Stick this in your...um, nevermind.

Reason number 3,411 that I want to go to Europe: Post-partum care.

I have ranted to most people I know, I think, about the sad state that obstetric and post-partum care is in in this country, but I didn't know about the facts in the aforementioned article. If you want a good time, go find a book by Ina May Gaskin; Spiritual Midwifery was life-changing for me. It gave me hope for when I become a mother (Lord willing and the crick don't rise), and inspired me to start doula training. In other words, Ina May FRIGGIN' ROCKS.

Speaking of which, do you think it's possible to have a flourishing doula practice and a fulfilling opera career at the same time? I felt like they're mutually exclusive, so I gave up the one, but being a doula (doula-ing? doulism? doulacy?) is one of the greatest things that I can think of. Like, second only to opera, which of course is my personal crack cocaine. Anyway, I would love to do both. Both opera and doulage (ooh, that's a good one), that is; I'm fine without the crack.

Comments? Helpful suggestions? Ideas for the best way to make an abstract noun from "doula"?

Briefly

People are amazing: I am dating an awesome, wonderful guy from Cinderella. In addition to being smart (he read, understood, and liked The Myth of Sisyphus), cute (oh holy goodness, is he adorable), and sweet (he danced me around a parking lot and sang to me - in front of people), he is quite talented. I went to a performance for the theater class he's in, and he was brilliant/hilarious in the improv skits, and funny/sincere in his scene. Yay for beauty!

People are frustrating: my ex got me flowers for the first time. That's right, after maybe three romantic gestures during the nearly two years we were involved, he gets me flowers now. He's legitimately sad and depressed, I feel guilty, and I don't think I did anything wrong. Aargh.

My cats have an unshakeable urge to eat flowers.

I really need to go out and get a job. Like right now. So, the next thing is the last.

I love languages!!! Love love love. So, when I went to Curious Expeditions (the link is to the left) and saw their post on Esperanto, I was thrilled. Why? Well, it turns out that Esperanto is pretty easy to acquire. That makes sense, as it is a planned language, but somehow I never thought it would be a relatively simple endeavor (you know, simple compared to German, which makes me feel like I'm in a Schwarzwald no matter how much I learn). At any rate, dear reader, if you are interested, you can go to this page and find links to learn for free, via online lessons and email. Since Esperanto isn't really from anywhere, your accent doesn't much matter, so you can practice at home until you feel like you have a handle on it, then go find other speakers and jabber away! Then leave me a message, in Esperanto, about how cool technology can be.

An interesting idea

A friend sent me this link to a web page that supposedly uses less energy than the traditional Google page. I'm not a scientist (except on TV), but it seems like a reasonable assertion. Also, as their "about" section mentions, anything that reminds us to take small, frequent steps to reduce our impact is a good thing.

I personally save energy by not thinking too much. You're welcome.

Speaking of awesome 80's videos:

Sigh. I found out yesterday that the show I was going to be in with Opera Theater Oregon is not going to take place. Today I found out that, although I gave a great audition, I will not be cast in the spring opera at PSU this year. I know I can't sing in everything, but I am pretty disappointed...it seems as though I keep taking one step forward and two steps back. I 'm kind of tired of fighting this trend...

Anyway, I went to YouTube to find some cheery song to listen to, in the hope that it might make me feel a bit better, and I struck gold. Do you remember this gem from Sesame Street? It was one of my very favorite bits. Apparently it's by the Pointer Sisters - who knew? I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Also, here's a visit from Smokey Robinson, how crayons are made, and the rainbow connection.

This blog post was brought to you by the number 7 and the letter C.

How bread was made in the 80's

If you do nothing else all day, you must watch this video. It's very...well, just watch it.

Get ready for some awesome!

I decided that I should share one of my favorite songs ever ever with all of you (er...both of you). Thanks to the magic of the internet, I can provide this mystery link for your rocking out pleasure. I'm sure you know and love it, but if (like me) you need to sing along with the whole thing but can't understand that Spanish bit at the end, here are the lyrics:

Que linda me la traiga Cuba
La reina de la Mar Caribe
Cielo sol no tiene sangre allí
Y que triste que no puedo vaya
O, va! O, va!

(How happy it makes me to think of Cuba
The queen of the Caribbean Sea
Sunny sky has no blood
And how sad that I cannot go.
Oh, go! Oh, go!)

(Translation from this page here.)

This song makes me so happy! I find that it's best enjoyed at a moderately high volume, to allow for singing along with wild abandon and dancing like a fool.

What about you - what songs make you really happy? Please share!

Writer's strike

Here's a video briefly explaining the strike for those of us outside the loop, with helpful graphics.