Palin climbs (close to) DENALI

Everyone really ought to watch this TV show. TLC Mondays 8-9. I don't even care how good her ratings are.

Blasting co.

Niki's people map_The Petrojvic Blasting.co from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

Ha, this is amazing. I found it here.

On being epic...

Me and Lindsay had a good day. We did this by parking down the street from Gregory Canyon mid-morning, hiking through it, taking the ranger trail up over to Green Mountain, making our way up Bear Peak, hanging out, taking pictures, eating pb and j, and then walking down Shanahan Ridge, and then across the Mesa at dusk as the snow came in. And THEN, we made beans and rice and drank ginger beer and watched The Dog Whisperer to officialize the most epic friend date in a long, long time. Thanks, Linds.

New Creations.

Fall in the Western Slope

I'm trying to make a Holidays card on time this year, and so far this is my favorite...but I feel torn about the negativity it is. I get aggravated by the holidays, though. Even Thanksgiving, except that I kind of like that one. All my good holiday memories are Thanksgiving ones.

Anyway, you might get this card from me. Or one like it. Or I'll turn around and send something more positive out.

Or, maybe it will just be Scooby Doo valentines again with a big year update attached to the back like last year...



Oh, and BTW, the above amazing brother turned 32 today. GOOOOOO Ewen!!

My Favorite

I forgot about this song. I love it when you forget a song that you play obsessively for a summer three years ago, and then you rediscover it.

On a side note, I was listening to Bruce Springsteen the other day (song: The River), and I started to think about other songs with "river" in the title and how it might be fun to make a mix tape of these. Being the lazy thinker that I am, I decided to google "songs with river in the title," and found this. Fantastic. Interestingly (sadly, shamefully), they DID NOT include Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, though Enya and The Indigo Girls (hiccup, covering Neil Young) did. Awful. If I were to make a mix, these are some of the songs I would put on it.

Neil Young "Down By The River"
Bruce Springsteen "The River"
David Byrne and Brian Eno "The River"
Dennis Wilson "River Song"
Olivia Newton John "Cry Me A River"
Justin Timberlake "Cry Me A River"
Willie Nelson "Whiskey River"
Joni Mitchell "River"
Beck "Fourteen Rivers, Fourteen Floods"
Billy Joel "River of Dreams"
The Mills Brothers "Up A Lazy River" (I actually think this song is awful, but it might work well for the mix)
Talking Heads "Take Me To The River"
Creedence Clearwater Revival "Green River"
The Grateful Dead "Big River"
Whitesnake "River Song"
Frank Sinatra "Moon River"

That's all I got.

Owl

This weekend I doodled for the first time in a while, and out of it came this owl, which I was really happy about. I know it looks a bit brooding, but there is something about it that I find extremely, extremely cute, in an off and obtuse sort of way. I sometimes forget how much I love to draw, and I think that I need to be better about reminding myself.

Today I picked up an old journal The Taipei Chinese Pen 當代台灣文學英譯, which was a gift from a teacher when I was in Taiwan. I like this poem for two reasons: one, I can easily read it, and two, it reminds me of the sad, weird, but kind of good feeling you get when fall turns into winter.

坐在風中
我逐漸醞釀一股悲涼的
情緒

山色水聲,悄然引退
原野和風一起
消失

我垂下眼簾
讓淚含容所有的吶喊
無聲,滴落

Sitting in the wind
I gradually brew a desolate
Feeling

The color of the mountains and the sound of water, quietly retire
The wilderness and wind together
Disappear

I lower my eyes
Allow my tears, as they amass all the shouts
Fall silent

Okay, well, I don't really like it as much in English it turns out. But, it's nice in Chinese. Really. Not cheesy.

Goodnight now.

My Boulder Woman Outfit

I got to sewing today and put together another hooded shirt using the same pattern as the last one, but corrected a few hiccups such as lengthening the body, shortening the sleeves, creating a center panel in the front of the hood and finishing it better. I also made these pants, which aren't very inspired (pretty ripped off from some other brands), but they're comfortable and flattering, so whatever. Wearing them together, I feel like a rich Boulder woman—something I have mixed feelings about!!