happy St. Patrick’s Day
no questions asked.
—
‘shenanigans, because life is more fun when you’re up to something.’
-author unknown
Mar17
Mar16
flow.
Flow (Straume, in Latvian)
this film is a thing of beauty
as the story unfolds before your eyes
a cat trying to survive
along with other animals
some from
across the earth, the air, the sea
the animation is flawless
filled with details
offering clues to the story
becoming clearer over time
while some of it remains ambiguous
there is no dialogue
its mesmerizing score
colors, light, mood, magical quality
all draw you in to
this ethereal vision
the ebb and flow of life, death, renewal
choices made by the individual
and those of the collective community
accepting differences
learning from each other
caring for each other
impacting each other
there are scenes
that will break your heart
that will bring you joy
an ongoing thread of reflection shines through
reminding each
they are still here
who they are
who stands with them
the universal need
for connection and community.
this film is a poem.
—
(Make sure to watch the credits to see a final scene)
—
Flow was the first Latvian production to win an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. The film’s Golden Globe Award was featured at the Latvian National Museum of Art. It was also the first independent film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
The film’s budget was around €3.5 million, which translates to roughly $3.7 million USD.
Production for this film took 5 1/2 years to complete.
No storyboards were used for the production and there are no deleted scenes.
- Co-production: “Flow” was a co-production between Latvia, Belgium, and France.
- Director: Gints Zilbalodis (First win for him)
- Producers: Sacrebleu Productions, Dream Well and Take Five
—
‘each of us is a living system within a greater living system,
connected to each other in more ways than we can fathom. ‘
-Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson
Mar15
‘i never said most of the things i said.’ – yogi berra
why is ‘oxymoron’ an oxymoron?”
Much like “deafening silence” and “jumbo shrimp,” the word “oxymoron” is a bit of an oxymoron in itself.
The word “oxymoron” may sound like an insult or maybe a cleaning product, but it’s neither. It’s the name for a figure of speech where contradictory terms appear together (e.g., “minor crisis,” “small crowd,” “bittersweet”). But the word “oxymoron” also falls into that category, as it’s derived from ancient Greek words that contradict each other.
“Oxymoron” comes from the Greek oxumōron,which combines oxus (meaning “sharp”) and mōros (“foolish”). Calling something both sharp and foolish comes across as, well, oxymoronic, thus making the word “oxymoron” a perfect example of what it describes.
But being a walking contradiction never stopped the word from becoming a part of our collective vernacular. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it became popular in the mid-17th century, with people using it to rhetorically emphasize blatantly contradictory phrases. While you may be tempted to call someone an oxymoron as a personal descriptor, doing so wouldn’t be by the book. Instead, the term is best reserved for incongruous sets of words.
—
just when i thought I had a handle on this…..
what is your favorite oxymoron?
my personal favorite is:
‘definite maybe.’
—
‘i’m not going to say i told you so, but i did.’
-nouriel roubini
—
Source credits: Bennett Kleinman, SergioVas/Shutterstock
Mar14
pies on pi day.
on pi day, try a slice of your favorite pie
pickle and peanut butter pie with yogurt?
cool ranch Dorito and onion pie?
—
pies on pi day
from random cookbooks
don’t think either will be too popular
maybe find a third option.
pi is math
pie is food
celebrate wisely.
—
‘i wanted to be in the FBI. i also wanted to be a pie salesman.’
-shirley temple
(same here, Shirley, same here)
Mar13
a little more gentle.
so kind and unexpected
handwritten positive affirmations
in the restroom of a little local diner
—
‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with each other?’
-judy garland
Mar12
‘at the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security.’ -jodi rell
(a treasured baby blanket – owned since birth)
CUBBIES
as an early childhood educator of many years
i’ve seen many children come to school with all kinds of things
sometimes they wear layers of clothing all buttoned up
shedding layers as the year continues
some bring heavy bags with their entire dinosaur collection
which gets smaller and smaller as time goes by
some bring a whole box of cars
some wear costumes
some bring a picture of someone they love
some carry heavy rocks in their pockets or boots
some bring special tiny things to leave in their personal cubby
all these treasures sit waiting patiently for the children
to come and pick them up
or touch them or share them or cuddle them
as needed
they all have one thing in common
these items are very special to them
they represent
a connection between home and school
helping them to feel safe and secure
they always get smaller, appear less often, or fade away with time
as the child grows confident and claims the classroom as their own
a place they are welcome, are truly a part of, and where they belong.
as the year continues
they love to bring things from school back to their home
artwork, inventions, words, and things found outside in nature
all that have stories to go with them
so excited to share a part of their school day with the ones they love
the connection goes both ways
(favorite cars and strong robot monster)
(very fancy sparkly shoes and water bottle)
(little pencils used to learn how to write with tiny hands and fresh moss from outside)
(a beloved cuddly red panda)
my favorite treasure ever
(that little thing that comes in a carryout pizza box
that looks like a miniature table)
—
‘safety is a basic human need.
people with a sense of security and belonging are stabilized for learning, creating, innovating.
a group of wonderfully cared for, confident individuals will generate great ideas.’
*john sweeney
*John Sweeney is a British investigative journalist and writer who worked for The Observer newspaper, and the BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight series.
Mar11
big park, little park, and the people who share them with all of us.
Grand Canyon National Park
Polly Mead Patraw was the first woman park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park in 1929. She was the second woman ranger-naturalist in the entire park service.
With a botany degree from the University of Chicago, she first applied to the Forest Service but was denied. Undaunted, she was accepted shortly after to be the first woman ranger-naturalist at Grand Canyon National Park.
Her uniform consisted of the standard National Park Service uniform and a soft-brim hat. Women’s uniforms were not available. Her job as a ranger-naturalist included lectures, auto tours, nature hikes, and writing about her findings. She served two summer terms and continued on through the spring of 1931. Today, her legacy as a trailblazing ranger-naturalist lives on.
Shizuoka, the world’s smallest park in Nagaizumi, Japan.
If you want to take a stroll around this park in Japan, you will have to be very nimble on your toes.A park roughly the size of four sheets of paper in Japan’s central prefecture of Shizuoka was recently crowned the world’s smallest, according to Guinness World Records. Despite measuring just 2.6 square feet, the recreational space offers a stool made up of a block of wood held up by a rock, with a little bush encircling it.
From afar, it could easily be mistaken for a bonsai, an example of the Japanese art of manicuring miniature trees.The park is a short walk from the town hall of Nagaizumi, about 68 miles southwest of the capital Tokyo.
When a Nagaizumi local was on vacation in the US, “they found the previous record holder for the smallest park,” Shuji Koyama, a team leader of the town’s construction division, told Guinness. “So they wanted to create an even smaller park.”
To qualify for the Guinness title, Shizuoka officials brought in a certified surveyor to measure the park. Koyama told Guinness World Records he was relieved that the park was finally recognized.
“We want to continue maintaining the park with the community, as well as creating a landscape that is more social media friendly, so that even more people will find attractions of our town,” he said.
—
‘for some people, a park is the only place in their entire world where they can see something beautiful.’
-bette midler
—
source credits: U.S. National Park Service, Chris Lau,CNN
Mar10
searching.
on a recent visit to see my family in northern Michigan
i was excited to wake up early
enjoy my usual vacation routine
have some quiet morning time
easing into the day
reading, writing
looking out over the beautiful lake
while enjoying a delicious cup of fresh morning coffee
I was staying upstairs
with its own tiny kitchen
had everything set up to brew the coffee
ready to go
the only thing missing
was the actual coffee
but could not find it anywhere
even after checking every cupboard, drawer, and shelf
I quietly ventured downstairs
searched the big kitchen
in the heart of the house
no luck
just decaf, not real coffee at all
now that I couldn’t find the coffee
I so wanted it even more
I opened every drawer and every cupboard
checked high shelves
checked low shelves
looked where the teas were
looked on the countertops
checked the refrigerator and freezer
nothing
tried to figure out
their organizational/logical system for where they kept things
went in the laundry room checked all of the cupboards high and low
now I was even more determined to find it
went into the garage in my pajamas with bare feet
opened the extra refrigerator
the extra freezer
nothing resembling coffee in either of them
finally decided to brew myself a cup of decaf
to at least have a morning coffee-ish experience
when my family woke up
the secret location I hadn’t considered was quickly revealed
it was on a shelf at the bottom of the basement stairs
aha!
the basement
who knew?
I forget they had a basement
even if I had thought of it
it wasn’t a place I expected to find the coffee
but no worries
I was now fully awake
even without the caffeine
powered by adrenaline
and almost sweating
after my whirlwind of a treasure hunt
now if anyone needs to find anything in their house
I can help
having learned what’s in every cupboard, drawer, or on a shelf.
—
‘searching is half the fun:
life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.’
-jimmy buffett
—
photo image: zoe coffee company
Mar9
time changes again, on daylight saving day.
50/50 sunset over Plant City.dark half is a shadow from clouds on horizon blocking light from setting sun.
-photo by mike valdes
—
‘they always say time changes things but you actually have to change them yourself.’
-andy warhol
Mar8
a powerful woman on woman’s day and every day.
What started as a vision to heal and rebuild
has become one of Detroit’s most inspiring grassroots projects.
The Avalon Village, founded by Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris, is transforming *Highland Park into a safe, sustainable, and thriving neighborhood. After losing her young son, Jakobi RA, to a hit-and-run in 2007, Mama Shu turned her pain into purpose, turning blight into beauty and creating opportunities for the community. In 2021, Mamu Shu lost another son to violence.
Now spanning 45 lots across three blocks, Avalon Village features:
The Homework House – A solar-powered after-school center
The Healing House – A space for holistic wellness
The Goddess Marketplace – Supporting women entrepreneurs
A community farm with fresh produce & eggs
A Basketball Court, honoring her late sons
And she’s not stopping – with plans for affordable housing, a healthy restaurant, and workshops to help others revitalize their communities.
—
‘there is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself.’
-Hannah Gadsby
—
*Highland Park is in the U.S. state of Michigan. An enclave of Detroit, Highland Park is located roughly 6 miles north of Downtown Detroit, and is surrounded by Detroit on most sides.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/43aKF7b
source credit: detroitisit
I didn't have my glasses on.... 