The Year of Living Dangerously

No matter how I try to deny it, 2016 is making its claim in my head as being the Year of Living Dangerously. 

So here we go! Into the great unknown... 

Which brings me to my love of these travel posters from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 

This last one reminds me of Hubert Reeves' observation:

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.