xtreme unicycle

Walked the butte.  Standard route up to the Orchard Loop, around, and back.

Didn't take aspirin, and consequently had some head pains.  Not pointy and at the very top of my head, as they are sometimes.  Instead a duller pain, slightly to the right, and as if it were more inside my brain.

Meh.  Makes me worry that I'm going to have a stroke at some point.  Keep on thinking that I need to do some research on preventative measures -- but it's a scary thing to look at face on.

On the way back, I passed a unicycler on the Elderberry Trail.  I've heard of this before -- mountain bikers who use unicycles for an even crazier ride.  He was 40-something, and had a steely look to him that made me not want to strike up conversation.

walk - thinking about monster month

Butte notes:

Did a quick butte walk...  Standard route to the Orchard Loop and back.  Walked more quickly than usual -- only took 52 minutes.  Remembered my aspirin.

The house on 141st place with the little lawn statues has added Barbie Pink highlights to their house.  It doesn't match the rest of the house's paint very well -- but it's daring, so I approve.

On the Raymond St. entrance to the butte, someone's put more bottles and cans on tree branches.  Grrr.  Must take a bag with me to pick up trash when I see it.

Saw 8 sheep (one black) and a cow in the Russian pasture.

Spent most of the walk thinking about Monster Month 2008.  No grand insights, just daydreaming.

butte: maps & mantis

Took a walk on the butte... Wound up being 2 hrs instead of 1 due to interesting sights.

TRAIL NAME DISCREPANCIES

I'm trying to learn the trail names... But I've discovered that there are discrepancies in nomenclature. The main sign at the entry to the park doesn't show the Elderberry Trail or the Black Tailed Deer Trail. I'm also beginning to think that one or more of the trail markers may be mis-labeled.

The Elderberry Trail seems to overlap the Wild Horse Trail, which is a big loop. Elderberry leads to a little bridge across a stream, after which the trail up to the top is labeled "Cedar Grove Trail." I think that marker must be wrong... It makes more sense that Cedar Grove heads north from the intersection with Mt. Hood Trail, crosses the stream, and heads up the next hill.

The map at the restrooms shows the Mt. Hood trail leading all the way down to the Springwater. Again, I think the map is wrong. I think that the lower stretch, which passes by the Ellis Street Entrance is actually the Black Tailed Deer Trail.

I also note that the Raymond Street Entrance is not on the map.

WILDLIFE

As I was heading up 141st, I noticed that the house at the tippy-top has a lockbox on the door. An animal control truck was parked at the butte entrance. It makes me wonder if the occupants of that house have been evicted... But it might be unrelated.

As I entered the butte, I saw that there were four people in the wooded area near the far NW corner of the Russian sheep/goat pasture. I don't know what they were hunting for... But at one point I overheard a conversation about raccoons. Still, might be unrelated.

As I was coming up to the stream bridge, I saw a giant slug: yellow-green, with big black patches. I helped it "cross the road." Got my fingers stung by nettles in the process. Eek!

Saw a raptor with a white tail flying around the Meadowland area. Based on size, it may have been a hawk or falcon. It seemed to land in the grass for a while, then take off again.

Best of all: I saw a praying mantis on the signpost at the head of the Mountain View Trail. It was eating a wasp, and I stood and watched for about 20 minutes.

The mantis was holding the dead wasp in one hand, eating its head. I watched it eat the whole thing -- winding up with the wasp's butt. It would chew at the edge of the wasp's outer shell... Then it ate the meat inside. It pulled off a wing and ate it. With the exception of one leg that dropped, nothing was wasted.

The meal took about 15 minutes. You could hear the mantis chewing the wasp's hard bits. Its head moved around quite a bit on its neck -- and its throat looked like a dryer hose tube. When it was done, it licked its "hands" and wrists. I'm not sure if I imagined seeing a tongue or not; but it did have six little fingers around its mouth to help pull the food in.

All during the meal, the mantis was standing on the *side* of the post, with its head pointed down. At one point I was amazed to see its tail end open up and a little turd extrude -- upward! After the meal, it moved slowly sideways in a gentle rocking motion, as if to imitate a stick in the wind, and it brought its arms tightly together.

ROUTE & BUTTE NOTES

* I went up 141st.
* Entered via the Raymond Street entrance.
* Followed the Elderberry on its southern loop to the little stream bridge.
* Didn't cross the bridge, instead switched over to the Cedar Grove trail, heading back up the hill.
* I'm not sure, but I may have come out on the Meadowland trail, which connected to Goldfinch.
* Followed Goldfinch down the hill, northward then turning east to where the service entrance to the Powell Butte Reservoir is.
* Stopped at the parking lot / restrooms to consult the map.
* Traveled up the paved Mountain View trail halfway, then broke from it at the Meadowland trail.
* Meadowland connected to Goldfinch, and I followed it downhill northward again.
* Where Meadowland bends east, I took an unmarked trail westward, which brought me to an intersection of Meadowland, Elderberry, and the north service road.
* Took Elderberry home. (Discovered that it runs parallel to the service road for a stretch.)

The recent planned burn also affected areas on the north side of the butte, which I hadn't seen before. The areas north of the service road were burned -- and a large area where the Mountain View trail crosses the service road (quite near to the parking lot).

In a quasi-magical moment, the shadow of a two person plane crossed over me. Shadows of airplanes are rare and strange things to see on the ground... Even more so to have one run directly over you.

prewalkupied

Butte walk notes:

Forgot to check the Cedar Grove area for chainsaw work, and forgot to take a camera to document the planned burn...  But I remembered my aspirin and had no head twinges.

I went up to the Orchard Trail  loop, went around it to the east side, and then on my way back took the Wild Hawthorn.  That connected to the Black Tailed Deer trail, which I took to the Ellis Street entrance (Ellis & 145th).

Twice today I've smelled the odor of paint VOCs...  Once at the end of the block, once at the top of the hill.  I haven't identified who's painting their house yet, though.

Horse shoe prints in the powdery dust of a trail are sweet.

Not a very relaxing walk, mentally.  I'm preoccupied with Facebook and email and how much time they have the capacity to suck up.  I've only just dipped my toe into the world of "social networking" and so far...  Is "loathe" too strong a word?

I never liked chat rooms.  Facebook seems just as shallow -- but with gew-gaw on the sidebar.

It seems like everyone's doing it...  Which forces me to ask myself:  what is it that makes me different?  Or what am I going to *say* makes me different, if I decide to walk out of that room?

chainsaws & fire

Butte walk notes:

Did another hour-long walk on the butte today -- and remembered my aspirin this time.  Only the slightest of head twinges.  Hardly even worth mentioning.

Went up to the top to survey the planned burn.  Circled the Orchard Loop and came back.

It turns out that the burn was on the south side this time:  in the section marked "wildlife area," and in a tiny bit of the southern side of the Orchard Loop.

Last year's planned burn was on the north side.  And two or three years ago there was an unplanned burn in the Orchard Loop area...  Which I suspect instigated a new schedule of planned burns to get rid of excess "fuel."

There are still some blackberries on the Elderberry Trail.  Not so sweet, but edible.  I'm noticing that blackberries that are in shaded areas can ripen weeks later than ones that are in direct sun.

Saw a giant banana slug on the Elderberry trail.  Dark green-yellow, with very large black spots.  I have a pet theory that I should be able to see differences in the slugs' markings depending on where on the butte I go, because each area will have its own genetic heritage.  I don't see slugs on the butte very often, though, so it will take time to accumulate data.

Saw a snake as I was coming up the Cedar Grove trail.  It always startles me when they quickly slither away.

There were two trucks parked on the Goldfinch trail, and a sign said that they were spraying herbicides to take out invasive species.  There was a major TV series on OPB this year about invasive species, and the OPB guide said that they were also coordinating a public campaign...  They were making a big deal out of this, and I wonder if there's any connection to the activity on the butte.  Possibly no -- but I wouldn't be surprised by yes, either.

Poetic image:  The areas where they've burned the grass down look like the mussed pelt of a black bear, I thought.

On the way back, I heard two chainsaws at work...  In the Cedar Grove area, I believe.  I didn't have time to check it out; I hope they're only clearing a blocked path.  I did think I heard a small tree fall, though.

sleepy butte walk

Butte Walk Notes:

Stayed up too late last night trying to catch up a little on email.  Six hours in a chair without moving -- no good for blood flow.  Breaking my own rules:  a 10 min walk for every 2 hours sitting.

So I just went on a 1 hr walk of the butte.  Set the timer for 30 minutes and went.

I'm trying to learn the names of the paths up there.  So here goes:

Raymond street entrance

Elderberry trail (to the little bridge across the stream)

Cedar Grove trail up to the top (past where they cut down our fave blackberry patch)

Goldfinch trail (just maybe 20 feet of that)

Orchard Loop trail (heading counter-clockwise, southward)

Wild Hawthorn trail (down toward the south, then turning to the east)

turned around and retraced my route before meeting the next connection

I haven't been on the Wild Hawthorn for a very long time, so it was like getting to explore it for the first time.  There are a few spots on the path I like a lot...  One where the trail spits in two to go around a nice old tree.

I'd forgot that the planned burn happened last Thursday, Sept 4 -- otherwise I would have headed up to the tip top to survey the meadowlands.

Also forgot, as I was leaving the house, to take my aspirin.  Had some mild head pains on the way back...  MUST learn to take the aspirin before walking when I haven't moved for a while.

Lots of birds on the path today...  Makes me wonder about getting a bird-watching book, just to know our area a bit better.

Noticed at the entrance to the Russian horse pasture you can see a tree on their land that has fallen down, roots sticking up in the air.  I wonder when that happened?

There's a white car parked near the top of 141st place that has cobwebs between the curb and its tire.  I've become curious, and will be watching to see how long they stay there.

Is this thing on...?

Neighborhood notes:

Walked for an hour, up to the top of the butte and back.

Saw two goats on the trail at the kissing trees, which had escaped from the Russian pasture.

Up at the top, I saw two fire department guys zooming around on 4-wheelers.  Probably preparations for the planned burn...  Oh!  That's happening today!

Saw a swaztika on one of the markers at the entrance to the orchard area.  Probably the same individual that graffitied the Butte's south entrance.

On the way back I heard the Russian pasture woman shouting "kip kip kip kip! brrrrrrrr!" to call the goats (which were nowhere to be seen now).

On the way back down SE 141st place, it was Comcastipalooza.  Five trucks, and four guys (that I could see) fussing with the various cable boxes on the road.  Makes me wonder if our street will receive attention soon, since Comcast was responsible for hiring the surveyor that spray-painted on our driveway.

Took aspirin before going out.  Sometimes when I haven't done anything cardiovascular for a while, I get an unpleasant pointed headache at the top of my head.  I felt that a bit yesterday.  The aspirin seemed to prevent it from ever happening today.  Good to know.

suppose that an envelope is a spaceship

This is an extremely odd line of thought -- but hear me out. In my experience, new lines of thought -- where you haven't developed language yet -- tend to emerge through metaphors. It feels like I'm onto something; I just don't know quite what yet.

1. Suppose that all art is a direct response to something -- that there is no such thing as spontaneous generation of an idea. Imagine that for every idea, you could put a tag on it, a label saying exactly which sources it is a response to...

2. Suppose that an envelope is a spaceship.

3. Suppose that a letter is a clone of your own brain. That is, by sitting down and writing out your ideas, you can create a six-foot-tall blue-eyed facsimile of your very being.

4. Suppose that the Milky Way, this spiral-armed galaxy, is populated with intelligent beings: one to a planet. Suppose that the closer you get to the center of the galxy, the more like yourself these beings are -- and at the edges of the galaxy, everyone is your complete opposite.

5. Suppose that all the beings in the galaxy are not anonymous, but rather have proper first names: Dwayne, Eleanor, Fritz, Jane.

6. Suppose that all the beings in the galaxy are made of the exact same stuff as you. We are all made of some sort of yogurt that congealed from milk that dripped down from the big black eternity above.

7. Suppose that there is no way to change the beings on the outer arms of the galaxy who you are in conflict with. Only they can change their own minds. If you object to their existence, you would ultimately have to murder them. But even in your anger, you can see that you can't condone murdering Dwayne, Eleanor, and Fritz...

8. Seeing as how the people closer to the center of the galaxy are very like you, and the people who are farther out are less like you, it's reasonable to assume that your friends (like Jane) are friends with some people who you personally couldn't stand to be with.

9. ...However, your clone has no such objections. If you send your paper clone in his/her spaceship out to a neighboring world, your friends could introduce the clone to their neighboring worlds -- but you wouldn't have to be subject to the stress of that encounter.

10. Presume that we are all trying to understand the world we are living in.

11. Art is an attempt, however indirect, to create an interpretation of experience.

12. Isolation is a terrible motivator. Being with a group of encouraging artists who are trying to express themselves in similar ways to you -- this is a great motivator. It is as if you all can see the same ghostly image, and are together trying to make-out its outline. The creative process is one of collectively trying to articulate what you see.

13. There can come a point where you have seen all that there is to see in your immediate vicinity. There is no inspiration, only boredom nearby. Inspiration comes from going farther out from the center of the galaxy, to places where you are seeing things that you don't recognize.

14. Suppose that in making your art you were meticulous about documenting precisely who and what you were responding to: both the truly alien, and the familiar.

15. Suppose that there is nothing inanimate in the galaxy. That everything that exists, exists because there is a living being -- with a proper name -- preserving it. Suppose that if you want to respond to these things, you had to speak directly to the beings that stand for them.

16. In a group you could create a clone collectively -- but it would be a giant built out of all of your bodies. The people on the outskirts of the galaxy would fear and reject this colossus. But a clone of a single person -- that could travel outward, staying overnight at friends' houses on the way, out to the edge of the galaxy. ...So long as you created the clone in good faith, imbuing it with your own personal essence, rather than attempting to build a soulless robot. (Who would invite a strange, anonymous robot to stay with their family?)

...Um, that's it. That's what I can dredge up at the moment. Looks like I'm noodling around with a metaphor for being alive, living in society, creativity, and ethics. Hm.

Or, call me Zoe

You scored as Zoe Alleyne Washburne. The Soldier. You are the second in command, and that is fine. You like a chain of command, but only when the one in charge has earnt your respect. Those who earn your love or loyalty will find no one better to guard their back. The Operative 94% Zoe Alleyne Washburne 94% River Tam 75% Capt. Mal Reynolds 69% Kaylee (Kaywinnet Lee) Frye 69% Inara Serra 69% Shepherd Derrial Book 56% Simon Tam 56% Hoban 'Wash' Washburne 56% Jayne Cobb 6% Which Serenity character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

gender questions

Is there such a thing as a male brunette? Are only women brunettes? How odd... I feel like there must be this other species walking around among us: "the brunette menace".

A man can have blond hair -- but I don't think you'd say he IS a blonde ("Mark's a blonde") -- reducing his existence to hair. You might say he's a red-head, though. Are red-heads the most alien of the hair-people?

Is "brunette" the most feminizing hair color because it has the diminutive "ette" on the end?

...

Do boys start out loving dinosaurs, but then grow up to love robots? Are cars robots? Are soldiers robot dinosaurs?