27 May 2010

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.

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

18 May 2010

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. 


16 May 2010

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.

04 May 2010

that about sums it up!

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

03 May 2010

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.