"I must meet this man"

I do believe this college applicant is my hero. at very least, I would dearly love to meet anyone who would (and could) write this:

Essay:
In order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you, the applicant, better, we ask that you answer the following question:
Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.
Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets. I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.
I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four-course meals using only a Mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

"barreleye fish," Macropinna microstoma

ok, this is just cool...

crazy cat-lady edition

today i've had fun with my camera and thought i'd share some of them. there is a family of feral cats living outside my apartment that i have adopted, and i finally caught 3 out of 4 of them on film. then, since i conveniently had my camera out anyway, i took some shots of my other babies, especially since they will stay still and let me take pictures of them all day long.

this is felix's cute little butt running away from me. most of the pictures of these kitties look like this because they usually see me, freeze-with the look of ultimate terror and "don't eat me!" face, then bolt. i still have to resist the urge to turn around and see what's sneaking up on us when they do this.




this is the unnamed, (so thus far "girl cat,") just before she bolted




this is mama.




these are my other, more cooperative, summer babies.

dances of thunderstorms

great day today, teaching folks english country dancing. correction: watching the teaching of the dances and playing for them when the need arises. i love doing this kind of thing. and then tonight we had the practical application of this where people actually gathered to have fun and dance, not just the ones we taught them. there was a bit of learning tunes on the spot for our part, as we were "the band," apparently. but i still loved it. being with people i both love to be around and ones i hardly know. it doesn't matter. i love it. i finally got to buy my long-time teacher a beer for the first time. believe me, it has been a long time in coming; that was a special thing. then, when we were leaving, a huge supercell looked to be headed our way, and with me on a motorcycle, became the cause of some consternation for a bit. (though really we were only ever in the downdrafts between two storms, but it was still frickin' awesome!) this kind of weather just does something to me. i just want to be in the middle of it all and on both sides, front and back, and watch everything that's happening--oh, it is so amazing!

Bonsai!!

well, we have come to the last two lab projects in my horticulture class. which brings me to the bonsai, being our last project. we are to come prepared with a plant to be then 'trained' to become said bonsai. it's really quite fascinating; we have about 35 different plants to choose from to make the bonsais. which, of course, i then have to research which ones i might want to do. so, i went to the nursery today to find a suitable candidate, and oh my goodness, it was hard!! i couldn't make a decision, and there weren't nearly as many choices as were on my list.

now, i have been researching what to look for and where to begin, growing difficulties with different species, etc. and it gets more and more fascinating. they are absolutely beautiful when done correctly and effectively. the people that really get into, *really* get into it. this is going to be a fun project. i'm excited by this.


here's some pictures of the top three types i'm considering:

wisteria bonsai


azalea style


and the japanese maple version