current obsession

I saw this film on PBS a few years ago.





I would LOVE to see it again. I wish Netflix had it for rental.

I keep returning to youtube to watch clips from the Merrie Monarch competitions. My favorites are always the fierce warrior-like competitors, men or women. They make me want to be Hawaiian, to learn the language and to learn these dances. Below you can watch one of my favorites, a procreation chant and hula. One of the comments I saw regarding this dance: "I think I just got pregnant watching it!".




The video clip below is bad quality. Most distressing is that the sound goes out of sync midway thru. Somehow, to me anyway, it doesn't even matter. This performer gives me the goosebumps anyway. I can't tear my eyes from her. She sings for awhile, then starts dancing. The story is told through a combination of chanting and dance.

One of my favorite parts of these performances is the audiences. They alternate between silent rapt attention and raucous praise. I regret my ignorance of the meanings of these dances and chants but it doesn't keep me from smiling all the way through in awe and delight.





Independent Lens . NA KAMALEI: The Men of Hula . The Film | PBS

Oh, hello soft and slushy springtime snow!

In the photo directly above, you can see yellow snow where Turnip peed on the deck. He was too busy eating birdseed to go downstairs. Mmm, wet birdseed. 

lately

Hm, I haven't been here much, have I? Spring is always busy for me, as I'm sure it is for many of you. I start my part-time job again, I finish up the yearbook for my kids' school, I continue my other volunteer gigs, etc. This year, I'm also making more time for working out. Consequently, my house gets messier and stays that way. But since I'm the only occupant who is bothered by this sorry state of affairs, all is fine, I guess.

The Springtime weather here continues to amuse. The weekend before last (April 2) we went on our first hike of hiking season. The forecast for Saturday was warm and sunny. I started the day by cooking oatmeal pancakes before hitting my bike for a brisk and glorious hour. After I got home I started flogging the troops to get us ready for a hike before it was too late in the day. I really, really, REALLY wanted to hike Caribou Ranch. Here is a previous post about it. Despite a high wind warning, I was so eager to get there. I love that place, and the hike is perfect. It is long enough to tire you out in the best way, without any difficult terrain or quick altitude gains. It is pastoral and gorgeous. It has picnic tables but no mosquitoes, even in high summer.

Something was nagging at me, though. I vaguely remembered reading something about the place being closed for a portion of spring, so I checked online. Sure enough, it is a breeding ground for elk and some migratory birds. Consequently, it is closed from April 1 until July 1. I was disappointed. I pine for that place. But we switched gears and went to NCAR instead. The Mesa trail there is narrow, rocky, uneven, with lots of ups and downs. Those parts are not nearly as hazardous as the asshole-ish trail runners who whizz by carrying massive packs on their backs. I think we'll be avoiding this trail on the weekends from now on. It was way too crowded to be relaxing, though we did manage to make the best of it.

The very rocky terrain there had me worried for the state of my still-recovering calf. The hike caused no problems, though. I had new hiking boots on and they offered all the stability I needed. The following day, our warm temperatures and sunny skies were gone, replaced by clouds and threats of rain and snow. I went out to buy groceries. All was fine until I left the store with my full grocery cart. I walked out into a rain/snow mix which turned to hail before I was even close to my car. Without thinking about my calf, I broke into a run, pushing off with my left foot. Pop went my calf. Ouch! I slowly and carefully limped to the car through the pea-sized hail. Let this be a warning to you all: shopping is more hazardous than hiking.

I'm better now, thanks. My calf hasn't popped again for a whole week! I'm trying to be very careful with it while still getting workouts in. I just hope the weather starts cooperating so I can ride my bike more often. Indoor workouts are getting boring.

creepy

I saw this ad on amazon today and it creeped me out. Ick, there is so much wrong about it. 

Mmm, bearclaws

Pam (♥) is my favorite character on Archer. If you haven't seen Archer, stop what you're doing and go get caught up.