Omega o-over

It's wrappin' up. Let me rephrase - it's been "wrappin' up" for a couple weeks now, ever since most staff left (directly after the end-of-season party on Oct 26 or 27). I've been working with a small team of fun peeps closing down all the rooms, cleaning up everything, winterizing things. It's been a lot of lifting and hauling and bagging and storing. And on top of it, I got sick - horrid cold/flu plus sinus infection. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (of sickness) but just in time for me to get in a car and drive, drive drive. I haven't packed up anything. I've got a TON to do, and I'm trying to leave by tomorrow afternoon! Yikes!

Anyway, in a week or more, I'm flying to the UK - I am super-psyched slash nervous. I'm excited because I get to be in the UK, which I love love love, despite the heinous weather (especially during this time of year, but whatever), and because I get to see some of my favorite people - at least 3 of my good friends are spread out there. I'm nervous because of the expenditure of money. Need I say more?

Anyhoo, you only live once, I suppose - although, that, my friends, is certainly up for debate. So I'm going for it. A month in the UK. My life is really really good! I have such appreciation for that fact. I am fully aware that I have been SO lucky, SO "blessed" - I can't believe how great I've had it. I truly am fortunate. I don't think I can ever forget that. This is indeed a grand life we live, even with the things in it about which we might like to bitch and moan. It's a wonderful life.

After England, I fly back to North Cakalakee to spend some quality time with my neice, nephew, family. I'll need to find work at that point too. I'll start manifesting that now. Wink.

More later.

Love and happiness and wonderful thoughts to you all,
Nico

The Big House Pre Party

The Big House Pre Party
Originally uploaded by milfodd

Oct 27, 2008 big omega endofseason party night - this is my costume - a "code brown" - i.e., a stopped up toilet.

too bad the costume's sort of half-assed -- I mean, falling down... in this pic.

The Big House Pre Party

The Big House Pre Party
Originally uploaded by milfodd

so much going on in this pic, i love it -- and such a funky angle. very appropo for that evening!

Lake Theater

Lake Theater
Originally uploaded by milfodd

end of year party - outside in the cold, by the fire - LATE NIGHT

Moon-bow

Have you ever seen a rainbow around the moon?
I did tonight. I swear. I've never seen anything like it.
Could it be that my mind is messing with me because I ate too much chocolate cake at dinner (hey, it was a birthday celebration)? Or was it just one of those amazing natural phenomena that for some reason we just don't Notice or just don't See very often?

All I know is no camera could capture it. I just hope the "camera" of my mind remembers it.

Quite a Life (Nico's Bday)

Trapezius

On Tuesday, July 8th, I flew.

Yes, I was on a trapeze. Yes, I was strapped in and technically the likelihood of anything bad happening was slim. But Yes, I faced several MAJOR FEARS that day!

And it broke me wide open. In a good way, of course.

Firstly, let me say that the trapeze has been set up for a month here at Omega. Omega guests can pay for a 2-hour session (in groups) to go on the trapeze. Omega STAFF, such as myself could also pay, at a much discounted rate. So, it'd been all the rage - everyone talking about when they were going to do the trapeze, etc. etc. Because it would be SUCH an opportunity to do the trapeze for such a cheap rate, I really felt I SHOULD do it. But many MANY factors stopped me, not the least of which is my body shape (or lack thereof) and size (or abundance thereof). Oh, not to mention my medium-sized fear of heights.

So, I decided not to shell out the dough.
But then they posted a Staff Lottery for the trapeze. So I thought, "Oh, OK, I'll sign up and if my name is chosen, then I'll see it as a sign from the universe (or whatever force/power) that I should do it."

And I figured, with MY luck, that'd be that. I'd surely NOT get on the list.

I continued to pay no attention to the board where the lottery thingy was posted. Until one evening someone told me they were picked! I was instantly terrified that I too might be on the list. So, my internal saboteur said, "Well, even if I get on the list, I'll probably be scheduled for a time when I'm at work, and surely I can't get out of work to do that." That was going to be my excuse. I was all set.

Well, as I'm sure you've sorted out by now, I indeed was picked and oddly enough I was scheduled for one of my days off work! So, all signs were pointing to "You Must Do This!"

So, I did. I knew I couldn't bail out. I didn't even try. I just prepared myself all that day, and went.

And it was amazing!

No, I didn't get my legs up and over the bar - some people don't - but I got REALLY close! And besides all that, I was WAY more graceful than I thought I'd be. You should've SEEN my dismount - the backflip that they have everyone do! I felt like Nadia Comaneci (of Olympic gymnastics fame), arms up in the air in victory and poise!

I didn't even know what I was conquering that day, by doing trapeze. But I'm gaining a bit more insight now. For one thing, I've been wrapped up in this body-image shit for way too long -- imagining that I can't do anything that "normal" people can do because I'm overweight. Bull-hockey! I was AWESOME!

Another piece of perspective I feel I've gleened from the experience comes from the fact that, when you're up there, in the sky, about to slide or jump off of a platform into the unknown, with little or nothing to help you but your own body and spirit, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS! None of my little negative thoughts - "oh, do my arms look fat? oh, I can't do that maneuver because I'm too old or too out of shape", etc. - matter. It all - poof! - disappears.

So, although I'm not a huge fan of the overuse of this particular word - "empowerment" - I do feel I was indeed empowered by this physical leap of faith I made. I feel victorious and like I can do almost anything if I set my mind to it. And I also learned that, even overweight, I can be graceful.

And on that note, I'm gonna ballerina-prance off into the sunset, to fill out my application to join the circus! :)

Good Pain

I'm in a weird "space" right now. (That's sort of Omega-type talk, by the way. I now speak another language, apparently.) I don't know if it's the departure of all the part-timers that we'd gotten to know over the last 8 weeks, or if it's some campus-wide "vibe" I'm picking up on, or maybe it's just a sort of "sugar low" I'm having after consuming far too many M&Ms after lunch.

It could also have something to do with the fact that I went to what's called the Staff Sanctuary Hour today. Staff Sanctuary Hour happens periodically here on campus - up at the Sanctuary. It's an hour with either a guest speaker or Skip, the General Manager of Omega. So far, I've missed all of the previous Sanctuary Hours but since I had today off and was very curious about today's speaker, Julia Butterfly Hill, I made it a point to go. And it was good, very good. If you don't know about Julia Butterfly Hill, a remarkable woman who lived in a tree for over a year in order to take a stand against lumber companies in California, you SHOULD. (click the hyperlink on her name above to read more about some of her stuff.)

I actually left the Sanctuary feeling quite guilty about all the times I've thrown something away that could've been recycled. It doesn't happen often but it happens, and it's always just a moment of me making that choice to just be lazy. But when you hear the likes of Julia Butterfly Hill speak about being mindful and about how doing good in life will inevitably make the world better, etc. etc., then I feel a bit guilty. AND Inspired.

So, I think what's happening is a transformation. A potentially painful one - as most are. But this is actually manifesting itself in me Physically. I actually have a headache. (I rarely get headaches, unless it's a particularly bad time for sinus trouble or something. And this headache has been with me all day.) Something's going on. I'm on the cusp of breaking through. Breaking through What, I do not know. Breaking through some of the things, the habits, the thoughts, the behaviors that don't serve me. (Again, that's Omega-speak but it's true.) I'm not going to have tons of excuses anymore. I'm just going to BE the Real Me and live my truth. (Omega-ese.) It's scary and it's actually making me sick to my stomach to think about. I don't know how this will transpire and I'm frightened about my ability -or lack thereof- to maintain this stance, this mindfulness once I'm away from Omega. But it's a good and necessary transition/break-through.

But right now, I just feel sick to my stomach and hurtin' in my head.

I guess the ol' addage "no pain, no gain" must be right.

Time time time, See what's become of me...

I can't believe how long it's been since I've written on here. Time here is a wacky thing. Day's blur together. I rarely know what day of the week it is -- unless, of course, it's a weekday with a T in it, which means it's Dessert Night at the dining hall (yes, Tuesday, Thursday, and SaTurday)!

But even so, things are ever-changing. For example, we've reached the end of the first "work period" (usually 8 weeks long, I think) which means the bounty of part-time staffers whom we've gotten to know and love (or tolerate, in some cases) are getting ready to leave (today or tomorrow) and the new "batch" of part-timers (and even some new so-called "full-timers") are coming in. This means a whole new vibe, a whole new dynamic happens on campus. It also means everyone needs to be trained for their jobs all over again.

I've met some wonderful people who happened to have been part-timers. So I'm definitely glad they all came, all agreed to live in tents for 8 or so weeks and work for free. (Yep, that's a part-timer's life.) Now, off they go, back into the so-called "real world". One of my friends is going to grad school nearby in New Paltz. A few of my friends have actually found slightly more long-lasting employ (again, probably for free) here on campus - Yay! A few are going back to their respective homes to hang out until they go back to their undergraduate careers at college. Some are going somewhere to finally make some money with an actually-paying job. But ALL of them had an impact on all of us. We were and are a community. That's what's so great about this place: Everyone HAS their own "place" here.

Another thing that's happening - to me, at least - is that I got Promoted to Asst. Mgr. of Housekeeping! Woo hoo! I know I came here to sort of "get away" from my typical working world, to release some of my responsibilities in order to concentrate on some other things for myself, etc. BUT what I'm realizing is that it's just my natural tendency to sort of possess an air of -I don't like this word but I can't think of a better one- authority. I can't tell you the number of people I've met here who, after a few days or weeks, ask me how many years I've been at Omega or ask me how I became manager so early on (which I wasn't - not here anyway!). So, it's something I'm learning about myself and trying not to be horrified by -- trying to embrace it. It just is. It's me. I see things and I want to make them more efficient and I want to make sure they're done right/well. I've been called bossy in my life - while growing up or whatever - but that has a really negative connotation to it. I'd like to think that - at least by Now - I've learned NOT to be BOSSY per se... just to be efficient and hopefully helpful and hopefully somewhat of a good trainer. I mean, is that so wrong?

So, let's see: It's the end of June. I can hardly believe it. Where has the time gone?! I look at pictures from my early days here - when the weather was cold - and I can't believe it. I must admit that I'm beginning to fear the speed at which October will arrive. Of course I wonder what will I do then? Where will I go? How will I make a living for myself?

But then I stop myself and remember to have faith/trust that it will all work itself out. I am HERE NOW.
Just "be here now."

Tree Talk

I communicated with a tree today. Believe me, I –of all people- never thought I’d say such a thing, but it’s true.

As part of my month-long (2x a week) class called Immersions in the Stream of Cosmic Sound, we went into the woods and “sounded” with trees and plants. The assignment was to walk around, on our own, and wait till a tree or a plant “called out” to us, and then to listen and "sound" (make tones or sing or hum or whatever) to it.

The instructor, Rich Goodhart, had specifically said that saplings don’t really have that much to “say” so to not go to a sapling.

So, what did I do? I went to a sapling of course. I dunno, it was just a young, thin, tall tree-ling that was hunched over the trail, and I felt like it needed my support.

Again, I can’t believe I’m saying these things, but I really honestly felt it at the time – AND I feel like I honestly started somewhat of a rapport with this tree. I even want to go back and visit it from time to time (despite my fear of contracting Lyme disease from the ticks in the woods).

Anyway, here’s what I did – I simply stood by my tree (a song comes to mind “Stand By Your Man”) and made tones. I was moving around quite a bit while doing this, actually, because the mosquitoes and flies were quite persistently attacking me. (Hell, maybe I was communicatin' with Them too - sayin' something like "Are your ready to rumble?!")

Anyway, the whole scene had to have looked totally bizarro, like if a stranger happened upon us – Here I was, humming and making noises obviously TO a tree, all the while smacking myself, swatting the air, and moving around in jerky motions. I mean, What The…?

OK, I'll give you that - it SOUNDS totally whackadoodle, that's for dang sure! However, it was really quite nice. I'm not sure what was "said" between me and said tree/sapling, but I do feel like we were chattin' or like I was soothing it somehow. In fact - you're NOT going to believe this! - at one point during this "talk", I was making a fairly low-sounding tones, but something in me said the tree wanted to hear a higher pitch. So, I moved up a few notches in pitch (not that I know ANYTHING about singing but you know). Just as I did, a gentle breeze came up and a big leafy branch of the tree swooped down and brushed my hair, like a gentle nudge, like a comforting pat on the head. I'm serious! I couldn't believe it!

So, all I'm saying is... well, I had some really GOOD nature-oriented time today... and it definitely took me back to my youth -- when I used to hum to soothe myself, rocking back and forth while groan-singing "my mommy, me me me; my daddy, dee dee dee". It's a good thing, and if music or sounds soothe you in ANY way, you should consider Just Sounding to yourself, whenever you want! The vibrations you feel in your heart and chest can ONLY be good!

That's all I'm saying.

Tomorrow maybe I'll go visit my friend, the Soothing Sapling.

Miss Green-Jeans

I look bruised. But it’s not what you think.

Today was a day-off for me. I had to wake up in order to attend the class I’ve signed up for – it's called something-something Cosmic Sound and is headed up by Rich Goodhart (I totally dig this class!) – first thing in the morning, then lunch, then nappy-nap for longer than I meant to, then dinner. At that point, I was still sort of sleepy or tired or exhausted or in a funky mood, but there were like 3 viable options of fun things to do in the evening after dinner. First, Elizabeth Lesser, co-founder of Omega, was going to be reading excerpts from her new book, Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow, followed by a flute concert. That sounded like a lovely option. And it was to be located in the Sanctuary, which is such a peaceful, beautiful place – it just happens to be a tiny bit of a hike up a hill in the woods.

Speaking of hike up the hill in the woods, that brings me to the second option for this evening’s entertainment, with which I was a-grapplin’. At a great place called Hill House – so named because it’s the furthest away from all goings-on on campus, way up on a hill in the woods (very dangerous to walk home from if you don’t have a flash light and a guide) – there was scheduled the biweekly (i.e., every other week) Shamanic Drum Circle/Journeying. I went once a few weeks ago, and while that time I didn’t “find my power animal”, I did have a great experience and would like to go again. (In my “shamanic journey”, I did “meet” an ewok, a bear family, a squirrel, an otter, and finally a puff fish. Long story – I’ll have to tell you later.)

The third possibility for me this evening was apparently the charm. I may have selected it because it sounded most unique, but I MAY simply have selected it based on the fact that it was located closest to my abode – a less daunting walk. It was located in the Art Hut, which I often enjoy spending time in, when I can, when they have Open Studio time. The event was unique for the Art Hut, in that it was actually going to be a DANCE! It was called The Painted Dance(r), co-sponsored by this week’s “Artist in Residence” Janet Morgan, and our fabulous “Dance Your Bliss” instructor Rachel Fleischman.

I hope to get some of the MANY photos that were taken (not by me) tonight and maybe post one or two up here. But that will only scratch the VERY PAINTED surface of tonight’s experience.

I think it was supposed to be a time where we all danced and painted and enjoyed ourselves. Well, we did all that. But it went beyond. As some of us painted with paint brushes and our hands upon the white paper that was on the wall, eventually some of us got more and more creative. I used my forearms to paint a cactus. Many people were pulling sort of a Jackson Pollack-esque maneuver of flicking the paint or splashing the paint onto the paper. And slowly, little by little, people got more and more comfortable with getting paint on each other, not just on the paper. There was paper on the floor too – some of us started by putting paint on our bare feet and walking across. And it just went from there. One guy did a hand stand across the paper. And later, a really cool imprint was made when he painted his bare chest with green paint (whatever was handy) and rolled, steamroller-style, across a long line of paper on the floor. He was so fit that the lines of his ribs showed in the blob of green paint that appeared every couple feet along the paper when he was done. It actually resembled a large Leaf imprint. Very cool.

As the evening progressed, as we all continued to dance and get dirtier and dirtier with paint – on our hands, on our faces, on our arms, etc. – we all eventually moved towards making hand prints on each other’s clothes, particularly grabby marks on the bums of our pants/shorts. It was so fun. You never knew when someone would slap some paint on you, or where! I got kelly green “eye shadow”… and then what took it to a place no one thought it would go… someone saturated my 2 pigtails with orange paint. I mean, SATURATED.

So, in the spirit of the fun and art and child-play, I used my pigtails as sort-of paint brushes. Ah, maybe I’ll take a picture of what I painted with my pigtails! One day. (Check back.)

Anyway, when we were all totally a mess with paint – in our hair, all over our faces, covering our clothes, on our legs, in between our toes, EVERYWHERE (one of my girl friends actually slathered some paint down my shirt in my cleavage!), someone got the brilliant idea to do a sort of bunny-hop or conga line. Well, we couldn’t just go in circles around the Art Hut, so we ventured forth, out into the night – where, by the way, people had been gathering to peek in the Art Hut screen door to look at all the crazies going nuts with the paints. And, Hey!, someone thought, why not conga thru the Café, which was right across the way? Why not, eh?! The paint on us was mostly dry. So, there we went, Conga-ing thru the café. The thing about the Café is that it’s a hangout place – mostly workshop-participants (i.e., Omega CUSTOMERS) but also staffers. Well, we were quite a hit… um, I mean, spectacle… I mean, I don’t know – a distraction, maybe? All I know is that participants were whipping out their cameras like crazy. Like paparazzi! It was kinda neat. I felt a bit like a freak show, but I think it was all in good fun, so it was no big deal.

Then came the ONLY down-side to this whole debauchery: the cleanup. With 15 minutes left till shut-down time (i.e., campus-wide quiet time), Rachel got us all in the mindset to start cleaning up. We tried to make it fun. I “slightly” started stressing about my soaked pigtails. And the Housekeeper in me took over. I got the current shift of Housekeeping peeps to bring us extra rag/towels and cleaners so we could all go shower somewhere on campus and clean up after ourselves.

After the Art Hut was “contained” and back to virtually normal, I headed up a little hill to the sauna. I’d thought ahead and brought clean clothes and a towel. Good for me. Hmph. Let me just tell you, I was in that shower for probably 25 minutes trying to get all the paint off my body, out of my hair, and out of my clothes. The clothes will have to be washed in the machine tomorrow, but I did seem to get most of the paint off my body. The green paint, however, seems to have had a slight “staining” effect on the skin. So, I look bruised. In many places. My arms, my legs, my shoulders. I think my face was mainly coated with orange and red and pink – not so much green, thank goodness – so there’s no real stains there. That’s good.

Anyway, I have concluded from this fun, fabulous experience that I will DEFINITELY be having a Paint/Dance Party sometime outside of Omega. What fun!

All you have to do is line your walls and floor with plastic and/or paper… or do it outside somewhere that can be hosed off… and provide a place to shower…. Et Voila! Partay!

Seeing is Believing

Yesterday, after a late night, I, for some reason, woke up around 5am and just couldn't go back to sleep. So, within an hour, I got up and walked down to the beach/lake, my favorite spot. I sat with the geese and goslings and watched the lake wake up. Then I went to dining hall for breakfast. I haven't been getting up in time for breakfast much lately, so it was a lovely change.

I sat alone - also totally new for me - and looked out the window while eating my yummy breakfast of biscuits and (non-meat) gravy and eggs and oatmeal. And, feeling inspired, I wrote a little something on the back of a piece of paper I found.

After my peaceful breakfast, still feeling sort of slowed-down-in-a-good-way and very inspired, I meandered slowly back to my dorm, stopping in the garden to take pictures and really SEE the beautiful poppies that have been blooming, stopping along the road to look at the different tall grasses and ivy growing, stopping to look up at the sun and feel it getting hotter and hotter.

Once back at my dorm, totally exhausted but fulfilled, I slept for as long as I could before my 2:30pm work shift.

I just found that piece of paper from breakfast. Here's what I wrote:

I'm seeing thru new eyes now. Today.
I see food as amazing & tasty nourishment for which I am so thankful.
I see people as incredibly interesting & necessary parts of life.
I see the weather as a welcome variable.
I see the bees & the ants & the spiders & the gnats & the mosquitoes NOT as annoyances to be avoided, per se, but as beautiful, diverse things that make life more interesting.
I see the trees - I've always loved trees - I see the trees as luscious evidence of the beauty & change in life. Green and shading today; bare & slumbering tomorrow.
I see the breeze. Yes, I SEE the breeze & I revel in its power, its sweetness, its softness, its comfort.
I see the pain in my body now as evidence of my life, that I've lived, that I continue to live.
I see angles, lines, circles, light, dark, bright colors, various whites, dark shades.
I see crispness. Everything's crisp & clear & lovely... & -well- just OKAY.
I see.
- written 5/27/08 (7am)

Everyone Poops

Let's talk about poo.

Yep, I said it: P Double O, Poo. Feces. Waste. Doo-doo. Poopy. Excrement.

Whatever you wanna call it.

Here at OI, when a toilet is stopped up and needing a hard-core plunge, we call it a Code Brown. Sometimes, if they're particularly bad, I might change the name to a Code Black (in the case of some major splatter all over the wall) or Code Red (it's a womanly thing). But so far, I'm happy to say that they haven't been that bad - So Far. In fact, I often end up calling them Code Beige or Code White, if you know what I mean.

But let me tell you a few itty bitty tales about the various Poopies I've encountered here at OI. First let me preface this by telling you I've been quite pleasantly surprised at how Funny it all becomes, especially when you're dealing with it day-in and day-out. I have had some of the best, most abdominal-working, eye-watering bouts of laughter while dealing with these various Code Browns. It makes me feel like a kid again.

One of the dorms that workshop participants stay in has proven to have a particularly high ratio of Code Browns, compared to other locations around campus. So I've taken to calling it the Chocolate Factory. This never ceases to crack up my friend/co-worker Jess, I tell ya.

One time, while she and I were working together, we responded to a Code Brown in said Chocolate Factory, and what we encountered looked and sort of "acted" more like Meatballs than, well, um, Ka-ka. One of the meatballs took a shinin' to the outside of the plunger and wouldn't let go. And it's still a shock to me that there was NO 'Code Yellow' at the scene, since Jess and I were laughing so hard. Seriously, to this day--weeks after the fact--all I have to say to Jess is "Meatball", and we both fall into unrelenting childhood-laughter for at least 5 minutes.

So, how's abouts the opposite end of the spectrum, you ask? Well, there's something about the good good food here that seems to make some/most participants have what could be called Loose Stools but what I am choosing to call MudPies. This particular form of feces sticks to the porcelain and won't move. So, that means it's a job for -- heroic drumroll please -- HOUSEKEEPIN'!

One day, one of the newby Housekeepers, a cute petite young lady from New York City named Hannah, called me over to the quite large Ladies' Room under Main Hall, where large-attendance workshops take place (in Main Hall, NOT in the restroom!). This, for example, is where the Jivamukti yogis had their month-long trainings, which just ended recently. And I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet but wherever those J's "went", there was no flushing. I don't understand this rule or why it's part of the J doctrine, or whatever, but it seems to be the case.

Alright, so Not Flushing is Not THAT big of a deal when we're talking #1. It aint pleasant but it's usually not too too awful. However, when we're talking #2's,... especially when compounded by the fact that these people have been doing yoga all day, every day, and eating cookies and peanut butter sandwiches at every chance they got (which seems to be the case, according to my colleagues in the cafe), it just leaves a yucky, sticky, HEAVY, Thick mess for us Housekeepers to deal with. [Whatever happened to the ol' adage: "If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down"?]

So, anyway, at Hannah's beckoning (while giggling), I went to the Ladies' Room. (I was working in the men's bathroom at the time.) H. just simply pointed at a stall. Upon swinging the door open, I found a very substantial Mudpie , stuck on a sort of levelled-out 'shelf-like' part within the toilet. Bad design, I say. Of the toilet, not the poo, since obviously we don't "design" our poos - although wouldn't that be an interesting concept?
But I digress.

So, out of laziness and possibly a little entrepeneurial spirit (or stupidity), I didn't go get the toilet brushes we carry around on the golf cart for these types of situations. Nor did I go get the plunger; this did not require a plunging.

I bombarded the dark pile with some of our citrusy cleaner from a spray bottle. And I flushed. Nothing happened. It didn't budge. And while I definitely want to be eco-friendly and conscientious, I knew I needed to weigh this mushy anchor down in order to get it to shift down-water. I really just wanted the rush of water to carry the poo on down the line, rather than just whirling up the poo smell into the air.

So I tore off some TP, flushed the toilet, waited for the water to go down most of the way, dropped the wad of TP directly onto the Mudpie, targetted the concoction with my citrus spray, and waited to see if, on the next flush, it'd go down.

Well, this process continued for, oh, say, at least 10 flushes, paper wads and continual citrus piercings--all interrupted periodically by me jumping out of the stall to breathe some fresh air and re-adhere my t-shirt collar up over my nose. Oh, and all the while, H. was just giggling away, not even trying to help.

I really wish, however, that I'd counted the number of paper-citrus-then-flush maneuvers I pulled on that one mudpie. I mean, seriously, if that person - whomever it was - had simply sat further back on the toilet so the poo would land in a better location within the toilet, or if that person had just taken the time to really truly flush right away, I then would not have had to waste all that paper and water (from flushing) and time and energy! I mean, that mudpie had seriously become a form of glue, like a lead-based glue or something, onto the porcelain bottom of the toilet.

But alas -- Dun-de-duhn-duhn (perky organ playin'...) -- we Housekeepers took care of it. And I must admit I seriously felt Victorious when that mudpie slowly slid its way down into the deep toilet tunnel, and out of sight. Victory was mine!

So, anyway, moral of the story is Flush your own damn poos so someone else doesn't have to.

PS: There will be NO pictures posted in relation to this Blog entry. Phew, I bet you're relieved!

Disclaimer/Source: Everyone Poops is the title of a children's book that can be found on Amazon.com

Oneness

Tonight I finally made it to the "class" or "session" called Deeksha Oneness Blessing. A man named Luc (from French Canada), who happens to work in Maintenance this season, performs the class/blessing.

It was very interesting. Very all-encompassing. Not evangelical at all. Just plain ol' goodness.

I can't say what, if anything, I feel after the blessing, but I'm thoroughly intrigued.

I know I'll be reading up more and more on the subject, as well as going to more of Luc's Deeksha Blessings.

It certainly can't hurt!

Got Talent?

Last night, there was a Talent Show for staffers. Amazing talent, all around. Thoroughly entertaining, seriously. And no, I don't mean politely clapping out of obligation or sympathy. I mean, serious cheers and clapping and laughter and smiles for each and every diverse performance.

This EVEN included a "performance" I was pitted against from the beginning. Let me preface by telling you about the performER. His name is Anthony. He considers himself a Floral Sculptor, NOT a floral designer. Get it straight, ok? I've heard he's really famous in NYC - lives there when he's not here.

And most of you know I LOVE flowers and all things FLOWERY, right? So, you'd think I'd like this guy, right? Well, I've had some less-than-friendly encounters with him around campus so, despite my tendency to think all people are good and that my impressions of my encounters with him must've been just all misunderstandings, I guess I sort of WANTED to have 1 more reason to NOT like him.

And at first, I felt I was right on track with this predisposition. As he began his performance at the talent show, he announced, into his Janet-Jackson-style headset microphone, "Get ready for something beautiful." Oy, I thought - How arrogant!

Then, at the push of a button on his headset, on came some ambient techno music. The edge of the stage, which he was standing in front of, was lined with several bunches of flowers and foliage, one of each kind in each vase. As he took long, ballerina-style strides, all pointy-toed and dance-hands, in front of us, I must have rolled my eyes - at least inwardly.

But, that being said, I have to tell you that, within five minutes or so, I was completely enthralled. What he did, while, to some, it might seem a bit contrived or much-ado, WAS indeed Beautiful. I dunno: I just GOT it.

Vase by vase, in very elegant, controlled motions, he grabbed an entire bunch of branches or flowers. He'd shimmy the branches in the air overhead as he glided over towards a beautiful glass vase in the center of everything. He would then stab the branches into the vase, one by one. He dipped and curled curly willow, tops first, into the central vase, making a sort of underwater sculpture. He held stems of purple puff flowers from their very bottom, shook them ever so slightly while raising them up in the air, and then speared each one swiftly into the vase, all in perfect proportion to everything else.

I honestly don't know how long the performance lasted but I think it was probably 10 or 15 minutes. And I wasn't bored for 1 minute!

In those moments, my judgment, my criticism, my hurt at being rebuffed by him during a quick conversation days earlier on campus, all that was just wiped away, wiped clean.

I GOT it. I GOT that he had an incredible talent, that he's one of the lucky ones who has found his passion and made it his life, and is doing more than making a "living" in the process. I GOT that what he did WAS indeed ART, and for him, it was also Philosophy and Culture and just totally Natural.

While I was impressed by most all of the fabulous performances on the night of the Talent Show, I was most SURPRISED by my reaction, my response to Anthony's piece.

I wish you could've been there, seen it. I don't think everyone had the same response as I did, but I know that everyone, on some level, had a great appreciation or respect for it.

I truly enjoyed it. Truly.

Rainbow People

As I walked up to the Dining Hall for lunch on this beautiful sunshiney spring day, I realized there was some sort of "to-do" going on. Everyone lounging in the grass, sitting at the picnic tables, and standing on the steps to the dining hall was looking up and pointing at the sky.

What was all this broo-ha-ha about, I wondered.

Just then, as I approached them all more closely, I overheard someone shouting "Look, there's a rainbow!"

But this was no ordinary rainbow. It was a full-circle rainbow surrounding the sun. I've never seen anything like it. I've seen double rainbows (in Colorado) which I thought were fascinating. But never a FULL CIRCLE.

And as the revellers around me continued along with me up towards the dining hall staff entrance, somebody said, "Oh, but if there's no end of the rainbow, then there's no pot of gold."

That saddened me. It put a negative spin on something very remarkable.

Me, I like circles. Everything's a circle. The circle of life. Coming full circle. Circles are complete, nothing dangling.

So a complete-circle rainbow means that it has No End.

That's my take, on this sunshiney day, anyway.

Child At Play

The first work-period's part-time staffers arrived today. I, for a short part of the day, was a Buddy - which just means I carted a few newbies to their respective tent sites, helped them get settled, and pointed them in the right direction(s).

After dinner, there was a "session" called NEW GAMES. I thought it was going to just be a game night - sort of like Bingo or board games or whatever - so we could meet and bond with the new staffers. But instead it was all about PLAY. Fun, child-like play. The kind none of us do past the age of, say, 12. (That's so unfortunate and sad, really.)

So we basically goofed off in a guided but fun way, we did funny improvs in groups or in a circle, we talked in jibberish, we did the wave, etc. And it was so fun! I was sweating and laughing the whole way through. The kind of laughing that you don't even realize you're doing until you're trying to breathe but you're really laughing instead... The kind of laughter that you see in children when they're running around in circles chasing each other and for whatever reason they're laughing their heads off the whole time. That's what it was like.

And when the class was over, many of us stayed behind with 3 cheapo beach-balls - just kicking and passing and hitting and spiking the beach balls. A couple people were pulling totally ballet-like maneuvers, like a partial split in the air with an ending flick of their foot just in time to hit the descending ball. It was silly and fun and laughter-making.

We should all do this more often! If I could PLAY like that more often, and not feel silly or judged or weird, like how it was tonight, I'd never need to go to a gym. But I'd be seriously happy AND fit.

I just wish there were more outlets for ADULTS to PLAY like that.

I think that's why I always loved so much the birthday parties we've had for my neice(s) and nephew(s) at Pump It Up. When I've gone to those kiddy birthday parties, I turn into a small child, running up the ladders, whizzing down the slides, running around in circles, breathlessly giggling.

I really wish someone would open up an adult-oriented place like that - a place for grown-ups to go and get their inner child running around and laughing!

For more information on this practice of PLAY--in particular the theory/philosophy of Original Play--go to www.originalplay.com. Also, to see what Omega has to say about PLAY, go to OI's website.

Anyway, having the new staffers here on campus has yet again changed the dynamic here. Yet MORE people are on campus, but it's a new energy. Also what's different is that I'm now sort of a "veteran" or at least I'm no longer a "newby". And that's a great feeling, I must say.

Today's Vocabulary List

Below are this week's Vocabulary Words - these are words that have proven to be very common during my Omega Experience so far. Some of these terms, I knew before but some I did not.

Jivamukti - see www.jivamuktiyoga.com; also word on the streets is that they do not flush toilets (no matter if it's #1 or #2) in order to conserve water - I'm just sayin'!
Kundalini - see www.yogatech.com
Intent / Intention - see what About.com has to say about Intention
Hatha - see what Wikipedia says about Hatha
Yogini - see how Wikipedia defines it
Mindfulness - see www.mindfulness.com
Manifest - as in 'If you put it out to the universe that you need something, you will manifest it'; also as in 'Because our golf cart's brakes are failing, we need to manifest that we'll get a new golf cart.'
Negative Space - usually used as an artists' term, this could mean many things
Clothing Optional - Used in relation to the goings-on in the OI sauna; honestly, it's a very laid-back, liberating environment in the sauna - great conversations happen in the sauna too
Moon Cup (or Diva Cup) - an eco-friendly alternative to tampons or pads; see the MoonCup brand site and DivaCup site
Transition Day - Fridays and Sundays, when workshop participants arrive and depart, thereby requiring rooms to be re-set
"Code Brown" - Omega code terminology for a stopped up toilet needing to be plunged (by none other than Housekeeping)

Below are some new-fangled terms either I've created or the creation of which I was witness to:
Flintstoning - For example, when the golf cart (named Squeaky) is trying so hard to get up a hill, the driver often fears she's going to have to "Flintstone it" -- i.e., use their own feet to push/drive the cart
A Broom & a Spritz - Housekeeping slang, pronounced w/ a posh British accent; just another term for Spot-Cleaning the Bathrooms
Chocolate Factory - Whatever dorm currently has recurrent "code browns"
Fruitcup - Female genital area (I can't take credit for this slang)
Vegetable Platter - Male genital area (Again, credit belongs to someone I was talking to here at Omega about the aforementioned Fruitcup)

Grief vs. Remembering

This weekend, the world lost a great artist, a fabulous friend, a fun soul: Scott Fertig, who I am fortunate to call one of my best friends.

I am very grief-stricken by this loss and terribly concerned for my other good friend, his wife, Carolyn. But the fact is that the memories of my times with Scott are so fun, so full of light and goofiness as well as bizarro deep conversations, that I have A LOT to hold onto. A LOT!

It's purely selfish to be sad he's gone - but of course I am. All who knew him are.

The important thing, however, is that he's out of pain now - and I feel that For Sure. And he's having his funny conversations and his giggle-fests with someone else, somewhere else. That makes me happy.

Scott, you were & ARE loved, wherever you are. Thank you for the time we had with you. I love you & miss you. Keep on giggling, my Scottito!

To see the art Scott gave to the world, go to his site at www.scottfertig.com

Today's stats

Hours Worked: 6
Steps Taken: 10,176

Conscious Kindness

In the Sanctuary (building) tonight I had the great opportunity to sit for a Talk given by Zev Kedem, who survived the Holocaust, including Auschwitz, as an 11-year-old boy.

Many of you know that everything having to do with Jewish persecution, Holocaust, and the atrocities of the Nazi Regime have always gripped me strongly. Even as a very young girl, whenever I'd stumble upon a black and white documentary on tv that had ANYthing to do with this subject, I'd be rivetted and absorb it all.

So, tonight, when it was posted on our staff classes board that he's staying here on campus for a while and was going to speak, I knew I had to go -- no matter how tired I was from today's Transition Day (our roughest work days).

Granted, after tonight's experience witnessing Zev Kedem speak, with a twinkle in his eye, as he relayed the oddly positive parts of his horrendous holocaust experience, I can't say that I will ever again bemoan any work or life situation I have -- because it's NOTHING compared to what he, and so many others, experienced.

Let me set a bit of the atmosphere for you, of tonight: The Sanctuary is a quiet beautiful cozy venue up on a hill in the woods overlooking most of the Omega campus. It's usually the home of early morning and early evening meditation sessions.

Everyone sits on meditation cushions and if you choose to, you can usually find one of those cushions that has a little back support. But basically it's hard to get or stay comfortable - at least for me... and probably for most people.

Even considering this potential fidgetyness of the seating arrangements, added to my real fatigue and back pain from a hard day's work, combined with the fact that I have to be up at 6am for work tomorrow, Even knowing all that, I barely took my eyes off this 70-something-year-old man for the 3+ hours he spoke.

With an eastern european accent (mixed with highly educated Oxford English), he sat in a chair before us, habitually smiling the most gentle yet mischievous smiles, and weaving the extraordinary tale of his encounters with bizarre chance, horrifying circumstance, and enduring wit.

I wanted to hug this man, to just be near him. But mostly I just wanted to thank him for taking his time to tell us his story -- and for having lived thru it so beautifully.

If any of you have ANY interest in an amazing story, and wish to gleen the positive message(s) from it, feel free to google Zev Kedem and read. That's what I've done tonight. And if it helps stoke the flames of your interest, he happened to be on the very Schindler's List that Steven Spielberg made famous in a film by that name.

One of the important things to remember, in my opinion, is that as atrocious as most of us think the Holocaust of the 1940s was, holocausts are still happening, even today -- Darfur, for example. One of the things that has always stuck with me whenever I'm learning about history and the Nazi Holocaust is that I am totally dumbfounded and appalled that human beings - whole groups/countries/societies of people felt it was OK and maybe even Good to totally de-humanize, torture, and ruin other human beings so systematically and cruelly. And yet, it's still happening today! This boggles my mind! We all turn a blind eye -- or should I say "a comfortable eye". We just want to stay in our comfort zone, to not interfere too much, even though we know crazy-bad stuff is happening to men, women, children, families, communities, spirits throughout the world.

After his talk tonight, one of the intimate group of 30-or-so people sitting on cushions around him asked Zev what we could do in this world, with our lives, to make something positive out of something negative. He simply talked about energy - I think meaning "intention" - just putting positive energy out there. Basically, I believe he was saying, to tune into and facilitate "random acts of conscious kindness" (I believe those were his actual words).

So, I hope anyone reading this might think a little more about taking a breath when they feel anger or frustration. Just take a moment. And maybe turn it around to a moment of Kindness instead.

This is the kind of message OI seems to be all about. And that is why, I think, I feel so at-peace here, so happy here. And I do hope this sort of things spreads. I really do.

http://www.oskarschindler.com/20.htm
http://www.auschwitz.dk/zedem.htm
http://www.greatertalent.com/biography.php?id=206
http://www.thepost.ohiou.edu/archives/archives/100997/top.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av7f2ZfrGvs

Stats for Today

Hours Worked: 5
Steps Walked: 7,576 (before 5pm)

Preparing for T(ransition) Day at OI

Here's what the inside of the Housekeeping garage looks like, stocked with towels and linens for all rooms:


View of the Housekeeping garage rafters, full of stored bed spreads, etc.

Prepping kits full of the specific sheets, pillowcases, and towels for each room we have to re-set on Transition Days...


The "kits" then go into these "cages" temporarily until the actual Transition day (Friday or Sunday) when we will cart the piles of kits to the rooms/cabins/housing in order to change out the beds once a guest checks out, to ready for the next guest checking in:

Walkabout

It's almost 2pm, I slept thru breakfast, I start work in 30 minutes, and EVEN with that being said, I've already walked 2142 steps or paces today, according to my Race for the Cure walk-ometer thingy, many of those UPhill.

Anyway, thought you'd like to know.

PS: For today's evening shift of work, I might not walk too too much because I'll be on a golf cart for the big trips around campus. Still, Fridays and Sundays (at work) make up for any snippets of non-walking we may do -- it's not only walk-arama on those days, but we're lugging a big wheeled cart full of supplies on those days. Yes, up hill too.

I had the luscious pleasure of getting a massage last night and then hitting the sauna for about an hour (intermittently of course). The massage was AMAZING, both because I needed it so badly and because the massage therapist was great. He actually jumped up on the table with me, and used his knees and then his feet (yes, walking/standing) on my hips. I'm a bit sore today - but no more so than I was before from all the kinks I had going on, before he worked them out.

I honestly have to go back to him again SOON. Very soon.

But for now, I'm off to work - my first evening shift, like I said. Should be interesting riding Squeaky (the old, tired golf cart) in the dark.

Love and broccoli,

Nicole

An 8-hour Work Day

I worked the full 8 hours today. And this time we're all on shift duties - 2 people per shift doing very specific rounds around campus. It was SUPER cold today - especially when wheeling around in the golf cart, which we luckily get to do on these normal shift days. (On transition days, we have to hoof it, dragging a bit rolling cart full of supplies with us.) Brrrr, none of the golf carts on campus have windshields, so just IMAGINE!

But at least it was dry and sunny today. Quite beautiful. And my day started at 6:30am, so I had all afternoon to do other stuff. In fact, after work, I walked over to where they were having the staff Giveaway - anyone who had anything (clothes, books, etc.) to get rid of gave their stuff and anyone could come and get it if they wanted (this is just an extension of the "giveaway box" which happens to reside near our Housekeeping shed/garage -- I swear it's a magic box! I never see people putting stuff in it but every time you open it up, there's something in there cool or useful or perfect.). I got some green nailpolish that I'll probably end up putting back into the Giveaway Box, and a 2007 Omega staff t-shirt (I can pretend like I'm not a newby!)

Then, I had an appointment (free again) with a lady who does career counseling and life counseling and some intuitive work. I thought it was a bit early to be thinking about what to do After this season at Omega, but she put up a posting for these sessions, and I took her up on it. It's just like all the posting for various classes and activities -- open to all staff, round the clock -- so cool.

Anyway, we discussed a lot and I'll go see her again next time she has time slots.

I came back to my room, put up some shelves I bought in Poughkeepsie yesterday, did a load of laundry across the street in the housekeeping shed, then walked up to dinner. Had a yummy dinner, joking around with my table of random friends. Then went to my scheduled massage at the Wellness Ctr (we staffers get a discount but it still aint cheap). Oh, I needed that massage SO badly... and it was SOOOO good! I need to go back sooner than my 1.5month interval because my back is all out of whack with knots and painful spots. I keep tellin' ya: this housekeeping stuff (here) is back-breaking work!

After the luscious massage - and here's a funny note that I've never experienced: the masseur actually got up on the table over top of me and walked on my hips (felt awesome!)... anyway, after the luscious massage, I went downstairs to the Sauna and got my sauna on!

And I'll have you know, I'm getting closer and closer to going-it nude like everyone else. It's just SO NOT a big deal to any of them - male and females, old, young, big, small - that it really shouldn't be a big deal for me. But I just went tonight, wrapped in a towel -- that's better than the shorts and tanktop that I've worn the other times!

Had laughter and fun convo with my fellow staffers in the sauna, and then showered and walked home with my hair up in a towel (and my jacket hood over that - it's COLD outside)....

I mean, WHAT A LIFE, eh!?
It's really special here.

Tomorrow, I plan on joining a Drawing and Meditation class from 10 to 12; then I go to work at 2:30pm till 10:30pm (usually that shift finishes their tasks early and just has to be "on call" for the rest of the shift, so they can do whatever, hang out at the cafe, or at the Long House which is a hangout house for staffers, or whatever...)

Friday will be a transition day - somewhat hectic with all of us in Housekeeping working and running around strippin' beds and making beds, etc. - but I might have time to do a bellydancing class in the evening... or something else (I can't remember everything) that's going on.

Saturday, I think my work schedule just happens to work out for me to go to the class called Erotic Writing - We'll see what that's all about. How funny!

OKeedokee - I'd best go put my doo-rag on my wet head, and hit the bed...

Breakfast of course is at 8am but I might not go (I do that sometimes).

Sangria Sunday!

Today was what's called a "transition day" -- it's the day that participants (of workshops) check out and then the new participants check in. For Housekeeping, that means...NightMare Day! No, no, really, it just means that we have "re-set" 300+ rooms within a quick 4-hour window. And remember, these rooms are NOT in the same building; they're all over campus in separate cabins.

So, today was a VERY tiring day - even though technically it ended up only being 6 hours of work. We finished a couple hours later than projected -- it wasn't until a bit after dinner when we could finally call it a day. Man, I was so tired at dinner, I felt like I was in an alternate state of reality.

So, after dinner, I sleepily wandered down to the lake, just to say hello. I sat and drank my Ginger Tea, looking out over the water. I then stood up with a groan (my whole body aches, with all this hard work) and made my way back to my dorm - aka, the "Nunnery".

While walking along, I remembered that it was Sunday night and that Barbara in the dorm had said she wanted to make Sunday nights into Sangria Sunday. I must admit that put a bit more umph in my walk.


I got into the dorm, worried that I'd missed the fun, but happily found most of my dorm-mates hanging out in one of the yet unoccupied rooms, with a jug of sangria half-drank. We had fun, chatting, getting to know each other, cracking jokes, talking about age, etc.

But at the not-so-wee hour of 9:45pm, all the ladies called it a night, retreating into their own personal rooms. I however was just getting started! I showered (yes, my showering schedule has become strange, here), got dressed in non-work (i.e., non-frumpy) clothes, and ventured out into the night to see what kind of trouble I could find. I've long avoided hanging out at the always-open Long House, which is a building for staff to go and hang out -- sort of like our family living room. It's got a TV (gets no channels) with DVD player and VCR. There are 3 computers hooked up to the internet. And there's a pingpong table. And right outside the Long House is the only spot on campus where people can smoke, in the Smoking tent.

So, inevitably, it's where all the 'young people' hang out. Well, feeling good on sangria and fun and fellowship, I finally joined the 'young people' and even added my own contribution -- a huge bottle of vino (only for the of-agers, of course)! And I got to know more about some of the people I work with and some I'd never met. And believe me, my popularity soared when I pulled out the wine!

In fact, I was getting a little miffed at how frequently I was hearing from the "youngsters (under 25)" how shocked they were by how "cool" i was -- obviously something they NEVER suspected.

Anyway, it's been a good night. I've enjoyed today, hard work and all!

Oh, and let me just tell you: as I sit here typing, here in the Long House, there are 3 young dudes - probably no more than 25 years old, each of them - having a very in-depth, inconceivably obscure but powerful philosophical discussion, a deep debate about perception and existence and perspective. It's certainly not the kind of thing I've ever encountered or expected -- 1st of all, it's three GUYS having this discussion; 2nd of all, these guys have CHOSEN to forego PINGPONG to have this kind of conversation; 3rd-ly, these guys are SO YOUNG for such a philosophical, existential debate... even more surprising is that it's all PROBABLY (presumably) WITHOUT the use of any alternative drugs! Wow! I mean, how great is that!?

But I do sometimes ask: Do i truly fit in here, with all this going on around me?

Maybe not HERE, at the Long House, at this hour. But at OI? Yes. Yes.

So, now, I think I'll pull "sangria sunday" to a close by getting up and walking, in the dark, to my dorm, where all the old ladies are sleeping soundly....

I have Monday and Tuesday OFF work... I do hope to "honor" those days, those free days, with some good productiveness/fruitfulness.

Much love and peace to you all,
Nicole

1st Day of the Workshop Season

Down & Out

One of my good friends here left today - somewhat suddenly. He was dealing with a LOT of stuff and while we were hanging out last night, throughout our conversations, he decided definitively that OI wasn't the right place for him right now. I'm very sad, selfishly, to see him go because we were pals, we got along great, we already had some fun times in just these 2 short weeks we've been here. But I think it's great that he's going to a place of comfort to do what he needs to do.

For me, and for many others, Omega is a great great place to "do what we need to do" but I can totally see how that wouldn't work for everyone.

Still, I'll miss hanging out by the lake with my buddy P, listening to the didgeridoo-sounding frogs and birds, in the cool night air, and laughing at the fact that we mistook the light of an airplane for some sort of UFO.

Now, to end on a positive note, a friend from back in Raleigh just sent me this great list (by Terri Trespicio) that she found in a magazine called body+soul WHOLELIVING.com. I like it and just sort of wanted to plug it in here, for you all:

Ten Thoughts on Whole Living
1. When you commit your dreams to paper, you give them a place to take root.
2. Be mindful of where you put your attention. The shape of your life will follow.
3. When you view your health as nonnegotiable, your priorities naturally shift.
4. Positive changes starts with truth, and no one knows it better than you.
5. You’re more than just what you do for others.
6. Before you react to an emotion, first consider its source.
7. Learning to let go begins with understanding why you’ve been hanging on.
8. Do more than understand stress reduction; put it into practice.
9. There’s no way to grow without taking a few risks.
10. Setting boundaries doesn’t keep others out. It defines where your life begins.

SauNice!

Have you ever had a job where, yeh, you work really hard, but you pretty much like everyone you work with and if you make a mistake, it's shrugged off as no-big-deal; where you are fed 3 daily meals of good wholesome food; where they provide you with housing and showers and toilets; where you get free internet access; where you have so many fun events to choose from every day and night - such as Bingo nights, Talent shows, Dances; where you have full access to a sauna to partake of as you wish (clothing optional of course)? Have you ever had such a job?

Guess what?



I've got that job.
:)
And I didn't even Mention that I get to ride around in a golf cart (sometimes)! Bonus!

Ommmmm....en?

Tonight, during what was being called an Om Blessing, I just so happened to be a part of a funny break in the silence. After the main guy did his "Om Blessings" on all of us (really just going around to us, in a circle, individually, touching each person's head for about 2 minutes and trying to impart some sort of good energy to us), we partnered up to practice giving Om Blessings to each other. My partner was a girl who'd just arrived and whom was also in Housekeeping like me. When it was my "turn" to try to give an om blessing to her, as soon as I placed my hands on her head, amidst this hushed room full of people being ever so serious, she just busted out with what sounded like a painful, squealing cough but ended up being the best, most gutteral laugh--the kind you try so hard to stifle, like in elementary school when you've got the giggles in class and just can't stop. Her whole body was convulsing from trying to hold it back.

Here we were in a very serious, solemn, quiet room, all of us sitting in a huge circle. Quite meditative actually. We'd come to this optional 'class' just to see what it was all about, trying to be openminded. I must admit I wasn't really "buying it", the whole Om Blessing thing - it's basically just a visualization about getting the 'light' from the heavens and letting it run thru you - but I was trying to stay open, and if nothing else, to just be peaceful and meditative in this quiet circle. But then this girl, S., just busts out laughing, the kind that is SO incredibly contagious! And I very soon was keeled over, trying to stifle my own laughter. She ran out of the room, and I followed, out of respect for the other people doing their serious om blessings.

When we composed ourselves and went back in, the girl apologized profusely to the group. The main guy very kindly said that Laughter, just like crying, is a great thing -- It's all a release.

And THAT, I believe. The joy I felt welling up in me, making me want to giggle. It was a physical sensation. I felt it in my skull -- an itchy, twitchy pang in my head from trying to stifle the laughter.

And so, while some might construe it as rude, her spontaneous combustion of laughter in such a seemingly serious moment, plus its contagion to me, was -- as I realized after my initial embarrassment -- really quite NICE. So, it COULD in fact be considered a Blessing, in a way.

As the 'class' ended, and we all left the building and walked into the night, in our small groups, most of us giggled out loud, from the gut, and really enjoyed ourselves. A bunch of the ladies from my dorm decided that I give Giggles as my blessing. That aint so bad, is it?

Odds N Ends

Time for a new post, I suppose.
I've been sick - something viral, then sinus infection-y. But no matter, I took a half-day away from my manual labor duties, OD'd on zinc, garlic, vit C, etc. And seem to be on the mend. Quicker recovery, I'm predicting, than ever before for me! And even despite my illness, I've been Ms. Perky McPerkPerk. I don't know WHAT's come over me!

It could be all the fresh air and sunshine/daylight I'm getting. It could be all the yummy, wholesome food I'm getting (without having to lift a finger to make it!). It could be all the interesting people I'm meeting, interesting interactions, interesting stories and lives I'm being told of. It could simply be endorphins from walking everywhere (up hills!) and doing pretty strenuous manual labor every day.

It's certainly NOT my decrepit room in which there is no rhyme or reason, or organization YET. It's certainly NOT the fact that I do very much miss being able to visit my neices and nephews whenever I want. It's certainly NOT the fact that I don't have my kitty-cat waking me up with sandpaper-tongue 'kisses' on my nose in the morning.

But I tell you: it's great. I've been really happy -- sort of like a creep-up-on-you-and-before-you-know-it-you're-smiling-and-generally-happy happiness. No big epiphany or anything. I just dig it. Sure, some things suck, but those things don't seem to matter right now. And sure, I know it's not gonna be all peaches and cream while I'm here for SEVEN months... but still I'm excited for it all to happen. To come as it comes. To bring with it what it will.

Last night, not only in an effort to "sweat out" my sickness, but because I generally love these things, I went to the sauna. It was lovely. Apparently, it's "clothing optional" as they say. Of course for me, personally, it's clothing-mandatory! I mean, if I had a freakin' bathing suit from the 1920's, with bloomers and a bonnet, I'd wear it! But regardless my experience in the sauna was lovely. I had it to myself mostly. It was JUST as I was leaving that all the nudie staffers seemed to start to arrive. Of course all the people who do yoga every day, and such. If I had their bodies, I too might be more prone to go sauna in the nude.

And tonight, after dinner, I went to the newly opened-for-business Art Hut. It's a strictly-staff-only place to just go and Create... Just make stuff, paint, draw, sew, etc... I made a cool person out of wire... had so much fun with it and consider it a work in progress... he needs a head, for example... but I really like him! And this Art Hut thing is so totally RIGHT UP MY ALLEY! It's full of Found-Objects and junque and whatever you want... plus space to work! It's better than therapy, I'd have to say!

So there's yet another cool perk of working here.

Oh, and FYI, the free workshop I got into (as a fulltime seasonal staffer, we get to take a workshop free, but only what's available, has space, and what fits with our work schedule) -- I'm more than a little trepidatious about it -- is called LifeForce Yoga: Yoga for Managing Mood. It happens in July, so I guess I'd better get into the Yoga swing of things before then!

OK, I'm tired and drowsy and needing my sleep. Check back later for more tales from the big O!

The Girl Who Climbed a Hill, Came Down a Mountain...

Last night, a few of us drove out to Burger Hill, here in the Rhinebeck area, hoofed it up a big long tall hill, and cast our amazed eyes over the beautiful view of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills in the distance. What started as a lovely sunny day ended with 30mph gusts of winds and a temperature drop of at least 5 degrees within 30 minutes (ok, I might be exaggerating a little, I dunno). Still, we held firm to our positions, a couple of the guys played guitar while we sort of sang along, looking out over the sunset.

It was really quite nice, even if a bit bitterly chilly/windy.

I think I'll visit Burger Hill again many times.

"Sunshine & a-Rain..."

Nothing much to report except it's a beautiful Saturday in the Hudson Valley! and I'm not taking full advantage of it, unfortunately. I'm trying to rest up and battle with the beginnings of this cold/sore throat/sinus infection I've been fighting.

I slept on and off from breakfast till lunch. Was even LATE for lunch but they graciously served me anyway.

We thought today would be rainy and cold but it's sunny and warm. Even the young punk kids are outside creating a garden by their dorms today! And here I lie in the dorm nicknamed "the nunnery", in my pj's, with a scarf around my neck.

I've been feeling somewhat disconnected from what I thought was to be my purpose here. I think I just have to get into the rhythm first, then start really reflecting and doing some real reading and yoga and inner searching. That's the way I figure it'll go, at least. For now, as far as everyone else here goes, Anything goes -- it's all very accepting, no real huge assumptions being made by anyone, no judgments.

It's nice.
So, if total strangers can accept me, to whatever extent, then I should certainly accept me! I'm not a bad person for NOT being out in the sun, socializing and gardening or becoming one with nature. What I need to do right now is be here, just be. If that entails wearing pj's and a scarf, so be it!

Ah, I feel better now. The sunshine, MY sunshine is streamin' in thru my own heavy clouds.

Cleaning & Gleening

These first three days of work: a lot of manual labor, icky bugs, plus a bit of the fun of driving a golf cart (with almost nonexistent brakes) around. We, the Housekeeping "core crew", started doing deep-cleans of the mass-use bathrooms and bath houses... yes, a 'deep clean' (albeit with the ecofriendly cleansers we use) since they haven't been touched since last October: dried leaves, mold, and well-established spiders abound! I must say, I'm actually getting pretty blasse about spiders -- no small feat, considering my lifelong phobia of them.

The food is still really really yummy and really good for us - all organic and whole. I'm also pretty much drinking tons of water and abnormal amounts of hot tea.
[SpoilerAlert: Do NOT continue reading if you can't handle talk of biological functions!]
I think I've discovered that something in the Ginger Carrot Tofu salad-dressing they make here gives me super-dooper stomach gas. It must be the Tofu. (Nevertheless, that salad dressing is so tasty!) The other day, I walked, a-tootin' all the way, down to the little lake after dinner -- the squirrels went a-scurrying and the geese headed towards the water. I sat in the lifeguards tall chair, looking out onto the lake and listening to all the various sounds--besides my own! Frogs (tons of 'em around there - very vocal), Geese teasin' each other and splashing about, little nippy birdies by the water's edge talking in their high-pitched tweats, the dull throb of a basketball being bounced far away. But eventually, the very feisty mosquitoes and gnats drove me away. I had tried to coexist peacefully with them but it just got too uncomfortable being assaulted at any point of exposed skin or nostril or ear, even THRU my pants. Plus I was getting cold. And I was already tired.

But alas, all was not lost by my solitary trip to the little lake because, since I'd been releasing my gas all along the path and up in the lifeguard stand, my stomach was feeling much better. :)

Now it's Saturday and we, in housekeeping, have this weekend and next weekend off! The only time that'll happen all season. I want to make the most of it! But the last couple days I've woken up with a really sore throat. Throughout the day yesterday the fresh air (and hard work) got me feeling fine; hopefully, the same will be true today. Today, however, I've got a not-so-fun task at hand: despite the beautiful, warm sunshine outside, I've GOT to DO MY TAXES! I fear that I might not have all the papers I need, but we'll see.

It'll be pretty quiet this weekend. Most of the ladies in my dorm - "the ol' ladies" we call ourselves - have gone away for the weekend. In fact, the one woman I've bonded most with - we just seem to get along the best so far - will be gone this weekend. So, I'll probably be a bit lonely. But that should still be good. I will of course relish the alone time. And maybe finally get this Tax Monkey off my back!

At some point, I might drive into Rhinebeck town or go back to Kingston to shop. I've been wanting to stock up on some red wine -- would be a lovely way to wind down the days here, to just have a glass o' vino. It's not forbidden here. In fact, when I told my ladies of my plan to get some wine, several of them asked if they could "go in" on a case with me!

As far as taking the car out to do anything, there are a couple guys I drove into Kingston the other night who would love to take another "road trip" to town. So I can almost always find someone to buddy up with when going to town.

On Monday, so much will change, yet again, because the rest of the full-time seasonal staff -- about 35 more people-- will be arriving and moving into campus. I'm actually NOT Totally looking forward to that; I'm comfortable the way it is now. I don't know everyone here already but I'm totally comfortable. Comfortable with my alone time, comfortable with my together (mostly at meals) time, comfortable with my surroundings.

So please, if you could, just wish me well on staving off or combatting this throat thing (probably my body trying to have a sinus infection or something). I just CANNOT get sick! Before I came here, I boosted my immune system by getting tons of sleep, doing weekly acupuncture, monthly massages, etc. etc. But now I don't have those 'crutches'. On the other hand, I'm living more healthily, with regular whole, good foods, usually plenty of sleep, and a lot of physical labor and walking and breathing. So, we shall see.

PS: If you want to know what cleaners we use, being that we're mindful of ecology and such, here are the concoctions we use:

Tea Tree Oil & Water -- for almost any surface (except mirrors/windows); great for leaving a spritz to prevent continual mold growth

Citrosol & Water -- for almost any and all surfaces (except mirrors/windows); just spritz on and wipe off with dry or wet cloth

Vinegar & Water -- for mirrors and windows; spritz on, wipe off with either small rag or newspaper (if you have it)

Murphy's Oil Soap & Water -- mostly just for wood surfaces; might need to be rinsed and wiped more than the likes of citrosol

Pumice stone -- to take water/rust/mineral stains off of porcelain, like inside toilets

For mopping floors, we always do a sweep with a broom and dustpan, then attach an old but clean towel to the bottom of a flat metal thing at the end of a stick. We spritz the floors, usually with our diluted Citrosol, then just go wall to wall, using your "elbow grease" (well, really your ARM muscles) to swipe the "mop" over the floors. The towels will get almost black with dirt. It's amazing! Then you just will wash the towels later.
No need to go buy a bunch of different devices and chemical concoctions!

So, now you know.

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." -- Mahatma Gandhi

Orientation Nation

Today, technically Day 2 on the OI campus, we had orientation -- just me and the 25 or so other "newbies" that happen to be here already. (There will be 35 more new Seasonal Staffers arriving next Monday, not to mention how many returning seasonal staffers some of whom are already here.) It was our second day of beautiful sunshineyness; I have been very appreciative, as I know those are not all that common around here this time of year.

Not much to report. Just getting used to living in my grimey dorm room, getting used to meeting new people, walking everywhere, etc. Getting used to feeling itchy a lot -- whether i'm being worried about the Lyme epidemic that can happen here or whether I'm just feeling itchy from dried sweat or dirt or grime.

And I haven't even started Work yet! That's tomorrow, 9am. I'm so curious how that will go.

The campus gets abandoned every winter, so they're just working on getting all the plumbing throughout campus working and heaters back on line, etc. So, as a housekeeper, we'll be de-dusting, de-moldifying, de-winterizing all the rooms, cabins, dorms. That's a lot. Workshops don't start till last few days of April. That's when the housekeeping duties will probably be the most timely and necessary.

Let me just say that I've been pleasantly surprised with how most people here are very "normal" about this whole deal. So many of us make the same jokes - about having to call home to tell our family that no, we've NOT joined a cult, etc. Most of us seem to want to disobey some of the rules about some of the cleaning supplies we're using for our rooms - I want to scrub and disinfect but we're supposed to use eco-friendly stuff. Me, I wanna bleach the place out! Most of the people I've encountered seem to be very similar to my belief systems on many things -- just generally not happy with the way the country is going, maybe not with how the world is going, wanting to do our part and wanting to help facilitate change, but definitely not totally banging the drum all the time.

That being said, even the most seemingly skeptical of the people I've met has been hypothesizing that the reason we're all SO tired, so exhausted even though we haven't even started working yet is that this place and the concentration of people here is "vibrating" at such a higher energy field that we're just feeling overwhelmed with all the positive energy.

Truth be told, I kind of agree, somewhat. Even if that does make me sound hippy-dippy.

Well, it's way past my newly instilled bedtime. I guess the outing to Walmart tonight might have gotten me kind of strung out and wired; I'm not tired at all right now.

More later, of course.

PS: When I arrived in my room the other day, there was a little note and a little vase with a little flower in it. The note had the following quote which I find to be quite appropo:
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." - Mahatma Gandhi

Drivin' and Cryin'

Well, I did it - I'm 80% thru my preparations that will take me to my new living situation. It took 3 muscle-wrenching days (IN THE RAIN) of moving my ridiculous amounts of Junque to my parents' garage. Then a couple days of myself sorting thru all that stuff AND MORE, putting it in the attic or getting rid of it, etc. I ended up missing my original ETA for visiting my good friends Scott & Carolyn in Arlington, VA... by a good 36 hours or so! But here I am. Got here at 9:30pm - and that's no small miracle, I might add.

I'm off today to visit my good friend Lannie (all preggers! I can't wait to see!) and her hubby Jon in Annapolis, Maryland. Just a quick visit before I drive up to Omega.

My back, neck, shoulders, knees are all achey and pain-ey. My eyes are burning (pollen and/or lack of sleep and/or crying when I said goodbye to my kittycats). I look forward to finally getting up at Omega but of course there's some trepidation or little bits o' fear. I'm trying to keep those little nasties in check though sometimes they seap thru -- like How will I get my car load (and believe me, my car is FILLED to the BRIM) of clothes and accoutrements up to my "dorm" room? The parking lot is far away from the housing. Will i have to beg for someone in a golf cart to help me? Will that be embarrassing, how much stuff I have? Will I be able to adjust to the new time schedule - waking up early and working 8 hours a day, etc? Will I become a recluse (something I sort of want to do - fantasize about having alone time) or will I pull out my usual social butterfly flittering?...

I could go on, but I won't. I'm keeping it all in check, right. And taking it all one day, one hour, one minute at a time. I'm trying to not predict, to not worry, to just let the cosmos work its magic, to just let things happen and know that I'll always be ok.