New Thing #79: Learned to Tie My Own Obi

Today at Tea class, I tied my first obi all by myself! I was so excited :) I kinda want to go home right now and do it again :) But I made many notes in my tea journal and hopefully I'll be able to do it again.

So, we've set our date: 8.28.10. Haven't communicated it out yet – figured it was wayyy to far in advance. But I can't believe that we're locked in and good to go. K and I have been so ecstatic talking about it – sometimes to the point where we are like oh my goooooooosh shut up! but for the most part it's been fun. We found our venue at the Crown Ballroom. It's a really nice place that's all inclusive. We decided to go with a place like that instead of a "do-it-yourself" joint where we have to worry about the caterer charging us extra for ice and and setting the tables ourselves. But we do have to start saving now.

Nadine lent me her wedding dress. Another fantastic piece of good news. It was the one we picked out for her at the NYC Macy's and if I had been getting married, I would have gotten that one myself. My mom is really bummed I'm not getting my own wedding gown but I think she's being really ridiculous. After all, I'm not spending hundreds of dollars on something to not even wear for an entire day and then have my children play dress up in it for years to come... some how just seems ridiculous. I think mom is scared too. I think she's scared of change. Like when I told her I was having the wedding up in Portland in the evening, she said "Well, I can't come." and I was just like "what? now COME ON!" first of all she tells me to get engaged, get engaged, get engaged and now that I am ... she astounds me with the fact that she won't make every effort to get to my wedding. Especially because we are going to HELP her get to my wedding. It pissed me off soooo bad! I think she kinda feels like the carpet has been pulled out from underneath her lately what with applying for Medicaid and struggling with her help and everything she goes through with her illness.... it's really a challenge.

New Thing #78: Engaged!

I got engaged!!!! AHHHHHHH

90 day check in at the Y

Had my 90-day Check in at the Y today. It went well and I thought the criticisms were spot on so perhaps that means that the compliments were also spot on. Here are the highlights:

Good Traits:*No task too small or too big, I don't mind getting it done.
*Enthusiasm
*Sense of Urgency in my own work load
*Productive
*High Energy
*Take Initiative
*Hold my own in the department
*Don't let the little things bother me
*Don't internatilize criticism / office drama
*Show continued interest in learning

Growth Opportunities:*Begin to make my own lists-- she's double checking that I'm getting my list done.
*Attention to detail: Continued from my first position at the Y (Both Chris & Tammy said that I need to work on this)
*Improve my communication style: realize the difference of Personal Style (journaling) vs. Professional style.
*Professionalism comment: Be aware that I sometimes "sigh" at my desk.
*Pay attention to rewriting / drafting / editing changes
*Make sure I'm using the correct sense of urgency when I request information from others ... Know when to ask for information and how long that information takes to provide.

New Thing #77: Participated in my first chakai

A Chakai is a tea gathering / tea ceremony that I participated in. It was just me, my sensai and my sempai. It was great fun though I was INCREDIBLY nervous but nothing bad happened. I did okay. I fumbled through my speech and fucked up... well, a lot. But it was a great first chakai! I looked beautiful in my new green kimono that I got at an antique store for $80 (including the cost of the gold bamboo / cloud obi)

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.

My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.' I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.' I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked. 'So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments .''How does one acknowledge God's blessings?' I asked.'Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Lord.

''What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.

'If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

''And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who have that opportunity.'

'If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .'

'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... you are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'

'If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world. '

If your parents are still alive and still married ..... you are very rare .'

'If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'

Ok, what now? How can I start? If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

We always have options, the world is full of choices.
We can choose to focus on the negative things that we see everyday, or we can choose to remain positive striving. Seeing the things, the blessings that are all around us while striving to improve the things that we can improve.

A little bit Pretentious

Ok this is a little bit silly, but I was feeling a little sorry for myself today and needed a little pick-me-up with a pretentious show of everything. So here goes:

I've Been To 24 Countries in 25 Years:

1. United States (this counts)
2. Canada -- British Columbia
3. Puerto Rico
4. Barbados
5. Bahamas
6. England
7. Scotland
8. Ireland
9. Spain
10. Portugal
11. Italy
12. Greece
13. Austria
14. Hungary
15. Vatican City
16. Monaco
17. Romania
18. Switzerland
19. Germany
20. Belgium
21. The Netherlands
22. Denmark
23. Sweden
24. Japan
25. ? Have time this year to catch one (or more) to my passport

I Have Talent / Interest in These Hobbies:

• Sewing, quilting, etc.
• Knitting
• Japanese Tea Ceremony
• Painting, Drawing, Ceramics, Colored Pencils, Pastels
• Container Gardening
• Chicago Tribune crossword puzzles / Sudoku
• Cooking
• Getting movies on Netflix.
• Piano, Flute playing
• Education: foreign language, art history, technology

I Want to Learn How to:

• Many, many things filling up many many journals and most of the time, it's hard to make decisions about what I'm going to spend my time learning.

Chanoyu Reading List

"The Spirit of Tea" by Sen Soshitsu (XV)

• Beautiful color illustrations / use of captions
• Nice beginner book for tea and the Tea Ceremony
• Learned about the spirit behind chado ... "the way of tea"
• Tea isn't something one can learn through books, one must learn through the body

"Tea Here Now" by Donna Fellman & Lhasha Tizer

"Urasenke Chanyo Handbook One" by Sen Soshitsu (XV)

"Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings of the Way of Tea as a Buddhist Path" by Dennis Hirota

• Translated from the original Japanese, historical documents relating to chado
• Recommended by sensai as a good history book that covers a wide variety of teachings