The skill of irony and the life of sea otters

My favorite blogs--though the blogging thing is very new to me--are those with a high level of intelligent irony and sarcasm. A good example of this is the website belonging to an old friend of mine, (though we have not spoken in years) My First Mine. I love a good wry wit, but the truth is, its not my strong suit. My own mode of expression tends toward the hyper sincere bordering on melodramatic. Occasionally I can sling a good parody, but even then, the humor is closer to camp. Only when I am truly in a rage am I very skilled at sarcasm. Among my sarcastic friends , I think I'm sortof like a Mary Poppins--kinda dorky, a little annoying, but somehow still catchy and endearing.

In our current political and social climate, I do suppose there's a place for all of it--irony, sarcasm, dry wit, parody, hyper sincerity, camp, simplicity, earnest proclamations, exaggeration--but there is a particular excellence to the words of those friends of mine truly skilled in irony. Heather Murphy wins the prize for me--she has always wielded the perfect combination of playful wit and twisted humor. Lovely. And of course there is the said author of the above mentioned website--Justin Foster. Those who know him know I need say no more. I should also mention an old musician friend who had an excellent song he called "meat comes down from the pockets of God." For all of you with this particular talent, hats off to you--you are truly cool.

But for those of us without it, its really better not to fake it. I've never been cool and that will just have to do. I'm more like Tigger than rabbit (or as my partner's sister calls me"Christopher Robin on crack"--I think its meant as a compliment.) I've been called "puckish" (as in midsummer night's dream's Puck, who actually, come to think of it, knew how to mix irony and the magical fantastic) and my partner says that if I was an animal, I would be a sea otter. I must admit, I really love being that way.

Hey, did you all know that in March, Mexico City is filled with blooming Jacarandai trees? Its incredible--streets lined with brilliant purple. Breathtaking. You should come see it. But then, nowhere beats Sonoma County in April, in my humble opinion....

Thirty three

Maybe its turning thirty three, or maybe its having lived between Mexico City and the Bay Area for nearly a year and a half now. My own website never before appealed to me--posting my ramblings for all the world to see--too strange. But lately I've read things in people's online journals that make me think, laugh, and shake my head so vigorously...... For some reason I find myself here, shyly naming a website, choosing a template, posting my first rambling.... Its so easy, I had no idea one could create an on line journal or communication thread without having to devote hours.

The specter of self indulgence is what gives me pause here--though I enjoy other people's thoughts and rarely think of self indulgence when I read them. Curiosity is what nudges me along. Perhaps this will prove a space in which I say things that might matter to someone. Perhaps I might learn more about what the thing I call self indulgence means.

At first I wrote Audre's full quote as the heading for this webpage, but seeing those words in first person below my name was far too humbling--I can not fill the shoes they would have me stand in. When I read or hear those words, it is from the person she was, and they are my inspiration, they call me to something that as of yet I am far from: "When I dare to be powerful--to use my strength in the service of my vision, it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."

...and for now, the goal is for much more to become less and less important: whether I am afraid, what others think of me when I'm doing my best, what I know and need to prove to you, whether I win, whether I convince you.......all of these less and less important so I have time and energy to do and say more of what matters more and more.