May is going to be an excellent month.
1. Yosemite Trip!
2. Bike event(s)
3. New tattoo work begins
4. Mom comes to visit
5.Going on a citizen ride-along with Oakland Police Dept
6. Work will definitely show up
April 30, 2007
April 21, 2007
April 19, 2007
Yes, a Chipmunk.
Most people don't know this, but I have been working with a Life Purpose Coach. I know that advertising work allows me great freedom, but the work isn't meaningful to me, in fact, it is rather the opposite. I feel strongly that if I must work, it should be doing something that is either beneficial in some capacity, or is personally meaningful.
So we've been going through various exercises, and this most recent one was a guided meditation done to a CD. Since I am not at all religious and don't have a god, this was my chosen method to access my "soul". The CD presents itself as a means to visualize yourself sitting in a beautiful setting, then walking down a path and coming upon what is to be your sacred area. One visualizes various things. (I'm rather reluctant to post my entire notes from the sitting, but they're pretty Timothy Leary-ish.) This methodology assumes you have a Protector (aka Ego) that wants you to be safe, protected and happy. You conjure up your Protector, and ask them to step outside the sacred circle you've put yourself into.
Any guesses what my Protector emerged as while I did this visualized meditation?
A Chipmunk. Yes, you read that correctly.
Where did that come from? Okay, so I go on with the rest of the guided meditation (which was quite visual, trippy and had interesting bodily sensations). After I was finished, I was very intrigued about this chipmunk. It seemed so random.
Thanks to the power of the internet, I was able to look up the symbolism of chipmunks. This particular website gave me my totem animal. Here is the description of my Chipmunk Totem:
Chipmunk, like squirrel, embodies the quality of trust. They have little fear of people and are often found in rural areas, city parks and in the wild. Chipmunks are very curious and take the time to explore everything that comes across their path. They are inquisitive, fearless and playful. They do what they want to do in their own time frame. They are quite vocal often drawing attention to themselves. Chipmunk medicine people will not tolerate being told what to do or when to do it.
They make good leaders and spokespersons.
When a chipmunk is twelve weeks old they have the ability to be on their own. The symbolism of the number twelve or the combined numbers of one and two should be studied by those with this totem. Cycles occur regularly in a persons life and those with chipmunk medicine will often find that changes will occur in their life approximately every twelve weeks or twelve months. Knowing this gives you forewarning and the opportunity for preparedness.
By watching the chipmunks behavior much can be learned. They appear to scamper to and fro always in a hurry to get somewhere. Starting in one direction, circling around and arriving back where they started from. There is no detail that goes unnoticed by the chipmunk as they circle around andsee beyond the obvious. Chipmunk teaches the art of observation and
appropriate movement.
Chipmunks have an air of independence and certainty about them. Their inquisitive nature leads them into unexplored territory and their detailed mind leaves no stone unturned.
If chipmunk is your totem pay attention to how your energy is being used. Are you thoughts constructive or destructive? Are your fears keeping you from playing and enjoying life? Are you in charge of your life or have you given you authority over to another?
Chipmunk is the messenger of many realms. If this is your totem you are on your way to self discovery.
This was spot on. Fascinating. Telling.
When I spoke to my Coach this morning, we went through this because I identify with a lot of what is described above. It made sense to her that my protector showed up like this, because this is part of the conscious self, the ego, etc.
There was one other part of the exercises that I couldn't bring myself to do. It involves some journaling and asking questions of the "soul" or whatever source it was that gave me my last bit of information ("it" did tell me a "purpose", albeit a vague one, so I need to go back and ask some additional questions.)
This journaling exercise cannot be done by me in my livingroom. Or indoors. I have been having dreams about needing to go back to Yosemite. So there is where I will go to ask these questions, sitting by a river. How Herman Hesse, huh? I have long been drawn to listening to the river rushing and all the voices within, so I will go to Yosemite and sit. And ask. Ask the river.
A weekend has been carved out to go to Yosemite anyway, since I have been getting the jones.
Uh-huh. Jen's going a little crazy, a little too much granola for breakfast, a little woo-woo. Poor, dotty girl you might be thinking.
Hey, man, a chipmunk has got my back. Can you do better than that?
So we've been going through various exercises, and this most recent one was a guided meditation done to a CD. Since I am not at all religious and don't have a god, this was my chosen method to access my "soul". The CD presents itself as a means to visualize yourself sitting in a beautiful setting, then walking down a path and coming upon what is to be your sacred area. One visualizes various things. (I'm rather reluctant to post my entire notes from the sitting, but they're pretty Timothy Leary-ish.) This methodology assumes you have a Protector (aka Ego) that wants you to be safe, protected and happy. You conjure up your Protector, and ask them to step outside the sacred circle you've put yourself into.
Any guesses what my Protector emerged as while I did this visualized meditation?
A Chipmunk. Yes, you read that correctly.
Where did that come from? Okay, so I go on with the rest of the guided meditation (which was quite visual, trippy and had interesting bodily sensations). After I was finished, I was very intrigued about this chipmunk. It seemed so random.
Thanks to the power of the internet, I was able to look up the symbolism of chipmunks. This particular website gave me my totem animal. Here is the description of my Chipmunk Totem:
Chipmunk, like squirrel, embodies the quality of trust. They have little fear of people and are often found in rural areas, city parks and in the wild. Chipmunks are very curious and take the time to explore everything that comes across their path. They are inquisitive, fearless and playful. They do what they want to do in their own time frame. They are quite vocal often drawing attention to themselves. Chipmunk medicine people will not tolerate being told what to do or when to do it.
They make good leaders and spokespersons.
When a chipmunk is twelve weeks old they have the ability to be on their own. The symbolism of the number twelve or the combined numbers of one and two should be studied by those with this totem. Cycles occur regularly in a persons life and those with chipmunk medicine will often find that changes will occur in their life approximately every twelve weeks or twelve months. Knowing this gives you forewarning and the opportunity for preparedness.
By watching the chipmunks behavior much can be learned. They appear to scamper to and fro always in a hurry to get somewhere. Starting in one direction, circling around and arriving back where they started from. There is no detail that goes unnoticed by the chipmunk as they circle around andsee beyond the obvious. Chipmunk teaches the art of observation and
appropriate movement.
Chipmunks have an air of independence and certainty about them. Their inquisitive nature leads them into unexplored territory and their detailed mind leaves no stone unturned.
If chipmunk is your totem pay attention to how your energy is being used. Are you thoughts constructive or destructive? Are your fears keeping you from playing and enjoying life? Are you in charge of your life or have you given you authority over to another?
Chipmunk is the messenger of many realms. If this is your totem you are on your way to self discovery.
This was spot on. Fascinating. Telling.
When I spoke to my Coach this morning, we went through this because I identify with a lot of what is described above. It made sense to her that my protector showed up like this, because this is part of the conscious self, the ego, etc.
There was one other part of the exercises that I couldn't bring myself to do. It involves some journaling and asking questions of the "soul" or whatever source it was that gave me my last bit of information ("it" did tell me a "purpose", albeit a vague one, so I need to go back and ask some additional questions.)
This journaling exercise cannot be done by me in my livingroom. Or indoors. I have been having dreams about needing to go back to Yosemite. So there is where I will go to ask these questions, sitting by a river. How Herman Hesse, huh? I have long been drawn to listening to the river rushing and all the voices within, so I will go to Yosemite and sit. And ask. Ask the river.
A weekend has been carved out to go to Yosemite anyway, since I have been getting the jones.
Uh-huh. Jen's going a little crazy, a little too much granola for breakfast, a little woo-woo. Poor, dotty girl you might be thinking.
Hey, man, a chipmunk has got my back. Can you do better than that?
April 18, 2007
Need my fix one more time...
Like a junkie, I need one more. It seems as if I'm going to get it.
It's snowing. Kirkwood got six inches yesterday, and if the forecast remains true, there ought to be another six or so inches for Friday. So we're going to make the drive and get in what will likely be the last riding day of the season. I thought the season was done, but Mother Nature seems to be delivering a late season bag o' tricks.
Michelle called me excited to go up on Friday. I convinced P to take the day off, too. Road trip! It's a long day, up and back, but when it's good it's worth it.
My dilemma: I got a new board. Haven't ridden it because the season went to shit. Do I ride it? There will be potentially exposed rocks and junk to scratch up my new board. Or do I leave it tucked in the back of the closet until next season? I think I'll bring it, and leave my options open. I can do this, since we'll all be piling in my car.
(Hello, universe! Just because I'm having a ridiculous amount of fun playing doesn't mean you can't bring on some money-making work. Thanks!)
It's snowing. Kirkwood got six inches yesterday, and if the forecast remains true, there ought to be another six or so inches for Friday. So we're going to make the drive and get in what will likely be the last riding day of the season. I thought the season was done, but Mother Nature seems to be delivering a late season bag o' tricks.
Michelle called me excited to go up on Friday. I convinced P to take the day off, too. Road trip! It's a long day, up and back, but when it's good it's worth it.
My dilemma: I got a new board. Haven't ridden it because the season went to shit. Do I ride it? There will be potentially exposed rocks and junk to scratch up my new board. Or do I leave it tucked in the back of the closet until next season? I think I'll bring it, and leave my options open. I can do this, since we'll all be piling in my car.
(Hello, universe! Just because I'm having a ridiculous amount of fun playing doesn't mean you can't bring on some money-making work. Thanks!)
April 15, 2007
Whew!
I passed.
What a relief. I am supposed to guide an outing next weekend, so my certification had to be current. Medical stuff is more in the forefront of my mind than it has been for a while. This information can be life or death in the backcountry (and also when in Nepal), so it's not the kind of thing one wants to lose fluency in.
I've been stressin' this most of last week. Life can resume now.
(Um, hello to the universe: need some adbucks, could use some work. please?)
What a relief. I am supposed to guide an outing next weekend, so my certification had to be current. Medical stuff is more in the forefront of my mind than it has been for a while. This information can be life or death in the backcountry (and also when in Nepal), so it's not the kind of thing one wants to lose fluency in.
I've been stressin' this most of last week. Life can resume now.
(Um, hello to the universe: need some adbucks, could use some work. please?)
April 11, 2007
Why can't REI sell REAL bras?
Oh, I am so not a Real Girl. It's a sad fact that if an item in my wardrobe didn't come from REI, then it's from a thrift store. I confess: I hate shopping for clothes if they're for me. Thus, I end up buying all my clothes at REI, not only because of the convenience factor, but also because my employee discount kind of makes paying full retail anywhere seem like a waste of money. And yes, sure, the clothes REI sells kinda fits in with my outdoorsy-crunchy look I seem to have landed into because I could care less about spending time on coordinating outfits and looking good. My personal clothes-buying philosophy is that I should be able to get dressed in the dark, that every shirt should go with every pair of pants and that everything is neutral enough that I don't need to spend time getting matchy. Pretty seems to be a word that eludes me, and I'm okay with that.
Anyway, REI doesn't carry real bras. They carry sports bras, and I do have self-worth enough to not parade around a uniboob at all times. I desperately need new bras. I detest bra shopping in the worst way. It is only second to going to the dentist. The only way to make the bra buying experience somewhat bearable is for me to commit spending fat cash on bras, and to go to Nordstrom's. They have bra chicks - women whose job it is to fit you, then run in and out and bring you bras. This is an unbelievably fantastic service, because part of what I hate about bra shopping is trying on bras that don't fit, getting dressed again to go find more possibilities, and then repeating ad nauseum until I find a couple that work. The bra fitters get a proper fit, find bras that work for one's size and shape, and then bring them to you and adjust straps, etc. It's lovely because it cuts the shopping time dramatically, and aside from the pain of plunking down the credit card, it takes much of the misery out of bra shopping.
Despite my glowing testimonial of bra shopping at Nordstrom's, I can't drag my ass there to get much needed bras. I have three and they're falling apart. How un-sexy is that? Nevermind that I also just go for the industrial-strength bra because finding support and sexy hardly go together when you're looking for a bra in my size. Or else I just can't give it the time it would take for the planets to align into one perfect fitting, sexy, overpriced scrap of fabric and underwire.
Today I went into SF. I intended to go to Nordstrom's. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. But I went by REI, mostly to say hi to my boss there. I left with a bag of purchases, all Prana: a cute strappy tank top, a lacy skirt and a pair of stretchy zip-off convertible pants. Good lord, if they could just sell bras.
Go figure, I somehow managed to do an unusually girlie thing today. I dove back into the higher maintenance world of the brazilian wax. Ostensibly, it's because cycling season is here and this results in less ingrown hairs when I spend countless hours in spandex shorts. But there's something nice about the tidy smoothness. Hello? I can get hair stripped from my girlie bits, but I can't go buy a couple bras.
How lame is that?
Anyway, REI doesn't carry real bras. They carry sports bras, and I do have self-worth enough to not parade around a uniboob at all times. I desperately need new bras. I detest bra shopping in the worst way. It is only second to going to the dentist. The only way to make the bra buying experience somewhat bearable is for me to commit spending fat cash on bras, and to go to Nordstrom's. They have bra chicks - women whose job it is to fit you, then run in and out and bring you bras. This is an unbelievably fantastic service, because part of what I hate about bra shopping is trying on bras that don't fit, getting dressed again to go find more possibilities, and then repeating ad nauseum until I find a couple that work. The bra fitters get a proper fit, find bras that work for one's size and shape, and then bring them to you and adjust straps, etc. It's lovely because it cuts the shopping time dramatically, and aside from the pain of plunking down the credit card, it takes much of the misery out of bra shopping.
Despite my glowing testimonial of bra shopping at Nordstrom's, I can't drag my ass there to get much needed bras. I have three and they're falling apart. How un-sexy is that? Nevermind that I also just go for the industrial-strength bra because finding support and sexy hardly go together when you're looking for a bra in my size. Or else I just can't give it the time it would take for the planets to align into one perfect fitting, sexy, overpriced scrap of fabric and underwire.
Today I went into SF. I intended to go to Nordstrom's. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. But I went by REI, mostly to say hi to my boss there. I left with a bag of purchases, all Prana: a cute strappy tank top, a lacy skirt and a pair of stretchy zip-off convertible pants. Good lord, if they could just sell bras.
Go figure, I somehow managed to do an unusually girlie thing today. I dove back into the higher maintenance world of the brazilian wax. Ostensibly, it's because cycling season is here and this results in less ingrown hairs when I spend countless hours in spandex shorts. But there's something nice about the tidy smoothness. Hello? I can get hair stripped from my girlie bits, but I can't go buy a couple bras.
How lame is that?
April 7, 2007
Sloth Returns
A rainy day. A long afternoon spent in bed. A long nap.
Several Dark 'n Stormys. Potentially lethal, those. Sure, yes, still vegan. But sweet potato fries with curried mayo at 10pm?
Do not redeliver those pre-fast pounds, please.
Several Dark 'n Stormys. Potentially lethal, those. Sure, yes, still vegan. But sweet potato fries with curried mayo at 10pm?
Do not redeliver those pre-fast pounds, please.
April 2, 2007
Not in a morbid way...
This topic has been on my mind lately. It's a recurring topic of thought. I wish there was some way to incorporate that into my life's work.
This has also been an ongoing interest of mine, ever since witnessing a family member's death. I wish I had it in me to make the time commitment to this program.
It's sad we can treat our pets humanely, but not those we love.
This has also been an ongoing interest of mine, ever since witnessing a family member's death. I wish I had it in me to make the time commitment to this program.
It's sad we can treat our pets humanely, but not those we love.
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