Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

This week has been a terror.  One thing after another going dismally and me spinning my wheels, trying to get somewhere where I may not even be wanted.  There has been some upheaval at work and the state of Virginia seems dead set against letting me get a driver's license.  I keep telling myself that in a couple months, none of these problems will even exist, and worrying about them is just an additional waste of my time. Today at the UU, the theme was productive anticipation: looking forward to something, but being an active participant in that process.  So rather than just battening down the hatches in light of everything that's been happening and just waiting on things to settle down, it made me realize I also need to be doing everything I can do to make sure I'm going to land on my feet when the earth stops moving.  It helped me reset some of my expectations, both for my situation, and for myself. All this prompted me to think about why I even go there i...

On my drive back up from SC this last time, I was listening to old CDs, and Virtute the Cat Explains her Departure came up in the rotation.  I adore that song, but it makes me cry every single time.  It is sad and beautiful and deep somehow.  I believe the word I'm looking for is pathos , a word that gets a bad rap these days.  I think it's actually a pretty great word, a useful word to describe an essential part of the human experience.   Pathos  is defined as a quality that arouses compassion, pity, or sorrow.  When I think about pathos , I think most about sorrow, the kind of sorrow that's universal.  Same root as empathy, sympathy, apathy, and pathetic.  I wish pathetic had retained more of its original meaning of being moving, stirring, or affecting.  I need a word that means that without sounding well, pathetic, because I feel this all the time.  I enjoy feeling this (in balance with other things), but I especially love wh...

I actually made it to the UU (Unitarian Universalist) 10 AM service this morning.  That would be miraculous for me on a Sunday, except that I spent this Friday and Saturday nights rather quietly. Anyway, I'm not about pimping any particular religion, which is why I like the UUs.  The fellowship seems really active here, and I'm looking forward to getting involved.  I may even become a member here.  I don't really have an organized post on this, just a few things I want to share. I can't find anything I disagree with in the 7 UU principles: The inherent worth and dignity of every person; Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregation and in society at large; The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; Resp...

Pictures of the modern houses:

I've been here a good solid week, and I think my first impressions are solidifying.  I admit there's space for change, but they're first  impressions, so here's some stuff I like. 1. Parks (not particularly Rec) - Cville has great parks and public pools, and lots of them.  They're building and Aquatic and Fitness Center that's set to open this fall, and I hope the membership prices are reasonable (please see the upcoming post on The Bad).  There are 2 parks within walking distance of our house, one that has a pool and another with walking trails along the river . 2. Randomness - This town is a crazy hodge podge of neighborhoods and commercial stuff.  It's a true college town with the university bleeding all over the place and most people in some way affiliated with The Grape, as I have taken to calling it.  Belmont has houses everywhere, and then a corner with 3 restaurants (including Belmont BBQ) and a little store.  Near our house, it looks l...

I was telling crazy family stories the other day, and I decided to start putting them up there, randomly, as they occur to me in little bits and pieces.  My sister lived with my parents for a lot longer than I did, so it's highly likely that she knows more info about this stuff.  Because I'm intrigued by the way family stories change as they get passed around, I'm going to post my version, ask my sister for her input, and then add any revisions.  Please accept that many of these stories are things I learned when I was a kid, and so I make no claims to historical accuracy.  Names will occasionally be changed to protect the less than innocent. So, first story: at some point in my mother's youth, she was engaged to a lion tamer.  I have no idea when this happened, if it was before or after my half-sister, if she really meant to marry the guy or if it was some kind of lark.  They didn't get married, but I don't know why.  The only evidence I have for the...

Well, I live here now: It’s a nice house, and I’ve settled in about as well as I can until I get an infusion of cash from my gainful employment, which isn’t feeling particularly gainful right now…   As evidence of my ability to set up house in a new place, I present to you my living room: That little painting in the corner to the left is from Australia and was a gift from my undergraduate research advisor.   The female figure with the shock of red hair is a Dre Lopez original.   I wish I could say it was me, but alas, it’s not.   The small print to the left of it was a gift from Mr. Sammy Lopez.   And that square urn on top of the left bookshelf – well, that’s my momma.   To all the Dominion Power customer service reps who I know are reading this, please take note of the bookshelves full of books, and the lack of television.   I haven’t felt any overwhelming urges to kill myself yet due to boredom, so I think I’m probably doing okay. I also have...