Marching one by one

Awake nice and early this morning, but after a good sleep - 7 hours! -

Whoo, mind is buzzy with energy this morning. Was watering some plants in the backyard, and noticed the sky had clouds way up high that looks like ice flows. Which reminded me that last night was supposed to be Northern Lights! Argh, I totally forgot. Which reminded me of the only time I've been to Whitehorse, and it was 40 below and quite shockingly beautiful, and I admit I just was too wimpy to go out and wait for them at night. The worst part of 40 below for me was in the eyes. I don't know how anyone can stand it.

Then I interrupted the ant crusade to make a cup of tea. I almost feel like I'm intruding on something important. They seem to be on a search and rescue mission. Maybe for some fallen ants, possibly ones that I flicked off my arm or unknowingly stepped on. They go over every inch of counter space, again and again. There is not a speck of food anywhere, so they couldn't possibly still be looking for crumbs to take back to the Queen. It's about something else now.

After tea I was ready for another round of 'sprinkler predict', the new game I've been playing every morning. It goes like this: turn on sprinkler for front lawn (house owners really want their grass to stay green), and watch it start up, and smoothly start to rotate back and forth. Try to guess where it's going to get stuck. Go inside for a while, and then try to surprise it! Then try to determine if it's been stuck in that position the whole time, or if it only just stopped there when I jumped outside. This involves grass-examination and really wet arms. Actually, I sense a good suprise opening right now. Back in a second! ... Cuss. Ultimate defeating move: frozen in 90 degree angle, water going straight up and straight down. I've cheated too many times by trying to fix the damn rotating cuff, or whatever you call it. Water's off, game's over.

You know, I really miss my Bowen mornings. Why water grass?! WHY?! Grass should just get long and soft and golden brown in the summer. So that animals can hide in it. So that other things can grow amongst it. So that the ground doesn't look like a golf course everywhere.

The other thing I really miss, realllllly miss, is piano time. I'm so itching to play. Which is ironic, considering I'm surrounded by pianos. There's a grand piano in my office. Unfortunately, there are also other people popping in and out of my office constantly, needing things. I kind of like being the boss lady; I like having the power to actually do something about something, make exceptions for people and get to oversee everything that's happening. But I also miss being alone in a room with a piano. I have so many itchy ideas. Prokofiev is giving me so many mad ideas these days! He was so bad, like heavy bad good. I should try to find a biography - it makes me really curious about his life. Also love Steve Reich again - this one piece in particular, "music for 18 musicians". And I'm kicking myself for not having any Bjork handy, because I'm craving Vespertine and Homogenic.

One more thought and then I'll stop this random chatter.

Time to get a new tattoo. I've been thinking about this one for a long time, and I have some birthday money that I need to spend on myself soon before it gets sucked into 'paying off album' funds. See this pic above? It's the closest I've come so far to finding an image to go off of. Imagine that it was just one island, covered in these tall thick gangly westcoast trees, and it's all black silhouette. That's what it should be. But I can't draw and I can't find an image (oddly!!) on the net of just one such island. I hate bad tattoos, so I'd rather not just leave it to the chance imagination of my tattooist. If you come across something, or hey, happen to make a quick doodle (big wink* to someone in particular), me and my upper left arm would be really happy.

Okay, day 11 of playing Miss Management in a city-life awaits. I wish I had a raven friend that would sit on my shoulder and nip my ear occasionally. That would make this stretch easier.

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