A somewhat goofy mini-collection of stuff I’ve been reading, stuff I’ve been thinking about and oh, some completely random crap.
Basically the stuff that never gets mentioned here because I’m not the kind of person who can just make some teeny little point. Not into the whole brevity thing, as the Dude would say.
Actually, I’m under the strict compulsion to write ten pages about anything on my mind. So this is me. Practicing brevity.
I was going to come up with a clever title but then the posts I’m Item! -izing this week all have way better titles than anything I could come up with.
Going with my mad Shivanautical mutterings, hanging my head in shame, and then distracting you with bright and shiny links! Whee!
Item! Post No. 56 in a mostly weekly series that really wasn’t supposed to last this long.
Item! The skirt of stars.
Shannon made an “illuminated interactive” skirt.
Oh yes. And now it will drive you crazy that you don’t have one.
“… a hand-sewn tulle wrap skirt with integrated fiber optics and lights that change color in response to the speed and direction of the wearer’s movement.
It uses the Lilypad Arduino platform, developed for integrating electronics into textiles. There’s a purple organza underlayer to the skirt onto which is sewn the Lilypad main circuit board and a power supply, and an accelerometer hangs from a ribbon to allow for freedom of movement. The Lilypad receives the measurements of the accelerometer’s movement, and translates them into color output for the tricolor LEDs around the waistband of the skirt.”
AWESOME.
She’s @spiralshannon on Twitter.
Item! Salty buttery popcorn flavored epiphanies.
This post!
It’s called why I brush my teeth and other body thoughts and it’s full of great.
First she describes Dance of Shiva as “Sudoku for your body”, which is brilliant.
Then she goes all Metaphor Mouse on her life and comes up with the most astonishing things. Also her site is gorgeous.
“I want the structure without the rigidity, the immovability. I don’t want to have to wreck the building if the layout isn’t working. I wrote a bit about it but got stuck and couldn’t figure out what word I needed …
Then suddenly it totally hit me, while walking down the street. Body. “
She’s @SaltyLaura on Twitter.
Item! Whack-a-mole and the People Pleasing Autobahn.
I adore Lynn. And the titles she comes up with for blog posts.
This one about patterns, stucknesses and Shivanautical epiphanies was just terrific.
“I’ve just wrapped up one of the toughest weeks of my life. I don’t read my horoscope any more, but I’m sure it said something like gemini, your work life is going to be a giant ball of SUCK all week, so eat your Wheaties.”
Oh, and she also has a video post called What’s the metaphor, Kenneth. On wanting to work on them.
I don’t normally watch many videos. But she’s just so … her. And charming. And right there. LOVE. And if you have ideas for her metaphorizing, bring it on!
She’s @humanbeingblog on Twitter.
Item! The golden hour.
A lovely post from Briana about ritual, paying attention and making changes.
“Which makes it pretty clear why my old habit of opening my eyes and immediately peering into my blackberry to check for grenades was such a bad idea.
Bonjour anxiety! Wanna hang out with me today?
Maybe this information isn’t new, but receiving it through the right filter made a huge difference. Even though I knew it didn’t work for me to dive into the internet first thing, there was still too much check-check-checking. And then things would get all fuzzy and squonchy. Yes, squonchy.”
She’s @BrianaAldrich on Twitter.
Item! Let me google that for you.
You know when people ask you questions that can be easily answered by googling the thing? It’s Dear Lazy Web, but without even bothering to use the web.
So you google it for them because you’re too nice to say I don’t know, why don’t you google it?
Luckily, now you can send people to a site called let me google that for you.
It’s genius. Get this. You put your question into the googles, click the search button, press go and voila. It searches google for you.
Like, it types in the question for you, presses search for you and then asks, “There, was that so hard?”
If you don’t find this hysterically funny, I don’t know what to say.
It’s like a less complicated version of this. Or a less insulting version of this.
Found via the excellent @josephpred on Twitter. Thanks also to @jesscyn for cracking me up.
Item! I’m making a giant bubble wand.
And just as I decided that, bam! This showed up.
Also Hiro posted about bubbles and that was pretty perfect too.
Item! Update from the land of the Peculiar & Hilarious Shivanauts!
The “peculiar and hilarious” thing comes from Melynda’s sweet bit about Butterfly Wishes.
I taught a Shiva Nata class for Guns N Rollers (the Roller Derby team that I am obsessive about sponsor.
Secret Wacky Yoga Brain Training Ninja Wizardry ACTIVATE!
And of course we had the Dust off the DVD teleclass last week which was great fun.
Then I wrote about some more epiphanies I had.
And Rachael wrote a gorgeous post called the dance is the epiphany.
Basically it was a good week to be a Shivanaut. Spring is coming and we’re dancing out old patterns and dancing in new ones and it’s crazy and joyful and intense.
Item! Comments! Here’s what I want this time:
- Things you’re thinking about.
- Things to not do on my birthday.
My commitment.
I am committed to giving time and thought to the things that people say. Even though asking for what I want still feels awkward for me, I’m just going to remind myself that this is a thing I’m practicing.
That is all.
Happy reading.
And happy Blustery Windsday. Unless you’re Claire who gets a happy everything but no blustering. She likes it balmy. See you tomorrow.
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want skirt….
I’m thinking about octopus. I can so relate to those many-armed creatures right now. Hands everywhere and afraid of knots. (Except, I bet octopus aren’t afraid of knots.)
And what not to do on your birthday? I would say…don’t get in knots. And if you do, try peanut butter (oh my gosh, that brings so many MEMORIES! Peanut butter in the hair is not fun.)
.-= Sarah Bray´s last post … Five principles of web strategy I’ll still be harping about when I’m 92 =-.
Oh, the skirt, the skirt! I want one!
Don’t let anyone give you any birthday spanks unless you really, really want them. Sovereignty, baby!
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … This probably shouldn’t surprise me… =-.
What I am thinking about: the tiny goblin army in my brain. The army adds up to a great big Monster. But I can’t address them as an army because they’re all individual goblins, like the ones in Labyrinth.
Have you seen this? It is the “Agony column” of the London Times, from 1800-1870. It’s pretty much a 19th-century Twitter. It’s awesome. (Also there are coded messages! Twitter needs more ciphers.)
.-= Chris Anthony´s last post … The first day of the rest of my life =-.
Things to not on your birthday: Don’t work, don’t talk to anyone you don’t totally love and don’t do any chores.
.-= Mikelann Valterra´s last post … Mikelann wants a new car: part two (5 tips to negotiating a car) =-.
Havi, your Item posts remind me of wandering down Petticoat Lane in London and discovering, among the tatty Mary Quant knock-offs and the Queen Mum-style costume jewelry, the most astonishing, hilarious, brilliant bits of gorgeousness. 🙂
Things I’m thinking about this morning:
The relationship between silence and power; silence and soul.
The visual field of eagles.
Things not to do on your birthday:
Anything you aren’t completely in love with.
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … Blowing Bubbles, Exploding Patterns, and the Myth of Stuck =-.
Yay, I’m an item! *squee*
You know what would be awesome? To have some sort of costume-wearing celebration at the playground once it exists! I’d totally bring the skirt.
Also, hooray for bubbles.
.-= Shannon Henry´s last post … Illuminated, Interactive ‘Skirt Full of Stars’ – Part 2 =-.
Oh, my, thank you for Itemizing me Havi! Woot!
Things I’m thinking about:
Naming my monsters as I figure out who they are. First is the Internal Defense Attorney Monster. Second is Ralph–the one who calls me LAZY and then jumps up and down when I think other people call me lazy.
And about shoes, and yesterday’s call, and how someone in the chatroom said how hard it is that someone is trying to “make” her deal with her stuff … which is what I do with my husband because his stuff (and his not working on his stuff) causes my stuff to combust … and how this all came together on Sunday as we rearranged the living room. Ugh. And how to write about it without it being a shoe.
And about this new discovery one of the scientists I work with made, in which he found out that the mechanism that kills broken cells is also responsible for calling 911 so the immune system can clean up the mess and start healing the wound. This has to be a metaphor for something … or something is a metaphor for this.
Things NOT to do on your birthday:
Mikelann wrote my list for me.
It actually was balmy yesterday. Well, if getting just over 50 for about 5 minutes can be considered balmy. For here, with the winter we’ve had, I’m gonna say yes. Balmy enough for a roll of the dice walk-in hair cut.
On your birthday,
do not work,
do not clean,
do not eat anything you don’t love,
do not be rigid with yourself,
do not forget to blow out a candle and make a birthday wish- doesn’t have to be on a cake since you don’t do sugar,
and do not forget to dance to some rockin’ music that makes you want to get your groove on!
.-= claire´s last post … Behind the photo: Mind the Background =-.
I’m thinking about how we as humans have the choice to consciously evolve, to change ourselves (individually and as a group) and by doing so be a part of creation.
I’m also thinking about learning the habit of deciding to *like* what I’m going to do. If I’m going to do it, I’m going to figure out why someone likes it, and learn to like it myself.
I’m also thinking about nachos.
.-= Andy Dolph´s last post … Chicken Techno =-.
http://www.members.shaw.ca/gf3/circle-the-cat.html
Not so much thinking as addictive clicking… 🙂
.-= Wormy´s last post … The best day off ever =-.
Ohmygosh Wormy! Cat games! Addictiveness! Nice.
@Andy – I’m ALSO thinking about nachos. Well, I guess I am often thinking about nachos.
I also pronounce it NATCH-os, pretending that I’m British, which then has the effect of making me giggle hysterically. Always fun!
@Chris – that Agony Column is THE BEST. Love love love. Thank you!
Star skirt is amazing.
A really good thing to not do on your birthday is fly over the international date line and have it disappear completely. I don’t think you are in danger of doing this. But if you keep this in mind, however your birthday goes, when it’s over, if it’s anything short of delightful, you can say, “Ah, well. At least I had a birthday.”
I’m thinking about whether the (non-birthday) surprise party I’m trying to pull off tonight has any chance of working. We’ll see.
And now? Thinking about nachos. Mmmm.
.-= Sandra´s last post … Whatever you do, do it at home =-.
I really need one of those skirts now. So cool.
Could probably make one if I put my mind to it. (have a few friends who hack arduino that tell me that since I am a “real” hacker it is probably even easier for me to program it.)
Many years ago I had a modern dance costume which was really just a dickies work jumpsuit (think car repair) with glowing, battery-powered EL wire, pinned and sewn all over it that would switch to on/off/blinking. We cut the stage and house lights and performed in the dark.
Having the technology this small and low-voltage, one could easily be a glowing ballerina; buy a cheap russian import tutu and sew into that instead of making the skirt, too.
.-= candice´s last post … A who dat smart car. Found this guy on the corner of royal and… =-.