Ringing in the New Year

I'm in beautiful Madison with the beautiful crowd of folks. We have seen the sights in town, enjoyed some culture at the art museum, and reconnected like never before...

Last night we had some drinks at a bar called Dexters down the street. At some point, we started calling old college friends with a joke that we'd play back then. With a thick Maine accent, we'd pretend to be the driver from a local pizza place called the Waterville House of Pizza (which they and everyone else called "WHOP"). We'd say, "Hello, this is ya WHOP driva out hea wit ya chicken pahm... Ah'm fuckin' freezin' out hea."

It still makes us laugh.

Save the World

Sam was playing a jumping game in the basement with me. He said, "If I win, the prize is a kiss."

After thinking for a minute, he added, "AND all of the weapons in the whole entire world."

Dentally Speaking

I went to the dentist yesterday and all was clean and good; the hygienist was impressed with my lack of plaque.

This dental hygienist (whom I have known for as long as I can remember) asked me about Outward Bound and Asheville and said that her son went on a NOLS course and now runs the climbing gym around here. I didn't even know about that gym since I'd only gone to a different one up here a few years ago.

She was chatty about him and then said I should go up there and ask for him. I said that depending on time I'd see if I could get up there. She wrote down his cell phone number in case I wanted to call, too. Nice lady, but could you really imagine me calling some random guy to say, "Yeah, your mom said I should call."

She took her x-rays and had me spit into the little sink after scrubbing on that gross toothpaste stuff on my teeth. I rested in the chair and looked at the drawings that kids and their parents made... I guess they are supposed to comfort patients whilst they chill out in the little room with fake wood paneling and an accordion door.

In addition to a rendition of "Dancing with the Stars" some lovely fall scenes and this scary guy with big muscles, there was one tucked in the corner. Next to a picture of a smile, it boldly exclaimed, "EVERYONE HATES THE DENTIST." I laughed and had to take out the spit sucker because it was just too much.

When the dentist arrived, I waited for his classic line (and almost the reason I keep going back to him), "How are you doing?.... Dentally speaking." He is not joking.

Finally, after my goody bag of toothpaste, toothbrush, and floss, I went to the receptionist's desk and presented her with my mom's check. The receptionist asked if I wanted another appointment for next year.

I said I didn't have my calendar with me.

She said, "Well have your mom call..." She knows my personal assistant will take care of me. Moms take care of their little 28 year olds.

December to December

In your hands lies the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit.

Robert F. Kennedy

I am not one for new year's resolutions, but I'm thinking about planning my year as if it were my last.

Planning each day as if it were my last... what would I do? How would I be? How would I spend time? What would I share? What and whom would I care about? How would I show it? Would I go away or stay here? What scenarios would I make happen?

I wonder what others would do with just a year to live and then I wonder what's keeping us from living that way...

Apt

The taasc students were in the library picking out books to read at a local nursing home.

Austin said, "Ooh, we shouldn't get this one."

I looked up and saw him holding Grandma's in the Stars Now, a book about the protagonist's grandma going to heaven.

Book Notes

I write personal notes in some books.

While it might be obvious to take notes in school books (underlining equations or scribbling thoughts about the changing voices in Light in August or something) I have a habit of writing some journal-like notes in books that I'm reading. Most of the time it's to remember a scene when I was reading a book.

For instance, in One Hundred Years of Solitude, I wrote, "In La Vela de Coro. These grandmothers in their colonial house remind me of this family..."

I documented a first date in a book of poems.

In a book called Earth Poems, which was a gift that I carry with me everywhere, I wrote about a lesson I learned while working for a wilderness therapy program. I wrote it below a poem by Harriet Kofalk, which begins,

"Awakening in a moment of peace
I give thanks to the source of all peace..."

Somewhere in the middle: "my feet touch the grass still wet with dew and I give thanks..."

The last stanza: "you can see forever
when the vision is clear
in this moment
each moment
I give thanks."


I was impatient on that trip for some reason and wanted to remember it.

I wrote, "March 10th, Wednesday. New Beginnings. Selflessness. Letting things flow and not forcing... Lime Creek. Hans, Katie, Young White Dolphin and Perseus Rising."
.....
It is a good memory to put next to that poem. It makes me laugh that we gave those boys those trail names. Perseus Rising I thought was a pretty awesome name, actually, given to a stubborn but strong boy. Young White Dolphin got his name because he was so pale, apathetic, innocent and thin... he made me think of the definition of wan. He was a sweet boy, though, so we wanted a happy animal. My co-instructor, Hans, had a great sense of humor, so we decided to name him Young White Dolphin... the Dolphin of the Desert for short.
....

What notes would I write in A Year to Live to remember today?

House

After swimming on Sunday, the dentist and the boys brought me home. B, the littlest, asked his dad, "Why does Katie live in an abandoned house?" Really, it's not that bad...

Bragging Rights

Al helped me write this blog post back on November 17th and I haven't posted it yet. I could easily add in bragging rights for spending time in Mississippi and Asheville; however, this is a purely Hueco Tanks Bragging Rights List. Here goes:

Being Here

"Spelunking" to see cave art

(These scratchings below were done by "stagecoach taggers"… when the stagecoach came through here, we saw that someone named Mary got together with a certain James Jolley in 1887 in a tucked away hole... hmm, racy.)

Many laughs per hour.

Climbing steep stuff

Pulling off the coolest scab ever (we had a really gross description of it, which I'll share for those interested)… flaps on fingers… finding the silver lining in topical maladies. I don't have photos of this one...

Eating incredible Santa Barbara organics everyday. Avocados, Japanese tomatoes (gram for gram the best food ever), garlic everything else...

Surviving a Texas-sized wind storm in my tent

Dance parties with the best 2 year old dancer (and her mama, who is not only cool, but also a great dancer, too...)

Not clocking in.. tan maintenance

Games: Boggle (inventing new words such as vell and ditwit) and Rock Ranch Rummy

The best birthday party ever…(poor Tessa was upset with the piñata activity)

Fixing the piñata. The Rock Ranch manager told Tess, “It’s okay baby, tape is cheap”

AND THE BIGGEST BRAGGING RIGHTS EVER!!! I, Katherine Dunn, became the object of affection of a bonafide male porn star.

Yes, Al found out about this crush's career while looking for climbing videos on his computer. Our porn friend said, "You want to see some of my work?" And the thumbnails were enough.

We learned much about Ron Jeremy's depression; several erectile disfunction drugs ("Oh, that one will be full on and then nothing... it doesn't last"); and other ins and outs of the industry (pun intended).

This MPS knows some famous starlets, and gave us advice about writing and selling porn scripts for big money. I'll finally use my English degree!

He asked Al how to "score" me; I was glad when Al convinced him that it wouldn't be a good idea to visit my tent. We had several jokes about porn, especially when walking past large sausages in Target, but I have a real respect for this guy who is more than his big profession. On the night of the great birthday party, he poured out his story to us.

Hearing about his life gave me pause to even brag that he had a crush on me. I hope that I have respected him in this blog while still relishing in the novelty of this encounter.

This is me and the porn star. Just kidding. I didn't want to publish a photo of him (I think he's shy), so this is a photo of Al and me posing as porn stars.

Except that we have clothes on.

And that we look more like teenagers in an afterschool club trying to be tough. Or something completely different? I think that even Mary and James Jolley would laugh at this attempt to look sexy.

I'm glad to be home, but really think there was powerful energy in that pocket of desert.

montage for now.

Here is the holiday parade.

Yes, that is a fake campfire.

Yes, those are kayaks (and climbers hanging off the back, which you can't see).

Yes, that is a little caver inside of the float. Yes, we were so excited. Okay, I was so excited.

Here are a few from Hueco Tanks.

Tessa has the best style in the house.

Thanks for giving. On the swing with my favorite P.

With my favorite P's Momma. Wow. She is so wonderful.

It's good to play spades with the Momma on your side. We had creative ways of passing information. How much to bid? Let's just sing, "Three fat turkeys are we... we spent all night in a tree..."

Back now. Back to work and to a quiet house. Much reflection and little sleep.

December 3

So much between November 16th and December 3rd.

It is appropriate that Mrs. R urged me to change my profile quote from "I am trying to pay attention" to "I am paying attention."

In a daze of the fullness of life lately.

For now, I am focusing on advent and thinking, "Hush, little heart."