Building a fire is an art in and of itself. Most people probably already know this, but I didn't realize it before. Maybe because I've never been camping or lived in a home with a fireplace, never barbecued or been a Boy Scout. Basically, the fire has never been my responsibility, so I took it for granted on the few occasions I've been near one.
Now that I have a wood-burning stove, I appreciate the finesse required to build a truly magnificent fire. It's so much more than igniting a pile of sticks; to successfully create and sustain a reliable source of heat, all the while maximizing limited materials, temperature, and duration - the entire process is satisfyingly primal.
Every fire has its own personality; like a snowflake, no tongue of a flame is the same. Some fires are introverted, smoldering sullenly. Others are lively, noisy and insistent (these are my favorite). I love to build and sustain high intensity blazes; I create a soft bed of newspapers tied in Nantucket knots, then layer thick and thin kindling over the knots. Toss one or two larger logs on top of this, and then ignite the knotted newspaper in as many areas as possible. Thanks to Kate's patient tutelage, I too can set fires safely (relatively speaking)!
Around the holidays, we made a lot of s'mores in the stove. I'm kind of glad that phase is over... all the chocolate and marshmallows, on top of holiday food, was really adding up. I realized that the era of the s'mores had to end when, after one evening of wine and enthusiastic s'mores-making, I found burnt marshmallows mashed into the carpet by inattentive feet. Do you have any idea how hard that is to clean up???
Anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying the wood-burning stove. I'd be screwed if I were expected to rub two sticks together in the forest somewhere. Completely and utterly screwed. But at least I can build a nice domestic fire!
Speaking of which, I should throw another log on...
24 January, 2009
21 January, 2009
holidays, etc...
"No matter where you go or what you do, you live your entire life within the confines of your head."
-Terry Josephson
True, true. At least in my case. I spend so much time fretting, worrying, obsessing, planning, hoping, ad infinitum. I probably lose 60% of my day in empty action, 39% in idle thought, and 1% in true creativity. Can I change this somehow? I'm really not sure. I've felt revitalized as of late - all the travelling I've done in the last month has contributed directly to my newfound energy. Still, I haven't accomplished much in the creative realm. Usually, the autumn is a very productive season for me, as far as writing goes, but I haven't written anything since last summer - almost 6 months! Time to get back on it. Maybe I should blame the corporate job for my artistic woes...
It's been a wonderful few weeks - busy as hell, which I usually hate. I prefer my schedule to be completely open and to fill it as I go, rather than have a fully booked schedule weeks in advance (no matter the nature of the activities). The week before Christmas, I flew to NYC and met Adrienne. Three hours after my flight arrived, Adrienne and I were back on the road, leaving Brooklyn and heading back to Kansas (she didn't want to drive all the way back alone so I flew out to keep her company). We've cross-country road-tripped a few times together, and it was good for us to have a few days alone. We stopped on the Pennsylvania turnpike and she told me about her father's last week alive as rain pummelled the windshield. We listened to music, sang along, gossiped, and read aloud to each other (a REALLY bad book I was required to read for work). All in all, a very good time for reunited best friends. The highlight of the trip? Adrienne announcing that she's a socialist to a packed continental breakfast bar in Indiana. I literally saw a man lean over to shelter his young children as he glared at her with unveiled suspicion.
A couple weeks later I was on the other side of the continent, in LA for work. I spent 2 weeks in a leadership training program, enjoying a hotel 20 minutes away from Malibu and the Pacific Coast Highway. Dave came to visit one weekend and we stalked celebrities (didn't see a damn one), searched for a not-too-busy In-and-Out Burger, and snuggled on the Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel. The night before I left LA, I had a very unexpected conversation until 4am - about which I am still somewhat conflicted. An odd conversation, that I've thought of every day since...
In 4 weeks I'm going to Uganda with Adrienne, to see Kate! We're going on a 3 day safari, during which I will poke a lion, arm-wrestle a baboon, and ride an ostrich. I'm very excited, but already feeling exhausted. The flight back will be the worst: we'll spend a day in London, which will be fun, but when I finally get back to the US I'll have to sleep overnight in the Detroit airport while waiting for my final flight back to Kansas. I'm only there for a few hours, so it's pointless to get a hotel room. Anyway, I imagine I'll be so exhausted by that point that I'll pass out in the terminal with no problem.
So yes... it's been a busy month with no immediate end in sight. As mentioned above, I'm feeling energized but still struggling to make time for me. I want to feel productive. I want to create so that I can remember my experiences (both the extraordinary and the mundane) and somehow immortalize them before my recollections fade. I've found a tool to force myself into creative work - something that will be fun and challenging. I never took any writing classes in school, so I missed out on a lot of these basic exercises. It's time to get those juices flowing again!
I'm thinking of it as a sort of mental yoga. Stretching, breathing, building flexibility and strength. I'm sure I won't have time for each exercise I have planned, but even a few will help!
-Terry Josephson
True, true. At least in my case. I spend so much time fretting, worrying, obsessing, planning, hoping, ad infinitum. I probably lose 60% of my day in empty action, 39% in idle thought, and 1% in true creativity. Can I change this somehow? I'm really not sure. I've felt revitalized as of late - all the travelling I've done in the last month has contributed directly to my newfound energy. Still, I haven't accomplished much in the creative realm. Usually, the autumn is a very productive season for me, as far as writing goes, but I haven't written anything since last summer - almost 6 months! Time to get back on it. Maybe I should blame the corporate job for my artistic woes...
It's been a wonderful few weeks - busy as hell, which I usually hate. I prefer my schedule to be completely open and to fill it as I go, rather than have a fully booked schedule weeks in advance (no matter the nature of the activities). The week before Christmas, I flew to NYC and met Adrienne. Three hours after my flight arrived, Adrienne and I were back on the road, leaving Brooklyn and heading back to Kansas (she didn't want to drive all the way back alone so I flew out to keep her company). We've cross-country road-tripped a few times together, and it was good for us to have a few days alone. We stopped on the Pennsylvania turnpike and she told me about her father's last week alive as rain pummelled the windshield. We listened to music, sang along, gossiped, and read aloud to each other (a REALLY bad book I was required to read for work). All in all, a very good time for reunited best friends. The highlight of the trip? Adrienne announcing that she's a socialist to a packed continental breakfast bar in Indiana. I literally saw a man lean over to shelter his young children as he glared at her with unveiled suspicion.
A couple weeks later I was on the other side of the continent, in LA for work. I spent 2 weeks in a leadership training program, enjoying a hotel 20 minutes away from Malibu and the Pacific Coast Highway. Dave came to visit one weekend and we stalked celebrities (didn't see a damn one), searched for a not-too-busy In-and-Out Burger, and snuggled on the Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel. The night before I left LA, I had a very unexpected conversation until 4am - about which I am still somewhat conflicted. An odd conversation, that I've thought of every day since...
In 4 weeks I'm going to Uganda with Adrienne, to see Kate! We're going on a 3 day safari, during which I will poke a lion, arm-wrestle a baboon, and ride an ostrich. I'm very excited, but already feeling exhausted. The flight back will be the worst: we'll spend a day in London, which will be fun, but when I finally get back to the US I'll have to sleep overnight in the Detroit airport while waiting for my final flight back to Kansas. I'm only there for a few hours, so it's pointless to get a hotel room. Anyway, I imagine I'll be so exhausted by that point that I'll pass out in the terminal with no problem.
So yes... it's been a busy month with no immediate end in sight. As mentioned above, I'm feeling energized but still struggling to make time for me. I want to feel productive. I want to create so that I can remember my experiences (both the extraordinary and the mundane) and somehow immortalize them before my recollections fade. I've found a tool to force myself into creative work - something that will be fun and challenging. I never took any writing classes in school, so I missed out on a lot of these basic exercises. It's time to get those juices flowing again!
I'm thinking of it as a sort of mental yoga. Stretching, breathing, building flexibility and strength. I'm sure I won't have time for each exercise I have planned, but even a few will help!
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