tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76907546214325029412008-08-24T16:33:28.648-07:00The Accidental Hippie<b>Chronicling the transformation of one American woman.</b>
<br><i>The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. ~ Carl Jung</i>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-54754645212552736312008-08-16T12:01:00.000-07:002008-08-16T12:56:03.115-07:002008-08-16T12:56:03.115-07:00All's well in the land of DenmarkSo... it looks like HSBC has finally gotten its facts straight. This week, I received a letter confirming the Robert Osborne agreement. Which is a good thing, since I found some folks to rent the house to, who seem like the type to actually take care of it (unlike the last tenant disaster). Also a good thing.
I also finally finished building the main database for my work. FileMaker Pro is Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-77167151984897265582008-07-29T17:29:00.000-07:002008-07-30T16:22:50.871-07:002008-07-30T16:22:50.871-07:00Beyond Fear and Longing: On Burning Barns and New MoonsI bought a card yesterday, with a haiku by Masahide:
Barn's burned down,
now I can see the moon.
That pretty much sums up my life right now.
This Friday, will mark the third year of my life in Washington. I came here for work: the opportunity to teach in an innovative program and develop my teaching portfolio around themes of social justice, multicultural American literature and research Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-29400347557147863222008-03-18T19:39:00.001-07:002008-03-18T19:41:14.792-07:002008-03-18T19:41:14.792-07:00Sharing Space with the Future President of the United States (I Hope)Eventually, I will post an update on the bizarre roller coast of blessings and crap I have "enjoyed" since my last Fates-tempting post, but for now I will share space with (President) Barack Obama:
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-70606914022751427002008-02-09T10:28:00.000-08:002008-02-09T12:31:57.891-08:002008-02-09T12:31:57.891-08:00An Embarrassment of RichesThe last four days have been nothing short of miraculous. Even if, as I write this, I can barely talk, am totally exhausted and am reasonably certain that I have finally capitulated to The Crud.
Tuesday Night:
I "enjoyed" a 5 1/2 hour white-knuckle drive through two snowy mountain passes (the last occuring at night, on a road I've driven only once ... during the day ... in the summer). As muchKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-64609080945003133482008-01-28T20:51:00.000-08:002008-02-03T12:38:21.370-08:002008-02-03T12:38:21.370-08:00Political Theater 3000 (er, 2008)Let's face it ... "The Four Freedoms," it wasn't.
Admittedly, I came into Bush's performance at 6:14pm, because I was busy bopping to a really sweet Canadian Jazz station, while cooking dinner. But when I did get a clue and turned on KPLU, I came in to his speech when he was postering about earmarks (like he isn't responsible for many of them).
The fact is, I generally don't like to hear him.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-69157920867595025542008-01-26T21:17:00.000-08:002008-01-26T21:18:15.331-08:002008-01-26T21:18:15.331-08:00Yes We Can!
I'll expound later. Right now, I'm just too happy!
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-30757101327049790782008-01-25T18:57:00.000-08:002008-01-25T19:15:47.449-08:002008-01-25T19:15:47.449-08:00What is Just Teaching?I have had many occasions recently to contemplate this question, with different plays on "just."
When I worry about the silence that has accompanied many of my job applications, the naysayer in my head imagines faceless HR Reps tossing my resume aside:
"Oh, it's just teaching... I thought she had nine years of real experience."
And at those moments, I try to channel Taylor Mali and remember:
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-25578786245271831422008-01-21T08:38:00.000-08:002008-01-21T08:38:35.353-08:002008-01-21T08:38:35.353-08:00Remembering KingI remember the Martin Luther King, Jr. who saw the Vietnam War, and ALL wars for what they are:
I remember the Martin Luther King, Jr. who did not let the despairing and bloody days of the late 1960's temper his faith in the inevitable revolution that will make universal human rights, the status quo.
I remember the Martin Luther King, Jr. who was painfully and totally human, to the point thatKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-12602869612439715122008-01-17T17:43:00.000-08:002008-01-20T20:53:15.607-08:002008-01-20T20:53:15.607-08:00The Race CardYes, I know that he's been a very bad man, what with ignoring the writers' strike and going back on air (though I wonder, how much of that decision was him being "bad" and how much was it Comedy Central threatening to screw him six ways 'til Sunday), but this is HILARIOUS and on point:
Go on Jon, with your bad self!
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-46227095424562490152008-01-14T21:52:00.000-08:002008-01-14T23:06:17.029-08:002008-01-14T23:06:17.029-08:00You know you're tired when...No bones about it: I'm pooped.
I lay down for a nap to refresh a bit before doing more dissertating and lesson planning, only to wake up... exhausted (the French crevé, REALLY captures it best).
So, I checked my email to distract me from my exhaustion and hopefully inspire me to find a second wind.
Instead, I'm now utterly and completely WRECKED. All because a friend sent me a link to Weight Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-32848422982433507332008-01-09T18:17:00.000-08:002008-01-09T18:21:57.936-08:002008-01-09T18:21:57.936-08:00Transforming "Maybe" Into "Yes!"Last night I completed a manifestation collage that represents the major milestones and foci for 2008.
And today, I received an interview invitation for a position I applied for just last night!
Woo hoo!!
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-22170313017363508592008-01-08T16:43:00.000-08:002008-01-08T17:12:40.089-08:002008-01-08T17:12:40.089-08:00Trembling on the Edge of a MaybeEven as I recommence work at Highline, I cling to the hope and prayer that the applications I have submitted over the last month will yield some ripe fruit (i.e. interviews and job offers), rather than the sour apples (i.e. the "Thank You, But No Thank You" letters) that have plagued my career change efforts thus far.
Today, I found inspiration in a poem by Ted Loder, and will contemplate this Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-67782698503809811992008-01-04T11:07:00.000-08:002008-01-04T11:08:26.908-08:002008-01-04T11:08:26.908-08:00What he said!
Woo Frackin' HOO!!!
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-53876083670909140572008-01-03T13:07:00.000-08:002008-01-03T13:02:13.425-08:002008-01-03T13:02:13.425-08:00Relationships... they're weirdI'd really like 2008 to be the year I develop strong, long-lasting relationships with my career, my friends and family, my place of residence and hopefully, the love of my life.
But something tells me, that developing these relationships will be a challenge.
As for my career, well, I need a new one, because the community college adjuncting is driving me into the poor house, and quite possibly Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-68305096629893209692008-01-01T22:51:00.001-08:002008-01-02T00:29:52.843-08:002008-01-02T00:29:52.843-08:00Moving from Dark to LightWhen I compare last New Year's Eve to this one, I am amazed by how prophetic the last one was and how hopeful this one was.
For the 2006 New Year's Eve, I was sprawled out on a couch at my friend's place in Arizona. We had just gorged on homemade Pakistani food, and spent the evening playing 80s Trivial Pursuit, while watching various "I Love the 90s" episodes on VH1. It was relaxing. Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-57435893566066774212007-11-08T07:35:00.000-08:002007-11-08T07:58:10.005-08:002007-11-08T07:58:10.005-08:00In the InterimThis week, I've been reading and musing over the November issue of The Atlantic Monthly (you know, when I've not been catching up on grading, financial management, and healing the wounds of misplaced affection).
As it was its 150th Anniversary issue, it ran a lengthy series of vignettes on "The Future of the American Idea." The respondents include politicians, scholars, artists, authors, Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-85074349898715081632007-10-30T21:33:00.000-07:002007-10-30T21:39:31.077-07:002007-10-30T21:39:31.077-07:00Sharing Space with Joyce RuppPrayer for Autumn Days (from May I Have This Dance?)
God of the seasons, there is a time for everything; there is a time for
dying and a time for rising. We need courage to enter into the
transformation process.
God of autumn, the trees are saying goodbye to their green, letting go
of what has been. We, too, have our moments of surrender, with all
their insecurity and risk. Help us toKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-44371007993799827292007-10-15T22:02:00.000-07:002007-10-15T22:37:20.988-07:002007-10-15T22:37:20.988-07:00The Dilemma of Christian Mercy & ForgivenessThe short of it all:
A sadist in my neighborhood shot one of my cats yesterday, breaking her leg and sending us back to the emergency vet for yet another expensive bill this summer. As if that wasn't fun enough, Scratch will be in a full leg splint for the next two months. And let me tell you how happy she isn't.
It's at times like these when I look to the heavens and ask, "do I have to Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-69528320902870254342007-10-12T10:32:00.000-07:002007-10-15T22:01:36.740-07:002007-10-15T22:01:36.740-07:00A Pithy Response to the British High CourtWhat a strange couple of days for Al Gore: get chastised by a British court one day; win the Nobel Peace Prize for the same material, the next.
At any rate, I was intrigued when I saw a little news item to this effect on some webpage or other I was browsing today. I was struck by the overwrought tone of some of the article titles, which barely evaded the accusation that Gore lied in An Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-65728389865803772802007-10-08T10:41:00.000-07:002007-10-08T10:43:58.486-07:002007-10-08T10:43:58.486-07:00Umm, Went, I think you meant "Karen," not "Korea"
It's my birthday, and I'll shamelessly covet if I want to!
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-49006281736296986082007-09-30T22:17:00.000-07:002007-09-30T22:32:23.907-07:002007-09-30T22:32:23.907-07:00Sharing Space with Thomas FriedmanFrom time to time, I come across something that makes me want to leap up and say, "What s/he said!"
Thomas Friedman's editorial in The New York Times has presented me with one of those times (I am SO glad that he worked out some of the kinks in his prose that were so painfully obvious in The World Is Flat)
9/11 Is Over, by Thomas Friedman (New York Times 9/30/07)
Not long ago, the satirical Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-60823371495713405562007-09-28T18:38:00.000-07:002007-09-28T18:50:34.699-07:002007-09-28T18:50:34.699-07:00Why I Like SpokaneI like Spokane because:
Getting from the airport to the Hospital Zone, is effortless with mass transit. One connection - made in a nicely laid-out transportation Plaza with a very cool waterfall, sculpture - was all it required. And, it only cost $1.Madeleine's Cafe and Patisserie provided a truly delicious Feta, Tomato & Olive Quiche that I will have to recreate very, very soon.It is the homeKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-36831886724526315542007-09-26T19:46:00.000-07:002007-09-26T21:14:52.119-07:002007-09-26T21:14:52.119-07:00Mind Makes MatterI admit, that in the past, I have let my thoughts and attitude keep me in a funk. Inevitably, I would find myself laden by more funkiness. Even when I thought I was being "responsible" by taking inventory of the mess where I was, so often I would find myself burdened by even more crap.
This was especially true when I was diagnosed with the fibroid. I could not believe that my body would Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-17366655837200982902007-09-23T13:45:00.000-07:002007-09-23T13:42:08.310-07:002007-09-23T13:42:08.310-07:00When Writing Retreats Become Culinary DisastersSince I didn't have any interviews scheduled for this week, I decided to join a friend up at Birch Bay for a couple of days of writing and resting (it's amazing how exhausting job searching, dating mishaps, housekeeping and basic life management can be).
We were blessed with very little traffic (a minor miracle considering we left Auburn after 3). En route, we checked out a quilting shop in Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690754621432502941.post-72318679897393438922007-09-17T20:57:00.000-07:002007-09-17T21:51:00.250-07:002007-09-17T21:51:00.250-07:00Paella...My New Best FriendYes, I know, this is not the long promised post on nut milks and cool recipes I've been developing with them. I'll try to get around to that in the next few days.
In the meantime, I shall gush over paella.
Now, let me say: I've never had the "traditional" paella. Something to do with tentacles and peculiar sea life I'd much rather see through a dive mask than on my plate. But a few weeks ago,Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247596478511778702noreply@blogger.com