Penny Red: Panic on the streets of London.: "I’m huddled in the front room with some shell-shocked friends, watching my city burn. The BBC is interchanging footage of blazing cars and..."
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Shark Dive!
Last October, I was in Hawaii for a wedding. My friends did a shark dive on the morning of my arrival. They couldn't stop talking about the experience for the rest of our trip. I wasn't too keen on taking the dive but it sounded too great to pass up.
All the photos from the dive can be seen here
Last Thursday, I took a ride with Hawaii Shark Encounters and did that dive!
It was a 20-minute boat ride out to the cage. We were less than one hundred yards out and sharks were there, waiting. I was trying to see the sharks, handle my camera and keep my balance on the rough sea. I decided to give up looking for them until I was in the cage.
Group 1 got in while Group 2 listened to stories of the Galapagos sharks we were about to encounter. Rich, boat captain, told us of a great white shark off the coast of Lanai. That wasn't a story I wanted to hear while on a tinny (and tiny) crabbing boat in the middle of the ocean and a bunch of sharks.
My turn! I entered the water, holding the boat & cage bars while trying to find the ladder rungs. There were 3 sets of bars - water level for your hands, midway for your knees and bottom for your feet. The hand bars were easy to find. *bump* Ouch! There's the knee bars. The feet bars weren't so easy. Between the bars is open space, ocean and sharks. I didn't want to be kickin' around, y'know?
Finally in position (one hand on bar, knees locked under the midway, feet hooked on the bottom), I stuck my face in the water. It was silent. It was eerie. And it was shark filled! Sharks were just...there. I mean, thisclose to the cage and the bars and me. At one point, I lost my footing. As I tried to find the bar, the foot of the girl next to me brushed across my leg. I peed myself.
Rich told us just to snap photos; don't try to look in the window or view finder - just click away. My eyes didn't see everything my camera did. My camera didn't capture everything my eyes did. That was okay because I took some great photos!
All the photos from the dive can be seen here
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday, June 03, 2011
Filch It Friday - Finding Neverland: Can We Talk?
It's been a while since my last Filch It Friday. This post is awesome enough for it to be rekindled. I almost don't want to wait until Friday!
Finding Neverland: Can We Talk? ~ please visit!
Can we talk?
Can we sit and have a cup of coffee, ignore the world for a while, and get down and dirty in conversation?
I don't want to chat. I don't want to talk about work emails and feeding schedules, late nights and laundry.
Can we, just you and me, grab intimacy by the horns and throw out all those ugly truths that we cover up with our secondary emotions and busy lives?
Can you tell me if you're carrying around regret? I am. What would it be like if we admitted all the things we wish we could have done differently?
If you woke up tomorrow to find that you had lost everything you find important, what would you have lost?
Do you feel safe enough with me to share your most private and embarrassing moments? I once glued my butt cheeks together and then to the bottom of a scalding bathtub for 45 minutes, in a terrible at-home waxing attempt. How about now?
Late at night, when the world is quiet and dark, when the conversations are over and the TV is off, what emotions lie next to you and cradle you to sleep?
Have you mastered the art of forgiveness? What does forgiveness really mean to you? Whom have you not forgiven?
When someone hurts you, how do you treat them afterwards? Do you recognize when you've done wrong? How do you apologize?
What was the last thing that made you laugh aloud and with whom were you sharing that moment? Was it the person you wanted?
What drives you, motivates you, inspires you? What scares the hell out of you?
Do you ever wonder if the fault you place on others belongs closer to home? Do you intend to change that?
What dreams do you have that you're too scared to chase? What dreams feel too impossible to even consider?
How much of an attempt do you put towards questioning yourself - your own thoughts and feelings and actions? Do you take the time to see whether they are rational, healthy, self-destructive, hurtful to those around you? Do you put the effort into really knowing yourself and the type of person you want to be?
What type of person do you want to be?
Are you happy?
Are you brave? Brave enough to take risks? Brave enough to throw everything on the line when you're completely unsure? Brave enough to test your own limits? Brave enough to break the mold and abandon everything that feels comfortable and safe to you? Are you brave enough to choose against failure, even when failure seems like the only option? Are you brave enough to give of yourself past the point at which you think you have anything to give? Are you brave enough to readily, assuredly, honestly, passionately be yourself?
I don't want another twenty-question survey about your favorite movie or whether chocolate or vanilla is your preference. Can we just talk?
Can we sit and have a cup of coffee, ignore the world for a while, and get down and dirty in conversation?
I don't want to chat. I don't want to talk about work emails and feeding schedules, late nights and laundry.
Can we, just you and me, grab intimacy by the horns and throw out all those ugly truths that we cover up with our secondary emotions and busy lives?
Can you tell me if you're carrying around regret? I am. What would it be like if we admitted all the things we wish we could have done differently?
If you woke up tomorrow to find that you had lost everything you find important, what would you have lost?
Do you feel safe enough with me to share your most private and embarrassing moments? I once glued my butt cheeks together and then to the bottom of a scalding bathtub for 45 minutes, in a terrible at-home waxing attempt. How about now?
Late at night, when the world is quiet and dark, when the conversations are over and the TV is off, what emotions lie next to you and cradle you to sleep?
Have you mastered the art of forgiveness? What does forgiveness really mean to you? Whom have you not forgiven?
When someone hurts you, how do you treat them afterwards? Do you recognize when you've done wrong? How do you apologize?
What was the last thing that made you laugh aloud and with whom were you sharing that moment? Was it the person you wanted?
What drives you, motivates you, inspires you? What scares the hell out of you?
Do you ever wonder if the fault you place on others belongs closer to home? Do you intend to change that?
What dreams do you have that you're too scared to chase? What dreams feel too impossible to even consider?
How much of an attempt do you put towards questioning yourself - your own thoughts and feelings and actions? Do you take the time to see whether they are rational, healthy, self-destructive, hurtful to those around you? Do you put the effort into really knowing yourself and the type of person you want to be?
What type of person do you want to be?
Are you happy?
Are you brave? Brave enough to take risks? Brave enough to throw everything on the line when you're completely unsure? Brave enough to test your own limits? Brave enough to break the mold and abandon everything that feels comfortable and safe to you? Are you brave enough to choose against failure, even when failure seems like the only option? Are you brave enough to give of yourself past the point at which you think you have anything to give? Are you brave enough to readily, assuredly, honestly, passionately be yourself?
I don't want another twenty-question survey about your favorite movie or whether chocolate or vanilla is your preference. Can we just talk?
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Just Do It.
"It's Impossible." said Pride.
"It's Risky." said Experience.
"It's Pointless." said Reason.
"Give it a try." whispered the Heart.
"It's Risky." said Experience.
"It's Pointless." said Reason.
"Give it a try." whispered the Heart.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Write.
"Perhaps it would be better not to be a writer, but if you must, then write. You feel dull, you have a headache, nobody loves you, write. If all feels hopeless, if that famous “inspiration” will not come, write. If you are a genius, you’ll make your own rules, but if not – and the odds are clearly against it – go to your desk, no matter what your mood, face the very challenge of the paper – write."
J. B. PRIESTLEY
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
05.24.11
If you haven't, you should check out this terrific blog The 3six5 - http://the3six5.posterous.com/. It's a journal written by people all over the world. Each day a new contributor shares his or her world in 365 words or less. For May 24, I was asked to pinch-hit. Below is my day.
This morning, I sat in the middle of my apartment surrounded by 2 laundry baskets and several gift bags. I was in full-on 'panic' mode because tomorrow the Los Angeles City inspector is coming in to inspect my apartment. This wouldn't be cause for alarm for most. For me, it's akin to a 4-alarm fire and I'm trying to find an escape route.
I am a compulsive hoarder.
Nine weeks ago, I made the commitment to clean up my crap. I had 12 years worth of stuff stacked, piled, crammed and hidden in every available space in my studio apartment. There were 2 paths – one to the kitchen, one to my bed. My nightstand was a stack of REAL SIMPLE magazines (I know, right?!), each one earmarked on articles about cleaning, clearing and living simple.
Three weeks ago, I had friends in my place for the first time ever. I was nervous and edgy and jumpy and freaking out my friends would look at my space with the same judgmental eyes as me. Chickens said “Stop being the hamster on the wheel.” But, it couldn’t be helped. Those feelings didn’t get tied up in Hefty bags like my clutter.
The shame and embarrassment of being a hoarder is often unbearable. The shame is oh so heavy. When I looked at my cleared space after everything had been tossed, I sat on that heavy shame, triumphant and proud. This morning, shame sat on my chest, crooning “Told ya so! Told ya so!” I listened and was this close to singing that familiar tune. I won’t. I can’t. I just can’t go back to ‘living’ with paths and stacks. I want to sometimes; I want the comfort and protection the clutter provided. I have to fight that. I have to find comfort and protection elsewhere (apparently, food is a good remedy for this, but, I digress).
It’s only been 3 weeks and some of the clutter is back. And, tomorrow, I have an apartment inspection. So, I sit here, thinking where I can cram these things and still pass inspection? And, what happens if I don’t pass?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)