and I took my portfolio book with me to show her the new photos I have done lately. It was a wonderful attempt at manipulating the conversation onto a safe topic. Somehow, I ended up telling her about my fears. Silly me. Another someone who wasn't willing to let me off that hook. I promised her I would make an appointment for a Mammogram sometime in the next month or so, as soon as I got my courage up. She was not pleased. :(
I went home, cried some, looked up some Breast Cancer facts on the Internet and called and schedule an appointment for about a month from now. While I was doing my Internet search a good friend "Dan" signed on, and we chatted for a few minutes. He asked me how I was feeling, and I mentioned, in passing, what was going on for me. It was the first time I actually told a friend. He got pretty angry with me. Someone close to him had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer several years ago, but she was lucky, they caught it in time and today she is doing wonderful. "If she would have waited another couple weeks for the Mammogram, it all could have gone a lot worse. These things change quickly Carly." Sigh. He had been the harshest one of all. He spoke straight. Before we signed off he made me promise to change the appointment. Since I promised him I would...I did. My new appointment is in 2 weeks.
It's just that it has been so much the last few years. One thing right after another. Can I handle this also? God, the thought of the test alone has me scared to death. Will it be painful? My current condition of Fibromyalga sends these missignals to my nerve endings telling me I am in pain, when it fact if it wasn't for the condition, it would be a minor annoyance and not the overwhelming aching I have most days. So, when I have my test, will it be unbearable or like I said, a minor annoyance of pain? Sigh. I have had some time to think it all over, and if it is cancer I really only have one option. Face it! Be prepared for additional changes in my life, so many brave women have gone through this, what right do I have to be a coward about it? So, with resolve to take things one step at a time, I got out my Breast Cancer awareness pin, put it on, and circled the date of my appointment on my calendar.
No illness will ever define me. I want to write. I want to take photographs, I want to be the kind of woman that people will be able to say one day, "she always tried her best." It makes me sad to think I might lose my hair, but I guess I could wear hats. It makes me sad that it will be difficult on Alan and Elvis, but they say we will handle it. It makes me sad that I might have to lose time in my therapy with Sarah, but she said we can have sessions over the phone and maybe the Internet. It makes me sad there might be one more reason that I can't take pictures, but like a good friend once told me, I can try setting up the tripod in the bedroom. There is just no good reason to not take care of this, except for the fact that I am scared to death I won't be good at it. Does that make sense?
OK, here is what I need from you. If you have ever had this test could you please leave me a comment and tell me what to expect? How long before I get the results? If they need to do a biopsy...how bad will that be? Please tell me whatever you feel comfortable sharing with me. Help me be more educated on this so I can take some of the fear out of it. The fear of the unknown is my greatest fear. I can hear the word cancer, as long as I have some idea where I go and what I need do next. And one more thing you can do for me...go and click that little button at The Breast Cancer Site everyday for those women who aren't as lucky as I am. Tell me I can do this. :(
-OndineMonet
"Transitions"
Berkeley, California
February 16th, 2006
Late Evening
"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us. Pigs treat us like equals."
-Winston Churchill
I really like the topic for the next Round Robin Challenge. Derek, author of the journals, "Derek's Picture of the Day," and "Through My Eyes," has chosen, "The Animal Within," as our next challenge topic. I like topics that make me think and ponder a bit about what image I will use to properly convey my interpretation. Sometimes an idea will hit me right away, other times I really have to search my creativity to come up with the correct photo. That's why it's a called a challenge I suppose. :)
Derek has set no restrictions for the interpretation of this challenge, so while I know that Dragonflies are in actuality insects, not animals, there is a part of me that idenifies with them closer then most other creatures. In lore, the dragonfly is considered the power of light. When it comes to being an amateur photographer, I like to think that my photos are full of light, and that I bring that ambiance to my blog when I share what I see with you.
Also according to lore, dragonflies inhabit two realms: air and water and the influence of both of these will be felt by people who identify with dragonflies. They will be emotionally passionate in their youth, ( the influence of water) and they will be more balanced and possess greater mental clarity and control as they mature, (the influence of the air). I think this has been very close to the way life has been for me, especially now that I am learning about how important it is to find a healthy center in life, and achieve greater peace through meditation, T'ai Chi and Yoga. It is working wonders for me already. :) I think I will be adopting the dragonfly as my official symbol, but there are a couple animal traits that live inside me, and add to who I am as a person. So you will have to come back here to Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly, on Wednesday March 1st to find out which ones. If you have a guess as to which animals I identify with, feel free to leave a guess in the comments. I would enjoy reading your guesses. :)
If you want to play along with us for this challenge, you would be more then welcome to come along. Just drop by the official Round Robin Challenge journal and leave your name, your blogs name and the complete URL of your journal as your RSVP for attending the challenge. Please take a moment to read the full entry describing the challenge. We have had some recent "Rules of Play" changes that you should be aware of before playing. Nothing complicated I assure you. It's a lot of fun and so are those who play. I hope you will consider joining us, come on, you know you want to. WINK. ;)
-OndineMonet
"Dragonfly"
Berkeley, California
February 17th, 2006
Evening
"The purpose of life is not to be happy...but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that lived at all."
-Leo Rosten
Were one week away from the 100th Weekend Assignment, and for this week's assignment, we have the final AOL member-suggested topic, from Aim2theright:
Weekend Assignment #99: "What do others think they could do to make a difference? It doesn't have to be life-altering, as the smallest conception can bring the biggest results." In addition to things you could do, I'll also add in the if you are currently doing things you think make a difference, you can mention those too.
Extra Credit: Name someone you know who you admire for making a difference.
-John Scalzi
I have this really unreasonable goal in life, simply put, "I want to leave folks better off then when I found them." I decided that this is how I wanted to try and lead my life this way after watching the way my family treated others. Like hurting others was a sport or something. I had to do a lot of damage control, even from a young age, until one day I wised up and realized it wasn't up to me to make up for the shortcomings of people around me, nope, I was only really responsible for my own conduct...not the conduct of others. So, fast forward to August of 2003. I started my journal Ellipsis, with NO idea what to do with it, and then it became apparent. Sharing my life, the things I see and hear, the photographs I enjoy taking, the challenges I face, the joys that fill my soul, loves I left behind, and even the romantic specter, "The Ethereal Musician," all reaches out to those who read me and says, "Hey, your not alone, and neither am I." Isn't that a wonderful feeling? So, at this time in my life, that is what I have to offer. Myself.
It's simple but it's true. If I can make you smile or laugh, if I can make you ponder something you never considered before, if I can share an idea or political observation and you find it interesting or provocative, then I feel like I have done something to make that particular day worthwhile. I know every comment I have ever gotten, including the ones from folks who thought I was oh so wrong, have only made me strive to be a better writer and person. One of the most rewarding entries I have posted to date, was the entry I wrote about the "Port Chicago Disaster," and it's aftermath. I actually received more then one email from readers and friends who said they had never heard that such a situation had ever happened. It felt good to pass on what I had learned, and share that important piece of history that somehow didn't make it into most history books, if indeed any. So, I will toot my own horn here a bit, and say that I think I make a difference by blogging, because I have a lot to share...and learn. See how nice that works out for both of us? :)
"Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
-Dr. Seuss
-OndineMonet
"What I See"
Westbound HWY 24
Berkeley, California
February 15th, 2006
12:30 PM
"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul to."
-Henry Beecher
I am tired tonight, and not in the best of moods. I did some T'ai Chi today, and I am pretty sore tonight, but I it's down to below freezing tonight, after a week or so of higher then normal temperatures. February can be a moody month. Hopefully I will get down to Oakland soon to photograph the geese and other birds at Lake Merritt. It's kinda fun to have that to look forward to. If all goes well, I will do some Qi Gong in the morning then go out and do some photos. :) We'll see. :)
-OndineMonet
"From The Rain"
Berkeley, California
February 2006
"If it's not fun, you're not doing it right."
-Bill Blasso
Sometimes I think maybe my "Kick up your heels and let the good times roll," days might be over. But in reality, I just need to pick and choose how I let the good times roll. Yesterday was Valentine's Day, and I woke up ready to celebrate the day. The sun was warm, so I was feeling pretty energetic, and when I went into my office I found I had a big box waiting for me. It was a gift from Alan. That nice man went out and bought me a gorgeous dessert set from Bed bath & Beyond. It is a serving for four and it is a country cats pattern. I was thrilled! See, Alan didn't know it, but I had reserved an ice-cream cake from Baskin Robin's. I called him at work and thanked him for my nifty new present, and told him I had something special for him to pick up on his way home. How does chocolate cake with chocolate mint ice-cream sound? :) I have to say, there is something completely decadent about eating an entire ice-cream cake in the middle of the afternoon, with someone you really kinda like. :) There was one more surprise waiting for me, he fixed dinner for us. A grilled steak and veggies. Ok, so maybe it wasn't party till you drop, but we had a really good time. :) Thanks goes to Tess, for picking such an awesome challenge! Be sure to visit the other Round Robin participants.
-OndineMonet
"Good Times"
Berkeley, California
February 14th, 2006
Afternoon
Round Robins
Tess...First Digital PhotosPosted!
Carly...Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly Posted!
Karen...Outpost Mavarin Posted!
Chris...My Photographic Life
Derek...Derek's Photo of the Day Posted!
Betty...My Day My Interests
Julie...Julie's Web Journal Posted!
Sara...Animated Seasons Posted!
Celeste...My Day And Thoughts
Dorn...Through The Eyes Of The Beholder
Sassy...Sassy's EYE Posted!
Steven...(sometimes) photoblog Posted!
DesLily... Here There And Everywhere 2nd Edition Posted!
"Gravitation can not be held responsible for people falling in love."
-Albert Einstein
Omar Pigglesworth knew it was love the moment he looked into the eyes of one Miss Sophie Jane Pridenporker. Not only did she have the most astounding eyes he had ever seen, but she had a pair of chops that wouldn't quit. See, Omar was a chops man. He tried however, to keep a professional relationship with the delicate, yet comely chanteuse, but he lost his heart when they were requested to perform the song of the ages for all lovers at the Barnyard Valentine's Soiree..."Don't Go Breakin' My Heart."
Don't Go Breakin' My Heart
As sung by Pigglesworth and Pridenporker
Omar: Don't go breakin' my heart
Sophie: I couldn't if I tried
Omar: Oh honey if I get restless
Sophie: Baby your not that kind
Omar: Don't go breakin' my heart
Sophie: You take the weight off of me
Omar: Ah honey when you knock on my door
Sophie: Ooh, I gave you my key
Omar/Sophie: Ooh-hoo, and nobody knows it
Omar: But when I was down
Sophie: I was your clown
Omar/Sophie: Ooh-hoo, and nobody knows it
Omar: Right from the start
Sophie: I gave you my heart
Omar/Sophie: Ooh-hoo I gave you my heart
Omar: So don't go breakin' my heart
Sophie: I won't go breakin' your heart
Omar/Sophie: I won't go breakin' your heart
Omar: And nobody told us
Sophie: "Cause nobody showed us
Omar: And now it's up to us babe
Sophie: Ooh I think we can make it
Omar: So don't misunderstand me
Sophie: You put the light in my life
Omar: Ooh you put the sparks to the flame
Sophie: I got your heart in my sights
Omar/Sophie: Ooh-hoo, and nobody knows it
Omar: When I was down
Sophie: I was your clown
Omar/Sophie: Ooh-hoo, and nobody knows it
Omar: Right from the start
Sophie: I gave you my heart
Omar/Sophie: Ooh-hoo I gave you my heart
Omar: Don't go breakin my heart
Sophie: I won't go breakin' your heart
Omar/Sophie: Don't go breakin' my heart
Yes, alas, it was indeed love at first sight, they both knew it to be true. She was quite a babe, and he now knew he could no longer fight his feelings. The next song he sang that night was, REO Speedwagon's "I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore," and it became their song. Sigh. :) Awww Amore! AMORE!
-OndineMonet
"A happy family is but an earlier heaven."
-George Bernard Shaw
Your Monday Photo Shoot: Show us a picture that represents love to you.
-John Scalzi
Is there anything more romantic then a love that never gets old, never wears thin and withers, and that never dies? When a pair of swans mate, they mate for life, and so does every generation after that. I watched this Swan family all last spring and summer at the Palace of Fine Arts, in San Francisco. There were groupings of about five or six families, but this particular family stayed pretty close to one side of the pond. It was sweet, romantic and life affirming to watch. Now that is what love should represent. Total and complete, unconditional love for each other.
-OndineMonet
"The Family"
The Palace Of Fine Arts
San Francisco, California
Spring/Summer 2005
"Cats are dangerous companions for writers because cat watching is a near-perfect method of writing avoidance."
-Dan Greenburg
I love this cat, but I have to admit the above quote is so true...watching Elvis can use up and entire day. :) I have owned so many pets in my lifetime, dogs, chickens, rabbits, a roadrunner for a brief time, a pair of geese, a hamster, a guinea pig, parakeets, love birds and an assortment of other animals, but Elvis is by far the most charming of them all. I have actually seen folks who swore to me that no cat has ever been worth what a dog is...fall instantly in love with Elvis inside of 10 minutes after meeting him. Maybe because he is a happy boy and anxious to please, maybe because of his gentle nature or maybe because his natural body oils make him smell like baby powder, but he charms those he meets, just like he has Alan and I. I adore this boy...he is my guy! :) Be sure to drop by Steven's journal and see this week's picture of Pickle for Feline Friday. He is quite the charmer as well. This week he is particularly cute. I can only imagine what it would be like to have both Pickle and Elvis in the same room at the same time. Tag team charmers. Ut oh! :) On a literary note, I did manage to gain some forward momentum in my book writing. I had been somewhat blocked, not because of Elvis so much as my lack of energy. I am pleased with them amount I managed to get done. Moving forward...that feels nice. :)
NOTE: Ooops. I mistook Harley for Pickle! LOL. Both kitties are too gorgeous, go have a look see for yourself! :)
-OndineMonet
"My Guy"
Berkeley, California
February 8th, 2005
Evening
"Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil."
-James Allen
The drive to Lake Tahoe last week was stunning. I saw the clear, glistening water in the lake, the snow on the hillsides, so white with sparkling iridescence, and they sky was a shade of blue that I had never seen before. I even saw a few trees, with leaves that looked like they were left over from last autumn. Maybe that was just the color of the leaves for that particular tree no matter what the season is, but for a moment or so, I was back in autumn. For a moment, it was so clear that I swear I could taste warm, spice apple cider in my mouth. It was vivid, but it was only my perspective.
Do you suppose everything is equally specific to everyone? When I stop to take a photograph, it's because I see something specific in it. Something completely unique to me in the moment. Maybe that is why I tend to revisit the same places over and over, and then bring the images back here to my blog. I can see the Golden Gate Bridge, from Fort Point, a hundred times and yet I always feel little when I stand beneath it. The sky never looks the same, nor does the fog as it rolls under the gate. It's always like I am seeing it for the first time...everytime.
I am that way with people as well. I have shared with you about the first time I met the November man. How can 20 or so years can go by and he not look a minute different to me. I look into his blue/gold eyes and I am always hopelessly lost. Sometimes I think that if I could just sit and stare for an hour or so into those eyes, with no words being spoken between us, I would eventually see all there is to see. I don't think I would survive it. I wish I understood how he can have such an affect on me, and the minute I walk the other way, I forget what he looks like. Maybe it isn't poor eyesight on my part, maybe it is just my bad memory.
Memories fill us sometimes, don't they? Vision makes it all come together in color and depth. There are times, and places, and people I would love to forget, but not if it meant never seeing a visual phenomenon, such as an eclipse or the shade of a lovers eyes again. There was this day...forever ago...when I was moving to a new apartment. It was May and there was a warm late spring rain happening. I was moving some boxes to my car and he was helping me. The rain began to pour and I looked like a wet kitty cat. I asked him if he had a hair dryer, and he just stopped, looked at the top of my very unstylish hair, and slowly moved his eyes down to mine, where he just smiled and spoke not one single word. He just smiled, in a moment that lasted forever. In that moment...I was in that moment. How could it be? HE found me beautiful? Funny how sometimes the very best gifts we can get, cost nothing, aren't wrapped in pretty paper with bows, and don't ever have to be given back.
To the casual observer, I was a mess, to the November Man I looked beautiful. How different we all seem to see the same object or person. The beauty in a heart's smile, the ugly in a smug smile. Some go to the water and feel afraid of it's loud laughter, others like me want to join in and laugh with it. Some fear a big wave rushing onto the shore, I want to run out and meet it. It's a funny thing vision, it is all in what we choose to see. I wouldn't give up the bittersweet of knowing him, if it meant I had to give up looking into his eyes, then or now. What I would change I suppose, is that once I care about someone, I care about them for life...my life. Just when I think every single empty room in my heart is full...along comes another thing to stretch my heart further, and that never leaves. Music, pets, art, foods, hobbies, books, life. Jeepers, I am such a schmuck! :)
-OndineMonet
"Looking Out The Window"
Placerville, California
February 8th, 2006
Morning
"You can't depend on your eyes, when your imagination is out of focus."
-Mark Twain
Ok, so I had to go to the optometrist's office the other day, because I have been having a lot of headaches and some blurred vision. Going to the eye doctor is no big deal for most folks, for me...blech! I am not crazy about strangers playing with my feet or my eyes. I always wonder if I will be the lucky one who gets an appointment, the day my eye doctor goes nuts and decided to put acid in my eyes instead of those funky drops that makes the world look like wide egg noodles for a couple hours after they are administered. Hey don't laugh...I have that kind of luck. Which is why I have avoided going to the eye doctor for as long as possible, until yesterday, when Alan nagged me into going in for a drop-in appointment. I was having one too many headaches. People with Fibromyalgia do experience a lot of headaches, but Alan reminded me that I had taken a lot for granted this whole past year when I thought my symptoms were either all in my head, or Epstein-Barr related. So, off we went on yet another adventure in medicine.
I was seeing a new eye doctor, because my former optician had recently retired. New office, in a new town. I had NO idea what to expect. That's always fun. The fear of the unknown trips me up every time. I can handle knowing the awful truth, I can handle knowing that everything will be fabulously wonderful, but NOT knowing what to expect always gives me the wiggins. And what about these headaches I have been having...I wonder if it is a brain tumor, or maybe worse yet, maybe it is a "brain cloud" like Joe had in the, 1990 Tom Hanks movie, "Joe Verses The Volcano." Now there was a thought! Would I be told I only had 6 months to live? Would I soon be sailing for a south seas island to join the Waponi Woo and then save the island by throwing myself into an active volcano? My goodness, now THAT would make for good blogging now wouldn't it! :)
As it turned out, my appointment turned out to be a whole lot less exotic and exciting then that. I did have some nifty things happen however, like I found out that there is a pretty cool new gadget that digitally scans the retina now, so one doesn't have to tolerate those uncomfortable eye drops. I will be receiving the picture of my eyeball by email in a few days. I was kind of impressed with it, the inside of my eyeball looks like a brilliant green nebula. According to my doctor, I am pretty healthy over all. He was able to tell just by looking into my eyes that my blood pressure was fine and that my cholesterol was at normal levels. I thought that was pretty cool. I had already known those things, but to know that the eye doctor could tell just by looking, was nice to find out. It's good to know that there are more ways to catch potential problems then ever before. So what was causing my eye troubles?
Simple, since the Fibromyalgia has become a problem, my eyes have changed a bit. I was advised to get two pairs of glasses. One pair for working on the computer and one pair to help with my long distance sight, for driving at night. Sometimes I have trouble, especially with the lighting around dusk. The doctor says that maybe in a few years I might consider getting bi-focals, but that is a few years off. So, as appointments go I guess that trip to the doctor's office wasn't so bad, and I got a nifty new picture to share with you in a few days. All in all, not a bad day at all. Thankfully, there seems to be no south seas island in my near future :)
-OndineMonet
"Carly's Foot Goes To The Eye Doctor"
Walnut Creek, California
February 9th, 2006
Afternoon
Click on the above photo to see an enlarged version.
"Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it's the answer to everything. To "why am I here?" To uselessness. It's the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be astonishing at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it's a cactus."
-Enid Bagnold
Weekend Assignment #98: "List the most utterly useless website you have ever visited." Suggested by AOL Journaler Rispina.
Extra Credit: "Tell us all about why you can't stop going there."
-John Scalzi
"Ghosts were people once too." -TAPS
I have a favorite web site, and actually it is also one of my favorite television shows as well, it is the web site of the Atlantic Paranormal Society, aka Ghost Hunters, when they are showing on the SCFI-Channel. Actually, I suppose it's really only useless if you don't happen to believe in ghosts. :) Otherwise it's kinda nifty! See, I happen to be a believer in all things...spooky! :)
Extra Credit: I keep coming back week, after week, because like I said...I 'm a believer. I like the guys of TAPS. They are hard working Roto-Rooter men by day, and Ghost Hunters by night. I believe them when they say the have experienced some pretty profound encounters with the spiritual world, because I have as well. I also enjoy the very human interaction between the hunters themselves, as they travel the East Coast in search of restless spirits. Very cool stuff. I would love to see them come out here to California to try and make contact with the "Blue Lady of Moss Beach. Her ghost is said to have been haunting the Moss Beach Distillery for many years, as well as the gorgeous beach that sits directly beneath it. Cool huh? Like one of the banners at the TAPS web site says, "Here ghostie, ghostie, ghostie." :)
-OndineMonet
"Moss Beach/ Moss Beach Distillery"
Moss Beach, California
Spring, 2005
Late Morning
"I prefer winter and autumn, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape, the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show."
-Andrew Wyeth
We drove to Lake Tahoe today, to see the snow. I have never seen snow before, it was softer then I even thought it would be. The water in the lake was amazing! So clear, so cool and so very blue. The beauty was nearly blinding...it made me want to come back to the lake, to see it in all the seasons, to see the rest of the story. :)
-OndineMonet
"Winter"
North Lake Tahoe, Nevada
February 9th, 2006
Noon
Click on the above photograph to see a larger version.
"Surfing soothes me, it's always been a kind of Zen experience for me. The ocean is so magnificent, peaceful and awesome. The rest of the world disappears for me when I am on a wave."
-Paul Walker
We had an incredible day yesterday. Temperatures in the Bay Area were in the mid-70's which meant there were record temperature highs. Perfect weather and conditions for the annual Mavericks Surfing Contest, held in Half Moon Bay, California. The annual contest draws surfers from around the world to compete, with the top prize at $30,000. This year the winner was from South Africa. Grant Baker was named the winner for having scored two perfect 10's for his wave riding. "That's the best I have ever surfed," he said, "it's the best I have ever done." The second and third prizes were awarded to two local men.
It was magnificent. The water was a gorgeous, clear aqua blue...and not a bit of fog or mist. It wasn't the typical February day. :) My the ocean producing waves that at times reached over 25 feet. The sun...oh the sun...and the bathing suits. It all came together to give me a much needed break from the painful joints. I had a very good time. And when we were finished at Half Moon Bay, watching the waves, it was time to head up the coast to San Francisco to see the waves at Fort Point.
There is nothing like sitting under the Golden Gate Bridge, watching those huge waves coming breaking around the corner into the bay. :) It was a lot of fun to watch the local surfers ride the waves under the Golden Gate and avoid the rocks along the waters edge. Not to mention the fact that just sitting on the water front under the bridge is an experience like no other. You feel so little and at the same time you feel like you can just reach right up and touch the bridge. This place is one of my favorite places to feel good. The water, the sun, the waves, the bridge and the winter sun. Now that is a Zen experience. :) And last night...I slept without pain.
"South African's Perfect Rides Lock Up Maverick's Title" KTVU
Visit my Photo Journal to see my evening photographs from Twin Peaks!
-OndineMonet
"Surfing Moments"
Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, California
February 6th, 2005
"Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life. You must never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you."
