Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in wicky_42's LiveJournal:

Friday, October 20th, 2006
4:58 am	Obama I can't believe I'm doing this or saying this. I've fallen in love with a politician -- I'd almost given up on that moniker. I just saw an interview on the Charlie Rose show with Barack Obama, young senator from Illinois and author of The Audacity of Hope. He is incisive, clear-headed, modest (not humble, but certainly, not arrogant), and his approaches to our myriad social/national/international problems are workable and make sense. For example, he agreed that for 55 year olds and up who have lost their jobs to outsourcing, retraining is not an option. But he has a plan which demands that they give a little and get lesser jobs while being assisted through the transitions. Regarding Iraq, he says we should phase out a withdrawal, talk to the Iraqis and say decide what you want for your country -- unity, separateness, etc. We'll try to help you plan to get there as we withdraw. And, brilliantly, he says talk with Syria and Iran who are sitting back enjoying our floundering about and say you can help Iraq reach its goal or you can deal with thousands of refuges flooding your borders, unrest spreading to your discontents, civil war looking like a good option to your minorities, etc. His opinion: they're loving our futility, but they won't want to paid the price for theirs. And it goes on and on. He is an incredible young man. May he be safe. Since there are people who would like him to run for president in two years, he'll need to watch his back -- can't believe I'm saying that either. As soon as the bookstores open tomorrow, I'll be in line to buy his book. Here is a charismatic, intelligent, young politician -- I thought we had run out of those!! Check him out. He's worth watching. Current Mood: ecstatic (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 29th, 2006
12:29 pm	What a mixed bag! How am I ever going to really belong to this group if I post once in a blue moon? Apologies. It does seem that my time gets scattered to the winds. Truly a pain. I've been trying to catch up with all the things that were left undone while I worked madly on the grant writing. I do love the writing itself, but so far I'm making little money. I think I'll put out a few applications to see if I can find a better "job." Kayaking anyone? There's this truly beautiful spot just outside of Austin. It's on the Colorado River (I think it's a different one than the Colorado State one). Anyway, once on the water, the trees keep out most signs of civilization, at least in it's most bothersome kinds. Much of the river is pretty calm. It's possible to lazy it in parts and let the current just move you along while you absorb the peace and beauty of the river, the trees and lush shrubs, the birds -- bule herons among them. The occasional dock of some hidden cabin/house really does little to interrupt the mood. Yesterday, we had the river to ourselves. At one point, where there was a strong current due to the past few days' rains, we tried to go back to a spot that looked good for a picnic. After five minutes of furious paddling, I hadn't gained, or lost, a foot. All the strength I was capable of simply kept me in place. Really, quite a lesson when you think about it, is struggling so much often as ineffective in all of of life's adventures? Once we went with the flow, the river again helped us move along gently and,instead of exhaustion, it was fulfilling and peaceful. Later that evening, I went with my sister C. to watch the movie Peaceful Warrior. It is such a beautiful film. In a way, it's a Karate Kid kind of film, but that was meant for kids. Although the protagonist here is a college student, this film is definitely adult level -- based on a true story at that. The only thing that bothers me is that it is getting limited availability. It only shows at the University theater here in Austin. I checked Netflix, and they don't have a "release to the public" date yet. I hope I can get it through them eventually, it is one of those films that can/should be seen again and again. If you can find it anywhere, it is more than well worth the time. I've got to start getting ready for my trip to my cabin close to Cloudcroft. When I used to go there every weekend, it was so easy. Now, I really have to figure out what I'll need there. I heard the forest got some rain. I hope so. The drought makes the trees vulnerable; I hate to see them getting rusty looking and, then, dead. Well, this surely ranged wide. I'll try to post more often. Current Mood: contemplative (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 21st, 2006
4:20 pm	Game Here are my ten words with R Redolent -- suggestive, reminiscent Recumbent -- lying down, reclining Rictus -- grimace, gesture of pain or unhappiness Rococo -- very richly decorated, probably overdone rheumy -- watery, snotty!! rucksack -- small backpack, small book bag roux -- thickening mixture of water, flour, and butter raconteur -- story teller, narrator rapacious -- greedy, hungry for recherche -- rare, looked for but also overdone, pretentious So there you have it. 10 words with R Current Mood: pensive (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 15th, 2006
10:54 pm	An Inconvenient Truth Have any of you seen Al Gore's movie? It's beautifully done and masterfully so. Some documentaries with a sharp focus on message sometimes forget the importance of medium. This is both. Plus, it is intelligently argued and well-supported. Gore has been going all over the world with his presentation. The film will allow him to give his message a much wider audience. Truly worth seeing and pondering. As a secondary comment, Gore is like the phoenix here. After that horrible loss two elections ago, instead of sulking, he remade himself. And this is a much better Gore -- witty, passionate, capable of playing coyly with his audience, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and deeply committed to his cause. Hardships can kill the human spirit or help it be reborn in far different and better ways. Go see the movie. Current Mood: thankful (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 11th, 2006
11:51 pm	Happiness is... Just a quick entry. Interesting how happiness usually requires less space than stress. I got to spend two days with my son this last weekend. I loved every minute. I love to see the changes he's made and is continuing to make in himself. He's always been smart and funny and sweet. The mature version, however, is such a gift to me. It's a whole new stage in motherhood, one which feels me with joy and pride. He's done what he's done on his own, no questions about it. But as a mother, having been privy to his development from day one, I am impossibly thankful for this gift of this son. I believe that as Tagore said, Our children are lent to us by god. They aren't really ours. We are just there to start them on their passage. Seeing them make good choices and take good paths is a priviledge and a joy. Current Mood: peaceful (6 Comments |Comment on this)
11:36 pm	It's been far too long I finally seem to be out of the never-ending grant-writing process. There's one more my boss wants me to attempt, but I don't know if I will. I'd have to write it in less than two weeks almost insuring another crazy stressful time. I recently went to a tap dancing showcase. It is an amazing event. It's held at one of the local private schools here, and the performers are the instructors that come to the city to teach at the dancing camp. They come from all over the world. Before I saw these showcases (two now) I was never particularly enamored of tap dancing. These people are all amazing and each showcases his/her style. That,I think, is what makes it so wonderful. The principal guest was an old man who had danced and sung regularly for the Lawrence Welk Show. He got 5 standing ovations which he truly deserved. He was so turned on by the audience response that the producer of the show came out twice. Once with a bottle of water, the second time to try to get him to quit for fear he'd overdo it. I think what moved me most was seeing the love this man had for what he was doing. You could tell he lived for those performances on stage. His eyes sparkled and it was easy to see his joy. After the performance, a friend and I drove him back to the house where he was staying. He invited us in and the lady of the house came out and joined us. We sat there and drank wine and talked until 2 a.m. What a charming and wonderful person. It would be such a gift to reach that age and still love life, and people, and what you've done for a living. Amazing! Current Mood: pleased (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 12th, 2006
5:24 pm	Steel Drum Concert Last night, my two sisters and I went to a steel drum contest. Basically, the band is primarily steel drums with a couple of percussion instruments thrown in, i.e., a bongo and a drum set with various different sound options. I went because it was a fundraiser for the musician who started the band with middle school and high school kids. I expected the regular "school band" concert. WOW! It was incredible. The range of sounds that can come from a steel drum is amazing. There must have been a good 40 drums in the band. The music was typically Caribean -- lively rythms and up-beat melodies. The kids were great. They were so enthusiastic and focused. Plus, just about everyone was dancing to the rhythms of the music they were producing behind each drum. There were two amazing pieces. One was an original composition: played solo for most of the piece. A hauntingly beautiful range of sounds and melodies. That young man has talent. I hope he uses it. The second was a Beethoven Adagio -- yes, played by steel drums. It was also hauntingly beautiful. Slow, fully resonant. And the accompanying chords played on steel drums cannot be described. If there were a CD available of that concert I think all of us would have bought it. What a wonderful experience. I can't wait for next year's concert. Current Mood: haunting Current Music: steel drums (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 1st, 2006
12:04 am	Computers#@&%$ I wanted to up date to DSL -- dial-up was getting worse and worse. I figured if I kept my same provider and got a techie to do it,all would be well. How trusting of me! I've now lost all my email much of which was important because I am working on two grants, and I'm not absolutely sure that this is working correctly. Part of it is the phone company -- outages on DSL, part of it was my tech who decided to uninstall my email mailbox. Why? Why? Anyway, he is coming back tomorrow morning to see if he can find my lost mail, but I have no great hopes. I guess with everything that can go wrong, this is minor. However, I do have 2 grants due in 12 days. That's tough even if most of your stuff is still available. On a happier note, I went to a ballet tonight. It's a local group, and it was wonderful. Not the traditional ballet. Modern music, great light effects, and influences from oriental dance, figure ice skating, and gymnastics. Awesome choreography. I do hope tomorrow is a better day. I need to write, write, write. Current Mood: pensive (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, January 21st, 2006
6:09 am	One of my loves Last night reminded me of the many reasons I love Austin's Central Market. Market, you say, ho hum, skip. Well, this is far from just that. Because of the spring-like weather we are having (in the 70's)last night free music there was set up outside on the patio. That's my favorite place. You see all kinds of people there from oldsters to babies. I go there regularly as part of a Girls on the Go group. Last night, there were probably at least a dozen of us there. The woman who organized the group has been going there on Friday's for three years. She is obviously recognized by the managers there as evidenced by the fact that they helped throw her a surprise birthday party. The performing group, a really great blues group, sang Happy Birthday, they brought out a cake, and, of course, the group had gotten her flowers, cards, pickles (her favorites), etc. It was great. However, that's one night only. It is a very family-oriented place. You get to see young families with their children. The area in fron of the band is always left clear for the toddlers. They dance, if they can, or simply shift their weight from foot to foot to the rhythm of the music. Last night, a dad had a baby that looked less than a month old cradled in his arms as he danced gently with it. What an introduction to music! A friend has a grandchild that is having growth problems. The first time I sad the baby a couple of months ago she looked like a little baby monkey (huge eyes, tiny limbs, clinging to her grandma). Last night, she was there. She'll be one tomorrow. Now, though, there is a little personality there. She discovered cake and loved it. The neatest thing was, however, that in the middle of all this activity, she brought all the people around her to a stop with her first steps. The music must have excited her because she let go of the chair she was holding on to and took about five steps before this bewildered look appeared on her face. It was so clear that these were her first steps that a circle formed around her of all the people walking to and fro to get food, drinks, etc. Once she realized she was "on her oww," she did what most babies will do for safety ... sat on her tiny bottom. Her first steps were greeted with applause from us and from the group around her. There are so many awful things happening in this world. You know, the stuff the news is made of...attacks, murders, abuse...endless. It is truly uplifting to find a place where the little things are recognized and fostered. I needed that kind of input last night, and my favorite place for Friday nights presented me with it. Thanks Central Market! Current Mood: touched (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, January 16th, 2006
5:31 pm	A Quick Introduction Hello. First posting here. I am looking forward to many conversations with several of you whose journals I have had the pleasure to read. I'm interested in many things, and I miss a similar experience I had several years ago with membership in Wolf Sisters. This is it for now. I'll talk to you soon. Current Mood: grateful (4 Comments |Comment on this)