Ecology at Suite101

After several months of indecision, I have adopted the Ecology topic, which has been inactive at Suite101 since February 2002. This will be in addition to Living With Nature, which I have edited for four years.

With the latter, I have struggled for focus since its inception, with topics ranging from ecology to environmentalism to conservation to ecopsychology and spirituality. Mostly it has taken the form of a personal nature journal, and that's what I plan to adopt more strictly for at least the next year. Each month's LWN article will consist of observations and reflections from my daily walks.

I have always been interested in the science of ecosystems, but LWN has consistently taken a personal approach. In adopting Ecology, I am challenging myself to address the science and do more research. I'm not thrilled about writing two essays a month, now that the site has stopped paying its Contributing Editors, but back when it did pay, I wrote one every week. I could drop LWN, but I have invested too much time and effort already (125 essays), and it's one of my best achievements as a writer. I don't want to lose control of the topic.

My first Ecology article will appear in November.

My front door

on the edge
between beauty and despair
courage rides the crest
into azure shallows

a portal through wreckage
beleaguered by thieves
but it's home
a sacred grotto
whispering with stars

Chorus rehearsal tonight

I'm not in the mood. I've been editing all afternoon. Half of these old essays are blah. Half-baked ideas I haven't thought about in two years. I keep reminding myself writing is like that. We keep evolving. I have to put up with my former ignorance and inadequacies or I'll never get anything published. The divine dissatisfaction of the creator. Maybe It really did create the earth and then decide to flood it and start stoning people he didn't like. I would like to burn some of these essays. Heh. No wonder those poor dark-minded old Bible writers imagined divinity that way.

Stuff about chorus. I could go on and on. We had conflict and drama in last Wednesday's rehearsal. Nothing to do with me, but I wanted to walk out. I can't handle watching people hate each other. I catch the ugly glare off of them. I've decided not to continue managing the web site. Last year it was too demoralizing. There are better people to work with this year, but I'm tired of it. Anyway, there is a lot of burdensome, muddy, clingy crap related to the chorus that I can only begin to think about.

I just want to go and enjoy singing and not think about any of this.

Okay, a few good things about the Rainbow Chorus:

1. Sylvie


2. Jon


3. Ray


4. Jon + Ray = sweet


5. several beautiful songs: Bulalow, A la nanita nana


6. singing beside Ray, great bass voice

Okay I have to go brush my teeth, but I feel better now.