Katie Goes...

I envision a country where domestic violence and sexual abuse is Unthinkable.  I hope for a place where Women and Men will find what is sacred inside themselves and be inspired to dialogue with their communities toward the common goal of sustainability.  I see a country where humanity isn't quantifiable and we practice economics as if people mattered (thank you E.F. Schumacher) and money is not the highest value in the land.  *And that land is seen as a limited capital resource, not unlimited income. I hope to see a place where girls find and respect their power and boys realize that feelings, compassion, respect for creation and humble love are all vital parts of being a warrior.  I also wish that people could stop having so many babies and be willing to sacrifice selfish need for the sake of the planet (even though my heart breaks at not being able to hold my own child), because there won't be a planet to leave to our children if we continue to overpopulate. I hope to see a p

I got an email from our new leadership, asking what I envision for our country.  I have to admit, that's pretty cool to be asked.  save the cynicism, there is no time for that anymore.  Here's what I wrote:

This has the be the nicest day I've seen in Beijing so far! The seasons changed last night. I felt it. pretty cool to be there the moment the wind shifts into Autumn. The sky is Carolina Blue and the clouds are scattered and puffy~ just gorgeous. It was wonderful to take Betty out for a ride; back to "frogger" in this traffic! I'm making chicken coconut curry tonight, and planning my future. I'll be staying in, on a date with myself (which is ultimately better than any Australian guys in white jackets!!).

It is a profound thing to be in the presence of greatness in a unique and compelling moment in history. It was amazing to see the head of the Beijing Olympic Committee and the head of the IOC and the Mayor of London there on stage for the transfer of the Olympic flag from Beijing to London. It was more than exciting to see the fireworks and Olympic flame through the top skin of the Bird's Nest. It was cool to see David Beckham and Jackie Chan and all the Athletes in one place. But. what made me literally not be able to close my mouth for a full five minutes and bring tears to my eyes? It was seeing Placido Domingo sing- IN PERSON- sharing the same stadium as myself. I fell in love with him in college, when I had to do a paper on "La Traviata", which is when I really fell in love with Opera for real. it was just almost too much. You know those moments when your heart beats so hard with everything you thought you wanted as a kid and yet also with extre

i'm so excited about sleeping that I can't sleep. :) one more day of odds and ends and then...REST next post will have much more...omg. i just don't know if i can really describe what it was like being there at the closing ceremony. I mean...yeah. wow. the fact that i was in the same space as all those athletes, world leaders, Placido Domingo, Jackie Chan, and David Beckham...wow. More soon! ah, sleep. YAY!!!!!!!

The final stretch is where you are on the verge of your second wind, and also possible implosion from exhaustion. Well aware of this nefarious dichotemy, we all power on. Last night was so funny. Evidently this is a pretty "big-deal" hotel (Yao Ming owns a suite here) and yesterday, BAZAAR had a huge opening or party or something and all these Chinese popstars were here. they came out of the hotel to be driven 100 feet to get out again before the little, screaming Chinese girls. pretty funny. But it was pretty cool that Jet Li and Tony Blair were both at a dinner on the 5th floor of the hotel last night too. (much more impressive for me than Chinese boy bands- call me old-fashioned). Then, on the way back from my nightly dvd pick-up, I told the cab driver where to go (in Chinese) and he laughed EXACTLY like Jabba the Hutt (in Return of the Jedi when Leia unfreezes Han, you know). As the hot night air blew my hair across my face, the moon came into view through the Blad

It's another 3.30am arrival home. The smell of hosta flowers permeates the still night air as I make my way home through a maze of asphalt and red lanterns. The full moon is starting to wane and I have to pinch myself to think about what happened. I didn't think I'd get to see any events, but fortune smiled on me and there I was at a swimming finals! I still can't believe I was there. even with pictures. it was just amazing. A million years ago I used to swim and it was so sweet to walk into the water cube and be assailed by the smell of the pool. such good memories came back and little did I know I'd be part of history that day too! I had a "lollipop" sign and was one of those tour guides, like the pied piper, leading big executives through the most gorgeous day I've yet experienced in Beijing. We finally got them settled with races underway. Libby was there from Australia, Natalie was there from America, and then Aaron Piersol

Wow. i don't even know what to say, that was just brilliant! i actually didn't really think they would use the song. but they did. it's the one right before they light the first small torch, when the girls in white dance, right after the speeches. wow. that was just amazing. and then the closing fireworks, we COULD see them!!! that was so damn cool. well, i'm running out of adjectives to describe this night. *and now i have to try to explain to the hotel staff that the projector needs to be fixed, before all the CEOs come back from the ceremony. he he. communication is a luxury not easily attainable here. sigh. gotta go!

So, I saw some of the fireworks leading up to the bird's nest, but the smog/haze was too thick to see anything from the stadium. bummer. but, I'm hanging out in the air conditioning with a screen and projector~ not bad. those poor "cheerleaders" who have to dance in cowboy boots for HOURS... so, i thought it might be like this, but there are hardly Any cars on the roads right now!!! wow. once in a lifetime indeed!!!! Team China is just rounding the last bend. there should be fireworks soon. (i hope) I don't envy anybody the trip out of the stadium. wow. The body caligraphy was really awesome, and the light shows were really incredible. OOH and the world that came out of the ground, with the people dancing on it...that was awesome. the costumes, the endless supply of beautiful women in gorgeous dresses...very cool. *the song Sarah Brightman sang- that was the second song, that I only changed two small things about. but how freakin'

I'm watching the pre-show on the local CCTV channel. None of the international Chinese channels will be showing the ceremonies, just the one serving the mainland. The dances and costumes I've seen so far are pretty impressive, even though they are dwarfed by the size of the stadium floor. The smog/haze is just dreadful. I can see about three blocks and I'm on the 61st floor. good grief. it is pretty amazing to be here though, i must say. and i'm a sucker for all the big music and dramatic shows. i'll probably get all misty-eyed when the real ceremony starts. it's profound to be here in this moment. i'm so grateful and blessed. sending all my love back home! xoxo

Oh there is so much to tell, i don't know where to begin!!! Should I start with chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes (not much of a story other than they were AWESOME!), or that i have three roommates now and it was slightly dicey at the police station getting all the registration done, or that there is a flower sculpture of the Great Wall near the Lama Temple (Oiy so tacky, but bloody brilliant), or the subway (ha. just in general), or the fact that an Olympic venue is Right Across the Street from my apartment!!! they were practicing on the stage for the event and we went up to the 14th floor to peer into the park. so funny. let's just say that it's obvious that Coca Cola is a sponsor. :) I'm wicked tired tonight, but that's because I spent the last 7 hours in a huge ballroom at the JW Marriott listening (for the first hour) to program directors ask questions about transportation (omg it's going to be a logistical Nightmare!), and the last 6 hours getting n

Tonight is my last night on the island, but I'm ready to get back to Beijing. My job with the Events Company is now to start immediately (thank goodness, because I've got to make up for the lunch I had yesterday in the beautiful Yalong Bay at the Sheraton...but Oh Man, was it worth it. crazy good Lobster bisque (for which i am a sucker) and the most incredible open-faced ravioli with cajun shrimp and grilled scallops...wow). I'm on my 6th book now (i love vacations) and only just today managed to get burned. drat, i thought i was doing so well. curse of the single girl...can't reach my back. It's a unique experience to be in complete solitude while surrounded by hundreds of people (i guess that's China most of the time though). There are a few Westerners here, but most are Russian. It seems that Russians are to Sanya what the Japanese are to Hawai'i. The horrible, blasting, Russian music and bad Chinese karaoke, though...i could do without. the wat

after a long and bumpy ride from an airport that no one had heard of (it actually used to be an old military base a 40 kuai taxi ride from the Southern most subway stop), i finally made it to Sanya, on the island of Hainan, in the South China Sea . the moon is almost full and the water is blessedly cool, at 11:30 pm. i love watching the moon's reflection in the sand and then the water recedes, wiping the brightness away like a cosmic etch-a-sketch. to my left was offensively loud Russian music and to my right was a ridiculously bright and far-reaching laser show from a hotel at the end of the beach. good grief. Yet the little space of beach i occupied tonight was just brilliant. i could feel my heart actually opening up under the smiling moon and crashing waves. so romantic...in the big sense of the word. :) The room at the hostel is a slightly obnoxious version of the summer camp i never went to. so far, the best i can say for it is it has air-con. oooh, and I saw two wh

I find myself at the Starbucks near the Hospital, using the computer as I did 4 months ago- but how different I am now. I don't pretend to be an accepted member of the community, but I am constantly assailed with a certain awareness of how this is my home right now. it's not always easy, but I can get around my town by bus, subway and taxi and even bike. I've actually run into people I know on the street (which always blows my mind in a city this size). Going to the Great Wall this past Sunday was just completely profound! It was incredible to imagine being marooned out there at one of those guard posts (we had to climb a rusty ladder to climb over a short section of the wall), and then imagine having to build the crazy thing. just incredible. (i felt like an accomplished mountain goat by the time I got from one guard tower to another- man, was it steep...and no steps on part of it. augh) WOW- just this second I got an amazing phone call. The guy I worked with, wh

at the moment, i'm at the East Shore Jazz club, overlooking Hou Hai lake. My friend Jessica is rehearsing for her show tonight. I'm using the bar's computer, because it's touch and go these days for mine. definitely got a 1984 situation here. Yesterday was most amazing. After a lunch party at my house (and finally seeing Chaoyang park from the 14th floor of my building) we went to JingShang Park, which overlooks the Forbidden City. It was most profound, as is always when i see any congregation of greenery and birdlife. The part of the park we started in was built for archery practive in the Ming, or Qin Dynasty (i forgot, and i sincerely hope there are no Chinese History scholars reading this, because i am being abyssmally lazy and not looking it up. but if i stop this blog post now, it may be weks before I get the time and connection to do it again:) lame excuse, but anyway...it was a really long time ago. That made me think of my Mom, she did archery in c

So, Friday, June 20th started out with a book launch for a friend then dancing at "the boat". imagine high school drama with an all Chinese Rockabilly band. it's so nice to wake up and realize, "but hey...I'm actually NOT in high school anymore" . Yay then Saturday dawned bright and beautiful for the Summer Solstice. i packed up blue Betty with books, towel, chocolate, iPod and cheap champagne and headed for Ritan Park- the Temple of the Sun. it was just brilliant, sitting on a rock, overlooking a pond, watching the birds and kites float around through the clouds. That night my friend's band played on the opposite side of the pond and I got a chance to practice boundaries and integrity. good stuff, especially after reading a book by a Buddhist nun all day. the next day, a friend got me tickets to the Symphony :) We actually went to dinner at...wait for it...The Sizzler Steak House.not kidding. We played on the subway, and then, before the concert began,

So, biked in the brilliant clear blue (the first I've seen Beijing) of Saturday to the subway, then to the theatre to meet up with my friend Kemin, the director of OLIVER (a musical i helped with here) then back to my friend Jenny's for her birthday party. The music was awesome, a boy named Ben was on the bbq, champagne and grey goose flowed, girls played twister and as the sun went down the candles came out. The cute DJ showed up with his other futbol friends and he got down on one knee to tell me how much he loved my voice. He also thought I was 25. He he. Tommy and my new friend Jamie came to get me after I dropped my bike at home and we all went to an outdoor/indoor bar/club called "Dos Caligas" which is right next to the Drive-in Movie theatre (i KNOW- how cool is that?). Fairy lights were strung up and people sat in groups outside on wicker mats. Inside was a roster of alternative to hard-core punk bands and I got to pretend I was a teenager and danced my ass of

This Weekend was amazing. Friday afternoon I rode my bike to the Temple of the Sun in Ritan Park. As soon as I stepped through the gate it was as if time slowed to keep pace with the wonder surrounding me. Pine trees and roses swayed in a gentle breeze and an ancient stone pathway let me to the gateway of the sacrificial altar. Happily, the sacrificing ceremonies are long over, but it was still profound to go and sit right in the middle of the huge stone square. After watching the sun descend through the distant cityscape and a vertical rainbow that aligned with the West Gate, I made my way through a winding path to the "Stone Boat". It's a small bar/restaurant right on an idyllic pond framed by weeping willow trees. My friend Rachel came to hang out and we hiked up to a gorgeous Pagoda as the first star came out (which is always amazing to see because of the constant pollution/dust) and on the way up surprised two teenagers making out behind a rock. Later, a man with a l