Burning Man review coming soon...

Just wanted to say that I still plan on writing something about my first Burning Man experience but finding the time since my return has been difficult for a number of reasons. Suffice to say, it's on the agenda and I will have something sooner rather than later.

In the meantime check out the new link over there to the right: BurningCam. NK Guy is a great photographer and an equally great person who has been documenting Burning Man for a number of years now. The 2007 pictures are not yet up (I believe he has about 5000 to go thru) but you should peruse past years and check back frequently so you can get an eyeful as soon as they appear.

Happy Birthday, sicko!

Yesterday was my birthday and I spent all of it pretty much like the rest of the week: being sick. I tried to get up early so I could head back to my apartment to shower and get clean clothes before going to work, and I can usually do it without an alarm clock, but at some feverish and godforsaken hour Ivan, who is also sick, was gently asking me if I'd heard him saying it was 6:30. No, I replied, to which he said something like Seems to me that you should be able to take the day off if your sick and it's your birthday. This seemed wise to me so I crawled to the living room where my cell phone was last seen and left a message for Tram that I wouldn't be in (I think my voice alone - midcentury frog- was enough to indicate the state of affairs) and then crawled back to bed where we both slept until about 11:30. I use the term 'slept' loosely here. Think 'state of unconsciousness punctuated by spasms of coughing and occasional bursts of fever.'

When I reached a state of being capable of maintaining up-rightedness, I spent the afternoon doing errands and trying not to fall asleep before heading to my doctors appointment (guess what? My vitamin D stores are kaput!). Back at Ivan's we read on the couch, had some eggs for dinner followed by pseudo-ice cream sundaes that I like to think of as this year's birthday cake, and watched a couple of episodes of The Tick.

At some point during the morning, before I left to run errands, we were sort of leaning on each other in the hallway being sick and exhausted, staring at Sally or something, and Ivan said Happy Birthday. We laughed realizing, I think, that it was going to be a sucky way to spend the day. And then he said, At least you're not dead.

Very true, obviously, and I am grateful, in general, for being blessed with reasonable good health. As birthday's go I've had worse but I think that I will start prepping for #50 - no cold, no errands, no work, and sundae's for everybody.

Nessun Dorma

Luciano Pavarotti, 1935-2007

Nobody shall sleep!...
Nobody shall sleep!
Even you, o Princess,
in your cold room,
watch the stars,
that tremble with love and with hope.
But my secret is hidden within me,
my name no one shall know...
No!...No!...
On your mouth I will tell it when the light shines.
And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!...
(No one will know his name and we must, alas, die.)
Vanish, o night!
Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!

We Return From the Desert!

Ivan, Mark and I made it back to Seattle last night just after sundown. We have yet to unpack the car due to Fausto the Cat's pee'ing rampage all over Ivan's apartment and the fact that we were just too darn tired. So a recap of the week will appear in a few days once I've settled back into some sort of 'normalcy' (what does that even mean?). In the meantime I have to give a huge shout out to Ivan who is not only the best boyfriend ever but one of the best human beings I know. I could have gotten thru Burning Man with other people's guidance and help but it would not have been the same due to his amazing care and attention.

Oh, my dear lord....I have no words.

The Finnish band Gregorious performs a spirited rendition of the Village People's gay disco classic "YMCA" (NMKY).

Theories of Time & Space by Natasha Trethewey

You can get there from here, though
there’s no going home.

Everywhere you go will be somewhere
you’ve never been. Try this:

head south on Mississippi 49, one-
by-one mile markers ticking off

another minute of your life. Follow this
to its natural conclusion – dead end

at the coast, the pier at Gulfport where
riggings of shrimp boats are loose stitches

in a sky threatening rain. Cross over
the man-made beach, 26 miles of sand

dumped on a mangrove swamp – buried
terrain of the past. Bring only

what you must carry – tome of memory
its random blank pages. On the dock

where you board the boat for Ship Island,
someone will take your picture:

the photograph – who you were –
will be waiting when you return

Warmth, Giant Black Toobs no.3

I took Sally to Volunteer Park on Friday afternoon to see version 4 of this amazing installation. Sally was singularly unimpressed, but walking among these giant, undulating pieces was so amazing as to be hard to describe. They reminded me of hair, fingers, sea anemone, surreal landscape memories.

I realized later that I had only taken the smallest amount of time to wonder about how they work (somehow solar powered), allowing myself instead to just enjoy being in their presence.

Mini Ivan Report #2

He has made it to Shaniko, OR - where 97 intersects with 218. He thinks he'll get to Bend, OR on M0nday.

His solar panel charger is not working as effectively as he had hoped, so his blogging may continue to be sporadic as his ride continues. I, for one, hope that he hits a good stretch of sun so that he can. Not just because it lets me know he's ok (which is a very good thing), but I really enjoy his posts from the road. They're kind of addicting :).

ETA: According to Google Maps (which I've finally figured out) he's biked 288 miles so far!

Not Suitable For Work

Dear lord, I love Reggie Watts!

Sally's Big Night

A couple of things you should know about me: 1) I am a sucker. 2) I am a super sucker for dogs. Knowing this now, you can probably guess that Sally has me wrapped around her paw. So it's not enough that I pet sit for her (and that fat fuck Fausto) for a week and a half, I have taken it upon myself to ensure that all of her emotional and physical needs are met and maybe even exceeded.

So this evening I loaded her up in the 'baru after work and, with Tina, took a ride over to the Magnuson Off-leash Park (with a quick stop at Tina's where she bequeathed me some possible Burning Man costumery). Sally was allowed to come in and she spent a good amount of time just sniffing around.

Once at the park I had to put Sally on the leash, which she doesn't need at all, but they have all these rules and signs everywhere that shout at you: blah blah blah leash! She was, as usual, a good sport but was so very, very excited to get her freedom once we got thru the gates. She made a bee line to the water and frolicked in her own calm, Sally way. Poor planning on my part - I forgot a stick - but she still had a lovely time swimming, smelling other dogs butts, and running about like a happy, happy puppy.

After dropping Tina off, we then headed to my place in Ballard with another quick stop - this time to Mud Bay Granary on Greenwood where I got her some high falutin', organic parmesan doggy biscuits to replace the beef berry snacks from REI that I'd been bribing her with for a while now. These biscuits definitely did the trick as she proceeded to follow me every time I headed to the kitchen where she would stare longingly at the bag of biscuits on the window sill. I was tempted to giver her more but I knew that I ran the risk of becoming more than your ordinary, run of the mill sucker if I had.

Anyway, we've been home for a little more than an hour and Sally has abandoned all pretense that she doesn't sleep on the couch when no one is looking. She's crawled up onto the end closest to the window, her head propped on the armrest, a front paw draped over a pillow. She looked right thru me when I came out of the bathroom ready to blog and she pretended not to hear me when I first gave her a half-hearted reprimand and then asked her politely to move.

So here I am, wedged in between a farty black lab to my right and a plotting, evil cat jealous of all the attention he's not getting to my left. All of us tired, nodding off, and dreaming of cheese.