We just got back from a birthday party. Josie and Craig live in a cabin “off the grid”. No utilities. They get their water from the creek (under ground pipes bring it to the home). Their power either comes from a generator, or they’re thinking about getting a hydro-power set-up so they can get electricity from the running water in the creek. Solar panels are also an option. Wow, how simple!
We had a great time at the party. We cooked kabobs, had hand-crank ice cream, cookies and chocolate cake. Everybody just sat around the table and chatted. What a pleasant evening.
This weekend I attended the Panhandle Picture Show. Thirty-five short films screened over two days, along with talks and round-tables.
We had films that spanned the spectrum of quality and bizarre-ness. Some obviously were extremely well-funded, and others had well… no funding. We saw comedies, dramas, documentaries, mockumentaries, and of course, experimental. Some films felt like you were seeing something from Hollywood, some just felt like the filmmakers were trying out their video filters and effects.
The organizers of this affair did an exceptional job. They got a great response from all over the US, and even a few international entries. Bruno Coppola entered two short films. (Yes, that Coppola, as in Francis Ford and Sophia). We still had lots of locally produced films, but not as many as I would have liked.
I talked to the people who put together the picture show. They looked a little weary but they really enjoyed putting it together. This picture show is a great example of small-town people doing big things.
I returned to Alaska on Saturday night. It was a crazy, exciting, exhausting and worthwhile trip. I welcome being back, though, for the following reasons:
Yes, I am glad to be back, and I feel like I’m in the home stretch of our time here. We move in early June – that’s less than 2 months away.
I saw this lovely sign while out and about on friday.
Greetings from Denver, my Tea Bag says.
I send greetings from Denver, Colorado. I’m scoping out houses and doing a bit of work too. I’m exhausted from sleep deprivation and bed deprivation, not to mention spouse deprivation too. Maybe this tea will help.
Sunday evening, Anna and I went to a friend’s house, as we do each Sunday, for supper and a reading and discussion time. We treasure these times, and look forward to them each week. They go something like this…
Everybody brings something to eat. We talk sometime during the week to make sure everybody isn’t bringing a salad. Typically someone experiments with something so it can be pretty interesting. This time, we had potato and leek soup, pasta spinach salad, hot German potato salad (no hot germans harmed in the making of this salad), and pasta with red sauce. Leftovers abound and everybody ate enough. Perfect.
As we relaxed over wine and talked, little Mark (almost 2 years old) ran around pointing things out or playing with found objects around the house. We usually have a chat or discussion before the reading time. The previous week we establish who will read the following week. People always have the option to bow out of their reading or just pass all together. Matt read this week.
Matt is an interesting character. He loves science fiction and loves thinking about things. He loves …
Read more…
Anna is substitute teaching today. How dare she. It’s messing with my routine. She mentions her experiences here.
Actually I think it’s great. She’s enjoying it and I’m sure she’s really good at it. Better than I was when I did a few days teaching. She’s just good with children, which surprises me not in the least. That attracted me to her when I first kinda sorta was thinking I liked her.
We want to have kids sometime in the next few years. I have mixed feelings about it though. I look forward to having a little one crawling around, but I know how selfish I am with my free time. I like choosing what to do with my evenings. I like sleeping through the night without crying children, or “Daddy I had an accident in bed.”
Also, I take it for granted that whenever we decide we’re ready for kids, we can just start having them. I guess I like to boss God around. Many of my friends are having babies, but others aren’t, and can’t wait to have them. Which one will I be?
Be Good Not Bad is all about really good web design, based on the utmost respect for web standards, accessibility and respect for the user. Based in Denver, Colorado, Be Good Not Bad is run by Brian Warren, freelance designer, blogger, homebrewer and coffee nut.