Sunrise

If we're already friends on Facebook or if you follow me on Instagram then you have probably already seen a few of these pictures, but I wanted to show them again for those who haven't seen them and because I think they're just stunning. 

I went for a walk around the small lake (really a reservoir) by my home the other day at sunrise and was absolutely taken aback by the beauty and life that I usually miss at 5:30-6am. I watched the early fishermen and the multiple species of birds hunt for their breakfast in complete silence on one side of the lake and was then overwhelmed by the symphony of birdsong on the other. I was so moved that I even wrote a bit of prose to go with them later that day.

Sunrise

The melody of a family of robins wakes me 

and for a moment I sit on the fence in my bed

deciding whether to be annoyed or joyful at the sound.

I was sleeping, after all.

I tell my brain to shut up and let joy win the battle...

it's really more pleasant that way. 

The moment that happens I know...I can feel 

that it is good...no, great to be alive

so I get up and head outside to enjoy the sunrise with the robins. 

I walk toward the lake passing the Robinses along the way

as they continue their morning tralala...an ode to the sun. 

 As I reach the water I am greeted by fishermen and birds

hunting for their morning meal.

The egrets, pelicans, ducks and more eye me cautiously 

as they patiently await the arrival of their prey.

Only the human fishermen greet me with a nod and a smile.

The cacophony of sound is overwhelming in its beauty

as I pass through the trees on the muddy path,

it matches the colors the sun bounces off the water as it sings

its own praises for the day.

It's wonderful to be alive and witness to this morning ritual

between the sun, the earth and the life in between.

The Other Outcome of the Boston Bombing

A Brookline Police Officer delivers milk to a family on lock down in Watertown , MA during the manhunt for the Boston  bombing. Photo Source

I have a friend who ran in the Boston Marathon this year. You may remember when I posted this asking for donations for my friend Dan to run for the Dana-Farber team. It was a pretty personal event for him as a cancer survivor to be able to run the marathon and raise money for such a great cause. Thank you to everyone who participated: he raised over $5000.

The runners wear GPS trackers in their bibs so that their friends and family can track them during the race so when the bombs went off I only knew that the last check in he had was at the 35K check point...that's just about 3 miles from the finish line. As far as I knew he had crossed. Or not. I had no idea. Not only did I not know where he was, but I could only assume that his wife, kids, parents and local friends were at the finish line waiting for him.

My friend, one of my favorite people on the face of this Earth, is fine. His family is fine. Some of his team members and their loved ones were injured, but he was fine. I am so thankful that he was running slower than normal to not aggravate a foot injury he sustained during training.

Later when I spoke to him we talked about how much of the rest of the country was under the impression that Boston and the surrounding towns were under some kind of Orwellian regime because of the lock down imposed during the manhunt. Major sporting events were postponed to keep large crowds from being in danger from any unknown explosions and people were asked to stay indoors not only for their own safety, but to keep minimal people from impeding the search for the haters responsible for the bombing. As a result, businesses were closed and a major metropolitan area appeared to be abandoned. People across the country were posting on Facebook and Twitter that the innocent citizens of Massachusetts were miserable and suffering from some form of imprisonment...it just wasn't fair. They said that the bad guys had won because people were giving in to the terrorism and cowering in their homes.

Just to be clear, I was not one of those people. If that shit happened in my town I would gladly stay indoors and do anything I could to help the local LEOs and the FBI to catch the bastards. And if you were one of those people, here's exactly what happened according to someone who lives there: in a city where people are not exactly known for having love ins and group hugs or even talking to strangers on the streets just because it's nice, someone fucked with them. And when they did that they fucked with the wrong town.

The citizens of the greater Boston area and its surrounding towns banded together, got the help they needed and provided any assistance they could when it mattered. Strangers helped the wounded and the temporarily displaced, the public helped law enforcement and law enforcement and other EMS became bigger heroes than they already were. People stayed inside more than willingly and a sense of unity and pride fell over an entire state before it rippled across the country. When it was clear that the suspects were no longer a threat the public cheered in the streets for each other and those responsible for the capture of those who would threaten them and their way of life. They did not complain about having to stay indoors and they did not regret missing a day while their friends and family were in the hospital recovering from severe injuries...if they survived. They did what was necessary and got that shit done in record time.

I am proud of Boston and the people who live there. I think the truth of it is that people helped people when they needed it most. The worst of 2 people brought out the best in so many more and that is what truly matters.

Stay shiny, my friends,
Ginger

Get on the Train

I went to LoDo this weekend with my Mom. The new RTD (Denver Regional Transportation) W Line opened and they were giving free train rides throughout the entire system for the grand opening festivities so I talked her into going to Denver for lunch. I really wanted an excuse to ride the train and what better reason than that?

I don't think my mother has ever been on a train in Denver until now and I know it's been forever since she was on the 16th St Mall so she was a little overwhelmed and exhausted by the time we got home. The trains were really crowded since it was an event so we ended up standing most of the time and playing tourist can wear a person out...even if it is in your own city. Lunch was really good though. We went to a place called the Mellow Mushroom and had pizza and salad. I should write a review about it later...

As I said before, the trains were really packed. I think RTD estimated about 35,000 riders that day. That's almost double their load during the work week apparently, so you can imagine the standing room only fun that was. As I sat...or stood like a sardine packed into a tin can on rails though, I couldn't help but get all nostalgic as the train rocked back and forth in the rhythm that can sooth me to sleep if I let it.

For those not in the know, I used to ride the train every day. For two years I took two buses and a train to work and then home five days a week. I had to because I didn't have a car. When the economy took its last breath a few years back I had to trade my car in for an express bus pass and I spent about four hours every day commuting to work and home. That translates to about 2 hours of drive time on a 40 mile round trip.

When I got sick my friends at work took up a collection and bought me a 2003 Corolla so I wouldn't have to take a bus to the hospital for my treatments. Yep, they bought me a car with a free and clear title thereby restoring my complete faith in humanity. They also prevented me from having to go on disability during radiation. I never would've been able to to keep that schedule and go to work every day. It was pretty grueling, if I must say.

I love that car so much...she's my Keiko the Wonder Car. So every now and then when I'm reminiscing about riding the train and talking about how I napped on the way home or read a kajillion books someone will ask me why I don't just ride the train to work again. Well, for one, I have no intention of insulting the generosity and kindness of the people who bought me that car by not driving it. Second, just because I love and miss the train does not mean I miss the four hours of commute time every day and waiting at bus stops and train stations in extreme hot and cold temperatures.

That's why I'm so happy about the W Line opening. I can go to a nearby park and ride station and take the train downtown any time I want now. I can sit and relax or read or even take a 30 minute nap without having to worry about finding a parking spot or about my meter running out. It's just a big fat win win...win. Now I can't wait until they extend the service to Boulder... ;)

Keep Calm & Blog On

Hello strangers...long time no see. Or read. Whatever.

The last time I wrote to all of you in the 'verse I was trying that Seneca Indian Cleanse crap. Yeah, that was a cleanse fail. Why do I try to do these things? They're no good, I say. I make it a couple of days in before I realize that if I just eat right 90% of the time I don't need to do these things...and then I overeat when I fall off of the proverbial wagon and wind up bruised and beaten and feeling guilty. No more. My body knows how to cleanse itself. So that's it; no more self torture. The next time I am thinking about one of these things please remind me that they're dumb. Thank you.

I am, however, a new Weight Watchers member. Yay. I went to see my surgeon for a follow up a few weeks ago and we discussed how I can't lose weight since my surgery and chemo since they made me all post menopausal and then pumped me full of steroids. She recommended that I become a watcher of the weight to help out with that. I think I've lost about no weight, but I won't give up hope for at least 3 months since I already paid for my membership through then. We shall see what happens there...and trust me, if I lose any weight ya'll will know because I will yell that shit from the rooftops with a bull horn.

I want to talk about how I'm still not writing as much as I want to or think I should. I think about it often, but I either find myself not able to express myself with words (much to the relief of many) or I make a decision to mull an idea over and then forget about it. I have a history of self sabotage when it comes to blogging. I have had about 5 or 6 blogs over the years that I thought did fairly well with subscribers and they were fun, but something happens and I decide to axe them and start fresh with a new URL.

It's not that I don't like writing. I love writing. My style of blogging is really just journaling, but instead of confining it to ink and paper I put it all out there in the 'verse for everyone to see. Forever.

                "You can't stop the signal, Mal." ~ Mr. Universe

Yeah, I'm crazy like that. So why the sabotage? Well, I think it's because I have become painfully aware that I actually have more than 2 readers. You'd never know it by the lack of subscribers or comments on this site, but you're there. I know you are. You say things to me that let me know you found my blog by accident while Googling something or we'll be talking about something and you'll say that you remember reading that on my blog. That's the moment where a little piece of me panics while trying to remember if I wrote anything really embarrassing or incredibly stupid. Then another piece of me says who gives a shit. Yes, I write about embarrassing topics and I say stupid shit, but I don't care. I don't expect to win a Pulitzer here and no one is paying me to write this stuff so I'm gonna keep on keepin' on.

So stay, read, subscribe, comment (or don't). I'll keep babbling and you keep reading and our happy little symbiotic relationship will continue as happy as can be. I'm not going anywhere.

Stay shiny,
Ginger                                                                

 

I'm hungry. This is why.

Oh yay! Another cleanse diet! WooHoo! Right? Well...maybe.

I used to be that person who did the fasts and cleanses and drank nothing but weird lemonade made with fresh squeezed organic lemon juice, organic grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper...for 10 grueling days. Yeah. I actually thought I was doing something good for my body too. Who knew I was just starving myself and killing my metabolism in the process? I didn't. What can I say, I was hungry and a girl just can't think straight when she needs a sammich. So I was pretty skeptical when I came across this Seneca Indian Detox Cleanse.

The Seneca Indians are one of the tribes that form the Iroquois Nation; the Easter Woodland Indians we all (should've) learned about in American History. According to many articles on the internet, this woman, Hanna Kroeger, wrote about this 4 day cleanse that the Seneca tribe apparently has practiced for generations to cleanse their bodies of the heavy animal protein and fat that they regularly consume (or at least did way back when) to prepare for their spiritual rituals. I couldn't actually find this cleanse anywhere on the Seneca Indian website or on the Hanna Kroeger website, but if you just Google the words Seneca Indian Cleanse you'll get about 186,000 related articles on this 4 day gentle detox. All of the ones I read were pretty much a cut and paste job of what I assume is the original text from one of Hanna's books where it is reported that she wrote about the cleanse, but I'll never know because now that everyone else has stolen her work and put it out there as their own we don't need to actually figure out which book it's in and then buy it. Good for us - bad for Hanna. Sorry, Hanna!

The reason I decided to go ahead and do this cleanse is because I've been doing the chiropractor thing lately and that's been putting me through a gentle detox already and I want to try and help it along because I'm tired of feeling like I'm just on the edge of fighting a cold and if there are any leftover chemo drugs or radiation poisons going on in here I want them gone all fucking ready. Because that, my gentle readers, is not my idea of awesome. Plus, I've been wanting to lean more toward a meatless diet again and this would be an easy way to push me in the right direction. Don't get me wrong, I love meat and have no plans to go vegetarian or vegan again any time soon, but still...the human body just doesn't need that much animal protein. Aigh't? Also, it's only 4 days and there is technically only 1 day where you don't eat food. It seems easy and I like easy. I like it a lot.

So here's the dealyo on the supposed Seneca Indian Tribe's spiritual cleanse that is not intended to treat or cure any diseases and that you should totally get your doctor's permission before trying.

Day 1: jump on 1 foot and rub your belly with a turkey feather while singing the national anthem. Then just eat all of the fruit your little heart desires all day except bananas. Just fruit. Nothing else. I don't know why bananas are bad on day 1, but they are. Doesn't matter to me because I'm allergic to them anyway. If that sucks for you, then sorry. I personally would go for some organic produce though. I mean really, we're cleansing here, not pesticiding. And remember to drink plenty of good clean water. No bath water. That would be bad. Hint: avocados and tomatoes are fruit too.

Day 2: put the frigging apples down already and pick up your favorite mug because damn, baby, you are going to drink a lot of tea today! That's all you get, by the way....tea. Not even black tea or green tea. Essentially no tea with any kind of stimulants including, but not limited to: caffeine, matcha, yerba mate and ginseng. Don't worry though, there are plenty of herbal varieties out there if you just look. You can even sweeten them with raw honey or stevia (I just made up that stevia part. I mean really, it is a plant so why not?). Remember to drink plenty of good clean water again and have fun peeing every 30 seconds!

Day 3: you may now vow to never drink tea again and start chomping on the broccoli and carrots...and a good variety of other organic fresh veggies that are raw or steamed with sea salt, pepper and the herbs of your choice. Stay clear of the starchy stuff like potatoes, peas and corn though. Corn's not a vegetable anyway so don't argue. Oh, and maybe meditate today because you're supposed to be cleansing your spirit here as well. Okay?

Day 4: save all of those veggie butts and ends from day 3 and throw them in a big pot with some water, herbs, sea salt, pepper, garlic and any other veggies you want and make your own homemade vegetable broth to drink all day because yep, you got it! That's all you get! Oh, don't panic, here's a recipe. I would leave out anything in a can or jar for this recipe though. Fresh is key.

No site I visited gave any clue as to what to do after day 4, but I'm thinking that picking up with your normal diet on day 5 would be a bad idea. I would start with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and perhaps a salad and homemade vegetable soup for lunch and some cooked veggies for dinner with some brown rice or quinoa. Add some tofu or baked chicken if you really want, but I would start light. Eating too heavily at first will probably just freak out your digestive system, if you catch my drift.

I'm on day 1 and have eaten a pear, raspberries, an apple, half of an orange, an avocado, 3 small tomatoes and one of those personal sized watermelons. I need some more water though...okay, got that done.
I'm feeling kind of light headed and cloudy, but my blood sugar levels are okay so I'm guessing that I'm beginning the detox process. Yay! I need a nap. I don't plan on posting a daily update, although I might, but I will definitely let you know if anything exciting happens like if I meet my faerie god mother or get visited by a mythical creature or something. We'll see.

Until then....

Shit will...blow up.

Aisha Tyler: who's a fan? ME!...You? If you don't know who Aisha is then you should really read every word of this post, click on the links and start the journey of brilliance and fucking awesome that Aisha will bring to your life. Right now.

Here's a little tiny bit of Aishaness from me to you. The first time I saw Aisha was on Talk Soup back in 2008 or so. My voice went all Chris Tucker and I was like, "OHMYGOD!" because she's hilarious. After she left the Soup I didn't know where she went or what she was doing. I started seeing her crop back up in acting jobs here and there and then sometime over the last few years she just about exploded onto the scene which I frequent. I don't know what scene that is exactly, but she's there so I'm good with it. Plus, we have the same birthday so that makes me feel a little special. I share a birthday with Lance Armstrong too, but I can't really brag about that one anymore so whatever, Lance. Way to burst my freaking bubble.

Aisha plays the lovely Lana Kane on Archer, funniest show ever (thank you for carrying that one, Netflix, but I really must invest in my own copies already). She is also a host on The Talk. She's a stand up comic and she hosts the best podcast in the world: Girl on Guy. She has a book coming out soon called Self Inflicted Wounds and I'm sure she will probably be President of the world one day. Boom!

Let's talk about Girl on Guy for a minute, shall we? I subscribe on iTunes, but you can subscribe on her website linked above or I think I've seen her Tweet that there's an Android app available as well. Anyway, Aisha produces this podcast all by her self and no matter who her guest is, it's just fabulous. She sits and talks with someone amazing for about an hour or so about pretty much anything that comes up, whether it be comedy, sex, acting, relationships...all kinds of experiences. It's raw, it's real, it's intelligent, it's even dirty at times and it's about the best way to get to know anyone you're a fan of without ever actually meeting them, in my opinion. It's not your normal TV interview where everyone has to watch their language and behave for the ad execs. You should really just scroll through the list of episodes, find someone you're a fan of and listen. You'll fall in love with the medium if you're not already a fan of podcasts. At first I only listened to episodes with people whom I was a fan of, but then I realized that it didn't matter if I knew who she was talking to; I found it all interesting and have discovered many new interesting people listening to her show.

My first Girl on Guy was #60 with Nathan Fillion, which you should love if you're a geek like me. She's also done shows with Kevin Smith, Seth Green, Felicia Day and many others that just make me go all gaga and have geek-gasms in my car on my way to or from work. Yup, I just said that.

In her recent episode with Kevin Smith they were talking about how you can express your creativity so much easier now days because of new technology and things like YouTube and video blogs and it was really inspiring. I have been wondering since then if I should maybe try posting videos of myself and other people doing stupid, funny, brave shit by just expressing ourselves and maybe entertaining some people in the process. Then again, it may end up being a lot like Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog where I just end up providing my arch nemesis with more material with which to torture me...that may not have been their point anyway. I think it may have been to get yourself out there, do what you love and be passionate about it, dammit. Good words to live by.

In case you're wondering: no, I don't work for Aisha Tyler. I'm not being paid for this post and I'm not stalking her in any creepy way. I'm just a huge fan, a member of her Girl on Guy Army and I wanted to share my joy and abandon with all of you, my 3 readers, at 1 AM. So seriously, listen to the podcasts so someone will know what the hell I'm talking about when I gush about it in public.

PS - once you listen to an episode through the end you'll understand the title of this little fan fest.

Later.

Too Many Voices

You know those people who can't stand being alone?...for any length of time? I don't know what it is that bothers them about it. I've heard them say that they get bored too easily or they just don't feel right unless they're with someone else. Perhaps it's because they are such extroverts or maybe they just don't like being alone with their own thoughts. I don't know, I really can't speak for any of those people.

I am most definitely not one of those people though. I love being alone. I cherish my alone time. When I'm in a crowded area I tend to get tense or grumpy. I feel stifled and I can't wait to run away. I find myself backing up against the wall just so I know that I'm not completely surrounded by chaos. It's really quite overwhelming. It's not some form of agoraphobia though; different crowds have different effects.

If the crowd is somewhere like at a zoo or a mall then it tends to be overwhelming and chaotic like mentioned above. I think it's because everyone's energies are bouncing around because there's no focal point for the crowd. However, I'm fine at concerts, movies and other similar events where there seems to be something for the whole crowd to pay attention to...that is, where everyone's energy is focused and aimed at one thing. Then there's no chaotic bouncing around of other people's thoughts and feelings like a giant cosmic pinball machine. It's smooth and easy sailing (until said event is over and the herd must leave the venue like lemmings committing hari kari off of a cliff). It can even be uplifting if what's happening is positive; like a feel good hippie gathering of love and acceptance. Or it can be energizing like a roller derby bout.

I think it all goes back to the same idea or theory that one person can change the energy in a room with their negative or positive attitude. That's how we get mob mentality, right? It passes like a wave through a crowd like dominoes. I really do believe that our energy affects others and their energy affects us. Don't read too much into this; I don't think I'm psychic or anything. I think we're all that receptive. I just happen to be wicked bizarre and think about stuff like this...when I'm all alone...by myself...with my thoughts. ALL.OF.THE.TIME. I love being alone. I really do. Have I mentioned that yet?

I actually left work early today just so I could go somewhere, have some alone time and write. That's where I wrote this. I went all low tech and used a pen and notebook though. I didn't feel like drafting on a keyboard for some reason. I must not write enough like this however, my handwriting is atrocious and it's actually making my arm sore. What a pansy, right? I think that really speaks volumes about our current culture, by the way, but I have gone and digressed...back on subject (as I try to control my penmanship).

I keep thinking about the title of this post. It's actually how I started on the subject. I was at work taking a deep breath to break through some tense moment someone else was having and that's when that thought came to me: too many voices (by voices, I mean collective energy, not voices in my head. Shut up). Too often we inadvertently soak up someone else's energy. Okay, the word energy being thrown around here sounds all new agey airy fairy-ish. Allow me to rephrase: we soak up someone else's negativity or positivity. That's how we get sucked up in others' drama, laughter or why we feel like that one person always sucks the life out of us while another always leaves us feeling great.

Aside from being extremely introverted, that's why I mostly like being alone. I like to be with my thoughts and my feelings, not anyone else's. I'm even finding lately that there are certain old favorite websites that I no longer prefer as well. I just can't abide some of the negative aspects of some of the other users so I feel myself slowly being pulled away. And I've also been unfriending a lot of people on Facebook for the same reason. Now that I think about it some more, maybe this is all just another weird phase for me to go through. I am really funky weird like that, aren't I? And I do need to catch up on some blogging. I can use this alone time shit to my advantage. I can catch up on my writing to entertain all two of my fans and work on my penmanship all at the same time! My God! I am really on to something here...