No one can take Elvis away from you

Elvis, photographer unknown but very talented

I came across this odd bit of legalese when researching copyright stuff. It's so matter of fact, as if a sighting of Elvis is just an everyday thing . . . 

How do I protect my sighting of Elvis?
Copyright law does not protect sightings. However, copyright law will protect your photo (or other depiction) of your sighting of Elvis. File your claim to copyright online by means of the electronic Copyright Office (eCO). Pay the fee online and attach a copy of your photo. For more information on registering a copyright, see SL-35. No one can lawfully use your photo of your sighting, although someone else may file his own photo of his sighting. Copyright law protects the original photograph, not the subject of the photograph. 

Do Something

Environmental disaster is on my mind and resisting the idea that there is nothing I can do. I wish I would not be afraid which is paralyzing. I can not drive my car whenever possible. I can walk. I can ride my bike or take public transportation. I wish people would stop thinking in a superficial way, heads in the sand. Weather patterns are very complex and it's not as simple as "warming". The atmosphere protects the earth from the sun and allows us to breathe. CO2 heats up the atmosphere. Polar ice at the Arctic Circle is melting fast, open water absorbs heat and brings more water into the air. The Gulf Stream reaches into the Arctic Circle. Warm air/warm water/more moisture deflects the Gulf Stream south, affecting El Nino and La Nina which affects all of us with extreme weather. And I'm simplifying. Read this National Geographic article. 

It's on my mind because I just saw the news that the level of carbon dioxide has passed 400 parts per million which hasn't been seen on Earth for millions of years. Millions. Think about it and then read this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/science/earth/carbon-dioxide-level-passes-long-feared-milestone.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130511

Bill McKibben and others founded an organization called 350.org. They are making a difference and will continue to do so. Bill has been writing about the environment since the 80s. He is one of my contemporary heroes. He used to live in the Adirondacks and I sometimes saw him reading a book in the corner of a rustic cross-country ski lodge there. 

So, 350 parts per million is reachable and headed back towards a healthy planet. This is not about politics, it is about life itself and whether or not we do something to sustain it. It's the butterfly wing of individual responsibility that becomes a strong and collective effort that can save this planet, Earth, our home.

More Metal Doodling

Continuing with my metal worked goddesses . . . I decided they needed a handmade beautiful pouch so you can travel with your own tiny shrine and candle. Leather, 5.5 x 7 inches folded, with pockets for the candle and for the framed goddess. This one is for Laksmi, goddess of love and luck, but I will be doing seers, saints, sages -- anyone who qualifies as extraordinary usually in a spiritual way.

Laksmi is a colored pencil drawing printed on acid free paper and overlaid with a unique and pretty handworked metal overlay. The standing frame is a molded, soft plastic with glass.

This bag comes with a framed goddess, a tea light candle that smells like roses and a descriptive card. This is the first one I've made -- the next ones won't have the knots showing. 

The Pleasure of Watching Men with Style

I'm living in a land of hipsters who have a tendency to all look the same so it's lovely to take a moment and watch a whole group of men with individual and beautiful style. Of course, the way a man inhabits his body is where the style starts.

Rest, Child, Rest

A woman named Jena Strong is a very good poet and writer. She writes a blog called "Don't Miss This" and the other day she put my art on the top of a piece called "Take Rest" about why it's good to get yourself to a yoga class -- or have your sister get you there. I don't know her but the look on her face is familiar, as if we could be related.

My phone rang at 9:50 this morning. It was my sister. “I’m parked outside your house to take you to yoga,” she said, putting an end to my debate of whether to pull it together to get to Eric’s 10:15 class in town. I told her I needed five minutes to wash my face, brush my teeth, and change out of pajamas into yoga clothes (half of which was the same outfit).

Read the rest of Jena's blog here:
http://jenastrong.com/2013/03/30/take-rest/

I'm leaving the country in the morning to take a rest with sun and sand and daughters. Back on tax day -- and my taxes are done!!!

Here is a poem by Jena:

Prelude

Two cardinals perch against the dark sky, their cross-songs
like question marks followed by a fugue of ellipses.
The word itself eludes me, its shy hint of before and after.
We play the game of which thing we’d rather give up—
food or sleep, sight or strength, an ear or a leg, hiding or seeking—
and next thing I know I’m crying over my crepes,
unable to locate myself in time, the space I wedged open contracting,
my body pinned to a blue chair from an obsolete gift registry
that was prelude to the life I barreled into and out of like a guest.
A whole lemon sits on the old picnic table. It’s anyone’s guess.

Laksmi + Roses + Metal Doodling

Doing something different. This is a colored pencil drawing of the goddess Laksmi and a photo of a vase of flowers (roses always accompany Laksmi) with altered aluminum on top of it.

What do you think?

I'm opening a new shop on etsy. It will be called "Nest of Stillness." I won't open it until I have about 20 things to sell. There will be this sort of thing plus metal work and embroidery on boxes and little books and other stuff. Nest of Stillness is the name of my yoga business and this shop will be a niche of yoga and quiet and/or fun spirit-related products. I've been wanting to make little shrines for a long, long time and I've finally figured out how to do that. Tiny ones with a candle included.

Stay tuned! ("Like" my Facebook page to tune in.)

New! Yoga Class Calendar!

Just added this on my website (see the upper right of this blog). Didn't realize you could do this -- make a calendar on Google and link to it. So now you can see all my yoga classes, what time they start and end, where they are and a short description. I think I will be able to say when I am subbing or have a sub. So cool!

Thanks to LIEW/CF Tech Blog for the instructions. (Note: once you get to "Settings" click on the name of your calendar to get to the html code)