who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men? the shadow knows....

whew!  so, that's over.

hours, days of preparation and it's all over in moments of devastation (that is, tearing thru the gift wrap), jubilation and hopefully no frustration.  all was good for me.  just lots of celebration with loved ones.  the best gifts being presence. 

"everything we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see."  ~martin luther king, jr.

now the days become longer and the light returns.  as we approach a new year, a new opportunity, a new beginning - we turn inward to the shadow to peek under the veil and begin to think about intentions (sankalpa) for twenty-11.   what lurks in your unconscious, in your shadow side?

what irrational instincts and so-called shortcomings are you hoping to overcome?  

by bringing attention to them, they are no longer residing in obscurement and can be revealed as the teachers that they are.  

how about we just acknowledge these aspects with non-judgment and make peace with your dark side, else attract what we most dislike in ourselves.

what we resist persists.  we use up too much energy hiding what we perceive to be our undesirable traits.  redirect that energy and take credit for the good things.  

and breathe.  the light always shines again and again.

with love & compassion~

amy

below is a post from dr. frank lipman - i thought his resolutions were worthy of passing along to you:

Friends,
In this week's newsletter, I give my 22 New Year Resolutions. I posted something similar last year, but the resolutions for this year remain similar.
one love
Frank   http://www.drfranklipman.com/22-new-year-resolutions/

22 New Year Resolutions

When I qualified as a Doctor at 25 years old, I thought I knew everything there was to know about health and medicine. By the age of 30, I realized my medical training was limited and I didn't really know much about health and wellness. So I went on a journey of discovery to expand my horizons and studied acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Functional medicine, nutrition, yoga and Buddhism. By 50, I realized my life training was limited too as my daughter (a teenager at the time) was pointing out "how stupid" I was. And now that I am 56, I realize I have amassed a lot of knowledge but have so much more to learn.

As I get older and hopefully wiser with every year, certain insights become clearer. Here are some of them gleaned from the wisdom I have gained from 31 years of marriage, having a 23 yr old daughter, 31 years of practicing medicine and being a perpetual student of life.

• More Real Food,  Less "Food-like Substances"
• More Fruit and Vegetables,  Less Sugar, Gluten and Dairy
• More Organic,  Less Chemicals
• More Clean Products,  Less Toxic Products
• More Chewing,  Less Eating
• More Water, Less Alcohol
• More Walking,  Less Driving
• More Exercising,  Less Watching TV
• More Music,  Less Noise
• More Recycling,  Less Waste
• More Outdoors,  Less Indoors
• More Sleep,  Less Worry
• More Slow, Less Hurry
• More Smiles, Less Anger
• More Love, Less Hatred
• More Fun, Less Serious
• More Letting Go, Less Holding On
• More Being, Less Doing
• More Presence, Less Absence
• More Generosity, Less Greed
• More Forgiving, Less Blaming
• More Ubuntu, Less Me!

As Archbishop Desmond Tutu says:

"Ubuntu is about the essence of being human, it is part of the gift that Africa will give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, being able to go the extra mile for the sake of others. We believe that a person is a person through another person, that my humanity is caught up, bound up, inextricably, with yours. When I dehumanize you, I inexorably dehumanize myself. The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms and therefore you seek to work for the common good because your humanity comes into its own in belonging".

Let 2011 be the year of UBUNTU

thank you

i LOVE this sentiment and it reminded me of my tribe, so although i did not write these words, i echo the gratitude for the inspiration you all provide me and the world each day.

i am just another you
and so to us
i bow~
amy

Blessings...

TO ALL OF YOU beautiful people, around the world who wake up in the morning determined to do the inner work, to serve others, to raise healthy, happy families, to write inspiring poems, to paint images that stir the soul, to lift up those who are struggling, to heal the ailing, to sit with the dying, to laugh at the troubles before you, to sing great songs, to pray, to meditate, to be humbled by the magnificence of life, to protect Mother Earth, to dance, to be strong, to find the gift in every moment (no matter how difficult), to see the God in All, to be consciously conscious and, most of all, to live a compassionate life with every inhale and every exhale you are granted on this earth.... We, at Yogamint, send you blessings for an unparalleled year of abundant peace, love, light & JOY!

Now, go give someone (or a whole lot of someones) a big, fat hug!

Celebrate Life & Keep It Fresh!
The Yogamint Crew

welcome to winter!

my attached eclipse photos are not outstanding but experiencing the phenomenon was!
(i still need that mind's eye camera to capture my perspective)
this is the first time in 370 something years that the sun, the moon and the earth have all been in alignment on the winter solstice.
there are some better photos and time lapse videos compiled here.

how does your universal purpose align with our planet, our moon and our sun as we begin our return to the light?
happy solstice~
amy

here's an interesting factoid that just came across my desk:  U.S. population grew 9.7% in the past decade to 308,745,538, the slowest rate since the Great Depression.  that brings the world population to about 7 billion.   that's one colossal collective soul!

Daily Show: Corddry - Ohm My God

this hilarity came to me via http://yaynamaste.com/

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-january-30-2003/ohm-my-god

watch to the end about tantrum sex....

as emily says in her yoga rage post - lighten up - it's only yoga!

we get along, yeah we really do...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPkqVD9C9Jc

this commercial makes me so happy.  

the only thing missing from the menagerie are people.  people of all race and religion.

how awesome would that be - all beings living together in harmony.

that is my dream.

 

elephant photo by peggy dyer (please excuse the poor camera phone copy)

chinese yoga pants

reminds me of a funny story – i went in to pick up chinese food last night after teaching a yoga class and the lady looked me up and down as i walked in. ‘you lip pants like that on purpose or you come here with lipped pants?’

(i was wearing yoga pants with slits up the legs ankle to knee)

i replied that i had just come from a yoga class and these were designed for ease of movement.

she said, ‘oh you yoga.  i tai chi.  which you think is better?’

of course i said tai chi – she was in charge of my dinner.

and yes, i ate chinese food last night.  i’ve also eaten popcorn since i’ve known karl – crazy what love will make you do......

I Will Not Die an Unlived Life

I Will Not Die an Unlived Life 
~ Dawna Markova

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.



via peaceful daily

be alive & thrive!

did you check out today's phriday filosofy?

mc yogi - shanti (lakshmi)
nice meditation shared with me by my lovely teacher, shannon

pf and planetary alignment

phriday filosofy is now living in it's own space.

and i'm no astronomer, but it seems to me that the planets are in the house of 'RUDE'

i hope when mercury goes retrograde next week that things will shift.

i've had a few disturbing experiences lately, like when i slipped on a piece of ice in a fast casual restaurant at lunch and fell down and two different men just stepped over me.  no 'are you okay?'  'let me help you up, lady in a dress' - nothing!

and then i walked into a smoothie place (rhymes with samba deuce) and the girl behind the counter said, 'well, i guess we're not getting a break' , for which i apologized for intruding and she said 'just tell me what you want'.  luckily you can watch them prepare your stuff, or i might have worried that my coming in to the business to spend some money would have warranted me a spit smoothie.

i could go on, but let's focus on the positive, shall we?  what sweet gesture can you make today toward someone?  (whether you are in the mood or not and especially if they are impolite to you first)  a compliment?  an open door?  a heartfelt 'thank you'?

and a namaste to you!

Save the Dying Sea Turtles...or wtf? - Oil in Gulf Poses Only Slight Risk, U.S. Says

Save the Dying Sea Turtles...

You might have been following the story of yoga teacher Brock Cahill's impassioned mission to save the dying sea turtles in the oil-slicked Gulf of Mexico. Brock is raising money to assemble a team and rescue these helpless creatures before time runs out.

Following is a recent interview with Brock.

Q:  You were just down in the Gulf for a week. I know its hard to summarize but can you describe what you saw?

To be honest, I saw a clusterf--k.  Pardon my French, but it was rather infuriating.  I saw a whole lot of nothing going on.  The entire region is basically locked down like a crime scene, but it is being run by the criminal.  They have effectively sealed the perimeter to the spill site, not through law enforcement, nor a physical barrier, but through economic invasion.  Literally, they have bought up every piece of transportation out to the spill site.  I am talking about boat charters, captains, helicopters, aircraft, pilots,  you name it...  all been put on the payroll.  You can't get out there without a small fortune or a massive connection.  If you were able to get up into the air for instance,  a minimum altitude ceiling of 3000 ft has been imposed.  At 3000 ft, a car looks like a dot.  Not a whole lot you can do to rescue turtles from that elevation.  They have also reserved every single hotel room within a two hour driving radius.  Now, of course, this could all be seen as economic aid to the folks who are hurting in the Gulf...  or it could be seen as a way to keep them quiet. 

And then there is the media ban.  They have made it a felony offense carrying a 40,000 fine to be caught within 65 ft of any boom, oil, or distressed wildlife.  Whether you are john q public, or Anderson Cooper with a camera on your shoulder, you can't legally cross the line.  Hence the massive retreat from the scene and the disappearance of news.  Now, did I encounter anything like that when i was down there?  No.  But it is a scare tactic.  Was i worried?  Yes, of course.  Do i think it has effectively scared other people off?  You betcha.  Now BP can control what is released in the press.  Hmmm...

Q:  It seems like in the newspapers and on TV that BP is gaining control of the situation. A cover story in The NY Times last week mentioned very few oil patches are now visible on the surface. Care to comment?

Dispersant.  The very same tactic they have used to bury information, they have used to bury evidence.  The dispersant's job is to break up congealed oil on the surface of the sea and drive it down in the water table.  To sweep it under the rug.  Two problems with this:  a) now it becomes impossible to skim the oil off the surface to remove it, and b)  this is so much more harmful to all the critters and all life forms living in the ocean.  At least when it is crude oil on the surface, we know what we have to deal with, and it is organic matter.  Now we have this milky sludge synthetic & toxic chemical that we have slopped all over the gulf in excess of 2 million gallons.  Many of the animals that are dying are not showing signs of oil.  Instead, such as is the case with many dolphins, they are bleeding from their soft tissues, like around their mouth and blowhole, and writhing in pain.  The dispersant is akin to napalm.  And it has got to be stopped. 


Q:  What's the next step in your mission? How much are you trying to raise and what will you do with the money?

The next step is get back to the gulf, buy a boat, and get out in the water to save endangered sea turtles.  To do this I need to raise $100,000.  So far through the grace of the yoga community I have raised close to 15k!  thank you yogis!  Every single cent put into this project goes to direct action.  Into the equipment needed to make this possible.  My fear in donating to large organizations is that your money never really gets to the place that you intended.  With this project, which we have titled operation kurmalliance, there are no overhead costs, no salaries, no guy sitting in an office on a computer,  none of that.  Just direct action, because we believe in the power of individuals to make a difference.  I will make a difference in the gulf.  One turtle at a time!  Maybe you can help me?

To get in touch with Brock:  brock@gravitycowboy.com

To donate now:  http://yogisanonymous.com/Events-kurmalliance.htm

Namaste,
David Romanelli
www.livinthemoment.com

and then there's this: 
Oil in Gulf Poses Only Slight Risk, U.S. Says
The government is expected to announce on Wednesday that
three-quarters of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon leak has
already evaporated, dispersed, been captured or otherwise
eliminated -- and that much of the rest is so diluted that it
does not seem to pose much additional risk of harm.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/science/earth/04oil.html?emc=na

phriday filosofy - please reduce/reuse/recycle/reflect!

Watch your thoughts, for they become words,
Watch your words, for they become actions,
Watch your actions, for they become habits,
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

~buddha? unknown? sometimes attributed to Frank Outlaw?
________________________________________
trivial?  i think not!
in 1945 on this day, the first atomic bomb exploded New Mexico.
moonwalk! no, not michael jackson - neil armstrong and buzz aldron in 1969.

________________________________________
guess who has a birthday this week?!
the popcorn king
nobel peace prize winning president of the country where the world cup was held
the sun also rises - grandfather of mariel
http://phridayfilosofy.blogspot.com/

a public declaration of love on 14 july twenty-10 (this is new for me)

(please read in french accent - today is bastille day, in addition to being karl's birthday)

mon amour, karl ~

my heart led me to you, without reservation.
profound, yet subtle.
it's amazing how you can speak right to my heart, even when you say nothing at all.
such a beautiful space we've created for expression and non-judgement

you are water  (want)
i am fire (plenty)
the moon reflects the light of the sun, together we are an ineffable, magic collaboration of balance - wonder twin powers, activate!
 

(just in case - ineffable - ideas that cannot be expressed in words - too great to abstract)

thank you for being best buddies, reliable, trustworthy and trusting, so very giving, not taking us for granted, respectful, passionate, communicative (things i've never dreamed i would find a reason to talk about with anyone).  tu es très beau.  et les baisers ~ mon dieu!

and thank you for being born.

je t'aime~

aimee

 

morning commute ala bukowski....

the finger

by Charles Bukowski

the drivers of automobiles
have very little recourse or
originality.
when upset with
another
driver
they often give him the
FINGER.

I have seen two adult
men
florid of face
driving along
giving each other the
FINGER.

well, we all know what
this means, it's no
secret.

still, this gesture is
so overused it has
lost most of its
impact.

some of the men who give
the FINGER are captains of
industry, city councilmen,
insurance adjusters,
accountants and/or the just plain
unemployed.
no matter.
it is their favorite
response.

people will never admit
that they drive
badly.

the FINGER is their
reply.

I see grown men
FINGERING each other
throughout the day.

it gives me pause.
when I consider
the state of our cities,
the state of our states,
the state of our country,
I begin to
understand.

the FINGER is a mind-
set.
we are the FINGERERS.
we give it
to each other.
we give it coming and
going.
we don't know how
else to respond.

what a hell of a way
to not
live.

"The Finger" by Charles Bukowski, from Bone Palace Ballet. © Black Sparrow Press, 2002.

april 20th- was that, like, 82 days ago or something?

i've decided to quit being angry and sending out negative vibes about the oil spew and concentrate on the positive.  this means not watching the tantrum-inducing live cam, not reading the statistics about how long since it started and how many bajillion gallons of oil have polluted the ocean or how many animals have died. 

it means focusing on solutions and putting positive energy into the universe for how to reduce our dependence on oil and how to cap that mother.

here are some things we can do NOW:

No longer buy bottled water! (If you have a party and need cases of bottled water, just put filtered tap water in a glass pitcher with ice, fruit and mint leaves and serve with reusable cups)

Remember plastics are made from oil so please be aware of plastic packaging when purchasing items and always choose the options with the least amount if possible.

Carpool or ride a bike when possible!

Be aware of product ingredients in everything you purchase. So many things contain petroleum - who knew?!

Remember to choose organic, locally grown produce when possible.

reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink 

that crazy, all-knowing universe!

dear universe~

how do you do it?  how do you make me feel so special and unique, whilst taking care of everyone and everything in your domain?

everyday i am in awe of being given precisely what i need by you - in the form of an insightful email from my teacher, a glimpse of my capacity to love and be loved, a fellow compassionate's daily blog post, a warm hug, a doggie tongue kiss, a check in the mail, a bird in the sky, a green lights all the way home commute, a belly laugh, a cleansing breath.

thank you for always having my best interest at heart and showing me that everything is happening in a way that benefits my highest good.

in all encompassing love & gratitude~

amy

me after being out of the office for a couple of days.....

yep.  when overwhelmed i just ignore the task at hand.

works every time.

for a while.  and then it completely backfires!

how do you tackle a looming project or responsibility?

divine winks ala sera beak

Good Fortune Follows You Around Like A Drunk Monkey In A Little Red Dress

farewell shel

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die  ~ Thomas Campbell 

today is the one year anniversary of the untimely death of my friend, shelley.  shelley died of complications related to being hospitalized during a bone marrow transplant for leukemia.

shel removing a splinter from my foot during a crazy fun dance party in her living room.  that's the kind of person she was - putting her fun aside to nurse a friend.

look at that smile - beautiful, yet something deliciously wicked cooking up behind those eyes!






love & miss you tons, shel

howl

how are you solstice-ing?

i'm reflecting/refracting the light of the longest day onto my fellow beings, as well as sending some back up to our sun!

phriday filosofy

Dance and swirl, or burn and become bitter.  ~Nadine Falwell

trivial?  i think not!

Saturday is Juneteenth or emanciaption day - celebrating African-American heritage.

Sunday is Father's Day celebrated in 55 countries.

 
Monday is the SUMMER SOLSTICE (aka Midsummer, Litha) -  the longest day (and the shortest night!) of the year.   All over the world, people honor and acknowledge this time of Light and Energy and to connect with this solar tide of abundance. One of the customs associated with the Summer Solstice is the blessing of animals.  and FIRE! (dance naked, but don't get too close to the flame)

phriday filosofy

May all be well with mankind.

May all the leaders of the earth protect in every way by keeping to the right path.

May there be goodness for those that know the earth to be sacred.

May all the worlds be happy.

~Ashtanga Closing Prayer

________________________________________

trivial? i think not!

wednesday is Bloomsday, celebrated by James Joyce fans all over the world. It commemorates the day on which the events of his novel Ulysses take place. Joyce chose June 16th, 1904, for the setting because it was the day of his first date with Nora Barnacle, his future wife.

________________________________________

guess who has a birthday this week?!

that football dude who the super bowl trophy is named after

shrub's dad

famous diarist of the holocaust

female author with an uncle named tom and anti-slave-ist

argentine activist on t-shirts everywhere

irish nobel prize winning poet

________________________________________

~namaste~

reality check

sorry - not sure who to credit for this....

YES!

There is no saying "no." Only "yes" is the appropriate response to this beautiful life. Yes, yes, yes, to the rhythm of our breath.

Yes, yes, yes, to the last breath. One final, long, and slow Yes, riding out of this life on Yes, just as we rode in, screaming it at the top of our fresh lungs.
~ the BlissChick (aka Christine Reed)

reflection

Why is the word yes so brief?
It should be
the longest,
the hardest,
so that you could not decide in an instant to say it,
so that upon reflection you could stop
in the middle of saying it. 

~Vera Pavlova

rest in peace - 

whachoo talkin about, willis?

pabst blue ribbon, mother fucker!

 

really? 36,750,000 gallons?

friends ~
if you sprung a leak in a pipe in your kitchen you wouldn't just let the water keep coming, wouldya?  you'd turn off the main or wrap some duct tape around it and get 'er done.  you wouldn't just open the back door and let the water run out into the street.  

this oil spill has been going on for over five weeks!   and spilling up to 25,000 barrels each day (exxon valdez was appx 262k barrels total). shall i do the math for you?  for a five week period, that would total 875,00 barrels so far.  did i mention that there are 42 gallons in an oil barrel?  more math for you - 36,750,000 gallons.  thirty six million seven hundred and fifty thousand gallons.  i don't even want to think about how many liters that would be.   it's not quite as many gallons as there is water in lake superior or as many stars as in the milky way, but it's a shit ton.  A SHIT TON OF OIL IN THE OCEAN.

those of you who think the government should be taking control of the situation are typically the folks who think that there should be less government, so when you start complaining about obama not doing enough, think about THAT.  and no matter what the government does, it's going to be criticized.

there is currently a suspension on new drilling in the arctic and i don't have the answer for how we should power our overly-consumptive world.  nor do i know how much good signing a petition does,  but think about the pretty and edible fish and the people who make their living off of said fish, the disappearing polar bears, the beautiful beaches and coral reefs where you vacation, our oh so important ecosystem. 

thank you for listening.

www.AnyoneButBP.com

i'd be interested in hearing your thoughts, rants, comments on this issue....

dead porpoise

i acknowlegde you

we need intimacy, not enlightenment. 
  ~mark whitwell

don't just bury your head in your blackberry -  interact with the person on the other side of the counter

or even have a relationship with yourself!

smile at a stranger

compliment someone

let that car merge in front of you and wave a 'thanks' when your fellow driver lets you in

be compassionate, forgiving and loving. 

the choice is yours.....

only a flesh wound. and a fingernail gone missing....

we are dog-sitting my mom's blue heeler, silver, this week, while rude jude is off on adventures in hawaii.  sadly, our french bulldog/boxer, stella bell, is not very accommodating to her furry guest.  growling and teeth gnashing have ensued and poor karl has been bitten THREE TIMES (by his own dog) trying to break up brawls.  the tussle at 4am on saturday morning that woke us out of slumber ended us in the emergency room, with the tip of karl's right ring finger flapping and bleeding.  i watched as they pulled off his fingernail - ouch!  that's like a torture method!  apparently due to bacteria in animal mouths, it is not common to stitch up wounds caused by dog bites, as the medical professionals feel it is safer to not sew up the germs inside of the human body.  alas, karl is left with a flappy finger and no nail to protect it.  i'm taking good care of him and stella sent him an apology.

that about sums it up!

in mandarin, the characters for the word 'change' are a combination of opportunity and danger.

call me trite, call me new age, but don't call me bella....

wow, i can't believe that it is monday already.  the weekends are just too darn short.  but even more so, i can't believe that i just went to the bookstore (granted, a crappy chain store) and found books on meditation under the category 'New Age' and books on vampires under 'Spirituality'.  to each his own, but i think vampirism should probably be categorized under 'S&M'.  and i guess that 'New Age' has cheesy connotations for me, but after looking at the wikipedia definition, it's really right up my alley - it's not just about Yanni and crystals!

The New Age (also referred to as the New Age movement, New Age spirituality, and Cosmic Humanism) is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks "Universal Truth" and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It includes aspects of Occultism, astrology, esotericism, metaphysics, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature. New Age spirituality is characterized by an individual approach to spiritual practices and philosophies, and the rejection of religious doctrine and dogma. 

coincidentally, after leaving the bookstore, i ran into jamba juice for lunch and there was a professionally dressed, 40-something woman in line with fangs.  i must be getting old, because i just didn't think it was cool.  i used to think anything different was cool, but i can't wrap my head around why someone would do that, although some would argue it's no worse than a tattoo.   but is this vampire thing/subculture gaining more popularity just because of some hot dude ala twilight?  i have not read the books or seen the movies, but i have some friends who are 'twi-tards'.  they may want edward to suck on their neck, but they aren't taking it so serious as to want to have the dentist install gigantic canine teeth.  of course, my era of vampire movies is george hamilton in love at first bite, speaking of cheesy.

so, growing up means growing close minded?  i'm good with new age, but not with vampires?  don't tell my mom.  she'd probably be proud.

can't sit still - don't make me.

i am in downtown seattle for a training class - advanced dimensional modeling.  the instructor is engaging, funny and knowledgeable, which is great for a geek class - doesn't happen often.  she reminded me of meryl streep in her speech and mannerisms. 

i decided to put myself in the front row, so i would stay focused.  i did, however, choose front row next to the window. so i kinda screwed myself on the focus thing. especially since there was a shoe store within view on this bustling downtown street! 

a customer here at my current job once said, 'You have way too much personality to work in a stuffy office environment.  It must be really hard for you!'   boy, was he right.   i do like to interact with (most) people and gosh darnit, why shouldn't we have some fun at work?  i tried to find a balance in my training class, as i was having to sit still and pay attention for multiple days.  i made some acquaintances and had someone to share a knowing smile with when the instructor made a faux pas.  (like when she mentioned a student named virginia splooge!)  there was also a grand piano in the lobby of the conference center and i had to make a concerted (get it?  concerted?) effort to not sit down and play.  shameless, but harmless, as my friend lynn says......

seattle has quite a diverse population, which is evident in my class of 35 attendees.  i have met (and lunched with) fellow data geeks from india, ireland, russia, norway,  poland, great britain, canada and china.  one classmates nametag read 'Ole Tom'.  i asked him if it was ol' tom or ole'! tom.  turns out it was neither - more like olly, but he was amused by ole! tom, which some spanish flair hand movements.  there was another gentleman in class by the name of jasper and he looked like a jasper (see bad drawing to right - he was really much more distinguished looking than i could depict).

at the end of the day i found an unsuspecting geek/partner in crime to accompany me to le diner.  we had a most lovely french gastronomic experience at le pichet.  on the way to the restaurant, a fairly 'normal' looking young man approached me with arms wide open.  i looked at him and said 'hug?' and he said 'yes please', so we exchanged hugs and toothy smiles for making such a random friendly connection with a fellow being. 

i managed to stay mostly on task today, but i look forward to what tomorrow brings me in seattle!

oh, the humanity!

i checked in online for my flight to seattle from denver and printed my boarding pass. 17C - not bad! not bad for a normal sized airplane. but my flight ended up being on a mini-plane - 4 seats across - 2 each side and row 17 = back row. you know, the very upright seats that don't recline? in a movie theatre or a lecture, back row is good - you can make out or sneak out. but in a small aircraft you are trapped. right next to the only lavatory on the plane. no galley to provide a waiting area for passengers queued up to make their bladder gladder. no, just my airspace. um, excuse me, that's your ASS IN MY FACE! and what about the woman waiting for the bathroom with a maxi pad in hand. at least it was a fresh new pad, but maybe, stick that in your pocket while you are in public? i don't think anyone joined the mile high club on this flight - i'm pretty sure i would have known.



two other items of note about the back row - the flight attendant jump seat is in between the two aisle seats. meaning when she (or he) is strapped in, it's like you are in a middle seat. especially if the flight attendant is not a small person and she is wearing a lot of icky perfume. she was very nice and had a great smile, but no sympathy for us back row dwellers. also, i could have sworn we were on a prop plane. it is freaking LOUD back there! and my ipod battery was out of juice and there were no audio options on this plane. just the engine noise, the rattling of the loose overhead compartments and my citta vrtti.


my seatmate directly in front of me thought he'd use the 3 hour flight for a snooze, so he laid back into my lap. (am i the only one who only reclines one notch on the plane so as not to invade the space of the person behind me?) i thought about giving him a nice shoulder and scalp massage, but if i have to suffer thru this flight, then so should he! my sunglassed seatmate to my right, at the window, had a bottle of booze that she was trying to secretly nip on, but i was onto her. what do i care that she's a thrifty alcoholic, bringing her own, instead of paying $6 for a crappy cocktail.? drink up - no need to hide it. sharing is nice, too.


also in the row in front of me was a microsoft executive who was going thru hundreds of unread work emails on her laptop. i had a good view of her inbox and she didn't seem to appreciate some of the feedback her colleagues were providing on a presentation she put together. she was angrily pounding out responses. i'm glad i wasn't in the seat in front of her that was attached to her tray table. i'd like to add that all the emails she read were very professional and there was not one glimmer of personality or enthusiasm in any of them. not an exclamation point to be found.


catty corner to my seat were two french mademoiselles. they provided some cultural entertainment, as i tried to decipher their conversations. they played some cards (french playing cards are the same as you'll find in vegas - no translation necessary of suits and numbers). i found it interesting that one of the girls had an electronic book reader (like a kindle) and was reading a book in french. not sure why that surprised me. what also surprised, or rather, appalled me, was when both ladies whipped out fingernail files and proceeded to file their nails on the airplane! gross! i don't need to breathe in your discarded body particles! if you know me, you know i have a disdain for certain public grooming.


otherwise, my flight was uneventful, although we deplaned on the tarmac. in seattle. in the rain.


lastly, my rental car clerk hinted that she got off work at 11pm (wink wink) if i needed any ASSistance, which i suppose was flattering.


all was redeemed when i got to my hotel and my man had sent an absolutely gorgeous bouquet of gerbera daisies to my room (my favorite!) and when i spent the evening with friends whom i hadn't seen in a few years who prepared my a lovely dinner of oysters rockafeller, crab cakes and a salad of fresh greens that they picked from their garden immediately prior to putting them on my plate. it was a lovely way to reconnect with my people and with nature. the wine was quite nice, as well.


there's a lesson in this day. i'm sure i'll figure out what it is. oh wait - i think i just did. thank you.

i have a dream.....

I Have a Dream (excerpted from PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia by Rob Brezny)


I have a dream.

I have a dream that in the New World, there will be a new Bill of Rights. The first amendment will be, "Your daily wage is directly tied to the beauty and truth and love you provide."


I have a dream that in the New World, childbirth will be broadcast in prime time on a major TV network every night.


I have a dream that the New World will have exhilarationists, and they'll vastly outnumber the terrorists. The exhilarationists will be performance artists with a conscience ... charismatic improvisers who love to spring fun surprises. They'll commit unexpected interventions and unscheduled spectacles that delight hordes of strangers.


I have a dream that in the New World, we will add an eleventh commandment to the standard ten: Thou shalt not bore God.


I have a dream of a week-long annual holiday called the Bacchanalia. Work and business will be suspended so that all adults can explore their ripe mojo with frothy erotic experiments. Tenderly orgiastic marathons will rage unabated. Reverential ecstasy and grateful generosity will rule.


I have a dream that when anchormen report tragedies on their nightly TV shows, they'll break down and cry and let their emotions show. No more poker faces.


In the New World, you'll be a fascinating enigma worthy of a best-selling unauthorized biography and I'll be an inscrutable genius whose every move is packed with symbolic meaning -- and vice versa. That will be the law in the New World -- far different from the Old World, where schadenfreude is epidemic and your distinctive flair is supposed to make me feel worshipful or diminished.


I have a dream that in the New World, the word "asshole" will be a term of endearment rather than abuse. Plutocracy will be a felony. April Fool's Day will come once a month. There'll be scientific horoscopes and mystical logic. Every one of us will have at least one imaginary friend. Compassion will be an aphrodisiac.


In the New World, we'll launch an affirmative action program that ultimately makes most of us celebrities. Buddhist real estate developers will build a chain of sacred shopping centers in the heartland. The CEOs of the Fortune 500 companies will be required by law to enjoy once-a-week sessions with Jungian psychotherapists. Pioneers in artificial intelligence research will develop computers that can talk to God.


In the New World, same-sex marriages will be fully sanctioned, of course. But why stop there? We'll also legalize wedding bonds among threesomes, foursomes, fivesomes, and large groups of people who are in love with each other. I have a dream that we will expand the meaning of love beyond anything our ancestors imagined.


In the New World, our children will study singing and dancing and meditation and dream work with as much diligence as they now devote to math and science. They'll learn to see with their own eyes and think with their own minds and feel with their own hearts, studying those subjects as intently as they do spelling and grammar and social studies. Beginning in seventh grade, they'll get lessons in the art of creating successful intimate relationships. And we'll teach them why it's only fair that for the next 3,000 years we use "her" for the generic singular pronoun instead of "him."


I have a dream that we will take everything we need and give everything we have. We'll be both selfish altruists and generous braggarts, Llibertarian socialists and capitalist humanitarians. That'll be the law in the New World -- different from the Old World, where you can blindly serve your own interests or devote yourself to the needs of others, but not both.


I have a dream that in the New World, Oprah Winfrey will buy up all the Pizza Huts on the planet and convert them into a global network of menstrual huts, where for a few days each month, every one of us, men and women alike, can resign from the crazy-making 9–5 -- drop out and slow down, break trance and dive down into eternal time.


We will sleep eight and a half hours every night and practice our lucid dreams ... sing love songs from the future while soaking in long, hot baths ... feast on chocolate as we converse with the little voices in our heads ... research the difference between stupid suffering and wise suffering until we finally get it right . . . wear magic underwear made from eagle feathers, spider webs, and 100-year-old moss . . . and conjure up bigger, better, more original sins and wilder, wetter, more interesting problems.


In the New World, you'll kick your own ass and I'll wash my own brain. I'll be my own parents and you'll be your own wife. And vice versa. That'll be normal in the New World -- different from the Old World, where everyone except me is to blame for my ignorance and you call on everyone except yourself to give you what you need.


I'll push my own buttons and right my own wrongs. You'll wake yourself up and sing your own songs.


I'm the president now . . . and so are you. I am the Supreme Commander of the United Snakes of the Blooming HaHa . . . and so are you. And what we proclaim is that in the New World, we will love our neighbors as ourselves, even if our neighbors are jerks. We will never divide the world into us against them. We will search for the divine spark even in the people we most despise, and we will never dehumanize anyone, even those who dehumanize us.


I have a dream that sooner or later every one of us will become a well-rounded, highly skilled, incredibly rich master of rowdy bliss -- with lots of leisure time and an orgiastic feminist conscience.
 
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=72-1583941231-0