Faithful readers,
I'm trying out a wordpress site over at skileskatharine.com
Check it out!
xoSky
Monday 11 March 2013
Friday 8 March 2013
What winter looks like
Hello Friends.
I know. It's been a while. How are you?
Some sunshine has fallen on Calgary, but we're still a long way from green here. The key to survival and happiness is the mountains of course. Last weekend Sara and I skied Sunshine and swooshed through 40 cm of fresh snow.
Sara and I were talking about how we had fallen in love with the Rockies on the chairlift and she said, "I've come to wonder if I can live without them."
Right now I'm waiting for my parents to arrive. They're flying in today from Minneapolis and I can't wait to see them. They just landed (don't worry, they're renting a car, so I'm not neglecting them) and I just pulled a fresh loaf of sourdough bread out of the oven. That's another thing about winter--plenty of time to learn to do new things. Dan grew us a sourdough starter and he fusses over it every day like a little pet. It's very sweet. The bread is really beautiful, crusty and full of holes. You can see why people fall in love with baking. There's so much that goes into it--mixing and kneading and rising and forming and rising again and baking and settling. All that before you can take one little bite. The process has a life of its own. Like writing. Or lots of things. You start with a few simple things--flour, water--a computer, words--and somehow it becomes something interesting and unexpected.
Or, as bread mastermind Chad Robertson puts it: "Bread to me is a mixture of flour and water that is transformed into something--through the course of fermentation--that transcends the simplicity of those basic ingredients. (And really...his bread is heaven...it's worth flying to San Francisco just to taste it.)
The other thing I love about winter? Sunday mornings with a cozy blanket, a cup of coffee, and long uninterrupted hours with a book.
I hope spring is blowing in wherever you might be. I hope you spot a bud or a flower ready to burst, that you happily unzip your hoodie and happily tie it around your waist.
Love, Sky
Wednesday 13 February 2013
I heart San Francisco
Sometimes, I miss San Francisco.
But its the magic that I miss.
Sometimes I would run through the Marin Headlands on a sunny day after the spring rain, the hills would be so green and the ocean would just stretch on and on and I would think: this must be what heaven looks like.
Sometimes I would go down to Ocean Beach with a friend or a lover and a six pack at sunset and watch the sky turn orange while a plump harvest moon rose over the city. I would be so bowled over that I could just do that--watch the sun set over the Pacific on any old day.
Sometimes I'd see this girl hula hooping with headphones in--but she was really hooping, jamming out like no one was watching--in Washington Square Park. People really know how to hula hoop in San Francisco.
Once I walked down the street in the mission in a yellow skirt and a yellow ribbon in my hair and a man called out, "Hello yellow, I'll be your mellow fellow!" and we both burst out laughing and kept walking in our opposite directions.
On one weekend in May, you'd find adults dressed as pirates or salmon or in tutus or painted gold or downright naked at the train station and just smile and shrug.
I always had a reason to wear glitter and plop feathers in my hair.
You could just head out toward anywhere and find a totally unexpected adventure. I mean there's a dutch windmill, a field of bison, and an indoor rainforest within half a mile of one another. You can watch the Blue Angels, see Emmy Lou Harris, and then slap on your fur and party with Burners over the course of 24 hours. My friend once called it "the San Francisco playground" and that's really what it's like--a playground for adults with all these crazy characters and things to do and rides to take. When you live there it's like you and everyone around you are in on this great secret and you wink at each other and sometimes you hug a stranger because you both just. Get it.
I could go on forever like this.
One time, Dan and I went down to Ocean Beach for sunset. It was the weekend of Outside Lands--the huge music festival in Golden Gate Park. We could hear Thievery Corporation thumping behind us. And just as the sky blushed pink, humpback whales started breaching offshore. That's the kind of magic I'm talking about--where somehow Thievery Corporation, an ocean sunset, and humpback whales come out to play in your backyard. It's so beautiful it's impossible--and yet there it is.
Dan can get annoyed when he can tell I'm getting wistful--and start listing off the reasons we left--but I can't help it. I'll always miss her. Like an old friend, like a first love--she's a part of me.
We had a friend over dinner (hi Sara!) and she asked: "Should I visit San Diego or San Francisco?" and of course my answer galloped out of my mouth before she even finished the question. Could explain to her why?
There are the obvious things--the beauty. The food. The Golden Gate Bridge.
But its the magic that I miss.
Sometimes I would run through the Marin Headlands on a sunny day after the spring rain, the hills would be so green and the ocean would just stretch on and on and I would think: this must be what heaven looks like.
Sometimes I would go down to Ocean Beach with a friend or a lover and a six pack at sunset and watch the sky turn orange while a plump harvest moon rose over the city. I would be so bowled over that I could just do that--watch the sun set over the Pacific on any old day.
Sometimes I'd see this girl hula hooping with headphones in--but she was really hooping, jamming out like no one was watching--in Washington Square Park. People really know how to hula hoop in San Francisco.
Once I walked down the street in the mission in a yellow skirt and a yellow ribbon in my hair and a man called out, "Hello yellow, I'll be your mellow fellow!" and we both burst out laughing and kept walking in our opposite directions.
On one weekend in May, you'd find adults dressed as pirates or salmon or in tutus or painted gold or downright naked at the train station and just smile and shrug.
I always had a reason to wear glitter and plop feathers in my hair.
You could just head out toward anywhere and find a totally unexpected adventure. I mean there's a dutch windmill, a field of bison, and an indoor rainforest within half a mile of one another. You can watch the Blue Angels, see Emmy Lou Harris, and then slap on your fur and party with Burners over the course of 24 hours. My friend once called it "the San Francisco playground" and that's really what it's like--a playground for adults with all these crazy characters and things to do and rides to take. When you live there it's like you and everyone around you are in on this great secret and you wink at each other and sometimes you hug a stranger because you both just. Get it.
I could go on forever like this.
One time, Dan and I went down to Ocean Beach for sunset. It was the weekend of Outside Lands--the huge music festival in Golden Gate Park. We could hear Thievery Corporation thumping behind us. And just as the sky blushed pink, humpback whales started breaching offshore. That's the kind of magic I'm talking about--where somehow Thievery Corporation, an ocean sunset, and humpback whales come out to play in your backyard. It's so beautiful it's impossible--and yet there it is.
Wednesday 6 February 2013
Anything is possible
Something seemingly impossible happened this week.
Dan and I returned home from a weekend away skiing with the family and I had this little message waiting in my inbox--saying that I won something. I've been entering all these contests lately--mostly those ones for a trip to India or whatever that you'll never ever win--it's become sort of a joke that I'm determined to win a free trip for us. So at first I thought that's what it was. But it was even better than that, friends.
I had actually won a writing competition that I almost forgot I had entered way back in October. Now here I am inclined to post about ten exclamation marks (!!!!!!!!!!!!) in order to syntactically illustrate to you how bowled over I was by the words, "Congratulations on being the Best List winner for your entry, 'The Weekend Warriors Guide to Backpacking the Canadian Rockies.'" I had to read it about 200 times before it really sunk in, and then I just walked around the house repeating, "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it."
Now, I know this not the Pulitzer or anything. But it's been a while since I felt any sense of accomplishment around writing/creative pursuits. In fact I spent much of last year feeling like maybe I would just give up.
I once read someone compare writing/creative work to marriage or a long term relationship. He said something along the lines of, we expect our writing to just fulfill us because we fell in love with it. But the writing won't give back unless we give to it--unquestioning, generous, fully. Any long term love or pursuit is not easy, it's not a given. You have wrestle with it, you have to give yourself up to it, you have make sacrifices. It's messy. And sometimes it's great, sometimes it sucks, and sometimes, when all the stars align, it's sublime.
So my writing gave me this little piece back. I stayed up late on Sunday because I couldn't sleep and of course the little buzz wouldn't last forever, so I just sat in our La-z-boy and soaked it in. I felt my 20-something year old self sitting on my shoulder whispering, You see, anything is possible.
P.S. If you want to listen to my Radio Show from the other week, you can download it here.
Dan and I returned home from a weekend away skiing with the family and I had this little message waiting in my inbox--saying that I won something. I've been entering all these contests lately--mostly those ones for a trip to India or whatever that you'll never ever win--it's become sort of a joke that I'm determined to win a free trip for us. So at first I thought that's what it was. But it was even better than that, friends.
I had actually won a writing competition that I almost forgot I had entered way back in October. Now here I am inclined to post about ten exclamation marks (!!!!!!!!!!!!) in order to syntactically illustrate to you how bowled over I was by the words, "Congratulations on being the Best List winner for your entry, 'The Weekend Warriors Guide to Backpacking the Canadian Rockies.'" I had to read it about 200 times before it really sunk in, and then I just walked around the house repeating, "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it."
Now, I know this not the Pulitzer or anything. But it's been a while since I felt any sense of accomplishment around writing/creative pursuits. In fact I spent much of last year feeling like maybe I would just give up.
I once read someone compare writing/creative work to marriage or a long term relationship. He said something along the lines of, we expect our writing to just fulfill us because we fell in love with it. But the writing won't give back unless we give to it--unquestioning, generous, fully. Any long term love or pursuit is not easy, it's not a given. You have wrestle with it, you have to give yourself up to it, you have make sacrifices. It's messy. And sometimes it's great, sometimes it sucks, and sometimes, when all the stars align, it's sublime.
So my writing gave me this little piece back. I stayed up late on Sunday because I couldn't sleep and of course the little buzz wouldn't last forever, so I just sat in our La-z-boy and soaked it in. I felt my 20-something year old self sitting on my shoulder whispering, You see, anything is possible.
P.S. If you want to listen to my Radio Show from the other week, you can download it here.
Friday 1 February 2013
Wednesday 30 January 2013
Bright shiny new things
It's still dark outside. Cold. I'm tucked under a cozy blanket. I've always loved the lonely way of morning. Just me and the darkness and my coffee and the blanket. Somehow this time of day seems to belong to me a little bit more than the rest.
Good morning. :)
This week I am thinking about doing new things. Things that drum up the heart. That scare us through and through.
On Sunday I hosted a two hour radio program. I spent all week preparing and got totally swept away by the project until I was lost. I literally could not tear my eyes away. Listening to music, watching videos, arranging the songs and re-arranging. I wish I felt like this more often--completely committed and immersed and just a tiny bit insane. Something to strive for, I suppose.
I found so many inspiring things. This video by M83.
M83 'Wait' Official video from The Creators Project on Vimeo.
A group called The Wonder Revolution. "More than a band, The Wonder Revolution is a collective that features musicians and visual artists, all seeking a return to wonder." I myself am concerned with wonder, so I really love this concept. (And do I adore the spazzy white-haired gnome man on the front page of their website? Yes indeed I do.)
Also, The Cinematic Orchestra put out an album called "In Motion, pt 1" that "provide[s] soundtracks to or musical re-imaginings of seminal work by great avant-garde film-makers." This is really neat. The song (top) and video for "Manhatta" below. Mute the movie and then play them together.
Sometimes (often actually) people just amaze me.
We spent Sunday skiing at Lake Louise, a mostly-sunny day in the most spectacular setting you can possibly imagine. (You guys. The mountains...)
Our friend Cindy drove us out and we talked a lot about work, who we are, and how we'd like to be. It's always refreshing to be around someone as self-reflective and honest as Cindy is.
I've learned a lot about myself this year. I realize that if there is an external deadline (like a two hour radio show I have to host) I will work my tail off to make it awesome. But if it's just me holding myself to a deadline, I will procrastinate to holy heck. It takes a while to fully accept the things we'd rather not about ourselves. But I think we must so that we can figure out ways around them. Right?
We got back and ate our weekly batch of pho (little bowl of heaven from the Vietnamese restaurant down the street) and then my calm ski-pho bliss rapidly disintegrated into a hummingbird-paced heart and a crazed bundle of nerves. I mean... what business do I have being on the radio?
I used to host a reading series in San Francisco, and about an hour before the show this always happened to me. I would turn into a crazy person. Dan would patiently help me gather up my things, complete last minute tasks, tell me I looked pretty. And on Sunday it was the same. Me jumping in and out of the shower commanding him to Turn on the computer! Hook up the printer! Print that! No not that--get out of the way--let me do it!
You're going to be fine, he said. You worked really hard on this. (It's moments like this--when you've gone out of your damn mind and your partner still loves you--that you fall in love a little bit more.)
I made it through. I spoke, I played the music. There were a few glitches, but mostly, it was pretty great.
That night I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep. All the adrenaline still pumping through my veins.
I have learned that fear can really mean you're on to something good. But I'm still figuring out how wander in the direction of fear and wrestle with it. That's another thing I've been thinking about: how to be brave.
I'm leaving you with my very favorite song from Sunday's show. Antony and the Johnson's Swanlights. It's heartbreakingly beautiful.
"Living is a golden thing. It means everything." Is anything more true?
(Note: this is the video I could find. The track I played is from their new live album Cut the World, and I highly recommend tracking down that version if you can.)
Good morning. :)
This week I am thinking about doing new things. Things that drum up the heart. That scare us through and through.
On Sunday I hosted a two hour radio program. I spent all week preparing and got totally swept away by the project until I was lost. I literally could not tear my eyes away. Listening to music, watching videos, arranging the songs and re-arranging. I wish I felt like this more often--completely committed and immersed and just a tiny bit insane. Something to strive for, I suppose.
I found so many inspiring things. This video by M83.
M83 'Wait' Official video from The Creators Project on Vimeo.
A group called The Wonder Revolution. "More than a band, The Wonder Revolution is a collective that features musicians and visual artists, all seeking a return to wonder." I myself am concerned with wonder, so I really love this concept. (And do I adore the spazzy white-haired gnome man on the front page of their website? Yes indeed I do.)
Also, The Cinematic Orchestra put out an album called "In Motion, pt 1" that "provide[s] soundtracks to or musical re-imaginings of seminal work by great avant-garde film-makers." This is really neat. The song (top) and video for "Manhatta" below. Mute the movie and then play them together.
Sometimes (often actually) people just amaze me.
We spent Sunday skiing at Lake Louise, a mostly-sunny day in the most spectacular setting you can possibly imagine. (You guys. The mountains...)
Our friend Cindy drove us out and we talked a lot about work, who we are, and how we'd like to be. It's always refreshing to be around someone as self-reflective and honest as Cindy is.
I've learned a lot about myself this year. I realize that if there is an external deadline (like a two hour radio show I have to host) I will work my tail off to make it awesome. But if it's just me holding myself to a deadline, I will procrastinate to holy heck. It takes a while to fully accept the things we'd rather not about ourselves. But I think we must so that we can figure out ways around them. Right?
 |
| Cindy's the bomb! |
I used to host a reading series in San Francisco, and about an hour before the show this always happened to me. I would turn into a crazy person. Dan would patiently help me gather up my things, complete last minute tasks, tell me I looked pretty. And on Sunday it was the same. Me jumping in and out of the shower commanding him to Turn on the computer! Hook up the printer! Print that! No not that--get out of the way--let me do it!
 |
| I don't know why he puts up with me. |
You're going to be fine, he said. You worked really hard on this. (It's moments like this--when you've gone out of your damn mind and your partner still loves you--that you fall in love a little bit more.)
I made it through. I spoke, I played the music. There were a few glitches, but mostly, it was pretty great.
That night I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep. All the adrenaline still pumping through my veins.
I have learned that fear can really mean you're on to something good. But I'm still figuring out how wander in the direction of fear and wrestle with it. That's another thing I've been thinking about: how to be brave.
I'm leaving you with my very favorite song from Sunday's show. Antony and the Johnson's Swanlights. It's heartbreakingly beautiful.
"Living is a golden thing. It means everything." Is anything more true?
(Note: this is the video I could find. The track I played is from their new live album Cut the World, and I highly recommend tracking down that version if you can.)
Wednesday 16 January 2013
Of the stars
This week I'm thinking about friends.
The ones I always think about, but the ones I was really close to when I was younger and who drifted away for whatever reason. There's been this very moving coming together since Katie passed away last week. I feel like I've gotten really close to this part of my life that I don't take the time to think about all the time. It's nice to know that memories are floating around for us to pluck out of the sky when we need them.
And. Simply, I don't know what I would do without my friends.
And speaking of friends, my friend Laura Lee has this wonderful blog called A Tad Bookish, and I loved her post this week. Please read it here. It ties in with this beautiful book about work that I'm reading called Crossing the Unknown Sea by David Whyte.
After months of working in the Galapagos as a Naturalist, he's contemplating what's ahead of him and he writes,
I thought of the old Latin root of the word desire, meaning de sider, of the stars. To have a desire in life literally means to keep your star in sight, to follow a glimmer, a beacon, a disappearing will-o'-the-wisp over the horizon into someplace you cannot yet fully imagine. A deeply held desire is a star that is particularly your own; it might disappear for a while, but when the skies clear we catch sight of it again and recognize the glimmer.
A star that is particularly your own. I could dwell on that image all day.
Take care my friends. I hope that disappearing will-o-the-wisp is pulling you right along.
The ones I always think about, but the ones I was really close to when I was younger and who drifted away for whatever reason. There's been this very moving coming together since Katie passed away last week. I feel like I've gotten really close to this part of my life that I don't take the time to think about all the time. It's nice to know that memories are floating around for us to pluck out of the sky when we need them.
And. Simply, I don't know what I would do without my friends.
And speaking of friends, my friend Laura Lee has this wonderful blog called A Tad Bookish, and I loved her post this week. Please read it here. It ties in with this beautiful book about work that I'm reading called Crossing the Unknown Sea by David Whyte.
After months of working in the Galapagos as a Naturalist, he's contemplating what's ahead of him and he writes,
I thought of the old Latin root of the word desire, meaning de sider, of the stars. To have a desire in life literally means to keep your star in sight, to follow a glimmer, a beacon, a disappearing will-o'-the-wisp over the horizon into someplace you cannot yet fully imagine. A deeply held desire is a star that is particularly your own; it might disappear for a while, but when the skies clear we catch sight of it again and recognize the glimmer.
A star that is particularly your own. I could dwell on that image all day.
Take care my friends. I hope that disappearing will-o-the-wisp is pulling you right along.
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