It’s the Circle of Life

Remember once upon a this time?

Siyo Nqoba Ingonyama
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala 

From the day we arrive on the planet.

And blinking step into the sun.

There’s more to see than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done.

In the Circle

the Circle of Life.

Subtext: This is why we can’t have nice things.

Room for Rumi

Everybody has their favorite clever little inspiring poet. For some it’s Kahil Gibran, the prophet guy. Others it’s that guy who wrote the Alchemist, or Goethe or Hafiz. Or even Emily Dickenson and ole Bobby Frost. They’re pithy and quotable without requiring much context.

Two Afgan things I like: Rumi and killer rugs.

Me, I find myself digging up some Rumi.

Rumi is the patron saint of hippies.  He’s a Sufi mystic.  Wth is that? It’s a 13th Century Islamic science "whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God".  Jalal ad-Din Rumi is their number one Afgani. 

That’s not a hat.  It’s his gigantic brain in his huge cranium.

Of course all his writing was written in Persian squiggles, but Coleman Barks is the most popular translator and as far as I know he does an admirable job.  I haven’t cross checked his work yet, I’m a trusting reader.  The only thing that really, really bugs me about his translations is the complete ambivalence about punctuation.  It’s run-on sentences galore.  And the format does not tie itself up into a nice little package of poetry that I can decipher, ala Shakes or even Whitman who owns the stream of consciousness style.

Despite the format barriers, I find a connection to the greater human experience when I read Rumi.  They’re like little inspiring proverbs with little or no admonitions; they just present a slightly unusual approach to common ideas. 

There’s so little I know about Rumi.  I need to take a class.  He jumps all over the place using all kinds of allusions – Christ, Mary, the garden, some one named Beloved.  I have little frame of reference to approach the writing but when I just jump in it resonates.  Life goal: take class on Rumi.  Have any of you ever done it?  Could a trip to Burning Man yield the same results?  Could the hippies stop squatting on Rumi and give him over to the general deodorant wearing populace?

And while I love the concepts and the presentations and so much about this work, let me hereby object to the use of “Lover”.  That word gives me the heebeejeebees.  It reminds me of this:

And also?  You gotta hand it to Rumi (and Coleman Barks) for naming the poetry a collection of Ecstatic Poems.  If I ever make a collection of poems I think I shall name it Whop-bob-a-loo-ba A Whop-bam-boo Poems.  I sounded that out.  You did too.  It’s ok.

July Playlist

 

This is what I’ve been listening to for the last few weeks.  Load the blog on your iphone, click the songs on youtube and enjoy.

On The Sparkly Fence

When I am on the fence about something I make Pros and Cons Lists.  That’s pretty normal, right?  Right now I am hemming and hawing about my feelings about a particular someone.  I don’t know if I fall more toward the pro side or the con side – is this person embracing my moral values or stomping on them?  Can I support this person?  Do we believe in the same things?  Should I give money to this person or wish for their horrible demise?

Without a firm position I feel like I cannot go on.  I need a decision here.  I need some advice.

My head is telling me no but my heart is telling me yes.

So here goes. Help me if you can.

Do I like Katy Perry or Not?

Katy PROS:                                      Katy CONS:

I took my little nieces and five year old daughter to see Katy Perry’s new epic autobiography “Part of Me” yesterday as part of my Do-I-Like-Katy-Perry-or-Not research. 

Every time she showed up in a new sensational costume my darling Mimi would lean over to me and say “Mama, can you make me that?” Does is sparkle?  Then the answer is Yes! 

Walking out of the theater she says to Charlotte “I’m going to be a pop star when I grow up, and my mom is going to be my biggest fan.”

Herein lies my contention.  Mixing sex and Hello Kitty couture smacks of pedophilia to me.  I’m not raising a Lolita and this marketing is in very poor taste.

I embrace the probability that Mimi may chase the sparkly life.  She is a firework.  But I will not have her singing the “Kissed a Girl” lyrics.  Will not have it.  Can’t Ms. Perry go back to singing terrible pop-Jesus songs?  I want to like her but then I see the boob situation.  It’s just too much and BY THE WAY isn’t plastic surgery supposed to have the appearance of reality? 

I don’t know about this broad.  My internal jury is still out.

I already posted my feelings about the pink.  Revisit it here.

Publish Peace

“And these are they who have published peace,

who have brought good tiding of good, who have published salvation;

and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!”

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 15:14

 

“Cyber harassment and cyber stalking are often used synonymously to describe the actions of persons who relentlessly pursue others online with the intention of frightening or embarrassing the victim. Sometimes a harasser intends to teach the victim a lesson or solicit information from the victim, and stalkers generally want revenge or attention. Laws against cyber harassment vary depending on the country, and victims should report their case to local authorities. To prevent crimes from occurring, it is important for everyone to protect their identity while on the Internet.

There is no universal legal definition of cyber harassment, but it typically is defined as repeated, unsolicited, threatening behavior by a person or group using mobile or Internet technology with the intent to bother, terrify, intimidate, humiliate, threaten, harass or stalk someone else. The harassment can take place in any electronic environment where communication with others is possible, such as on social networking sites, on message boards, in chat rooms or through email. Posting a general opinion on a discussion board or in a forum is not considered cyber harassment.

A cyber harasser often will post comments to the victim that are intended to cause distress and will try to incite others to do the same. The harasser might break into the victim’s accounts and send numerous obscene or hurtful emails and instant messages to the victim’s significant other, family, friends, coworkers and boss. A harasser might even hack into the victim’s computer and take over his or her accounts, change passwords or sign up the victim for things such as pornographic websites and spam. The harasser might set up websites using digitally manipulated, sexual images of the victim or send those images to amateur pornographic websites.”

-- Wisegeek.com

I think I’m making myself clear, yes?  Good. 

The Police Report Number is 12-11163 and they have copies of everything you’ve written about me, including the blog you started last year and the threats to steal my children.  You are out of your depth, May 30.  Please, leave me and my children and everybody who knows us (or sired them, he will always protect us) alone. 

If You’re Going to San Francisco

Another lovely day in San Francisco.  This time we rode the Cable Car from Ghirdelli Square to China Town. 

We were  accompanied by my dad Jim and his twin brother Jay, both fourth generation San Franciscans.  I wanted to holler to all those tourists on the trolley

“Hey!  You’re sitting next to a piece of San Francisco history!  Heard of hippies in the sixties? Here they are.  Want to know about the Haight in it’s Height?  They were there!  Talk with someone who watched Mickey Mantle play and knows where he lived?  Learn where It’s It’s came from?  Chat with someone who heard from a first hand witness about the 1906 earthquake?  Jim and Jay, they ran this town!”

But I didn’t.

I am grateful that they’ve told all their stories to me and written them down.  Even though I wasn’t born there, I feel like I’m raising the sixth generation to be San Franciscans, if not in Birth Certificates, at least in knowing the City.

The Return of Sweet Silas

Silas is back to his old self.

After about a year of having major internal conflict about not being able to communicate effectively my little man has returned to the angel he was for the first 18 months of his life.  Thank heavens for 2 1/2.

I think Silas’ little song he’s been singing around the house sums him up nicely.  He marches around singing “Hap-py, Hap-py, Hap-py, Hap-py.”  It makes me very happy.

Si is a late talker, and no surprise considering the variety of adjustments he has had to make with living arrangements.  Now he’s putting sentences together and demonstrating the sense of humor he has been cultivating while chatting relatively unintelligibly.  He is still rather unintelligible, but I can get the gist of what he’s trying to say and it is delightful.

Dx Silas enjoys the finer things in life, like lounging in his diaper by the fire.

Recently Si was sitting on Dx’s lap and he peered up into Dx’s nose.  “BUGS!!” he shouted, horrified.  Silas is somewhat preoccupied and terrified of bugs, and he thought he spotted them en masse in Dx’s nose hairs.  He recoiled and shouted in alarm.  “Dada bugs!  Bugs!” in a total panic.  It was uproarious.  Now every time he sees Dx he likes to have two little chats “Dada, bugs!” and “My mama.” 

Silas understands everything you’re saying to him and he has fun playing with your words.  He tests the boundaries.  Today at the store I counted 1, 2, and waited for three as he slowly edged further away from me smiling mischievously and walking backwards.  He knows when he’s being funny and he hams it up.

Silas enjoys riding stowaway in the stroller.  He dives in there and lounges on his tummy.

Sisi loves to perform.  He pretends he’s a little lounge singer who always returns to his favorite venues.  The below video is the best I could catch of him singing a little ditty. 

My favorite thing Silas does right now is tell secrets.  He comes right up to your cheek and whispers something very important and impossible to understand for about 20 seconds.  And then he has you do the same to him.

He’s my most affectionate child showering kisses on mostly me, but others too.  I’m not sure that Silas understands that he’s separate from me quite yet, as evidenced in the below video of us playing hide and seek.  He doesn’t have separation anxiety and is very independent, but he is rarely in a different room from me and does everything I am doing. 

Baby Si looks most like me of all of my children, except for his body shape.  That little bod is all Dx, especially the booty well renown throughout the land.

Which is not to say he doesn’t have his moments.  Sometimes when he’s had it Silas will do a little strike and put his chin on his chest to pout.  He’s cute then too.

Pouting, and making sure I’m aware.

Oh, and let’s not forget his hair.

It’s growing out and super curly. 

I love this picture of the cousin crew plus Camille’s Alex.  Si is checking back to make sure his favorite Mama is coming too.

He’s also my most-willing-to-be-photographed and so I have the most pictures of his little mug.

After the Festival of Colors, in which he was a force to be reckoned with.

Baby Silas is always just a little bit grubby.  One of his nicknames is Pig Pen because even though I bathe him every single day he still manages to score candy off his siblings or play so hard he gets sweaty or whatever. 

Si is the most athletically inclined in our family.  He has a great arm and begs people to play ball with him.  He’s just such a boy, even with a pink mitt.

The funniest thing about Silas is his “game face”.  He gets so into it and he plays to win. 

He’s a darling child and much improved behaviorally.  I adore this kid!

Conversation Starters

Our new house has a breakfast bar.

This is new to me and novel.  How did I live without it?  I stand at the sink and dole out the food and then whip all the dishes back into the sink.  I’m the barista.

Because I spend less time jumping up to fetch things for people I find my minions and I have a lot more time face to face to chat.  Three times a day, really.   And they’re becoming so interesting and want to engage in conversations.

Our favorite game up ‘til now has been “Would You Rather.”  Most “Would You Rathers” involve rolling down a hill of ____________ or rolling down a hill of ____________.  Fill in something hurty or disgusting.  We were in a rut.

This is my moment! I need to be ready! I need to have things to ask them about and ways to help them engage at their levels.

I’ve complied (ripped off) lists of chattable topics for my kids and yours.  Here are some conversation starters, all in one place.  Enjoy!