One a Day

A few days ago I decided to start posting an entry here every day for the next month.
It's all about quantity from here on out!

Today was full on sunny, after weeks of rain and gloomy skies. The girls begged me to take them hiking! So we drove down to Crane Creek Park and did the big loop, watching huge clouds roaming the sky. The creeks were all full and rushing noisily along. The air was scented with Bay Laurel, just coming into flower. The moss on the huge old oaks was lush and nearly fluorescent. What a beautiful day to be out.

Back home we finally took down the Christmas tree. Eden was very unhappy. I think she wanted to keep it up until Easter, but I was getting nervous about the fire hazard! It was very dry indeed. Karen and Bruce dropped by so that Zoe could spend the night with Eden and Bruce tuned up our old mandolin and began playing the sweetest songs on it! What an awesome treat. He also played Krista's resonator guitar while we tranced out. I like having musicians around!

Friday and Sugar

This year for Christmas the girls got rats. We'd got hold of a nice rat cage and had it outside on the back deck. Since we were all up way before dawn (not my idea) it wasn't until the very last present was being opened that India spied the cage through the glass door.
She and Eden were ecstatic and squealed and danced about. In the cage we'd placed photos of cute rats peering out. We rightly figured the girls would prefer to choose their own critters.
So the very next morning we drove off in search of young female rats. It took us three stores to track them down and there were only two to choose from! Must have been on everyone's list?
The rats we found were rather unusual. Both of them had curly whiskers and very soft fur. Friday's fur is a most unusual blue gray color. We've never seen that in a rat before. I think we really lucked out, as both of them are very good natured and sweet. The big surprise for me was how much I've enjoyed having them around. The girls are being very good about caring for them. I haven't had to change the cage once. Just feed them extra good treats (I feel like a proper grandparent).

Call Me Comrade

Well, I've joined the Green Smoothie Revolution. Pictured here is my first attempt on my own. Usually I just snag a glass full of whatever Krista comes up with (um....actually that might be the best idea....)
Anyhow, what you are seeing here is a blender full of kale, with some other greens tossed in, some stevia, a banana, a little maca powder and I don't remember what all else is in there.
It was a true "Shrek slurry", green and awful looking, but actually went down pretty good. The idea is to get your greens (well, a LOT of greens really) in a highly digestible format. Believe it or not there are a lot of folks doing this and reaping amazing health benefits.
To be honest, my revolutionary fervor isn't what it could be. I really don't mind drinking this stuff, but it's a chore to make it. No worries, I'll just lurk around the kitchen when Krista is making hers!

Total Eclipse of the Heart - Literal Version

Santana Shreds

I may have posted this before. Make sure and pee before watching this. You don't want to wet yourself laughing. Just in case you don't get it: someone has taken concert footage and dubbed their own music over it. Their own godawful music. I don't know why this is so funny. Maybe it's the self satisfied faces of the musicians? Hope you enjoy.

I'm Starting A Tapping Group!

My EFT practice has been going pretty well. I've got wonderful clients, I've been teaching free classes and spreading the "good news" about tapping. Now I'm starting up a weekly drop in group on Tuesday nights. I'm pretty excited by this--I love working with groups!
It may (or may not) take a while to really get going, but I'm committed to making it a reality. I've got a great conference room in my building to use--it used to be the parlor in this turn of the century house, and has a fireplace and bay windows--and ten thousand law books lining the walls.
Here's a link to the web page I made for the group. Wish me luck!

Cynical? Me?

Some months ago my friend Donna called me a cynic. I suppose I had been being excessively negative, ranting about something or other. I was inclined to feel hurt, until I realized I had absolutely no idea what the word actually means.

I took a poll then and there and no one else in the room seemed to know either. I decided to look it up when I got home and completely forgot all about it. Until a few minutes ago. Some mysterious inner timer went off in my brain and viola! I looked up a definition:

Cynic: a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view.

Nope. That's not me. I absolutely believe in altruism and the human potential for disinterested philanthropy and kindness. Duh. A cynic wouldn't have volunteered for the crisis hot line graveyard shift. So there, Donna!

But that got me wondering: what is the opposite of being cynical? I guess it's being naive. Blindly trusting people to do the right thing. Counting on others to be moral, ethical, loving and kind. In other words, not having a whole lot of experience yet.

My folks were a bit naive politically. They just couldn't (or wouldn't) believe that Ronald Reagan would "do something like that". 'Something like that' being the latest verified atrocity burning a hole in my ability to be proud of my country. I don't think I'm all that naive either. Especially not after working in group homes all those years.

Well, there's certainly a lot of room to be cynical about politics these days. Obama gave us some breathing space there, with his lovely promises and inspirational oratory. Was it all a lie? Today he asked for 33 billion dollars more for the war effort in Afghanistan. And, of course, we can't afford a public option.

The problem, as I see it, is that we've created monsters. Real monsters. They are devouring the very earth we live on, and they devour the souls of the people who serve them. And a lot of people serve them. When it comes to corporations, I am very cynical indeed.

You may disagree, but I believe that even the most twisted, cruel and criminally insane human being has some spark of the divine buried inside. But corporations are inhuman. They exist for one purpose and one purpose only: profits. And unless we can find a way to pull the plug, I reckon we're pretty much doomed.

But before Donna calls me fatalistic (though I like that rather better than being called cynical) I'll tell you this: I believe there is hope. People can awaken and have a change of heart. Even people who stoke the corporate furnaces. Even people who make their homes the corporate ladder of success.

Okay, call me naive, I can handle it.

Old Man Take A Look At My Life - Neil Young 1971

Happy New Year!