Right Now

I'm typing right now.*

*This statement was true at the time but is probably not true as you are reading it.**

**Well actually if it is currently any day Monday through Friday between the hours of 7am and 5pm it quite possibly could be true.***

***Do you really care?****

****Deeply.

Bald is beautiful

Switching around the TV the other day, I came across my favorite show in high school, Star Trek The Next Generation.  I know.  I know.  I had a huge crash on Jean-Luc Picard.  God I loved him.  Yes that probably explains why I didn't date much in high school

This memory shook lose my childhood crush on.... 

Daddy Warbucks.   I watched Annie over and over again.  Which reminded me of my favorite movie from childhood, The Ten Commandments.  Staring my biggest crush of all...

Rameses II, Yul Brynner.  I would get so excited every Easter because I knew all 5 hours of The Ten Commandments would be on TV.  My unending consumption of peeps probably played a role in the heightened excitment I felt.

I guess it makes since I ended up with a bald man.  Man, I'm sure glad I turned out to be attracted to bald guys instead of old dudes. 

Funny? Yes.

See more

My Dad is funny

My parents are Republicans. 
I am not.

I texted my father on election night to tell him I voted for Mark Kirk, a Republican for the US Senate.
Here is my father's text back.

"Who is this?  Samantha if you've been abducted by aliens blink the North star twice at 8pm!  We'll find you no matter what.

We love you and we'll get you back no matter what the cost."

Life

Alive.
Live.  Live.  Live.  Live.  Live.  Live.  Live.
Day.  Day.  Day.   Day.  Day.  Live.  Live.
Day.  Day.  Day.   Day.  Day.  Day.  Live.
Day.  Day.  Day.   Day.  Day.  Day.  Day.
Dead.

Choose Life

I agree with the sign.  These people really should have read the sign.  If only they read the sign.

Seen in Shannon, IL.

Statistics

Statistics are meaningless until you are the statistic.

Sustainable

Um.  I think there might be a problem with our society when we need to put sustainable in front of words like farming and energy.  I would think everything we do should be sustainable.  I thought our children are our future.  If Michael Jackson was right wouldn't we want to leave this world atleast how we found it.  I would like to be a sustainable human being, but I don't know if that is possible anymore.

It is so wonderful how corporations hop from country to country seeking cheaper and cheaper labor.  I really appreciate it when the local labor force tries to form unions because of the horrible working conditions and the company fights it or leaves.  Um maybe we are all humans beings.  Yes your $5 t-shirt is awesome, but it cost a lot more than $5.  Someone who was working in a rural environment is now working in a factory for $5 a month, so you can buy an awesome shirt for $5.  That is not sustainable. 

Be a sustainable human

Night fishing by the fire

Still.  Silence.
Plop.
Crank.
Still.  Silence
Crackle.
Pop.
Still.  Silence.
Look at that Star.
That's a plane.
Still. Silence.
Whizzzzzz
Got one.
Crank.
Whizzzzzz
Catfish

Donuts

I love donuts and they love me.  People are always trying to tear us apart.  They don't know what it is like when it is just the two of us.  Donuts really care about me.  They make me feel so good.  People may tell me how bad donuts are for me, but I don't care.

"Donuts will give you a heart attack."
Not my donuts.

"Donuts will make you fat"
My donuts will still love me when I am fat.

"Donuts are just in it for your money."
Well I'm just in it for the donuts.

Pappy Van Winkle

I am spending some Sam Pony time with Pappy tonight. 

I don't know why I want to be a whiskey drinker but I do.  Maybe it's the 1/4 of my genes that originated from Gaelic Country screaming for attention.  Whisky comes from a Gaelic word meaning "water of life."  Who wouldn't want to drink the water of life?  Although I think I may need a new glass to live up to it's definition.  I'm thinking the holy grail from The Last Crusade.

Thankfully my parents were not whisky drinkers so I didn't have any bad experiences as a teenager.  My first real taste of whiskey came from my boyfriend offering me a sip of apple juice.  Hilarious, yes.  Tasty, no.  Since that first experience 5 years ago I have been slowly sipping whiskey. 

Like all of us I have been attaining tastes my whole life.  I acquired my taste for beer through a lot of hard work.  I started at the bottom with kegs and kegs of natural light.  My participation in rugby facilitated my love of beer.  It is tradition for the home team to throw a party after the game for the visitors.   These gatherings involved many boat races, flippy cups and rugby songs.  All of which are very fun and require a lot of beer.  Today I am certified beer snob with a city that supports my snobbery.

My taste for tea was acquire from a visit to a friend's tea garden in India.  My love of coffee was realized while living in Costa Rica for 3 months.  I would love to visit Ireland or Scotland, but I don't think that is in the cards anytime soon. 

I guess I will have to continue spending time with Pappy in Chicago.  I have learned that one classic ice cube (a perfect square) is Pappy's best friend.  I think kissing whiskey by a fire may accelerate my enjoyment of whisky, but that will have to wait until this winter.

Cheers.

Life Pollution

We are afraid and maybe we should be. Our economic growth may be based on fear. I am a strong believe that light pollution is a serious pollution. Stars are beautiful and scary at the same time. They are an unknown that reminds us how small we really are. It is a loss to our everyday life to not be able to see them illuminate in all their glory every night. I live in Chicago and to see the Milky Way a 2 hour car ride is necessary. I understand that crime lurks in darkness, but maybe a loss of human curiousity lurks in the light. Stars are beautiful. Let them shine. Crime occurs. Darkness probably does not cause crime.

My Favorite Things

People wearing funny costumes while being sad.

Mushroom Monday

Black Trumpets

Some type of blue mushrooms.

Coral Mushrooms

A Mother's Love

Opening my parent's refrigerator in front of my mother invariably leads to her listing off the contents for me.  I am pretty sure my mother is aware I am not blind, but we have never had this conversation.  A quick reaction to her list is absolutely necessary.  Otherwise, the contents of the freezer and surrounding cabinets will also be listed off.  Again, act quickly.  Grab an apple, hot dog, stick of butter, anything, and shove it in your mouth.  Otherwise, be prepared for a full discourse on her dislike of grocery shopping or "your father's" current eating habits.  You've been warned.

THINGS ARE GOING TO BE OKAY...

Or not.

Those are the two outcomes from millisecond to millisecond.  One is everyday life.  One changes everyday life in an instant.

I will make it through this intersection or not.
My Toaster Strudel will complete it's journey to my stomach or not.
I will be combined from the genes of two attractive, kind, rich individuals in a stable region of planet Earth or not.
All my activities will be successfully completed in the shower or not.

These deep thoughts are brought to you by Joan Didion's, The Year of Magical Thinking.  It's a heavy book that doesn't physically weigh very much.



I hope you complete all your activities in the shower today.

Scenes from the next...

Like any good TV show, I wish my day ended with scenes from the next. 

Next time will Sam Pony eat that sandwich?
Tune in tomorrow to see if Sam Pony drinks that entire bottle of wine in the dark by herself.
On the next the Sam Pony the most shocking rose ceremony ever.
Bang!
Boom!
Pow!
Will our Sam Pony survive?

Editing

Reality television has shown us that it takes a lot of film and editing to make life watchable.  Which may be why Jesus was always turning water into wine.  Can you imagine watching every one's life?  Boring.

LOST

It seems LOST has left us with more questions than answers, which sadly is how I think life will end for me.  Although if God is a real thing I hope it has thought out this whole life thing more than the writers of LOST.  It would be a shame if like LOST the initial story was extended because it kept getting renewed.  I guess that could explain some things I find unexplainable, like anteaters, the filet-o-fish sandwich, how planes fly, the election of George W Bush, and the re-election of George W Bush.

Bettye Lavette

Oh Bettye.  I love you and your white leather jump suit.  I love that the city of Chicago hired a white plump girl in a long jean skirt to sign your performance at Chicago's Blues Fest.  By sign I mean sign language.  I love that you included her in your show.  She danced and signed with you as you sang the blues.  You are my Joy.  Also deaf people that show up to music shows are my Joy.

Bettye you have no right to not be playing blues fest.  I want you back.  The city of Chicago wants you back.  The plump white girl wants you back.

For some reason she is playing The Morton Arboretum on August 18th.  Who wants to join the trees, Bettye and me?

Accessories

Electronic devices like cell phones and computers should have a breathalyzer accessory.  You could set your drunk level to lock you out. 

Bucktown Happy Thoughts

I had a bad day

I had a bad day today, but everything is relative.  Yes, our contract required us to be completed with our work today.  Yes, all we had to do today was straighten a leaning hydrant.  No, it didn't happen.  Yes, I had to eat a crow.  Yes, it tastes exactly how you are thinking.  Yes, it is going to take a long time to stop tasting crow in my mouth. 

Okay now a reality check.  No I don't live in country where I wouldn't even have the possibility of doing the work that I do.  No, I don't worry about basic necessities.  No I do not share a heart and arm with my hotter twin sister.  Man, can you imagine?  She would always get the guy and I would always be in the room. 

Never mind, today was a great day.

Mortality

I just learned that I am a mortal.  This is very disturbing.

India - Things I miss

2.  TEA

I knew tea before I visited India, but I didn't know how great tea was until India gave me the full introduction.

Our first day in India we arrived late at night to our home base, Siliguri, India.  The jet lag was heavy.  We all succumbed to slumber early.  Mike and I awoke early the next day.  Our waiters were marvelous, but there was a language barrier.  The easiest thing to order was tea.  The tea was the best I ever had.  I drank 5 cups that morning.  Nice to meet you tea.  Is it to early to say I love you?

We were in tea country and as luck would have it our gracious host's family had a tea estate.  We spent a peaceful day meandering through the tea garden.  It ranks among the calmest days of my life.  It was a joy to walk the grounds.  Drinking tea in a tea garden is surreal.  I recommend it to everyone.

We were spoiled.  The tea was amazing, but as we traveled west ordering tea did not mean we received "tea."  You see we were all tea snobs now.  We had sipped tea in an actual tea garden.  Just because a tea bag has the Taj Mahal on it does not make it Indian tea.  We were aghast.  How could they serve us a tea bag when I ordered Darjeeling tea.  Should I send it back?  Thinking about it now I guess expecting great tea in Rajasthan is like expecting amazing oysters in Wisconsin. 

I miss drinking tea in India.  I miss my morning cup of tea (or 5) with my two Mikes

India - The Himalayas

I told myself and my fellow readers I would write about my India experience every day this week.  Then a drank one of my first cups of coffee since returning from India in January.  This common beverage does strange things to me.  I only "slept" for one hour Sunday night before I was jolted awake at 5am for work.  I know it sounds far fetched, but it is true which is why after discovering tea in India I cut it out of my life.  Except it worked wonders for a recent 40 mile bike ride.

This will be a surprise to no one, but I have to say it, the Himalayas are colossal.  Even the foothills are scary big.  The great part about driving in the Himalayas is you experience how scary big they are by just looking out your passenger window at the shear cliff inches from your car tire.  Shoulders, guard rails, proper lanes, tentative drives and lights don't get in the way.  You remain well aware of the constant danger you are in as you are hurled up and down the mountain, which helps to make one really appreciate the beauty of the Himalayas. 

Our driver, Kalu was excellent.  He had no fear.  It calmed me knowing the thought of imminent death was not on his mind like it was on mine.  In India, having a driver, if you own a car is common.  I learned that most cars driving the roads through the Himalayas drive this route often and there is a code these drivers follow.  Although I didn't appreciate this code when we encountered a broken down truck on the mountain top road.  We tried to squeeze by it the same time as an oncoming truck.  We were bumper to bumper and Kalu didn't hesitate a second.  He threw it into reverse and floored it.  I would think since we were closest to the edge we would allow the other truck to back up.  It would be the safest thing to do but I guess there was a slight head bop or something to let Kalu know it was his turn. 

The Himalayas are speckled with Buddhist monasteries.  I was luck enough to visit two.  I think if I grew up in the awe inspiring Himalayas I would probably be Buddhist.  I grew up in the Midwest which is probably why I am agnostic. 

The monasteries are quite appealing.  The monks walking around in their red ropes are very cool.  The children in their monk robes are adorable.  I was told that it is a tradition that the youngest son in a Buddhist family is sent to the monasteries to become a monk.  That sounds like a really altruistic tradition.  The catholic tradition (requirement) is to donate 10% of your salary to the church.  Which compared to the Buddhist tradition seems paltry.

Which makes me wonder.  Should I give my last born (or first if it ever happens) to a cause near and dear to me?  Would the Sierra Club teach my youngest to run the with wolves, plug piping carrying pollutants into our rivers or master the US court system for environmental causes by the age of 12?  Would the Planetary Society be interested in shooting my six year old into space?  I am not sure what NPR would do with a 6 year old but I am sure they will think of something amazing. 

Some of the photos are courtesy of my friend Lisa Monroe.  I would send you to her photo website, but she doesn't have one.  She is quite the painter.  I would post a link to see her paintings, but she doesn't have one.  I do have a photo of one her amazing paintings, which reminds me of India.  So I will post it here.

India - Things I miss

1. Sari shopping

I hate shopping, which is why most of my clothes were purchased by others.  On the weekends I usually wear the same outfit all weekend.  If I didn't have a job I would probably only have one outfit.  Damn you necessities.

Our sari shopping experience began as we entered into a store of color.  We were lead to a comfortable couch as our sales staff removed their shoes to start the show.  We sat sipping ambrosial tea while beautiful fabric was flung in the air before us.  As the fabric floated to the ground I had a childlike sense of happiness.  The vibrant colors laying atop each other captivated me as fabric continued to fly above our heads.  When the show was completed we each pointed to our piece of the rainbow.  One size fits all (for real).  No changing rooms.  No need to face yourself in a mirror with a strange, awkwardly fitting garment on your body. It's my kind of shopping.

 

I have been back from India for 3 months.  I have found it difficult to express my experience.  They only word I have come up with is overwhelming.  People usually ask if it was overwhelming in a good way or a bad way.  I respond with just overwhelming.  I will force myself to write for the next week about my experience before even more of it has been lost.

Death

Have you ever had a dream where you feel death upon you?  You know you are going to die.  You feel it.  Then you just wake up.  Is that what death in this life is?  I can't wait to see where I "wake up."  Strike that.  I can wait, but I am interested.

TV

My father loves TV.  It's one of his hobbies.  One of his other hobbies is "horizontal thinking."  To non-Pony's that means sleeping.  Whenever that 52" box illuminates he tends to participate in both of his hobbies. He never sleeps for more than 10 minutes but some how continues to be interested in whatever he is watching.  If we turn the channel he wakes up saying, "Hey I'm watching that!"  He also wakes up asking for my sweet mother to rewind to to the point he fell asleep.  It probably explains why they are still married, my mother will hit rewind.  Which means a 2 hour movie takes 4 hours.  Is the "secret" to a lasting marriage hitting rewind?

Child Proof

Seen at 3 Floyd's Dark Lord Days.

This child's toy appears to be a prescription bottle.  Reasons for allowing your child to play with one;

1.  You are training your child to open child proof bottles in order to sue when she is able to open them.
2.  You are teaching your child to not accept any limitations.
3.  It says it's child proof so what is the harm?
4.  You can't wait to brag to your friends that your child can open child proof bottles.