Cataract Here

Hey Blogesphere, Usually I post late Sappyfest artistic impressions. It has come to my attention that this year I did not take on photography as a past time at the festival. Instead I picked up a couple of records. Hopefully I'll play some of them on air very soon. Pictured behind me is a an album I decided was a great investment. Not only does it look like an alien engineered space rock on the cover, it also has a very mesmerizing presence. Many amazing experiences were had at the little town rock festival this past summer. Pansophical Cataract by Man Forever was one of several exciting purchases. I haven't been on the air since my post-sappy fest radio show. I don't generally keep a track list but I know it was a blast as usual to dwell in that booth zone. I'll definitely be on air again soon. www.myspace.com/griffinwoods is where I keep a vague record of my radio missions.
I was listening to some hip hop in my car today and reminiscing on all the diverse programming I have had the pleasure to experience on the radio. The best part of listening to the radio sometimes is that choice to continue to tune in or then again switch to cd or another station. Until next time the force is with you. Yours Truly Atlantic Muse.

P.S.
Looked this up because I kept thinking of the medical condition. Happy to have found multiple meanings.

cat·a·ract

noun /ˈkatəˌrakt/  cataracts, plural A large waterfall A sudden rush of water; a downpour - the rain enveloped us in a deafening cataract A medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision - she had cataracts in both eyes

Cool Breeze

Have been wondering of late if I will have the time for these short rhymes. Still would like to return. Took a walk to the ocean recently.
For now I'll share this cool video. 


Communique No.1 from Ainslie Moss on Vimeo.


Later, I think I will share more fun photos after I get around to charging my rechargeable batteries for my ten year old digital camera that sighs after ever photo. Somehow It still catches my fancy, with its frustrations. I usually hesitate to give up on technology that still works and holds huge amounts of sentimentalities to it.

sappyfest six, review

Hi ... My computer was broken for several months this fall. I had no ability to play around with photos, video and prose. I really did enjoy sappyfest last summer and was just thinking about it today even with all the ice around.

I took few photos but most of the time just soaked it all up.

Let it be a post-valentines breakout.

No more submission for bands at the festival so I'm sure a lot of people will be waiting for the announcements around May usually.

They have a youtube with a lot of the online videos from past years.

The following is Pat Jordache

(they took almost as long as Arcade Fire to setup but the wait was well worth it, their sets was top on my list).

Sleepy Panther was sublime and this photo feels like summer tinsel.

Shotgun Jimmie really stole the show. A packed tent and everyone hung on every last

Onomatopoeia.

...

summer is almost by

I guess I pretty much skipped summer blogging. I actually have felt the pull many times but my computer has been misbehaving & won't upload my new pictures which frustrates me and then I walk away back to tangible things. I had some great review ideas for Sackville's summer music party Sappyfest but will save them as a fall treat.

Full Moon tomorrow. I've been remembering to include ritual and reflection into my daily routine a lot more regularly. I have moved to a new apartment, new City and I'm back in school. I love going to class and researching any subject in depth. I'm feeling very grateful and privledged to spend time learning about human physiology & all its complexity. Its all very new and I entered this course fully acknowledging that my base level of understanding was quite low. So I study & study some more and don't forget to play with the kids and laugh and smile.

I continue my love of Great Coffee and have been exploring all different roasts. I love to take time cooking whole foods with patience. There is always much to discover in the food department. Today I had a delicious Pineapple, Peach & Spinach smoothie while rereading & writing out notes. Just thought I'd take a slight break and say more robust greetings to come once exams are through and my computer is friendlier.

This picture is two years old but captures the back to school vibe.

Yo! Peace to my people...in Canada. (MC Lyte)

Earth Day Hurray!

I love Earth Day! Its always been highlighted in some way by meaningful reflections. I remember as a school kid celebrating and focusing on environmentalism. This year My friends and I organized an Earth Day hike through the Amherst Bird Sanctuary. It was amazing with ten young children and many mothers and fathers. We headed off a bit late ... but made it to the beautiful mother tree and all the kids gave a big circle hug. Then we hiked for over an hour through wonderfully hilly trails and not too much mud. We saw lots of critters including chickadees, robins, blue jays and even a few deer at the end. Everyone felt loved by the Earth and our family of friends. We got bug & fairy tattoos, rice cakes, chocolate cupcakes and other snacks and lots of water. I had spent a lot of time thinking about Bees before arriving so choose a bee tattoo for myself.

Foggy Coffee at Noon

I was reading a ton of Broken Pencil magazines a month ago while I was finishing up my zine "Sista Yo Bro." There is this subgenre of zines entitled perzines in that they mostly contain the author's personal reflections. I realized that this is a seasonally themed perblog. I'm pretty autobiographically and definately try to hold back on all the details by sticking to a general theme of celebrations and holidays. An old friend of mine had suggested I blog in 2001 when I was doing an intensive study of French Feminism during my Philosophy degree. I wish I had at times but really didn't get it then. Probably still don't totally get it. I only used the internet for hotmail and "anti-globalization" activism at that time and really had no idea how to surf. I actually still find internet surfing for the most part aggravating since I often can't find the right in. That's why I have this site to bookmark cool little ramblings I find. I will just conclude with a wednesday Shout Out! I've been staying home and reading a lot since I have an awfully draining head cold. Probably dangerous to publish under these conditions but I feel like this is such an excellent unique opportunity when I've been able to just slow down and read on and off five different books intensively and sip tea and coffee in a cozy sweater without having to push myself to get too much done. Sometimes when I'm reading I often feel like I should get up and do more but today I know reading is just right for me. The pictures featured are me cherished my coffee and this extremely brain fogged fluish day & some in reverse colour appreciation of my zine.

A season change, dreams and muddy realities

Been journeying around lately. March was spectacular. Usually we have a huge family party for March's Spring Equinox. This year the event was so close to the full moon that an excellent gathering of three women came about. We had a wonderful look at the unusually large and beautiful event that the moon herself provided.

Hockey season is over and I really did enjoy spending ice time with my eldest skating superstar. My little one is proving to be an awesome drummer.

So many highlights have happened since my last post. As usual the earth spins and obstacles jump right in front of you. The funeral for a beautiful brother-in-spirit Josh was on the actual Spring Equinox. He was a spectacular person. I know my eldest son learned and played a lot with him and I'm most sad that my youngest won't get the same chance to spend more times with him. We loved you Josh. He was a an amazing rural shepherd with a dedication to family that none could match.

Everyone around is really excited to spend time socializing comfortably out of doors. I also spent a weekend attending a great conference a handmade assembly and was inspired particularly by two artists Janet Morton and Candice Tarnowski. Lots of folks in Sackville attended lectures, workshops and celebrations during this conference. I loved sharing my zine and trading for new material.

I started a new radio show in March. Condensation has really been rocking my Saturday mornings after I grab my grub at the local Farmer's Market.

From Dark to Full Moon and all the hearts in between

Imbolc, Valentine's day, Dark Moon, New Moon, Waxing Moon, almost Full Moon. The cycles of renewal this February are so pink and cozy. It seems that right after celebrating Imbolc the world gets its groove back on and the Sun emerges ...

I really enjoyed a little feast and reflection with my ladies last week. I was happy to find a banner from all my research and reflection on the holiday last year: Brigit, Mother Goddess, midwives, breast-feeding, festival of hearth, home, healers, Imbolc, poets, wisdom (hazel) & beer. Our cozy group of five spent time thinking about our maiden selves and reflecting on the qualities that we possessed at the height of our youth. Then using a bit of divination and poetry we described to each other how our current mother selves could incorporate some of the best maiden aspects from our past into our current lives. In that way we really felt like we were bringing about that renewal that the earth goes through at this time in our own spirits.

After celebrating the festival of Imbolc with my ladies, I headed out to George's Fabulous Roadhouse (made the top ten clubs cbc radio 3 list in 2009) to see a

big line-up of male rawkers! It was fun to translate the intimate celebratory atmosphere into a bigger space and feel the greater mood of my community. It was a big line-up with four bands and the crowd really loved our hometown boys The John Wayne Cover Band.

Then the beautiful Sackville, New Brunswick lovefest; The Sweetest Little Thing. My six year old was a really spectacular date. We looked at the huge amount of sweetest little art works for auction, played the cakewalk and won two beautiful cakes, got fantastic polaroids in the photo booth and laughed and danced with friends. We even won a door prize of a big fabulous bouquet from the new local florist Bloom. The next day we ate way too much cake at a little tea party..... Please do enjoy the rest of the winter and our cherished cozy times.

Rock music on the radio and welcoming in the New Year

Happy New Year. Winter is here and blowing a beautiful snowy storm my way tonight. I had a great down home family winter solstice celebration with my children and another family. Many traditions were observed and some skipped this Christmas season, no Christmas eve church service and no skating on Christmas day both extremely dear traditions but better left aside in 2010. I attended a couple great house parties to ring in the new year and wore out my old highland dancing slippers rocking all through the town. I have been struggling with a lot of sorrow and many other emotions recently so celebrating the arrival of a new year rejuvenated some little part of my soul and I'm grateful.

My favourite radio station, local campus and community 106.9fm in Sackville New Brunswick, took a break during the holidays and played a mix of independent, folk, international, bluegrass and festive tunes non-stop. I am brimming with joy to hear the return of live programming with all the insights into different community member's music and discussion preferences, as well as their different production techniques. Its such a relief to wake up to the variety of a specialty psychedelic morning show, great syndicated news sources or a lovely folk/rock/blues goddess sharing tunes I've never heard before. Oh! kitchen and cozy times at home or even in my little car are much more exciting. The radio station that I love is also hosting the eighth annual Stereophonic music festival January 19-29th. I'm going to attend a few of the events, they all look groovy in their own unique way (I haven't missed a year yet). On air constant festival promotion has led me to ponder how many permutations different programmers can produce with the same music. It actually works to hear the same bands several times in a day since each programmer mixes them differently. Enjoy the winter storms and watch out for pheasants if you're driving around.

Freezing, Falling, Changeling

Spending time thinking about how to love myself as fully as I can. Being with my children and playing, eating well, taking in the wonders of the world. Last post I pointed to yoga which I have yet to establish as a routine. Maybe I just need to find the right soundtrack.

I am glad of a bookmark. I found another welcome read online when I really desired a positive thoughts about Love to intrude in my dark cavern: MatriFocus

As we approach this chilly time of year its great to see the leaves finally falling off our trees. This summer was so heated.

Its a great delight to see people transform themselves in costume. Have you planned yours yet? I've been at a loss all month trying to grasp at the proper attire for this coming weekend... I'm sure an idea will come to my mind soon as I can't remember a Hallowe'en where I have not been in some sort of costume.

local inspiriation

my body aches & I need this sort of real practice of healing.

autumn & gray beauty

Yet another beautiful foggy drive this morning. I've been thinking of this blog and missing musing away. The autumnal equinox softly arrived with a wonderful September full moon. I'll have a lot more ideas soon. Just wanted to drop off some peaceful pictures of sitting by the water. Peace.

august kicks off

I thought it would be important to throw my stone in the stream before August concludes.

This series is another bit of phone loveliness. My son grooving in the waterfowl park this spring. One of these images was a link in this blog to Sappyfest which engulfed downtown Sackville on the first weekend in August. Its always so hectic, full of beauty and irony. I really enjoyed some of the fantastic live music shows, serving up breakfast with old friends, and welcoming visitors into the festival.

August is so busy since everyone tries to get that last little bit of summer adventure in before the heat disperses. I'm not worried, I know the fall and winter bring many an adventurous trip.

I love this last pic, a pause in the midst of rhythm and dance.
I'm heading out into the wilderness shortly for a 24 hour

journey for a very special celebration. oh yay...

I just got this short little diddy musicworm in my head:

A wild pack of family dogs came runnin through the yard one day
My father got his gun, shot it up they ran away ok
A wild pack of family dogs came runnin through the yard
And as my own dog ran away with them I didnt say much of anything at all ....
A wild pack of family dogs came runnin through the yard
As my little sister played the dogs took her away
And I guess she was eaten up ok yeah
""
My mothers cryin' blood dust now
My daddy quit his job today
I guess he was fired but thats ok
And I'm sitting outside by my mud lake
Waiting for the pack to take me away
Right after I die, the dogs start running up towards the glowing sky
They will receive their rewards........ Modest Mouse-The Moon and Antarctica

This album stuck in my discman for several years and this is one of the few songs out of all songs ever that I would put on repeat. I'm not really into listening to the same song over and over in a row but this one feels like a round that needs to be repeated until you're through with it. Look up the tune if you like its the melody and bass line that really get me.

Visual Pleasures

I am enjoying the soft breezes of the summer and the gentle turning of the mighty Fundy tide.

Missing the free time I had before returning to work but appreciating the love from my many circles of friends.

Family time is so precious and the children really know how to ground a mother in all the lovely details of life. My friend did an awesome photo shoot of myself and my children around the one year old birthday of my baby. Here are a few treats from her. If you live in the area and want some cool portraits done follow the links. A festive long weekend awaits...

Strategies for cooling down

The town is buzzing about prepartions for out big music festival at the end of the month. I am just trying to deal with our tiny heat wave here. Thank all things good that our lovely wind picked up today and knocked over many things in my yard... now we can enjoy that great natural wind phenomenon.

My town is rarely hot and I know many people in cities are struggling too. I used my new skill of driving to head out to my favourite beach in the area. Its no secret and I seem to be arriving there at least once a week this summer. Dorchester cape is home to spectacular views, dusty roads and most of all cools you down. Most folks park on the side of the road or at the interpretation center.

The best thing about the summer is making the most of every little inch of paradise you can find. Looking out for my health I keep covered most times at the beach and then those 5-10 minutes when I rip off my long shirt & skirt and run around in a bathing suit feel super special and extravagant.

A cool spring stream runs through this beach and my boys were really into walking it. Unfortunately I couldn't coordinate chess playing with the eldest. I'm going to have to start traveling with a card table for that purpose. Chess really gives me time to relax and think about other times and places. There are so many stories that could be woven into any game of chess, don't you think?

Summer has arrived

If you explore this blog you may have noticed that I am an enthusiastic radio volunteer. This summer I am co-hosting the Friday local lunchtime news entitled Boardwalk Radio. We have done three shows so far and its really interesting trying to delve into contemporary issues in a dialectic sense. I have far too often tried to ignore important events happening around me and focus on my own health, perhaps out of necessity. Tune in online 11am-1pm Atlantic Time .

As you, my reader, would know the celebration of seasons and moon cycles is a part of my joyful spiritual life. This June has flown by with many impromptu arrivals at beaches and dusty overflowing dirt roads. Every back road I see is brimming with my favourite red clover, daisy and so many greens.

This Solstice seemed turmultuous but satisfying. We attended an awesome family Summer Solstice potluck. My community also hosted special several events so driving a friend home from the party I could sense the communal satisfaction that our summertime is here and we are all super happy to be here together, and the horses and cows too. Around here people let their horses and cattle out to the marsh to pasture all summer and they all look like super groovy little communities.

My second son celebrated his first birthday this month as well. What a momentous time, remembering my hugeness and the many other memories of near birth and just after birth time. The tide of memories seems so strong right now, its hard to stay grounded in the present and not drift in and out and past and future existences. The fog that surrounded the Tantramar from solstice eve until the day after around noon seems to have stuck with me. It was so special and beautiful at the time. This is definately an early morning meandering. I hope to have a few more succint tidbits to send out to you this summer. I dig stopping and snapping fuzzy cameraphone photos of events as they happen.

Blossom Moon

Beeswax, the scent, the texture, little pieces dropping off. A constant pleasure in my life. I am extremely happy to have already had a few hours of staring off at the sky and blossoms around me, Bumblebees and hornets buzzing by. In April I was participating in a meditation on Air and really inhabited the beeness that was suggested. I loved the floaty feeling but also realized how crucial many of my little roles are in life. A bee is so important. I am not even bitter that I was recently stung by a hornet. Have a gooey & sweet Full May Blossom Moon. I certainly enjoyed my full moon celebrations this month and feel Mother Earth really blessed us, especially with the rain we received this week and many close conversations with friends.

Fires

Beltane, a chance to celebrate the union of the Lady & Lord. I am always excited thinking of the spring fires and young couples enjoying jumping the flames. Wouldn't it be awesome to jump with all your might over a fire with your hands tightly wound around those of your companion.

Opening the gates of apprehension, accepting our visions to speak to the truths of our world, the one we live in and move in. Driving around in the pouring rain today was beautiful. I am trying to understand the way an engine works after many years of believing it was unnecessary. I don't think I will ever lose the yearning for the days of pilgrimages and spending a week to go on a trip to get a few supplies. I've succumbed to the fact that I would rather make a speedy journey to the closest big store(or beach) on my own than having to spend all my time on the planning of some one else taking me. I'm sure I will have more to say on our auto-society in a future blog-note. I am also sure my strong spirit of conservation will continue. Today I'll celebrate that my own little engine fire is started and well on its way to being an accomplished driver of a family. Wishing us all safety & joyfulness this May Day!

Listened to a great radio program today.

Favorite Film Triptych

I enjoy watching movies, however I often don't make time to enjoy one of the most varied art forms of our age. In the past little while I have watched three films that I really enjoyed and wanted to pass on my reviews and recommendations. Warning. If you don't like slow movies that require a certain amount of patience don't watch my picks. I really do have a love affair with movies that seem to slow the pace of life, allowing all the beautiful refractions of light and detail to the surface.

Here is the triptypch of films that I've recently really enjoyed:

L'heure d'été , Fierce Light , Emotional Arithmetic

These three tie together perfectly in my mind. Each deals with the origins and preservation of memories and important creations of families within communities. Each also deals with mourning in its own unique way. I watched each of these with the baby napping on me in some quiet time. The movies really helped me escape into another landscape and the emotional dramas of each of them kept me glued to my TV screen.

old leaves contributing to new forest growth

I find myself fascinated with moss and rotting earth.

All the snow has melted leaving the earth littered with random hats, mittens, trash and so on. Its fun to try and gues

s when some of these crumbled up items were left behind. My son and I discussed this for awhile on a rainy walk and agreed we are really looking forward to clean sweep day in town when lots of families go around cleaning up as much of the town as possible. The old rotted leaves in the woods on our most recent hike really show the intense

regrowth and decomposition going on around us. It seems this time of year a lot of random emotional junk can surface and hopefully new insights and directions will be gained.