Hello.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it is to be a friend. I’ve been called out recently on making people feel important, but then not treating them as such. This causes me a lot of confusion, so I’d really like some feedback.
I have just realized that I can RSS from LJ into my google reader, which means perhaps I’ll be a bit more active in posting replies to things. How exciting.
Life is interesting. I’m looking for personal assistant gigs, as I’m tired of my wigged job. And then law school. Eek!
Moved into a condo downtown with Baron. We’re currently almost sort of done painting it, and have already trekked to IKEA a number of times and bookmarked more awesome DIY projects than I care to admit.
Matt comes to visit soon, Jen in early September, Mom and Dad in November, and Baron and I may be going to Boston mid September.
Went to Defcon, Vegas is excessive, also to Toorcamp and Ignite and etc. Happy fun times of travelling and learning a lot.
Trying to figure out how to give my friends enough time while still doing all the things I like to do. Have decided only possible route is a rift in the space-time-continuum, though I’m open to other suggestions.
I’m presenting an Ignite tonight at the King Cat Theater. Show starts at 7:30, I go on in the second track (starts at 9:30). Will be talking about Jigsaw Renaissance, the maker space I’ve had the honor to participate in set-up for. Please do come out.
So back in Indiana, when I had started running and lifting and all that… I realized that I’m genetically predisposed to building muscle. I should have realized this by looking at my brother.
So I quit.
Girls aren’t supposed to have lots of muscle, right?
Then I moved out to Seattle. And I got into Parkour. And suddenly I feel like a badass. (ie). I’m starting to look more like what Libby describes as “built like a brick shit house” when referring to certain individuals. I thought about worrying about it again. I’ve always been fairly comfortable with my body, but that doesn’t mean I’m up to the task of the social rammifications of continuing to go full-throttle at an activity I love.
Then, having a picnic with some fellow Monkees on Sunday, we shared a quiet moment, munching on bread and cheese and meat, looking over Freeway Park. Brandee asked, “so Willow, what’s your zombie weapon of choice?” And because I had thought this out, I didn’t need much time to explain that I would use a machete, and listed my reasons. “You?” “Shovel.” We discussed pros and cons of carrying around something so bulky. Baron pointed out a military folding shovel as his weapon of choice. “Janine?” “My hands. I just want to… rip them apart. Anything that gets in the way of movement is a danger.”
Needless to say, Janine is a badass. She is also very feminine and built like a brick shit house.
And that’s when I realized I really don’t give a shit if doing something I love makes my form non-standard for social guidelines. Because I’m going to survive the zombie apocalypse. Maybe those skinny models will, too, but mostly because there’s nothing on them to eat.
It used to confuse me, why so many people who were extrodinarily into tech and The Future were also into basic survival skills… but I think it has to do with being aware of how fucked up things are, and how fucked we might cause ourselves to be at some point.
Also, the endorphins are rad.
disclaimer: kicking zombie ass isn’t the only survival skill. Also included are cooking, gardening, mechanics, etc… all of which I’m fairly limited at. Please don’t take my joy in my skill set as devaluing your skill set. We’ll make it work together.
So in order to keep sane (or at least prevent even more insanity), the upstairs lawyers and I do post-it note jokes on the coffee pots. Usually has something to do with the day. Today’s:
The Easter Egg, found elsewhere in the same kitchen, which refers to why the Captain wouldn’t notice:
The follow-up note posted by one of the attorneys, and my response:
No, most of them didn’t get it. But it’s for my own giggling purposes, thankyouverymuch.
So excited to see the movie tonight! I know there’s no Picard, but it’s a start.
For those of you lucky enough to be within driving distance of Seattle:
“These are the times, my friends. And these are the days. Where the world becomes malleable, palpable. When novelty and genius are within our reach. We are cautioned against being passionate about these things by tales of progress turned to greed and of technology turning on us. And yet, the golden light is just right, the clocks are synchronizing, the stars are in alignment.
This is what we celebrate tonight. We celebrate these transient times, with these transient artists.” – c. lantz
WAYFARERS OF THE GYPSY MANSION – a musical bazaar of sorts
with HUMANWINE, THE BLACKBIRD ORCHESTRA, NATHANIEL JOHNSTONE, TOY BOX TRIO, MEISCE, FINN VON CLARET, AND DJ Q.
Sunday, May 10, 2009 3 pm to 10 pm
The Little Red Studio
750 Harrison Street, Seattle, WA
ALL-AGES, $15 donation
Wearables, craftables, and edibles provided by a plethora of local and regional artisans. We will take a dinner break (with DJ) at 6:30 pm – please bring your own sack meal, a picnic to share, or food can be acquired from two of our vendors. Vegan options available. Adult beverages can be purchased by 21+ individuals.
Spread the word. All are welcome.
[Another fine event brought to you by Libby Bulloff and Willow Brugh.]
Ok, so Tumblr apparently requires a login to comment. Apologies on that one. Here’s the post:
This week, I want you to try to be relevant. It’s up to you to decide what is relevant for you and your followers, but I have a few suggestions to help you out.
1. Filtering yourself is the first and foremost. Everything which follows are just examples of this.
2. Unless it’s an emergency, wait at least 15 minutes to post something. If you forget it or it no longer matters, it probably wasn’t relevant.
3. If it’s only to one person, and not relevant to others, give them a text or a DM or an e-mail, don’t crowd public space with private conversation
4. Balance the informational and the personal. The point is to filter what you put out, not to filter the experiences you have.
5. Being passive aggressive or round-about online is so satisfying, isn’t it? But it’s petty and doesn’t accomplish anything, making it non-relevant.
The end point (credit to Winneganfake) is to cut the noise, increase the signal, but not to go silent.
We alter our values by altering the way we act. While it’s not an extremely slippery slope to occasionally vent about your cat peeing on your rug, or how cute that same cat can be, not having that as the main topic of your conversations will encourage you to create more things of value, and to have exchanges with people who are attempting to do the same. If you’re being responsible about the content you pass on to people who follow what you have to say, their content consumption will improve, and that helps you out as well. We’re all products of our environment, so decide what kind of environment you want to build and live in.
Other things to start on, besides your own projects: giving credit where credit is due, which includes tracing origins, and asking for permission to use others’ works. While it’s good to build on previous works, it’s also important to respect the original intent.
Spring is coming to Seattle (see look!) , and that means asses are in gear, and I cry at my calendar again. Now that I can not only walk but run and jump again, I have returned to Parkour, which makes me happier than I can possibly convey. Also there is hip hop bellydancing with Libby, which is a fabulous excuse to spend time with her. Our instructor goes on tangets, teaches us kung-fu, and giggles at his own movement in the mirror. Been getting schooled on Buffy with Jon, becomming surprisingly good friends with my new roommate, and blogging. There has also been the sitting and the studying with Baron, though not nearly as much as I’d like. I’m happy with my life.
The weekend after ECCC, Seattle was graced by a Matt, which involved lots of cooking, pontification, and planning (mu hu, ha ha). Can’t wait to start working on those ideas, again with people I hold dear. We are currently being graced by Ann, which is also phenomneal. I hear there will be dance fight movies tonight. Hooray! Then I go to Logansport Saturday. That next Friday Madison comes to visit for the weekend. Weekend after that I’m pushing volunteers around at SEAF (go volunteer if you haven’t already! It’s a great time and cause, and totally worth it). Weekend after that is an event Libby and I are putting on – mark your calendars for May 10th, flyers to follow sometime in the next several days. There are also, of course, normal full-time work, H+ discussion groups, and Kaleen and I just submitted to Ignite. Fingers crossed. And then later there will be Maker Faire and quite possibly ToorCamp.
Been thinking a lot about how I treat my friends, and need to actually write out an entry on it. I think I do a pretty good job, but that sometimes things just don’t work out. I have also been eating a lot of potstickers.
And a haircut:
I’ve posted something I’m rather proud over over on my other journal. It’s about taking personal responsibility for online interactions at the most rudimentary of levels.
Life is crazy busy for the next bit, and Kaleen and I just submitted to speak at Ignite Seattle as well. So there’s that.
