The Post of Um

I was thinking of posting the lyrics of a pretty or fun song. Or telling you about my weekend plans (a wedding and two days working at the faire). Or reporting that I was able to get some more things up on my site (unfortunately, no). Sorry, this is the best you're going to get out of me.

I have a cold and a very slight fever. It's all in my head. I just downed two NyQuil's. I'll be out for the count very soon. Good night.

So far, still going to the wedding.

I'm Up!

I'm up, I'm up, I'm up!

Ok, I mean my website! www.burninglakearts.com is back!

Yes, it's a mere speck to its former glory, but the rest will come in time.

I feel good about this. I feel accomplished. Go me!

I think I'll celebrate with some yummy salmon cakes for dinner and some radioactive wine! (Ok, it's not really radioactive, it's the yummy stuff I got at the Lake Anna Winery during the VA Renaissance Faire.)

Yay, me and my website-publishing coolness!

It's About Tomorrow

Well, this is whatever it is.

I signed up for a registry and hosting package. I've transferred my domain successfully. I've been using my lovely software to develop pages. I figured out how to use that software to publish said lovely pages. Now, I must wait for that to synchronize with the host.

This means that tomorrow, my website burninglakearts.com should be back up, filled with...well...a whole lot of nothing. For the moment!

It will take some time for me to rebuild my picture albums and they won't be nearly as neat as Photosite, but it will be my own. Two days of downtime in transition isn't too bad.

Thanks for your patience with me, my faithful readers! I can't wait to get back up and running!

Moonshine

This morning, I woke up before my alarm as I always do. Before glancing at the clock, I noticed a line of spots of light on my pillow. I turned the other way and moved the shade a smidgen (my bed is between two windows). There was the moon's bright white face shining down at me, clouds floating lazily around it. I closed my eyes to soak in this light for the thirty minutes until my alarm went off.

I wasted no time hitting the snooze button this morning, unlike what I usually do, but sat up in my bed, looking out at the moon at it entered the penumbra shadow of the Earth. I still had to get ready for work though, so I did my Pilate's and washed and dressed and all that jazz. When I was done, the moon was half covered in the umbra. I put the finishing touches on my morning (gathering breakfast and lunch and my bag) and the moon had lowered below the tree line.

Once on the drive in, we saw a tiny sepia sliver of moon in the sky, the rest completely obstructed by the umbra shadow, before the sun came up.

Good morning!

On the Lookout

In the wee hours of the morning tomorrow, parts of Asia, Australia, and the Americas will be treated to a total lunar eclipse. Check out NASA's Eclipse Home Page for viewing information in your area. Looks like it's going to be in totality just as I'm waking up to start my day. Wahoo! It's nice when I don't have to make any special plans to see the show.

The Old Astronomer to His Pupil

Reach me down my Tycho Brahe, I would know him when we meet,
When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet;
He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how
We are working to completion, working on from then to now.

Pray remember that I leave you all my theory complete,
Lacking only certain data for your adding, as is meet,
And remember men will scorn it, 'tis original and true,
And the obloquy of newness may fall bitterly on you.

But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learned the worth of scorn,
You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn,
What for us are all distractions of men's fellowship and smiles;
What for us the Goddess Pleasure with her meretricious smiles!

You may tell that German College that their honor comes too late,
But they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant's fate.
Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.

~ Sarah Williams

The 2007 Fall Hiking Spree

The Prince George's County parks authority, in partnership with the Maryland National Park and Planning Commission, are sponsoring a big hiking event. We live in an area that is surrounded by many state and county parks; with waters to kayak, and trails through old forests to hike or ride. This year, they've listed twelve trails in the county and, if you hike six of them, you get a cool maple walking stick and a little shield to put on it indicating the year. Neat!

Today was the first hike, at the Patuxent River Park where we frequently kayak. They had a little kick-off event with information about the riverkeeper, local wildlife, and an introduction to geocaching (which I would love to do more of). Then, a group of some thirty people (including rather young children) led by a guide hit the trail.

The guided hike was nice in that there was much to learn, but the large group was not so nice. Even though the guide asked us to hike quietly, the larger families or groups of hikers just chatted away like they were at some kind of sporting event. I would have much preferred to go it with mom and Fox only then to deal with all that noise. And, of course, no wildlife was to be seen because people were so loud. But, one of six hikes are completed, and the other five will be unguided, and therefore not in a huge group of obnoxiously loud people.

It was hot! It was really hot! We all had water, and we were all drinking it, but I'm certain it was not nearly enough. I've had a headache since we got back. More water, more rest, I'll be ok!

In other news, I purchased a web hosting plan, so the big website move will happen in a few days. Have a look-see at my site now, as it will go away forever in a week or so. And then, expect it to be under construction for a while! I'll keep you up to date as best I can.

Get Up and Celebrate!

Congratulations, Joyce and James!

I make it no secret to you, faithful blog readers, that weddings are non-existent on my list of things I enjoy doing. Yet, I get invited to them, and I go to them. Maybe it's because I recognize that such a day is special to someone who, in some way or form, want to share it with me.

Today was my neighbor's wedding. She has lived in that house only a little less years than my parents have lived in this one. I went to school and played with her twin sons, who are my age. We're not in each other's houses every night, but we chat pleasantly when we cross paths near daily. She's a constant. There are few people in this neighborhood who are the original owners of their houses, but my parents are, and she is. We have known her for a very long time.

We had seen her now-husband around, and she talked about the fun things they would do together during those yard work chat times. He is a very pleasant man. Even so, when the invitation arrived to be at their wedding, it was a bit of a surprise to us, and not at the same time.

I wasn't out-of-my-socks excited about going to this wedding (which is true for all weddings, in general), but I am so very glad I did. I've been to quite a few wedding ceremonies and celebrations, and we've already established that I'm not particularly fond of them. This was, so far, the best wedding I have ever had the pleasure to attend.

There was something surreal about it, maybe because we have known her for so long. Her ceremony was lovely, her reception was wonderful, and though we didn't know all but one of her guests, everyone was wonderful. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

I am honored that she invited my parents and I, and very happy that we went. So I'll say it again; Congratulations, Joyce and James. If every day you spend together is as glorious as this one, you will have a very happy life together indeed.

Starting Without Me

Well this is it. The Maryland Renaissance Festival starts tomorrow. I won't be anywhere near it, I'll be at a wedding.

This will be the first time in a good three years that I haven't been able to make it on opening day. I won't even be there on Sunday, but that was just the luck of the draw. I was not scheduled to work and so other things got scheduled.

It's ok. I won't be at Faire until the fourth day of operation (there's another wedding on the third day). It doesn't bother me that much that I'll be missing a lot of the festival that I enjoy so much.

Really!

With Urgency

Last week, msn.com featured a two-day series of articles about missing adults and how they are portrayed in the media. The fact is, if you know someone who is missing, don't expect the media to help you find them unless they are a pretty, young, Caucasian female. There is nothing that accounts for this serious inconsistency in media exposure. Frankly, it made me sick to my stomach to read about it.

The article mentioned a non-profit organization similar to the federally-funded National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA). This organization gives voice to the adults who are missing, and to the families who are searching for them. And the most dreadful news regarding the NCMA is that the bill to provide it with government financial support is sitting in the hands of our congressional representatives untouched.

The NCMA expunged its resources, even including the founder's personal savings, to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina find missing loved ones. They did this at the request of the US government with promises that they would be financially reimbursed for their efforts. The NCMA has been forced to greatly downsize its staff to continue operating, and they've been struggling to do it ever since.

It's hard to say how current the information on their website is, as most of the dates are from 2006. The fact, though, is that they seem to be still there and are still in need of help. The current bill to re-establish federal funds for this organization was introduced to the Congress on January 11th of this year and has not gone past the introduction stage. It is HR 423, to authorize the Attorney General to provide grants to organizations to find missing adults.

You can urge your representatives to make a move on this bill. You can go to http://www.theyaremissed.org/ and make a donation. You can do something, even if you've never been in a situation to need the services of the NCMA. Perhaps you may consider, if you went missing, who would give your loved ones the help they need to find you? Wouldn't you want someone on their side and yours?

I read the MSN feature last week. The whole time I was thinking about my friends in Idaho, and their search for a friend, Landon Orcutt, who went missing over a year ago. Willow blogged about their continuing efforts just Tuesday.

I know it is impossible to support every cause, but it is crucial to support those organizations that work to bring aid to the innocent, and comfort and hope to their families. Just because they are adults doesn't mean they are less in need.

Wishes

I'm wishing I was closer to some good friends. Or they were closer to me. One of those would be really nice.