Whale Week Culmination

It is a solemn day when Whale Week must be completed. However, it has been a wonderful week as the eight celebrations before it. If my life is an example of the common person, then I will assume there was much jubilation with each of you as well.

Sunday's Activity consists of displaying (or posting as a comment here or a somewhere on the Facebook event page) the art that you have created this day. You are welcome to join in this practice at my house at 5pm for Whale Cake and whale cookies. It will be like a cocktail party though without cocktails which are replaced with whaletails/tales (humor!).

My wish is that you are more aware of whales: the joy the offer which brings loved ones together, the wisdom they provide from their world travels. May you have more interest in them throughout the year and support research and protection of the grandest animal ever to be on the planet.

James Bud Riches
Chairman of the Committee for Whale Week Celebrations




*if you desire to attend but have no knowledge of this location's whereabouts, there are many ways that I can inform you if you but contact me here or on the FB event page

Whale Week Penultimate Day

By the way, penultimate is another word that was overused in the year ending December 31, 2009 (sorry, accounting statement wording).

Now back to Whale Week. Since there is much anticipation, we will skip right through Friday's wrap-up into Saturday and Sunday.

ACTIVITY
Saturday is for preparing or continuing whale art projects. From pottery to poetry; oil on canvas to chisel to stone. These creations will be displayed (if you will not be attending, please post them to the Facebook event page, on which page there are entries to the 2008 Whale Week Art Show). If you cannot complete your piece, post what progress you have made. All will be an honor to our blubbery friends in the seas.

Whale Week weekend!

Whale Week Friday

Keep those whale tunes in your head, you'll need them for Friday's activity. You are asked to go swimming and imitate a whale by using sonar location. Okay, since you don't have quite the receptacle to translate sound waves into human communication, just mimic them like Dori (though she actually was versed in many dialects of baleen and toothed whales) while flopping around in the water.

You may think "how can I head out to Utah Lake or the Great Salt Lake or any of the reservoirs around (that around line was for people not along the Wasatch front)?" Well, you could make it to a gym or recreation center for a membership or cheap one time use fee. Or do as you all ready do and belt the oceanic lyrics out in your morning, or nightly, wash in the shower or bath tub.

Also remember to get your right brain unlocked for the art creations of Saturday to be displayed Sunday.

Keep Whale Weekin'!

Whale Week Day 4

You may be all whaled out by now. The excitement led you to forget to pace yourself. Don't give in to fatigue now. The best is yet to come. Hopefully today was a time of resting with watching a flick (if you could break away from work and studies).

The activity should also be a calm, replenishing one. Find some whale songs to listen to. If you need some, because you are too lazy to search the internet our Youtube, I have a few mp3s. I would be listening to a sweet 7" 45rpm record from National Geographic featuring Humpback songs, but I have misplaced that over the years. Make sure to sing along today because it will come in handy for tomorrow's activity.

Happy Whale Week!

Day 3

Good Whale Week to you. It is continuing in fine fashion. I enjoyed reading from Moby Dick. I hope you did too. My favorite chapter is the ninth. The Father's word's made me think in a different light about Jonah and his encounter with the whale. Very seldom do I think about creating plausible dialogue for the Bible stories. It's one way to see human aspects about those lessons.

Again, I feel that I must amend some of the culture surrounding this week. I am a fervent practitioner of order, organization, chronolgy, method and pattern. Conversely, I tend to distance myself from tradition. That means that these prescriptions about activities are "more like guidelines anyway." Feel free to be at one with whales in your own way and in your own time.

The plan that I will carry out tomorrow is to watch a video that features, not necessarily prominantly, a whale, or more. These would include Pinnochio, Fantasia 2, Finding Nemo or The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley: The Case of the Sea World Adventure. Some of you have viewed or suggested Free Willy or other incarnations of similar title. I don't believe in such talk as this (Betty, Kung Pow 2002). Nevertheless, it does hold to the criteria- there will be no punishment for doing so.

Whale Week on...

WW Day 2

I do hope I find you in a calm, reflective mood after pondering about whales throughout the entire day, for that is how I find myself. I hope that you feel welcome enough to post your insights either as comments here or on the Facebook event page. As I share mine I desire reciprocation since whales need all of us as a collective.

Tuesday's activity is entails beginning to read the classic book Moby Dick by Herman Melville. This is now a yearly attempt for myself. It is a great adventure and study of behavior. As much of the plot is driven by the majesty of the great white whale, I feel it appropriate for this week's celebrations. I easily absorb the chapters describing seafaring and whaling since I constantly pursue an education in history and anthropology. If you can't manage the length or verbose style of the writing, Cliff's or Spark's notes should do just fine, especially since they passed as through years of secondary education.

As Whale Week is a catalyst for much anticipation for greatness, some participants have become overbearing in their requests for how to celebrate each day and for upcoming days. Let me remind you all that as the Chairman of the Committee for Whale Week Celebrations, I declare, in my own time, when and what will be the daily activities. However, your urgings have made clear to me that some of the activities must begin to be prepared in advance of a day's notice.

Some activities that currently will require time more than the day given for experiencing the activity will be Saturday and Sunday. Essentially they are conjoined (yeah, it's called a weekend, innovative, eh?) as "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday." Explained thus: Sunday is the art show, somewhat of a "Reflections" with the them being whales. I give you Saturday to prepare for this (obviously if you're smart you could realize you have now until Sunday to do so). Saturday may also be used for baking as Sunday will also be the day for eating Whale Cake. Here is my recipe:

One Betty Crocker boxed chocolate cake baked in 8" or 9" round cake pans
One container of vanilla frosting
One package of Blue Raspberry Jello

Bake the cake, let cool, then cut one pan of cake in half then half one of those hallves. The half piece becomes the flukes and the quarter pieces are the flippers (yes, it really looks like a fish with a flipper and a dorsal fin, but it's Whale Week not Fish week, so there). Frost the cake then sprinkle the jello over the frosted cake to create a blue skinned whale. You win!

You may adjust how you like. Some people don't like the flavoring (or idea) of the jello. Be creative. Whale Week is about how you create a harmony with whales. This is your self-realization.

Happy Whale Week!

Whale Week 2/08/10

Welcome to Whale Week! As this celebration of the great mammals of the sea has been much contained to the original celebrators, I feel that I must do as Vizzini told Inigo, go back to the beginning to include each of you.

"A whale of a tale to tell you lad, a whale of a tale or two." Why thank you, Kirk Douglas.

I have always revered whales. The first time I remember learning about the creature was in a binder of Discovery or National Geographic cards of various animals. The fact sheet about the Blue Whale was astounding. Obviously my affection toward whales was put on the back burner through much of my schooling as my obsession with cows prevailed. However, when I met Garrick and J.D., the love of the gentle giant was reaffirmed.

ACTION
Before you get lost in the narrative, I will prescribe the activity for the day. Contemplate the first time you were lost in awe at the sight, sound or thought of a whale. If you cannot think of the first instance, think of any. If you could not care less about the whales, I implore you to reconsider.

This first activity is a simple, beginner event to ease into the week. If you accomplish the task, you will feel a desire to participate further. Do so with caution and patience. We will now continue as I share further about how and why I love whales.

As a tribute to these animals, Garrick and I made a Whale Cake (you will be informed at the end of the week how to participate in this ritual) and took the cake to school lunch in my sophomore year of high school. As an anecdotal note, we purchased the goods to prepare said cake at the late Food4Less (for which we bemoan). The cake was well-received, even by the west-side kids. Questions were asked about the reason of our cake. We responded that our declaration was the day was Whale Day.

Following lunch, I jogged off to my computer class. As the class was a simple one, I desired to search the interwebs to discover if there was in existence such a celebration which we created. To my astonishment, that date was during a certain group's celebration of Whale Week. Providence! It was not shear coincidence; it was glory! I remember that tear's of jubilation nearly welled in my eyes.

Now, at this point I must digress to state that after the first two years of celebration I was not able to locate this web address through searching (I was a fledgling internet user and had not a clue about taking notes about web address). You may feel that the sharp pain of the metaphorical dagger of my lies and created stories to lead the feeble willing down a path of darkness and hell. Do not let this falsehood of zero remaining evidence cloud your mind in fear and doubt. These things are true and ever will be. (do I dare sacrilige and blasphemy?....nope. this is where I stop with that train of thought). I did view that site. I knew that it did attest to my inspiration about celebrating whales. And I know that joy will continue in this yearly event. (okay, I hypocritically ventured the trail I didn't want to take, but I veiled the allusions enough that it isn't that bad [hypocrite]).

Here I will address two final points. Many of you may think "this idiot, why does he think that whales are so great? they don't do anything for anyone. 'don't save the whales, save the humans.'" Or you may be appalled to receive knowledge that I participated in a whaling. I understand your concerns and explain thus: I am often borderline tree-hugger. I make paper from recycled shreddings. I garden. I own hemp clothing. I sometimes tailor my diet to be vegetarian. Nevertheless, I also fish. I have put in to draw an archery deer hunting license for this year. And if I had walked down the lonely, cold, night streets of New Bedford with Ishmael, I would have taken the adventure to toss a lance, alongside Queequeg, at the great nemesis of Cptn. Ahab. But, I will greatly cherish studying live whales in the wild when that day for me comes. The foundation that two opposing philosophies can exist alongside one another is culture; is human. I take the earth as it is given for my use, though I also care for it and learn about it. I do not let the environment rule me; I am it's co-steward. You may not understand; furthermore, you may not agree. Dispute and query further.

Back to the history we trot. Since that day there has been much respect given to whales. There has also been much cake. There was once even a harpooning of a whale. These vary from year to year but since that day I and others have peacefully celebrated whales and will continue to do so. To complete this laborious reading I comfort you by inciting images of magestical whales swimming through your mind and informing you that the activity posts for the rest of the week will not be this extensive or comprehensive.

Happy Whale Week 2010!