Hot! Hot! Hot!

I am flabbergasted at the workings of the powers that be in the universe. My powers that be now have a special way of communicating with me via our magic calling card. But first...the story.

At my last grad school residency at Fort Warden, my hallmate Cara and I had an almost nightly ritual of burning the duraflame log in the old fireplace in my bedroom. My bedroom also happened to be on the second story, lit by chandelier and overlooking the amazing Juan de Fuca strait, rimmed by the Olympic Mountain range and crowned at its mouth by Mt. Baker. No complaints here. Perhaps working with Student Council racked up some extra karma points along the way...but I digress.

Anyhow, Cara and I would sit up, chat, collaborate, decompress and trade dance and singing techniques all while the duraflame log blazed and burned down to tiny coals and ash by morning. I fell asleep to the fire flames dancing and softly crackling in the night. It was my safe haven....and my new karmic calling card to return to that place of light, rest, comfort and safety.

Last night was the first "re-siting" of the logs. After a day that began at 6am, but prefigures the Easter And Passion Week to come, I was still starved, exhausted and foodless at home. After my fourth "job" of the day, I was cruising the aisles of the Downtown Harris Teeter; me, teetering on the edge of harried -- when I saw it -- the logs! Right when I needed a jolt back to that lovely retreat. The duraflame logs were there, winking out at me from behind a display of matches and trash bags. My little eyes lit up and I felt the early bubbling of a giggle. Press...Release.

I made it home, unpacked groceries and eventually fell into bed. I do not recall showering, which is not to say it did not occur, but I was past the point of caring. I'll just wash the sheets more often this week.

Then today. The alarm sounding 6am far too soon. Not that I do not love Bill Frisell serenading me as I wake, but honestly! 6am? Come on Bill! Hit the snooze! ...I did..twice. Rolling out of bed, I poured a bowl of cereal and started in to work. Again, a long multi-job, many-houred day. And I love what I do, but this week annually is the most exhausting of my life.

I had a small margin of time (it's a long story, isn't it?!) to run to Wal-Mart on my "free period" , grab the paints I needed for a trash can project for the city I'm doing with the kids, and bolt back to school to set up. Poor Frank had the speed of Socrates deliberating his trail in Athens. I felt my hand clutching for my phone/watch in my pants pocket. My fingers hastily pressing the home key and watching the minutes speed by -- still not done! Almost ready to snap at Frank the laid back associate, who had taken time to strike up an idle conversation with a Wal-Mart regular -- I spied them. Logs! Log upon Log upon Log. Stacked duraflame high to the sky and rising from behind a multi-tiered display. I thought to myself -- the Gods must be smiling...and laughing...and dizzy with glee watching me get all worked up and tizzied just to drop flaming logs on my pity party parade and rain it out.

So what did I do? I took my phone out, looked at the time. Laughed, at the prospect of getting in trouble...then snapped 2 pictures of my lucky totems. I'm commissioning a picture of them. To hang in my house....in every room.


Flamingly Yours,
MB Disco

PS ..and my special message/phrase from the universe?
it's obvious, isnt' it?
Lighten Up