Coming Home

Big life changes are scary (especially for me, I've never been very good with change), but coming home makes me happy.

To read more about my big life change go to my new blog:

http://sabbaticalpom.wordpress.com/


 

Book Wish List

Death on the Streets: Cars and the Mythology of Road Safety
by Robert Davis

From Copenhagenise:

"I've been reading it for ages. A couple of pages is enough for me to put it down and reflect. It's chock full of facts and references, as well as thought-provoking observations about the role of the car in our societies.

It discusses how most of the 'road safety improvements' of the past 50 years, from road design to seat belts, have actually resulted in a terrifying increase in danger from cars, which permeates all over lives and the book is also 'a social history of the terrible toll of car supremacy...'"

It's exactly the book I've been looking for. I have a feeling it will explore a lot of what I've been thinking about lately.

Upside Down: A Primer for the Looking-Glass World
by Eduardo Galeano

It sounds like an interesting read, especially its attack on car culture:
It starts with:
"Human rights pale beside the rights of machines. In more and more cities, especially in the giant metropolises of the South, people have been banned. Automobiles usurp human space, poison the air, and frequently murder the interlopers who invade their conquered territory - and no one lifts a finger to stop them. Is there a difference between violence that kills by car and that which kills by knife or bullet?"

Papa's Portland
by William Papas

I read his "People of Old Jerusalem" book and fell in love with the aesthetic and design. It's so beautiful. It has given me some ideas for my Sydney book I want to do as well as maybe another website...

The prospect of new books with interesting ideas makes me happy.

Resolved

Being not so deliberate with my sister

Oh the promise of a new year, with new resolutions and nothing but opportunity. It's like being in college again with the whole world in front of you!

This year I am resolved to live more deliberately. The decade ended and I hardly even realised it. People's birthdays and birth days came and went without much acknowledgment from me. This is not how I want to live my life.

As we prepare to take a year long break from Sydney and our jobs, I will also be preparing to put the deliberate back in my life, starting with:

1. Send cards to friends and family on their birthdays

The optimism of a new year (and decade!) makes me happy.

New Year Wedding

My siblings and I at the last wedding my aunt and uncle threw

My cousin is getting married on New Year's Eve. Some people say they don't like the idea of getting married on New Year's Eve because the guests can't do whatever they want for New Year's. My family? We think it's great (especially when my aunt and uncle are throwing the wedding- they throw great weddings)! We are all together, get great food, and dance the night away.

Celebrating both my cousin's wedding and the new year with my family makes me happy.

Christmas

One Half of the Family

I'm on my way home for Christmas, my favorite time of the year, to spend it with my favorite people - my family! It's time for:

• Buying last minute gifts with my brothers
• Christmas Eve Vespers
• Singing carols at the Christmas Eve service at my mom's church
  
• Watching White Christmas with my sister
• Christmas in the Dome
  
• Listening to Mannheim Steamroller CDs
• Playing Nerts
  
• And lots and lots of food (for better or worse)

Christmas makes me happy!

Up

Art by Eric Tan
Source: http://erictanart.blogspot.com/

For Father's Day we took our dad to see the movie Up. I always underestimate Pixar movies (I don't know why) so I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable that movie was. I stumbled upon the retro posters that were created for it, and I love them as much as the movie. Retro Up posters make me happy.

Wedding Two

Flickr

We planted succulents in silver and pewter containers that I collected from thrift stores and ebay to use as centerpieces on the tables. This tiny chick and hen in its itty bitty silver cup makes me happy.

Wedding One

I was never one much for public displays of emotion, and haven't been dreaming about my wedding day since I was a kid, but my wedding ended up being incredibly emotional and kind of out of control, and was one of the best days of my life. It's not all going to fit into one post, and I don't feel like synthesizing it all right now, so I will do it in parts.

Photo by Matt Williamson
http://williamsonphotos.net/
http://flickr.com/photos/williamsonphotos/

Jacob and I met at an 'experiment in urban living' called Arcosanti (http://www.arcosanti.org/). Arcosanti is supported by the hand manufacture and sale of ceramic and bronze bells. Our friend Jim Huth was the Bronze Foundry manager for several years at Arcosanti, and has now set up his own small foundry in Indiana. He's an amazing artist who we wanted to support, so we had him make bronze bells as thank you gifts for our guests. We weren't interested in giving our guests something they would just throw away or stick in a drawer, but we were interested in supporting our friend in his passion.

Jim carved 110 unique pieces of styrofoam and used the positive and the negative from each piece to form two sides of the bell in a 'lost styrofoam' method of bronze casting.

We ended up spending more than what is usually spent on favours, but it was worth it to us to support our friend and give our guests a great gift, and that makes me happy.

Old Music

Growing up we had lots of Christmas music in the house, but there was one song in particular on a Winter's Solstice album that perfectly captures how I feel about Christmas. It's based on a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem called 'Christmas Bells' and is arranged by John Gorka. Here's the poem:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

For some reason, I started singing it in the bathroom today, and it made me happy.

For your listening pleasure:

http://coverlaydown.com/tunes/gorkabells.mp3

New Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5RtLfE7K6Q

Every so often, but on a regular enough basis, I come across a new song that I obsess about for a few days- download it off iTunes, listen to it on repeat, and add to playlists for CDs to send the Kel(l)is (if you're nice, maybe you can be added to the distribution list too). To add to this obsession, this newest song has a beautifully stylised video to go with it. New songs make me happy and 'We Won't Run' by Sarah Blasko is the new song making me happy this week.

Sissy

Photo by Matt Williamson
http://www.williamsonphotos.net/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamsonphotos/

My sister came to visit for 2 1/2 weeks in May, then I got to spend 2 whole weeks with her preparing for the wedding. I had some of the best times in a long time while I was with her. She is so patient with me, yet at the same time doesn't put up with my guff. She threw an amazing wedding shower and bachelor/ette party for me, and was a wunderkind with wedding prep. I couldn't have done it without her. My sister makes me happy.

Good News

The old cliche is that there is no good news in the media anymore. That definitely seems very relevant these past few months. Every magazine I read is obsessed with the global financial crisis, and most blogs I read, if not covering the topic, are influenced by it, either in their own personal lives, or just because of the zeitgeist. But today I came across this video:

http://gizmodo.com/5231112/best-video-ive-seen-today-will-make-you-smile?autoplay=true#

A couple of guys went around recording street performers and then wove it together into one song. It's great, and not just of what it is, but also to think that these guys put in their own time and effort to make something that makes people happy. You don't encounter that very much any more. At least I don't in my job. This video and project make me happy.

Aussie Stereotypes

(Source: Found in the comments on this picture)

This poster makes me happy because it is all true :)

Tropfest

Tropfest in Beautiful Sydney

(Source: Me)

I'm usually not one much for festivals, but Tropfest is the one exception. Tropfest is a short film festival held every year in the Domain in Sydney (as well as in the other Australian major cities and New York). My reasons for liking Tropfest above all other festivals are thus:
a) It's free!
b) They hand out compost-able plates, cutlery, and glasses at the entrance
c) They also hand out rubbish bags, recycling bags, and composting bags at the entrance
d) They ALSO hand out these cardboard seat things to sit on the ground comfortably.
e) Everyone pretty much remains seated during the whole festival, which means...
f) No pushing and shoving (love those Aussies, so good at queuing!)
g) It's in the Domain, which is right next to the main part of the city, resulting in...
h) Easy to get to on public transport! Just about a block walk to the train station.
i) There's a first aid booth that hands out free sunscreen and free water
j) It's in a beautiful location
k) It's always entertaining

Now compare all that to other festivals (I'm looking at YOU, Austin City Limits), and there's just no comparision.

Going to Tropfest makes me happy.

Namaste

I can totally do this...
(source: Cameron Good Health)

To cut back on costs, my work has implemented a '9-day fortnight.' We get a day off every 2 weeks (and get a 10% paycut). I had my first scheduled day off (SDO) today, and went back to yoga for the first time in over 2 years. Doing yoga makes me happy (I say today, we'll see how I feel tomorrow).

Kitchen Bliss

Jacob cleaning his pride and joy - the breadmaker

When Jacob and I moved into our apartment, I loved the potential of our kitchen, but not the reality. A stove and oven that didn't work and a sink crammed into the corner were not so fun. But with a little elbow grease, a bit of money, and a LOT of waiting on an oven delivery, we now have a kitchen I could spend my whole day in. It's not perfect, but it's cozy, comfortable, and cute. The three c's of bliss. My kitchen makes me happy. (That boy being in the kitchen with me helps)

My Family

King PawPaw at Christmas

I had a great time just hanging out with my family the past month and a half. My family makes me happy.

Run Carolyn Run

I ran my first 5k today! And by ran I mean jogged and by first I mean first that I jogged the whole way. That makes me happy.

Yellow is Mellow

Source: Resonant Interval

"Help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid; when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around - when yellow will be mellow - when the red man can get ahead, man - and when white will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen."

Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction made me happy.

iPug

Source: www.concurringopinions.com

I have an inordinate obsession with pugs. My sister says I look like them when I'm mad. Pugs make me happy, especially when they are dressed up.

A New Year


A new blog. This actually fits in quite well with my last post (from August, oops!) about being grateful. Now it's time to be happy, purposely, and put a bit more out there than snark (though I do love that as well). So just like my picture a day I'm working on at Flickr (I've...mostly...kept up with it), I am going to try to post one thing a day that makes me happy. Hopefully it will not just be about things I want to buy...

And without further adieu, what makes me happy today? This other blog makes me happy every time I read it. I stumbled upon it kind of in a roundabout manner- a wedding blog I was looking at had a link to a story about a blogger who had been in a small plane crash in Arizona. In wanting to find out more about the story, I happened upon the crash victim's sister's blog (still following?) and have been hooked to her and her whole loving family ever since. She's actually a bit of my inspiration for the revamp. Check out cjane. She makes me happy.

I'm not one that is naturally and continually happy, hot-temperedness describes me better. My sister calls me a sabra, a prickly cactus on the outside with a soft inside. But I'm a firm believer in the ability for people to change and grow. And with that, I thought I would focus on what I am grateful for.

• My family, and the wonderful memories I have growing up with parents and siblings and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins all around. My family isn't particularly big, but there were close, so my childhood life was full. Now that I live so far away, I miss this closeness even more.
  
• My fiance', who can mostly handle my hot-temperedness, for some unknown reason likes my back with a crack in it butt, and all my freckles. He's kind and patient, and way to good to me.
• My friends, particularly the Suede. You can't do much better than a practically stream of consciousness continual conversation. And with all my other friends, I know it's like I never left whenever I come back!
  
• My little apartment by the sea. I never valued living by the ocean, until I moved 25 metres away from it.

That's it for now. Just putting that out there in the blogosphere.

How could you not be grateful for a view like this?

As a foreigner in a foreign land (though admittedly it could be a lot more foreign) there are a lot of aspects to life in Australia that I both love and hate. A big one is how there is much less product choice here compared to America. On one hand, having fewer options means making a choice is easier. But on the other hand, I go on websites based in America and look at all the beautiful things that could be at my fingertips if I just had stayed home. It's probably a good thing, both for my bank account and for my personal development. It's hard to break a consumerist culture mentality. I still wouldn't mind being to buy used books as easily as I can in America on Amazon (without having to pay international shipping rates).

A pretty thing from Etsy
www.etsy.com

Why I'm Not on Facebook

a) I'm not 18 (Bad First Impressions)
When Facebook first got popular, I was in graduate school at University of Texas at
Austin (grr) and my first experience with Facebook was listening to freshmen talking
about using it to hook up/stalk people. Not. Interested.

Also, the people I knew on sites that were precursors to Facebook (like Friendster,
livejournal, etc.) annoyed the heck out of me. They just wanted attention and to get
the most links/friends. So I started a blog. Yay hypocrisy!

b) I Don't See How It Will Improve My Life
If I want to be in contact with you, in general, I am. I already have enough
distractions on the internet, why add another?

c) I'm Not Interested in Stalking People
Let's be honest, that's the main reason my age would be on it- to find out what that
ex from high school or college is doing, or to see if the prom queen is living in a
trailer park.

d) I Don't Like Sushi
I tried to like sushi, but just really hate fish. Then I realised that I really was only
trying to like sushi because it was popular and hip, and I've never bothered to try it
again. Same goes for Facebook.

Now that this list is all said and done, watch me go sign up any day now.

who's a homeowner? ME (and Jacob)

I wonder how much my soul is worth. I think we'll find out July 1st.

Well. I set up this blog 3 years ago now, and promptly forgot about. In that time, Saddam Hussein was convicted and hanged, Pluto was declassified as a planet, and Google bought Blogspot. (Though one thing has stayed constant in all that time- George Bush is still a jerk). What does that mean for you, dear reader? Other than the fact that the solar system we all know and love is no longer what it was, it also means that I no longer had a log-in. After trying all of my Google accounts (I'm a bit of a hoarder, even digitally), I finally figured out I apparently had to use my Blogspot username. Eureka!

So here I am. Actually posting. It's about damn time. For goodness sake, my DAD has a blog.

For your viewing pleasure, a portrait of a woman and her gift of meat.
(taken on Pitt Street, Sydney)