broken x 3

On the 22, I slipped on the snowy cement and 1. dislocated, 2, broke,
3. broke again and 4. broke again - yes three breaks, my ankle.
It hurt.  It really, really was shockingly painful.  And then I tried to
stand up on it. omg.omg.omg.


I was in the hospital for three days and had a bunch of titanium pieces 
put inside my ankle.  I cannot walk on it for at least five weeks.


I was really unprepared for something like this.  I'm a bit sad about
the whole thing.


I see the surgeon next Monday for follow up.  Right now I have to
use a frigging walker to go to the bathroom.  

Mandalas

I use to draw or color mandalas as a form of meditation.  I’m not much of an artist, 

but the process was calming and soothing.  I’ve now taken mandalas one step 

further and begun embroidering them.  I draw the basic portions, i.e. a circle or two, 

then do the rest free hand.  here’s what I have so far:

You can find out more about mandalas here.  There’s also some nice photos at 

the flickr mandala group.

first snow

first snow
Been in a bit of a slump the past two weeks. Was told I was hired
for a job in Astoria, OR. Started packing, found a place, bookmarked
a bunch of nice places to go (Cape Disappointment!), but then they
decided not to fill the job due to new budget cuts. Oregon is
suffering financially (as is Washington, Idaho, California ...and me!).
Unemployment is a drag.

But this morning was the first snow and that has me feeling better.
I love the snow. It has magical qualities and provides comfort. Just a
bit of snow so far, but more expected.

More from St. Gertrude's

Here are a couple more photos from my trip to St. Gertrude's

Monastery in Cottonwood, ID.  One of the best things about my
trip was seeing the statuary and icons, especially the female angels.
As a child in Sunday School, our teacher once asked us to tell the
class what we wanted to be when we grew up.  I was pretty sure
about what I wanted to be when I grew up - a Guardian Angel.
When I announced my career objective my teacher told me
that I could not be an angel because only boys could be angels.

I realized a long time ago that she was wrong, of course.  And
was very pleased to see female angel statues at St. Gertrude's.
Vindicated!!

St. Gertrude's Monastery

St. G - Front grounds
A couple of weeks ago I went to St. Gertrude's Monastery for a lecture on
historical researching. The monastery has a retreat center, a museum and a
brand new B & B called the Inn. The whole place is simply gorgeous:
peaceful, quiet, beautiful building, beautiful grounds, nice people.

I didn't bring my computer, wrongly assuming that the place would not have
wireless but the Inn is completely modern and each room has wifi and a flat
screen tv. The large picture window kept me completely occupied the whole
time I was in my room/

St. Gertrude's is located in Cottonwood Idaho.

Hunter Thompson: Job Hunter

Came across this post on DangerousMinds about a cover letter Hunter Thompson 

wrote applying for a job at the Vancouver Sun.  I can see now that my cover letters 

have been way off.  No wonder I don’t have a job yet.

" . . . And don’t think that my arrogance is unintentional: it’s just that 

I’d rather offend you now than after I started working for you.

I didn’t make myself clear to the last man I worked for until after 

I took the job. It was as if the Marquis de Sade had suddenly found 

himself working for Billy Graham. The man despised me, of course, 

and I had nothing but contempt for him and everything he stood for. 

If you asked him, he’d tell you that I’m “not very likable, (that I) 

hate people, (that I) just want to be left alone, and (that I) feel too 

superior to mingle with the average person.” (That’s a direct quote

 from a memo he sent to the publisher.)  Nothing beats having good 

references."

Finished!

I finished the scarf ! It was very easy and didn't take
long at all.