Donnerstag, November 29, 2007

Faultline



Some pieces of art are easy to spot.

Like this sculpture of the Goddess Athena in front of the de young Museum in San Francisco.


***
Some pieces of art are not so easy to spot.

Like this art work by Andy Goldsworthy.

No, this is not just a crack in the pavement, but an artistic statement entitled "Faultline" by Andy Goldsworth - inspired by seismic activities so characteristic of California.


Andy G inspired by San Andy.





The botanical garden is right around the corner of the museum. When I am older and if I decide to settle down in the country side, I'd like my garden to be an oasis like this. That would be the perfect spot to sit in a rocking chair and read a book, or play bridge with my fellow old-lady girl friends after biscuits and afternoon tea.



The famous Redwood Tree - Sequoia Sempervirens.

I found out that there are two types: the Coastal and the California Redwood.

Not just the shopping carts and cereal packages are bigger in the United States, but California is also the home of the tallest trees in the world - some sequoias are taller than 100m. Wow. This one was not quite that tall, but it reminded me that Redwoods National Park is definitely on my "National Parks-to-Visit" list.



Dienstag, November 20, 2007

snow steps


Today I was reminded how peacefully quiet it is to walk on snow.

Montag, November 19, 2007

Samstag, November 17, 2007

Nettoyez en profondeur...

Yes, Canada is bilingual. At least on packaging and government forms.

I started a cleanse a week ago. I have done cleanses in the past like the not-eating-at-all-for-a week cleanse, which I did in Austria together with Maria, after several people recommended it to us. The promise was to feel fabulous after day 3. Day 3 came and I still felt like a half-dead fly on the window sill. Note to myself: "Not eating does not work for me. Need to eat."

In the past I have done the wild rose cleanse, a herbal detox combined with a mostly (80%) alkaline diet. You can
eat as much as you want (works for me),
but no sugar (okay), no meat (no problem),
no dairy (that was a little hard - don't love soy or almond milk in my latte and I LOVE yogurt!) and
nothing fermented (don't quite agree with that - what's wrong with sauerkraut or vinegar?).

Especially the "no-sugar rule" was interesting: up to that first wild rose cleanse, I had no idea:
  • that sugar is pretty much in any processed food. Makes sense from a commercial perspective, after all sugar sends the message: give me more, give me more, so exactly what the company wants you to do: buy more of it. To look at the bright side: sugar is better than cocaine, which they used to put in food and drinks for the same reason back in the days.
and
  • how strong the effect of sugar was: First the sugar high, which makes my thought race, I am enthusiastic, I feel great... until I experience the crash: I feel shitty, exhausted, I want to nap..or alternatively: have more sugar. The Vicious Sugar Circle.
The only time sugar is awesome for me is on a hike or long-distance bike ride. In that case, it's highly welcomed quick and fast-accessible energy.

I decided to say good bye to the wild rose cleanse for two reasons:
  • the herbs are pretty strong and - especially the third time they made me feel sick to my stomach
  • I tend to believe that my diet is pretty healthy as it is, especially when i see what most of my co-workers put in their mouths every day. In my experience yogurt or a little bit of milk is okay.
So, when Heather announced she was doing a homeopathic cleanse, I decided to join her, because
  • it's more fun in a team
  • I expected it to be more gentle
  • it didn't restrict my diet, the only requirement is to drink a lot of water, which I do anyways. However I read a review that recommended to combine it with a high-fiber, organic diet, which I also do most of the time.

I was surprised, how strong the effects are though. In fact, I reduced the recommended amount of drops on some days, because I felt it was too much. In this past week, I experienced
  • headaches
  • tiredness - i felt really tired in the evening, but in a good way
  • emotional weirdness - weird, weird dreams, and some emotional roller coaster rides during the day (like suddenly I decided that I don't love my job anymore and instead I should quite and move to the Netherlands to take a Masters Degree in Industrial Ecology...although... that would be exciting)

I hope these are all side effects of the detox due to toxins being flushed out of my systems, which will be gone by the end. 5 more weeks. Just in time for the Christmas Debauchery.




Mittwoch, November 14, 2007

AND FOR NO REASON


This poem was a burning man present, and it has been on my fridge ever since. Talking about fridge - that's where I keep the important stuff, not just inside, but also outside, like a reminder on a post-it: "A Handstand a Day Keeps the Doctor Away", Ida's first picture, a sticker "In Trance we Trust", or my massage therapist's phone number.

Anyhow, here is the poem by an unknown author:

And
For no reason
I start skipping like a child.

And
For no reason
I turn into a leaf
That is carried so high
I kiss the Sun's mouth
And dissolve.

And
For no reason
A thousand birds
Choose my head for a conference table.
Start passing their
Cups of Wine
And their wild songbooks all around.

And for every reason in existence
I begin to eternally,
To eternally laugh and love!

When I turn into a leaf
And start dancing,
I run to kiss our beautiful Friend
And I dissolve in the Truth
That I Am.

Dienstag, November 13, 2007

Peace Enlightens

Globe


What is the use of a house if you don't have a decent planet to put it on?
H.D. Thoreau

Sonntag, November 11, 2007

Animal Copyright



This is a 10 min excerpt of the art films shown in the exhibition "Ashes and Snow" by the Canadian artist Gregory Colbert. His artwork which shows humans and wild animals in a very crazy intimate context, such as a kid on a sleeping elephant, is not just eye-candy. Gregory Colbert is on a mission:

He’s founding Animal Copyright and the Animal Copyright Foundation. The foundation will collect 1% of all media buys that use animals, and will distribute these funds to conservation projects around the world. “Corporate poachers” who don’t use Animal Copyright will be shamed by bloggers, the media and others if they don’t display an Animal Copyright symbol.


Interesting idea. This would get to the root of the problem, namely that the value of nature and wildlife is currently not integrated in our monetary system. And for those, who don't care about the environment in real life, maybe they DO care what they see on TV. Television without nature and animals might get boring after a while.

Sonntag, November 04, 2007

2999.9 HP KMs



2,999.9 Human Powered Kilometers...

...I decided to get my heart racing from turning pedals instead of from getting angry because i am stuck in a traffic jam in construction-boom-town Calgary. I know, it's not the greatest accomplishment in 1 1/2 years, but better than nothing. Especially, after that strudel.



strudelicious


We started a Friday-morning-breakfast-at-work tradition. In multi-kulti Canada a diversified endeavor! I already sampled "Monkey Bread" from Michigan, "Fruit and Muffin" from Canada and "Palatchintat" from Hungary. My contribution was - of course - Strudel. No, sorry, not home-made, but very Austrian! I got it from Gunther's on 17th, an authentic Austrian bakery, run by a couple from Upper Austria. It reminded me of a bakery from the 70's or 80's, especially when die Frau Baeckerin said they don't accept credit cards - cash only!

Still - the 13$ cash are well worth the Strudel.