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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2005

If I were to pick a spring day to hold in a jar and take out next winter, this would be it. Absolute perfection. Sunny, warm but not hot, everything in bloom, and still light outside when I scooted home after swimming at 9 PM. I stayed out in it all day long.

First I scooted around to three local banks gathering info on their CD interest rates. Yes, it pays to comparison shop because when I brought this information back to my bank, they managed to offer me the best interest rate they'd ever quoted.

Then I had my first-ever appointment with a financial advisor and learned a lot. Happily he knew what I was talking about when I told him I would only be interested in socially responsible investing. He also respected my wishes not to have any dealings with the federal government which, in my opinion, uses most of its money in destructive ways. I also put the kabosh on pharmaceutical companies, tobacco companies, arms manufacturers and insurance companies.

After hearing my concerns and wishes, Rick advised me to invest in tax-free bonds. He's going to look into the availability of municipal and state bonds that would support things like schools, low-income housing, assistance for elders and the disabled, women's and environmental concerns. We'll see what he comes up with. I certainly like the idea of knowing who would be using my money and how they would be using it.

I also spent some time at a nearby camping store. Last August at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival I was oh-so-sorry I'd cheaped out and bought a $35 sleeping bag from our local hardware store. Of course it was the coldest, wettest festival ever. I remember going to bed fully clothed, with piles of sweaters and jackets covering that pathetic sleeping bag, and still freezing. I'm not taking that chance again. Today I ordered a down bag that is guaranteed down to 20 degrees F. That should do the trick. I also bought two pair of warm wool socks. Last year all I had were cotton and they were worthless. My feet never did warm up.

Of course you know if I do all this we're sure to have 100 degree weather this year. In my view, better hot and dry than cold and wet. I may live to regret those words!

I've got some more spring scenes for you to enjoy:

Bleeding Hearts,
Ed's office patio with a close-up of his hanging basket of flowers,
our neighbors Helen and Don's garden with its Anglica tulips and orange poppy in bloom,
and finally an idyllic street I scooted down at 7 PM this evening on my way to swimming.


THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2005

Friends, it looks like I'm probably going to have to take my computer in for service. The freezing/clicking problem I had a month ago returned this afternoon, and the Apple support techie I called feels the problem is most likely with my HD (Hard Drive). Bad news. It's acting OK now but I fear this could come back at any time. I'm going to talk with a local Apple service shop tomorrow and see what they recommend.

The long and short is that if you don't hear from me for awhile, it means my iBook had to go in for service. I'll return as soon as I can.

Today at school was a kick! I asked the fourth and fifth graders to teach me an Arabic/English song they sing in chorus. As each class worked on their weaving project, a good number of the kids chose to gather around my table to teach me the song. Susan (the art teacher) even allowed two drummers in one fourth grade class to get their instruments so they could accompany us.

These youngsters are the most patient teachers you could imagine. They'd repeat the pronounciation of the Arabic words over and over until I finally got it. And they sang this same song so many times I couldn't believe they weren't sick of it. But it paid off. By the end of the day the kids said I had it right. One boy, with wonder in his voice and a grin on his face, said, "I've never seen anyone like you wanting to learn Arabic!"

I plan to bring this song to the Continent In Song retreat in Saskatchewan in mid-June. I think the 140 Canadian and American women who are gathering to celebrate Carolyn McDade's 70th birthday, will love it. I know I do. But even more than the song, I dearly love these kids.


FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2005

It's 2 PM and I've just gotten off the phone with Dante at the Apple service shop. From what I told him, he says it sounds like my hard drive is "fried." Not a particularly promising diagnosis. Because of the long weekend (Memorial Day in the U.S.), I won't be taking it in until Tuesday, so he recommended I either not use my computer until then or back everything up and use it till it crashes. Since I've already backed everything up on CDs, I'm going to try to use it over the weekend, but sparingly. Dante said if I bring it in on Tuesday he'll try to have it back to me by the end of the week, even if he has to order a new hard drive. But I'm sure that's not a guarantee.

Can you believe that this is the first time I've ever taken a computer in for service? Of course my first computer--a PC laptop--lost a third of its screen after three years so that was when I bought this iBook. I can't even remember what make PC I had. But I'd never go back--willingly--to a non-Apple computer. Even if my HD is fried after only three years. That has been three years of mighty hard use.

Again, don't worry if you don't hear from me. It just means my HD gave up the ghost a little sooner than I'd hoped...


SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2005

During our Raging Grannies' protest in front of Wal-Mart yesterday, six of the eight Grannies got into an argument about the war with a woman who has two sons fighting in Iraq. This kind of thing had never happened before, and it upset me greatly. We stopped our protest and went over to the house of one of our Grannies to talk about what had happened.

Our discussion was helpful but, unfortunately, I continued to fret over it even after I'd returned home. I got up in the middle of the night to write my feelings in my personal journal, and later in the morning I thought about it during much of my 20-lap swim down at the park. I also bent Ed's ear on the phone trying to process what was going on in me. As I say, this hit deep.

I even considering leaving the Grannies. That's often my initial response when something unpleasant happens in a group. But instead of acting precipitously, I continued to sit with it and tried to figure out what had been triggered within myself. To be honest, my reaction was more intense than the incident warranted.

Last night and this afternoon I alternated journalling with reading Deepak Chopra's book, "Peace Is the Way." In the middle of reading his discussion about the soul's place in becoming a person of peace, I suddenly saw what I was doing in relation to the Grannies: classic projection.

When I experienced their argmentative encounter with someone who saw things differently from them, it was like a mirror reflecting back to me the rage I try to keep in check under similar circumstances. Then I saw that if I walked away from the Raging Grannies because they showed me what I am capable of myself, I would continue to carry this rage instead of owning up to it and trying to deal with it. So I'm going to do my best to examine this shadow side of my nature and try to change it.

I am determined to become a person of peace.

In connection with that, let me offer some images that will, hopefully, provide you with a measure of peace. I've added them to my Spring 2005 photo album.


MONDAY, MAY 30, 2005

Now I finally get it! I see the art in electronic techno music. Until today I never could understand how a genre of music whose superstars were DJs could be considered art. But after dancing for a solid 45 minutes to the music of a German DJ named Phon.o, I am here to say the man is a genius! What he put together on a Mac iBook just like mine was amazing.

And a lot of the fun for me was the response of the young people to seeing a woman old enough to be their grandmother standing beside her disability scooter and shakin' her booty!

"You're so cool!"

"Can I dance with you?"

"Can I take your picture? Can my friend take a picture of us together?"

Even one of the fellows doing tech behind the stage came down to take a picture of me dancing. I must admit, Pat and I were the only white and silver-haired women I saw at Hart Plaza today. And, believe me, we wouldn't have lasted very long if we hadn't gone across the street to a hotel shop and bought earplugs. Without them we were dying; with them, we loved it! Loud was just a word until today.

The event was the sixth-annual Techno Music Festival here in Detroit, the home of electronic music. It was Pat's and my first such festival, and it won't be our last. But next year we'll come prepared with earplugs snugly nestled in our ears and our dancin' shoes at the ready. I'll also be sure my hair is pinked!

Here are some photos:

The mainstage on which they actually did have a live act performing. Some of the dancers on the huge dance floor.
Break dancers--photos #1, #2 & #3--out on the plaza.
One of many couples dressed for the occasion.
Some of those dancers who loved Phon.o's music.
Two artist-made model cars--photos #1 & #2--displayed on downtown Detroit's sidewalks.


TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2005

Friends, my computer is going in for repairs today so I'll be out of internet commission for awhile. If it takes too long I'll use my husband's office computer and post an update on my blog. But maybe having a little vacation is just what I need. You mean there's life after computers???


THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2005

Donte's helping me set things up and this, my friends, is a test.

...IT WORKS!!!!!!


1:52 PM

Here I am back in front of the window in my upstairs back bedroom working at my iBook computer, as I have so many days/weeks/months before. I feel ready to continue on, as one of Carolyn McDade's songs says. But, oh my, that three and a half week vacation was good. I so needed to allow myself to go back to simply living life for awhile. Even a core communicator like me needs time off every so often.

Donte was great. This morning he spent a full hour walking me through some of the new features on this Tiger--that's it's name--Mac operating system (OS X.4). Then he set up my internet connection, showed me how to use Tiger's email program, set up my FTP (file transfer protocol) in such a way that simplified the process of uploading and downloading my web site files so you can access them, and showed me how to use this new (to me) Adobe GoLive web design software. And he didn't charge a penny extra.

Granted, my bill approached the national debt with all that I'd asked him to add. If you've recently priced Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Word and Mac's Tiger OS X.4, you know what I'm talking about. But it had to be done and and I'm glad I did it.

And now I'm going to see if I can figure out how to bring you some photos...

11:19 PM

I'm back, hopefully with a picture Penny Hackett-Evans just sent me by email. It is of a moment I came home wishing I'd asked someone to capture...and here my dear friend Penny had done so!

Sassy (short for Saskatchewan, my new scooter's new name) proved herself to be an intrepid hill-climber on Sunday when we women visited Grandmothers' Hills. And here is the evidence:

I'm still learning how to create and put up photos on their own web pages as I've done in the past, but I'm getting there. I'm finding the learning curve to be quite steep but not impossible. The odd thing is how tiring it is to use my brain again. I now realize the three weeks away from my iBook allowed me to rest that part of myself. After spending at least six hours trying to figure things out on my refurbished computer today, I was totally wiped out.

Pat Kolon brought us over a delicious dinner and after we'd finished eating I had to go right to bed. It was 8:15 PM! I slept soundly for three hours, then got up, took a shower, and here I am feeling fresh and ready to journal some more.


FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2005

I am obviously not ready yet to post photos using this new-to-me Adobe GoLive web design software. Apparently the photo I thought I'd posted on yesterday's journal entry didn't make the journey from home to web, even though it showed up on my browser. Chris Loughlin's "not-yet" and Carolyn McDade's "long conversation between persistence and impatience" come to mind. But it is a steamy hot day here in Detroit, I just worked out at the gym and plan to take a water aerobics class tonight. To be honest, I need a nap more than I need to work at the computer. All in good time...

© 2005 Patricia Lay-Dorsey. Please use with attribution.

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