this ain't livin'

Rose Memorial Park | 30Nov07

I’ve been spending a lot of time at the cemetery lately, primarily because we have a pretty nice cemetery, and also because I’ve been working on a project there. I also just like cemeteries. They are quiet, and peaceful, and rather beautiful, and there are always lots of things to explore. Like most angsty teenagers, I spent my fair share of time in the cemetery in my youth, and it’s kind of enjoyable to come back with more experience; and while our cemetery is fairly small, I find something new every time I go. I always come away with a stack of photos (figuratively speaking) and questions about the various people in the cemetery.

Rose Memorial Park is pretty excellent, as far as cemeteries go. I sometimes run into someone there, but generally I try to give people their space, seeing as how they are usually visiting graves of people they loved and I’m photographing lichen and interesting floral carvings. I also try to do my part there, in terms up uprighting flowers which have been knocked over and cleaning headstones. Our cemetery seems to be pretty vandal-free, which is rather nice; most of the upended flowers and tombstones appear to have been moved by the force of nature, not by nasty little fingers.

While I was walking in the cemetery the other day, someone came in to be cremated. First I saw the funeral home’s van whisking briskly down the central driveway, and then a second car, and about half an hour later, a thready line of smoke came up from the crematorium. This being a small sort of place, chances are that I probably knew that person, and I took a moment to hope that his or her passing was brief, surrounded by friends and family.

One of the most interesting things about Rose Memorial, to me, is the old section. Our older graves aren’t incredibly old, but they are oldish, and they are hidden away among the trees on sloping hill to the North. If you amble down the hill, you can see Pudding Creek below, often with a few waterbirds splashing around. It seems like a calm, peaceful sort of place, and it makes me wonder if you can apply to be buried in the old section. I wouldn’t mind hanging out with Woodrow E. Matthews and Andrew Christensen, “born in province of West Prussia.”

The old section is also a bit sad, as there are some graves which are marked only by tin tags which once held slips of paper, or fading wooden grave markers. I hope that the cemetery has a complete listing somewhere of all those graves, because it would be sad to be lost entirely, and it makes me wonder about the possibility of setting up a nonprofit organization to put up headstones for those people so that people can wander around 50 years from now and still find them.

There are also a surprising number of infant and baby graves, most of which are divided into three sections from the early 1900s, the mid 1900s, and today, although a few are scattered and alone. Baby graves are kind of depressing. There’s something very grim about the obviously small plots and the grave markers of people who only lived for a few hours, if at all. You also learn surprising things about people, in the baby graves section; I felt like an unwanted voyeur in the modern baby graves.

There’s incredible variance at Rose Memorial, from the regimented military graves to the flat brass plaques in the modern section. The Van Damme crypt, and a hand-made headstone set with stained glass. Beautiful and ornate floral carvings, and plain headstones marked only with a simple cross or Star of David. One grave is surrounded by blown glass flowers, in a permanent memorial, and many of the Catholics have big lamps on their graves. Some of the older graves are still covered in flowers and mementos, while some new graves are barren and lonely. Francisco Hurtado, querido esposo, padre, abuelito, has a marker covered in flowers and angels, although he passed away six years ago. Many of the old baby graves have flowers; I think that someone goes around and distributes them, and I think that’s very touching.

Every now and then I see the grave of someone I know, and I stop by for a brief visit, to straighten their flowers and say hello. The dead are excellent listeners, of course, but if you sit in a state of stillness for a long time, sometimes you can hear them responding to you.

The slideshow below is a collection of some of my more interesting photos from Rose Memorial Park. If you click on each photo, you can get more details about it, or you can just enjoy the photographs. If you have information about the lives of any of the people buried in Rose Memorial, please tell me about it; I would like to collect the stories of people buried there. I’m also a volunteer for Find a Grave, so if you have any special requests, be sure and let me know.

(Alas, if you’re reading along on an RSS feed, you may have to click through to see the photographs; I apologize, but it appears that some feed readers take exception to embedded material. If you happen to know a nifty trick for setting up a slideshow which will appear in feed readers, let me know!)

Whiny Candlesticks | 30Nov07

10 surprising secrets about the Presidential debates, courtesy of NPR. While this article was published in 2004, I doubt that much has changed.

Make these cookies. Only use good chocolate chips and a dash of nutmeg as well. These cookies will change your life.

The Times pronounces the “Best Books of 2007.” I haven’t read any of them…have you?

Ingrid Betancourt, along with several other Columbian hostages feared dead, is actually still alive.

Wedding guests are contributing a surprising amount to the wedding industry. Going to a wedding ain’t cheap these days.

A deal has been put on the table in the writers strike negotiations: here’s the AMPTP on the matter, and here’s the WGA (you will need to scroll down a bit to the official press release, since the WGA is putting updates on the top of this page). Notice any, er, differences?

Urban Pedestrian is my final NaBloPoMo pick; the author has been doing an entertaining Q&A all month.

Housekeeping | 29Nov07

While I am not a big fan of posts with miscellaneous announcements, I have enough miscellaneous announcements at this point that I am going to make a post of them, rather than appending them to other posts at random. However, be of good cheer, gentle readers, because the first miscellaneous announcement is pretty cool.

Announcement the first:

My photography now has its very own site, six:fourteen. It is pretty sweet, and you should go check it out; I am still working out some kinks with the template, so please let me know if you encounter any major problems. I also have photographs up on my Flickr page, but the ones on six:fourteen are the cream of the crop, and therefore much cooler.

Announcement the second:

I have a Sometimes Asked Questions page up now, so if you have questions that need answering, let me know. I’m also moving some things around in the sidebar, which is pretty much irrelevant to those of you who read along via RSS, but for those of you who do visit the main page, is there anything in the sidebar that you really want to stay or go away?

Announcement the third:

Because I have been inundated with comment spam lately, I am closing all comments on posts over a month old. I really don’t like having to do this, because one never knows when someone might have a comment or correction; if people do spot errors or take issue with something in an older post, they can still email me, however. I chose to close comments rather than adding obnoxious barriers like registration, because I don’t see any reason to punish you guys with draconian measures to combat spammers. That said, I hate spammers and I really hate comment spam, and I would like to see the spammers and their ilk die a grisly, uncomfortable death at the hands of rabid wallabies.

Announcement the fourth:

I recently ordered groceries for delivery from Harvest, and was surprised to find that I was actually rather pleased by the whole experience. I didn’t really want to write a whole fawning post over it, but I thought it was worth noting. I ordered late at night for next day delivery and the groceries were delivered nice and early, with all dairy products properly refrigerated. Whoever pulled the order is obviously as anal about produce as I am, because the produce was glorious and I really couldn’t have picked better myself. If this experience is anything to go by, I’ll probably make ordering groceries a regular thing, seeing as how I don’t have a car and I hate having to finagle rides to Harvest from people.

There is a $10 processing fee, presumably to cover pulling the groceries and delivering them. For someone without a car, that fee is pretty reasonable; for people who are too lazy to go to the grocery store, it’s kind of dumb. I think it might actually save me money in the long term though, because I cannot make impulse purchases if I don’t go into the grocery store.

That is all. I apologize for this rather mundane post, but now that I’ve gotten all that out of my system, we can return to regularly scheduled programming.

Tangled Fudge | 29Nov07

Paul Campos looks at the medical establishment’s definition of “overweight,” and questions its validity. The comments are pretty interesting as well.

An intrepid journalist lives in the Mall of the Americas for a week to learn more about it.

The Monterey County Weekly looks at the challenges of eating locally, as well as the rewards. “The inherently intriguing stories behind the milk and honey, the bacon and eggs, the apples and onions allow for another layer of flavor I didn’t necessarily anticipate.”

Muslim Girl Scout Troops are getting more common, which I happen to think is pretty neat. It’s a bummer that Muslim girls feel like they need to “fit in,” though.

An Advocate reporter was assigned to cook a meal using food from the Food Bank, and the story about his experiences is pretty interesting.

American attitudes about the war are extremely conflicted, as this Washington Post feature illustrates. While people on the West Coast might think the war faces unilateral opposition across the country, that’s actually not the case.

Smart Like Streetcar is my NaBloPoMo pick for the day; I like the commentary, I like the photos, and I just plain like the title, so go check it out.

Awareness | 28Nov07

So I’ve been out on the Pudding Creek Trestle pretty much every day on my bike, and I’ve noticed some interesting things about people, cars, bicycles, and dogs. I’m fairly certain that these observations apply to other regions of the world as well as my own, so I thought I would talk about them. Consider this post a public service announcement, and please pass it on to all your leg, car, bicycle, or dog owning friends.

People, it seems, are incapable of dealing with the emotional stress of being around someone on a bicycle. I actually wrote a letter to the editor about this because it’s been such a source of irritation for me; we’ll see if it gets published. Given that the last time I was mentioned in the Advocate, they misspelled the name of this website and didn’t give a URL, I don’t have high hopes. At any rate, here’s the thing, pedestrians:

When you see a bike, keep right. It’s really that simple. Bicyclists really do not want to hit you. If you hear a bicyclist shout “on your left,” keep right, and everything will be just fine. Honestly. It will. If you’re, say, walking with a large group of people on a narrow bridge, you might not want to take up the entire bridge. This will allow pedestrians going the other way to get around you without making a fuss, and it will allow bicyclists to move up from behind you. If you want to stop and take pictures, by all means do it, but don’t leave your camera bag in the middle of the road/bridge/street/trail/whatever.

Please do not jump out in front of cyclists. While we can stop fairly quickly, we cannot stop that quickly. Also, when someone waves at you and says “good morning,” the correct response is something along the lines of “good morning” or “hello,” not an icy stare and a grumble. This is known as common courtesy, and while it can be difficult to grasp, it will make your life much easier.

Cars and I seem to get along fairly well. The only thing that really annoys me, as a cyclist, is when a car stops to yield to me and it shouldn’t. While this is very nice, it is not safe, smart, or legal. Bikes are traffic. When I stop at a four way stop and you get there before me, you get to go first. Likewise, you shouldn’t stop for me in the middle of highway one because a car could slam into you. Also, I probably won’t be able to go because of the car speeding from the opposite direction. Please do not stop and then shout at me to go when there is another car coming, because I am not going to put myself in the way of something which will kill me.

Cars, be smart. Be aware of cyclists, try to remember to check your mirrors, and treat them like traffic, because that is what they are.

Bicycles are pretty awesome, although sometimes their riders are not so awesome. We all know that I have a short temper, and therefore the potential to turn into an angry cyclist, but I try to greet people I see, signal my intentions, and to be aware of what’s going on around me. Cyclists who zoom past with no thought to old ladies, children, pets, or other cyclists are lame. Cyclists, don’t do that. As traffic, you need to be responsible about signaling and making smart decisions. Also, please be careful around people in wheelchairs; it is not reasonable to expect them to magically hear you coming and move out of your way in 10 seconds.

Dogs: please do not poop in the middle of trails and roads. Your owners are usually too lazy to clean it up, and then it smells bad, and sometimes I don’t see it in time and I run it over with my bike and then there is poop on my bike tire and then it flies back and hits me in the face, and it is really gross.

People who own dogs: please clean up after them when they poop. Especially when doggie clean up bags are so kindly provided. Along with trashcans. That goes for people with dogs in cemeteries, too.

In short, gentle readers, a little awareness goes a long way, and it will make your life much easier. Help stamp out motive stupidity!

Swollen Guitars | 28Nov07

Planning Quote of the Day has an excellent planning related quote every weekday. And none of this sappy inspirational stuff either; it’s a collection of pithy, amusing, fantastic city planning quotes. And I’m not just saying that because they quote me.

Street art has been blooming in the wake of the war on terror.

Speaking of the war on terror, if you’ve ever wanted a tracker of Orwellian news items, 1984comic.com is definitely the site for you.

The Smart Set is an online publication of Drexel University. While it’s normally quite good, right now there’s an excellent article on boar hunting up, so go read it.

Bill Luers writes about the experience of killing a turkey for Thanksgiving. It would appear that slaughtering your own animals and writing agonized articles about it is the new black.

The Times finally picks up the MySpace hoax/suicide story; if you haven’t read it, you should. It will totally destroy your faith in humanity, and then you’ll be just like me!

The Gimp Parade has long been one of my favorite sites, and I was pleased to learn that Kay is participating in NaBloPoMo; go check it out.

Greengrocer | 27Nov07

Lying awake in bed last night, I came up with a new backup plan in case my current attempt at making a living fails: I think I should become a greengrocer. I’d stock seasonally available locally farmed produce, with some wildcrafted foods like mushrooms and berries in season. I’d have a neat little shop with flowers in the window and little slate chalkboards with the daily offerings. In nice weather, a table out front with plump fruits to lure in customers. I’d call it something witty and wear a natty red apron.

Most people here don’t know what a greengrocer is, which is a real pity, since greengrocers are awesome, and if we had one, I would buy all my produce there. The greengrocer was one of the things I loved most about Ireland; going into the bright and clean little shop with beautiful produce laid out like a display in an art gallery, and being able to talk to the proprietor about where the food came from and how to cook mysterious items. I loved the fact that the food changed every day, that the air had a rich, earthy scent from potatoes overlaid with sweet fruity overtones. I loved going next door to the butcher, and wandering down the street to the cheese shop and the bakery.

I like greengrocers because they are so focused on produce that their produce is usually top notch. There’s none of this supplementing a market with a paltry assortment of produce; it’s all produce, all the time. Some greengrocers also go the extra mile and work with local farmers, visiting their farms and interacting with their families. This is good business, especially right now when eating locally is starting to get trendy, but it also makes sense. Local produce is more fresh, and less subject to damage from transportation. It also keeps funds in the community, and by meeting farmers and seeing their farms, you can choose produce from farms which use cultivation practices you support.

It’s such a pity that the supermarket has taken over, making greengrocers, fishmongers, butchers, and bakers a thing of the past, or a novelty. We’re really fortunate to have Roundman’s, which is a real honest to Pete butcher shop, and I know that butchers can be found in cities to cater to special customers, but most small towns don’t have the luxury of their own butcher or cheese shop. Or, if they do, it’s aimed at yuppies, and things are overpriced and gimmicky. It seems like there always has to be a gimmick these days.

I had this vision in the middle of the night of a plain, simple, straight up greengrocer. Where I could stand behind the produce I sold because I had visited the place where it was grown. Where people could wander in and pick up interesting local news and some chard. Alas, in the pastiche filled hellhole that this town is becoming, the boosters would probably love it, but I think I could rise above that, because good produce is something which transcends pastiche.

How many of my gentle readers live in a town with a greengrocer?

Local readers, do you think that this town could support a greengrocer?

Drunken Dew | 27Nov07

Today marks the second day of a phone call blitz from WGA supporters to studio representatives. The details to help out are in this thread, along with a helpful script for people who are feeling lazy.

Truffles. They’re mysterious, they have social cachet, and, uh, how exactly do you eat them?

The Polaris Project is fighting for a world without slavery. That’s something I can get behind.

Chicago is greening its alleys; we should take a leaf out of their book.

The Guardian reviews The Golden Compass. I’ll be interested to see it myself when (if?) it gets here.

Things seem to be going well in Annapolis. The thought of our current President involved in peace talks is difficult to wrap my head around, though.

Not Just About Cancer is my NaBloPoMo pick for the day, and the author deserves major props for updating every day in November…while fighting cancer. My hat is off to you, Laurie.

Fringe | 26Nov07

My father and I were talking the other day about the current crop of candidates, and I mentioned that if Clinton or Obama got the Democratic nomination, I wouldn’t vote for either one. I also pointed out that some of the Republican candidates are actually pretty interesting, although I could never vote for a candidate who didn’t support the right to choose.

“You can’t let the fringe issues decide how you vote,” my father said.

I was rather taken aback by the thought of viewing freedom of choice as a fringe issue, especially coming from someone who probably knew people who suffered before Roe v Wade was passed in 1973. But it occurs to me that my father doesn’t have a vagina, which gives him a different perspective on this issue, despite his commitment to equal rights for women. I wonder how many other people in this society think that way; other men, people who support the idea of the right to choose but who would never have abortions themselves, or older women who know it’s not going to be an issue for them, for example.

The right to choose is not a fringe issue, whether you are male or female. It’s part of a much larger issue which should be a matter of serious concern to every American, because it’s not just about the right to control your body, it’s about your own morality. I am not a supporter of morality based lawmaking, and I fear that a strike down of the right to choose would precede other morality based laws; I support equal rights for gays for the same reason that I support the right to choose, because I believe that adults should be allowed to make their own choices, and that no one in the government should be allowed to tell us how to live our lives.

I support the right to choose because I want to be able to control my own body. I want to know that if I am ever pregnant with a child I do not want, I will have access to a safe abortion performed by a qualified doctor in a sterile, caring environment. I want women who are pregnant with children they do want to be able to bear those children to term and to have them in a safe, clean, loving place, whether that’s home or a hospital or a birthing center. I want women to have access to birth control. In my eyes, all of these things are under threat when the right to choose is undermined.

I support people who are opposed to abortion for moral, religious, or ethical reasons, although I know that they probably would not support me. One of the great things about being human, about being a grownup, is that we are able to make up our own minds, and we are able to defend our opinions and talk to others about them. Dictating the morality of others is not to my taste; I know people who are opposed to abortion, and as long as they keep it their business and not mine, I support their position. I understand it, even if I don’t personally agree with it.

I can support a candidate who is opposed to abortion, but if that candidate wants to take the next step and attempt to outlaw or restrict access to abortion, I cannot in good conscience vote for that person. It surprised me to hear my father, of all people, dismissing this fundamental concept, because I know that he hates morality based legislation every bit as much as I do.

Women are already treated like a second class in this country, behind a veneer of so-called equal rights. A destabilization in the already fragile right to choose could undermine decades of feminist activism and hard work. Until both sexes must endure a nine month gestation period and traumatic birth, any attack on the right to choose is an effort to undermine women’s rights, and in a world where we are classified as “pre-pregnant” by the so-called Department of Health and Human Services, we need to fight, and we need to fight now.

Don’t support anti-choice candidates, no matter what your gender is. Today it might only affect women, but the next piece of morality based legislation might hurt us all.

Wily Boxes | 26Nov07

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep was recently profiled in the LA Times, and it’s a pretty neat organization. This volunteer network of photographers takes infant bereavement and pregnancy pictures so that parents have something nice to remember their kids by; very cool.

Foodiebytes is a neat concept which looks like is is still in beta. Basically, type in what you’re craving and where you are, and see what comes up.

Treasure Box is a totally cool animation which I lost myself in for quite a while last night.

Senseless Acts of Beauty chronicles good graffiti wherever they find it.

The Visual Dictionary is a dictionary with, er, visual assistance. It’s really cool, and I imagine it would be really useful for language learners.

The Guardian’s food blogs are pretty fun.

Cant d’ocell is my NaBloPoMo pick of the day.