So, this weekend a bunch of local musicians and Brooklyn mooks went up to the Catskills to play for each other. We stayed at a lovely hippie lodge near Big Indian, and staged two continuous days of music. I am so glad I went.

First of all, I can't even remember the last time I did anything in nature. Crystalline air, tall trees, blue sky, and a babblin' creek. Mmmm! The guest cottages are quaint little clapboard structures fit for a nunnery or ashram--austere, but just enough.

The music was amazing--everyone was at their best, and because the sound system was so much better than we're used to, everyone sounded extra specially good. The vibe was supportive and celebratory. We ate gourmet food at all meals, and chugged Rolling Rocks at night.

It was like rockstar camp.

I am utterly enchanted by this Opal Whiteley book. It is making me appreciate everything around me, so when I take Smoov C. out for a walk around the 'hood, I'm starting to see things the way a naturalist would. The fire hydrant where he always stops to pee...the halo around the moon tonight...the bones and detritus that he noses and tries to eat...

I recommend this haunting book highly, especially now that it's spring and the earth awakens.

It's been a hectic but satisfying couple of days at work. We've all been pitching in on a special project, and I have had to be both productive (reviewing books, CDs, videos) and administrative, and also somewhat gopher-y (running to the store to buy titles we don't have, searching the CD library for attractive covers, etc.)

I had to review The Art of Happiness for this project, and I'm glad I got a chance to read it. I owned the book at one point, but never got into it, and then C. chewed it up.

It's a simplistic and repetitive book, but its message is a good one: happiness comes from discipline, compassion, and inner kindness. Everything else is just fleeting pleasure.

I was really pleased to receive a brief but glowing compliment about my work from one of my supervisors today. He's not a flatterer or a particularly effusive guy, so it meant a lot. My inner smile lasted all afternoon

I think I have turned a small corner at work--I feel a little more on top of things, and certainly more comfortable communicating with people. I'm starting, I suppose, to feel at home there.

It helps that I discovered a room where I can escape to when I need to meditate or breathe deeply, or do a headstand.