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23 February 2008

Snow and Shadows, with a quote

I love the textures found in the woods. Five photos taken on a cold day recently, and one on a cold night:

Naked Trees

Old Oak Limbs

Snow and Bark

Ash Bark

Tracks and Shadows


Eclipse


Listening to melody, every man becomes his own poet, and measures the depths of his own nature. -- Abraham Lincoln

Superhero fantasy

Via UnRelaxedDad and YogaMum.

I couldn't pass this up: Your results:
You are Spider-Man
You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.
Spider-Man 95%
Superman 80%
Hulk 70%
Robin 62%
Batman 55%
Supergirl 55%
Iron Man 50%
Green Lantern 45%
Catwoman 45%
Wonder Woman 40%
The Flash 25%



Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test


I think the real difference between WonderWoman and my real alter-ego is that I don't wear a push-up bra.

20 February 2008

I don't do tags, except....

In addition to being a most sporadic blogger of late, typically I'm very lackadaisical about doing memes when I've been tagged. Ditto for participating in various reading challenges, weekly themed posts, and group blogs. It seems that as soon as I agree to participate, I break that commitment. I think there are still a few people I'm suppose to send questions to for the 'interview' meme last summer.

But, Emily tagged me for this meme created by Litlove & son: What to do in the event of a crisis. Brava! to Litlove for such an ingenious way of dealing with her son's fears about a possible energy crisis: have him write about it.

What do I fear about a serious energy crisis?
I fear that we are not doing enough to prevent a global catastrophe. We have made a mess of our environment and not moved forward with finding viable alternative sources of energy. Greed -- individual and corporate -- will leave our children and grandchildren with a messy legacy. A potential energy crisis is only a portion of the problem. If supplies of oil diminish rapidly, will we rely on other existing technologies like coal that are harmful to our environment? Burning coal and other fossil fuels contributes to climate change. One of the reasons for deforestation in many third world countries, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, is to get wood for fuel. Our world -- man & nature -- is interdependent; we need to be better stewards of our environment. Lack of resources and wealth are root causes of war; a world without fuel for transportation, with limited food supplies, with little access to medical care, is something that most privileged people cannot imagine, although there are people around the globe that live like this now. We need to start imaging it and take steps to make a difference. It is our responsiblity, ethically, morally, spiritually.

What would I miss most in a world with rationed energy supplies?
I think I would miss the conveniences of the modern world that I have known my entire life: being able to drive to the store and to work, allowing me to live where I do at some distance from both; lighting in my home and in public places where we gather -- restaurants, theatres, churches, stores, libraries; computers and access to the internet which provide me with information and entertainment; having the ability to heat my home to a comfortable temperature when it is cold outside -- I would not like having to chop or gather wood when it is 9 degrees; having the option to travel further than a day's walk by train or plane. I can live without any of these things, but I will miss the convenience of them. I'm working to cut out the unnecessary occurrences of the use of these -- like consolidating car trips, turning out lights, or setting the thermostat at a lower temperature. Conserving is much different than doing without!

What can I do to help?
I'm making small changes that can help. I started using canvas bags when shopping. I pay attention to overpackaging and avoid buying those products when I can. I try to coordinate my trips so that I do less driving (there is no public transport where I live). A grocery is being built within walking/biking distance of my house, so that will be one more option for reducing my use of fuel. When the weather is warmer, I want to ride my bicycle to work. I've started unplugging electrical chargers when not in use. I turn the thermostat down when not at home and at night. Spring through fall, I buy local produce at the farmers' market. Other measures that I could do but haven't done yet: replace the outside lights with CFL, turn the water heater down to 120, capture rain water for the indoor plants, stop drinking bottled water, educate myself more on legislative issues and write elected officials in support of those that protect our environment, encourage eco-friendly measures at work, church, in my neighborhood, register at Green Dimes or a similar site to stop junk mail.

What will you do?

15 February 2008

Advice to a new blogger

A friend recently said that he was thinking of starting a blog, but wasn't sure. So he asked me for info on blogging to help him decide.

What advice would you give to a would-be blogger? What would you do differently if you were starting a blog now? If you post your suggestions on your blog, leave a link in the comments below.

11 February 2008

Telling Stories

I came across this quotation today, attributed to Madeleine L'Engle:

On why anyone tells a story: It does indeed have something to do with faith, faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.

A fine, fair statement about why we tell stories, why we read stories, why stories in all different possible forms, are part of our nature, and have been since before we started drawing on the cave walls.