The Countdown Continues

Downton with cocktails in hand is so close I can almost taste the alcohol. The end of the interminable pause is nigh. January 3rd to be precise.

So a reminder is in order... 

What exactly are we dealing with here as we wait for the final season to be unveiled in the States?

Reading Go Fug Yourself's Downton commentary is a close second to watching the show with friends while yelling at the screen in consternation.

Highly recommended on both counts.

Kintsukuroi

Kintsukoroi (aka kintsugi) is the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer, understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken. These flawed ceramics were prized by zen buddhists in wabi sabi tea rituals for their perfect imperfection and their visual reminder that all is in flux and impermanent.

Evan skied up Oliver today with a bunch of loved ones to scatter his friend's ashes. The blower powder created a fitting "cold smoke" for AJ's funeral pyre on what would have been his 40th birthday. Evan's grief is simply gutting.

There were seven young widows created this year in the Teton Valley. A number both stunning and horrific. I am reminded of The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion as well as When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

So the cracks widen and run in our community. And we are left with pieces to make whole and beautiful again. Despite the healing ahead, our lives will continue to bear the marks of AJ's passing. He leaves a legacy of simplicity, purpose and grace.

   

DIA Deconstructed

Recipe for a lovely layover at Denver International Airport:

1. Get a shoeshine while waiting for a seat at Rootdown in Terminal C.

2. Follow your instincts when it comes to the menu (I have a soft spot for the Pepper Blossom cocktail)-- I don't think you can go wrong.

3. Browse one of the bookshops and grab something that looks interesting.

4. Bury your nose in the book while sipping on a glass of wine at Elroy's in Terminal B.

5. Enjoy the walk to the outer reaches of the airport galaxy (the high digits).

6. Grab a catnap on the carpeted floor as you wait for your puddle jumper of choice.

Total time: at least three hours.

The Force Awakens

Yoda given the mythological treatment he deserves by Travis Durden.

Fans in line outside the Chinese Theater in L.A. with 10 days left to go.



This Brian Hensien creation captures Lander's own stormtrooper representing.



To think this all started in 1977, the year I was born. I've never lived in a world without Star Wars.

I Swallowed A Vaginal Suppository

Well, three actually.

I didn't know that vaginal suppositories were even a thing. It makes sense looking back, but at the time... 

The packaging was in Spanish and the doctor had prescribed four medications without so much as a physical exam. So I found myself juggling boxes in the early morning hours, swallowing pills with minimal thought and even less curiosity.

It occurred to me that I might want to have Evan present as the size of one the pills presented a choking hazard. That was a prime opportunity to hesitate and reexamine the situation, but no. I opted against adult supervision and was kinda proud when I didn't get the capsule stuck in my throat.

Three days later, I looked at the box again and noticed "via de administración: vaginal". And it finally dawned on me: I had inadvertently been downing vaginal suppositories. 

Oh my. 

What's a girl to do? 

Not much. Live and learn, I guess. And laugh.
   

Making Waves

Dang, right? 

And these are just waves on Lake Erie...

Hats off to surfers everywhere for engaging with water so intimately. It can be a mighty beast.

I just finished this beautifully wrought memoir. It reminded me of high school when I watched the waves on Ocean Beach for hours, subscribed to the Surfer's Journal, and quoted Caught Inside, but never dared to wade out into the water past my knees.

Connective Tissue

There's an idea in China that we are linked by a red silk thread from birth to all the people who will touch our lives. 

Especially when I was younger, although it still holds true for me to some extent today, I have always had one girlfriend among my nearest and dearest with whom I was closest. Although many different people have filled that role in my life over the years, it was only recently that I realized how strong the commonalities have been between them. 

They have all been artists. They have all made me laugh and laugh with their humor. They have all been emotionally intuitive and perhaps known me better than I knew myself. 

That first part about being artists is what struck me... 

I remember putting on innumerable plays with Hillary. She is now an actress living in Paris. I remember designing countless outfits with Fiona. She is now a fashion designer in New York City. I remember creating fantastical creatures and imaginary worlds with Emily. She has a MFA now and creates mythical animals and landscapes in Montreal. 

The pattern continues on and on-- cooks, musicians, gardeners, writers.

What a precious wonder that each has become as an adult what we played at as children. As ever, I am in awe of the courage and vulnerability it takes to create for a living. 

It gladdens my heart to think of these old friends scattered to the winds plying trades that are in alignment with their abiding passions. 

The Raw Power of Praise

In an inspired move, Shea Glover captured people's change of expression when told they were beautiful at her high school...

Watching her video breaks my heart. There is such a self fulfilling prophesy to feeling beautiful.

It's astonishing that such a simple act --bearing witness to another's beauty-- is disarming enough to unveil each person.

Suddenly, the tenor of the entire encounter shifts and vulnerability is possible. And with vulnerability, true beauty... 

...faces transforms from brittle or blank to supple and responsive. 

Sadly, it's such a task to hang onto our own sense of beauty and worth as we grow and weather the world. I am reminded of two anthems from the summer.

         

Well Played, Europe. Well Played.

Firstly, elderly Finnish flora...

Secondly, Ukrainian contempory classics... 

Foreign Films

Slowly and steadily, my list grows...

A Royal Affair

Burnt by the Sun

Run Lola Run

Prisoner of the Mountain

Himalaya

Rust and Bone

Amores Perros

Strawberries and Chocolate

Central Station

Lagaan

Bread and Tulips

Children of Heaven

Valentin

City of God

Amelie

Best of Youth

The Lunchbox

Good Bye, Lenin

Zelary

The Eagle Huntress
Medianeras

As they say, the language of cinema is universal.

Dorks R Us

Old love is the best. Wrinkly. Saggy. Sexy.  

Fortifying ourselves for the journey ahead, Evan and I have been geeking out and going through a marriage workbook together. Super fun and rewarding so far!

We've also been mining a personality types website for insights. It's uncannily on point. Evan and I are summed up by the following mess of letters: ENFP-A meets INFJ-T.