Inn of the Wandering Dragon

Once or twice a year on average I go through a dietary detox. Most of my friends think I am nuts and a few other friends go through it also. The premise behind this is that we eat a lot of weird and artificial stuff. Food colourings, additives, preservatives and just general unhealthy eating all combine to take its toll on the body. Not all of it is easily digested and expelled by the body either so some of it just sticks around for the longest time. At the end of a long work day it is so easy to just heat up something fast in the wave or just snack on whatever is readily at hand. I do not always want to spend an hour cooking, especially if I have not come home until after 7 or 8. Meanwhile I get more sluggish (mentally and physically), my sinuses are in overdrive and various other irritations plague me.
So the idea behind the detox is not the same as a fast, I am not denying my body food, I am simply changing what I eat. No foods that contain flour, dairy, or excess sugars are allowed. I also avoid most processed foods with the exception of soy milk and a small amount of V8. This regime lasts for 12 days. Many people initially think that there is nothing left to eat once you take out all of the "can't have"s but I disagree. Here is what I can eat:
All the vegetables and whole grains I want
Domestic fruit (apples, pears, berries, plums etc)
All the fish I want
A variety of legumes, nuts and seeds, eggs (ixnay the nuts for me but yes I have lots of sources for protien)
Beef, poultry, pork, lamb - basically I can have whatever meat I want in moderation.
Herbs and spices are all fair game!
There are some herbal suppliments that go along with this to help flush out the lingering bad stuff and thouroughly digest the rest.
And yes as you may have gathered this requires a lot more effort in the kitchen to pull of tasty and filling meals. No quick toss of a frozen pizza in the oven with this! I try to cook in large batches that will see through a couple days so that I can take lunch to work and not have to cook every single night. The nice thing about doing this in the spring or fall is that it is a great time for hearty soups and delicious stir fries. This is also a great excuse for dusting off the cookbooks and trying something new. I'm thinking of trying a couple curry dishes in the next couple of days.
Even my boyfriend, Larry is willing to give it a go this time. The last time he tried it I was VERY happy when he decided to stay at his place for the week because he was complaining so much I was ready to kill him. (he loves his carbs and meat) We shall see how things go this time around. I think he knows I'll toss him out if he gets too miserable. ;)

Today Larry picked me up from work and we headed off to 17th ave, not the trendy SW version but the SE end of it. It's name is International Avenue due to the fact htat the neighborhood is home to a wide array of ethnic groups as demonstrated by the various shops and small restaurants devoted to different world cultures. It is also home to an amazing number of pawn shops and nail salons. It's almost as if each block is required to have these two items to qualify to be there.
Larry was on the prowl for a cheap cd player to keep him from going insane in the warehouse. I was just browsing, along for the ride. He finally found one he liked after much wandering but we decided to go have some supper first and digest the idea. Supper in this case was supplied by a small donair type shop, the staff were friendly and the food reasonably good, although I doubt we will go rushing back to it any time soon.
We returned to the pawnshop with the cd player and my eyes happened to fall on a small shelf with some art supplies - decent quality stuff at that, and much of it was unopened. After a few minutes going through the items I settled on a box of Rembrandt Soft Pastels. The pastels themselves have never been used despite the box being open, and like any good art geek I had to go through them when we got home to see which colours in the assortment I had. The company makes 203 different pastels and this is an assorted box of 30. My treasure find for the week! Beautifull colours and not too brittle, I am going to dig out some nice paper tomorrow and have a go with them.

It's hard to accept that your day there

rolls on, is still to happen

while mine is done

as it's hard to accept that the dead

go on, loving, growing even

distinctly away from us,

their voices thinner than telephone wire.

What kind of letter can bridge this?

How can the feet we once

dropped all disgust to kiss step calmly

over new continents or turn firmly

for destinations unseen by us?

Dust is the mouth's taste

in absence, dust the ground

that swallows all footprints

with indifference.

Transatlantic, by Tracy Ryan

Odly enough, it was in a brief interlude at work today while watching myrtle scratching at the rock that brought this poem to mind. I first read the poem in the belly of a sailing ship roughly 6 years ago. We were at anchor in the Banda islands in Indonesia and I had freely pillaged the ship's library while enjoying a quiet time before the heat of the day set in. Back then this poem was for me a solid kick to the ribs and all the homesickness, lonliness and heartache came pouring out in a rush of tears that lasted the better part of the morning. Those few crewmembers still around at the time were suprised to say the least. As was I. It remains one of my favorite poems to this day, like favorite works of art and memory I carry several poems around with me. Now and then one of those poems comes to the forefront although I may not know why, but I will dig through my books to find it again and re-read it for the umpteenth time. Such is the power of those things and ideas that truly resonate with us.

An update on the customer that wants all the niceties of a 3000 sq ft house crammed into 520 sq ft...
My boss had seriously considered just dropping the whole order. There are some customers that you just know are going to be so high maitenance that it is not worth the effort, especially when we know we are not making any real profit on this. But I came into work today to find the sales agreement signed and ready to go. The customer has been warned that no further changes are allowed, that is simply the practical side of things. The factory needs to purchase the materials to build the unit and last minute changes just bogs everything right up. So we shall see how it goes. All I can hope is that in a few months time the install goes smoothly and the customer is willing to realize there are differences between a house and a cabin.

I have to say that I had a pretty good weekend.
After a couple weeks of complaining that we never get to go shopping my boyfriend was happy to learn we were going to make a day of it. Funny how full time work plus school and homework can put a crimp in the capitalist style. I am not a shopahaulic, in fact I have to be in a very specific mood to go shopping in the firstplace but never the less we managed to make off with some nice finds. Of course it is easy to go shopping guilt free when you are only now getting a chance to use up the mound of gift cards from Christmas. It makes a nice change to be able to get something nice just because you can. :)
We came home in time for Larry to have a nap, while I put stuff away before heading over to a gathering at a friend's house. The food was lovely and the conversation was enjoyable. As my girlfriend said, we really need to do this more often! But we are willing to bring food so that the hosts are not spending all time and energy in the kitchen. Hmm... an international potluck perhaps or some other theme to keep us all trying new things. Yummy!
There goes the cat to put his latest toy in the bathtub. He likes swatting things around in the tub for some reason and it gives me extra reason to be relatively awake before stepping in the shower in the mornings.
Sunday I wrote my competeancy test for my course (I'm doing this by correspondence) and with only a minor amount of swearing I managed to pull off 100% so I am understandably pleased! Now I have a short break before I receive the materials for the next round so all of a sudden I have a bit of time to stretch and relax. Part of relaxing involved some free rentals this weekend so I finally got to watch The Illusionist with Ed Norton and Paul Giamati. It was a beautiful movie and I think I actually like this one better than The Prestige. The Illusionist better maintains the sense of dreamlike illusion and wonder (in my humble opinion) and is not so clearly solved. I like a little ambiguity.

As for today, I have been yawning and dragging myself along for most of the day. I received a message today that my cousin who has been back in the hospital has improved in his condition. The doctors still can not figure out why his body has stopped making blood but for the time being he seems relatively stable. My cousin never does anything in half measure! It's not a great start to the week but hopefully things will get better.

Actually this is not so much about me as about another guy that really was not paying attention. He was pulling a cargo trailer to move some stuff from a to b, you see lots of them around here. He attempted to go through a pretty decorative archway that marked the entrance/exit of a parking lot.
1. LOOK - perhaps I can forgive a person who may not be used to pulling something large and cumbersom behind them, after all if your chosen vehicle is short enough you are used to just darting through without a second thought. The thing is though, that in this case looking around and having the odd second or third thought is usually a good idea. Hmmm... not sure if that gate is quite high enough...
2.LISTEN - How do you NOT hear the sound of bending and tearing metal?!? Is your stereo really that loud? Or are you that distracted? I just about cried when I rubbed my boyfriend's freshly painted truck against another parked vehicle. I could hear the sound loud and clear and I didn't even dent anything. I really do not understand this.
3.FEEL - Not unlike potholes or rumble strips when something interfears with the smooth motion of a vehicle you CAN feel the vibration! I don't care how much torq or power your truck has, when steel tries to go through steel there is going to be some resistence and that resistence will be felt in the performance of the vehicle but apparantly buddy failed to notice anything.
The end result is that another lady waved and told him he hit the gate, but this was after he had pulled the full length through the gate and ripped apart the roof the entire length of the trailer. Yes the sheet metal used to cover the trailer wasn't very thick but the steel ribs that support it are not exactly thin. I can guess that this is going to cost him a pretty penny to repair.

And while this is relatively off topic, has anyone seen the air feshener commercials with the woman constantly spraying while the kids look on and say "she's doing it again", or with the kids taking forever in the the bathroom just so they can stay longer and smell the air freshener? It may be just me but I find those just a little disturbing. Lets promote addictions to chemical sprays that contain heaven only knows what inside! Smoking is out of fashion so why not? Are you even going to try to explain that compulsively releasing that stuff in the air really is not the sign of a problem? Seriously though, there is so much marketing for stuff like this as if our homes are rotting cesspools of stench without it. I hardly think bombarding your nose (and lungs, and tastebuds) with smelly chemicals mixed a laboratory is good for us in the long run. And adding a couple "token"natural oils to the mix does not aromatherapy make thankyouverymuch. Try vinegar or baking soda to absorb odours, better yet, try cleaning and there really are very few odours to begin with! There is enough crap in our processed foods and environment and I really don't need to injest more of it. :)

This morning we had an early delivery truck with a heavy skid of stock. It had to be brought in through the front bay door comprised of glass panels. The locks were removed and the chain pulled to raise the door. Now the joy of having a pond inside the office is the high humidity that results. Picture the bay door rising, bending to curve along the ceiling and creating a small rain shower in the process as condensation drips off to the floor. Droplets almost flourese as the light flashes through them in their brief descent. So simple and so brief but the sight brought a smile to my face.
This afternoon the sun shone brightly through the front windows at the office and danced across the pond. Amidst the numerous phone calls and customers comming and going about their business the light was reflected off the rippling pond to dazzle and dance on the wall. Even Myrtle, perched on her rock, had crooked her head to keep an eye on these shifting shimmers. A fish would break the surface of the water and send these shimmers in new directions untill the water settled again.

Just a couple moments of peace in an otherwise hectic day.

Anyone who lives here knows full well what I am talking about! One day you are outside in short sleaves and no jacket, the next day the wind comes howling through bringing a large amount of snow with it. The day after, it warms up and most of the snow melts. The day after that it gets cool again. If you don't like the weather here, don't worry because it will change before you know it.
Life is like that in a lot of ways. It seems lately that just about everyone I know is going through something intense, life altering and frightening. Some have hope it will be for the better, others just hang on to survive. My own life is not so turbulent as this time but I am touched by these things regardless simply because of how I care for the people in my life.

Growing up in the shadow of the mountains basically I spent most available weekends/holiday time camping with my family. We went through most of the stages - tent, old tent trailer, new tent trailer and fifthwheel. Even the fifthwheel trailer really isn't fancy, fairly small and plain by today's standards. But the point was not the trailer, the point was getting outside and staying out as long as possible! There is some friendly rivalry between my dad and his siblings over who has the new truck and trailer but it doesn't really go further than a few jokes at the campfire and then they move on with life.

I would spend hours wandering through the woods, along animal paths and walking trails. On a warm day I would find any body of water or stream and get completely soaked to the bone swimming to small islands and exploring. Meals were held outdoors around the fire unless the weather was REALLY miserable. If friends or family came by we all hung out around the fire or occasionally we would cram around the table in the trailer to play cards. We all wore our old comfy clothes that smelled perpetually of woodsmoke, and more likely than not those clothes had been singed more than once. Yes we got dirty carrying logs, hanging tarps, tramping through the mud but that was just part of the whole experience. It was about being outside, down to earth and with good people.

Earlier this year we had a booth set up at the RV Show and I have to say walking through the exhibits and the behemoth motorhomes was just depressing. So much of it is not about camping anymore, it is about showing off how much money you have. It is about "entertaining" with your clothes freshly washed and your hair just so. It is about who has the best flat screen tv and the best dvds or game system. My co-worker told me of a friend who had an RV but after the first summer she sold it. Why? Because all the kids would just go find the unit with the best games/tv and hang out there. I'm sure a lot of these people are really nice but what is the point of going camping if you are just going to park your ass in front of the tube?

So what cast me on to this topic? It has been percolating in my brain for a while now because of work. We sell cottage / cabin type units that are much like a mobile home. These have become all the rage for lakeside rv lots and bareland condos. Unfortunately a lot of the people who are purchasing these units want all the amenities of their 4,000 sq ft house crammed into 480 sq ft. Honestly, that just does not work very well. But some of these people have such a sense of entitlement, of "I want it therefore I should be able to have it!" despite the fact that some of these demands are physically not possible. When I meet different customers from the same "campground" and I hear the whole "my unit has to be nicer than so and so's unit" attitude, it just reinforces the idea that I do not want to be anywhere near that area - ever! Are there not more important things in life than competeing for the nicest window treatment award? Is there no better way of measuring and displaying your sense of self worth? Can you honestly go without the expensive laptop for ANY length of time?

Ok I'm being snide about it. Thankfully there are some customers who are more realistic in their expectations. And there are those that genuinely enjoy being outside and active, this attitude comes shining through when talking with them. Without those customers - I guess you could say without people that I can relate to - I probably would have gone running at full tilt to find a different job. But still, I can't help but feel that something very important is being swept aside for something(s) that in the grand scheme of things are honestly trivial.

I have been doing a lot of stretching today. From the moment the clock radio comes on, to slipping on ice at the train station, to my desk at work to now and everything in between. Allow me to pause for a moment while I roll my shoulders.

Spring is comming. Today I stood outside and just felt like a big sponge soaking up warmth from the sun. I found just the right spot out of the wind and felt another stretch sneaking up on me. It must be contagious, even the salesman was offering to let me take the next customer just so I could soak up more sun.

I am not certain it is quite time to wake up yet. It's like the times you crack open an eyelid to find the alarm will still be quiet for another 20 minutes so you can roll over again. But the muscles are starting to wake up, the body is getting ready for a really good stretch.

"I didn't know you had the gift of prophesying, too," Stiv remarked.
"Oh I don't, not really. It's a lunar thing, a side effect really, of
Photography. Information flutters through you, unbidden. Rarely wrong though,
when it comes, but pay it no mind if you'd rather not."
"Well, thanks," Stiv said, not sure he was thankful. To be told what would
come by a shapeshifting, alcoholic turtle Photographer had never really
been in his scheme of things.

Traveling on the bus into downtown this morning I had to re-read this passage
about three times. Later when the guys picked me up from the train station I
was still giggling, "Not feeling the cold this morning?" they asked. My reply,
"nope, not when there are middle aged alcoholic sea turtles involved!" Needless to say I have them all firmly convinced that I am "really weird". This was followed by even more giggling the rest of the way to work.

The above passage is from the book, Green Music, by Ursula Pflug and I very much
recomend it to everyone. It is at turns, funny, surreal and disturbing as the bridge between two worlds is slowly discovered. And frankly no description of mine is going to do it justice, you'll just have to read the book!

Most people who have been to my place of work think having my desk next to
the pond is fabulous. The rest all figure I must run to the bathroom every
half hour due to the sound of running water, I assure you that is not the case. There
are no sea turtles in the pond but there is one lovely turtle by the name of
Myrtle. The name was no doubt originally picked for the rhyme but an interesting
side note is that the myrtle plant was believed to be sacred to the Greek
goddess Aphrodite. It is used to create one of the national drinks of Sardinia,
and it is one of the four sacred plants in the Jewish Tabernacles Festival. (Isn't Wikki wonderful?)

My friends are used to me regaling them with stories of the pond inhabitants and their adventures. Myrtle has been an occasional escape artist when the mood strikes. Anyone willing to give up and cry defeat has not watched a little turtle attempt to scale a large and nearly vertical rock. Over and over. And over again for good measure - this little lady is the posterchild for determination! Would that we all had that much drive in our endeavors. I know I anthropomorphize my animal neighbors - I do it to my cat all the time! But still I can not help but admire her. Myrtle reminds me of my own crazy wanderings and in watching her I feel that, maybe, one day I'll be able to do those things again. Why not? Myrtle climbs near verticle rocks everyspring, so I'm sure my season will come again. ;)

Sometimes open markets and trade shows are best places to explore objects and surfaces. In crowded busy places like these there are few signs or barriers to prevent touching things. There was a lovely piece of garden statuary - a large partial horse. It was rough hewn although probably a casting of the original. One could think of it as being chipped out of the stone. The jagged surface tugged at my skin as I ran my hand over the head of the animal. It brought to mind hand carved gargoyles clothed in moss and lichen and I hope one day this piece will enjoy such finery. There is a richness in the sense of touch that communicates weight and space taken in a way that purely sight has difficulty with. Touch engages the person with the object in a deeply personal and intimate way, the item becomes more real and concrete. I wonder if over time, the roughness will become smooth as people run their hands along the head or neck - like a slow gradual polish?

Today I attended the yearly Home and Garden Show. The company I work for had a booth set up so I generally feel obligated to check it out, although in this case I usually enjoy searching the aisles for treasures. :) Aside from floor layout there was not much new to set it off from last year - or the year before. There are only so many hardwood flooring samples, roofing, and granite countertops that one can really look at before it all blurs into sameness - unfortunately I hit that threshold fairly early. My usual favorites were present and normally I would spend more time admiring the wares but the boyfriend was in a slightly sleep deprived huff so I didn't bother. At least he found a few things that might apply well for his work so he didn't feel it was a total waste.

The aisles were packed with dreamers and wishes, but also packed with people who have money to spend. Is any of this expence a real neccesity? Ok, if you are actually building a house or doing major renovations there are a few things that are needed to pull it off. But honestly most of it is simply fashionable fluff. Judging by the amount of fluff purchased and quoted I would say our econmoy is still doing well.

Not that long ago I completed a course in Interior Decorating and I was bored to tears with most of it. I am not a minimalist by any means but the fluffy world of co-ordinating seat covers with drapes seemed such a lifeless waste of time. I found the more practical side of it far more enjoyable - space planning, lighting design and drafting. And yet now I find myself wanting some of said fluff. So is it a nesting urge? Is this a drive to keep up with the Jones? Is it about showing off, just because I can? Or is it about asserting my self in my territory? I'm voting for numbers 1 and 4.

Last night as I was getting ready for bed my mind was pinwheeling through various subjects and ideas. One subject that has been circulating for a while now has been related to creativity and connectedness. In this fast paced world so much is about rushing from one point to another, get this job done that errand. In trying to keep sane and on some level still have some enjoyment while juggling the demands of the urban jungle, people retreat into their personal music selection on the ipod, retreat into books, magazines or even portable movies. People go on automatic pilot, how often have you walked away from the house only to wonder if you locked the door? We disconnect. I have disconnected.

But art is about connectivity and awareness, so how does creativity thrive when I am disconnected? And how do I reconnect?

So last night I hit upon an idea. In the process of reconnecting with the world around me lets start with the senses. But I have to be aware of what those senses are picking up. So what if I start by really noticing a sense? Not all the input I receive can be observed, there is just too much and frankly I need to keep focus on what I'm doing. So I am going to try and make note of at least one sensory input each day, and I'm going to try and make sure they are all different. This way I put more effort into paying attention, into being alert, and into reconnecting with my environment.

It's worth a try, how can I draw well if I do not look?

Ah the heavy metalic tang of toner sitting at the back of my mouth, another residue from a long work day. The smell from the copier naturally translates to the taste in the mouth - especially after a few hours of making brochures and handouts for the trade show. Of the half dozen or so times the machine stopped for a paper jam, I only ever found one sheet of paper. Go figure.