thoughtful thursday: absolutely clear

Don't surrender your loneliness
So quickly.
Let it cut more deep.

Let it ferment and season you
As few human
Or even divine ingredients can.

Something missing in my heart tonight
Has made my eyes so soft,
My voice
So tender,

My need of God
Absolutely
Clear.

~Hafez

things that made me smile this week

*seeing a good friend, after not seeing him for while.

*talking with another friend that i haven't talked with for a while.

*driving to work this morning near union station, i saw a man walking looking at the capitol with a big grin on his face. his grin reminded me that i love being a tourist in this town too.

*i am pet sitting a friend's bunny rabbit. she's a cute little, obnoxious thing that poops everywhere.

*chief's training has started again. it's fun to be on the other side this year. i'm looking forward to seeing what i learn this year and remembering the lessons from last year.

*attending a fireside to listen to the architect of the lds temple in  rome, italy talk about the design concepts and share some drawings. it was a beautiful experience and i gained some really cool insights into this new temple. i can't wait to see it.

*a first date with a really nice guy who treated me like a lady.

*a new bathmat from world market. i love this store.

*chocolate.

thoughtful thursday: desire

pod from nat'l geographic

Let us remember that desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. In addition, it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something, whether a true friend, a gifted teacher, or one who has qualified for eternal life.
 -El. Dallin H. Oaks, April 2011 General Conference

a lot of stuff

so, there's a lot of stuff going on right now and i'm finding it difficult to keep up. plus, with everything going on, it's difficult to find my voice to put it out here on my blog. i'll be back soon in full force, once i can feel the calm. in the meantime, i'll posting a bit sporadically. so, please bear with me. thanks.

thoughtful thursday

Peyto Lake, Banff National Park, Canada

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is
     to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone
     with the heavens, nature and God.

Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and
     that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple
     beauty of nature.  I firmly believe that nature brings solace
     in all troubles.
                                                                                 - Anne Frank 

and yes the water

 really is that color

photo from here

talk nerdy to me

Nerd is a term that refers to an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit. Nerds are generally considered to be awkward, shy and/or unattractive by most, although this is not always true. Thus, a nerd is often excluded from physical activity and considered a loner by others, or will tend to associate with a small group of like-minded people, although again, this is not always the case.

Geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to be overly intellectual".

Which am I? Not sure...

~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~

I am in awe of the particular individual passions on display this weekend at Shore Leave 33, a fan-based Star Ttrek convention, which has now branched out into the other realms, or universes, of science fiction. There was something for everybody - Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Star Gate, Firefly (love this one!),  steam punk, and even Honorverse (Dad, you like this series)--just to name a few.

The best part was getting to listen to experts from NASA, Johns-Hopkins and other institutions talk about REAL science. My friend TS and I really enjoyed learning about these projects and at one point I leaned over to her and said, "We really must find jobs at NASA." She summarized the science perfectly on her blog:

There was one by a NASA scientist who worked on the Hayabusa project, and it was absolutely fascinating. Another about the history of NASA human flight, presented by a guy who works at Kennedy, was also great. Another awesome presentation was about Zooniverse, where you can volunteer to help out with various science projects (click the link, pick a project, and volunteer!). There was also another great one about upcoming solar system exploration. He talked a lot about the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory mission. Click this link to watch an animation of how they plan to land the thing on Mars (the video goes beyond the landing, but the speaker was focused on how they were landing). 

It was fascinating stuff and makes me want to learn and do more.

NASA dude explaining science stuff about the Hayabusa project.

There were actors from several different shows who took questions from us, the fans. The actors genuinely loved being there to talk about their work and share in their fans' enthusiasm for the shows and the characters. I was impressed with their sincerity as they met fans and shared a few moments with them. My favorites were these two guys:

John de Lancie who played Q
on Star Trek : The Next Generation

Christopher Judge who played Teal'c
on Stargate: SG-1
And he's a fan of Big Bang Theory!

Gary Lockwood and Sally Kellerman from
Star Trek: TOS pilot episode

The people at the convention were all really nice and cool. They definitely had their own groups and ideas going, because very few actually reached out to talk to anyone new, so I didn't leave with a new group of friends. I did meet some cool people from West Virginia with whom I hung out for a while, but that was it.

B from WVa made her hairpiece over one week.

The Masquerade or costume contest was really neat. I loved seeing all the costumes and how the contestants presented themselves. There were some really amazingly talented people who made some gorgeous costumes. I wish I had been able to get some close-up photos of more costumes, because they were some really cool ones there.

The Royal Manticoran Navy in uniform.

This dress was amazing. The velvet was hand imprinted.
21 hours on the dragon and 36 hours on the dress.

A steam punk engineer. Awesome leather work
and creative use of a caulking gun.

Steam Punk Crypto-Zoologists. Very authentic and Victorian-esque.

So all in all a very good weekend. Lots of fun and learning. I'm glad I went and I'll probably head back again next year for some more fun.

More photos here. Some more photos here. Soon to be photos here. Enjoy!

it's starting to feel like home

it's starting to feel like home. tonight i put the head and foot boards on my bed, and i'm in love all over again with my bed.


i hung my first painting in the new house--a section of monet's reflections of clouds on the water-lily pond, which i've had for almost fifteen years now and totally love. i hung it in my bedroom on the wall the sun hits first thing in the morning. it's gonna be beautiful.


i love my new home. and yes, i know you want photos.

things that made me smile this weekend

- it was a long day friday, but the movers finally showed up 7:30pm and we finished at midnight. i smiled when the movers left and i could shower and go to bed.

- unpacking!

- attending the baptism for a young man in our congregation and watching his excitement.

- the red door of my new house. i've always wanted a red door.

- sitting in the backyard of a friend's house at a bbq on the 4th of july. few things in life are better than grilled hot dogs, potato salad and cold cherries for dessert. it was great food, good conversation and relaxation.

- catching up with a good friend on the phone. M1, we really must get together soon!

- cleaning my old apartment. it's nice to say goodby and thank you.

- setting up my wardrobe room. think walk-in closet... i'll be sure to share photos once it's done.

- sitting on my back porch watching fireworks for a few minutes.

- making my bed and then waking up in my new room.

- i have a bath tub! (my old place didn't.)

- watching the capitol's fireworks on tv, but hearing the live explosions bouncing off the buildings of the capitol hill neighborhood. so cool!

- the ending of the movie super 8. it made being scared all right. highly recommend this movie.

- good friends who helped me pack, offered to help me organize and had pizza for delivered to my house. thank you.

independence

Image from archives.gov

We hold these truths to be self-evident, 

that all men are created equal, 

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, 

that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

What other country lists Happiness as right?

Happy Independence Day!