Baby Boomer Generation texting

Thank goodness for modern technology. On second thought, scratch that. Replace with the thought " Thank goodness older people are learning how to use modern technology to keep their children in the loop about their health".

If you aren't a person who has an aging baby boomer parent, consider yourself lucky. but if you are ( like I am), I am glad that I get picture text messages from my Mum letting me know that all went went at the Doctor's, with a little note updating me on the procedure and her current condition.

It might sound lame, but knowing they can do this gives me comfort that they can still communicate quickly with us. ( emergency or non-emergency, like bring a salad for Sunday dinner...)

Which is a big relief and one less worry to have.

Thanks for the picture text Mum.

Black Swan

Do you know what a ballerina puts their body through to perform at a high level?

Can you imagine the pain, the focus, the pressure?

Are you comfortable with your own sexuality? One wonders what that even means.....identity, exploration, love....orgasms.....

A life pursuit of perfection can lead to a split in consciousness. If you don't know what that means, look in the mirror to see the dichotomy of your own self. Accept what you see, don't be afraid. Embrace what you are, or at least what your mind hopes for your body to be.

You reach your climax, your goal you set for yourself in life, only to find that upon reaching your expectation your soul dies, is the pursuit worth the effort?

Winter sunsets

A friend reaches out to me today

just to see how I am.

The thoughtfulness warms me

and I realize, again, the power of kindness.

At the market, I smile at the Salvation Army volunteer

as my coins drop in the familiar red bucket.

We exchange pleasantries.

An old man drops some items outside,

and a women stops to help him gather what was lost.

He is so grateful.

The winter sunsets here are magical,

as is the wonder of this time of year.

the dolphin slaughter continues....

When I first heard about what was happening in Taiji, I was appalled. I spread the word about seeing The Cove, and told anyone who would listen about things they could do to help prevent this horrible animal slaughter.

One of those things people could do was boycott going to Sea World and similiar animal parks. Under the guise of studying these creatures, the parks are supporting slaughters such as the one in Taiji.

But my ranting and raving fell on deaf ears. My own family just recently returned from a trip to San Diego, which included going to Sea World.

I tried a new approach, a silent protest. I did not go with them, did not tell my niece and nephew about my feelings about Sea World. No preaching came from me. When I saw them after they returned, I politely asked them how it was, but with a melancholy heart.

I write this now as Ric Barry has a new post up on his blog about how the killing has returned to Taiji. I hope that with constant attention to this from people such as Ric and little bloggers as myself, we can make a difference.

Marcel the Shell

"Do you know what I use for a pen?....a pen, but it takes the whole family"

This could very well be some of the best one liners from a seashell ever.

Agree?

or maybe not.....

Ethiopian Chicken Stew...eventually

I wish that people would remember, really truly remember, what the fifth of November is all about.

Sadly they won't. They only see the most immediate of problems, and want only the most immediate of solutions.

Right or Wrong.

All of America is voting today. But for what? not the greater good.

but that is up to interpretation.

As is this vignette, and all of life, I suppose.

Harsh thoughts are preventing me from moving, cancelled a show I had tickets to last night.

Sat in a corner staring and waiting for answers.

maybe Sufjan would have been better....

or maybe not.

I made Doro Wat and thought of you

I wish you were here to share this with me.

Big Think

 All one can do is continue to articulate, read books, and write blogs expressing your point of view.
 

Joel Burns

The last few weeks having been very hard for me. The hatred stemming from the Westboro Baptist church, Christine O'Donnell's insanity, and finally, Mormon speaker Boyd Packer's talk to his members about how being gay is a person's choice and him telling people that they can change if they want to.

I'm all about equality for all people, and when such insidiousness gets vocalized from the above groups and gets blasted across our news media, it makes me so angry. How unfair to say that gay people in the armed forces deserve to get killed by the Taliban because God hates homosexuals. And for Mr. Packer to state that "being gay" is a choice just shows how obtuse he is, and for that matter, anymore that listens to him.

But when I first heard Forth Worth councilman Joel Burns, all that anger washed away. Not because I came to terms with people's irrationality and prejudiced fears, but because I know that anger is not the solution. Understanding is. Please watch, listen, and help to end this prejudice. People are dying.

Satire

 So what do you think of this bit of satire on our US economy situation?
 

Silents you can hear

I've never seen any production of Phantom of the Opera. Not the play, or movie, or book. Not that I haven't wanted to, just that opportunity hadn't presented itself. But that all changed last night when I decided to do something different on a Friday night and purchased a ticket to see Vox Lumiere - Phantom of the Opera.

The idea of this new production company is to combine artistic elements to create something new, and in that sense, they succeeded. The classic silent film plays on screen at the back of the stage, with images so profound and shocking you find yourself mesmerized.

The production though mixes in a Rock Opera atmosphere by having dancers choreograph modern scenes to try and relate Gaston Leroux's classic novel onto a modern stage. from beautiful musical scores depicting love lost, to speed metal music which sounded like Metallica, it all rocked.


This show kicks ass. The images and scenes from the silent film haunt me. Seeing Lon Chaney on film portraying the Phantom took my breath away. This show may not be for everyone, as was evident by the chairs that were empty as intermission ended, but those that left early missed a classic display of new art. Too bad losers.