Has Anyone Noticed

That my counter says 'Natural Antidepressents?'

Holy cow, that was a break, right? Yeah, I know. I have excuses, I mean, um, reasons, though. Starting at the end of June, through last weekend, I've been up to my eyeballs in life. I mean, it just got all over the place. You know how that is: Kung Fu practice every day, working two jobs, trying to keep Falcon and Finch and Bright New Things going... did I mention Kung Fu every day? Yep. But things are winding down - after IKC next weekend, I'll be back to Kuing Fu only 4 days a week, plus all the other crap.

In other news.... life continues to strike an unexpected balance. My worries and fears still maintain, but sudden happiness has distracted me. I had reached kind of a plateau in the last couple of years with martial arts: I taught more than I could practice, and our advanced practices had fallen by the way side. Kung Fu was becoming more stress than pleasure. My recent training experiences, however, have helped me break through this wall, and that feels AWESOME. I'm learning things again, pushing myself, improving as a fighter and performer. And I've developed some amazing personal friendships through all of this Kung Fu. All of these experiences have reminded me about what I really LIKE about me. I'm not my upside down mortgage or my inability to land a teaching job at a good university. I AM that bright tension between the muscles of my hand and my sword, that moment of connection when I block or strike. And I am full of love and friendship for the people in my life.

I feel like I've got my second wind.

Touch the Water

Listen, I know I've been silent over here for a while - it's been a busy month, with it's ups and downs, mostly ups though, thank you very much. I'm getting back in the swing of things however, so listen up.

We all know about the oil spill in the Gulf. I can't even watch news footage of it, I find it so terribly upsetting. SO I'm going to participate in this, and I think you should too:



Here's the original post from Hannah at Divining Women. This Saturday I'm going to send some positive energy to the Earth and I hope you will join me.

I'm in training. Yay.

When ever life throws me a fast ball (curve ball? I don't really 'get' baseball metaphor) I find myself embracing kung fu ever deeper. All of the trouble, irritations and pain of daily life only serve to further deepen my connection to the one thing that brings me pleasure, release and confidence. In the end it will just be me, some cats, and about 105 Quyen, or forms, I'm sure. Right now I know about 15, in case you were wondering.

So, IKC, the big martial arts tournament in Long Beach grows ever closer and I've decided to shake off my current bout of setbacks and really concentrate on my form. From today I have almost exactly 3 months. I've worked in walking/jogging 4 days a week, plus extra practices on Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun. Although, in all honesty, some of these practices are less intense than others. A rigorous teaching schedule makes it hard to get the most out of the in class sessions. I need to step up my game plan and get more of a hardcore training in 3 x a week or more. I've been trying to work in a lot of sparring and self defense drills, as well as full speed form practices until I can't breathe any more. That's like, 2.

I don't have too many stats to memorize, but I weigh in at 120.5 lbs right now, and get pretty out of breath after doing about 2 thirds of the Rose Form. One of my shoulders has been bothering me a lot, as does one of my knees. I will keep you updated, sports fans, on the amazing differences my training schedule will bring. I tend to drop weight fast when I want to, but I do find it challenging to maintain stamina. It feels like the first time I take a nap, I'm right back to where I started from.

I want to bring home another 1st place trophy this year. That's the goal of all of this self torture. Well, trophies, and to further strength the bond between body, mind and chi. After all, if I don't have Kung Fu, I ain't got nuthin'. Oh, also, I will soon be writing about the philosophical and historical aspects of Kung Fu. Stay tuned for that bit of wit and genius.

Mermaid Art Giveaway at eWitch

A friend of mine from eWitch is giving away some of her lovely fantasy themed digital art. Visit the blog post for a chance to win your choice of mermaid or merman (rowr) print!

Why I get less done than I could

Why I get less done than I could
Originally uploaded by brightnewthings

Cici cat. Everywhere.

Hans Christian Anderson, I love you so

the little mermaid
Originally uploaded by hkapeman

Was I a nerd because I read too many books? Or did I read too many books because I was, inherently, a nerd? Who cares. The point is, of all the gifts I received as a child; the dolls, the ponies, real and plastic, the clothes and rubber bracelets, my favorites always were, and will remain, books. There was a lot of upheaval in my early life, and many books I cherished, like an illustrated Beatrix Potter book, and a soiled, tattered copy of Lyle, Lyle Crocodile got left behind. One book I've managed to keep near, however, is a gorgeously illustrated collection of Hans Christian Anderson stories, given to me by my father in 1988. I remember him, and my step mother at the time, reading to us from this book before my brother and I went to bed. Is it weird that my parents still read me bed time stories once in a while when I was 12? Possibly, but reading for pleasure has been linked with success as adults, so whatever.

Anderson wrote some of the most cherished stories of contemporary childhood, though you may not recognize some of the original endings. "The Little Mermaid," for instance, ends with heart break and tragedy, not Ariel and the Prince dancing off into happily ever after. Anderson also wrote classics like "The Ugly Duckling," "The Snow Queen," and "The Princess and The Pea." And there are lesser known gems, like "The Tinder Box," and "The Elder Tree Mother," both of which I loved as a child. Anderson told a world that was both beautiful and sad, and often rife with danger, where love and loss both triumphed. His characters are fragile and flawed, but find reserves of personal strength, courage, and faith.

In honor of his birthday, which was today, 205 years ago, please explore the work of this wonderful tale teller: http://hca.gilead.org.il/

And if you are already a fan, check out The Annotated Hans Christian Anderson edited and with notes by Maria Tatar, noted folklore scholar. It's loaded with intriguing and insightful commentary:
http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Hans-Christian-Andersen-Books/dp/0393060810

I have my heart set...

On the Studio at the Glenferness Estate. I have been in love with this cottage for years, ever since I found it while planning my first Scotland trip. I've never been in the position to go - it's out of the way. Waaaaay out of the way. It's situated right on the lip of the River Findhorn, long famous for it's wild and rich beauty. It was built in the late 1800's an artists' retreat, and retreat I will. I promise you this, dear reader, by midsummer next year, I will be spending a week there if I have to go hungry all year to do it. I will bring half a dozen cameras, a suitcase full of film, and a picture of my beloved cats. Otherwise, I'm not sure you could get me to come home.

I got presents and it wasn't even my birthday!

Remember a few weeks (months?) ago, when I said I wanted to trade some art with people? Katie at Lemon Jitters was the only person to take me up on it. In the words of my Sifu - "I don't blame you." I know we all have stuff goin' on. Anyhow. It took us both foreeeeevvvveeerrrr to mail out our respective packages. It was totally worth the wait, however. Let me show you what nifty treasures I received.

First of all, Katie is awesome at sending packages. She had personalized it with some of her babushka gift tags and pretty ribbon and it really amped up the pleasure and excitement of getting something in the mail. What I found inside, however, was a treasure trove. She sent a mini poster that she designed - it reads "Don't listen to your Mom. Scratch your itchies." A sentiment I can get behind, my dears. Here it is tucked inside the little memo board my kung fu students gave me for my birthday last year.

She also sent me some nifty tags she made from an old book. I don't know yet what I'm going to do with them. I thought they would make pretty tags on party favors, if I ever have another party. Which looks doubtful at the moment. Or maybe I'll send them on birthday presents to friends this year. Or maybe I'll save them as props for different photo projects....

Finally, the best part: Katie included a jewel from her shop, Lemon Jitters. It may not be something that I have mentioned before in the blogosphere, but I love jewels. Really. All of the women in my family go a little crazy for pretty, unique, jewelry. My mother swears that it's the secret to a successful marriage, and my step dad knows better than to come home from any over seas location with out a pack full of exotic treasures from afar.

The piece Katie sent is a faceted carnelian briolette on a wire wrapped brass finding and chain. I'm in love. I've barely taken it off. The carnelian is so deeply and richly colored and when the light hits it, the stone seems to glow! Lovely. And she sent it in her typical packaging, with her logo stamped card and a little dandelion puff bag. So cute. It's really made me feel like I need to do better with my own packaging for Bright New Things and Falcon and Finch.

Needless to say, I'm a fan of this girl! Thank you so much for sharing with me Katie! Also, sorry that the photos for this story ain't the best - the light in my kitchen was at it's gross point, but I really wanted to capture everything as I discovered it!

Where have I been?

pods
Originally uploaded by brightnewthings

Really. I've been terrible. I've barely blogged, attended my various team functions, blahdy blahdy, all the other stuff I do regularly. And I'm sorry about that. But I have a good excuse:

I've been on a staycation! Really, I'm house sitting, but I like to look at the bright side of things. It's a gorgeous house in the SFV, not too far from my condo, so I can check on the cats every day, but it really is like another world. Maxine has a gorgeous garden, a hot tub, and a water heater that ACTUALLY works. Between the hot showers and the hot tub, my skin will be pruny for weeks. This photo, Pods, is a TTV I took at Sunrise in the garden a few days ago. It's been amazing. Sunlight, cool breezes, a clean kitchen - I may as well be in Greece.

And like a real vacation, I am stuck with the vagaries of limited computer access. Max has a pc, but I'm pretty sure she purchased it in 1997. It's slow, archaic, and doesn't like the internet all the much. That's ok, though. Having limited net use has freed up a lot of my time for hot tubbing, book reading, and napping. I can't complain.

Max also has a puppy - a mountainous Newfoundland dog who follows me around and puts her enormous head in my lap all the time. I adore her.

But all good things come to an end. Today is my last day of vacation. Tonight I will be back in my messy, cramped condo, with lots of meetings to catch up on, items to list, negatives to scan, and so on.

Oh, and if you really do feel like you've been missing out on my blogging, I have managed to maintain my Wednesday posts at eWitch. Enjoy! http://ewitch-virtualcoven.blogspot.com/