One for the Compliments Diary

Richard and Angela (and Tracy!) are up in Portland this weekend doing a series of waltz workshops. I didn't have the time or the money to attend the workshops, but I went to the dance last night. It was fun to walk in and surprise Angela and Tracy at the door, and Richard at the music station. Richard got up and gave me a big hug and said hi and whatnot. Then the woman from Waltz Eclectic (the group that's putting on the workshops and dance) came over and saw that we knew each other, and asked me, "So, how do we get more young people like you to our events?" Before I could answer Richard piped up and said, "Have her teach!" Meaning me! I confess I was mildly flabbergasted (and extremely honored), but the woman snatched it up immediately and asked excitedly, "Oh, would you?" Eep! What did Richard get me into?! I don't know if I'll be able to do it (I don't know if I have the time or the expertise), but it was definitely a compliment if I've ever received one!

Also at the dance I met a number of people with various connections to Stanford (or connections to people with connections to Stanford), and connections to things that will be very useful for me in the very near future. But that will be the subject of another post, because I've been very lax in reporting my recent news, to which these connections relate. Let's just say there are ambitious projects afoot. I promise I'll enlighten you soon, likely in a series of posts.

In other, smaller (but still interesting) news, I've been invited to take over the position of Garden Coordinator for the PSU Community Garden. My friend Lisa has been doing the job for the last 9 months or so and she's ready to step down, and she said she thought I'd do a great job. It would be great for the experience, but from what I've witnessed, it's a heck of a lot of work (supposedly 5 hours a week, but usually more like 15) for a very small stipend ($50/month). So, we'll see. It would be a good thing for a resume and experience, but I have so many other things going on right now.

Anyway, that's all you get for now. The exciting news will have to wait.

Inspiring Words of the Day

I went to a lecture last night entitled "Re-Building Communities for Sustainable Living: Birthright, Convergence and Abundance," given by Mark Lakeman, co-founder of City Repair. It was a very inspiring talk with lots of really cool slides. City Repair is an organization that helps communities implement projects to turn space into place, and has been involved in such projects as illegal intersection painting, building a 24-hour solar-powered tea station (maintained by neighbors), and other really cool things. Anyway, the quote I pulled out from the evening that was the most inspiring, and possibly said the most about the society in which we live today and its receptivity to certain ideas and practices, was: "If you want to change the world, you've got to stop asking permission." I like it.

Alice goes Adventuring

John and I took Alice outside this afternoon, just to see what she would do. We put her in her little cardboard travel box (which is barely bigger than she is) and took her down the stairs and out to the grassy area next to the greenhouses behind our building. We set the box down on the concrete at the edge of the grass and opened it up to see what she would do. She sniffed around and looked around and mewed pathetically for a few moments, then hopped out, because it was obviously expected of her (okay, who am I kidding? Since when do cats do anything because it is expected of them?). She stayed really close to us on the concrete and went back to the box and tried to climb back in pretty quickly (it was also drizzling out -- no, please don't call the SPCA!) John decided to take the box out into the middle of the grass and let her try that, since she hadn't really explored the grass. She seemed to like that much better, and actually set off exploring in the plants and shrubs by the side of the greenhouse. John and I stood at opposite ends of the greenhouse to catch her when she came our way (we didn't want her crawling under the greenhouse door where we were unable to follow her!), and eventually put her back in her box and took her home to treats and petting. She was a very brave kitty, and a good thing, too, since we plan to make cat outings a regular occurrence. We're going to get a cat harness and leash so we can let her roam a little more freely (ironically enough), and hopefully she'll start getting bolder and more active and maybe lose some weight. Then in the summer time we can take her on picnics and let her romp in the (dry) grass! :P