Babble, burble, banter, bicker bicker

My Facebook Profile

nemea_arborvitae — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:43:41 GMT

Look for Nemea Arborvitae http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=754334222

Return to Massage Biz

nemea_arborvitae — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:21:47 GMT

This year has been a year of change for me. During the summer I assisted my friend Ed Lark in three massage intensives at Harbin Hot Springs, Anatomy: Bones & Muscles, Deep Tissue 1 & Deep Tissue 2. Last week we spent back up there teaching Trigger Point Therapy. It also looks like next year we will be traveling to Nice, France, to teach Deep Tissue over there! I am so excited about finally being able to travel to Europe! Dragon is also very excited that he will finally get to go over there with me and show me stuff. He lived in Barcelona for two years in the 80s. I can hardly believe that it is actually going to happen, but Lawrence, the woman who is organizing the workshop for us, is going to make it happen for us. Ed has also never been to Europe. He is completely jazzed to see the Old Masters. In the meantime, I am working on building my private massage practice, so *please* let me know if you want some bodywork! I am here in Sonoma County, and once a month I will be traveling to the East Bay. A friend of mine in downtown Oakland has offered me his guest room as a treatment room. Shoot me a message and let's figure out a time to get you on the table!

My Dad's having double bypass heart surgery this morning

nemea_arborvitae — Thu, 31 May 2007 12:15:18 GMT

I woke up at three in the morning after only a few hours of sleep. As I write this my dad is preparing for his surgery, which is at 7:30am Eastern Time. He is at Bryn Mawr Hospital, and his surgeon is the head of cardiology there. They have given him a 98% chance. They told him he is in great shape for someone getting a double bypass, and would probably feel like a new man afterward. Heh... Occasionally he would go out in the yard to turn over his leaf mulch pile and get tired after only a few minutes. This weekend during an outing to the Morris Arboretum he had trouble walking uphill. On Tuesday he went in for a stress test and they wouldn't let him go home. They told him that without the surgery he would only live another two months. One of his arteries is completely blocked. One of the treats he would prepare for us kids on weekends was bacon sandwiches: Bacon on buttered bread. My mom told me that He made bacon sandwiches only last week that will probably be his last. He has always loved the meat more than the potatoes, and eaten peanut butter and sugar sandwiches for breakfast the majority of mornings. He has also continued to work at the family business even though he is now 75 years old. My brother is supposed to be taking over the business, but that hasn't happened yet, much to my mother's (and my) dismay. My sister Donna was also there when my mom called me from the hospital yesterday to tell me. She seemed really upset. With my mom it's hard to tell what she's feeling sometimes. She didn't seem upset, but I'm sure she is. It's weird, tho. I called my dad after work and talked to him for awhile. He right away tried to talk to me about Al Gore and global warming. He is politically conservative, and in recent years, to my dismay has taken to watching Bill O'Reilly and that ilk. I told him I didn't want to talk about it, I wanted to talk about him and have a conversation. He was bothered that they had kept him in the hospital, and he told me a lot of details about his condition. At the time I was sitting on the front patio of an Italian restaurant in Santa Rosa that was in an old huge Victorian house. He told me about visiting Vandenburg air force base when he was working on the guidance systems for the Minuteman missile program. He said that the guys he was working with out there had driven him out into the desert, into the middle of nowhere, and that there was a huge old Victorian house there that had been turned into a bar & restaurant. He said that the downstairs had been turned into a dance hall. He thought it was very strange that this place was there. I thought that the place he was talking about, the name of which he couldn't remember, was Moffett Field, where the Macon airship docked in Hangar One. He then told me that he had just talked to a man who had been on the ground crew of the Hindenburg, holding a guy line directly underneath, and had seen the right engine backfire and the airship begin to burn. This information doen't appear on any reports of the airship disaster. That's how the conversation went. He also told me that Donna had called him so that the kids, my niece and nephew, could talk to him. I told him that he has to stick around because there are grandkids who need to be taken for walks in the woods. I so wish that I could be there, but it's just not possible now. I guess I could spend the money I am finally getting tomorrow on a flight and lose my job at the Harmony Festival. Errrg! They should be well into it by now. Anyway, please, if you would, take a little time to send good vibes to my dad and our family. Love, ~Nemea

I am the new co-ordinator of the Occidental Fool's Day Parade!

nemea_arborvitae — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 21:02:36 GMT

I talked to Kate Price yesterday and she has handed over the rubber chicken to me! I am really excited about this great opportunity to accomplish something big that will have a positive impact on my community! I know so many foolish people, and I will be tapping into this rich vein of silliness in the next few months, so be on the lookout for a flying fool missive coming your way! Yee-Haw!!! And if you know any dark handsome bagpipers with a Prince Valiant haircut, please let me know!

I'm Graduating!

nemea_arborvitae — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:35:31 GMT

Tonight I will take up cap & gown and receive my diploma from Empire College with Dean's Honors! It is my first graduation ceremony with cap & gown. I feel a little silly, but when have I ever shied away from silliness! Yesterday I completed my last requirement when I proved that I can type 30 words a minute. I don't know why I was procrastinating about this for so long. I felt really challenged by typing. My brain just doesn't get it. Luckily, my program didn't require a high word count. Today I organize! Next week I pound winery pavement! If any of you have any leads it would be great to hear from you. I am looking for work at a winery in Sonoma County, the closer to Sebastopol the better. If the winery has an events program it is ideal as I hope to do event planning after I get my feet wet.

Today's My Birthday!

nemea_arborvitae — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 20:06:49 GMT

Looking forward to a wonderful night tonight with my sweetie! I am nearly done with school now, I am finished all my classes. There is just the inevitable loose ends to finish up, which I have been procrastinating about. But it won't take long to finish this stuff up! The job search is next, so if anyone has any leads on winery or hospitality jobs in Sonoma County, please let me know! Love to you all!

Okay, Folks!

nemea_arborvitae — Mon, 15 May 2006 20:34:00 GMT

So since I am consumed by school this summer it seems like a bad idea to try to plan a big honkin' Court of Titania party as Dragon & I have been promising lo these many months. Instead I would like to plan a humungoid birthday/graduation party for some time in the latter part of September, theme TBA. If anyone has any ideas about good or bad times for that time period, or has ideas about venues, feel free to comment here. I would like to have this party somewhere near Sebastopol and have lovely outdoor and indoor spaces and room for dancing. I love you all and can't wait to play with you again! Smooches!

Meet My Wonderful Friend Ted!

nemea_arborvitae — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 17:28:47 GMT

Ted has been my good friend for many many years. Yea, back in the mists of time we grazed in the fields of youth and cloudbusted for hours in the long afternoon. He took me into his home when I was still mostly a stranger to him during my wandering time, and we became forever bonded as family. Ted is truly a brilliant wizard genius, a psychonaut, an artist, a surrealist, a great dancer with the swivel hips, and a fun and fantastic friend. He has just joined tribe so I present him to you in all his silly and sacred glory! Here is his profile: http://tinyurl.com/dafm7

Mindless fun

nemea_arborvitae — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 22:06:02 GMT

http://www.banditos.info/speles/sobersanta2.swf

The Music of Wendy Colonna this Friday in Sebastopol, CA!!!

nemea_arborvitae — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 19:44:14 GMT

Dear Friends, This Friday October 21st, starting at 7:30, Wendy Colonna will be performing an intimate house concert at a beautiful West Sonoma County location. 10-16$ is the suggested donation. Wendy gives a warm and moving performance, rocking out with lots of sass one moment, then taking you on a soulful melancholy journey the next. She regularly makes me laugh, shout and cry. Her songs have wonderful depth, and her passionate delivery really brings her visions of love, life, joy and sorrow across. Her voice is a melting pot of honey, whisky, spice, blues and soul. She is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana currently based in Austin, Texas, but loves to visit us here in N.CA, and bring us her musical magic! She is currently touring in support of her new CD, "Right Where I Belong", available through her web site, or you can pick up a copy at the show. On Thursday she opens for John Hammond at the Raven in Healdsburg: http://www.raventheater.org/#Calendar for more info. Her website is here: http://www.wendycolonna.com , where you can learn more about her, download free songs, etc. For directions and to R.S.V.P., please email me at nemea23@comcast.net or call 707-824-0942 Please feel free to bring your favorite snacks and beverages, and all your friends!

Obsessed with Burning Man

nemea_arborvitae — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 15:59:02 GMT

In one month I will be at Burning Man! I am completey obsessed with researching, making lists, ordering things (I just ordered my boots!), and generally going nmfmihuifmklfejiofdnjkfhui! This is my first time, amazingly enough. I am going with my husband and a few of our friends, Tina, Chaz and maybe Alejandro. We will have a small and uncomplicated camp. It will be great!!! Okay, gotta go to Yardbirds!

Grief

nemea_arborvitae — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 20:48:19 GMT

Saturday morning we got a call from our neighbors as my husband and I and three of our friends who had been up til dawn celebrating my friend Ted's birthday were sleeping it off. The call was to let us know that our beloved cat Barnabas had been hit by a car at the end of our (long multi-house) driveway and was lying dead by the side of the road. They got our number because the day before I had just put on Barnabas' brand new ID tag, something he had never had before. Alex went up to the road and brought back His body. He was stiff and cold, and his left rear leg was broken, the bone sticking out. Otherwise he was in one piece, his eyes were open and clear and he looked like he was just hanging out with us as usual, but so still and cold. Mark and I are both devastated. Ted was also Barnabas' good friend as he had stayed with us for over a month when he first moved out here. We all cried and petted his body. He looked beautiful, his fur was shining. The cold crept into my hand and wouldn't go away. My mind spun into all kinds of scenarios where, had I been a better person, I would have prevented this tragedy. I know that isn't necessarily so, and nothing can be done now about it anyway. It's all so final. Alex dug a hole between roots under the redwood trees in our yard while we collected cat-mint and other herbs, sprinkled Barnabas with rosewater and told stories about his life through our tears. Then Mark laid him down between the roots of the tree and we covered him with herbs, and sprinkled him with more rosewater, all of us held hands in a circle and said goodbye. Mark and I sprinkled a little dirt into the hole, then mark filled in the rest, pulling the dirt in with his hands. Barnabas always loved to take his dirt baths, we called him the 'Dirt Kitty'. He would come in at night and lay on our velvet duvet and in the morning the duvet would be covered with a cat-shaped ring of dirt, and Barnabas would be all sparkling clean. Now he is becoming part of the dirt himself. What goes around comes around. I will write more Barnabas stories later. It is hard to do much of anything right now. Devastated. All the rest of the weekend Mark & I took breaks from crying by escaping into books and movies. We still see and hear him. Right now as I type this I look out the window through the translucent curtain at my car, where there is the motion of a leaf blown about by the breeze. When he heard me inside Barnabas used to get on top of my car and demand to be let in through the window. He would demand to be let in even if he was right by the cat door. So the leaf keeps giving me that sensation that I am about to see my big handsome boy doing something very silly. But he's not really there at all. I am pretty numb today. My heart is broken. He was such a great cat and our very good kitty. He was really an amazing companion, I have had cats before and he was the best!

Life goes on!

nemea_arborvitae — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 22:47:03 GMT

Thank goodness! My ill-advised foray into housecleaning ended blessedly soon after it began. I am finally feeling better after over a month of sickness and other physical distress. Now I need to not over-do it again. No Pride for me this year, alas. I have been advised by the i-ching to take care of the small tings, the big stuff is complete, just have to maintain the balance. Okay then! Many things have backed up, however. I feel overwhelmed when I think about it all, but when I just think about a few of the things it helps. So I haven't had as many exciting adventures recently as I'm used to having, but a few weeks ago I did go up to Harbin for one night of Ancient Ways, and back to Santa Rosa for the Techno Tribal dance at Health and Harmony. That was fun! I got to catch up with some folks I haven't seen in awhile. I also got to spend all night playing around with a couple friends in the heart-shaped pool. It was great because we got to be really silly, but also had some deep conversations, too, plus it was pretty darned sexy! I won't mention names because I don't like to kiss and tell, at least on the internet! I got to see my dear globetrotting Julie, who came with me to the dance party. Mostly I have been doing a lot of reading. Mysteries mostly, but recently I started rereading Angela Carter's 'The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman'. It has been many years since I read this incendiary hallucinogenic masterpiece. I was a young impressionable teenager of 14 or 15 when my mind was first warped by this great book. I am really enjoying it now, too, because I have more of an idea where here references are coming from. The other book I read around that time was William Kotzwinkle's 'Fata Morgana', the great psychic detective tale set in Edwardian Europe. Awesomely recommended! Who would have thought that a little teen girl such as I was could get such books out of the public library! It was soon after this I convinced my parents somehow to purchase for me H.R. Giger's big art book 'Necronimicon'. http://www.hrgiger.com/ Thanks Mom & Dad! The other interesting book I got recently was William Hope Hodgsons 'The Night Lands', set in a far distant future when the sun has died and the few million humans left on earth live in these underground pyramids. The surface of the earth is haunted by huge malevolent beings. I haven't got too far with this book because of the challenging nature of the archaic language he uses. This book was one of H.P. Lovecraft's big inspirations. Hodgson's 'The Ghost Pirates' is a wonderful gothic terror tale set on a long sea journey.

My New Little Friend!

nemea_arborvitae — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 06:12:40 GMT

What is her name???

Monkey Dance

nemea_arborvitae — Sat, 18 Jun 2005 02:59:12 GMT

My friend Dennis Murphy sent this to a list I'm on. http://www.centerofyourmind.com/images/dancemonkey.swf

Inspiration from Joseph Cornell

nemea_arborvitae — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 23:38:44 GMT

http://www.sharingnature.com/beauty/

VdGG in Italy

nemea_arborvitae — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 23:29:23 GMT

Boy, I wish I was there! Download the Milan show here: http://www.dariotortora.net/ Check out more pix here: http://www.romaestate.com/edizione2005/diario.htm http://www.ankh-morpork.it/frittomisto/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=vdgg Thanks to Dario and Paolo for sharing the magic!