70 Landings!!!

I grew up in South Florida, carefully watching on TV, and then running outside of the house just in time to see it live, so many of the early NASA launches that they are probably embedded into my psyche at the sub-moelcular level.

Since moving away from Florida, and more or less growing up (something that does remain rather debatable) I remain fascinated by space travel and space missions. Thanks to Twitter, I am newly able to keep up with space developments in a way that I previously missed.

That's what happened just now. I got on the computer just to check some email, do a few Saturday based interactions and get on with the day. But I found a series of reports from "Astronautics" that led me to the NASA site, where I could get information on Discovery's landing after the week in space where they've been putting some of the finishing touches on the International Space Station. It was at the NASA site where I discovered that this makes 70 landings at Cape Canaveral and, frankly, that just makes me silly with excitement.

I am thankful for being given a love for space by my dad, and I am delighted to be able to be alive at a time and place where "the last frontier" is still being explored and where, thanks to our new president and his concern for new scientific exploration, we may finally - again - begin exploring the outreaches of our proximate universe.

It is indeed... An Amazement!

What's In A Word?

I had a dream last night... well actually the dream I had was early this morning and it was one of those dreams - not a bad dream actually, it was in fact quite a good dream - that make you feel all out of sorts, like it's trying to tell you something about your life and you may not be ready to receive the communication.

I'm going to keep the dream to myself, at least for now, as I take it apart in my mind and put it back together in my soul, but I have already implemented one change that came out of the experience.

I am - at least for the moment (we will see how it fits me over time) - changing the name of this blog from Quicksilver Amusements to Quicksilver Amazements. Two letters that make for a significant attitude adjustment.

It seems to me that for most folks, despite the fact that a part of the root is muse, a word that describes thoughtfulness and consideration, the central idea behind the word amusement is the idea of entertainment, mindlessness, and relatively thoughtless jocularity. For me, at least right at this moment, the idea of amazement is more dynamic. It describes an experience of enthrallment, the state of being actively engaged with a conundrum. It is, to my mind, a more dynamic and interesting concept. It is a state, far more than amusement, that I am interested in partaking in and introducing to others. At it's root, it also contains the word maze. This word, closely related to labyrinth is in fact a structure that as a metaphor for living seems to bring with it a lot of power; power to move, power to confuse, power to elicit intentionality and interest.

Amazement, it seems to me, is a much more active, interesting and engaging state.

What do you think?

We Will Not Go Down

I had a whole other post planned for this morning. A discussion of some new developments in an ongoing small town brouhaha I've been involved in; D.O.O.M. as I have taken to calling it, but fate (and the internets) intervened. I'll get back to that other topic later. For now I want to share my thoughts on this video which I picked up from a link on Twitter.


Definitely the "song of the week" by Michael Heart.

It is consistently very easy to become overly involved with things that don't matter while the things that do matter are left to sit on a back burner to be dealt with by "people in authority" who "know more than we do."

Who are those people? When will they do something new?

Another song, by Ken Medema, from over 20 years ago (a song I had a little something to do with) tells the same story in a somewhat different way.

Last night as I sat watching the V-Day Petaluma performance (I'm working backstage tonight) I was most moved, for a second night in a row, by the song at the end that says "If women all over the world will join together we can put an end to war." I would like to sign up as support for THAT performance as well!

All of these things (and even my little small town tug of war) have one thing in common: the simple fact that we, as individuals should not, can not, must not, leave things to "the politicians" or "the big boys" or the "experts." Barrack's speech from back during the campaign was right... WE are the ones we've been waiting for!

Let's act like it.

Celebrate Women!

It's International Women's Day and we can (and must) celebrate it with vigor and joy despite the fact that in the U.S. we don't seem to be able have raised the day to the level of National Holiday as they have in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Three years ago I wrote a post on this day while I was still struggling to make it in post-Katrina NOLA. It still seems valid today (though I did add some names to the list of women I am thankful for). There's also a blog that I work with that has a great post about the history and the reality of this important, wonderful, and lovely day.

This afternoon, while reflecting on the women I have known and loved (and know and love) the the wonderful poem Bread and Roses came to mind. Written by a man, but most famously sung by Judy Collins, it was the inspiration for Mimi Farina's wonderful organization which brings "hope, healing and music" to people in need.

The song is something that I first learned in the midst of the anti-nuclear protests of the early 80s Reagan years. but which stays with me, and haunts me, at this present time as we dig our collective souls and bodies out of the pit that Dubya built. It is always important to remember that we need food, but we also need art, and to me a day like today serves to bring that more to the forefront of my consciousness than some other occasions.

As Allen Toussaint wrote (and the Pointer sisters sang) "Do respect the women of the world. Remember you all had mothers!" I would like to add that some of us also had daughters... who we are very very proud of.

Down the rabbit hole...

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Twitter Frenzy

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Okay... So the BIG NEW THING right now, ever since half of congress was evidently too preoccupied to PAY ATTENTION to the the President's speech last Tuesday (it WAS Mardi Gras after all), is Twitter, and while I've been on Twitter since about the middle of last year, it wasn't until the last seven days that I got seriously sucked into the vortex of this new way to completely lose all ability to maintain concentration. This wonderful new technology that allows you to pretend like you're doing something meaningful while in reality your twiddling your twittery life away. I even added a second account so I could focus one on promoting my wine and food writing more directly (is that increased focus, or lack thereof?).

So today, on Twitter of course, I was directed to the above segment from Jon Stewart... And THAT seems to be more what Twitter is about than anything else, a new way to create yet another infinite loop... and another... and...

Of course, in the manner of such things, just when I'm ready to dismiss it all, something like THIS comes along!