Captain Mandible Says Hello

For cathartic reasons, I deleted my livejournal after keeping it for more than three years. It contained all of the darkness that I no longer wish to hold onto, and Cities Beneath the Sea is now my central location within the wires. This doesn't really change anything. I just wanted to mention it.

Currently Reading:

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

Recently Watched:

The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Stranger Than Fiction
Sherrybaby
This is England
The Road to Wellville
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Enjoying:

Night time dog walking and snow frolicking.
Good Earth Tea Original Blend
The newest Gravenhurst Album - The Western Lands

Kusudama

Kusudama (Medicine Ball) is a Japanese artform involving the folding of paper to create conical objects (usually flowers) which are then stitched together to form a sphere. They originated during the Heaian period (794 - 1192) and were once filled with herbs to ward off evil spirits and disease. A detailed history of Kusudama can be found at David Lister's website, The History of Origami.

They're beautiful, and I've decided that I want to make one. I found the instructions at The peace of paper, and I've been working on the individual units. This is my progress...

Kristin Hersh - Your Ghost

The work of Kristen Hersh has always resonated with me, and this song has recently been a fixture in my playlist.

Where I've Been...

Princess Haiku posted a nice note asking me to come back soon, and I just want to check in and let everyone know that I'm still here, and I do intend to post more in the future. I'm just not certain when. (Thank you, Princess H)

The past year, for me, has been filled with illness and punctuated by death. I've lost two of the most influentual women in my life, my grandmother (July 5th) and my step-mother (November 7th) and I'm having a very difficult time dealing with both of these losses. Everything is still fresh and somewhat surreal. I have no doubt that things will get better, but they're currently very different, and there's an everpresent void that's hard to contend with.

Tearwave - Lotus Flower