infinite beyond-ness

(for a good friend who said I was lacking the aforementioned Joy promised by the title of this site. Here you go, Sweet.)

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The sky has been so clear that I almost lost control of my vehicle coming home the other night, as I glanced out the window and saw so many stars that they blurred together in a mist of light-- above me, the Milky Way sprawled across the ink black night.

There are places I’ve lived and traveled where I’ve often forgotten to stop and look up, so caught up in my day that I couldn't see beyond what was in front of me. But Hawaii has a sky that won't be ignored; fused to the landscape by clouds gathered at the seams between earth and sky.

Maybe only in Santa Fe, have I seen similar.

A few days earlier, I carried a blanket outside at dusk, with my children at my heels, and draped it over the grass just beyond our front porch so we could watch the stars come out. They wiggled around and listened to my ramblings on the unfathomable giganticness of the universe and how tiny we are by comparison. They counted stars until they couldn't keep track on their fingers and toes.

"Boys," I said with conviction, "Think of it this way: There are roughly 100 billion stars in our galaxy, and maybe 100 billion galaxies like ours in the known universe, which is expanding outward into something (we don't know what). If you counted all of the stars just in our galaxy, say at one number a second, it would take you 3,000 years to finish," I quoted from recent readings in astrobiology. They seemed both awed and unconvinced.

One thing is for sure though...you can feel it from here, just looking up, where there’s nothing between you and all that, up there.

3 things you might see, that shouldn't surprize you

1) A car being towed down the highway by found rope.

2) A joint being lit off the birthday candles at kids birthday party.

3) Bucket seats screwed into the back of a rusty pickup truck, but don't worry, perfectly legal to ride in back if you're over the age of 13.

Answer: 17

Question: How many unleashed, unfenced pit bulls live on my street?
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Which we should we walk today kids?

Don't forget to close your front door; they can smell fear.

Welcome to the Island

August 2006
Awaiting the shipment of one of our cars, which we were told could take anywhere up to 3 months(ish), depending on fate, we headed out and purchased a simple, straight forward, budget minivan. A tri-tone variation of light blues, it's boxy physique and cutting edge design likely wooed many a middle American family in the 1980's. There was no warranty, but it was a steal of a deal at $2,500 (first clue of our mistake)! We cruised off the lot with lofty imaginings playing in our heads of road trips and family togetherness in the years to come.

DAY 1: Bought new car.
DAY 1 1/2: Car dies in parking lot 5 miles from the dealer, 15 from home.
DAY 2: Miracle! The car comes back to life! Apparently a trick of the key.
DAY 2 1/2: Not so fast! Van catches on fire, apropos of nothing. No water so we, in a panic, put out the fire by throwing handfuls of dirt into the engine.

Overall, off to a good start.

PUBLIC ENEMY #1

The thought of this critter keeps me awake at night. I've heard that they climb into people's beds and curl up for a warm snuggle. A friend of mine woke up getting bit in the lip, only to find a 6" centipede sharing her pillow. Her lip inflated to the size of a baseball!

Its not deadly, but from what I hear, it feels like an electrical shock. All I know is, these are some of the most terrifying looking creatures of all time. Remember to check your sheets folks, especially on rainy days.