from www.moonsurfing.com

"The intense Full Moon in Gemini promises lots of changes. The key is to communicate with awareness and compassion. Listen well, then allow all your thoughts, words and actions to be guided from a higher place.

This is the energy of adventure and opportunity, so think big and aim high as you evaluate the progress of the past year and begin
your list of intentions for 2006."

next new moon is december 30

"the things we do for love"

ok, so it was cool to momentarily imagine ourselves a cyborg babe getting all modded up for some hot, endless romping.

but it was decidedly not cool to have the doc (nice as she was) grab hold of our cervix and jab not once, not twice, but three times deep into the holy of holies, the place where mystery happens and medical devices are just not supposed to fit.

sigh.

so anyway, it's done now, and this tumbler of cold vanilla vodka is doing the trick to ease the cramping.

yeah, ok, we "thought of england" as we were doing our best not to somersault off the back edge of the short examination table, but honestly, we were a bit distracted -- and we (he) wouldn't want the memory of england's overly verdant landscapes to be associated with that kind of miserable, highly personal pain anyway.

the good news: it should be smooth sailing from here on. as long as the promise of increased monthly cramps, vastly boosted quantities of menstrual blood, and opportunities for random spotting don't turn us all off.

really, we're glad about this whole thing. now bring us another drink would you dahling?

and PS thanks to 10CC for a '70s tune that really said it all

our sexy cyborg mod

today is the day. unfortunately, the extensive QA testing we have planned will have to wait until january 2. we can hardly contain our excitement at gaining what will surely be a very useful addition to our arsenal of tools for successful modern living. the shock value and lazy-man's approach of tongue studs aside, no body piercing can rival the value of this little bit of internal blingage.

narwhal

we have only recently become aware of the magical horn of the narwhal. most cool is the fact that NPR just did a segment on the precious tusk. too bad our mac can't play the audio, but maybe you can listen in.

when we were just a little girl, we had a typical fascination with all things unicorn. in fact, our first published poem (which appeared in our middle school yearbook) mentioned the mythical white beast as an icon of whiteness. another example of pure blankness was "all of the pages in an old woman's diary." we must admit that won't be us. but poetic license leaves room for interpretation.

happy xmas!

our gift to you, for today and every day: when scanning the newspaper of life, may you always read the happy headlines first. aren't they the only ones that really matter, anyway?

om shanthi!
om peace!

theme: circular Ag

silver rings. rings of chalk and rings of salt. circles of silver and how they fit around fingers. but also how they operate (sort of) in water and how they factor in mythology and also modern witchcraft. there are even silver rings that say "not yet" to sex.

actually, before beginning this post, we had no idea there was a "silver ring thing" movement, asking young people to forgo sex and to symbolize their sacrifice by wearing a silver ring. we are not sure how we feel about this, loving silver finger rings and shiny, smooth, interwoven air-air sex nearly equally.

we wove willy

we haven't told anyone this in a very long time, but the first crush we ever had -- and it was a seriously sexual one, albeit when we were still thoroughly innocent -- was on gene wilder when he portrayed willy wonka in "willy wonka and the chocolate factory." first movie we ever saw in a theater (ok, the year was 1971).

something about that crazy curly hair (which could only represent a deeply convoluted mind); a set of sensuous, sugar-eating lips; a fascinating ability to play with words; and his penchant for purple and velvet really did the trick for our four-year-old sensuality. that is all in addition to the extravagant candy, a lineup of excellently moving tin-pan-alley songs, and the built-up mystery and sexy danger implied in exploring his supremely private "factory." hmm.


"there is no life i know
to compare with pure imagination.
living there you'll be free --
if you truly wish to be."

when two drives collided

01. jetsetter (morningwood/ single)
02. nth degree (morningwood/ single)
03. i feel love (the new deal/ gone gone gone)
04. hell yes (beck/ guero)
05. feels just like it should (jamiroquai/ dynamite)
06. shelter of your arms (the greenhornes/ east grand blues)
07. my doorbell (the white stripes/ get behind me satan)
08. don't blame yourself (the new deal/ gone gone gone)
09. love blind (jamiroquai/ dynamite)
10. ny girls (morningwood/ single)
11. a little while (the new deal/ gone gone gone)
12. assessment (beta band/ zeroes to heroes)
13. a little while longer (the new deal/ gone gone gone)

**********
only the latest in heavy rotation for a playlist/soundtrack/mindscape that can only be beaten by the sound of heavy breathing alone or in tandem the message is in the music not just the words but the grooves and the way it all makes you want to move your hips lips hands elbows knees and ankles too. ooh.

don't blame yourself

if you want it

don't blame yourself once you got it
don't blame yourself if you want it

i think that
you know...
that
we
want
it

don't blame yourself if you want it
don't blame yourself once you got it
don't blame yourself if you want it
all
to yourself

(with thanks to The New Deal)

attempting for PB

"hypothesis: mice will fall into bucket when attempting for PB"
design, concept, and vegan mischief courtesy of Ola Mork, esq.

troy yoga short series

WINTER HOME PRACTICE

FIND A QUIET, WARM SPACE WITH NO DISTRACTIONS. YOU’LL NEED ABOUT A HALF HOUR FOR THIS ABBREVIATED PRACTICE.

START SEATED –
CENTERING AND BODY/MIND/EMOTIONS/ENERGY LEVEL SCAN

ARMS/SHOULDERS WARM UP –
HANDS IN PRAYER POSE, INTERLACE AND EXHALE STRETCH OUT IN FRONT, INHALE AND STRETCH UP, EXHALE RELEASE HANDS AND PRESS DOWN. PRAYER POSE, SWITCH HAND GRIP & REPEAT

CAT/COW STRETCH –
TABLE POSE, INHALE LIFT TAIL AND EYES TO CEILING, DROP BELLY. EXHALING, PULL BELLY BUTTON TO SPINE, PRESS HANDS INTO FLOOR, TUCK HIPS UNDER. FOLLOW BREATH RHYTHM AND REPEAT AS YOU LIKE.

HAMSTRING STRETCH –
STILL IN TABLE POSE, STRAIGHTEN ONE LEG OUT BEHIND, TUCK TOES UNDER AND KEEP THAT HIP FACING THE FLOOR. BREATH AND EXTEND. REPEAT WITH OTHER LEG.

FROG POSE-
FROM TABLE, MOVE HIPS TO HEELS, ARMS OUTSTRETCHED ALONG THE FLOOR, FOREHEAD TO MAT, AND BREATHE. THEN BOTH ARMS REACH TO THE RIGHT, HOLD AND BREATHE. REPEAT ON OTHER SIDE.
ROLL WEIGHT BACK ONTO HIPS, BRING KNEES TOGETHER
ROLL SPINE UP TO SITTING (KNEELING) IN VIRASANA
TUCK TOES UNDER ROLL UP TO STANDING POSITION

STANDING FORWARD BEND (UTTANASANA)-
INHALE ARMS UP OVERHEAD, PALMS FACING, FINGERS ORGANIZED AND REACHING FOR CEILING. LOOK UP BETWEEN HANDS & INHALE. BEGIN TO BEND FROM THE HIPS AS YOU EXHALE, LEGS STRAIGHT ARMS REACHING. WHEN FINGERS TOUCH FLOOR, BRING HANDS TO ANKLES, CALVES, OR HANG ONTO PANTS LEGS. KEEP STRAIGHTENING LEGS, LIFTING TAIL BONE TO CEILING – UPPER BODY IS RELAXED. BREATHE.

MODIFIED REVOLVED TRIANGLE –
FROM STANDING FORWARD BEND, RELEASE HANDS AND HEEL-&-TOE FEET OUT PAST LONG EDGES OF MAT, KEEP FEET PARALLEL. THEN BRING LEFT HAND TO OUTSIDE OF RIGHT ANKLE, SWEEP RIGHT ARM UP AND EYES GAZE AT RIGHT HAND. BREATHE, LEGS STRONG AND STRAIGHT, BELLY SOFT. RELEASE ON AN EXHALE AND REPEAT ON OTHER SIDE.

THEN BEND KNEES AND ROLL BODY UP TO STANDING
HEEL-&-TOE FEET TOGETHER
COME DOWN TO FLOOR ON BELLY AND PREPARE FOR COBRA SERIES

TWO-PART COBRA SERIES –
PREP POSITION: ON BELLY, PALMS PLACED DEEPLY UNDER SHOULDERS FINGERTIPS LINED UP WITH ARMPITS. ELBOWS ARE TIGHT TO THE RIBS, SHOULDERS STRONGLY PRESS DOWN TOWARD FEET. FOREHEAD ON MAT.

1. INHALE AND LIFT NOSE AND CHIN, GAZE ABOUT 12” IN FRONT OF YOU WITH SOFT EYES AND FACE. KEEP BREATHING AND LIFT CHEST JUST TO THE POINT OF BEING ABLE TO LIFT HANDS OFF THE MAT. BREATH, THEN ON AN EXHALE SLOWLY LOWER DOWN AND REST CHEEK TO ONE SIDE, RELAX LEGS COMPLETELY.

2. COME TO PREP POSITION. INHALE AND LIFT NOSE AND CHIN, THEN WITH WEIGHT COMING INTO HANDS AND ELBOWS SOFT (NEVER LOCKED), LIFT BOTTOM RIBS FROM THE MAT. KEEP SHOULDERS DOWN AND BACK OF SKULL LIFTING. FEET AND LEGS STAY ON THE FLOOR, PELVIC BONE PRESSES INTO MAT. BREATHE. THEN ON AN EXHALE SLOWLY LOWER DOEN AND REST CHEEK TO OTHER SIDE, RELAX LEGS COMPLETELY.
ROLL ONTO BACK FOR SPINAL TWIST AND YOGA NIDRA (RELAXATION)

EASY SPINAL TWIST –
ON BACK BEND YOUR KNEES AND PLACE FEET ON FLOOR. CROSS RIGHT LEG OVER LEFT, REACH RIGHT ARM OUT TO RIGHT SIDE, AND USE LEFT HAND TO GUIDE LEGS TO LEFT. TURN FACE AND EYES TO RIGHT AND RELAX HERE. BREATH AND LET GRAVITY BRING YOU DEEPER INTO THE TWIST. INHALE AND UNTWIST, CENTER YOURSELF, THEN REPEAT ON LEFT SIDE, CROSS LEFT LEG OVER RIGHT AND TWISTING TO RIGHT. BREATHE.

UNTWIST, EXTEND BOTH LEGS OUT, AND PREPARE FOR YOGA NIDRA. COVER UP IF YOU FEEL COLD AND FIND A COMFORTABLE, SYMMETRICAL POSITION TO REST IN.

YOGA NIDRA-
FOCUSING ON THE BREATH, RELAX THE BODY FROM THE TOES TO THE HEAD. LET EVERY EXHALATION TAKE YOU DEEPER INTO THE STILLNESS AND SILENCE THAT EXISTS BEYOND THINKING MIND. FEEL THE MUSCLES AND BONES RELEASING AND THE BREATH DEEPENS, SLOWS, AND SMOOTHS OUT. WHEN A THOUGHT APPEARS, LABEL IT “THINKING” AND RETURN YOUR FOCUS TO THE BREATH. DO THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. STAY IN YOGA NIDRA FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIKE, SAVORING THE COMPLETE PEACE YOU FIND HERE.

NAMASTE!

beautiful mutants?

researchers at penn state have recently pointed out that light skin is due to a mutation in a single gene.

The team started with the recently released HapMap -- a free and publicly accessible database of DNA sequence variation in the human genome. When researchers looked at variations within the human SLC24A5 gene, they found that the protein specified by the gene was identical in all populations studied, except for the amino acid at one position. At that position, West Africans and East Asians shared the same ancestral sequence with other vertebrates, including zebrafish and chimpanzees. In contrast, all individuals in the European population tested showed a change in one amino acid.

beautiful mutants, indeed.

seeing stars

cats are high on nip
but it's we that can't see straight
something's in our eyes
sunlight starlight
blinding and warming
at once

and now the cats are wrestling
and papers fly off the desk
as a gust blows through here
this stellar wind
it's hard to see with
the stars that are caught
in our eyes today

two legs of a butterfly's wings

butterflies combine the poetry and physical elegance of birds, which they are not, with the surprising, alien appearance of the insects they truly are. the vulnerable delicacy of their wings is masked by the bright colors and strong patterns so many of them carry -- we are fooled to think they are sturdy creatures.


when "born," a butterfly emerges wet, weak, and folded, leaving behind a thin, mysterious, rust-colored exudate and a dry, empty chrysalis. it takes time for the wings to open and dry and for flight to be possible. there seems to be no learning curve, though.


what does it mean that moths and butterflies are not the same? what does it mean that butterflies are coming to us now, in winter, brushing their feathery selves against our cheeks in the dead of night, landing in our bellies and tickling us there with their precise and sensitive black feet? what does it mean that we are beginning to identify with the lepidopterist's trophy pose, pinning and mounting, right through the vital parts, displaying nature's ways for all to see? pin we.

this weekend's project

we've secured a sure-fire christmas gift for the niece and nephew this year: a puppet stage! now all we have to do is make the puppets -- homemade ones are sooo much better and we can control just how freaky they are. that is, we can make some really crazy creatures that will inspire actual creative play far beyond the proscribed story lines of dora the explorer, sponge bobby, and the other highly marketed, nickelodeon copyrighted characters.

here is our inspiration so far:

sock puppet one-oh-one
ideas for some specific creatures
other meanings of the term "sock puppet"
other options, not sock, but puppets

the rest of the inspiration will probably come from warm & strong adult beverages, xmas music perhaps, magical cookies, etc... ahh, holiday fun.

in praise of homemade pumpkin pie

another cribbed post:

"each and every physical thing in the universe is composed of the same five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. we humans are formed from the same ingredients as a tree or a squirrel, a grain of sand or a drop of rain. the five elements in our foods nurture the five elements in our bodies. put differently, the elements that nourish us are the same elements that are within us. when we recognize this integral connection -- that we are sustained by the five elements of nature -- we understand that each bite of food is a blessing from Mother Nature. this realization is the beginning of sadhana, the foundation from which we start to build a spiritual life.

~from The Path of Practice: A Woman's Book of Healing with Food, Breath, and Sound, by Bri. Maya Tiwari

pome to save the world

How to Stuff a Pepper
by nancy willard

Now, said the cook, I will teach you
how to stuff a pepper with rice.

Take your pepper green, and gently,
for peppers are shy. No matter which side
you approach, it's always the backside.
Perched on her green buttocks, the pepper sleeps.
In its silk tights, it dreams
of somersaults and parsley,
of the days when the sexes were one.

Slash open the sleeve
as if you were cutting into a paper lantern,
and enter a moon, spilled like a melon,
a fever of pearls,
a conversation of glaciers.
It is a temple built to the worship
of morning light.

I have sat under the great globe
of seeds on the roof of that chamber,
too dazzled to gather the taste I came for.
I have taken the pepper in hand,
smooth and blind, a runt in the rich
evolution of roses and ferns.
You say I have not yet taught you

to stuff a pepper?
Cooking takes time.

Next time we'll consider the rice.

st. theresa's prayer

we just can't bring ourselves to forward this (we rarely forward emails when directed to), so we're blogging to feel like we're paying it forward:

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you.

overheard, and grokked

"i am perfectly capable of breaking my own heart every day"

and so are we, and it is this tender and terrible and wondrous truth that makes the heart worth breaking and healing and breaking and healing yet again; a cycle the lucky know of birth, death, and rebirth.

for it is the seams, the cracks, where the tendrils grow from, reaching always for the sun and beyond, to the stars. the shoots trusting in the perfection of love and believing in the beauty of human connection. per aspera ad astra, indeed.

no thing + some thing

we are far from expert on shakespeare and his works, but, as a writer and reader, remain fascinated by language and the ways that words can hold multiple meanings...

in particular, we were recently tickled to remember that the word "nothing" -- or phrase "no thing" -- was a quirky elizabethan way to refer to the relative lack between the ladies' legs. of course, the "thing" implied was/is the bounty in the boys' breeches...

gets us thinking about yin and yang, how interlocking parts are a sign of wisdom divine in design, and, of course, how no thing + some thing can = a really really good thing. uh huh.

it is hard to verify this little bit of trivia, and the goddess knows wiki is having a bad week, but here you go, for what it's worth.

down the hatch

and so once again we see spirit saved by science. Plan B to the rescue, or maybe so.

troika: undisclosed

"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together."

and you and him
and him and you
and we and you
and we and him
and she and he
and you and she
and them and us
and we and why not why not
the stories make a circle with sharp corners
describe a smooth square
and in the middle we, you, she, he and all the rest

deja vu, or feeling 19 again

we like the idea of emergency contraception ("EC"), and today we'll get the opportunity to show our support. and after that, it may just be time to get our collective act in gear and find a better way to attain nirvana -- one that avoids latex, polyurethane, sheep intestine, plastic sponges soaked in sperm poison, and/or praying to Kali to block the path of any eager spirits looking for that one-of-a-kind mommy...

so, gentle reader, you may find yourself awash in musings about the new-and-improved IUD within our next few posts. if you don't like it, you can change channels. you have been warned.

buon natale dorothy!

today is our grammie's 90th birthday. we are blessed to have this lady in our life for so very long, continuing to contribute her witchy wisdom, east-coast sarcasm, political pith, tough love, book recommendations, ready snacks, elegant carriage (even with her new addition of a red walker), resistance to conformity, connection to "her mother" (god), and all of the other wonderful things past and present (including delicious cream-and-pesto soaked pasta with potatoes and string beans -- sigh).

we're in santa rosa today, and even though the party was sunday night today will be a special day. three generations (us, our mom, and dorothy) will putter around this tony suburb, make a big deal of the birthday girl, and hold this moment in time up to the light like a piece of stained glass.

that manana attitude & where is our coffee

we know and love california and californians... however, after being away for so long, the perennial quirks found here come as a surprise. for example, the manana attitude ("ah, we'll do it tomorrow") is ubiquitous and it is that way because of all the strange time-waster practices (see earlier post) unique to this region of the country.

we spend time here sorting and resorting trash into new and unusual categories: worm food, soup stock, paper/plastic/waxed cardboard recycling, stuff to give away someday, mystery spices that require research before they can be labelled... traveling to and from anywhere means stocking up with freshly filtered water, the right rennetless cheese packed into a recycled/reused baggie, and some leftover crackers that should be worm food (if you ask us) but instead are not to be wasted, even in that very non-wasteful way.

we are intrigued, frustrated, charmed, and chagrined at once by all this: we took part in this craziness for many years, and indeed still carry a few select west coast quirks that won't probably ever be purged.

but damn it, we are an east coast girl at heart and thank the goddess for that.

dining with pirates, not fishes

we are here in SF, with Jnani Chapman, exploring tiny brave boats (one,
Sanctuary, a sea-going yawl -- double-masted, like a ketch, but different) docked in Sausalito, yoga alongside people facing cancer, healing bedsite massage in the ICU of USCF Mt Zion Hospital, and now, cooking for pirates.

tonight we dine on a floating barge with the Sausalito Cruisers Club, the local, blue-collar, beer-drinking alternative to the yachting set. we will help Jnani prepare a hippie dinner for them and are looking forward to making detailed observations about the regional culture of wind-whipped and sea-ambitious folk tucking into baked potatoes and sauteed red cabbage...

we like the free dates

"Mirabelle knows, and she lets this be unspoken, that all free things require conversation. Sitting in a darkened movie theater requires absolutely no conversation at all, whereas a free date, like a walk down Hollywood Boulevard in the busy evening, requires comments, chatter, observations, and with luck, wit. She worries that since they have only exchanged perhaps two dozen words between them, these free dates will be horrible. She is still willing to go out with him, however, until something less horrible comes along."

(from Shopgirl, by Steve Martin)

PS: also, never forget, "sex is the theater of the poor"... the kind of free date that may or may not require conversation, but once again, we like the comments, chatter, observations, and with luck, dirty talk -- a favorite treat.