“Tonight! A big forest concert under the direction of Musical Director Woodpecker!”
*(just because we all need a fluffy forest concert break about now)
—
“i’m afraid concerts spoil people for everyday life.”
-l.m. montgomery, anne of green gables
—
image credit: Peter Gray’s Delightful vintage art, from an old German children’s book
A plucky penguin at the New England Aquarium has a new bounce in her step after being fitted with a pair of custom orthopedic sandals. The 24-year-old African penguin, named Beach Donkey, was diagnosed with a chronic foot condition common among avian species, and the sandals were crafted as part of her treatment plan. But getting her to happily wear them required some buttering up by the people who know her best.
“Field trips” around the aquarium served as incentives: The little bird enjoyed “novel views” as she strolled through the facility, allowing trainers to work with her feet in a more hands-on manner. “She has always been a curious bird and seemed to really like the opportunity to explore the aquarium, outside of her exhibit space. Of course, our staff also loved when she would make appearances in unexpected places,” said Senior Penguin Trainer Amanda Barr.
In addition to caring for Beach Donkey and her fellow penguins, the New England Aquarium participates in a program called African Penguin SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction), which supports conservation efforts and breeding programs to increase the birds’ presence in the wild.
*i can so identify with beach donkey,
as i began wearing birkenstock sandals
when my feet (and my doc)
rebelled against me going barefoot any longer
changed my world
and i have my own cool name too – peaches
we are almost twins.
—
photo credit: new england aquarium, nice news
surrounded for a long weekend by big people who choose to live creative lives
working daily with little people who quite naturally live creative lives
i realize they are the same kind of people
who are, in spite of everything,
open, honest, vulnerable, full of wonder, bravery, creativity, joy, passion, and spirit
i feel such an admiration for them and kinship with them.
—
“life should be a continual celebration, a festival of lights the whole year round.
only then can you grow up, can you blossom.”
-rajneesh
happy diwali to those who celebrate!
attendees stand up comedy show
alan zweibel and laraine newman – old friends from saturday night live
cathy guisewite with her shoe
erma’s grandson sees her selectric typewriter
tried to open my hotel room coffee, attempted to bite it, finally had to stab it with a pen
trouble getting in and out of magic star trek door
always a sure sign of a long night, an abandoned jerky wrapper
—
“it takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.”
-erma bombeck
memoirists, novelists, songwriters, television writers, screenwriters, comedy writers, social media writers, cookbook authors, newspaper writers, bloggers, it writers, comicstrip writers, standup comedians, human interest writers, 92 year old and 17 year old writers, actors, playwrights, short story writers, cartoonists…
so much creative energy all in one place
learning, listening, talking, writing, improv, playing, crying, laughing my face off with stomach hurting fun.
not your usual conference
not your usual hotel drawer reading material
—
“you can’t deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants.”
-stephen king
my grandson stargazing in a night field
—
i met my ex-husband many years ago
a man with a brilliant mind
who taught me myriad things
among them
oceanography, astronomy, photography
astrophotography
my grandson
never met his (now late) grandfather
yet all these years later
he put together one of his old telescopes
taking it upon himself
to learn astrophotography
he has become a stargazer
two generations later
his grandfather
would have been thrilled and so proud of him
proving once again that
everything in the universe is truly connected
most in ways we cannot even begin to imagine.
—
“Science is the one human activity that is truly progressive.
The body of positive knowledge is transmitted from generation to generation.”
― Edwin Powell Hubble, The Realm of the Nebulae
For artist Mostafa “Moz” Azimitabar, no paintbrush is as special as the humble toothbrush
Facing persecution in his birth country of Iran, the Kurdish artist and musician fled to Australia in 2013. Once there, he was entered into the immigration system and would spend the next eight years in detention centers. At his first stop, an offshore camp on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, Azimitabar turned to art to cope with his emotions.
“I asked one of the officers on Manus: ‘Can I have some paint?’… I would like to do some artwork because I don’t want to give up’,” he recalled. The guard refused his request, citing safety concerns. Azimitabar returned to his shared room, frustrated, but refusing to let it go. The reality of his situation forced him to get even more creative. He decided to work with what he had — in this case, coffee and a toothbrush.
“I don’t know what happened … that moment was so special for me. I grabbed the toothbrush and I put it in the coffee and I just dragged it (on some paper),” he said, calling it a “moment of victory.” He continued to experiment with the technique throughout his detainment. “Art and painting helped me to be strong, to continue. Because when I paint, I don’t feel any trauma.”
Then, another moment of victory came over a year after his release in 2021: He was named a finalist for the Archibald Prize, one of Australia’s most prestigious art awards, worth over $70,000. His painting, one of 52 chosen from over 800 submissions, was created using a toothbrush, coffee, and acrylics on canvas. It’s titled “KNS088,” the number the Australian government issued him during his years in detention.
“The message of my painting is love. We are all one family, connected by our humanity.”
-Mostafa Azimitabar
—
credits: Rebekah Brandes, Saeed Kahn/AFP, NSW
on the very next day
after i punched an aggressive clown in a haunted house
and my heartbeat had resumed its normal pace
i found this heart on a sidewalk
made of old gum weathered with time
yet the message was still clear.
—
“i would rather live with a tender heart, because that it the key to feeling the beat of all other hearts.”
-jenny slate
a tribe not my own, but with the same kind of spirit
—
“surround yourself with people who add value to your life.
who challenge you to be greater than you were yesterday.
who sprinkle magic into your existence,
just like you do to theirs.
life isn’t meant to be done alone.
find your tribe, and journey freely and loyalty together.”
-alex elle
watching this very moving play
at the historic fisher theatre
as a story of people
who have always felt outsiders
unheard, unloved, and unseen
plays out before us
in words, in actions, in music
where the audience sits in total silence
and cries.
—
“Even when the dark comes crashing through,
when you need a friend to carry you and when you are broken on the ground,
you will be found.”
-You Will Be Found, ‘Dear Evan Hansen’.
I didn't have my glasses on.... 