Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Hmm, that makes sense

Cool website offers, among other things, a past life diagnosis. This is mine.

Your past life diagnosis:
I don't know how you feel about it, but you were male in your last earthly incarnation.You were born somewhere in the territory of modern South India around the year 1600. Your profession was that of a builder of roads, bridges and docks.

Your brief psychological profile in your past life:Person with huge energy, good in planning and supervising. If you were just garbage-man, you were chief garbage-man.

The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:You are bound to learn to understand other people and to meet all difficulties of life with a joyful heart. You should help others by bringing them a spirit of joy.
Do you remember now?

Monday, October 29, 2007

Kelsey's List

I took this from my friend Kelsey's blog. It is her list of things she has learned thus far in life. Very true, insightful, and moving. Thanks Kelsey! : )

Things I’ve Learned...
- No matter which path you choose to take in life, even if it is the wrong one, you will always end up right where you're supposed to be.


- If someone doesn't change the first time they say they're going to, chances are they aren't planning to at all.

- You can only get by on charm for so long. After a while, you better know something.

- Don't waste your time with fake friends. After a while, you will realize who the fake ones are. Once you do, move on.

- Never expect anything out of anyone. If you do, you will be let down the majority of the time. It's better to be pleasantly surprised.

- No matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.

- It's much easier to react than it is to think.

- Always leave loved ones with loving words, even when you're angry with them. It may be the last time you see them.

- You can always keep going long after you think you can't.

- Either you control your attitude or it controls you.

- Sometimes a good cry is all you need.

- Learning to forgive takes practice.

- There are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it.

- Sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

- Sometimes when you're angry you have the right to be angry but that doesn't give you the right to be cruel.

- No matter how much you care, some people just don't care back.

- Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've had.

- No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

- It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

- No matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

- Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are but we are responsible for who we become.

- It takes years to build up trust and only seconds to destroy it.

- It's not WHAT you have in your life but WHO you have in your life that counts.

- Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

- No matter how many friends you have, if you are their pillar you will feel lonely and lost at the times you need them the most.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Fire, Fire, Everywhere


Thankfully we are safe; there have been no mandatory evacuation orders issued in our area. This whole situation has been surreal. Something about these fires seems much different than any weather disaster that our modern technology is able to predict and track; they have a life of their own, and they destroy everything in their path. It seems as if Southern California is in need of mercy from mother nature.
Yesterday, near us, the sky was brilliant blue, but in the distance it was clouded with thick smoke. Today I was greeted by the smell of fire, and ashes falling from the sky.
Though the fires have all stayed about 8 to 10 miles away, outside, it is still hard to breathe. I have seen many people donning face masks to prevent adverse effects.
So, for people like me who still have a home and are not in immediate danger, human nature has taken over and we can be found gathering at lookout points to gawk and snap photos.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Camera Shy Lizard

I found this little lizard curled up in my garage yesterday. He was camera shy, so after I took a of couple pictures he scurried away. I am hoping he'll come back. :)

Friday, October 19, 2007

Moon Landing Donation to Kennesaw State University

Since graduating, from Kennesaw State University, in May, I haven’t been able to bring myself to change my homepage from the school’s site. I am pretty nostalgic when it comes to my alma mater, and I am always reading news about how the school is doing.

Today I read about a neat donation Kennesaw recently acquired from Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Moss Duke Jr., and thought I would share.

Duke donated a complete lunar module contingency checklist, a lunar rover map, and 20 Georgia state flags flown on board Apollo 16. His donation makes Kennesaw State University the first university library in the world to own a map and a complete checklist used on the lunar surface.

Pretty cool!! To read more about this check out the article.

Free Rice

Enhance your vocabulary for a good cause. This organization will donate 10 grains of rice for every word you get correct. Check it out. It's pretty fun.

www.freerice.com

Thursday, October 18, 2007




The Pacific Ocean at dusk. These photos speak for themselves.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Eye of the Tiger

This morning my walk was rainy and cold, but nice. My ipod decided to play Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor. I know, I know, cheesy theme song from Rocky III, but something about hearing it made me want to try boxing. Or maybe just watch a cool movie about a boxer making a comeback.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

My New Coffee House

After a while of searching, I found an amazing coffee house to take the place of Caribou. (my favorite spot to buy a $4 cup of coffee, which unfortunately doesn't have a location in San Diego)
My new coffee house is called It's a Grind. It is great; nice atmosphere and good coffee.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Children and Sticks..Not a Good Combo?

So, this morning while on my walk, I passed a women pushing her daughter in a stroller. The little girl was about three, and in her hand was a, long sharp, stick. She was playing with it like a magic wand. I cringed when I saw how dangerously close it was to her eyes. I assumed that the stick was a new acquisition and her mother had yet to notice it.

As I got closer to them, the girl flung the stick on the ground. And I thought...yes! problem solved. I was wrong. :( The women picked up THE STICK and handed right back to her THREE YEAR OLD daughter.

Typically, I am not a person that goes around critiquing people and their child rearing techniques, but come on Mom, can't you find a more sutiable toy than a long, pointy, dirty stick!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

The Beauty of a Male Ice Skater

The other day I watched a male ice skater practice his routine.

Much like a dancer, his movements were perfectly timed with the music, and he was extremely graceful.

As he glided across the ice, I watched his face; his expression was trance like. The skater seemed to be in a place of absolute content.

He continued, his body, twisting and turning, never faltering.

It was obvious. This was the calling he had been born for.

Celebrity Detox

Rosie O'Donnell has written a new book called Celebrity Detox. And I can't recommend it enough! I don't agree with most of Rosie's political views, but her attitude about life in general, and the way she lives her own life is inspiring.

I identify with her and her quest for what she calls yellow.

To quote from the book, "Yellow is my shorthand for real, for true, for beauty. Yellow means what is good with our world."

Read her book! It is wonderful and moving.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Coulter Shows Her True Colors

I have never been particularly enchanted with Ann Coulter. Sure, she can sometimes be amusing, but that's all she really has going for her. Let's just say I have never taken her too seriously.

Well, on Monday night Coulter proved everything she says should probably be taken with a grain of salt. As a guest on the CNBC show "The Big Idea" with Donny Deutsch she asserted that, Jews needed to be perfected and other intolerant nonsense. Here is the transcript to that part of their conversation:

COULTER: Well, OK, take the Republican National Convention. People were happy. They're Christian. They're tolerant. They defend America, they —

DEUTSCH: Christian — so we should be Christian? It would be better if we were all Christian?

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: We should all be Christian?

COULTER: Yes. Would you like to come to church with me, Donny?

DEUTSCH: So I should not be a Jew, I should be a Christian, and this would be a better place?

COULTER: Well, you could be a practicing Jew, but you're not.

DEUTSCH: I actually am. That's not true. I really am. But — so we would be better if we were — if people — if there were no Jews, no Buddhists —

COULTER: Whenever I'm harangued by —

DEUTSCH: — in this country? You can't believe that.

COULTER: — you know, liberals on diversity —

DEUTSCH: Here you go again.

COULTER: No, it's true. I give all of these speeches at megachurches across America, and the one thing that's really striking about it is how utterly, completely diverse they are, and completely unself-consciously. You walk past a mixed-race couple in New York, and it's like they have a chip on their shoulder. They're just waiting for somebody to say something, as if anybody would. And —

DEUTSCH: I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that at all. Maybe you have the chip looking at them. I see a lot of interracial couples, and I don't see any more or less chips there either way. That's erroneous.

COULTER: No. In fact, there was an entire "Seinfeld" episode about Elaine and her boyfriend dating because they wanted to be a mixed-race couple, so you're lying.

DEUTSCH: Oh, because of some "Seinfeld" episode? OK.

COULTER: But yeah, I think that's reflective of what's going on in the culture, but it is completely striking that at these huge megachurches — the idea that, you know, the more Christian you are, the less tolerant you would be is preposterous.

DEUTSCH: That isn't what I said, but you said I should not — we should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians, then, or —

COULTER: Yeah.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Well, it's a lot easier. It's kind of a fast track.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Yeah. You have to obey.

DEUTSCH: You can't possibly believe that.

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: You can't possibly — you're too educated, you can't — you're like my friend in —

COULTER: Do you know what Christianity is? We believe your religion, but you have to obey.

DEUTSCH: No, no, no, but I mean —

COULTER: We have the fast-track program.

DEUTSCH: Why don't I put you with the head of Iran? I mean, come on. You can't believe that.

COULTER: The head of Iran is not a Christian.

DEUTSCH: No, but in fact, "Let's wipe Israel" —

COULTER: I don't know if you've been paying attention.

DEUTSCH: "Let's wipe Israel off the earth." I mean, what, no Jews?

COULTER: No, we think — we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.

DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn't really say that, did you?

COULTER: Yes. That is what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws. We know we're all sinners —

DEUTSCH: In my old days, I would have argued — when you say something absurd like that, there's no —

COULTER: What's absurd?

DEUTSCH: Jews are going to be perfected. I'm going to go off and try to perfect myself —

COULTER: Well, that's what the New Testament says.

DEUTSCH: Ann Coulter, author of "If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans," and if Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I'm offended by that personally. And we'll have more "Big Idea" when we come back.
(BREAK)

DEUTSCH: Welcome back to "The Big Idea." During the break, Ann said she wanted to explain her last comment. So I'm going to give her a chance. So you don't think that was offensive?

COULTER: No. I'm sorry. It is not intended to be. I don't think you should take it that way, but that is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews. We believe the Old Testament. As you know from the Old Testament, God was constantly getting fed up with humans for not being able to, you know, live up to all the laws. What Christians believe — this is just a statement of what the New Testament is — is that that's why Christ came and died for our sins. Christians believe the Old Testament. You don't believe our testament.

DEUTSCH: You said — your exact words were, "Jews need to be perfected." Those are the words out of your mouth.

COULTER: No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is.

DEUTSCH: But that's what you said — don't you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic —

COULTER: No!

DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You're an educated woman. How do you not see that?

COULTER: That isn't hateful at all.

DEUTSCH: But that's even a scarier thought. OK —

COULTER: No, no, no, no, no. I don't want you being offended by this. This is what Christians consider themselves, because our testament is the continuation of your testament. You know that. So we think Jews go to heaven. I mean (Jerry) Falwell himself said that, but you have to follow laws. Ours is "Christ died for our sins." We consider ourselves perfected Christians. For me to say that for you to become a Christian is to become a perfected Christian is not offensive at all

Ok, so I am getting pretty sick of anti-semitism and closed mindedness. I know, I know, it has been going on for ages, literally, but that doesn't mean that the thought isn't nerve racking!

I have always been of the mindset to let people believe what they want to believe and stay out of their business. What is wrong with people having their own views. What one person feels is right should not be held in higher regard than another person's view. My way of thinking doesn't apply solely to religious beliefs; it can be applied to all aspects of life.

I think the world would run a lot smoother if people minded their own business and concentrated on their own issues. Come on! Just accept the fact that the world is a diverse place, humans have differing beliefs, and those beliefs are valid, relevant, and important to each holder.

Basically, Ann Coulter can be added to the list of extremists that can't be taken seriously.

I know that may sound hypocritical when looking at my previous statements, but I am not begrudging Coulter her view point. She is certainly entitled to her beliefs, but when she is criticizing others and their views, saying they need to be perfected and whatever else, that is not acceptable.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Tree of Heaven


These words touched me. Citizens of Milford CT wrote this, to their Tree of Heaven, after the old tree was destroyed by vandals.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Pancakes




I enjoy cooking, and I think I am pretty good at it too. One dish that I have been working on perfecting for years is pancakes. I never seem to get them quite right. Normally, they come out so burned that they are inedible, or not done enough. Well, (I know, kind of strange) I have always thought that having children and knowing how to make pancakes goes hand in hand. I was determined to learn how to make edible pancakes before having kids. And yesterday I finally did! So, I guess I can check one off of my am I ready for kids? list.

These are not mine, but
don't they look good?

Which Candidate Should I Vote For? Will a Calculator Decide? Probably Not.

I haven't decided which candidate to vote for in the next presidential election. I am sick of politics. And none of the people running strike me as very sincere about any of their convictions. Admittedly, I am a hard voter to please because I tend to sway to the left on social issues and to the right fiscally.

So, I was listening to talk radio the other day and a mention of this site came up http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html. It is a calculator that, after you plug in some information about your views, will tell you which candidate's views you are most aligned with.

My results came up with Rudy Giuliani in the top spot. Based on my answers it said my views were lined up with his 79.31 %.

That figure is probably correct, but I am really not impressed with Giuliani. He did clean up New York City, but really I think that is about all he has going for him.

Scary prospects for the next presidential election!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Attempt At A Real Blog

So I thought I would make an attempt to start a real blog. I have been MySpacing it for a while, and finally I came to the conclusion that I could use a more permanent creative outlet. We'll see if I can keep it up! :)