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Danika Dinsmore

Author / Educator / Activist

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renovation

Monday Potes ~ A Room of One’s Own

September 13, 2010 by openchannel 5 Comments

Moving my belongings into the old shed / new office space was overwhelming. I’ve uncovered things that have been boxed for over 5 years. Items I had thought lost or had forgotten about entirely, stirring both melancholy and joy.

Inspired by my own creation, I stepped back to write about the space, remembering the lines of Virgina Woolf’s essay A Room of One’s Own that I read 20 years ago as an English major: A woman must have money and a room of her own in order to write fiction.

I haven’t had a room of my very own in over 7 years. I know there are women (and men) out there who may never have this privilege, so I feel quite blessed. If you haven’t carved out a room (or a space if en entire room is impossible), I highly recommend it. And when you do, or if you have, just sit in silence with it for a while, then write whatever comes.

A Room of One’s Own

Virginia Woolf knew
how we would sacrifice our selves
daily to keep the world running
behind the scenes

The space I have staked has her ghost
prints all over it

Sometimes I shut myself inside
and cry for every injustice my world
has conceived

Sometimes I just breathe and watch
the imperfections of my cocoon
assume my humanity

I speak with inanimate objects because
I choose to believe gods are everywhere
one moment after another we choose and live
until we don’t

I have unopened every box
and scattered the remains of
lovers     punishments   and sin

I have ordered my papers and colours
by categories of want
instead of should and could

I have retread and retraced
every floorboard every pebble-path
of strangled enlightenment

In the quiet cold
every object stretches and
opens its eyes in a brilliant
cacophony of years

Filed Under: Archived Blog, behind the scenes, poetry, renovation, writing life Tagged With: a room of one's own, monday poetry train, poetry, virginia woolf

Spider Relocation Project Status: COMPLETE!

August 31, 2010 by openchannel 7 Comments

Yes, it’s true! The Shed-to-New-Office Renovation (Aka Spider Relocation Project) is (mostly) complete!

Final spider relocation tally:

Spiders Successfully Relocated: 60
Spiders Lost During Relocation: 4 (not including that sac of eggs I threw out)
Spiders Misplaced During Relocation: 2
Spiders I Allowed to Stay: 2 (but they’re very small)

BEFORE and AFTER!

And now for the coolest part of the whole deal (TRY not to be TOO jealous). You see the white & orange frames on the wall on the bottom photograph? Those are painted on magnetic whiteboards. I know! I first painted on the metal paint, then the white board paint, and PRESTO!

The first message is from my GBF. It says “I feel like I’m on the inside of a melon.” It’s true. My office feels fruity. But that’s a pretty happy place to be, I figure.
Five weeks from start to finish!

Filed Under: Archived Blog, renovation, writing life Tagged With: office renovation, spider relocation

Spider Relocation Project and Avoiding the Woolly Worms

August 23, 2010 by openchannel 7 Comments

It’s Day 28 of the Spider Relocation Project (aka Shed-to-Office-Renovation) and we’ve lost two more little dudes. One was into the vacuum and the other one was painted over with a roller. Sorry guys!

Total Saved: 56*
Total Lost: 3

*It’s possible I could have saved the same spider more than once.

I can’t show you the current status of the renovation because it’s too close to being done! The big reveal will be within the next week, I’m betting. Squee!

For the Monday Poetry Thang, and in the spirit of being concerned about little critters, I bring you (from my book Every Day Angels):

avoiding the woolly worms

I drive 10 miles an hour slower
to avoid them crossing the road
it is the season for so many things
don’t know what they will become
if left to become
some moth or butterfly fluttering to light
but for now they simply creep across every path
subtle as skin
twice as vulnerable
and I know I must be insane crying over
black and orange fuzz-piles on blacktop
as commuters back up I
swerve into the opposing lane my life
an unconcern as worms are enlightened
be free                 be free

in the next lifetime
perhaps they will live
in a great ocean

*            *            *

if you listen to sea turtles laying eggs
it sounds like a moan of human pleasure
exhale so familiar it makes one shiver
afterwards they abandon their young
to predators and elements
return to ocean         straight necks
sun and salt     stinging tears     mistaken
for regret

at recess village school children
shield emerging baby sea turtles
from vultures
They would tear their heads off
if we let them…

they say in Spanish

so few
so few after egg gathering season
ever make it to the water

*            *            *

upstairs I stand at the window
wondering if you are asleep
in the hammock
one leg thrown over the side
it is as if I am looking down
on the memory of something
or a distant happy dream

it is green and dry through the trees
I’m at the window upstairs
as the hammock swings back and forth
and back             and forth
filling the space between us

You wave slowly and I
wave back
far too calm and quiet

Filed Under: Archived Blog, every day angels, monday poetry thang, poetry, renovation Tagged With: poetry, spider relocation, woolly worms

The Spider Relocation Project (AKA Office Renovation) @ 3:15 AM

August 8, 2010 by openchannel 4 Comments

A RECAP (with spiders)

Shared Office with Hubster

Current office space.

Depressing.

Crowded.

Ick.

AKA The Shed

Soon-to-be-Room-of-my-Own

The Shed has been home to random
boxiness since we moved in almost
3 years ago.

BEFORE

Before

The Shed-to-Den-of-Awesomeness
project begins.

And the current inhabitants are
going to have to move.

AFTER

After a lot of heavy lifting
and the relocation of 37 spiders
(32 Daddy Longlegs and 5 Wolf Spiders)

We have . . . empty space!

And the spider relocation project is a success!

Jar of Spiders

However, they revisited me in my dreams during the 3:15 Experiment.

from The 3:15 Experiment
August 7, 2010

A jar of spiders in the sun
daddy long-legs paddling the air
they must be relocated
re launched     spider astronauts
flying in the wind
through space     moments before
touching down on cement block or
woodpile they hold their breath
count one . . . two . . .

I’m not interested in the relocation of spiders
merely the poetic parachute
the lightness of being
the silence of godliness
spiderness is next to godliness
the descent of spiderkind
moment fleeting without
any barbarianism
without ego smash
without combustion
without pushing aside
they catch the breeze
drop without hesitation
into the new void

~ ~ ~

I love how I interrupt the poem in the 2nd half. I remember thinking to myself, “No, I don’t want to write about the process of the relocation of spiders, I want to say something about how beautiful it was when they floated away.”

Filed Under: Archived Blog, cool poop, domestic poop, renovation, The 3:15 Experiment Tagged With: daddy longlegs, office renovation

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