the vision must be followed by the venture.
it is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs. –
– vance havner
—
image credit: abandoned staircase in the Madame Sherri forest, chesterfield, New Hampshire, USA. – faerie magazine
at 4,841 years old, this ancient bristlecone pine
is the oldest known non-clonal organism on earth.
located in the white mountains of california,
in inyo national forest.
—
credit: earthporn.com
the first bite you take of a gingerbread cookie says a lot about your personality,
according to dr. alan hirsch, the neurological director of
‘the smell and taste treatment and research foundation. ‘
if you start with the head: you are a natural born leader
if you prefer the legs: you are sensitive
if you begin with the left arm: you’re likely creative
if you begin with the right arm: you tend to be pessimistic
if you don’t want to be judged for how you eat the thing,
you might just want to tear off everything at once when no one is looking.
when you mix these
two wonderful things
in a way
they weren’t meant to
sometimes you get this
or sometimes
your computer
doesn’t
work quite right
and you hope
for a miraculous
apple recovery
7 Overlooked Thanksgiving Rituals,
According to Sociologists
The first major sociological study of Thanksgiving appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research in 1991. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with people about their experiences of the holiday.
They also had 100 students take detailed fieldnotes on their Thanksgiving celebrations, supplemented by photographs. The data analysis revealed some common events in the fieldnotes that people rarely remarked on in the interviews. Here are some Thanksgiving rituals you might not realize are rituals:
1. THE GIVING OF THE JOB ADVICE
Teenagers are given a ritual status shift to the adult part of the family, not only through the move from the kids’ table to the grownup table, but also through the career counseling spontaneously offered by aunts, uncles, and anyone else with wisdom to share.
2. THE FORGETTING OF THE INGREDIENT
Oh no! I forgot to put the evaporated milk in the pumpkin pie! As the authors of the Thanksgiving study state, “since there is no written liturgy to insure exact replication each year, sometimes things are forgotten.” In the ritual pattern, the forgetting is followed by lamentation, reassurance, acceptance, and the restoration of comfortable stability. It reinforces the themes of abundance (we’ve got plenty even if not everything works out) and family togetherness (we can overcome obstacles).
3. THE TELLING OF DISASTER STORIES OF THANKSGIVINGS PAST
Remember that time we cooked a green bean casserole and burned the house down? Another way to reinforce the theme of family togetherness is to retell the stories of things that have gone wrong at Thanksgiving and then laugh about them. This ritual can turn ugly, however, if not everyone has gotten to the point where they find the disaster stories funny.
4. THE REAPPROPRIATION OF THE STORE-BOUGHT ITEMS
Transfer a store-bought pie crust to a bigger pan, filling out the extra space with pieces of another store-bought pie crust, and it’s not quite so pre-manufactured anymore. Put pineapple chunks in the Jello, and it becomes something done “our way.” The theme of the importance of the “homemade” emerges in the ritual of slightly changing the convenience foods to make them less convenient.
5. THE PET’S MEAL
The pet is fed special food while everyone looks on and takes photos. This ritual enacts the theme of inclusion also involved in the inviting of those with “nowhere else to go.”
6. THE PUTTING AWAY OF THE LEFTOVERS
In some cultures, feasts are followed by a ritual destruction of the surplus. At Thanksgiving the Puritan value of frugality is embodied in the wrapping and packing up of all the leftovers.
7. THE WALKING
After the eating and the groaning and the belly patting, someone will suggest a walk and a group will form to take a stroll. Sometimes the walkers will simply do laps around the house, but they often head out into the world to get some air. There is usually no destination involved, just a desire to move and feel the satisfied quietness of abundance – and to make some room for dessert.
—
credits: mental floss magazine, the graphics fairy
i’m not quite sure how, but i’m quite sure it somehow happened.
in the end, that turtle’s (or terrapin, as some prefer), hard shell refused to let a wolverine break through, and hung on for the victory in our recent matchup here in my very own hometown of ann arbor.
as promised in my wager with fellow blogger, a man who writes about sports and entertainment, rival and friend, mark b. – here is the fight song of the winner in the battle between my michigan wolverines and his maryland terrapins. you may not recognize me as the singer, but i like to surprise, just like those terrapins. what say you, mark b.?
here is the link to mark b’s always entertaining blog, even when he has won and is gloating…
and congrats to you and your turtles, mark. well-played.
University of Maryland
Fight Song
Fight, fight, fight for Maryland,
Honor now Her name again,
Push up the score, keep on fighting for more,
For Maryland, GO TERPS!
And we will fight, fight, fight for terrapins,
Keep on fighting ’till we win.
So sing out our song as we go marching along,
To victory!!!
—
Words and music by Ralph Davis, Class of 1941
copyright 1941
by the University of Maryland Student Government Association
the email came
guess-timating
how many miles
i had on my car
they were spot on
within 200 miles
inviting me in
for an oil change
a winterizing
a check up
asking
would you like coffee
will you need wi-fi
a ride home
a loaner
or
spend time here with us
while we
pamper your car
and you
and
i was half expecting
a massage
a mani/pedi
i took
the earliest appointment
on my day off
with plans
to head off
to do all the things
i’d been wanting to do
i drove up
and
the door opened for my car
welcoming me in
to the dealership
with a warm embrace
and they asked what they could do
took me to the comforting area to wait
gave me coffee
and
wi-fi
and
cable
and
magazines
and
cushiony chairs
and
the company of just one other
pampered customer
a man of about my age
and we each
went about our morning
waiting in comfort
until
they realized
his car
was going to take too long
so he took a rental
and
headed out
half an hour
later
the service advisor
came
knelt down by my chair
i felt
there was possibly
a bit of bad news coming
she
whispered
i don’t know how this happened
i looked at her
as she said
that man
who was sitting here with you
has just left with your keys
we don’t know why
this has never happened
ever
in the history
of our dealership
and
we can’t
get ahold of him
i’m so sorry
we’re not sure
why he’d take your keys
since he was taking a rental
even if
he thought those were his keys
we’d need them to work on his car
that he left behind
we just can’t understand it
we apologize
we can drive you
all of the places you need to go
or
give you a loaner
and
when we get your keys back
we will
we’ll deliver your car
with your keys
to your house
or
you can wait a bit
and
see what happens
with more coffee
i chose
the waiting option
and
i do enjoy my subaru family
but really didn’t want to
spend the whole day with them
doing errands
having lunch
and
i wanted to see
what would happen
why
he was not answering
his phone
his email
the texts
i wanted
to know
his story
i imagined him
working out with at my gym
using the id on my keys
then at my house
dancing with nacho the cat and his cat friends
and
drinking a glass of my pinot noir
reading my magazines
listening to my music
while taking a bubble bath
in my tub
and
they came in again
said they still
couldn’t reach him
do you want to wait
with
more coffee
more comfort
a while later
he called
said he had no idea
why he took the keys
and
he didn’t
want to see me
but
apologized profusely
and
came back
and
they pulled up my car at last
washed
all free service
apologies
thank you’s
for
being understanding
no explanation
and
the wish for a good day
and i was off
once again
wondering
would the tub be drained
when i finally got home?
—
one cannot plan for the unexpected.
– aaron klug
—
images courtesy of: google images
if you see mt. fuji, a hawk, and an eggplant on new year’s day,
you will be forever blessed.
-japanese proverb
or
if you go
to your middle daughter’s house
(one of the infamous h’s)
for coffee
and see a
beautiful and wounded
black hawk
walking around the back yard
and it turns into
a
rescue adventure
and the
emergency animal squad
shows up
within minutes
to help save him
and
restore him to good health
then your new proverb would be
‘if you see a pond, a hawk with a broken wing and a cappucino
on a random sunday,
you will be forever blessed.’
and then
you will have your coffee
and wonder
if that just really happened
—
image credit: coyotehills.com
I didn't have my glasses on.... 