New locations

I've never been good at long lead ins when I have something important to say, so I'll just get right to it.

WE'RE MOVING!

Both in real space and in virtual space.

Mike got a job with the Washington department of Fish and Game. And we'll be moving up there in less than a week. We've been wishing, hoping, dreaming of a new job, maybe a new town, and moving past graduate student life - which we've thoroughly enjoyed. But we're ready for something new. Apparently the gods heard us. With a vengence!!

Also, I wanted to let you all know that this site will no longer be active after today. It will still be accessible for awhile but all the content, as well as any new posts have been moved to wordpress. You can visit us at:

http://atamian.wordpress.com/

Please change your bookmarks and links, and visit us often. I'm hoping it will be a good way to keep in touch for those of you who we won't be seeing as often anymore. I feel the need to move on, to let a lot of things go. This blog site, for whatever reason, needs to be one of those things.

But I have one request. This time LEAVE COMMENTS :) I never got very many on this blog, yet when I would talk to people they would always tell me that they had enjoyed the blog. I gotta tell you guys, it's hard to feel like you have an audience when they don't talk back. It doesn't matter if you have a blog or not, or even if you have a wordpress ID. The comment doesn't even have to be realted to the post! You can leave comments at any time. I would love to hear from you.

Many blessings,
Crystal

Wordless Wednesday: After more than a week of non-stop snow

Up to Date Part 1: Lu's Birthday

So, I've been ofline for quite some time. For good reasons, that I'll address in another post. But in the interests of family who use this to keep track of what we're up to, I thought I'd back track a bit.

Bean's birthday, though there have only been two of them, have been very non-traditional. What can I say I'm a non-traditional type of gal.


(Coincidently, Bean's birthday is also the birthday of my college roomate who I'm very fond of and admire tremendously. And the added joy this year is that she got engaged on her birthday! Congrats Jen!)
Last year, we figured Lu wouldn't care wither way, so we went snowshoeing on her birthday. This year, burnt out from the holidays and aching to get outside, we figured we would make it a tradition. (I love non-traditional traditions, don't you?).

It was sunny and COLD, with the sharp gray front of winter inching over the mountains as we walked. I carried the Bean while Mike got back in the swing with his cross-country skiis. It was fun but we kept it short.

Photos for fun:


Now for the candles. Yes, in spite of our lax attitude last year we did make sure she got a cake (cheesecake). This year she got carrot muffins.

Photos for fun:















And after our snowshoe Sunday some other friends surprised us with a second cake for the Bean. It was beautiful, and put my mom skills to shame. She demonstrated that this was THE CAKE she had always wanted by sticking her face squarly on the edge and taking a huge bite! My little chocoholic emerges!









**As a totally unrealted side note, I've decided, after much troubles the last month or so that I'm SICK of blogspot. I'll probably be changing over to wordpress.com soon. Stay tuned for details.

Meme Me

Although I've been tempted by memes, I've tried to avoid them so far. But since I've been tagged by my friend Tracy, I guess I'll give in. Though I must admit that I've changed a few things :)

Seven sets of eight things

8 things I am passionate about
the conservation and preservation of the environment
natural child birth
local, organic food
the need of every human to be loved, to laugh, and run around naked sometimes
my family, immediate and extended
writing
birds
gardening and digging my hands in the soil

8 things I want to do before I die
travel to New Zealand
learn to play the banjo
go back to Germany with Mike
pamper myself at a day spa
be able to better identify birds and plants, and learn as much natural history about them as possible
own a cabin and a small expanse of land
speak another language semi-fluently
get my 2nd degree black belt in Hapkido and my 1st degree in aikido

8 things I say often
All right
6 of one, half a dozen of the other
No worries
LU-CINE!
. . .
The rest eludes me,
I talk to myself a lot but I'm not usually paying that much attention

8 books I WANT to read
The Art of Peace - Morihei Ueshiba
The Armenians - John M. Douglas
The Best American Science Writing 2006 - ed. Atul Gawande
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver
Coming Home to Eat - Gary P. Nabhan
Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Eat, Love, Pray - Elizabeth Gilbert

8 musicians/bands I could listen to for hours and hours
Barenaked Ladies
U2
Greg Brown
John Mayer
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Edith Piaf
Sonia Dada
Beethoven

8 things that attract me to my best friends
Sense of humor
Mindfulness
Generosity
Loyalty
Playfulness
Honesty
Kindness
Curiosity


8 people who should totally do this meme
Most I would tag have already been tagged. But if this meme strikes you as fun please do it and then let me know and I'll link to you.

What to do for the big number 2?

The timing of Bean's birthday poses somewhat of a dilemma. Christmas a month before means that she has received more toys than we can fit in her closet, and she's not bored with the toys I put out for her right after the holiday, let alone the ones I have stored in the closet for later.


But nevertheless, some people have asked me what to get the Bean for her birthday. Yet when I run through the checklist of books, toys, clothes, and other ammenities I come up with nothing. She could use a few new bath toys, but lately she showers with me more often than she takes a bath. I spent days thinking about it, and after a trip downtown with my friend Tracy I hit upon inspiration.

For those of you who don't already know what you're getting her, I have a suggestion: Sponsor us for a cool class being offered through the Nevada Museum of Art.

Here's the description:

Toddler Art Adventure: Recycling Fun!
Parent and child will make art together using recycled materials and common items you can find at home. Using these materials, the class will explore painting, drawing, printmaking, collage and sculpture. Highlights include a spaghetti mobile and printmaking with vegetables and feathers. A toddler project apron is included!
Session 1: Wednesdays, March 5 to 26, 9:30 AM to 10:15 AM Ages: 2 – 5 with parent Cost: $27 non-members, ($12 for each additional child and/or parent)

This is right up our alley! Recycled materials, making a mess with art material - it doesn't get much better than this!

So there's my contribution.

Bottomless cup

The other day Luci and I were watching a show I found on PBS called Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies. This is a cute show that teaches kids about animals and the natural world. For a review of the show check out this site.

In a nutshell, most of the characters are young animals of the African savannah who run into a problem they need to solve or a question that they want to answer. Mama Mirabelle the elephant illuminates the issue with home movies she has shot. While the characters are animated, the home movies are actual footage of animals shot by National Geographic or BBC (The show originally aired on the BBC, and although I hate to admit to being an anglophile, I LOVE the BBC.)

So Luci and I are sitting on the couch watching Mama Mirabelle explain to her calf, Max and his friends, Karla the zebra (who has a New Zealand accent?!?) and Bo the cheetah, why their new friend is so good at hide and go seek. Turns out their new friend is a bat. Thus Mama Mirabelle launches into an explantation of echolocation. They begin with talking about echoes and how certain sounds in certain places bounce back. At this point I look over and Luci has her head bent over her cup of "Hot-tea" (yes, my kid is already learning to enjoy a morning cup of herbal), and is talking into the mug. Apparentally she was expecting a reply because she kept saying things ("Mommydaddy, Daddymommy. Doggie?") and then putting her ear to the top of the mug to see if anyone would respond. It was all I could do to not double over laughing. I asked her if there was anyone in there. She gave me this puzzled look, looked back down into her cup and then up at the TV. We continued to watch the program without any more comic mishaps.

I love how much Bean's interested in animals and the natural world (I accept full blame with pride). She even has a book we found in Yellowstone about animal scat and tracks called Who Pooped in the Park? (an awesome series I might add). But already I want to start buying all those science activites you find at the Exploratorium in SF and other cool science museums. I'm already thinking about showing her how things grow and sprout roots (i.e. the infamous potato/toothpick thing). My mind races and I start checking out parent teachers stores and looking at teaching materials. And then I think maybe we should focus on colors and learning what blue is, and that blue and yellow make green, before we move onto photosythesis and evaporation. I think I grudgingly have to admit that my mom was right - I'm a teacher at heart, whether I want to be or not.

Check it out mom! SNOW!

Hey Kathy. Whatcha doin' with that thing?

My turn! Let me help.

Wow, that was hard work. I think I'll just sit here and watch.

Am I in the way or something?

Anybody catch the license number on that snowplow?

So this is what a snowman feels like.

WHEEEE! No, don't stop. Who cares if there's a car coming?

I brake for snowmen.

Got your nose??

I'm going to miss you in the morning.

Morning snack

We woke up Friday to about 5 inches of snow in our backyard. It's been hard to keep Bean in the house since then. She keeps grabbing her boots and saying, "Ow-side. Ow-side Mama. Snow, dey's 'now."

I've been sick so spending half an hour shivering while she dives into piles of snow is not my idea of fun right now. But when Mike went out to shovel the driveway I gave in.

I should preface this by saying that Lu is in a stage where she wants to imitate everything I do. And I mean everything, from sweeping to wrapping presents to going pee in the potty. And I've known for awhile that this penchant for imitation does extend to the dog. We've had to explain to her several times that eating grass and going through the dog door are not things we really want her to do.

So I wasn't surprised when I looked up from talking to Mike as he was shoveling and found them both eating the newfallen snow. You've gotta smile - what kid doesn't like eating snow?

My only concern is whether, as winter progresses, she'll be able to understand that there are just certain types of snow that you don't want to eat.

Characters

I was thinking the other day of how to create characters in a piece of writing. How to encapsulate a complex persona into a snapshot for the purposes of a story. It's hard and it often means resorting to stereotypes, which is something I cringe at. For me, more often then not, it means expereimenting until I find the right details. Only with those telling details does the picture I paint begin to ring true.

So I began to revisit some of the "character" poems, or portraits, I've written. One jumped out at me. I had almost forgotten my first Italian teacher. A character if I've ever met one.

Gustavo Foscarini

L'uomo basso e forte –
You are as short and stocky
as a Pyrenees mountain pony.

Your unruly grey beard is
a shaggy carpet that explodes off your face
like a snake out of a can,
hiding two ears folded open like
advent-calendar doors.

A sense of humor to match
your vivacious eyebrows,
which periodically bounce up and
down like a child playing peek-a-boo.

You remind me of Nino twenty years from now,
hands that leap and dance
to the rhythm of your trombone tones.

The classic Italian gentleman --
polite, nosy, charming,
relaxed.
I wonder why you left Italia,
and if you have any grandchildren.

I think you were born in the South,
where enjoyment and good wine
are prima di tutto
and passione sizzles in the blood like oil
in an August frying pan,
where there is no word for lust, only l'amore.

One day I'll ask you these things,
if you know of La Madonna del Castello,
the legends and frescos beneath her salty floor,
if the smell of aglio and basilico
are a wooden spoon that stirs memories,
and if you are ever tempted to go back
to the language where "stress" doesn't translate.

Goal: Climb Mt. Rose, Status: FINALLY!

There's this mountain. Being smack up against the eastern side of the Sierras there's a lot of mountains around here, but there's one in particular that I've been wanting to climb for awhile. She is the tallest peak this side of Tahoe, and easy to spot from almost anywhere in Reno. In the winter there is nothing lovelier than her bright snow-covered peak above the gray desert scrub.

For three years I have been wanting to climb to the top. The first summer I made serious plans to climb the peak I found out I was pregnant. I still tried to climb it, but by the time Mike's field season was over and we had time to do it I was six months along. To my credit I made it half-way up, but the top was more than I could do at that point. However, I was ok with that. I just figured I would do it the following year with Luci in a carrier on my back, as opposed to in my stomach. That didn't pan out either. Finishing my lecturing contract with UNR, nursing and caring for a baby, while at the same time getting me and the Bean ready to join Mike at his field site for the summer turned out to be a lot. Oh, and we planned a BBQ with 40+ people for my friend's family who were visiting from the Basque country. As always Mt. Rose kept getting shoved down the priority list.

And alas, after the huge 3-week vacation to Bear Lake and Yellowstone in addition to all the other summer craziness I thought I was going to miss out again. Add to this that the trail head is only a half-hour drive from our house and you can understand my frustration!

But not this time! My parents decided to take Luci for a few days after Thanksgiving to give Mike and I some much needed time to catch up - with each other and our to-do lists. And so we jumped on the opportunity Sunday and FINALLY climbed Mt. Rose. Ordinarily I would have thought this would be too late in the season, but with as little snow as we've had it wasn't a problem. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled we were able to climb to the top but I'm not thrilled about the lack of snow that high up (10,776 ft.). It was a little under 10 miles round trip - a pretty good day hike - but we managed to do it in about five and a half hours. Not too bad for as out-of-shape as we've felt lately.

About half-way up to the summit is a waterfall, which we've been to a number of times. It makes for a great half-day hike. It was really funny to see the entire thing frozen solid.

From the waterfall you wind out east through a valley and then the trail curves up along a creek bed and up the west side of the peak. This is a summit view of the valley and waterfall.

I'm a big one on texture. I absolutely love natural patterns and textures, especially wood and stone. Near the summit there was a fallen lodge-pole pine whose roots had obviously weathered a few winters. I couldn't resist the texture.

It was cloudy and overcast, and the wind gusts near the summit were almost unbearable. But, the views of Tahoe, Donner Lake, Reno, and Washoe Valley were worth it.

We spent some time at the top snacking on nuts and dates we'd brought. This is otherwise known as the "OMG, gimmee calories 'cause I'm about to die," period where we enjoy the view and recover before we head back down. And where we take the obligatory summit shots.

And then we came home, made dinner and a fire, and spent the rest of the evening curled up under a down comforter feeling sore and content.

Run to Feed the Hungry 5K: Celebration pics

I didn't have time to upload these for the initial post but since I'm still basking in the runner's high I thought I'd share.

Mike and I near the finish line once the crowd thinned out and we finally found each other

My wonderful Papa who came and sat for over an hour just to see me finish.
He was as happy as I was

Goal: Run a 5K Before the end of the year, Status: DID IT!

What do you get when you mix 22,000 people at 9 a.m. in 40-ish degree weather? My first instinct would be some sort of stadium-based game. Or perhaps angry post-Thankgiving shoppers who were locked out of their favorite store by a mischevious employee? Either way, I expect people to be frustrated, pissy, and pushing each other. The last thing I expected was laughter, smiles, and sincere apologies when I got bumped. I can see now the true power and positive energy that can happen when thousands upon thousands of people come together for fun and a good cause.



The Sacramento Food Bank was able to raise roughly $600,000 for the charitable work they do in the greater Sacramento area. And being a part of that felt so incredibly good that I hardly thought about the mile markers until I saw the finish line just ahead of me. I can't remember ever being in a crowd that moved with such fluidity and grace for such a long distance. The Food Bank even arranged for live bands to play along the route to keep everyone's spirits up.


All I could think during the race as I saw other families and individuals running beside me was how much I would love to be a part of something like this every year, regardless of where we live.


Of course with everything there are good and bad details that come with the expereince. Here's a few:


Bad
--The traffic!! OMG 22,000 people, even carpooling, make for one hell of a traffic jam!

--Halfway into this traffic jam I remembered that I forgot my inhaler at the house (yes, I am blonde sometimes)

--Due to the previous two things I got there late and had to start with the walkers instead of the runners. Crowded!! Much zigzagging in order to actually run for the first bit.

--Being so pressed for time that I forgot to arrange a meeting place to find Mike and Papa after the race. Note to future participants (me included): without a prearranged meeting spot it takes roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to find your peeps in a crowd that large.


Good
--The people!!! People were so nice and so helpful, especially when I couldn't find Mike and Papa. I hate, and I mean HATE, people who ask to borrow your cell phone. But after an hour I got so worried that I had to do something. In asking directions at one point, a woman who learned the situation offered her cell phone of her own accord.

--The running felt so good and I felt so strong. I was trying to be careful and not let that little competative bug drive me to run faster than I was capable and exhaust myself too soon. But I still ran at a pretty good clip. By the end I felt like I could still go for another mile at least.

--Knowing that, in spite of all the chaos of the last month, I was still able to meet my goal.

--Having my Papa and my hubbie there to cheer me on at the end (granted they weren't sure which blonde in black pants and an event t-shirt was me, but they were cheering regardless) :)

--And, of course, eating Thanksgiving dinner and not worrying that I would gain any weight from it!


And, if anyone is interested, here's the link to the Sac Bee story about the event itself:
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/512203.html

Wordless Wednesday: Thoughts before the race

In Defense

Like we ever had any doubts, but . . .
Mike had his thesis defense today and he passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't get me wrong, his committee still wants him to make a few minor revisions to the manuscript. The manuscript still has to be submitted to the graduate school. The two chapters of his thesis still need work so they can be submitted to various journals for publication. . .
But this as about as close to saying "It's DONE!" as we're going to get. The papers have been signed and that's what's important.

Frogive a poor girl a little celebratory cheer:
YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My master's degree was hard, given that it coincided with our wedding. But I never anticipated how much work it would take, on both our parts, to get through Mike's degree. But he did it! We did it! Yeah!!!!!!!!!

I keep telling him, I know it sounds cheesy, but I'm so proud. He has worked so hard and done so much. Being out in the field, up all night trapping birds in March's single digit weather. Pulling trucks out of the mud, repairing tents that collapsed in the snow, radio tracking birds in July heat, hiking up and down mountains trying to find the more elusive hens. Dealing with a wife and small daughter and trying to give us everything we need and deserve in spite of an overwhelming work load. Cheesy or not my husband effing rocks!

I tried to think last night about all the things we've been through and the challenges we've had to overcome. But it made my head hurt thinking about spending so much time away from each other during the field season the first year, driving out to the field site for four days every other weekend after sqeezing a 40 hour week into three days, the dread we faced when we found out I was pregnant and thought he might have to quit, the financial strain. There's no point making a complete list at this point. We did it together and it made us both realize how strong and capable we can be, both apart and together.

It was a long, dusty road to walk, but we made it. And, truth be told, that dusty sagebrush desert hides an awful lot of beauty if you look up and focus on something besides your tired legs.

If you could be any animal. . .

Not what I would have anticipated, but it's growing on me.

You're a Mongoose!

Famous and fabled, you are well-loved by those around you, especially
those above you. You rise to many challenges, and your speed and agility allow you
to outwit those you don't like and others hate. While you don't appear vicious,
your unassuming appearance helps draw people into underestimating you. You really
like the name Rikki.


Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Arrggh, meet Anne Bonney

Halloween was the night all hell broke loose. Literally. That was when the call came from my mom that Papa had just gone into cardiac arrest and been taken to the ICU. Half and hour later we were on the road.

Two weeks later and weaker but recovered Papa is back at home and doing OK for the moment. And I am finally home pulling the pieces of my life back into place. With a lot of effort, a child that won't sleep, and a calm but crazed husband who is defending his master's thesis this Friday.

And in classic pagan tradition, before all hell broke loose there was much celebration!!

But first some background. Halloween has always been a holiday that I have held close to my heart. I feel sometimes like it is part of my identity. Not because I am evil (though some will argue here), and not because I like to dress up or pretend to be someone else (I don't), but because my birthday falls just two days before All Hallow's eve. And because more than 50% of my birthday parties since puberty have been Halloween costume parties.

This year was no exception! The exception in this case was the sheer number of people I shared the party with. You see, between my softball team and Mike's department there are 7, count them, 7 birthdays between Oct. 13 and Oct. 29. Granted Mike and I are two of them, but still. Several people within this group thought it would be fun (and efficient) if we just threw one party to celebrate the overwhelming number of birthdays, Halloween, and the end of the softball season. I agreed, and in a moment of sheer insanity, offered to have it at our house. I guess an inner part of me figured I should end our two softball seasons the way I began them - by shooting off my big mouth. What this provided was an opportunity for the Bean to show off what she is made of.

(The only thing missing is her parrot puppet, which she carried around religiously at times)

We decided awhile ago, based on various coincidences, that Bean should be a pirate for Halloween. In honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day I had stumbled on a quiz that tells you your true pirate name. Prior to Halloween I revisited the quiz and entered what I thought would have been Luci's responses to the questions (the questions that involved Muppets were easy.) Come to find out her pirate name is none other than Anne Bonney. Fearsome, independent, and blood-thirsty - that's my girl! (I'm intentionally excluding the sexually promiscuous, violent, and law-breaking tendencies here for obvious reasons).

Anne Bonney and her pirate love, John Rackham.

In spite of her fierce reputation, Pirate Bean still had time to enjoy a pony ride

Now if only we could get her to take the costume off!!!

Superman Reflexes

A friend sent this to me. Superman is not necessarily my favorite, but the game does satisfy the inner part of me that has always longed to be a photographer.

http://hk.promo.yahoo.com/movie/superman/Stop_Press_Game/

Keep Writing

Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing. As a writing student, and as a writing teacher I have both heard and recited these words more times than I can count. So why does it never seem to sink in when I sit down to write?


Good question.


Writer's block is very egalitarian. It sees no race, class, religion, or intellectual barriers. It effects us all. People all over the world are affected by it, and with literacy rates increasing so is its prevalence. It's not quite like birth and death, which we all expereince regardless of how our lives are lived. But it is more deeply rooted than the globalization/Americanization of the world. I mean people choose to go to McDonald's or drink a Coke. No one chooses writer's block.


You see I'm trying to write up some materials for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, a last ditch effort for us to live abroad for awhile. Mike and I gave up on that dream a few months ago for financial and logistical reasons. And then last week Mike got an informational email.

What can I say? When things like that drop into your mailbox you figure maybe it's a sign. Maybe it's the one more chance we needed and have been looking for. But maybe it's another piece of propaganda that has surfaced to use up more of my already non-existent free time.

I'll never know unless I try, right?


It fits all our requirements, and unlike previous attempts, this time I fulfill all the qualifications with no additional training or certification. But with all the chaos of the last couple weeks and the exhaustion looming over me like a pregnant stormcloud I am stumped. I can't think of a thing to say that doesn't sound like it came from an 8th grader's pen.

I hate writer's block. I hate that I feel ineloquent, incompetant, and unfocused. So I am reduced to the old mantra: keep writing, keep writing, keep writing, the initial effort is the hardest, revision will be easier, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing.

Every Other Friday

Papa was an electrician. He worked nine 9s, as they like to call it. Or nine 9-hour days every two weeks. Every other Friday Papa would pick me up at my Mom's work. This was our day. First we went to breakfast, then we would go to the Sacramento Zoo and/or Fairytale Town.

Afterward we would go to the Bank of Alex Brown, pick up Nana from work, and take her to lunch. Afterward we might do some errands for Mom and Nana, if we weren't too tired.

I still remember sitting in Papa's arms in the parking lot, ready for our day of fun.

Being an only grandchild has it's perks.

Monster on my back

A Brief Running Update

The one nice thing about times of stress is that I run a lot, and with 15 days left until the 5K race for Run to Feed the Hungry I need to be training more anyway. Since I'm pulling all-nighters at the hospital I'm trying not to overdo it. So far I can consistently run 1.6 miles and still feel strong at the end.


But the asthma monster still has his claws in my back and is hanging on with a vengance.