Tuesday, September 23, 2008

There's a lot swirling in this head of mine-top 10 list

yowza.  I'm making myself write tonight because I have a lot in me yet I feel kinda silent.  Every night I do my "Liv" exploring and research and each night I seem to get more aware of the magnitude of specialness this all is - and it's recently just let me feeling quiet.

I do want to express myself though as to fulfill my goal so that I remember everything I'm going through.  So onward with random thoughts and updates.

1.  Quick recap from the Ethiopian festival.  It was good, really good.  Wonderful, beautiful, diverse looking people crowded the Fairfax street and danced.  Contagious energy.  The dances were so amazing, shoulders jumping, necks turning, feet bouncing.  I loved it and I just stood in amazement so lucky to be joining this beautiful culture.  We also had an amazing dinner and talked to a very friendly merchant who befriended Chris and Heather last xmas.

2.  Heather and Chris have been matched with beautiful baby M and I'm so happy for them.  I look at her and think I get to be apart of her life and she will be a friend of Liv's and I feel so lucky.

3.  I'm starting my travel shots in the morning.  Yuck, yuck, yuck.  Not happy about this but part of the deal.  more to come on this.

4.  Look at this beautiful kid's clothing line  http://www.lemlem.com/about.html
/Lemlem n 1 hand made in Ethiopia from natural cotton.
/lem:lem v 2 [Amharic] bloom, flourish. 3 [history] Since ancient times in the land of the Queen of Sheba, the Ethiopian people have adorned themselves in beautiful hand woven and hand embroidered clothing. The hand spinning of cotton and intricate embroidery was the work of women while the hand weaving was done mainly by men. It is our wish to bring to you an incredible handwork and help preserve this ancient art form by creating opportunities for the Artisans.  Really amazing.

5. Amazing Ethiopian - Poet Laureate—Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin http://www.ethiopians.com/tsegaye/
is Ethiopia’s premier versatile and prolific man of letters. For half a century now he has been continuously productive as poet, playwright, essayist, social critic, philologist, historiographer, dramatist, synthesist, peace activist, artistic director...on matters national, continental and global. Even if he has yet to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, he has often been more appreciated and duly honored abroad than in his own land. Perhaps this is in keeping with that old Ethiopian saying to the effect that ‘a prophet is often not esteemed in his own country.’ In this day and age, when most of us have been preoccupied and indeed consumed by wars and rumors of wars in Ethiopia-Eritrea and elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, it seems as though there is nothing else of positive value or of grave concern that deserves or commands the attention of Ethiopians. Today we shall take time out from violence and war and reflect on the life and works of Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin who is a living legend, a literary hero, and as one observer described him recently, Ethiopia’s “biblical sage”.

6. Jan Eleni Collage - LOVE THIS SO COOL.
LOVE and jan eleni inc are proud to introduce the jan eleni collage™ – an exclusive archival art piece of your child’s personal art, being offered exclusively thru LOVE.

Our unique archiving process starts off with collecting your child’s art and other paper treasures you may have collected over the years. We then edit all the pieces – carefully reviewing each one - to pull together a feel of the art. This beautiful, handcrafted piece is created using archival inks, papers, glues and boards - made to last a lifetime, if not longer.

Our end product is a professionally framed collage of little square-sized repro cards for you to treasure. A vast collection of art turned into one specialty piece of art. http://www.shopwithlove.net/ee/index.php?/love/calendarDetail/jan_eleni_collage/

7.  The universe aligns itself for my greater good.

8.  Prompted by Heather, getting California Closets out for an estimate for Liv's closet which is pretty much not functional in it's current state.

9.  Natalie reminds me to savor every moment, this time, the time in the future and just time in general.

10.  LOVE MY FRIENDS.  thank you to Alexis and Kristin.

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