I've seen about 30 different people walking around the neighborhood with invisible dogs. I guess it's an Improv Anywhere thing.

Yep.

Improv Everywhere Takes 2,000 Invisible Dogs for a Walk in Brooklyn

Jesse, you're ahead of me on the cake-making. Though since you're three hours ahead of me, maybe that's only fair.

Indeed. And it's delicious! Although I'm totally one of those people in the reviews who says they love the recipe but the changed 100 things. Really, I just added ground ginger, to the fact that I made a berry recipe with peaches.

Got my long walk in AND I made 800m in the pool without stopping. It's always the last half, which is interesting. I guess I have to warm up to it. 200, 300,300, then 800.

I dropped by Taylor's and we had a great visit. Even better was her mom just came home friday, so she was there too (she had a major setback the day after I moved here and had been in the hospital, in the critical care unit, until now.)

I gave Taylor some Nepalese & Bhutanese money, postcards, N&B flags, a coinpurse of the type that were ubiquitous in Kath, and let her pick out a pashmina- she went for the royal blue (surprised me, I was sure she'd go with the pink!) Anyway, found out she's doing really well in school. She even figured out that one of her dad's work procedures was basically an algebra problem, converted it to a formula and solved it! They'd just been using tables, but they weren't fine enough detail. He's bringing the device home so she can experiment with it. That's really kind of cool.

And I got a A&W burger since I was right by there.

Kind of a good day!

Is it lame that it's 8 pm in NYC and I'm in my jammies? Yes, I know it is. I was planning to find an art house and go to a movie...but I suddenly felt super exhausted and my throat started hurting, so I had a quick supper and come back to the hotel.

Today I spent the good part of the day on Connecticut, visiting with my friend David and meeting his fiance. I may have to go to Cape Cod their wedding next summer.

In other news, msbelle is really the nicest.

Speaking of my friend David, is Sophia around? Does she live in Rochester? My friend in directing a play there this fall.

Is it lame that it's 8 pm in NYC and I'm in my jammies?

I really hope not!

The only reason I wasn't in my jammies at 8 was because they hadn't finished in the dryer.

I haven't been out of my jammies in two days due to coughing up a lung. Yay jammies.

I haven't been out of my jammies since I got home last night. Yay jammies.

Weekend Diversion: An Amazing Group of Women

I take so many things for granted in this country that I don't often think about having to fight for my very basic freedoms, such as the freedom not to be sold into a slave trade. But in many countries, people (especially women) don't have that freedom.

Which is why I'm happy to share with you what I learned about the Asgarda.

In the Ukraine, women are often victims of exploitation and sexual trafficking. And since Stalin, women in the entire former Soviet Union were decidedly second-class citizens (and still are treated as such in many places). One movement that's gaining momentum against this sort of thing (and against oppression in general) is the female-only tribe, Asgarda, that's growing in the Carpathian Mountains. The legend that inspired them? From their website:

It is said that Ukrainian women were always most beautiful, merry, good-natured, talented, and generous, as well as courageous, selfless, faithful, and wise. Foreign historians were amazed at the span of knowledge of our women. They could read, write, they had equal rights with men, they were respected, and their advice was taken

In Ukraine a woman was always a guardian, protector, and priestess. She had the knowledge of medicine, treatment of illnesses, medicinal herbs, and laws of nature, universe, and religion. She was able to sing, dance, play musical instruments, and write poetry and songs. She knew astronomy and astrology... Everything she did, she did with goodness and love.

Personifying the modern incarnation of this is Katerina Tarnovska. She is the 30-year old woman who founded Asgarda, which currently has about 150 members (all women, mostly teenage girls) living together and studying martial arts, independence, literacy, life skills, and science. Everything she can think of -- including traditionally male traits -- that these young women will need to be autonomous, powerful, brave and successful.

...

Another teacher at the school, Volodymyr Pylat, says the following:

The most important fight in the life person conducts with itself. Working upon its body the person becomes not only healthier, achieves progress in its measures, but also becomes self-discipline, develops skills in controll of its spirit, mind and body, further develops its adroitness, personality, strength of beliefs, firmness, courage, bravery in deeds.

All these skills are as necessary for women as for men. Now women don't occupy second-rate role in the society, so if they are improving themselves, they are improving society. That's why they need martial systems as means of stamping body, spirit and mind.

Link has photos and links to more photos as well as articles in Bust and Planet.

Here's the Asgarda site.