The Sea Angler
Musical Composition Faith and the Muse
Words written by Goethe
There was a gentle angler who was angling in the sea
With heart as cold as only heart untaught of love can be
When suddenly the water rushed and swelled and up there sprang
A humid maid of beauty's mold and thus to him she sang
"Why dost thou strive so artfully to lure my brood away
And leave them to die beneath the sun's all scorching ray?
Couldst thou but tell how happy are the fish that swim below?
Thou wouldst with me taste of joy which earth can never know."
The water rushed the water swelled and touched his naked feet
And fancy whispered to his heart it was a love pledge sweet
She sang another siren lay more 'witching than before
Half-pulled half-plunging down he sank and ne'er was heard of more.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
The Sea Angler - Faith and the Muse
On cycling and blogging
Only one ride this week, and it was only notable because 4.5 miles in, the wind and torrential rain came pouring down. We were stopped at a restaurant having dessert, so we waited it out, and then when we left, C and I had his & hers bike crashes. Isn't that sweet?
I wish I could blame some outside factor for my wreck, but the truth is that I tried to stop and my foot got stuck in the peddle basket. I went down while nearly standing still, so there was little damage. A bruised knee and a short-lived dose of embarassment.
C's wreck wasn't so friendly. The path was covered in water, and he took a sharp turn onto a wooden bridge at twenty miles per hour. His tire slid on the water, and he went down hard. The fork on his bike was trashed, and he's pretty banged up, but really, it could have been much worse. Bruises and road rash aren't the end of the world. He is having separation anxiety from his bike, though.
The rest of my week was filled with hospital visits and caretaking. I thought I was done with this for a while, but a new set of problems has arisen with another member of my family. I'm not emotionally ready to go into any detail, although my therapist has encouraged me to blog about my experiences. I'm just not sure how I feel about it. Up to this point, my blog hasn't had a significant amount of personal information in it. It was more of a place to share things of interest. I also feel that it's important to protect the privacy of other people who are involved. I've been trying to think of a way to share my experiences that 1.) doesn't violate outside trusts, 2.) helps me to process 3.) adds something of value to the blogosphere. I'm not interested in spreading negativity, but if my experiences could help someone else going through the same things, that wouldn't be a bad thing.
I haven't decided whether or not to share additional information, but I did want to share my blogging dilemma. The blogs that I read most often and am most inspired by do tend to share a lot of personal information, and I often wonder if those bloggers experience the same sort of dilemmas that I'm experiencing...or are they just that much more open?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Cormorants, slithering snakes, and two suns
The weather isn't very nice today, but I went for a ride anyway. I stopped to watch some beautiful birds which I think were probably cormorants. I wasn't close enough to see a lot of detail, and I still haven't figured out how to pack my camera which has a decent zoom lens. This photo only shows three little black dots on the far side of the creek. Theyre beautiful black water birds, and when I took the photo, they were tarting it up, as birds do.
I also came across another snake. I don't know what kind it is. Patternwise, it looks like a common kingsnake, but I don't think they're really supposed to be hanging around in the Denver area....but really, what do I know about snake turf? Nothing. If someone else has a clue, please do share.
On today's ride, I was listening to Bat for Lashes. I bought the album Two Suns, and I'm completely smitten. At times, it reminds me of Kate Bush, Bjork, and/or Tori Amos, but I don't want to give the impression that I like Bat for Lashes because it sounds like someone else. The music is unique, and it stands on its own.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
If she knew what she wanted...
I've gone on a few more rides since the last time I posted, and I'm starting to notice the gradual building of muscle in my legs. This is pleasing to me, as I've always been rather waifish, and I relish the idea of having some muscle. I don't need to be completely ripped, but it would be nice to feel a bit less fragile than I always have.
Photo from today's ride. Prairie dogs and blue sky.
Watching... Alternating between Dr. Who and Robin Hood. We also have the Czech film Daisies sitting here, but we haven't watched it yet. I'm thinking it will be this week sometime.
Listening... This week, I've mostly listened to music during my rides. A lot of VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, and Concrete Blonde.
Trying... to focus on something. Anything, really.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Beauty is never far away.
On Saturday I rode 29 miles. It wasn't planned, as the furthest I'd ridden prior was approximately eight miles. It was just such a beautiful day that I kept on going until I found myself at Confluence Park. C and I stopped at the Starbucks there. I drank a caramel frappaccino, and we shared a croissant. I talked to the pigeons, soaked up the sun, and then turned around and headed back home on my bicycle.
On my way back, I saw a family of foxes: one adult and three adolescents. Unfortunately, I only managed to capture three of them in the picture, and it's not a very good picture. I need to figure out a way to pack my camera. The cell phone just doesn't do it for me.
On the way home, I was so tired that I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but I did, and it felt like quite an accomplishment. Not bad for a girl who is often described as a china doll.
One thing I did realize though... I listen to very mellow, melancholy music more often than I realized. I grabbed my ipod, and I put it on shuffle. Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Kristin Hersh, Faun Fables... It's all great, but you just can't ride to it. A lesson learned.
Today, I rode approximately nine miles. It seems so small compared to Saturday's ride, but I think I need to do a lot more in the way of shorter rides to build up my endurance. It rained most of the way, and during the heaviest downpour, C and I stood under an underpass and watched the clouds, geese, river, etc. When we left, I took a photograph of a beautiful double rainbow. It's still a cell phone picture, but the beauty of it is intact.
Lesson learned, today's ride was accompanied by VNV Nation.
