politics

So far, I've tried to stay away from heady issues on my blog. I've seen it as a chance to escape all the readings and thinking I'm doing as part of grad school and remind myself of the other parts of life and other pieces of who I am. But sometimes you have to tie those things together or you start to feel very inconsistent and scattered among the different arenas of life. I'd rather try to be consistent even at the expense of levity. I have to say I'm tired of the political season already and we have nearly a year to go before the election. My difficulty with politics as they are now is not that they are "political" and that policy is as much about relationships and constituent blocks as it is about coming up with genuine answers to questions. I do wish that would change but I think I've come to accept that it won't. What I really wish, though, is that there was a party that spoke to the middle. Instead of allowing wedge issues to rule Party agendas and carry both to the extreme position in order to capture a base, I wish someone would realize there may very well be more to won by focusing on the center and those issues that connect constituencies rather than divide them. At this point in my life, I have to consider myself an independent. Not an I can't decide and don't really care independent, but an I really do care but neither party addresses issues completely enough to choose sides independent. Both have things to offer and both have drawbacks. What is discouraging for those in the center who actually would like to see good policy made (maybe even study it), is a lack of recognition of this. Hopefully the pendulum will swing more toward the center again, but in the meantime it makes following politics a more complicated (although, admittedly perhaps more engaging) proposition.

simple things

candles and christmas trees. fresh snow. kids sledding with rosy cheeks and runny noses. a mug of hot cocoa. pine boughs and mistletoe. these are things i love about this time of year.

now back to writing papers...

Promised Pics

Here are a few pics of the AK trip and the kiddos.

On AK and Being an Aunty

My sister, her husband and their three cutest kids in the world are moving today from AK to the warmer temps of CA. I got the chance to visit them during their year in the frozen north and we had a fantastic time packing all six of us into a minivan, pulling a pop-up camper all over the state (and it's a big state, let me tell you). The views were spectacular. Mountain ranges opened up in front of our little caravan, inviting us up into their incredible heights and then thrusting us on to even greater views once we got there. We drove from Fairbanks, in north Central AK, to Seward, on the Kenai Penninsula, along the southern coast.

Along the way, we introduced the kids to camping...well, at least car camping... and I think we've recruited a new crop of adventurers to the wilderness. We fed them smores, let them ride their bikes all over the campground, and took them on walks and hikes where they found lots of moose poop (put that down, honey...). It was great. I'm writing this from a hotel room in Duluth but I'll post pictures when I get back home. All in all it was a fantastic trip. One of the best things for me (beyond just the chance to spend the time with Nic and the fam) was the chance to show the kids new things. It's one of the best things about being an aunty. A few years ago I taught the boys how to have a pillow fight. Didn't necessarily get the aunty gold star on that one, so I've tried to stick to more productive efforts since, like blowing dandelions and avoiding mammal excrement. Seem like good skills to know.

I love being an aunt. Maybe it's just the particular kids I get to be an aunt to but I have to say they're pretty great. Big brown eyes. Twinkling with just the right amount of mischief. Huge smiles. Squeaky little voices. Love those kids. Pictures to come.

Running for the Bus

I had to run to catch the bus this morning. As I was locking my front door I could hear it coming down the street. I looked up and noticed no one was standing at my stop, which meant there was no reason for it to slow down. I started to run. And for as silly as I felt running for the bus like a ten-year-old schoolkid, it felt good to run on a cold, windy morning. Who needs coffee? Well, ok, I did a few hours later.

MN State Fair

It's just tradition. The best place for people watching, pronto pups, Sweet Martha's cookies... and MN randomness.

Up North

Alright, so I know I've been silent for awhile now. I'll try to make up for it with some stunning photos. Tim and I went up north camping with some friends and great fun was had by all. Our campground was cozy, shall we say, a little smaller than it seemed online and our site was a little close to the road but it worked out just fine. Very cute little family place with a playground for the kids and canoes, kayaks, and a pontoon for the grown-ups. After months of teasing I finally got into a canoe with Tim, and we managed to see a pair of otters for just a second as they peaked their heads up out of the water. We also got do a little hiking- up the river at Tettagouche, snaking along the river from the lower falls to the upper and at Gooseberry. You could tell the water was really low but the view was as beautiful as ever. I forgot my hiking boots so was wandering around in my Teva flip-flops all weekend. I have to say if I wasn't sold on Tevas before, I am now. We tromped around for hours and my feet never hurt. Tripped a few times but I'm not so sure that had anything to do with the shoes.

There was still a fire ban up north for anywhere off the lake but we managed to find a marina right along Superior with a fire ring. It was a perfect night with a full moon shining bright on the water and the flames keeping us warm. We ate smores til we couldn't hold anymore. The next day at that same marina we also clambored over a walkway of huge Great Lake boulders out to an island just off shore, again me in my Tevas. Tim was a champ for sticking with me and picking out a good route for us on the rocks. We got out to the island and realized the only way up the rock face was a rope left there with knots to hoist yourself up and some driftwood for help. It was amazing. I like to think of it as Survivor: Silver Bay, MN. We had a great time out there. Some of the photos below are from that island.

Great time. So glad to finally make it camping this summer.

The Night Sky

I was laying in the hammock the other night, just staring up at the sky. I love the stars. Strange that things so far away can touch me in a way that nothing near can. They make me feel small but in a very comforting, no-your-life-is-not-the-center-of-the-universe and this-too (whatever it is)- shall-pass kind of way. It's a very comforting small.

I'm heading up north in a week and one of the things I'm looking forward to most is lying on the rocks in the dark as I listen to the waves and stare at the stars.

"Without a wish, without a will, I stood upon that silent hill and stared into the sky until
my eyes were blinded with stars, and still I stared into the sky."
Ralph Hodgson

"We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened."
Mark Twain

"If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and stare."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."
Vincent Van Gogh

"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."
Sarah Williams

"If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently."
Bill Waterson (ah, Bill Waterson :) )

Water + Laptop = Very Bad

So this should be a no brainer, I know. But still, there I was typing away on my laptop on the coffeetable with a glass of water next to me. One minute all was well and the next, there was water everywhere and my laptop was, well, kaput. So, I'm updating this now via my roommate's computer. Thank goodness for roommates. And it seems now I'm in the market for a new laptop. If you have rave reviews about your new ibook or dell or whatever and you think I should definitely buy one, let me know. Suggestions are good.

The New Place

It's great. Maybe that's all there is to say. I have a blue room with a window that looks onto the park. There are flowers at the curb and raspberries in the backyard. We sat out late last night on the back porch with wine and chocolate, while the girls chopped zuchini and I put my great new sunflowers in a vase. And I thought, "This is the life." Beautiful Minnesota night with good friends. And with the backdrop of sadness that's surrounded Minnesota these past few days, those simple pleasures seem all the sweeter.

Fellow Wanderers

I have amazing friends. They are clear-eyed fellow wanderers putting their hands where their hearts are all around this shrinking globe. They inspire, challenge, move, and motivate me. "Oh, how good it is to hold the hand of an old friend." Longfellow was right.



To check out some of these fellow wanderers' blogs, click on their links to the right.

Exchanging one park for another

I've decided I like living across from a park. The view's great. Hearing the kids laugh is even better. And there's enough random activity in a park to keep you entertained for hours. For instance, in my current park, there's a personal trainer who's decided it's a great idea to drag her clients into the park for their sessions. There, they run sprints from tree to tree while she times. Or, they do lunges on the sidewalk while the kids stand and stare. The best was when she had this poor woman laying on the picnic table lifting weights. I just couldn't help but stand on my porch and laugh. Just for the record, I would never, ever, use a personal trainer who made me exercise like this in public. I would get more of a workout running away than they could ever make me do.

The park across the street from my new place has even more going on- basketball courts, tennis, even a little kiddie pool - which I know I'm going to be tempted to use next summer. Maybe I'll have to stop someday before I leave and let the personal trainer know about that park. She'd probably be pleased that she could parade her work in front of even more unsuspecting bystanders. And I could still sit on the porch and smile.

Moving

For the third time in five years (and ninth in ten), I'm moving. It seems to become a way of life. A local nomad of sorts, which is odd becuase of all places to be nomadic, MN is not one I would have expected. But here I am. And the good thing about moving so often is you really have no chance to acquire all the stuff you end up sorting through and throwing away every few years anyway...and those little IKEA bins really might be big enough to hold the stuff you do manage to collect. Minimalist by default, soon you just adapt and adopt. Not a bad side benefit, really.

My life seems to be paring itself down too, packing things into smaller and smaller boxes until nearly all of my life takes place in a mile or two square. That's an interesting development. For someone who's always been itching to push beyond any borders, to suddenly have life revolve around such a small point in space is really a new idea. Should be an interesting move.