Yaris

To the repeatedly insistence of my double Uncle Pete's, I have posted a new blog. Yes, both Uncle Petes from Maine and Washington are raising a ruckus because of no new blog stories.

And so here is a blog. One that they will have fun with. My new car. A Toyota Yaris. Nice little car. And even though Dad says he does not like driving with me, my friends have been having a hoot with joy rides.

Been putting the miles on it already as with my job it is all travel to client's homes for music therapy. Going to places all over Mesa and part of Gilbert. One day since I got so lost, yahoo maps did not serve justice in this case, I had racked up 69 miles in that day. Good thing I get paid mileage for the job.

Patience, oh my readers. I need to get settled in more ie moving into my house more (my bedroom is filled with boxes) and adjusting to the 10+ hours daily for the work week (including documentation, driving, sessions); blogging will be scarce for the time being. Oh I have the weekends free. And during those times will be making my getaways to destinations yet to be determined.

Spirit of the Heart

I have never been much into astrology. I think it is fun at times but typically do not read much into them. Especially with phrases, "You need to relax today" or "An exciting business prospect will open up for you today" sort of phrases (I made theses two examples up by the way to show what I mean). Many times they are like little nonsense phrases that seems to have no meaning whatsoever. But then again there had been times when I happened to read some and seems to struck a chord at a particular moment in time.

I pick up the weekly Beach Reporter. Has calendar events so I can find out what fun happenings to attend during the weekend adventures. There is an astrology page. I have found to like this astrology better than the others I have ever read. The astrology seems to be more intuned with real things: mission in life or what not. Perhaps it is no mistake that they have been ringing with certain chord within me.

Here is mine for the week of November 14:
Capricorn:
You have been like a sailor sailing on the high seas focused to make it through the eye of the storm. You have become so sturdy and strong in the fight to get to the other side, you haven't a clue at how much you body and soul has grown in wisdom and strength. You have been adapting and adjusting to circumstances and in many cases paying dues for past choices made, but this week something happens. The seas slow and the waves lower their lift on the bow. A triangle made in the sky in water signs signals a breakthrough in your journey. It is the reason you were ever fighting at all. You will feel and see the distance you have gained and be amazed at your progress. This breakthrough also signals you that it is a time to relax and renew as Mars moves retrograde in your opposite sign. Your dedication is paying off.

I, of course, have been pondering about the words. There seems to me much mystery, especially this water sign from the sky in a form a triangle. What is that? Is it something literal? Something figurative? Something that some fan of astrology would only know?

But I like this horscope very much. In many ways seems to define my current and past few months of life. In some ways, yes like a sailor, a wayfarer, on this journey focused on this moment of life. And being so focused in the mainstream of life, I had not indeed realize how much I have grown in the short time here in LA. Because I have grown in wisdom and strength. This growing will not stop here but continue as I venture onward. But my progress has been minimal to my mind's eye. Not much but still it's something. I am not so sure of a breakthrough per se. Unless this breakthrough points to the decision I made to return to Arizona. But I had been pondering on my return for a few months now. Yes, I am returning.

On my journey of adventures here in LA, the experience and life seems to be but a stepping stone. I consider myself a spirit of the heart. I like to say that my heart directs my life. And in many ways it does, espeically upon reflecting on past life's experiences and decisions. I know the difference between a decision made from the heart and one made from well, not the heart.

I had an interesting dream last night. I would love to share it all but it was so very long, so very detailed, so very vivid. I had gone to bed thinking tonight in my sleep something about the triangle in the sky signal will be explained. Something like that. Well a dream occurred which in part sheds perhaps some light on this mystery. Here follows a synopsis.

I get on this helcopter with three other guys. I seem to know these guys but do not recognize them from any known individuals in my current life (I have dreams with people I know and with people I do not know). We have two dogs with us. One of the three guys is flying the helcopter. We leave mainland and seem to be heading out but yet somewhat close to shore at times. I remember admiring the big ocean swells from above. For some reason one of the smaller dogs and I seem to disappear. This is the part of the dream where it gets patchy and I do not quite understand what is going on. I, the dreamer, seem to stay with the guys some more as it is becomes obvious they are looking for me. I soon leave them and find myself at some building. I seem to have been sleeping or drugged. Not sure which. But I am atop this large buiding with the apartment and an open deck, patio on the roof. Someone takes the small dog that I had disappeared with. I try to argue for it back saying it does not belong to them. But they took it anyway. So here I find myself stranded. The view looks out to sea. It is night. The moon then creates this triangle shape of lighting on the water. And I say, there is the sign! But then start to wonder what it means. As I am staring at it, I hear barking. I look and there is the second dog that had been in the helcopter bounding to me in joy as if finding me. I hug it and look down the side of the building. Then I see the three guys that I had been with. They see me and next thing I know it we are all up on the roof hugging. Well I was actually only hugging one of the guys who I seem to know better as from the way I was talking with him. We leave the building, and one of the guys, who is the pilot then walks a head of us saying oops I was in the triangle. And I was like what? And he said well the two other guys and I form a triangle from our positions when walking. And he did not want to be in the triangle so he walks ahead. The dream pretty much ends there as we seem to take of in the helcopter again and this time looking for that dog that was taken away from us!

I wake up then and was like interesting dream. I certainly dreamt about the triangle but still a bit mysterious to me. I am probably reading too much into it.

Anyway here is the website for the astrology. There is a new one every week, I think comes out every Wednesday: http://www.kristinfontana.com/

World Unseen

Ah, you may wonder. What is this?! Has Ingrid lost it? A picture of ah.... hmm.... I will tell you, it is sort of a perspective of a smaller world within the larger world we live in. It is an outlet in the cement wall barrier between the Strand and the sand running along Hermosa Beach. It is a opening for the excess water to disappear so runners, bikers, and walkers do not have to walk through water. And these little openings offer abundance of life and a new way to perceive things. So in this glorious first shot, is a mass of webbing's with the displayed spider residing inside. What a grand view she has.

How in the world did I discover this? Well on my walk one evening while watching the sunset, I saw that there were some sunlight filtering through these cracks in the wall. And ah! thinks I. I wonder what it will look like if I squat down and put the camera on the ground and take a picture of this ray of vision. And lo, this is the vision I glimpsed through the eyes of a camera. Pretty amazing on my new found discovery. I would have never known it to exist. What other worlds live in the world we live in? Makes me wonder.
It is almost as thought I have become a miniature and provided such a sight. I feel like I am about to embark through the tunnel or leave a building to the opening of sand and the setting sun!
And some how gives me visions of Arabian Nights. (Not that I ever experienced Arabian nights of sand). But from this perspective one could envision miles of desert with the sun setting. In some ways this is correct... for a wee miniature. The realities between this world and mine that I experience now are quite different if one thinks about it. A whole world waiting to be seen and explored.

Have yourself a Happy little Halloween

Have yourself a happy little Halloween,

Let your heart be light,

from now on all our troubles will be miles away....

Ah yes, a Christmas song turned Halloween. I decided on this because lo and behold on my way home from the Halloween Frolic in El Segundo I see candy cane wreaths decorating lamp posts along the main road of Hawthorne Blvd. That sure did not take them long! From here on out it will be Christmas season. The scandles of marketing! I am still listening to "Halloween" music for goodness sakes. Music such as Danse Macbre, Socroceres Apprentice, and Night on Bald Mountain to name a few.

What you see is my invention. I carved a pumpkin tonight. The first time in 25 years. I always had help with the carving... could not be playing with the knifes, you know. I am happy with my creation... free hand style. Simple yet elegant. haha Looking forward to my pumpkin seeds for tomorrow. :)

Here we are as in olden days,

happy golden days of your,

faithful friends who are dear to us

gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together,

If the faith allows

put a burning candle in the pumpkin smile

And have yourself a happy little Halloween now.

Happy Halloween

I have been seeing a lot of Halloween festivities of late. The entire weekend I saw parties going on with lil' children running down streets in costumes while their parents attempt to keep up with them. Carnivals here and there. And the houses even more festive. Some more harvest decorated while some leaning to more Halloween scary. I know there are parties everywhere going on ranging from the local neighborhoods to the advertized clubies. I am attending the local neighborhood party... more wholesome with the kids and families having a hoot. Here is a bit of the scenery while on the Strand that is the row of beach houses on the beach (from Manhattan to Hermosa Beach).

Attack of the giant fury spiders. Ack!However, they look kind of friendly up close. Kind of....So a wee bit of sampling.
I could not find the house that had the lifelike heads. Now that was scary. Maybe a good thing they were not there anymore. Have a spooky Halloween. I am going dressed up as a gipsy kind of gal today for work. The only "costume" I have in my sampling of clothes. And realize I will probably be the only one dressed up. Too bad for the others.

Coastal Sunset

I have been here for eight months and have not viewed an entire sunset until tonight! I have been out at dusk by the coastal beach cities but not viewed a sunset like this one. Many times there are clouds on the horizon so not having the opportunity to see the sun dip down past the horizon. Come to think of all my days living by coastal waters (like the summer out at Kalaloch) I have few memories of the sunsets. Not because I was not there to view them, but some seem to capture hold more than others. And tonight was one. Not sure why. Just beautiful in its own way. A moment. Sometimes those moments stick out more than the others. So here.... enjoy, a glimpse of the moments I saw tonight.

Red October 23

This is what the sky has been looking like pretty much all day, getting redder as the day progressed. Unless one is without TV or newspaper or contact with the media world, this is the result of wildfires gone amok.

Overnight it had gone from a massive windstorm to waking up to find that one part of my world is ablaze. LA in my area is not blazing but I did see the fires from my local beach looking up to Malibu. And now I know several people from work/music therapy whose houses are within a five mile radius to some of the fires in Irvine and Anaheim hills. And the weekend getaway I went to just about a week ago and half ago? Reports of flames about 10 miles away from where I was at. This is the tip of the iceberg. I am not even beginning to mention the devastation in San Diego counties.

I have been pretty much staying indoors today. As a result from a decision when I took the ten minute walk from my house to work and back again. I had come down congested from the soot, smoke, and a bit of ash. And I am thinking gee, if it is bad here.....

Even though this is a natural occurrence of nature (however investigation to the start of the fires are being searched) and we may be awestruck by the power of nature, prayers are much needed. There will be thousands upon thousands of people picking up their lives from the ashes of their homes. Lives are changing right now as the realization of their homes do not exist, their livelihoods may likely not exist to the extent they had lived it. Their lives as they knew it changed forever. Bless them, pray for their safety and health.