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Entries from May 2014

Thursday, May 22. 2014

Bulls

I heard about some bulls in Spain that put a couple of bullfighters (Matadors) in the hospital and the bullfighting had to be suspended. I read up a little about it today but it makes me feel very uneasy and sad. I am, in case you do not know this about me (yet) for animal rights and I do not like to see animals get hurt, mistreated, I don't like zoo's and circuses and any other event that puts animals at risk for the sake of human enjoyment. Bullfighting and that other thing they do in Spain, running with the bulls is barbaric and I can't understand why people would even want to attend a bullfight or go running with the bulls. Oy vey, the Matadors got injured.....poor them! It wouldn't matter to me if they died from their injuries. I am sure that the bulls died a slow and painful death while thousands of people watched and cheered on like bloodthirsty maniacs.....sometimes human beings haven't evolved much since the days of fighting in the Colosseum, which was done to keep the masses happy and oblivious.
Yes, I have been to zoo's and to the circus and to Sea World, a long time ago before I really started thinking about the lives the animals must endure locked up like that. No more such visits for me. Unless I go there to report on some problem or investigate something.You want the circus? Go see Cirque du Solei. You want a zoo? Go to a strip club. You want a bullfight? Go to a some event where people beat or wrestle with each other.
And while I am on this topic about animal rights, let me talk about eating meat. I very rarely eat meat (yes, this includes chicken and fish). I think I've had meat twice this year. And there have been years of no meat at all. People erroneously believe that they need a lot of meat to grow strong and healthy, preferably everyday. This is what the meat industry wants us to believe, because the meat industry makes a lot of money. If people stopped and thought about, or saw with their own eyes, how most of those animals live (if you can call that awful existence living) and under what conditions, some would probably refrain from meat. And the animals are also given all kinds of poison (antibiotics) plus get fed some weird mixture of food that many times is not natural for them to eat (like ground up animals).
If you truly love your pet that you have at home then I think you can take that love a little further and start thinking about how the animals that you consume lived their life before they ended up on your plate or in that burger you ordered form the drive-thru. I have been around enough pigs, cows and horses to be convinced that they have feelings and think, I believe that animals are sentient beings. You can tell when you look into their eyes. So please, I ask you to be gentler to the animals, yourself and the planet and at least reduce your meat intake. Most likely you will get healthier from eating less meat. I have zero meat cravings (except when I visit the Polish Deli in Vegas and see and smell the Kabanosy sausages) and don't miss eating meat. And I feel and look healthy.
But before I start pointing fingers and pontificating, I am not innocent and free from flaws.
I do eat eggs once in a while, I could put in more effort to find eggs from local farmers where I live, where the chickens live good lives. I could and I should! I do eat milk products like cheese and yogurt. And those lattes I drink have milk in them. I tried soy but I don't like it plus I don't know what to think about the reports about linking soy and cancer, they are conflicting.
I know that there is almond milk and other milk alternatives, so I can definitely improve in that area. Yes, I can do more and improve myself, absolutely.

Look at this cutie! I want to give him hugs and kisses!



Road Trip With Chhaya

I had a great road trip with Chhaya yesterday, driving back home from Anchorage. It was a perfect day - blue skies, sunny, warm and the air smelled like blooming trees and flowers.
I usually drive straight through with a break or two for me and/or Chhaya to pee but this time I took my time, stopped for pictures and discovered some new places. I had the best drive back home ever.
The highway between Anchorage and Girdwood is very scenic. Really, the landscape is spectacular, you see mountains and glaciers. It's even voted one of the most scenic highways here in the US.



When I stopped at this sign (below) I met two ladies from Long Island New York, on a two week RV adventure in AK. I told them some of my favorite spots and they are going on a rafting trip in Denali, I want to go on that one also. They loved Chhaya and she liked them too. After I took a pic of Chhaya one of them said she was going to take a pic of me and Chhaya together. I said that I didn't want to. She was like....WHY? I told her I felt grimy (up since 7, spent the night in the car, had a facial and 14 hours later I felt not so fresh). In her heavy New York accent she said, "You are supposed to feel grimy, take a picture!". I obliged and she was totally right, of course! Who cares about a little grime, right? I love people from New York in general, I don't feel they are rude at all (like so many others do), I like honest and candid, I prefer that any day over fake and backstabbing. More of what I relate with myself. New York City is my favorite city so far in the US. Just thought I would throw that in here since I am talking about New York.







The Kenai Peninsula sign. This is where we live.....well, not exactly where the sign is (but you get that, right?).



I don't know the name of this lake but I stopped because I saw the mountains reflect in the water and some fish jumping.



Tern Lake. This is where you go either straight to Seward (if you come from Anchorage) or make a right and the road will take you to Homer where it ends. I discovered a day use camping area here and some trails that I didn't know of before.



When I finally arrived in Soldotna the sun had set, some pink colors were still lingering over the Kenai river.



Wednesday, May 21. 2014

Scary Cloud

Last night when I was driving back home from Anchorage I saw a huge and very scary looking cloud to my left while coming up on Sterling. I have never seen such a cloud before, it looked like a demon or something. I could finally turn off the road a take a pic of it right before I got to Soldotna. It looked much larger and scarier in real life, hovering over the trees.



When I got up today I smelled smoke in the air and when I got to Coffee Roasters and saw the first page of Anchorage Daily News the smell of smoke and the cloud got explained to me. There was a very large wildfire burning here yesterday and the scary looking cloud was basically smoke from the fire, hence the smoke smell. The fire seems to be caused by human error. I hope nobody got hurt.



Tuesday, May 20. 2014

Trip

Somebody got up early today....I took a small trip to Anchorage. Spent last night with primping procedures like waxing my legs, moisturizing from head to toe and painting my nails. The color is called Go Ginza by Essie, fitting because it looks like my little brother that lives in Sweden got a job in Tokyo.....I can't wait to visit him there! I have a fascination with Japan and everything KAWAII.



Dinner at Mooses Tooth....yummy pizza and then a rhubarb crisp. I also caught up on the latest global news, you don't have to read any magazines just keep up with my blog and I will fill you in on all that you need to know. For free! My boyfriend is on the cover of TIME, I'm so proud of him!



The sun set by Mount Susitna, also called The Sleeping Lady. I'm sleepy myself....time for bed.

Sunday, May 18. 2014

Gargoyle

What a great day! You know that you love your life, despite any minor problems and annoying people, when you laugh out loud by yourself for no other reason than feeling happy.
That was me earlier today.....or maybe I'm going insane? Either way, life is good.
I just got back from the gym. My new routine consists of swinging 100 lbs weights around while loudly grunting. That will get you in shape in no time.



It's Sunday afternoon. I will spend it by being lazy outside, doing a couple of loads of laundry and cuddling with Chhaya. Look at my little gargoyle, she is such a cutie!



Stuff To Get Off My Chest

I got home after 5 AM this morning, the moon was still hovering in the sky, pale and pretty and a bright red sun was coming up. I was on the phone with my brother and couldn't take a pic of the sun. Then I woke up after less than five hours of sleep, therefore I'm feeling a bit tired now and in need of a nap.



I went into town for some errands but I don't do anything before getting a latte, so I took care of that first and got some treats for Chhaya. She knows when we go to Kaladi and expects her treats. Look at her taking the treat out of my mouth, she is very gentle. In fact, she knows the command "gentle". Super smart, just like her Mommy. ;-)



This is what my purse looks like, it's what a dancers purse should always look like (give and take a few items). Cash and dog treats, somewhere on the bottom there is also a chap stick (Baby Lips) a pink Hello Kitty mirror and a rose quartz rock.



I got a package today but you will have to check back another time to find out what's in it.....to keep things interesting.



Now I'm home and it is amazingly beautiful and actually really warm outside, I will get nekkid and tan for a while and then walk Chhaya.
But before I go I have some stuff to get off my chest. I've had some issues with a person in my life for a few days now. It's been bothering me quite a bit and I felt rather sad today because of the whole mess. That person told me that I have said that I have a lot of readers of the blog (just a fraction of the mess). The way she put it sounded negative, like I am bragging about writing a blog and having "lots" of readers. First of all, having a blog is nothing to brag about, anyone can write one and millions of people do, so I would never brag about something like that, besides that is not who I am. I think there are like 70 million blogs on Tumblr so come on now! Have I ever mentioned to her that I have readers? Yes, when something blog related comes up. I mean, I write this blog every day so why shouldn't I be able to talk about it with my friends? Do I have a lot of readers? I don't know. About a year ago I thought I had about 30 000 readers a day, I was like whaaaat and got very excited! I had a different statistic program then, not as detailed as the one I use today. My friend KISA (Knight In Shining Armor) that also helps me out a lot with the technical aspects of the blog (confusing if you are not a computer language person) gently told me that most of those visitors were actually spam, he brought me down from my happy cloud of thinking I had that crazy amount of readers.
Thank You KISA!
I know people read the blog because I've had complete strangers approach me to let me know that they do (mostly other dancers) and just a few days ago I got a comment from a person that found the blog by looking up info for INGROWN HAIRS, yes..... (!) ha ha and found my blog and is now a reader. I don't tell a bunch of people about my blog, in fact I told one person about it in April and May combined (in person). I know I could spread the word in many ways, like have thousands of Facebook friends and each time I write an entry tell them about it. I could make stickers and advertise the blog like that. I could comment on other blogs or chat rooms and spam them with my blog. I do read other people's blogs and when I do comment I will leave a link to my blog, this is what you do. I only comment if I have something relevant or encouraging to say, maybe even question some stuff, give my input. Many bloggers like having a discussion going, it gives the blog "life', especially some of the wonderful feminist blogs I read out of Sweden, those are the ones I comment on and one other blog in the US.
I always comment as myself because I have no need to be anonymous or hide behind a different name. Most of the readers of my blog are silent, meaning they read but never or rarely comment. Which is fine, that's just how it is and some people don't want to put in that extra effort it takes to comment or don't want to stick out their nose like that. Some of them tell me in person that they read my blog and bring up a specific entry to me and other times I get a private message. For example, Boss Lady (the manager at work) reads my blog, she tells me in person but she doesn't leave comments ever. What is disappointing is when I know for a fact that some of my personal friends read it on a regular basis but have nothing to say, neither to me personally or by leaving an occasional comment. Like they pretend they don't read it or something. I am not asking for praises or admiration but it would be nice to get some feedback once in a while from a close friend. A girl that I was friends with for a long time told me that she didn't read and comment because she felt resentment that I write a blog, since she considered herself to be a writer and a photographer. I would have to specifically ask her to give me input on entries that I thought she would find interesting or ask her if she ever read the blog, she reluctantly read it a little and did leave a few nice and thoughtful comments and then it finally came out that in fact she felt resentful. That is just sad, like why? I don't consider myself a writer or a photographer, although I write this blog on an almost daily basis and take pictures to go with what I write. Blogging is not my source of income, I do this because I enjoy it. It doesn't really matter how many readers I have, I know that I'm not writing a column for People magazine or Time, it's a personal blog about me, my regular life and my opinions. And if I can reach a handful of people and entertain them, put a smile on their face or encourage them to do something positive, maybe get a good discussion started - that is plenty for me, that makes me happy. I can say this much, if anyone of my friends did something creative where I could leave input in any way, I would gladly do so.
I have no problem showing my friends encouragement and sharing that with them. If a friend had a blog - I would read it and comment. If they wrote a book, I would read it. If they painted, I would be interested in seeing their art. To me, that is part of being a friend, you lift each other up and encourage each other. I know some of my friends rarely or ever read anything (some people don't read, I don't get that but that's how it is) and that's fine, I'm not going to force them to read the blog. But when a friend reads kind of in secret and never gives any input or some other friend resents me, simply because I write a blog and she doesn't.....then what kind of a friend is that?
Ahhhhhh......I feel a little better now.....or do I? It's now time to get nekkid and tan! And to all my readers, I appreciate you a lot!