Hard Rock

Just thought that was a funny title for this picture. :)

I Am Grateful For Sunsets

For every afternoon in summer when I think surely I will die of heatstroke due to my western-facing windows and a condo without central air conditioning, I get the MOST AWESOME SUNSETS EVER in winter, and the ability to keep the drapes open for the entire thing, while the last rays warm my bedroom for the evening ahead.

(This pic was actually taken on my birthday, Dec 30, 2010, at Oceanside beach, but you get the idea. I am often too busy watching the sunset to take pics of each one!)

Happy Is A Flavor

The coffee is not the only reason I have allowed myself to be completely brainwashed by Starbucks.

Figuring Out This Twitter Thing

I consider myself somewhat of a geek and I feel I know more than the average bear about the computer and how it works, but I swear - I need to hire a teenager to explain how to update Twitter from my phone!

I Remember It To A Tee

I posted this as a response to a recent blog by Jason Mraz, but since it's such a good memory I'm posting it here as well. My apologies for the repeat to those of you who may have already read it in the comments of Freshness Factor Five Thousand.

My mom took me with her on a business trip to San Francisco when I was in 6th grade. It made quite an impression on me because it was the first time I was allowed to stay by myself (not even at home!) while she went to the office all day.

The Hyatt Regency in Embarcadero Center (i.e., the hotel we stayed at) is where I developed my love of jazz because there was a piano bar at the bottom of the atrium. I wasn't supposed to leave our room so when things got too boring, I would prop the door open in case Mom called on the phone, and I would stand just outside at the edge of the balcony that overlooked the atrium and listen to the notes float past me on their way to the top. I made up all kinds of scenarios in my head about being a princess in a tower, or a grand lady from 100 years ago on holiday as I listened to the music. My imagination was (is) limitless. Nowadays someone would've probably called the cops on mom for leaving me alone in a hotel at that age. Oh well, we do what we have to as single parents.

Anyway, Mom took me to a magic show one night at this little hole in the wall place. It was kind of late for a 6th grader and there were no other kids in the audience. The people on stage called themselves Asparagus Valley Cultural Society. Most of the comedy material went right over my head and by the end I think my mom was a little sheepish that she didn't know the show was NOT really for kids. I mean who woulda thought? Aren't all magic shows for kids? Even if they don't end until 11pm?

As an aside, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. When Katy was around 7 or 8, we were on a trip to Philadelphia. I took her to the movies to see Beavis & Butthead Do America. I knew it might have SOME jokes that went over her head, but I had NO IDEA what Beavis & Butthead were really all about. I mean, c'mon... it was ANIMATED! Aren't all cartoons for kids? And when they say "DO America" aren't they talking about a road trip?! haha But back to our story...

The Mystery of the Peking Snow Duck (which was actually a rabbit, as made obvious by the punchline "that's Snow Duck!" as the "peeking" rabbit is pulled from under a cloth) was the best trick since it was probably the only one I really got (comedy-wise - magic can be understood at any age :).

The magicians said they would be in the lobby after the show and I begged Mom to let us stay and meet them because I can never get enough magic. (Maybe that's where my groupie nature started!)

The big guy from on stage came out carrying a cage. He let me pet the rabbit and asked if I would like to stick pencils in its ears. (Weird, the things we remember.) I giggled and said no. He thanked us for coming to the show and gave me a green tshirt with their name and logo on the front. It was too big to wear, but I slept in it for years, and I still have it (and it fits now).

The best part of the story? Those magicians were Penn & Teller. :)

Picture was taken in 2008. Click HERE for an account of how Penn & Teller started out (and yes, Wier was still part of the act when I saw them in San Fran). I think it's SO ironic that they spent years performing in Philadelphia (where I grew up) but *I* saw them all the way across the country. Not the first time that's happened. I lived in Arizona for six years before moving to New Jersey. After I moved to New Jersey I started working for a company that was headquartered in Scottsdale, in the same building that I worked in while I lived in Arizona. Nothing like moving across the country to work for the people upstairs!

Winter in Paradise

A couple Sundays ago I was headed home on the 15* and I noticed the Jeep’s temperature gauge said 80°. In January. How awesome is Southern California? Yeah yeah, I know, global warming, but my mood was too high to let those thoughts take over this time. The farther I went, the warmer it got… 82°… 84°…

When it hit 85° I said forget that To Do list, I’m going to the beach. (“Forget” is so the f word I used!) How often do those days come in the middle of winter? Ok, maybe a little more frequently here than other places, but c’mon! EIGHTY-FIVE and SUNNY. Who wouldn’t go to the beach? I’m not sure which would’ve been more of a waste: shirking responsibility for play time or staying indoors when it’s that beautiful outside. I blame T.S. for egging me on.

Time you enjoyed wasting is not time wasted.
~T.S. Eliot

A left onto the 78 pointed me straight at the afternoon sun. I flipped through the iPod while cars swerved around me until Marley’s melodic beat filled the car. “Is this love is this love is this love is this love that I’m feelin...” Why yes, Bob, I believe it is.

Cruising along I glance at the sky to my left and I see this:

Taking that picture proved even more dangerous than searching for music, so when this appeared:

I actually pulled over on the median to snap the shot. The boys from Miramar must’ve been feeling the groove too. Either that, or God is using our Armed Forces to send us love notes. How ironic would THAT be?

Seriously tho, how awesome is San Diego? Where else do you get hearts in the sky on a gorgeous day?

It’s been months since I had a chat with Big Blue**, and I’ve missed her lots. She was beautifully clear in voice and visage, and left a looking glass for me on the sand so I could reflect on some thoughts as I walked.

Anyone that says there are no seasons here just doesn’t know how to see them. Even on this warm, sunny afternoon, the shoreline appeared greyer, and the water abandoned on the sand gave it a wintry expression. Not unfriendly, just different. A quiet countenance, as if Summer was sleeping.

You see that tall white chimney where land meets ocean in the pic below? I walked all the way there. (Click on the pic to expand so you can see better.)

Strolling along, I found many things. Individuality...

and community…

love…

and some rocky parts…

that led to traps long buried in my thinking.

Sometimes you CAN see the forest for the trees tho,

and once you find the stairway out, it’s easy to step through and close the gate on old patterns.

Then you find more love all around you.

Maybe even enough to transcend the rocky parts.

Someone mentioned there was a big game on that day, but I have no clue what the score was. (Later I heard the Chargers were out of the playoffs, so I guess the score was Us: Some; Them: More.)

Towards the end of my walk, I found proof that all rivers really do lead to the sea,

and even if you're left balancing on one leg, at least you’re standing. And you still have wings to fly.

I am amazed and lucky and grateful to live here. There is truly nothing like watching that big orange ball sink into the ocean and paint the sky, and know while you’re watching the light fade that it is sunrise for someone else.

What an awesome day.

*"The 15" is how Californians refer to the north-south highway that is Interstate 15 out here. All roads are "the" then the number. Not I-15 or Route 15, but "the 15." I'm assuming it evolved from "The Number 15 Freeway" or something of that nature. Etymology majors correct me if I'm wrong.

**Big Blue = the Pacific Ocean

Every Little Thing's Gonna Be Alright

Check this out - I bought this hibiscus at Home Depot when I first moved into the condo. It was in the 50% off section because it was half dead. Yes, I'm that much of a sucker for a rescue - even my plants are hardship cases! I've always wanted a hibiscus because I think the flowers are so beautiful. They make me think of Hawaii (even tho I haven't been there yet) and peaceful, happy people, and all the good things in the world. They attract hummingbirds too, and we have a lot of those around here. (Hummingbirds represent joy to the Native Americans.) I couldn't afford the full grown patio tree kind, but this one was only a few bucks and I figured, hey, they grow, right?

I gave it an elegant new pot and it's been living on the patio, just on the other side of the wall from Wilbur's cage. I haven't been out there to water the plants all weekend because of taking care of Wil, and pet sitting for a family in Vista. So today I go out there to give everyone a drink and there's this big beautiful bloom on my hibiscus!

I like to think this is Mother Nature's way of sending condolence flowers. It definitely made me smile and feel a bit better.

The Universe Snaps Back

Alternate Title if this was porn: A Sucky Story with a Happy Ending

(Can't wait to see what kind of automated Google ads THAT brings up!)

Last night, I sent email to two people on craigslist that each listed a vacuum for $25. One was in Oceanside, the other in San Marcos. The San Marcos vacuum was red and a little older (but not more than 5 years), and looked like your normal modern-day upright that uses a bag. The Oceanside vacuum was a cool lime green, rounded like a Dyson (read: newer), it was bagless (read: better for the environment), and I got attached to the idea that I would refer to it as "The Green Monster" in honor of the outfield wall at Fenway (for the baseball-impaired, Fenway is the home of the Boston Red Sox - Go Saux!). I even planned to get a team sticker for it.

San Marcos called me back first, but I really wanted the green one from Oceanside so I stalled with an excuse and told her I wanted to check out some reports on the performance of her model before committing to it - can I call her back in an hour? Sure, she says.

A couple hours later Oceanside calls and I arrange to go get The Green Monster. I'm under the gun because I have to meet my landlady in an hour, and it would take just about that long to get there and back. I go anyway, but first I call San Marcos and give a lame excuse about saving gas and ask if I could come by Sunday on my way to Encinitas? Sure, she says. I also told her that if someone else was interested don't wait for me - I didn't want to be unfair - but I honestly didn't think anyone else would inquire because it was an older model.

The Jeep sucked down an entire gallon of gas going to Oceanside, much like I inhaled an entire bottle of Bolthouse Hazelnut Latte, my newest addiction (trying to replace Starbucks; the Mocha Cappuccino and the Vanilla Chai also rock). The guy brings Big Green outside to show me and it's this tiny little thing that looks like no more than the stick vac I already have (and the stick vac ain't cuttin' it, which is why I'm looking for another vacuum). It was like expecting a roar and getting a yawn instead.

I swear, in the picture it looked like a standard size, but I've been fooled this way before. Pictures are worth 1000 words, but they don't provide actual measurements. (Remember that next time you're looking at naughty things on the internet. You know who you are.) I even asked on the phone how many amps it had and he said 12 (which was the truth), so I assumed it had to be full size. It was certainly as loud as a full size. You'd think something like that would come with matching lime green, noise-canceling ear covers like landscapers wear so you can eliminate dirt and debris in style! What stick vac is 12 amps? That's like putting a 2HP motor on a blender! Oh wait, they do that.

Despite him promising that it worked just like a regular full size vacuum I said no thanks, that I couldn't afford to take the chance that it doesn't do the job as well as I need it to. So disappointing. I really wanted a Big Green Sucking Machine. Not a Small Lean Might Get It Clean.

So I pull around the corner from his house and call San Marcos to say, "Hey! Guess what? I found out I'm closer to your area than I thought and I was wondering if I could come by now to take a look at the vac?" But oops... someone else called about it [read: she had another person interested already and since I sort of passed, she called them] and they were on their way over. Crap. I so totally deserved that.

She promised to call me back and let me know if the guy took it, but c'mon... $25 for a decent upright? And it's a guy coming to look - guys aren't that picky. That thing is SO gone.

I headed in the direction of San Marcos anyway, hoping she would call in the 15 minutes it took to get to the exit where I'd have to decide to continue on or turn to go home. She didn't call. I argued with myself that she would call - maybe I should just pull over and wait. No, I had to go home and meet the landlady. ::SIGH:: I took the exit to head north.

Good thing, because my cell phone never rang.

Two hours later my home line blurts out its anemic summons (a whole 'nother story) and it's San Marcos saying she's SO sorry she didn't contact me earlier but her cell mysteriously erased my number so she didn't have a way to call me back! Ouch. Ok, I deserved that one too.

She was very helpful though, suggesting I check out a yellow vacuum currently on sale at Target for only $50. She said she bought the same thing and it's working great. I thanked her for the tip and we said goodbye.

Moral of the story: if you keep pulling the Universe's rubber band, eventually it's going to snap back and sting you.

The happy ending to this story is that I went back to craigslist (if they ever go public, I have to buy stock!) and found another vac for only $15 that looks like it will do the job well. And this time I'm not fooling around. I made an appointment and I'll keep it, and unless something goes horribly wrong, I will own it for less than either of the other two. Even when the Universe slaps you, at least it will kiss it and make it better after.

Oh, and this Mighty Hoover is teal colored - not exactly a Green Monster, but hey, it matches the Jeep! And I'll call it Edgar, even though I don't think my grandfather (who shares the name) would appreciate that too much. I'll have to use the J in front when I'm around him.

So J. Edgar Hoover will be in charge of digging up dirt and busting the floors as Finally Being Intolerable. (::giggles at her own joke::)

~*~

In other news... I was cleaning out the pictures on my cell phone and realized there are many I took to post here, but I forgot all about them! So here is what I've been saving up for you, my fellow Planetary Peoples.

Take a look at the store hours on this sign and tell me what's wrong with this picture:

If there are two extra days available for only 99 cents each, someone PLEASE point me to that aisle, because I can't tell you how many times I would've gladly given my last two bucks for an extra 48 hours!

And speaking of signs: Go Semper Fi! ...or not.

While we're on the subject of heroes, did you know Jewish carpenters fall into that category? Yes, folks, you too can own the Jesus action figure! He's poseable! He's inspiring! He saves...

...you money! Available at Borders Book Store (no kidding). Cross not included. Mary Magdalene sold separately.

I've always said there were plenty of good prophets in our history, Jesus just had the best marketing.

(The Google ad algorithm is now having a melt down figuring out if it can list ads for porn and Christian products on the same page.)

Seriously though, I took this pic awhile back at Starbucks (sorry it's blurry) because I was thrilled to see two of my own heroes sharing space on the rack. Frank Sinatra and Jason Mraz. Both Fond of Hats. These guys are the best crooners ever to inhabit our fair planet:

And I had this pic on my phone too... the story behind this one is that every time I'd say organic food is better for you, Mark would scoff and say, "Boron's organic, but that's not good for you!" Well sir, apparently it is in select cases! :P

And this... this is why I'm here on the West coast... being here to witness scenes like this is what makes this place like paradise:

And this last one was also taken at the beach... apparently kicked off in a fit of joy: (Dane Cook fans will know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.)

I can't see a lone shoe lying anywhere now that I don't think of that line. God bless Dane Cook. He's one of the people that makes me laugh almost daily.

Dear Owner of This Shoe: Your property has been impounded by The Ocean. You can retrieve your missing footwear at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 4-6 months. Karma is the only form of payment accepted. Good luck.

Where Eagles Fly

Every time I drive around the area I live in, I am absolutely amazed by the beauty. I can't drink it in fast enough. I am SO LUCKY to live here! And it's always changing too - it still looks new and different to me even when I take the same road. People driving behind me must think I'm drunk the way I weave to the side because I'm paying more attention to the scenery than where I'm going.

Today I found myself with the hood pointed at the sky as I climbed to a house that was right out of the movies. It was a golden stucco with iron-scrolled balconies and fences, complete with a fountain in the courtyard. It was like the Southwest meets Tuscany or something. Incredibly beautiful. And the views... OMG! Had to be worth at least a couple million, especially considering the land it was sitting on. The drive up was not the first time around here that I was grateful to have a Jeep!

I was also thankful I had my camera with me this time. The pictures are nice, but they pale in comparison to the panoramic scenery I was inhaling with every Ooooo and Ahhhh. This is like living in Eden, but with coyotes. :D

Falling Off A Cliff - Part I

31 May 08

All my material things are finally on the truck and away from my current existence. It's kind of liberating. No, not kind of - VERY. And you know, if everything disappeared and I never saw any of it again, I think I would get over it pretty fast. Especially since it's all insured for replacement value anyway. I'll bet I couldn't even name half of what's in those boxes. The only thing I can think of that's not replaceable is my photos, which I probably should've packed in the Jeep, but too late now. Just a few loose ends to tie up, and I'm off to California.

Last one to leave NJ, turn off the lights, ok?

~*~

6 June 08

Okay, well I ended up leaving on Sunday (a day later than planned) because those loose ends took longer than anticipated to lock down. I'm happy to say that I only created ONE bag of trash, and a small pile of wood (dirty chinnie shelves), in this move. I think about the incredible mounds of stuff I see on the curbs of other people that are moving, and I'm damn proud of my one bag, even though I wish it could've been nothing at all.

I was late because I had to finish taking things where they needed to be so they wouldn't become trash. I sold, donated, or gave away half my possessions (or at least it seemed like half). I recycled everything plastic, glass, cardboard, paper, or otherwise that I could. I packed using my clothes to wrap breakables so I only used one box of packing paper (and that paper will be recycled for packing eBay items when I reach San Diego). All my boxes were recycled from other people's moves (and will be offered for free on craigslist in hopes they can be used again). The only thing I couldn't really avoid buying new was tape. Compared to others, I'd say the footprint from this move will be minimal. Yay me.

The night I left I only made it about 100 miles out to Drums, PA. Unfortunately the hotel where Mom reserved a room for me on her travel points wouldn't let my animals in and I had to leave them in the car overnight. Normally I would've never done that, but the temp was in the 50s, it was 2:30am, and I was exhausted. I mapped out a route for the next day, checked pet-friendly hotels for the following night, slept for only 2 1/2 hours, then took off again around dawn so the heat wouldn't kill everyone waiting in the car. I was SO tired, but I had adrenaline and eventually caffeine on my side. It was a shame I couldn't stay at the hotel longer because the room was really nice.

I drove 12 hours on Monday, about 600 miles, to the edge of Indianapolis. Mom called ahead to reserve a room at the Super 8, where the door goes directly into the room. Much easier to sneak animals in that way. The hotel turned out to be scary though: the neighborhood wasn't great, my white suburban ass was a minority among the other guests, and cops came by to investigate what I think was a potential drive-by at one point. Woo hoo. Nothing like adding a little element of danger. On the upside, it makes the story more interesting now that I'm safely away from there, and it was an opportunity to practice faith and staying present in the Now.

As I was trying to fall asleep that night, I thought about how amusing the contrast between the two rooms was. The first night it was a beautifully appointed suite with 12-foot ceilings, frig, nuker, coffee service, marble bathroom, etc. I wish I could've enjoyed it for longer. The Super 8 was down and dirty, but at least I knew the animals wouldn't die if I overslept. The Goldilocks analogy came to mind: this hotel was too beautiful, this hotel was too skanky, but maybe the next one would be just right. Haha

I woke up Tuesday morning kind of suddenly before the alarm even went off. I took a much-needed shower and while I was getting dressed I heard rumbling noises. At first I thought it was the people upstairs, but after a couple more times I drew back the curtain and sure enough, the sky was looking nasty and offering some very impressive lightning even though there was no rain yet. I was suddenly overcome with a panicky sense of urgency to get out of there. I skipped the hair drying and most of the makeup, threw everything back into bags haphazardly and loaded the car.

The rain was really coming down by the time I was on the road, but I had to stop on the far side of Indy and get gas because I skipped filling up the night before in the interest of safety. Since I was under a roof while the car sucked down breakfast, I took the opportunity to clean up the chinnie cages. I wanted to do it before I left the hotel, but I felt such a strong sense to get out of there I didn't take the time.

Back on the road the sky looked clearer, but when I called Mom to tell her I was on my way she said weather.com was reporting tornado warnings for the area I was driving in. She said there were two big storm cells and I was probably between them, but that I would probably drive out of it at the Indiana state line. I knew that was only 40 miles away. I was hoping if I went really fast maybe I would scoot between them without seeing the second cell. Fat chance.

Things got dark and ugly again in about 15 minutes and I really concentrated on creating a reality where my car, and all the ones around me, ended up safely on the sunny side. There were some truly ominous clouds swirling overhead. I dealt with some rain, but it wasn't too bad, and soon enough the white muted ceiling looked higher and much less threatening. I passed into Illinois shortly after, so I called Mom to tell her I thought I was out of the worst of it. She agreed after looking at the maps online, but my optimism was short-lived.

About 20 minutes later it started raining again and the wind picked up A LOT. It got bad fast. It was hard to keep the car on the road between being blown sideways myself and dodging the semis that were having the same trouble. I could barely see the lines even tho the windshield wipers were going as fast as possible. I looked to my right and the sky was green. On my left I could see the edge of the front, rolling black against the white light below, dripping wisps of clouds like Spanish moss. I've seen enough of the Weather Channel and heard enough from Katy, who has wanted to be a storm chaser since she was 8, to know this means a tornado is likely to form.

I did say this was going to be an adventure, but this wasn't quite what I had in mind.

Indiana is very flat and open, and I know if you're caught outside in this kind of weather, the safest place is under an overpass. I pulled under one to call Mom and have her check the maps again. She said there was definitely a red dot right over me. I weighed continuing forward against riding it out under the bridge, and decided I couldn't just sit there, so I pulled back onto the highway and did a lot of praying.

At one point I looked down and saw I was going 80 mph as I moved back over to the right lane after passing a big rig. To my surprise, a State Trooper shot past me on the left. I was so focused on just moving forward, I didn't even know he was behind me, but I don't think either one of us cared much that I was speeding. It felt like everyone around me was running for their lives. Perhaps we were. I still found the bright side though: I'd forgotten to clean my windshield when I got gas, and at least all the bugs were now history courtesy of Mother Nature's car wash.

Despite trying to keep it light, I was good and scared. I've never experienced extreme weather like that. It certainly gave me a greater appreciation for, and perspective on, Katrina survivors. I was literally shaking, my heart was pounding, and a million thoughts were vying for attention in my head. I was trying to formulate a plan of how I was going to save myself and six animals if it came to that, at the same time I was renouncing such negative thoughts. I was concentrating on staying in my lane, praying I would come out from under the cloud any second, and at the same time my brain is thinking, "Well, if it's true that whatever you're experiencing is what you need to be experiencing in that moment, then I guess the best thing is to just stay fully present." I dunno how you could NOT be fully present in that situation though. I was living moment to moment.

I did drive out of it in about 10 minutes. The good thing about really awful weather is that it's short-lived; I just didn't want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once I was sure Dorothy and Toto were not coming to get me, I couldn't resist taking some pictures even though they don't accurately portray the full wrath of what I drove through. I have to say surviving the storm cell left more of an impression on me than seeing the Grand Canyon years ago.

Anyone from the Great Plains states reading this is probably shaking their head going "Amateur!" I guess people get used to it or there wouldn't be such a population in the Midwest, but DAMN. I was grateful I will most likely never pass through there again.

~*~

8 June 08

I hear the Midwest and now some of the Northeast is STILL dealing with those storms I drove through. I'm glad to be safe here in the hills of New Mexico.

I arrived at my mother's house late last Wednesday night. It was another 700+ mile day that day, and I've never been more glad to see Albuquerque. I can't put my finger on why, but I've always loved that city. It feels like home. I wouldn't be surprised if I live there someday, but I know it will be far in the future! I'm not anxious to move again.

I had a lot of doubts about whether I was doing the right thing as I left NJ. I pushed them aside and told myself to stop being a pussy and just keep driving. As I left ABQ and headed up towards the Four Corners area where my mom lives, I experienced a wave of relief. It was the first time since last Sunday that I felt like 'Hey, this might work out afterall. Maybe I did make a good decision.'

My family has convinced me to stay and visit for a week before traveling on to San Diego. I'm anxious to get to the goal and find a place to feel settled again, but I'm trying hard to also learn to enjoy the journey and not just the destination. That's something I haven't been good at so far in this life.

Had a great visit with my aunt last night. She's the one that's taught me everything about Reiki and healing energies and things not of this realm. We talked for almost 8 hours and had no idea where the time went. Neither one of us is good at living by the clock anyway, so I'm not surprised.

Today we had a family dinner at my grandparents' house. I forgot how much I missed those from when we all lived in Arizona. Tomorrow we're visiting Durango, CO. I've been there before - it's an awesome little artsy mountain town - but it's been years. I'm hoping to get some good pics to share. You can actually see the Rockies from here on clear days - it's AMAZING. I still can't believe how big those mountains are every time I see them.

My Mac refuses to play nice with Mom's AirCard network (when you're this remote, that's the only net access you get besides dial-up!), so I haven't been online hardly at all. In some ways it's been super nice, and in others a bit annoying because I'm having a hard time getting email, updating the blog here, and checking the virtual places I normally haunt. The balance to those minor irritations though is the sky at night.

Oh. My. God.

You would not believe the stars out here. I wish I had a camera capable of taking a picture of this. (I tried with my little digital and of course it just came out black.) They go ALL the way to the horizon and you can even see the gauzy light of the Milky Way. I could look out at that all night. I feel so lucky, and so small. It's truly AWEsome.

More when I get to San Diego. We leave on Wednesday morning.

I can't upload pics to my server from here due to lack of FTP on the machine I'm using, so I'll try using Blogspot's pic thing, but if it doesn't work, then pics will be added properly once the Mac finds a network it doesn't hate again.

Suck It Up

A friend sent me this picture recently just because it was really cool. I dunno if it's a real thing or a good Photoshop job, but I had to share because it's so clever. It's the simple things that make me smile. (You'll probably have to look at the big picture to understand. I mean for the pic below, too. :)

In other coolness...

My purse has become a repository of paper pieces because I see bits of things I want to post all the time, so I write them down but then my day ends before I know it. So here are some of those scraps of thought from the bottom of my bag:

My Chinese fortune cookie the other night told me:

"Your heart will always make itself known through your words."

I hope so. :)

Part of the tag from one of my tees from ataraxiadesigns.com says:

Interpretation of the conceptual is as fundamental to the human experience as is our communication through language. Throughout the history of mankind language has created itself in many forms to symbolically represent that which we hope to express. It is always a process of unfolding... one thought after another.

...just as I unfold the language on my shirt so I can wear it. :)

Call me a lexiphile (yes, I know the word is actually logophile, but I like my word better) but I have a word-a-day calendar called Forgotten English and I saved this one from March 24:

chronogram - one of the simplest devices of the word-juggler, and as old as the Romans. It consists in selecting certain letters indicating a date from a name or an inscription on a tomb, an arch, or a medal, printing them larger than the others, and obtaining thereby a date which is regarded as an augury. In some chronograms only the initial letters are counted as forming the solutions to the puzzle, but in others all the characters used for Roman numerals are taken into account. History supplies many first-rate chronograms. In fact it was once the custom to strike medals with chronogramic sentences in which the date of the occasion commemorated was set forth by the letters selected. (Henry Reddall's Fact, Fancy, and Fable, 1889)

Death of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
Reddall included this example of a chronogram for Elizabeth:
"My Day Is Closed In Immortality. This is a 'perfect' chronogram because initials only are used to make up the date, [MDCIII] 1603."

Get it? Ok, my brain hurts now too. "Word-juggler" made me think of Mraz. Ha!

One more... My calendar at work has very nice verbage to go with the pictures each month. I thought it was very appropriate that this is what's on there for May:

Intention
We invent our surroundings to experience their inner nature and implications, to be empowered in ways not otherwise possible.

Intention begets change. Emotion empowers. Qi energizes and manifests our material realm.

Intention to wholeness invites in everything. Empty a space - more and more - until it is full and overflowing with the emptiness of immanence.

I would love for my surroundings to be overflowing with emptiness right about now. Moving always begets the question, how did I ever think I didn't have enough money? No one that poor has this much stuff!

The end of May is rushing up to meet me and I barely have anything packed, and still no truck lined up for California, but it's all good. Focus hasn't been my strong point here in the East, but somehow everything manages to get done. Do without doing, as the runes say.

It's only a Tuesday after all. I've only missed one thing so far.

Be The Change You Want To See

Yay for Earth Day! One of the things I'm looking forward to about being in San Diego is getting strange looks less often when I say I don't need a bag to carry my two items to the car. I mean seriously folks, you've got two hands and the car is usually less than 50 yards away. Do you really need a bag? I refuse bags almost everywhere I go because I either don't need one or I have my own anyway (the gigantic purse comes in handy there too). I could be misled, but from what I understand people in SD are much more conscientious (wow - Word didn't freak out so I must've spelled that right on the first try - go me) about recycling and environmental responsibility. It will be very nice to be around people like that for a change.

For Earth Day today I wore flip flops so I had no socks to put in the laundry, I let my hair air dry instead of using the hair dryer (and boy can you tell - flat and lifeless!), I refilled and recycled my water bottle, we had the windows open instead of the A/C or heat on, I walked to Starbucks instead of driving, I took my own mug (but the bastards were closed already when I got there - what Starbucks closes at 9pm?), I took my bag in with me at the grocery store and I bought local foods. Today was one of our days to work from home anyway, so that was cool too. Most of those things are actually just how I live my life, but today I was more aware of it. My worst offense for my carbon footprint is my Jeep's crappy gas mileage (but not nearly as bad as Mark's gas-guzzling Land Tank!), and my love of electronics. I guess a girl's gotta have some vices.

What did you do to celebrate Earth Day?

I'm off to read my book, feed my animals, and have a conversation with the stars before the Dreaming claims me. But since we're doing pictures in the mirror... here's mine:

For the curious, the card in front of my arm is the Reiki creed and it goes:

Just for today I will live the attitude of gratitude.
Just for today I will not anger.
Just for today I will not worry.
Just for today I will do my work honestly.
Just for today I will show love and respect for all living things.

Be here now. :)

The Only Time is Now

This is the coolest "watch" ever. I originally found it in the signals.com catalog, but it was way overpriced at $46. (No longer available as far as I know.) I'm glad I didn't buy it now as I'm weeding out all my things to reduce the material clutter, and I've found that showing people the picture/idea is even better than having the actual item because it takes up less space, costs less, creates less waste, and it's easier to share globally! :) Woohoo!

Winter Night at Pic du Midi

How incredible is this picture? It looks like something out of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. This is a real observatory though, it actually exists. Mark this on my list of places to see before I die.

That's Snow Honeycomb

I took this picture awhile ago when we got snow. I thought it made the coolest pattern on our back patio - it's never done that before. Unfortunately Jazz walked through it on her way out to pee, but her paw prints just add to the artwork I guess.

"I still wish on them stars above..."

I so wish I had a camera that could've captured the lunar eclipse tonight. It was AWESOME and for once our sky was totally clear. Truly an amazing night to look out from our respective places on Our Rock.

Edit to add: Click here for a fantastic picture of the eclipse from Astronomy Picture of the Day. I knew they wouldn't let me down!

Figuring there is some powerful energy going on tonight, I sat and wrote down my intentions for the next year next to my thank yous. As my mother always said: Decide, Define, Do.

Of course, you have to be careful what you wish for. When I moved into this new job as graphic designer last November they told me I should have an office with a door, but that there weren't enough in our area so I would have to wait until we moved. (They're shuffling everyone in our building right now because they closed branch offices and are moving people into headquarters.)

No problem. I waited. I thought about it. I was excited. I decided I was going to manifest it a little sooner (especially since it's rather loud where I sit now and sometimes hard to think).

We were recently shown the floor plan for the new area we're moving to and I found out I still don't get an office with a door. Not sure why, but whatever. I was disappointed, but only because I've never had an office with a door and I guess somewhere in the recesses of my mind I still attach some self worth to that even though I know better.

So I went upstairs yesterday to say hi to some of the people I used to work with as a project manager. The Powers That Be had reconfigured the row where my former cubicle was (and only that row - nothing else). Guess what? My old office now has a door. What else can I do but laugh? It was a good Cosmic Joke. :D