Home at last, an honest woman

[theatokos]

Returned late Wed. night. Miraculously my mac is working and there is internet to be jacked. Thank you to all for your well wishes. The wedding was a week ago today and I could not have asked for better weather. My mum tells me that if we had gotten married today none of the family would have been able to make it off the island - it's been so foggy they can't see the ferries pass in front of the island! They day itself was the perfect mix of sunshine and clouds, breeze and warmth. A limo picked up the wedding party from our respective "getting ready" places and we had time to kill so we stopped by a liquor store and procured two bottles of champagne: one for the ride to the glacier and one for the post-wedding ride to the reception. I highly recommend this to all who are planning a wedding. Takes the edge off and provides room for much laughter. Having a slightly tipsy wedding party is a good thing, in my book.

The reception too was nice. As it turns out I am glad we did not have a band play. Everyone was chatting away and angrynewcomer's jazz playlist and miss_ogony's more upbeat selections were just perfect for conversation.

There will be picture soon. Promise.

However, upon my return all the stress has finally caught up with me. I have been ill for a few days. It's nice to be back in California, as this is where my life is and where most of my friends are these days. There is an energy here that gets me amped up for my life. Although, the peace and beauty of South East Alaska feed that still place inside my soul. I miss the myriad shades of grey and green that the ocean and rain forest provide. Still, though, it's nice to count on sunshine every day - especially when one only has a bike for transportation.

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In other news, I have read numerous books inthe last two and half weeks:

*A book on Meher Baba, the title I forget. He is considered the Avatar, a reincarnation of Jesus, Muhammad and other great sages. I enjoyed reading this a lot. Much of what I like about Jesus was present in Meher Baba's own life, words and deeds. Much of what irritates me about Jesus was also present, but I found those things (a dislikeable self-righteousness, a need for unquestioning obedience, calling God 'He,' and a tendency to only teach and assist men. In fact Jesus may have more interactions with women than were noted in this book on Meher Baba.) less acceptable in this day and age.

*Two Jasper Fforde books, The Big Over-Easy and The Well of Lost Plots. Sheer ridiculous bookish silliness. Mind candy for those obsessed with books, especially detective genre fiction.

*An Agatha Christie mystery - something about murder in Iraq, Hercule Poirot, archeology, and bludgeoning.

*Jay McInerney's Bacchus and Me. Fantastic essays on wine. Makes me want to buy a bottle of everything he talks about so I can follow along better. After reading this book I also suspect that I have never had really good champagne. And I am reminded that I know shit about French and Italian wines.

*Eat Pray Love. I found this book Thursday morning at the place where Adam and I had breakfast on our way to get groceries. I need to mail it back to the woman who left it there since it had pay stubs, a pay check and other items in it marking her spot. I devoured this book in less than 24 hrs. It's fantastic. It's a spiritual memoir/travel journal book, but doesn't fall into the generic pretentiousness of most modern memoirs. If you love travel, yoga, Italy, India or Bali, I highly recommend this. goddessofmercy I'm looking right at you.

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Lastly, I did not get in. However, I made it past the first cull and I had only once suggestion on my feedback sheet for improvement: more depth. This is easily fixable: more singing. I cannot believe that nothing else was listed. None of the musicianship stuff I feared I'd bungled came up! I am not disappointed at all by this news. The audition was the most successful I've ever had and my schedule is much, much more free this year than it would otherwise be. And there's always next year. After more singing.

Comments

More singing

[hrafntinna.livejournal.com]

Yes.

Looking forward to the pics

[(Anonymous)]

Murder in Mesopotamia - it's an old favourite.
I'm curently reading "Brideshead Revisited" a 1920's Oxford fiction memoir-esque that is more gay than I had could have imagined. Oxford students eating strawberries, drinking Chardonnay, linking arms, calling each other 'dahling' and speaking randomly en francais. It's very good...
I'll look forward to seeing the pics - I'm sure you looked stunning! I hope that the return to your California life is as welcoming as it can be and the normality and the difference of your time in Alaska are both kind and inviting to you... xo Pád.

Re: Looking forward to the pics

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you were an Agatha Christie fan! My parents have read everything she's ever written; used to have them all in the house too. I find them... formulaic, but that darned Hucule Poirot is so cute!

I have heard Brideshead is marvelous. Evelyn Waugh, no?

[ginger-root.livejournal.com]

oh my goodness. well, first off, congrats on the wedding! yay!

and SECOND off, i just finished eat pray love and am off my brain in LOVE with it! i just gave it to two of my girlfriends to read, and BOTH of them are also in love. it's just the perfect summer read and so sweet and lovely and un-pretentious and brilliant. i adored it. yes.

ok, congrats again! welcome home, you've been missed!

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Of course you loved Eat Pray Love! Yes, it just sucked me right in. I had no idea it was going to be so yoga oriented. I am developing a passion for yoga and it spoke to a lot of underdeveloped thoughts I've been having.

[goddessofmercy.livejournal.com]

Much of what irritates me about Jesus was also present, but I found those things (a dislikeable self-righteousness, a need for unquestioning obedience, calling God 'He,' and a tendency to only teach and assist men. In fact Jesus may have more interactions with women than were noted in this book on Meher Baba.) less acceptable in this day and age.

i can't speak to your first point because i am not sure what you are talking to, and i have a response to your second point but it's rather long and not necessarily easy for lj commentsing, but the third point is patently wrong. i'm not sure what the book said because i haven't read it. it's more an introductory book then anything, but Baba had just as many (if not more) women mandali then he did men. they were all smart, educated women from all over the world who often held positions of power and authority both in the world and within Baba's group. like i said, i don't know what the book discusses, it could focus on the men mandali for some reason, but the reality was not that he only, or even mostly, taught and assisted men.

I highly recommend this. goddessofmercy I'm looking right at you.

you're right, it sounds like it's exactly up my alley. i'll go check it out as soon as i can because i'm looking for some good books.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

I hope you did not take offense (hard to tell sometimes with brief posts); I didn't mean any. And I note that it could just be the book - the author mentions Baba's interactions with lepers (male), disciples (mainly male but some reference to women). Mostly men were referenced or the male pronoun. You had mentioned the female mandali before, so it's hard to tell if it's author's bias and/or oversight, or Baba's general upbringing in a patriarchal culture. I'd like to think that God would be above that....

As for the book, if you haven't already purchased it, hold off and I will send it to you! We have a couple of things to mail to you: Chris' tie and belt, a spoon of yours we've had for ages, etc.

[goddessofmercy.livejournal.com]

I hope you did not take offense (hard to tell sometimes with brief posts); I didn't mean any.

i'm not offended, although perhaps a little bothered. bothered that the book i lent left out so much and bothered by the academic tone of your response because i don't feel trained enough to respond on the same level.

You had mentioned the female mandali before, so it's hard to tell if it's author's bias and/or oversight, or Baba's general upbringing in a patriarchal culture. I'd like to think that God would be above that....

i'm not sure why the book mostly mentions the men, although it's adapted from a phd dissertation so maybe it has something to do with the author's original topic. i, of course, don't think Baba has any patriarchal bias. but i'm certainly prejudiced in my opinion and know things that probably weren't in the book.

As for the book, if you haven't already purchased it, hold off and I will send it to you! We have a couple of things to mail to you: Chris' tie and belt, a spoon of yours we've had for ages, etc.

ok, that sounds great. i would love to read the book. i thought you had to mail it back to it's owner?

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I understand your aversion to my academic tone. I tend to try to keep my religious topics couched in those tones to protect both myself and others. When next we're together we can talk more personally about the book. Although the understanding of it being an adaption from a PhD helps put it in more context.

As for Eat Pray Love, I have sent the original back to the owner, but I'd be happy to send you the copy that I will be buying for myself!

[goddessofmercy.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I understand your aversion to my academic tone. I tend to try to keep my religious topics couched in those tones to protect both myself and others.

it's just hard to feel like i could really be a part of that kind of conversation.

When next we're together we can talk more personally about the book. Although the understanding of it being an adaption from a PhD helps put it in more context.

oh sure, i'd be happy to talk about it next time we see each other.

As for Eat Pray Love, I have sent the original back to the owner, but I'd be happy to send you the copy that I will be buying for myself!

i would love that. i checked out the book on my lunch hour yesterday and it was wonderful. i too wanted to gobble it up in one sitting.