Oh, By the way!

Thought you should know this as well.

Court Denies GOP Appeal on Ohio Early Voting

The GOP is trying to use the courts once again to make sure that the election comes out in their favor.
As everyday passes McCain looses more ground in Ohio. The GOP is trying to stop early voters that register on the same day as they vote. Ohio is a state with an older conservative population of dwindling residents and these new voters are tending to be democratic. That would be a big problem for the GOP.

Also the pollsters are starting to understand that thier numbers may be off, they are not calling people who ONLY HAVE CELL PHONES. More and more households no longer have a land line and younger voters tend to not have land lines either.

Tuesday September 30th

GO SOX GO!

John Danks pitched a flawless game
Ken Griffey Jr. made one of the plays of the game in a throw out at home plate
Jim Thome homered the only run of the game
Bobby Jenks shut them down in the 9th

My Sox get to go to the playoffs. There is hope for the Windy City World Series. They have a lot to get through but they are the AL Central Division Champs. I am so very happy for a team that was not supposed to be a contending team this year.

Today was kind of a lost day for me. Had a hard time focusing on what I needed to get done! Tomorrow will be a better day for that I am sure. I did get some necessary things done today. But I need to be more focused for the next few weeks.

I find it hard to believe that tomorrow is the first of October. Holy Cannoli Batman, where has this year gone?

Please Read and Pass it on!

This is an important aspect of what we are about to face.

CANDIDATES' EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

With America facing historic debt, multiple war fronts, stumbling health
care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, skyrocketing
Federal spending, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc. etc., this is
an unusually critical election year. Let's look at the educational
background of the candidates and see what they bring to the job:

Obama:
Occidental College-Two years
Columbia University-B.A. political science with a specialization in
international relations
Harvard-Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden:
University of Delaware-B.A. in history and B.A. in political science
Syracuse University College of Law-Juris Doctor(J.D.)

McCain:
United States Naval Academy-Class rank 894 out of 899

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University-1 semester
North Idaho College-2 semesters-general study
University of Idaho-2 semesters journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College-1 semester
University of Idaho-3 semesters-B.A. in journalism

Monday September 29th

I want to congratulate the Peoples Republic of China for it’s first successful launch into outer space and their first space walk. I believe that the Chinese, like so many others, have been so influenced by William Shatner and Star Trek. All we have to do is see what symbolic icons from the world of Trek that they included into their nifty logo!


The Newest Residents of Tucson!










I have to say that I broke down and got myself a gift a few weeks ago. I truly wanted to be part of the "SK" team that was instituted by Cris and Gail. So, today, I received Uglydog…aka "SK" and I also got Bop-n-Beep. Now the great part of my day was when I opened another box from Gail today and I received my very own Ice Bat Uglydoll and Ice Bat Journal. This was such a really nice way to be greeted upon arriving home! Thanks gals, I had such a WONDERFUL time when you came to visit/play. I want you both to come back NOW! But, alas, Gail of off to France! Silly girl.

I continue to be bewildered by politics and this Bail Out. I found it amazing that the Republicans abandoned GWB and John McCain today. Yet the GOP professes total UNITY in the party. The de facto GOP leader came back to DC to make sure to get it right, yet when it comes down to it, he could not muster the votes necessary to pass the bill. I guess it would have been better had he NOT held a press conference to claim victory right before the Republicans abandoned ship on the vote because of a “nasty” speech by Nancy Pelosi? WOW, that’s country first for sure!

I still have a crush on Rachel Maddow and now I have to include Tina Fey.
These 2 have great wit and excellent timing! Well done ladies!!!
Thank you for the entertainment value of the year.

MY SOX ARE NOT OUT OF IT YET. An Alexei Ramirez Grand Slam in the 6th inning pulled the Sox to a 8 to 2 victory over Detroit. Tomorrow, the Brewers and the Soxs meet for a one game playoff for the division title. I need EVERYONE to perform the Vitruvian Pretzel move for my Sox. Well, just cross you fingers for me!

Sunday September 28th

Always a gentleman: Paul Newman 1925-2008
His life will be honored, his work admired, his generosity unquestioned and his loss will be mourned.

















Today was another long day. The show is over and I am ready to go home and get ready for class at my studio starting on Oct. 10th. If anyone wants to join in, I have 2 or 3 spots left. It promises to be a very fun time.

I got to watch brilliance of Tine Fey one more time. The spoof on the Palin/Couric interview was as good as the Palin/Clinton press conference. “Katie, I would like to use a lifeline” Oh, my….brilliance, pure brilliance. It seems that SNL is not letting anyone post the skit on YouTube. It is a shame but you can go to the SNL website and see it in it’s entirety. I would just like to have it on my computer for all of eternity.

My horoscope today is a great one.

You cannot change the past, so today if you are full of regrets, you just have to start getting comfortable with them, because there is no going back. The pain of what you did or did not do will fade with the passage of time, so look ahead. Make some plans with friends for a road trip and give yourself something to look forward to, something to take your mind off of the past. Your patience will get you through this time of life, and your hopefulness will prepare you for better times.

This is right up there with the Tao that I was reading!
Chapter 33
Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.

If you realize that you have enough,
you are truly rich.
If you stay in the center
and embrace death with your whole heart,
you will endure forever.

The end of the baseball season has had as many surprises as usual. The Mets had another year of blowing a lead in the division and being eliminated from the playoffs. My Chicago White Soxs live to play another day. We shall see. I would love a Windy City Series. Doesn’t get much more exciting than this! Looking forward to it!

Saturday Setember 27th

It has been a very long 2 days of show and I have one more left. UGH!

I want to introduce you all to NINJA CAT!
I saw this video over a week ago and I just about died laughing.



I have been pondering this Bail Out and I have a question!!!
Am I allowed to request a personal bailout?

This year alone I have traveled over 50,000 miles in trains, planes and automobiles for all of my assorted teaching jobs and exhibiting gigs. I have been gone from my home for almost one quarter of the year. (Not including the trip to China near the end of last year.)

Think of all of the fuel that I could have saved if I had just thought of this sooner?

I would no longer have to drive myself over 25,000 miles a year to attend shows.
I would not have to stand behind a booth for 8 hours or teach for 10 plus hours a day.
I would no longer have to spend hours trying to come up with the next thing I am going teach so I can stay one step ahead of everyone else.
I would no longer have to spend days of my life in airplane seats or stand in airport lines watching my belongings be rummaged through by strangers.

If I get a bailout I could actually not be tired.

I see this plan as a far worthier bail out than the one that we are faced with right and it is also much cheaper. Jill Wiseman has signed on to my plan and has generously donated a dollar to my plan. Thanks Jill!

I can just sit in my house, alone, take dollars from the bail out committee, fill orders for tools, kits, and books and be an Internet surfer, pool cleaning and weed puller. I would actually have more time for weed pulling! Interesting plan!!!

The problem that I see is that I would have to sit at home alone, not put myself out in the world, pull weeds, clean my pool, ask for money, play on the internet and not do anything substantive, I have decided that I may not actually want this bailout.

But I think I’ll keep Jill’s dollar all the same!

Even though I could use the rest and it has been a long year, I would miss my life and my friends! The idea of not being out in the world and interacting with those of my profession is a fate worse than weed pulling! I’ll live with the weeds and enjoy my friends to the fullest. They are a great group.

Enjoy Ninja Cat....I did!

Friday September 26th

Whew,
Here I sit in my hotel room in Providence, RI watching the debate.

I had a really long day yesterday. I was up at 3am to get ready for my early ass flight from Tucson to Providence. I never left the plane that I was on but we took off and landed 3 times. Jeez, it kind-a hurt a-lot, it really did. I have to say that the flight crew from Tucson was AWESOME! We played a really great game to pass some time.

Try this by ONLY using you brainpower. Try not to sneak a peek at a map.
There are 9 states in our union that use only 4 letters of the alphabet to spell them out. Ohio is NOT one of the answers; Ohio only uses 3 letters. Name all 9 states. It took my about 15 minutes to figure out the nine states. It was nice to have to stretch my brain for a few minutes while. The last one was the hard one. I forgot about the middle of our nation for a few minutes.

I am rooming with the fantastic Susan Nestor and it is good to spend some time with her again. After the show today we had dinner with Steve from Pacific Silverworks and had some serious comfort food of Fish and Chips with a nice pint of Ale to wash it down with. Yummy!!!!!!

So today was WET! The Tropical Storm Kyle, is churning up the weather around here and it has rained since late last night and I am feeling a bit soggy.

Now, I am sorry to say that I could not be more offended than I was when I listened to portions of the Palin/Couric interview. The entire response about travel abroad was the epitome of self-righteous Reverse Elitism that I have ever heard. There is nothing humorous, or endearing about someone who thinks that seeing and understanding how the world works is only available to those whose parents “give” them a passport and backpack. I have been fortunate in the fact that my profession has paid for me to travel this country, travel in Europe and the Mediterranean, paid for me to live in Brazil for 4 months and to work in China for 7 days.

(Now, to be honest, I did not get to see any of China. I only knew I was in China because I looked out my hotel room the first morning I was in Hong Kong and saw a Junk floating by. I could have been in any major harbor city but by god, I have a work permit for China pasted in my passport.)

I did not have to accept any of those jobs and the majority of them did not pay all that great, but I realized that by working my ass of for a few weeks I would get the opportunity to see the pyramids of Giza, walk among the ruins of the Parthenon and in Pompeii. My desire to know more about the world ad my thirst to experience other cultures far outweighed my thought the financial gain. Nothing could have ever made me turn away from that responsibility.

I despise the lowering of our expectations, I do not want to have a beer with my president, I want the person that I elect to have a higher level of education that a "C" average. I do not want an average person in charge; I want an above average person to lead us back to a place where we were looked up to and were held to a higher standard than average. It is imperative!

Razzle Dazzle 'Em John! It's Shock and Awe Time

In my best Micky Rooney Voice

~ Hey Everybody I'm Wanna Run for President!~

Hey Everybody! ~ Let’s nominate an unqualified woman in the name of change
Wait, I've got it! ~ Let’s delay the GOP convention in the name of disaster relief
No, No Here it is! ~ Let’s stop campaigning in the name of Bi-Partisan legislation
This is it really! ~ Let’s delay the debate in the name of a 9/11 style crisis

Do I have a song for you John McCain!


Give 'em the old razzle dazzle - Razzle dazzle 'em
Give 'em act with lots of flash in it - And the reaction will be passionate
Give 'em the old hocus pocus - Bread and feather 'em
How can they see with sequins in their eyes?
What if your hinges all are rusting? - What if, in fact, you're just disgusting ?
Razzle dazzle 'em - And they'll never catch wise!

Give 'em the old razzle dazzle - Razzle dazzle 'em
Give 'em a show that's so splendiferous - Row after row will grow vociferous
Give 'em the old flim flam flummox - Fool and fracture 'em
How can they hear the truth above the roar?
Throw 'em a fake and a finagle - They'll never know you're just a bagel,
Razzle dazzle 'em - And they'll beg you for more!

Give 'em the old razzle dazzle - Razzle dazzle 'em
Back since the days of old Methuselah - Everyone loves the big bambooz-a-ler
Give 'em the old three ring circus - Stun and stagger 'em
When you're in trouble, go into your dance - Though you are stiffer than a girder
They let ya get away with a murder
Razzle dazzle 'em - And you've got a romance

Give 'em the old Razzle dazzle - Razzle dazzle 'em
Give 'em an act that's unassailable - They'll wait a year 'til your available!
Give 'em the old Double whammy - Daze and dizzy 'em
Show 'em the first rate sorcerer you are - Long as you keep 'em way off balance
How can they spot you got no talents?
Razzle dazzle 'em - Razzle dazzle 'em - Razzle dazzle 'em
And they'll make you a star!

Tuesday setember 23rd

Patty Griffin
I Don't Ever Give Up!

Song Lyrics

Tao Te Ching
Chapter 35

She who is centered in the Tao
can go where she wishes, without danger.
She perceives the universal harmony,
even amid great pain,
because she has found peace in her heart.

Music or smell of good cooking
may make people stop an enjoy.
But the words that point to the Tao
seem monotonous and without flavor.
When you look for it, there is nothing to see.
When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear.
When you use it, it is inexhaustible.

I have a huge crush on Rachel Maddow. Her new show on MSNBC is very funny and she LOVES to point out the inconsistencies. Oh, like Mccain’s main advisor being on Freddie Mac’s Pay Roll till last month to the tune of 15k a month! Before that his salary was 30k a month. HA! What about the fact that Carly Fiorina, who is on McCain’s pay roll was a recipient of over 40 million for HER golden Parachute exit of Hewlett-Packard~! She WAS FIRED!!! And cost the company 20,000 jobs. Hello? Are we new? Or cant’ we answer the CLUE PHONE when it is ringing off of the F-ing hook!

And my favorite!!! Let’s get our VP some street cred on the international scene. Set her up for a day at the UN but NO ONE CAN TALK TO HER!!!! I love the fact that the media staged a revolt and said that the GOP would not get ANY COVERAGE if the reporters were not allowed in the room. I am sick and tired of the GOP hiding Palin behind their petticoats. She is an idiot and is more Right Wing than McCain could ever dream of being. She is dangerous! Dear God! How can this be ignored any longer!

So, on to other issues! Ah. I got my bifocals and I have decided to try to get used to them as my day-to-day work glasses. If I am outside doing yard work or something that does not require close-up as well as distance vision I will keep my regular single scrip lenses for that. I will try them out this weekend as I travel and have no desire to carry another pair of glasses. Here’s to becoming 45 in 35. I cannot believe that I will be 45 in 35 days. WOW! I remember when I thought that 45 was so bloody OLD! I still fell pretty young! I may creak a bit in the mornings, but once I get going I am still pretty damn good!

I got 3 hours of yard work done this morning. It is a never ending battle that I understand that I have NO chance of winning. Well I hope to keep the yard looking as good as I can. It takes time and I run short every day.

I have finally realized that I need a new view. I had chosen a path of enough is enough. But, It is the realization that I was an excuse. Each time there was a need to vent or to project frustration or anger, I was the target and since I have never had any voice or truly any desire to strike back, in some way it was logical. I had chosen to say enough months ago but it has been only in these past weeks that I truly realized that I was the way to avoid any real observations of the true reality.

Monday September 22nd.

It’s Monday and man is it Monday. I keep working and working and I feel as if it will not end. The day is beautiful and I am putting the finishing touches on 2 new sections for my web site. I am adding them to augment an article that I have in the December issue of B&B.

Going out to hear some music this evening and I am really looking forward to that. I have load to do and not enough time before I leave for RI to get it all done but I feel that I actually need a night out.

I flipped between the Emmys and the Yankees game last night and I have to say that the ball game was much more entertaining than the awful Emmy show. There were good ideas that with rehearsal could have been actually funny. I mean the Laugh-In portion should have brought down the house but the timing was just atrocious.
For me the highlight was Josh Groban! He was brilliant! Check it out.

The political news just makes me choke. I watched the news this morning as John McCain LIED to the interviewers face about NOT knowing about one of his top advisers 20 plus Million Dollar Golden Parachute? God! I cannot believe unmitigated nerve to think that the public would not notice that HE IS LYING TO US AGAIN? Please could someone make him stop lying? I am insulted to the very core of my being. I am counting the days till we as a country make this machine stop and to start with a clean slate. I truly believe that there are many in the world that will give is a “Mulligan” and let us fix the mess that has been perpetrated on so many.

Now, me watching the news is a relatively new thing. I totally stopped watching the news when I could no longer stand to hear the voice of the “man” that is in the oval office right now. Once I saw a light at the end of the tunnel I thought that I might give it a try. I still MUTE that voice but I try to listen to the rest. Keith Olberman, and Rachel Maddow are keeping me interested and amused. We are left with 120 days of an administration that has done everything in its power to destroy our country. I am pleased that the end is so close at hand.

Sunday September 21st

Oh, October here we come! - Let the Games Begin.

I am jumping out of my skin these days. I cannot wait for the October. I anxiously await the start of post season to start. It has been an exciting year for MLB this year. Trades that I would never have dreamed of. Players that had been given up for over the hill, finding new homes and re-creating their careers and becoming the corner stone of experience for their new teams. Surprises and Heart Break, that is what the game can bring to its fans. I am keeping hourly tabs on the ever changing close races; divisional leads grow or diminish daily and the final grasp for a playoff birth as the wildcard spot in each league is contested for.

It does not look good for my D-Back this year, the Dodgers do not seem to want to give up their 3.5 game lead in the NL West. I cannot blame them. In some satisfactory twist of fate, Joe Torre deserves to take the Dodgers to the Post season as the Yankees finish in the middle of their division nine games off of the pace.

My White Sox are hanging on with a 2.5 lead over Minnesota. And to have an all Chicago World Series would be absolutely beyond awesome since it has been 100 years since the Cubs have made it to the Fall Classic. I have NO love for Boston at all and am afraid that they will end up with the wild card for the AL. That is always dangerous for sure.

Being the die-hard Reds fan that I am I CANOT let the Phillies take the NL East and since I was living in NYC the year that the Miracle Mets of 1986 went all the way in some of the most amazing baseball I have ever seen. I will root for the Mets to pull through. They tanked HARD last year and I wish that on no team two years in a row.

I know that you all lived through my spring training moments this year and I am sad to say that I only got to one game this year. Totally unacceptable in every regard! If I could find a way to get to Chicago the end of next week to take in a Sox game I would do it in a heartbeat.

I have NO love for the Yankees but the import of today is not lost on me. I will not claim to get all of the permutations of division leads but unless something amazing happens this is the last game that will be played in Yankee Stadium. I watched an ESPN special on everything amazing that has ever happened in the House that Ruth Built.

The trifecta of 2 of the Perfect Games pitched in that stadium was an aspect that I did not get till this afternoon.

The 5th game of the 1956 World Series; Yogi Bera caught Don Larson’s perfect game. It is the ONLY perfect game ever pitched in a World Series.

On Yogi Bear day in 1999, Yogi (#8) caught the ceremonial first pitch thrown by his friend Don Larson. The scheduled pitcher for the Yankees, David Cone, in front of Yogi and Don threw 88 pitches for another perfect game.

A perfect game: 27 up / 27 down
no hits,
no walks,
no errors
not a single player from the opposing team sets foot on base for that game.

Saturday September 20th

The Covering - Knight of Swords

The card in the Covering position highlights the important events, issues, attitudes or influences around the question or current situation.

This is a time when you need to use your intelligence to come up with new ideas and plan the best way forward from your current situation. Use your powers of persuasion by all means, but make sure you know what you are doing, and avoid being malicious or domineering.

Today has been such a beautiful warm, spectacularly sunny day.

I have laid out plans for some last minute projects around the yard before the end of the summer comes. I figured that a few one-day, simple projects might be required to keep my brain in top working order. Ever since I started working on the house I have had this idea about how to better water my plants from the pool water that I have to back wash in order to keep the filtration system working properly. I am going to get those parts tomorrow and at least lay out my idea. It should not be that hard.

I am also going to figure out the linear footage required to finish up my carport. I’ll call the local lumberyard and get a quote on that as well on Monday. That can be a 2 or 3 day project after I get back form RI.

I have started working on some new pieces for the Tucson show. I think that they will be nice. I am going to have a nice amount of finished pieces for the show as well as the usual stuff. I am pleased with the ides that I have percolating around in my head.

I started to pack up for RI. I get to spend some time with Susan Nestor! That will be wonderful indeed!

Tao Te Ching
Chapter 23

Express yourself completely,
then keep quite.
Be like to forces of nature:
when it blows, there is only wind;
when it rains, there is only rain;
when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.

If you open yourself to the Tao
you are at one with the Tao
and you can embody it completely.
If you open yourself to in sight,
you are at one with insight
and you can use it completely.
If you open yourself to loss,
you are at one with loss
and you can accept it completely.

Open yourself to the Tao,
then trust your natural responses;
and everything will fall into place.

EE Cummings – i carry your heart
i carry your heart with me
(i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it
(anywhere i go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me
is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate
(for you are my fate, my sweet)
i want no world
(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart

Friday September 19th

I was introduced to Patty Griffin the other day! Listen to...

Rain


I spent yesterday proofing an article that I was asked to submit for Bead & Buttons 15th anniversary issue. I spent days on the initial article and had received the proofs from my editor the day before yesterday. We went back and forth with several of my concerns and rewording things so that everyone would be happy. Last night, as I was going over the article for the billionth time it dawned on me that I had done a very poor job in the initial layout of the article and that the entire piece needed to be reorganized.

I spent the next 4 to 6 hours re-writing everything. I emailed the proposed changes to my editor late last night with a note asking that she not hate me and to please not take out a contract on me for being "difficult". I cannot tell you how gracious she has been and how understanding to my concerns. I am very pleased with the newest version and am looking forward to seeing the other artists’ submissions.

I am glad that yesterday is over and that I do not have to be in fear for my life!

It has been an extremely hard few days and they are days that I would prefer to have not had to go through. I am tired, tired to my very core, tired in my soul. I continue to be faced with unrelenting truths and simple facts and each of these are indisputable. It is a simple fact that there were realities that I believed in and I held each of these in the highest regard. Acknowledging that many of these realities have turned out to be unworthy is a hard fact to face. I am not talking about inferred innuendo, assumptions, notions or even the preponderance of evidence; I speak of real facts and real truths.

As in everything, I will say as loudly as I can and to any that will listen, no one is perfect and we each have to accept and acknowledge our own imperfections and our own culpability in the outcome of our lives. I believe, or at least I can say that I have honestly attempted to understand mine own. Those who can’t or even worse won’t delve deep enough to actually see the truth bewilder me. I do not understand how isolation and a refusal for real communication can lead to resolution, understanding and even actual healing.

Let's here it for Brad Pitt

Story Pulled From WashingtonPost.com

LOS ANGELES -- Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to fight California's November ballot initiative that would overturn the state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

It's the first time voters will be asked to ban same-sex marriage in a state where gay couples already have won the right to wed. Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts and California.

It's the first time voters will be asked to decide the issue in either California or Massachusetts _ the states where gays have won the right to wed.

"Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8," Pitt said Wednesday.

Trevor Neilson, Pitt's political and philanthropic adviser, told The Associated Press that Pitt was surprised that his colleagues in the entertainment industry had not donated more money to support the battle against Proposition 8.

Earlier in the week, Pitt and Angelina Jolie announced they donated $2 million to help fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in Ethiopia.

Wednesday September 17th.

"Oh, I’m sorry, is my back in the way of you knife?"

I absolutely love that saying; it conveys so much!

They say that timing is everything. I am here to tell you that timing is the only thing. I am here to let everyone know that the exaggeration of events can be timed in today’s society. Even a time/date stamp on an email can exonerate or betray.

I have stated it on more than one occasion, real communication is the only way to solve issues and work out the real problems. Hiding behind walls, locked doors or the veil of cyberspace is the face that refuses to see the reality that is before them. Pointing fingers and making insinuations that have no merit and attempting a cloak and dagger approach of innuendo is the real face of cowardice.

It is prevalent in every aspect of life and society and I am tired of it. Very tired of it indeed.

There is a rule in lighting that holds more truth for me now than it ever did as a rule of physics.
•The angle if incidence equals the angle of reflection•
My personal definition: The more skewed a reality or truth is at its inception means that the actuality of that skewed reality or truth is all the more apparent in its review.

Truth is a very amazing thing. We, as humans, do tend to see what we want to see and make excuses to keep up pretense for our own justifications. Self-righteous indignation is a dangerous thing indeed. Here is the rub of it all. If the justification of the pretense keeps shifting; then the realization that that this personal truth is flawed must be acknowledged. Now here is the catch 22 for that statement. This acknowledgement requires that the flawed pretense actually must be look at and reviewed in the most honest way.

That is rarely or seldom done!

I have spent many months looking at my own list of justifications and I do try to realize my personal realities and my own views may not jive with others. That is why real, honest and in your face communications are essential in everything that occurs. Personal, Political, Professional, you name it. It is required! I have tried in these past months to be very honest about my own list and have tried to separate the wheat from the chaff.

So, I say to us all, do not hide from the realities that can frighten even when these realities can cause us pain. It is far better to face it and own it than to hide from it!

I asked a friend for an ear the other day and what I got was an earful. It was not what I wanted to hear, but it was what I needed to hear. My friend tried apologizing for the earful and all I told her was “thank you” for the kick in the ass that I needed and the reminder of who I am and who I desire to be.

Reality is a fragile thing. As fragile as the mirrors that we look into everyday.

Another equally good rule of physics: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Tuesday September 16th

William Blake - Auguries of Innocence

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

A Tibetan Sand Mandala


















~ An unexamined life is not worth living ~ Socrates
~ "Cogito, ergo sum" (Latin: "I think, therefore I am") ~ Descartes

There are such amazing and wonderful people in this world and for those I am grateful. But unfortunately, there are those in the world that are cruel and heartless beyond explanation.

My problem is that I tend to believe the best of a person and can be too stubborn to see the reality of the situation. If you tell me something I will believe it till I am shown that it cannot be believed; yet it can take me some real time to actually see the truth of a matter. You keep hoping you're wrong and every time something is done that screams to you that this situation is not good, you ignore it and every time something comes through and surprises you, the situation wins you all over again, and you lose that argument with yourself, that this situation is not for you.

In my eyes there is so little that is unforgivable and so much that can be understood from communication and compassion. These are two qualities that I hold in the highest regard and I find the most deplorable stand that a person can take is to deny real communication and to be devoid of compassion or to be so self involved that nothing matters but an invalidated sense of right and wrong.

There are always two sides to every story and every claim, understanding this is the essence of the examined and pondered life. Socrates and Descartes had it right that insight and self-exploration are the keys to a fulfilled existence.

Go ahead and see the trees as well as the forest and grow to be all that is possible and wonderful.

Monday September 15th

So, today was a productive day. I finished the very cumbersome task of re-doing the tools section on my website. As of this evening, my site is now entirely my own, all of the vestiges of the old site are now history. It took some time for these last 2 really big pages because there were about 45 to 50 images that needed to be re-done on top of everything else. Well all of the old crap that was taking up a great deal of room on my host site, confusing the daylights out of me, are now GONE!!!!! I am very pleased about this.

So, mom is doing well, is still in the dark, but doing well. A bunch of the neighbors got together this evening after dinner and made a campfire, roasted marshmallows and made S’mores. Some of these neighbors have not gotten together since my sister and I were kids. I find it amazing what will bring people together and what will pull them apart. The ebb and flow of lives constantly astounds me. What is it that makes people life long friends and what happens that is so horrible that will make someone just drop a connection. The fickle and unpredictable nature of the human being has been and will probably remain a mystery to me on many levels.

My big news for the day is that I got into The Whole Bead Show here in Tucson in February. I will be exhibiting in the ballroom with all of the awesome folks. Gail Crosman Moore, Andrea Guarino-Slemmons, Marilyn Berg of MB Imports, Steff Korsage, Bronwen Heilman and many more! This is the show that I have been hoping for. I am very pleased to be part of the crew in the ballroom.

This is BIG for me!!! Not only will I have workshops before and after the show but I will have a very nice booth with all of my new stuff out for exhibiting. I have 4 months, I GOT TO GET TO WORK...NOW!

Sunday Evening!

Ike hits Ohio.

It is hard to believe but the remains of TS Ike hit Dayton, Ohio and hits my mom hard. She calls to let me know that the winds are relay bad, 70 MPH bad, and that she has turned on her cell phone because the power is out. Then she call an hour later to tell me that 3 trees in the yard are down. I make her go out in the yard to see if the power lines to the house are cut and the tree has ripped them out of the house. It does not appear that there is damage to the house. An ancient Male Osage Orange Tree has fallen just feet from her bedroom, our neighbors have the female and the mess of all of the fruit!

This is my nightmare come to life. Ever since we lost my father, this is my nightmare. I can do Jack Shit from 2000 miles away and I am the one that gets it done. Well I am grateful for life long friends that live next door and have looked after mom for the past 2 ½ years.

She tells me it is a disaster and I have to remind her that this is just an inconvenience. Galveston and Texas are the disaster. This did not happen in the middle of the night with her in her bed and the tree falling into her bedroom. I am grateful for the powers that be and I am grateful for the friends that my mom has. They have been there for her ever since we lost my father. I wish I could do more for them other that just say thank you. But there it is, Thank You!

Sunday September 14th

Tina Fey RULES!
Oh my was she hit the nail on the head last night!
Very very funny stuff!





I have not experienced such a beautiful day in a very long time. Yesterday’s morning swim was magnificent and the sun was wonderfully warm. I wandered my yard for a very long time this morning in watching the birds at the feeder and the little tiny lizards run all over the place. Yesterday was a day to take notice of all if the little things that make life so beautiful. The trees have gone crazy this season and have had a great deal to drink.

The rains have been kind to my plants and they are thriving.








There are small little fuzzy things that are blooming in one of my trees, the cactus are flowering.







It took a long time to track down the butterfly that I saw fluttering around in the sun. I am pretty sure this is the dude! Looks just like him.

Meet the Junonia-Genoveva butterfly.






I had dinner out with amazing conversation and then off to a movie, Burn After Reading. The Coen brothers are as quirky as ever. There were a couple of plot turns that took me by surprise. All in all it was worth the Saturday night admission fee. The previews for several up coming movies look promising as well.

Today is another day of tasks that I really have no desire to tackle today, but I will! I just need to get to it and get-er-done. It is one of the things that I am actually good at. Once I got on task, I tend to go till I get it finished. At times I find it difficult to concentrate on one task when there is so much brewing in my head.

Well, I am going to go take a swim and get to it for the day. Enjoy your Sunday, I know that many out there are in the midst of some nasty weather as Ike travels east, be safe and keep dry and for those in the midwest...if the sky turns green...GO INSIDE!

Saturday September 13th

SNL News Update: Tina Fey will play Sarah Palin on SNL Tonight!
WATCH! I will for sure!
Have great weekend.
I have much to accomplish this weekend and am looking forward to a productive two days!

A tow truck with a great sense of humor in the face of it all!

What a night and what a morning! I got up after a restless 6 hours of sleep and went through my morning ritual of getting my Peets coffee, reading my favorite blogs, checking the news and reading my horoscope/tarot. This morning had been a deluge of fascinating reading & visual stimulus. Hope you find it a amusing and thought provoking as I do.

My Tarot - Byzant
The Root - Queen of Swords
The encouraging aspects of your situation at the moment have been brought about by being perceptive and fair to others, while keeping your cool and reading between the lines. More difficult aspects are likely to be the result of cruelty, deceit, unreliability or bitterness in yourself or others.

The Covering - Knight of Wands
This is a time when you need to act quickly and with strength, but you must be sure that your actions are fair and justified. Beware of any tendency towards aggressive or prejudiced acts. Consider your options, decide what you need to do, then just do it.

The Future - Queen of Wands
You are entering a time when you will be able to act on your feelings. You should strive to get in touch with what you truly feel, so that you will be able to apply this understanding. Be creative and adaptable, applying calm, persistent pressure rather than opting for an impetuous strike, and avoid any tendency towards vengeful or domineering acts.

Gina Gershon made me almost fall over this morning!

A Late Night Insight

The Covering - Nine of Wands: Resilience

The Nine of Wands indicates that this is a time to stand firm and hold on to what you have. This card brings the prospect of stability and the chance of recovery from past problems. Resilience in the face of difficulties will be rewarded with victory if you remain patient, and if times still seem hard then take heart that you have the inner resources you need to maintain your position and win through in the end. Though opportunities may be limited for now, so are the chances of falling back. Face events with confidence, as whatever is happening is happening for the best, and perseverance will bring you to prosperity.

The arrogance is amazing
The self-centered, self-righteous, self-serving, self-aggrandizing arrogance is truly amazing.
How on earth is it possible to be so unaware to truth?
How is it possible to be so blind to the reality of the situations that are so central?
To be able to live in ignorant bliss must be like living with a soft warm fuzzy blanket pulled over your eyes and not have to pay attention to the world as it actually is.
I think I might love to be able to live like that.
I think that I might enjoy not to have to be self-aware and believe all of the crap.
I guess if the lies are told so many times, the false becomes fact.
That is the only way that it can all be explained.

This is for everything and I mean everything that happened in the last 24 to 36 hours.

Palin: Believes the lies that she is being trained to mimic, and seems to believe that man walked with the dinosaurs 4000 years ago. I am not even going to go into the substantive points of the interview.
McCain: On The View today he looked intelligent women in the face, said the ads we true that he really believed that Obama WAS insulting Pailn. PLEASE.
Those who “Hunkered Down”: I want to personally thank you for putting the first responders in harms way with your stubborn persistence to stay behind.
All of it: It is truly unbelievable on every level.

I am not sure if it is right to be angry, but I am. Angry with every aspect of it all and to top it off, there will now have to be search and rescue operations as well as search and recovery operations. There was a story about a dog that was carried away because the owners of the dog tried to leave to late. Things like this make me so very angry, this and so much more.

I do not like being angry like this, it makes me feel petty and in some way I think I should be stronger than this.

Mmmmmmm, Interesting! No?

My horoscope for the week of Sept. 11th

It's Let It Go Week, Scorpio -- also known as Just Drop It Week. This is a fertile moment in your astrological cycle, a time when you'll be rewarded with a creative influx if you surrender your tight grip, give up your obsessive hold, and stop clinging to your hardened expectations. So I urge you to summon your most brazen vigor and get yourself as completely unstuck as you dare. And please keep in mind that this should be relaxing fun, not a worrisome ordeal.

Friday September 12th

Sept 8th 1900 Issac’s Storm
This is Galveston, TX after the worst natural disaster in out nations history - 7000 people died that night.
The similarities are eerie.













Explain please!
Here we are with all of this really impressive technological gear telling us that this storm is going to be HUGE. The message was clear: GET OUT OR FACE CERTAIN DEATH! What is ambiguous about that statement? And yet there are those that are going to HUNKER down in Galveston, and wait out the storm, but after they realize their mistake, they try to leave after being told NOT TO and then the Coast Guard has to go out in the storm, risk their lives, and save these ARROGANT PEOPLE! They have saved at least 125 stranded people from their flooded cars and have just now at 3pm PST pulled the helicopters back to safety. Less than ½ of Galveston’s population has left, I do not understand! What about CERTAIN DEATH is hard to comprehend.

My thoughts are with the crew of the Cypriot freighter Antalina, 22 are stranded on board after they lost power. The Coast Guard could not safely lower the hoist to evacuate the crew.






These are images from the coast and all of this is BEFORE the storm makes landfall





















I filed like a mad person today. The pile that had accumulated over the past weeks and dare I say maybe even several months, is all filed and sorted into the appropriate slots. I keep turning on the news to check on the latest information on Ike. It is such a scary time for everyone.

For Pure Fun!

Elizabeth & Scott sent this a few days ago and I about fell out of my chair.

Read before viewing video... enjoy!

Dear Geek Squad,
I recently purchased an HP Printer, and when I am in the room watching it,
it works perfectly. However, nearly every time I leave it unattended, the
papers come out wrinkled, sometimes even shredded, with blurred ink. If I
re-start the print job and baby-sit it, there are no problems. You can
imagine that this has been very frustrating, and I would appreciate one of
your technicians coming out to fix whatever the problem is.
Thank you,
Dave Larson

Dave,
Thank you for contacting the Geek Squad. As you know, one of our top
technicians was dispatched to investigate your printer problem. His initial
findings mirrored your experience, so he set up a hidden camera to document
what was causing the paper disruption. Please review the attached video,
and thanks again for your business. And for the laughs we all had upon
discovering the source of your problem.
Sincerely,
Mark Donaldson
Geek Squad

Thursday September 11th

Happy Birthday Jean!








Here we go! This image is for my very scientific friend Scott. This is me all day and any day that you need it. I saw it and thought of you and how you might giggle with me.

The Vitruvian pretzel.

Today is a day of remembrance. We all know exactly where we were and what we were doing when we found out what was happening. I was up early cleaning my house that morning because I was going to London and Paris for a 14-day vacation on the 14th of Sept. and I am a freak about having a clean house when I get home from a trip. I stood and stared for hours and watched in horror.

I do not know how many of you have ever meandered around NYC below Canal St. It is a maze and the towers were always there to give you a point of reference. I lived in NYC for over 7 years. I personally knew people that escaped the towers and I lost clients from my other profession that day. I did not get to go to Europe till that Christmas and was not fully aware of the reality of it till I got back from that return flight. When I went through Customs in NJ I was confronted with it full on for the first time. NJ has a full view of Manhattan from customs and immigration and when I saw the towers missing for the first time in person the reality of it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I do not know what to say about today other than we must remember those that were lost, those that responded and those that remain. The wounds are deep and the pain real. I have been reading that there are many that would like to have this day be a National Holiday. If that is the case then I can only say that we need to add December 7th to that list as well. We as a nation do remember and we honor all from those moments in our own personal ways and it is always in our national conscious.

My remembrance for this day stands in such drastic contrast to here and now. I am tired of being told that I have to live in a perpetual state of fear. It is time to look anew and to regain our standing in the world as the country to look to and to know that our values stand for something real. I am tired of scandals and cover-ups, I am tired of losing my civil liberties all in the name of national security and I am tired of having a government that believes the worst of its citizens. I so desire a new direction for our nation, one away from war and confrontation to a nation that is looked up to once again.

I have been looking long and hard at the entirety of my life over the past year and I have come to realize that no matter what, there are times that will remain with you forever. Those times mold you and make you who you are. I have my personal demons, we all do, and in some ways, those have kept me from being able to be a truly open human being. I have kept many of these moments to myself for a very long time and in doing so I demean the experience in some strange way. Each of those moments has been a major crossroads in my life and these have made me what I am. There are always ways for improvement and there is always the good to go with the “could have done better.” I have made some whoppers on both sides of the road. This has been a time of peeling back the layers of the onion and looking at each layer head on and learning from each experience. I will always contend that I have never meant to cause harm with malice and I have always loved with all of my heart to the very core of my soul. I stated that I am looking forward on a clear and honest path without distortion and with out excuses, owning my faults and seeing the truth where I could not before. It is a good path and a hard one but a crossroads that was a long time in arriving.

I want to let all of those that email while I am on this journey of self that it means the world to me to hear from all that are on similar journeys, we all know that we are of the human race. Have faith in the process.

Wednesday September 10th

Well, it has been quite a day of the tedious and necessary. I did it, I broke down and got a pair of glasses that will help me do my work better…I got bifocals. I cannot believe that I have taken that step. I guess the stupid option of wearing a pair of magnifying readers over my regular glasses just got old. They look nice and I got a wider than normal magnifying area so I can work better.

I got the new transformer for the lighting in and my electrician could not make it work. We both think that the transformer is actually bad. I will have to wait to wait till tomorrow morning. It is frustrating to think that the problem will be solved. I like working with him. I know just enough about the kind of wiring that he does and he explains it to me and asks me about the kind of work that I used to do. It is really nice to have that kind of tradesman.

More and more getting done, and at the same time more and more items are being checked off of lists. As each list gets smaller I feel that I am actually making headway and it feels good.

As the year continues I continue to really look closely at the path of my life. I see the path that I was on, the turns that I took and the that crossroads came up before me. Now, I see a path that lies before me and I am seeing a path that is clearer. For the first time in several years I am on an open and a truly honest path. No, hiding whom I am, no more of distorting realities to make excuses for my choices, the truth is the truth. They say that hindsight is 20/20 and it is true.

The Talking Heads - Psycho Killer


Here is the news story for the day. Can you believe that the leading news story if a Tag Line of a Republican book? “Lipstick on a Pig.” The false outrage is just one more road block and one more day to make sure that nothing of real substance is discussed or dealt with. One more day of the politics of avoidance by the Republicans who have sequestered the nominated VP for how many days? A party that will not let her speak on her own! McCain cannot fill a gas station parking lot with out her by his side with him standing in the back ground looking like yesterdays left overs. Who are we electing? I do not want an Alaskan Hockey Mom as the Vice President and the second in command. I am not electing a Hockey Mom VP and a President, I am electing a President and his choice of Vice President.

Listen to Matt Damon.

Tuesday September 9th

I have 2 slots left for my October Tucson Workshop and 2 slots left for December.
Come out and join in the fun. It promises to be a GREAT TIME!

Check out my 2009 dates!

What a whirlwind this week has been. I am taking this month to make sure that I have a full schedule next year and I have to say that I am ALMOST there. Booth contracts are all signed, sent in and paid for. Travel arrangements, hotel reservations and car rentals done! There is so much to think about this far in advance. I have even found a source for some of the things I need for Bead & Button as well as my classes for BeadFest. Those are ordered and on their way to me as I type.

Last night I added an event for the end of September. I am going to be exhibiting at The Whole Bead Show in Providence, RI. I had personal plans for that weekend that I actually put in my calendar incorrectly, so when I got an email yesterday that they still had an Artisan table available I jumped at the chance. So again, paperwork done, electrical forms done, airfare done, hotel reservations done!!! WHEW!

It was such a detail orientated night last night that all I dreamt of was missing my flight and not getting to the show that I had just added. Jeez! Now that was fun waking to that! NOT!

I also got the good news that I MAY, JUST MAY be getting that table I want to badly at The Whole Bead Show here during the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. I really hope that one comes through. It would be really nice to be able to do a show in my town and have NO expenses other and gas. Keep those fingers crossed for me, so far it seems to be working!

I am also going to have classes before and after the show here in my studio. It is gonna be a really fun time to come out and play.

Donna from Blackberry Beads sent me this link. I have not laughed this hard in a really long time! Thank you Miss Donna! It could not have come at a better time.

I am going to start painting my bedroom in the next few days as soon as I get the remaining paperwork out of my life! Wish me luck!

WHEW!

There is always a learning curve in life, after I started working on my website myself I did not understand one basic thing. I kept placing all of my images on the site with out realizing that if I placed them in a folder first and placed the image on the web page from that folder it would keep my website much more organized.
After I figured out that little golden nugget of wisdom the process of re-doing all 50 plus pages of my site did not sound like a very appealing task. Well…it is done! It took the better part of 5 hours but it is done and I can now saw that I actually understand how to do this task better in the future. ~Whew!~ I love to be this kind of organized and this actually makes me feel pretty good that I figured out how to do this without messing anything up.

I will never forget the first time I was introduced to this thing called the Internet. It was in the late 80’s and it blew my mind. Just realize what is now possible and what is at our fingertips almost instantaneously. Remember the change from dial-up to DSL. Think about our lives before ATM’s and before FedEx. Do you remember mimeograph machines? I love having all of this information at my beck and call. I know that my friend Scott owes much to the ability to access information and learn.

This illustrates in 3-D the actual domains and connections of the world wide web.





















"The Internet is not a thing, a place, a single technology, or a mode of governance. It is an agreement. "
John Gage, Director of Science, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sunday Sept. 7th

I could not have asked for a more delightful evening. Jane, Robin and Susan came over for dinner and an evening of relaxation and that is exactly what we had. As we ate out in my covered cabana we got to watch the lightning from a distant monsoon. It was a perfect evening and as always it is such a pleasure for me to cook for guests. As we watched the lighting I tried to explain the smell of a desert monsoon. I failed horribly. It is hard to describe the smell of the hot desert earth mixed with a breeze and hot rain. The conversation ran the gamut of so many topics I lost track half way through the evening. Robin is as funny as always and as irreverent. (in a good way)

I am busy at the tasks that are before me and I am going watch the conclusion to the Andy Murray vs. Rafael Nadal match this afternoon. The remains of TS Hannah interrupted the match yesterday in the third set and the women’s final was also postponed till this evening. I would personally love to see the men’s final between Murray and Federer.

Have a great Sunday and I hope that it is a beautiful where you are as it is here. It is a glorious 98º and the humidity is low and the pool is perfect.

This just made me laugh out loud!

Friday Sept. 5th.

Last night was last night. I did not watch the convention. I had enough. I read all of the news reports this morning ad got all caught up and everything that was said and all of my favorite bloggers. Even with the foul language The Rude Pundint has some very interesting insight, The Daily Koz is overwhelming with all of it details and threads but worth every ounce of energy. Even the mainstream media was all over the lack of substance. I am glad that it is now time for the real part to kick in. I await the debates and look forward to hearing real policy and real ideas.

I had a day full of paperwork and errands. I finished up wiring the rest of the lamps for my 3 Bell Jar fixtures, I stopped by the Bead Show that is at the convention center and made sure that Susan Nestor, Jane & Robin (Jane's Fibers & Beads) were all set for a relaxing BBQ tomorrow evening! Weary travelers always deserve a nice grilled steak with all of the fixin's. I look forward to an evening with the 3 of these awesome ladies. It is always a good time and I am sure that there will be a great deal of laughter involved.

This evening was a relaxing evening of poetry.

Ode to the Lemon
Pablo Neruda

From blossoms
released
by the moonlight,
from an
aroma of exasperated
love,
steeped in fragrance,
yellowness
drifted from the lemon tree,
and from its planetarium
lemons descended to the earth.

Tender yield!
The coasts,
the markets glowed
with light, with
unrefined gold;
we opened
two halves
of a miracle,
congealed acid
trickled
from the hemispheres
of a star,
the most intense liqueur
of nature,
unique, vivid,
concentrated,
born of the cool, fresh
lemon,
of its fragrant house,
its acid, secret symmetry.

Knives
sliced a small
cathedral
in the lemon,
the concealed apse, opened,
revealed acid stained glass,
drops
oozed topaz,
altars,
cool architecture.

So, when you hold
the hemisphere
of a cut lemon
above your plate,
you spill
a universe of gold,
a
yellow goblet
of miracles,
a fragrant nipple
of the earth's breast,
a ray of light that was made fruit,
the minute fire of a planet.

My thoughts from last night!

I just cannot understand!

I tried, I really tried. I lasted about 10 minutes until I got so mad that I had to go back to US Open Tennis. I have never seen more of a double standard that I witnessed over the last 24 hours.

Palin & GOP
Leave the family out of the news…Oh but wait, could you please show off the family in this photo Op of THE FAMILY with the boyfriend, greeting McCain in the tarmac?

GOP:
They praised GWB and his leadership over the past 8 years and yet they are bringing in a “MAVERICK” to shake things up????
You cannot have it both ways, choose your poison and drink it. Are you for the last 8 years 90% of the time? You have hogtied the “Maverick” you claim to adore. You spout the same rhetoric of your established base that let’s the richest get richer.

Campaign:
They kept Palin in a locked room for the past week and would not let the press talk to her. What do you expect the press to do? Just ignore her “on the record” policies to let her get her feet wet. Welcome to the real world, you have blasted inexperience yet you choose someone who governed a in a remote portion of our country that has NEVER played on the world stage.

Here is what I cannot fathom…Here is a party that has ALWAYS

• Given to the richest 1%
• Burdened the middle class to work harder
• Ignored education to the point where we as a nation are close to no longer mattering in the world
•Made health care something that is beyond the affordable grasp of many. People have to decide to eat or take their medication
• The GOP claims to cherish family values and morality, yet they support the most secretive and duplicitous President in our nations history that has taken our standing of always having the Moral high ground in the world to place of ridicule
• Rudy Giuliani spoke of the evils of the liberal press yet he played so well to them when he needed them. Hello to the Mayor of America!!!
•The GOP spoke to the Eastern Elite? I am sorry but how rich is John McCain? Is he not a REALLY RICH GUY?
• I know that the security of our Nation is imperative; I lived in NYC for to many years not to have been personally touched by the events of 9/11. But I am tired of the GOP having us live in a state of fear. They keep playing the 9/11 card as a way to keep our nation in a state of overwhelming dept and fear.
•From what I have read this morning, not once was plight of the middle class addressed, not once was the state of our education issues addresses, not once was the housing issues addressed, and not once was foreign policy issues addressed. All I heard was sarcasm, belittling community service, and disparaging the efforts of pulling yourself up to the height of the American Dream with hard work and effort and then giving back to the community that you came from.

Can someone explain to me what is so appealing here? Hey, I grew up in Ohio, a state in which the Republicans saved the farmers, but once I left Ohio to go to school, traveled around the world, witnessed the abject poverty in Cairo & Sao Paulo & San Pedro Sula, I lived in the cities like, NYC, Boston, San Francisco & Los Angeles, I could no longer ignore the disparity that is so real.

Can we please open our eyes to everything?
Can we please see the world around and lead by example again?