It's All Happening on the Gertrude

Happy weekend!

Here's what's going down on Gertrude:

1. Laughing about "going down on Gertrude." (street I live on; my mind is as filthy as yours, I promise)

2. Have had a haircut. Or two. It used to hang to the middle of my back. It's now brushing my shoulders only if I tip my head back a bit. I love love love it. It's light and freeing. And it makes me feel a bit wild.

3. Finished one of two short stories that have been consuming me for a few months now. As soon as I wrote the last words this morning, I immediately got pen and paper and wrote three things that need to be edited. I'll get to that shortly. I am hoping this story works the way I intended it to, and I want it to be the very best version it can be. I feel slightly emotional about it, which is strange since it's essentially a very creepy story.

Why emotional? For a very long time now, I've written according to deadlines and themes and requests and word counts, and so on. For the first time, I've written two stories that are a product of nothing except my imagination + my desire for the story itself. I didn't spend a single moment while writing thinking of where these might find a home, who would want them, what if I was going on too long or not writing in a certain style. I've given myself free rein with these two, and I'm deeply proud of them.

4. Beekman Boys! My obsession grows. If you don't know about The Fabulous Beekman Boys on PlanetGreen, click and find out more. Then catch up on episodes; they air them fairly regularly. New episodes Wed nights at 9, with previous episodes leading up to them.

Josh and Brent are two city boys who bought a farm in upstate New York. Brent gave up his job to work the farm and make it successful; Josh remains in NYC five days a week, their main income while they get the farm off the ground. He comes up on weekends.

The farm is home to (currently) 124 goats and diva llama, Polka Spot. And no word of a lie -- I've never had even the slightest interest in Twitter, and now I'm seriously considering joining just so I can follow Polka Spot's tweets. Oh, sure, Josh and Brent tweet too. And they're on FB. But Polka Spot! As she says, llike Josh, llike Brent, llove llama.

If you want to watch the live Goat Cam, a 24/7 live cam from inside the barn, go here. I'm racking up the hours watching them. Polka rules that barn. I've also caught a glimpse of Farmer John as he cares for the goats. Very exciting stuff. ;)

The goats supply the milk for Beekman cheese and soap. I've been perusing Beekman 1802 making a list for my upcoming birthday. FYI, I've got my eye on their September soap. And B is dying for a taste of their ash-rind cheese, BLAAK.

Yeah, we're a little crazy for Beekmans over here. They do make farming fabulous. I love their blogs, I love the goat cam, and I am wondering how far it is to Sharon Springs...

And in case you were curious: B is definitely Josh, and I am soooo Brent.


5. Whale Wars. Last night's episode finally showed what exactly happened when the Japanese whaling ship rammed (deliberately) the much, much smaller Ady Gil. The Ady Gil weighs 18 tons; the Japanese whaler weighs over a hundred.

I remember when the news first aired the story, but seeing it like this was completely different. Watching Pete Bethune watch the boat he'd built himself and skippered for four years gradually sink and eventually be cut free was really difficult. And the footage is simply damning. I agree with Bethune; the Japanese captain probably meant to clip them and damage them just enough to send them home for repairs. What it did instead was ram them, taking ten feet of bow off, while men sat on the top of the boat and were nearly washed over. Then the Japanese water cannoned them. A mistake, but an abominable one. It was horrific, and they are very lucky to all be alive today. You can see footage and pics at the link above.

B and I are staunchly anti-whaling. Having watched Whale Wars for some time now, we wonder why the entire world isn't up in arms over what is going on in Antarctic. I read an article recently talking about the International Whaling Commission, and the enormous bribes that are made to keep the whaling industry afloat. It's truly sickening. If you have ever had the privilege of seeing these creatures in their natural habitat or in an aquarium, I don't see that you could ever find it possible to harm one of them, much less harpoon one and drag its body onto a ship and flay it open.

Whale Wars has brought the plight of the whales into the spotlight, and I know a lot of people condemn the Sea Shepherd crew for their methods. But as one of the former crew of the Ady Gil said last night, how does throwing rancid butter or tangling the props of the whaling ships compare to deliberate bodily harm? The Sea Shepherds are doing what no one else will step up and do, and I applaud them.

Aaaand... off my soapbox. B is on his way home -- no power from recent storms, so his place of employment is closed today -- and we are going to get some beer and sit outside and watch the birds at the feeder. Enjoy your weekend!