First ever picture!

Ha! I figured out how to put a picture on my blog! I am so proud of me... So, there's not really any story behind this little bird (it's a baby magpie...I love magpies) I just wanted to see if I could get a picture to post, and I figured he was worthy of being the first. If I did have a title for him though, it would be Disgruntled Magpie. *laugh* I think it fits, and he's adorable.

Small dots, Huge potential...

I have wanted to learn Braille for a very long time, as far back as six or seventh grade. At first I figured it would be good to know because of my eye degeneration, and the possibility of actually needing it, but then it faded to just a ‘that would be really cool’ kind of thought. Last week I discovered the Braille section in the downtown library, and checked out a book, but even though it was simple, it was still too complicated for me. So this Tuesday, on my library/adventure day, I found another book, this one called ABC Bunny. I think it will be good for a couple of reasons- number one, it’s very simple writing, and two, it has the alphabet, and repetition of the letters. I’ve been practicing in bed (it’s dark, so I don’t need my eyes) but I realized that I might be going about it wrong. I was running my finger over the letters, and saying them out loud, but thinking back, that isn’t how you learn to read. Yes, you learn “A”, but when you first start to read it, you learn the letters phonetically. Instead of thinking C A T spells cat, you sound it out…cuh, aah, tuh…cat. So now I’m practicing linking the physical touch to the phonetic sounds. And tonight was my babysitting night, so while at my cousins’ house Princess Jeru and I made Braille flash cards. *grin* I am really excited about this. It took a little figuring, but I got it down to a system that makes sense. We cut index cards in half, then folded them and glued them shut for stability. Then we glued a seed bead in the top right hand corner to mark which way up was. In Braille books the page numbers are usually marked at the top right hand corner of odd pages, so this way we’ll get used to feeling for a marker in that place. And it will also help for practicing in the dark, because that way we’ll know which way to hold the card, so we’re not reading upside down or sideways. Each of the cards had the six-dot Braille cell marked with a marker for the visual memorization, and then on top of that we also glued seed beads in the proper cell places for touch memorization. All the cards have the letter written on the back as well, so if we’re practicing with someone else they can tell if we’re right or not. Princess Jeru and I are going to first memorize the alphabet by touch, and then move on from there; the goal is to be reading children’s books in six months. I totally think that’s doable, and I’m looking forward to this. How cool will it be to be able to read in the dark? Visually Braille also can double as a written code, which could be handy, and it’s a fun and challenging thing to learn anyways. I will keep an update going on this; we’ll see how it turns out. =)
~Ro

Tattoo thoughts and nachos

So the tattoo-countdown is at five days… (for those of you who don’t know, and can’t guess from the previous sentence, I am getting a tattoo.) *grin* I am really excited, and, I must admit, a little nervous as well. I’ve asked multiple people what it feels like, because I think part of the nervousness is just not knowing, but the answers I get back are disappointing. Personally I don’t think that people are descriptive enough. The usual is ‘it feels like being scratched with a needle, over and over’. Well duh. But to me that doesn’t seem to fully describe it still… Is it a sharp shooting pain? A dull throbbing? The way your knee burns if you scrape off the top layer of skin? The way acid burns, biting? Stinging, aching, nauseating, scraping…? There’s tons of words that could be used, but aren’t. The best one that I’ve heard so far is that it feels like a cat scratch. See, to me that brings it to a level that I understand. Not only the initial scratching feeling, but that stinging, puffy feeling as well. I had been talking to my friend Sparrow, who recently got a tattoo, and that was her description. Anyways… So, five days. I am going with my roomies, and Isabelle is going to be my note-taker during the process. I will sit there and be marked, and she will dutifully write down my dictation, which I will post here later. There is a deeper meaning behind it than just a seal, but only a few people know the whole story; I might add that too, or I might not. We’ll see…
That seems to be all I’ve got for now, and I have a good book and some nachos waiting for me, so toodles. Until my next post! (which, hopefully, will be sooner, rather than later… I’m trying to be more consistent…)
~Ro

Ice

I actually wrote this a while ago, but I wanted to post something else, and the entry that I am working on still isn't finished. So, here it is... I am not sure if it's finished, and I don't know what it's called yet... (and this isn't exactly how it looks either, but since I copy and pasted it, the font doesn't carry over, and outside of re-typing it, I can't figure out how to get it back to it's original font... So, the font doesn't match the words quite; just look past that...)

~

I dream of ice; and of cold waters that reflect the blue skies.
Of a land where ice floes dominate the seascape
and the sky is open and the sun warm and the wind cold.
Of deep, deep water, that is mirror bright on top
but dark, green-blue curtains underneath, clouded with glacial runoff

I dream of spots, and strong sharp teeth; of hunting through the ice ranges
splicing through the water, and of penguins.
Of a thick warm layer of blubber, and strong flippers,
and dark blue depths beneath me

Shadows dream there too,
moving with spots of white, and sharper teeth as well
and dark songs pinging off the ice bubbles,
but I dream it anyways, for the swift and cunning live long.

I dream of a rocking cradle of ice to nap on
and body warmth melting small pools beneath; of lapping waves.
Of pale sun, faded sky, and pitch black with stars and color dance above

The ice is calling, and I want to answer.
I dream of ice…

I dream of ice…

I dream of…

Clipped wings

Just a few cuts, but in the right places,
and the sky can fall from your grasp.
The breeze is still there, and the blue still beckons
but flight without lift is futile

so on the ground you’ll stay.

I didn’t want to lose the sky,
for it is where I belong.
and those with wings were meant to soar
the wind still calls my name

not to say that the ground is bad
for the basics of life are there
but the sky calls my name while I’m here on the dirt,
and I yearn to answer her call

sweet blue, oh sweet blue, I hear your song
I see you there, waiting.
And then I look down, to these mangled, cut wings,
and I cannot meet you yet in your depths.

but on the ground time will pass

And feathers will grow, and primaries heal,
down can be restored.
Time is not the great healer, but the sun is,
so on the ground I shall stay in the light.

Until the day, some day soon
the cuts will fade to mere scars.
And glossy feathers will be strong again
and my wings will once again be mine

And until that day,
until that day,
until that day
the sky will call…

those with wings were meant to soar

Grab a ball and celebrate!

So apparently today, (June 14, 2010) is World Juggling Day! Who knew? A whole day, just for juggling! I have been teaching myself to juggle for about a month now, and even though I’m still dropping balls occasionally, I have improved. It’s actually pretty fun, once you get good enough to get a rhythm going, and there’s a lot more to it than just throwing balls around. I had always thought that juggling was just one or two different ways of throwing balls and catching them, but it turns out that there is a lot more depth to it than that. Cascades, showers, fountains, flash…all these mean different ways to toss and catch the balls, and combining them form different ways to trick juggle. There are different styles, and different ways of passing on a pattern to another fellow juggler. Who would’ve thought that complex math would be involved in juggling? Since I find stuff like this interesting, and in honor of World Juggling Day, here is some information about juggling…

There are two different ways to learn juggling; one is by seeing a pattern, and then practicing it, and the other is by calculating a pattern and then recording it. This last one is called a notation system. Notation systems are used when a juggling pattern is really complex that the tricks have to be recorded on paper. There are two ways to do this. First one is called siteswap, which uses numbers to represent different patterns, and the other is called a diagram-based notation, which uses drawn images. There is also a newer system called beatmap, which uses a little computer drawn stick person juggling balls, and is used for people who learn tricks visually.
Siteswap began in the 1980’s, and is simply a mathematical way to write a juggling pattern. A number is used for each throw. If the pattern is indicated by a single number, then that is the simple way of juggling that number of balls. So a 3 would mean a 3-ball cascade. The number also represents the height and speed of the throw; so a 3 also signifies a simple crossing throw. A 5 represents a higher crossing cascade throw. Numbers also tell the type of throw…odd numbers mean a cascade that is a cross throw from one hand to the other, and evens mean a fountain throw that stays in the same hand. A 1 stands for a horizontal throw or pass from one hand to the other. 0 means an empty hand, such as in the 40 pattern, where two balls juggle in one hand while the other is empty. A 2 represents a hold or gap, where the ball is not being thrown or caught. So a 42 would mean two balls are in one hand, while the hold is in the other.

The Numbers

0: empty hand
1: pass between hands
2: hold or gap
3: balls crossing or cascading
4: two balls juggled in one hand
5: high throw

Crazy, huh? It gets better…

Patterns have rhythms, just like music. So instead of writing it over and over again, (Example, 5151515151) you would just write 51. Notations will only work if the sum of all the numbers can be reduced to the amount of balls that are being thrown. So 51 would have to be a 3 ball pattern, because 5+1=6/2=3 (balls) 52 would not be a valid siteswap because 5+2=7/2=3.5 (balls) Obviously you can’t juggle half a ball….

I figure that’s probably enough info… I think it’s so interesting that something as simple as throwing balls around has that much science and math involved… That’s cool.

~Ro

p.s. Info above came from the book Master Juggling, by Cassandra Beckerman.

First Entry

Sometimes it is a struggle to start writing. The longing is there, and so are plenty of ideas, but what stops me so often is the actual process. I want it to come out perfect. Which isn’t possible, and I know that, at least in my head. But apparently somewhere in my heart still needs to be convinced. After hearing about some of my friend’s blogs, I got excited, and wanted to try one of my own. Several days ago one of those friends helped me set this up, and since then lots of different ideas of what to write have been swirling through my brain. And yet, when I sit down at my computer to write my first entry, poof! I over complicate things; syntax, sentence structure, which entry do I want to start with, and how to arrange it…ect ect. And the end result is nothing but lots and lots of blank white space on my screen. So. I am not going to do this ‘perfectly’, but dang it, I am going to do it. All right, ‘nuff said about that.
Welcome to my blog! I have decided there will be certain things that will be considered Not To Be Blogged About, such as my father and other painful topics, but I am ok with that. Besides, there are plenty of topics and other sides of me to write about. Out of respect for other people, I will not be putting names here, so everyone gets a nickname. =) I’m pretty sure people will be able to figure them out, but if it takes awhile, that’s cool too. Guessing just adds to the fun of things. Well, I think that’s good for a first blog entry… Until next time, toodles.
~Ro.