My Scribblings

One Degree of Separation from Kevin Bacon

caroleeena — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:28:33 GMT

I'm in Kevin Bacon's new music video. Here's the video. The story is below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWOi4SGCJHI Early this year, my friends on Tribe and I were discussing how YouTube has begun either pulling our videos down or taking the sound out of them claiming that we are infringing on the copyright of music companies by playing music we own, dancing to it and sharing our dances with our friends. (I still think it qualifies as "Fair Use" but I won't go there again.) Since then I've been trying to use the music of people who share their music freely. I prefer music of friends who are musicians or people who are sharing their music freely on their websites or MySpace pages or music that is simply not copyrighted. On the very day this conversation was taking place, my friend Betty called and told me that Kevin Bacon was giving away a song on his website (turns out he has a band with his brother Michael, called Tha Bacon Brothers) and was asking people to dance to it in their living room, shoot some video and post it on his youtube page. She said he and his brother Michael, The Bacon Brothers, were going to select from the entries and make a video for their new song. The timing couldn't have been more perfect ... except for one thing. It was the last day to submit a video! It was Valentine's Day and I had a hoop performance, for which I was already dressed, so I figured, "What the hell?" I downloaded the song, listened to it once, shot a short video, started it uploading to YouTube and left for my performance. And I forgot all about it. This was that dance (not one of my best but, again, I didn't really know the song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEStxc2fSGk Weeks later, I got a message from someone on Youtube. They said, "Have you seen that video of Kevin Bacon watching your dance video? It's on his page." and I was like, "Whuh!?!" I went to the page and, sure enough, over his shoulder, there I am -- dancing in my living room. Me watching Kevin Bacon watching me was one of the most surreal experiences I've ever had in my life. In the video, I was wearing my flamenco dress for the performance I'd had and it's funny to hear them speculate about whether or not I'm Spanish (which, technically, I am. I was born on a Naval base in Rota, Spain, though I didn't grow up there.) Kevin even says, "I never thought hula hoops would come back." Hahahaha! That cracks me up. That video is here and I am at about :25 seconds into it (it makes me blush even now): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZp-QTNpNdY Then, in April, they announced that 10 people were selected to be in a new video they were making for the song -- and I was one of them. That video is here and they announce me about 1:30 into it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhXFPq_bBn0 You'll notice they give a shout out to "The Dirty Leprechauns". Well, funny thing, after I saw the video of them watching my video, my friends and I were having a costume party (The Dirty Leprechaun Party) at Thunder's house and we decided to make another video! Someone had told me that the submission date was extended (though apparently it wasn't) so I figured, "Why not?" We were dressed in these ridiculous outfits anyway and I thought it would be fun. And, again, it was. That crazy video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp88hztg4F8 (I love when his brother Michael says, "That was pretty crazy." Yes. Yes, it was. And I love that they give a shout out to The Dirty Leprechauns.) So that was April and months and months passed and, again, I'd pretty much forgotten about all the video they'd planned to make ... and then ... bum bum bum! Tonight I got an email announcing the new video was done. Eeeeek!!!!! Here is the final product: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWOi4SGCJHI Trippy. So I think that makes me one degree of separation from Kevin Bacon, right? I mean, me watching him watch me ... that's some crazy stuff. I am still tripping out over it.

The Butterfly Circus and The Doorpost Film Project

caroleeena — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:25:01 GMT

The Doorpost Film Project is a new online community of filmmakers who create short films on the topics of Authenticity, Community, Sacrifice, Commitment, Truth, Identity and Hope. They encourage individuals to create art that inspires, encourages, elevates and seeks Truth. They award a $40,000 cash prize in each of these areas and showcase submissions on their site. It's brilliant! The site just started this year but there are already several short films on the site. I was turned on to The Doorpost Film Project after watching the film, "The Butterfly Circus", a short film by Josh Weigel. This is one of the best films I've seen this year! Maybe ever. It is beautifull in every way a film can be beautiful. The cinematography, writing, acting, directing, costuming and music are all incredible. And the story!?! It is an amazing story. It is in the Hope category (as all the submissions so far are, which tells you something about what our culture craves and the direction of our artists) but it is also about personal empowerment, identity and love. It moved me to my core. The Butterfly Circus: http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/The%20Butterfly%20Circus/ This film is one of only six on the site so far but if this is any indication of what we can expect from this site, I am thrilled!!!! I am grateful to the souls who inspire and create this kind of art. This is the stuff that changes the world. If you are a filmmaker, take advantage of this amazing opportunity to make short films that make a difference AND to be rewarded and recognized for your work. (I'm talking to you Dorne!) To learn more about the Doorpost Film Project, go here: Doorpost Film Project: http://www.thedoorpost.com/

Dorothy's Story

caroleeena — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:10:19 GMT

Dorothy, a chimpanzee in her 40's, passed away from congestive heart failure last month at Sanaga-Young Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Camaroon. She had lived there for 9 years. This is her story. When she was just an infant, a hunter killed Dorothy's mother and she was sold as a mascot to an amusement park in Camaroon. Most people don't realize this but this is a common way to catch animals and sell them to zoos. With hippos, they harpoon the mother while she's in water and then, using a pully, pull her body into the back of a truck so that the baby follows her ... and then they sell the baby. This is the sad reality of animal prisons. This is what our zoos really promote. For the next 25 years, Dorothy was tethered to the ground by a chain around her neck, taunted, teased, and taught to drink beer and smoke cigarettes for sport. In May of 2000, just a year after this chimpanzee sanctuary was opened, Dorothy--obese from poor diet and lack of exercise--was rescued and relocated along with ten other primates to Sanage-Young. As her health improved, her deep kindness surfaced. She mothered an orphaned chimp named Bouboule and became a close friend to many others, including Jacky, the group's alpha male, and Nama, another amusement-park refugee. The photographer who took this photo, Monica Szczupider, a volunteer at the center, told a National Geographic blogger: "Her presence, and loss, was palpable, and resonated throughout the group. The management at Sanaga-Yong opted to let Dorothy's chimpanzee family witness her burial, so that perhaps they would understand, in their own capacity, that Dorothy would not return. Some chimps displayed aggression while others barked in frustration, but perhaps the most stunning reaction was a recurring, almost tangible silence. If one knows chimpanzees, then one knows that [they] are not [usually] silent creatures." The Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center was founded in 1999 by veterinarian Sheri Speede (pictured at right, cradling Dorothy's head; at left is center employee Assou Felix). Operated by IDA-Africa, an NGO, it's home to 62 chimps who reside in spacious, forested enclosures. Look at these chimps faces. This photo touches my heart. You can see the raw emotion on each animal's face, including the human animals. It touches me deeply and serves as a reminder that humans are not the only creatures who experience grief and loss. Thank goodness for Dr. Speede and all the people at the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center and all rescue centers around the world. Would that every human had their heart. And speaking of animal rescue centers, our own Carolina Tiger Rescue just recently rescued two tigers, Apache and Nitro, from a junkyard in Kansas. They have since learned that Nitro is blind. They are seeking donations to build a special enclosure for these two beautiful tigers, one with a great deal of sand to allow water to run off so the tigers won't have to reside in mud, which is what happens to our red clay when it rains. They need to raise $250 for this project and/or they'll take donations of sand. If you can help or would like to learn more, please check out Nitro's page here: http://www.carolinatigerrescue.org/animals/animal.asp?animalID=66&speciesID=9

Blackberry Picking by Terri Kirby Erickson

caroleeena — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:25:38 GMT

Terri Kirby Erickson is my favorite poet. I love poetry and I read a lot of it so to proclaim someone my favorite poet is no small declaration. Terri Kirby Erickson is my favorite poet. She lives in Winston-Salem, NC, and I ran across her first collection, Thread Count, at Quail Ridge Books, one of my favorite independent bookstores and the only one I've been to that has a section dedicated just to North Carolina poets. While there to see a guest lecturer a couple of years ago, I picked up her book, Thread Count, and I couldn't put it down. I bought it, came home and read it cover to cover. It has become my favorite volume of poetry ever. Some of you have probably heard me read from it. It is dog-eared from so much reading. It turns out Terri self-published that collection and she worked hard to get bookstores to carry them often taking them there herself in the trunk of her car! It's a wonder that I happened on her book that day, a blessing I am truly grateful for. And now she is getting her big break ... kinda. Her second collection, Telling Tales of Dusk, is being published by Press 53, a small publisher ... only, wouldn't you know it, the big chains like Borders are no longer interested in buying from small publishers!?! Gahh!!! What do we have to do to let the world know about this amazing poet!?! I'm going to start by telling all my friends. I wrote to Terri and asked for permission to reprint one of her poems from Thread Count (I haven't got Telling Tales of Dusk yet but I'm excited to) and to tell people about her new collection. I know I have a lot of friends who appreciate poetry so I am excited to turn you on to this one. Please tell your poetry loving friends. Support a local poet and invest the meager $12 to buy her new collection. You'll be doing yourself a favor. In fact, buy Thread Count too! I promise you'll love it. Here is a link to both: http://terrikirbyerickson.wordpress.com/ It was hard to pick one poem to share but this is the one I've chosen. It's called Blackberry Picking and I love it. Blackberry Picking My mother, reaching into the underbrush with her square hand the color of wheat ripening, pulled a blackberry from its leafy mooring and popped it into her mouth. The silver pail she carried was filled with dusky fruit that bubbled at the seams like clumps of caviar on a spoon. She looked wild as the brambles with her thorn-pricked fingers and bare legs streaked with dirt. I would remember her this way in the cool of the evening, her torn flesh covered by oven mitts, placing a steaming cobbler on the dinner table. I would feel a strange clutch in my heart, the impossible-to-describe ache of love that can never be fully expressed or explained, shimmering between us like mist rising from a field of summer berries. ______ Isn't that something? I love how she writes and I love what she chooses to write about. The cover of her new book was painted by her uncle, NC artist Stephen White, so by supporting her, you support another NC artist also. Isn't it beautiful? Here is a link to her new collection on Amazon also: http://www.amazon.com/Telling-Tales-Terri-Kirby-Erickson/dp/0982441630 And here is a link to a great review of her new collection: http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/sep/27/steal-a-few-moments-for-favorite-memories/entertainment/

Itadakimasu

caroleeena — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:27:52 GMT

A Japanese blessing, faithfully said, before dining. It means, in short, "I gratefully receive this" the longer version I gratefully receive the blessing of your life into my life. Thank you. I gratefully receive all the blessings of nature. Thank you. I gratefully receive the blessings of every one who contributed to this moment to this meal both animal and slayer both farmer and plant both cook and server both grocer and bagger both purchaser and provider of funds both earth and air both soil and water and the provider of earth and air and soil and water and on and on forever and ever ad infinitum... Thank you. I humbly and gratefully receive this. 9-27-09 NOTE: Itadakimasu is pronounced "ee-tah-dah-ki-MAHS

Our Hoops for Pediatric AIDS Patients project

caroleeena — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:02:48 GMT

We crafted 43 hoops this past week and today we gifted almost every single one to a child with AIDS. There were a few adults with AIDS there also as well as their caregivers and case managers. Most folks got a hoop though some caregivers did not. To their credit they made sure the kids and patients all had one first so there weren't many left over after that. I wish we'd had a few more for them, especially for four women who work in various areas of patient care, which is hard work. I'm going to try to make them each a hoop and get it to them. The social worker for the Pediatric AIDS unit was so grateful. She was thrilled to see the kids hooping and playing and moving. It turns out a lot of these kids are very sedentary because their parents (or oftentimes grandmothers -- several of them had lost both parents to AIDS) are afraid they'll get hurt or sick so they don't get to play sports or even play outside very much. Instead, they play a lot of video games and watch a lot of tv. So, while you wouldn't think it would be, obesity is a problem in this population, especially as they get older. And, to be honest, it was the first time I really had to work at getting kids to play. I had to draw them out and it took much longer than I ever would have expected or than I've ever experienced before. That tells you right there how unfamiliar this territory was for them. We really expanded their boundaries today. And I'm grateful for the few kids and the social workers who started hooping and got the other kids interested in trying it too. Once they got started, they didn't want to stop. There were two 12 year old boys, both over-weight and quite shy, who never came and played with the group at all but they chose two large hoops and played with them constantly off to the side. They were hooping on their waists and arms, making up games, doing tosses. It was a blast to watch. And I wish you could have seen their faces when I told them that the hoops were theirs to keep! There were several young girls who had to be really, really encouraged to try to hoop but, by the end, were hooping up a storm. One of their grandmother's hugged me for drawing her granddaughter out and said she never plays like that. I wish you could have seen this little girl too. She was adorable with the biggest brown eyes. When I think of her, it's her eyes I picture and her big shy smile. There was one young boy who never put his hoop down after he picked it out. I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was one of my two twins. He was so happy with it ... and I can always make another one. Four members of the Raleigh Drum Circle (and regular drummers at our weekly hoop jam) also came all the way to Durham and drummed for this event. The guests loved it and I'm so grateful to them for giving up a beautiful Sunday afternoon to make the day of a bunch of kids who have never gotten to have a drum circle experience. They shared drums and several kids drummed, some of them quite well. It was beautiful. This was a belated World Hoop Day service project but I feel really good about it. (And we raised the money on World Hoop Day so I think that still counts.) The social worker is talking about hosting a regular hoop jam for the kids to keep them at it. The place where we had the picnic would be perfect for that -- central, free, covered and with electricity. I offered to help them organize one or, even better, organize a larger community jam so the kids could have other kids and adults to hoop with instead of only getting to play with each other. We all need community. It really does take a village to raise a child. My shoulders are still aching from all this hoop crafting. It was an enormous amount of work (I've done little else for a week!) but I didn't do it alone. I am grateful to all the individuals who donated money for materials or their time for crafting. This beautiful event was the result of a lot of caring people and I am more grateful than I can say for every single contribution and kindness. There are a lot of things about AIDS that we can heal -- lonliness, depression, lack of exercise, the stigma of "being sick" or "frail". Hooping can address all those things while also bringing joy in a way that is free and creates community. How powerful is that? Today we made a difference in some people's lives. What a great day.

Utilizing the Free Hand in Hoopdance

caroleeena — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:54:35 GMT

Often when we hoopdance, one hand is busy but the other hand is free. This is never more prominent than with lifts. One hand is doing the lifting and the other hand is just hanging there. We've talked about using the hands to do pretty hand and armwork. This idea holds even if it applies to only one hand while the other hand is working. Here is a list of some of the moves that leave one hand free while the other is occupied: - Lifts from the front - Lifts from the back - Hand hooping to the front, side, back, above and below - One handed isolations - Stalls on one hand while sustained spinning - Freezes where the hoop is in one hand and being held in a frozen position. There are lots more also. These are just the ones I can think of now. What happens with the free arm if we're not paying attention is that we usually revert to either the chicken wing or the t-rex arm. So here's a strategy for learning to do something different. Once you've gotten the move down that you're trying to do, gently place your attention on your free arm. Commit to make it lay flat and long against your side with the fingertips against your leg (especially during lifts) or in some other position that is stationary, still and striking. Practice this and practice this until it becomes second nature. Commit it to muscle memory. Then that will become your set position. From there, you can practice reaching up or out, utilizing the hands or fingers, making gestures... You have lots of options. But first you must establish a set position so that when you forget, you're still in a pretty posture. Mostly likely the arm that will give you trouble is your non-dominant one. I see a lot of videos where people do pretty moves with their right hand and arm when it is free but not with their left. So practice that one first. Whichever arm is your non-dominant one and most likely to remain bent and forgotten, commit to practice creating a set position for it and then to doing pretty hand and arm moves with it. Some other pretty arm moves you can do with your free arm include: - pointing the index finger so that the arm is straight to the side or pointing in front of you or doing a sweep from right to left like they do in the musical Grease to the song Greased Lightning. - reach to the sky and do jazz hands - open to the Bird of Paradise hand (which you can do up, down, out to the side or to the front) - close to the "deer" mudra from our Indian Classical dance moves - do a snake arm from our belly dance moves - jazz hands! - do one or more inside or outside circles with either or both the arm, hand and/or fingers - snap - practice "flicking boogers" (<---anyone who has taken my handwork classes will recognize these hand gestures but this one is just like it sounds ... sans boogers) - tuck the back of the hand in the small of the back (or as far around as you can reach) - leave the arm along the length of the body and then lift it skyward from either the elbow, wrist, or shoulder like a bird taking flight - place the hand behind the head - trace the free hand along the moving arm - punch out, up or down - place the balled fist on the hip or lower ribs (like when we pick apples and place them in the basket) - screw in a light bulb - thumb to the heart and then open the arm in a line, either up, forward, to the side, catty-cornered, or even behind you - wave - blow kisses - fan yourself - salute - a shoo! - lick your index finger and then touch your fanny and make a sizzle! - a slap on the fanny can also be fun - hold your nose and pretend you're going under water (this is a move from the Swim, a dance from the 60's) - the Shaka (or the gesture they always do in Hawaii) - cover your eyes (and peek through, or not. This is especially pretty in profile) - do a mudra - slap the back of your wrist to your forehead like an actress in a soap opera - drag your fingers along your body (you may follow this with opening the arm but you don't have to) - any gesture from sign langugage (My favorite is the "I Love You" gesture, which deaf and hard of hearing people do freely with everyone. It has the index, pinky and thumb extended and the other two fingers folded to the palm which represents the "I" - the pinky, the "L" for love - the index and thumb, and the "Y" for you - the thumb and pinky open. They often wave while doing this but it is not required. The possibilties are endless. Watch So You Think You Can Dance and you'll see many, many inspiring uses for one or both arms. The first thing though is to commit to use it!!! Then create a set position that you return to every time because it is second nature. Then build on that with other beautiful, striking or playful movements. Picture me giving you a thumbs up now. I am and it's a fun hand gesture also! (A side note: I post these kinds of things in my Circles of Joy tribe all the time but I don't always post them on my blog so if you're a hoopdancer whose into these kinds of things, you might consider joining that tribe. Here's a link: http://tribes.tribe.net/circlesofjoy )

A Haiku for Joe Wilson

caroleeena — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:09:41 GMT

Republicans once railed that we were obliged to respect the prez. I guess that applies only to presidents with R by their name.

Help a Child with AIDS for World Hoop Day

caroleeena — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:18:43 GMT

World Hoop Day falls on Wednesday, 9-9-9, this year, coincidentally, a Wednesday that we host a Hoop Jam. Yay!!!! World Hoop Day is a service project designed to introduce hoops and hooping to people who may never have experienced hooping before. In the past, I've done small efforts either here in NC or at an orphanage in Jamaica but this year I want to do a big one ... actually, a big two. ONE: I have an opportunity to create 40 hoops and gift them to pediatric and adult AIDS patients and their caregivers at a picnic near Duke Hospital on Sunday, Sept 20th. I figure this effort will cost about $250-300 in supplies so tomorrow evening I will be soliciting donations of cash, materials, hoops and/or volunteers to craft hoops this coming Monday afternoon and/or evening. For the hoop crafting, we'll make a party of it in my backyard. (I'll send an email directly to anyone who wants to help with more info.) I would love it if we got even more hoops than we need because I have my eye on another big project ... TWO: Creating a Hoop Program at our local Women's Prison and also one for a local battered women's shelter. We will need hoops for these programs too so if we get more than we ask for (and I find the universe generally provides more than we ask for) know that extra donations will go to these programs which I hope will provide welcome diversion, a direct path to joy, a boost to self-esteem, the gift of community, more health benefits than I can ennumerate and valuable lessons in taking charge instead of reacting, in exercising your power even as you exorcise your demons and in the value of service -- because every time we help someone else, we demonstrate brightly and beautifully how service helps those who serve as well. So those are my plans for World Hoop Day. I invite you to join us and participate in any way you feel moved to. Our jam is at Pullen Park, near the large gazebo across from the indoor pool just off the Ashe Avenue entrance. It is from 6:30 til dark and there are plenty of hoops available to use if you don't have one. No experience (or donation) required. I'll get you started if you need help. If you'd like to help but can't attend the jam, please send a check to me, Carolyn Mabry, 609 Sardis Drive, Raleigh, NC 27603 and I'll buy materials with it. Donations are tax-deductible through the AIDS organization and I can send you a receipt for your taxes if you need it. Every little bit helps. Please help. I can't think of a better way to celebrate World Hoop Day. The hoop is the perfect symbol for this effort. We Earthlings, all on this planet together, inextricably connected to each other, all of us inside the circle of life, One. One Love, Caroleeena

Undue Respect

caroleeena — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:02:55 GMT

Leaving a rude comment on my YouTube tutorial then thanking me for making it is like saying, "That dress makes your ass look fat but I like the color." Couching this insult in, "With all due respect" is a sure sign you're about to be unduly dis-respectful. Le sigh ... Opinions are like assholes -- every body may have one but I don't need to see it on YouTube.

I Love the Gays!!!

caroleeena — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:22:09 GMT

And I ain't afraid to say it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_fQVhM9CnY&NR=1 I also love Mandy Steckelberg and this song.

Hoop Paradise Weekend with Caroleeena

caroleeena — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:44:52 GMT

I am honored and excited to be teaching a series of hooping workshops for hoopers of all levels AND two Hoop Instructors Coaching workshops in Cincinnati Sept 11-13th at Shine Yoga. I'd love to see you there. Pre-registration is a must since classes will fill up. They already have once! We had to find a bigger venue. The classes include 4 hoop classes and a series of Coaching Trainings for Hoop Instructors. The Hoop Workshops include: - Beginner to Intermediate Hooping - Level 1 - Beginner to Intermediate Hooping - Level 2 - Integrating Dance into your Hoopdance - Intermediate to Advanced Hooping The Coaching Training for Hoop Instructors will include: - Teacher Training Level 1 - Coaching, Adapting to Learning Types and Hoop Theory - Teacher Training Level 2 - Advanced Concepts For more information or to register, please check out their website: http://www.shineyoga.com/pages/events/default.aspx Or feel free to drop me a line.

Muslim Woman Denied Entry to Paris Pool because of Burqini

caroleeena — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:33:08 GMT

A Paris swimming pool has refused to allow a young Muslim woman to swim after she tried to enter the pool wearing a burqini, a full body covering that resembles a wet-suit with built-in hood. Pool staff told her that public swimming pools "forbid swimming while clothed". Ironically she'd probably have been arrested had she tried to swim "un-clothed". On the other hand, had her buttocks been hanging out of a thong, that would probably have been A-OK! The swimming-while-clothed controversy comes amidst a national debate in France over women wearing burqas. In June, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said burqas were "not welcome" in France. He said the head-to-toe Muslim body coverings were "in disaccord with French values" -- unlike going topless on beaches and, again, thongs. (And this from a man who left his wife for a young model who regularly models nude.) He goes on to say, "In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity, The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic." Let me get this straight, Michael Phelps can swim in a pool in a suit almost exactly like this but a woman can't. How is a man telling a woman what she CAN'T wear, any different from a man telling her what to wear? And let's be clear, by banning her from swimming, they are still "robbing her of her freedom". They are robbing her of the right to choose what she wants to wear. (And, again, what a man like Michael Phelps would be allowed to wear. It's not like it's cut off jeans with hanging threads or clothes one would wear on the street.) There are so many holes in this logic it's hard to know where to start. We cannot hold with women being cut off from social life by what they wear so we, the French Government, will cut them off from social life for what they wear. We take away their rights and freedoms to make the point that Muslim men can't take away their rights and freedoms. We treat them as subservient subjects of the French government to prove that you can't make them subservient. The circular logic in this makes my head hurt. "French values" apparently mean that women have to conform to a French man's rules. It's sad. These women live in France, a democracy that promotes freedom, not Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia. What they wear is supposed to be their choice! The person trying to make them subservient is the man telling them what they can and can't wear. And clearly that man is not always Muslim.

The Weight of Them

caroleeena — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:48:50 GMT

I've grown used to the weight of them, acquired in college with the aid of the pill I've grown used to the perfume of them, sweet smelling sweat mingling in folds of flesh I've grown used to the mystique of them, their secret magnetism pulling men's glances The song of them humming against silk blouses The bold of them rising to greet the chill breeze The bliss of them suckling both child and lover I've grown used to the pain of them, winter's itch and chaff burning 'round ribs and over shoulders, their weight a burden-- these gingersnap visions dancing atop custard I've grown used to the weight of them. Will I live long enough to grow used to Being without them? - Carolyn Mabry I wrote this poem decades ago for a dear friend who had to have both breasts removed because of breast cancer. Her surgery made me think about each woman's complicated relationship with her breasts and how much a part of our identity they are, what it would be like to be without them, what it would be like to have to let them go, to have them associated with life or death... It made me think of a lot of things. Today I think of those things again and dedicate this poem to Jessica Bessette and her sister and their entire family. Her sister is having a double mastectomy today. My heart goes out to her and I send her blessings of courage, strength, wellness, patience, confidence and love.

I support Miss Landmine

caroleeena — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:05:17 GMT

I support the Miss Landmine Pagent. I'm not usually a "beauty pagent" kinda girl but a beauty pagent that celebrates the strength and beauty of women who have risen above having parts of their body torn away by landmines is a pagent I can get behind. It also raises awareness of these terrible weapons that have been left all over the world. It is open to women of all ages and includes everyone from very young girls to women in their 50's. The first one in Angola was very successful but the Cambodian government has just tried to cancel the one coming up in Cambodia. (Still trying to hide the fact that their government planted most of those landmines and has done next to nothing to clean them up.) I support these beautiful women and detest these weapons of war that kill both people and animals. Go here for more information and to see photos of these beautiful women: http://miss-landmine.org/

Elias's Truck found Burned Out in the Santa Cruz Mountains

caroleeena — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:37:18 GMT

They found it on fire Tuesday night so whoever has him is trying to get rid of the evidence. It was found near Bonny Doon. Here is a link to the news story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdYPG7xJsYg Why won't they release the video of the people using his checkcard!?! Also, the picture they use in this news story doesn't look anything like Elias. I mean it's him but shouldn't you use a photo that looks like him? I am trying to direct peace and calm onto this situation. Breathing deeply for Elias and all of us. If you live near the Santa Cruz area and can participate in the search, please drop an email here: eliassorokin.info@gmail.com There is a $20,000 reward for information leading to his return. Elias, please come home safely.

Garden of the Moon

caroleeena — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:41:06 GMT

I like a garden that reveals itself in darkness awakens when the rest of the world is sleeping. While I bask in the glories of the morning 'tis the blooms that bare their breasts before the moon that take my breath away. Moonflowers revealing themselves like a lover seducing embracing lunar moths where other blossoms beckon bees. August Lily, adorning herself with the scent of honey, pure and sweet. Even old-fashioned gardenia takes a walk on the wild side when dressed in moonlight, transforms into something wild, exotic, otherworldly. The night breeze teases shy scents scents that tiptoe tentatively then tasting temerity tumble toward one boldly tango from Fairy Lily two-step from Carolina Jessamine trip the light fantastic from Gladiolus Tristas each flaunting tender young petals saffron and smooth like nipples the color of butterscotch. And tuberose tiny tuberose Victorian and refined her scent so heady her blooms so white that moths dance dizzily do aerial bumps and grinds throw themselves against petals sparkling and luminous and dripping with moonlight. Yet all of these, all of these, bow before the Queen of Night Blossoms the Angel's Trumpet whose 11-inch blooms called to and hypnotized Georgia O'Keefe so that she painted them and painted them beneath the sun beneath the moon more than any other flower she painted them. I bury my face in her huge soft blossoms soak in her secret sunset scent knowing that by day Georgia painted in an olfactory wasteland, a desert devoid and barren of any scent at all but by night she painted moist with the perfume of Persian Princesses, the smell of Scheherazade herself seducing a king, illuminating with scents and secrets and stories of adventures and justice and love. I like a garden that reveals itself in darkness awakens when the rest of the world is sleeping. 7-29-2009

Please Help us Find Elias Sorokin

caroleeena — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:40:36 GMT

Our friend Elias Sorokin is missing. We fear foul play. Someone used his check card (the video shows it was not him) and tried to withdraw $4,500 in cash from his account at a bank in Santa Cruz. I am writing to ask you to direct calm, healing energy into this situation. Picture Elias, who has asthma, breathing freely. Picture whoever he may be with feeling calm and safe. Do not direct angry energy at them. Picture calm water without a single ripple. From this space, I also ask you to alert your friends and spread the word that we need both healing energy work and also footwork here in the material world. Here are the details of what we know so far. Elias went up to Northern California for a few meetings and has not returned to LA. He was last seen Monday evening 7/20/09 around 8 pm in Oakland. He sent a text to his friend and business partner Andrea on Monday night at 10 pm saying that he would be arriving back to LA around 4 am, Tuesday morning. He has not been heard from since. We have since learned that someone has tried to cash a falsified check (he carries his check book on him at all times) and tried to use his credit cards near Santa Cruz. Here is a story about what we know so far and it includes a description of his vehicle and the license plate number: http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_12925772?nclick_check=1 A missing person's report has been filed and the family has hired a private investigator. We are looking for answers and need your help. If you have any information, if you've seen him, anything at all, please email me and I will forward your information on. Please do not mention any suspects or persons of interest by name or online or approach anyone you suspect. We do not want to endanger Elias more or frighten the people who may have him. Please forward any info or leads to me and I will forward them to his family who say that tips to the police are actually overwhelming the police right now. Also, please direct your chi to everyone involved in this situation. Pour love on it. Have hope. Calm, peaceful energy to all. You can also call or email WTVD Chanel 11 and ask them to cover this story. The more calls they get, the more likely they are to act: email: wtvdassignmentdesk@abc.com WTVD phone # 1-800-672-9883 PLEASE CALL Also, here is a poster you can print and post: http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg241/LavandaDolce/EliasSorokin29MISSINGJuly202009LosA.jpg What follows is a note from Anna, Elias's mother: To any people who may be holding our beloved son Elias: I would like to assure you that we understand that you may have gotten into this situation and do not know how to get out. We have no interest in pursuing any charges against you. We forgive you completely. Please let Elias go free. - We promise, legally declare, not to press any charges or to pursue you for any criminal acts against Elias - You may be in over your heads right now, and you may wish this whole thing had never gotten started, and it can be erased! End it peacefully and quietly as soon as possible Family of Elias

Slipping Away

caroleeena — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:57:16 GMT

Stopping in the woods at night I hear a Thunk! followed by the rustle rustle rustle of a black snake returning to earth slipping away. It makes me smile. Black snakes are skillful climbers hunt high in tree branches, sleep wound in woodpecker holes but they can't climb down. They have to fall out like a log Plop! before making off with the rustle rustle rustle of a southern belle swishing her skirts. 7-26-09

Summer Memories

caroleeena — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:09:55 GMT

Sometimes when I close my eyes I am back in the creek in the grove across the road from Grandma Greene's. I am turning over rocks startling crawdads and myself and shaping globs of wet red clay into misshapen urns and ashtrays covering them with soft green moss. Monda and I arrange them just so blissfully unaware that Ted and Tommy will smash them before the sun sets. Behind us Brian, affectionately nicknamed Butterball, and Sambo smoothe funny papers across the picnic table Grandpa Henry built with his own two hands. Grandpa huge and silent plops an enormous watermelon Thunk! green and white and gigantic fresh from the garden atop the smiling faces of Charlie Brown and Orphan Annie and Little Lulu. His giant hand wielding grandma's giant knife cleaves that giant watermelon cleanly into two melon canoes peopled with tiny black injuns and wet drops of summery goodness splash and drip and dragonflies dangle and zip and horseflies buzz and bite and younguns scrabble up ferny banks wiping muddy hands on wet dresses and rolled up trousers clamoring for the first or biggest piece. - July 24, 2009

Some thoughts on Hoop Consciousness

caroleeena — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:30:32 GMT

At Hoop Convergence, Jaguar Mary and I were walking the labyrinth and discussing hooping and what it has brought into our lives and she actually recorded a bit of my part in that conversation and shared it with me recently. I love that she captured this moment. It takes me right back there. And I feel like I did a pretty good job of relating what I was trying to say too. Thank you Jaguar Mary. You are a treasure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ycSQ6CWSZY

Jaguar Mary's tribute to Michael Jackson

caroleeena — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:17:50 GMT

One of my friends made the most beautiful tribute to Michael Jackson. She is an amazing film maker and a shining light, one of the most beautiful people I have ever met, and in this, she speaks what's in my heart too. I am sharing it because it is such a bright blessing but also because I want to keep it forever. I love you sister! And I will miss you Michael Jackson. You inspired and uplifted and taught me so much. The first song I ever craved to hear was one of yours. I was in first grade. And I danced with you throughout high school, college and beyond. I am still dancing with you. Thank you for your gifts. I wish you well in your journey. Namaste. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNjojGcfdT4

Summer Melon

caroleeena — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:19:24 GMT

In the summer all I want to eat is melons cantaloupe watermelon ice cold from the fridge or better yet a cold mountain stream sometimes a honeydew smelling so sweet like an egg laid by a honey bee whose lips are still wet from kissing flowers.

Teaching Hooping to the Blind

caroleeena — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:50:55 GMT

The Governor Morehead School for the Blind has started bringing kids on field trips to our hoop jams. It is such a delight!!! It has also been a learning experience. There are some challenges to teaching hooping to non-sighted people and I'd like to share what I've learned so far. I also want to encourage others to reach out to the blind to teach them hooping. Obesity is a huge problem among the blind. They can't just go for a jog or to the gym. Travel is not a simple thing and mobility can be an issue too. Hooping and poi spinning are both fun forms of exercise that cost nothing and are easily accessible to non-sighted people. So here are some of the things I've learned so far: 1. Go up and introduce yourself. Non-sighted people cannot find you to come introduce themselves. Be friendly and make them feel welcome even as you describe to them where the hoops are, which ones they might prefer, etc. And remember to utilize touch and other senses. You may not be able to lock eyes or let them see your smile but you can give someone's hand a squeeze and let them hear the smile in your voice. 2. They can't see the size of each hoop so it makes it hard for them to choose the size they want. It's even hard to pick one up and tell. You can't really tell how big or small some hoops are just by picking them up. I have two suggestions for this: - I sorted our hoops into piles: 1. very large Groove Hoops, 2. smaller Groove Hoops, 3. large Sport Hoops, 4. smaller Sport Hoops and 5. Hand Hoops. Then I placed them in ascending order so that people could know, "Okay, I've tried one from Pile 1. Next I'll try one from Pile 2." - You can also guide people into figuring out what size a hoop is by encouraging them to lift it over their head, place it on the small of their back and then try to slide one hand around the hoop's circumfrence while keeping the other side against the small of the back. 2. "Tell" instead of "Show". Verbalizing everything and clearly is essential. Utilize metaphors like, "Pretend someone is dropping ice down your back" or "like you're trying to bump bellys with a friend." Details are also important. Use your own eyes to notice the little things and translate them. These may include whether your palm is up or down, your fingers closed or open, your arm forward or to the side, the right foot slightly in front of the left, etc. Look for details and include them. Speak clearly (which does not necessarily mean loudly.) 3. Sometimes you have to "Show". Some moves are almost beyond description -- like the Infinity, where the wrist does a figure 8 (either in front, to the side or above and below). These moves can be taught by doing them with the hooper. Stand behind them and place your hand over theirs and do the move together -- with and without the hoop. - For teaching assisted hand hooping (where the hand closes on the hoop each time), hold their hand and describe the circle the hoop should be making around the hand (along the crease under the pads on the palm and then below the knuckles as it rolls over the back of the hand). Trace this trajectory first with your finger and then with the hoop (while you're standing face-to-face with them doing an isolation so the hoop is not yet spinning freely. This way you won't accidentally bop them in the head.) - For teaching basic hand hooping (without gripping the hoop each time), you will be teaching them to release the hoop and move their hand up and down as if they were shaking hands with someone. To do this, stand behind them, place your hand over the back of their hand and pretend the two of you are one hand shaking hands with someone in front of you. Get the hoop going and then slide your hand out so that they keep going. - Explain that you simply put your hands palm-to-palm in prayer position to move the hoop to the other hand. (I've found most people get this without explanation! Unlike sighted hoopers. Interesting.) 4. Sound. Hoops run away. Blind people can't find their hoop when they lose it because sometimes our hoops circle back and end up behind us. I plan to add some b.b.'s to hoops to help these kids "hear" where their hoop is running. 5. Make sure you give each hooper lots of room. They can't see each other and this keeps them from knocking each other's hoops down accidentally. (You can also teach them to joust with their hoops so they learn to recover from accidental bumps without losing the hoop and while backing away from each other to create more hoop space.) 6. Be On the Look-Out. When a hoop runs away from someone, they're likely to chase it right into the path of another hoop. This is something we can use our eyes to prevent. I know I'll learn lots more lessons but this is what I've synthesized so far. It's been a wonderful blessing for me to see these kids hoop. I wish you could see the smiles on their faces. If you have a school for the blind in your area, I encourage you to reach out to them. Hooping grows confidence and good health in everyone. This is a great way to share our passion with others.

Reflection

caroleeena — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:54:58 GMT

And when the program goes to commercial she sees herself briefly reflected catches an unexpected glimpse of the woman she's become lucky for her she likes what she sees more than she doesn't and the moment passes quickly as programming resumes and reflection is extinguished. 6-12-09