Most of live our lives following some sort of routine. I certainly do. Anyone who has a job or goes to school does. Some people like their lives to b laid out and structured and others like to shake things up a bit and break the routine. This weekend I have managed to break my routine and just enjoy life. I’ve still been doing work and studying for my massive history test on Monday, but at the same time I have been managing to enjoy my life while doing what must be done. Yesterday I came home, wrote a post, ate some cereal, then I decided that I would ditch art lessons this weekend just so that I could chill out a bit. Instead of going to art, I put up my Christmas tree. In my family, the tree always goes up in mid-November because my parents (being the owners of a toy business) are extremely busy at Christmas time. The tree goes up in 3 stages. The first stage I do on my own voluntarily, and it is by far the most tiring and tedious. Every year I blast some music and separate all the branches of the tree and about 3 hours later the tree will be assembled. Next, my parents and I string the lights around the tree. This process takes no more than half an hour. Finally my sisters come and my dad blasts Christmas carols while we drop and break put up the decorations. By the time the angel has been placed on the top of the tree, 5 hours have passed since I started. It may be tedious, but I love doing this job.

Once the tree was up, my parents sat with a glass of wine and my sisters ran inside while I stayed and just lay around. My dad ran out of Christmas songs eventually, so he just let his music play randomly. Soon after, Circle Of Life from The Lion King played and I was sent plunging into blissful memories of my childhood. Since then I have been listening to my favorite Disney songs from The Lion King, Tarzan, Brother Bear, and Pocahuntus. This has been a change in and of in itself from the more mature Coldplay, The Fray, and Paramore that I have been routinely listening to for months on end. As much as I love those bands I have noticed that this music from my childhood makes me so much more happy. I have literally been smiling for the last 24 hours!

I am so very relaxed right ow that you would never guess that I have spent the better part of the last 11 hours writing up 26 pages of history notes. It sounds crazy, but I accomplished it! I’m confident that my mood and motivation had a lot to do with it. Today has been a change from my usual Saturday procrastination epidemic, and I think I am happier than I have been since summer. I feel more at peace with the world and I am going to do my best to keep my mind this way!

From the day we arrive on the planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There’s more to see than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done

There’s far too much to take in here

More to find than can ever be found

But the sun rolling high Through the sapphire sky

Keeps great and small on the endless round

It’s the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the Circle

The Circle of Life

It’s the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the Circle

The Circle of Life

The other songs that I am going nuts over are:

• I Just Can’t Wait To be King (The Lion King)
• Can You Feel The Love Tonight? (The Lion King)
• Colours Of The Wind (Pocahuntus)
• You’ll Be In My Heart (Tarzan)
• Two Worlds (Tarzan)
• Take A Look Through My Eyes (Brother Bear)

Grab hold of your popcorn and strap yourselves into your seats because this week’s X Factor was like a real life horror film.

Stacey Solomon was up first, singing ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ from the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction, and I thought that she really came into her own this week.  Simon compared Stacey’s performance to ‘eating Chinese food’ and still being hungry afterwards, to this she replied: “I felt good.”  Chinese food?  What’s that all about?!  You tell him Stacey!

Olly Murs was next, singing ‘Twist and Shout’ from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  I also thought that Olly did well this week, although a small part of me would like to see him do something different from a jazzy number at some point.  Louis enjoyed the majority of Olly’s performance but added: “I wasn’t crazy about the silly dancing”.  Me neither, but apparently it’s in the film.

After being in the bottom two last week, Lloyd Daniels came back singing ‘Stand By Me’ from the film of the same name.  Despite the fact that he sang Sean Kingston’s version, I thought Lloyd did pretty well.  Dannii noticed that he had a tuning problem during his performance, but on the whole thought it was ‘nice’.

Jamie Archer was next and I was worried for him once more this week because Simon had changed his song again.  He was originally going to sing ‘Unchained Melody’ by U2, but thankfully his song was changed to ‘Crying’ by Roy Orbison, which was in a film called Gummo.  It was nice to see Jamie sing a ballad and put a rock slant on it, rather than sing a pure rock song.  Cheryl said: “Simon did you well changing the song because I think ‘Unchained Melody’ would have been absolutely disastrous for you”.  I agree!

Next was Lucie Jones, singing a song from Camp Rock called ‘This is Me’.  I’ve never seen this film, but thought the song sounded very autobiographical for Lucie.  Louis and Simon thought that this performance made her a strong competitor in the competition.

Then it was the turn of Danyl Johnson, who sang ‘Purple Rain’ from the film of the same name.  Danyl was back on form  this week and had a new haircut to match.  Dannii enjoyed the performance, but admitted she doesn’t like it when Danyl screams.  No – screaming is never good!

John and Edward were next up with the theme to the film ‘Ghostbusters’.  It sure was a visual spectacle and something you  would expect to see on a kids’ TV show.  Simon described their performance as ’sort of good’.  Yeah – I’d go with that.

Joe McElderry closed the show with the song ‘Circle of Life’ from The Lion King.  I thought Joe’s performance was a tad on the theatrical side, but good at the same time.  Dannii thought along the same lines and described his performance as ‘Les Mis mixed with Lion King’.

Blimey – don’t think I’ve ever seen so many films in such a short space of time!

The Results

On Sunday, after great performances from The Black Eyed Peas…

…and Leona Lewis…

…it was time for the most shocking bottom two result yet.  Lucie ended up in the danger zone along with John and Edward.  Simon had the deciding vote amongst the judges and he sent the vote to deadlock.  It seemed that he had changed his tune about the twins and shockingly, Lucie received less votes than them from the public.

What did you think about this week’s result?  It’s going to take me a few days to come to terms with it all!

Ciao for now!

On the subject of new beginnings(see prev post) approx 23 years ago(gulp)i met a little girl who was,  my then partners neice,i was welcomed into the family and along with her two brothers i enjoyed their minature company and even when i was nearly 9 months pregnant with their cousin and awoke one morning in their house to find myself pinned down by their 3 fast asleep,sprawling bodies on top of me as well as under me,all crammed into one fairly small double bed -i didn’t mind,it was the first place we went to,en route to the labour ward,to share our mad day ahead with them and say by the end of the day(a tad optimistic..)they would have a new playmate,they were delighted and hopefully he/she would have green or purple hair!!many,many years later that same dear sweet girl-Derry has this monday just gone through what i did and given birth to a little boy,i am over the moon for her,but god do i now feel old!!thanks derry,but seriously it may be a long time before i see him,i am no longer with her uncle,but hopefully still an aunt!!god bless you,and yours and CONGRATULATIONS

Each month author Lucy Harmer dedicates her journal entries to the theme of “transformative and inspirational living” – finding the fun, magic and laughter in everyday occurrences! She explores ideas, thoughts and quotes from her two books, Discovering Your Spirit Animal and Shamanic Astrology.

November 2009

Shamanic Astrology
Exploring the Personality of your Spirit Animal Sign

© Copyright 2009 Lucy Harmer

Last month in my journal (October 2009), I gave an overview of what Shamanic Astrology is. This month, I am going to explore the twelve spirit animal signs of the medicine wheel a little deeper, so that you can begin to discover the special qualities each sign possesses.

There are twelve astrological “signs” on the medicine wheel, which are represented by twelve different spirit animals. Shamanic Astrology teaches us that inner power derives from knowing the properties, characteristics, and qualities of each spirit animal (known as their “medicine”), and applying this in our own lives.

To get you started, here are some of the main strengths and weaknesses of each of the twelve spirit animals. It is really interesting to note that weaknesses are often just a mirror of our strengths and qualities. What we see as “weaknesses” can often be transformed into “strengths.” Take Falcon people, for example, whose “weaknesses” can be their tendency to be impulsive and headstrong. Transformed, these qualities become Falcon people’s strengths – their spontaneity and pioneering nature.

(If you are not sure which spirit animal sign you are, you can find out by looking your birthday up in the second table below – “Which animal sign are you?”)

Strengths and Weaknesses of the twelve spirit animal signs:

I always find it fascinating to look up the qualities of my friends, family and work colleagues. It is amazing how much their spirit animal sign can tell you about why they may behave in certain ways!

You can find out more about the personality of your own spirit animal and how you relate to the other signs, in my book Shamanic Astrology: Understanding Your Spirit Animal Sign. You can also discover the different spirit animal clans that you, your friends and family belong to, and your own special plant, stone, element, color and life path.

Which animal sign are you?
To find your spirit animal sign, just locate your birthday from the dates below, according to your place of birth. If you were born north of the equator (eg; USA, Canada, Europe), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Northern Hemisphere.” If you were born south of the equator (eg; Australia, New Zealand, South Africa), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Southern Hemisphere.”

This month, I wish you lots of fun and magic in exploring the strengths and qualities of your own spirit animal sign, and discovering those of your friends, family and work colleagues too!

Love and blessings,
Lucy

Shamanic Astrology is available for purchase directly through NorthAtlanticBooks.com, as well as major book stores and online retailers.

CLICK HERE to learn more about courses, seminars and workshops offered by Lucy Harmer.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Shamanic Astrology.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Discovering Your Spirit Animal.

So for the past 3 of my posts it has been about 2 girls from American Idol season 3. It was coincidence that I posted about them in sequence, but now I’m purposely doing this . Personally, it was the best season because the talent was exceptional. That was the season where Fantasia won the title, with other contestants like, Jennifer Hudson (woo!!), LaToya London, Jasmine Trias, Camile Velasco, Leah LaBelle, George Huff and so on. So this post will be a dedication to my favourite performances from that season (if I can remember all of them). Don’t get me wrong, other seasons have had spectacular moments, but I won’t get into that now otherwise I’ll be stuck here forever. So, let’s proceed!

This is in no particular order.

JHud singing Elton John’s Circle of life. That voice, my gawwwd!

JHud again singing I have Nothing by Whitney Houston.

…and again!! I really like this one..

Jasmine Trias singing Inseparable

Jasmine with I’ll never love this way again – I love Vonzell Solomon’s American Idol performance of this too!

LaToya London with All by myself

LaToya with Somewhere from the musical West Side Story

LaToya singing Don’t rain on my parade, Big band week

Leah LaBelle singing You keep me hanging on, sadly this was the last song she got to sing in the show.

Camile Velasco, One last cry by Brian McKnight. Love this

Camile singing Son of a Preacher man

Fantasia with Summertime. WOW!!!

Diana Degarmo 1st runner-up singing Don’t cry out loud

Diana singing Because you loved me

George Huff singing Against all odds. Loved this! I feel like I can reach out and touch his voice LOL

George Huff singing Dock of the bay.

This is when the Top 2, Fantasia and Diana sang with previous winners Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard – Impossible Dream. I really enjoyed watching this.

The incredibly emotional winning moment for Fantasia. The raw and true emotion is inspiring. Best winning moment throughout the seasons!!! Singing I Believe, Fantasia!! Sadly, by user request I am not allowed to embed this video so to watch this, click here.

Well. I’m sure I’ve missed some out, but I hope you enjoy. Wow this was kinda long hahaa! Given me some inspiration though, hmm what should I do? A cover, anyone??

Winter time brought the Qadir Ali Baig Theater festival to Hyderabad. And one of the plays that I could take time out to visit was Katha Collage directed by Naseeruddin Shah, a veteran in the Indian film industry with extensive art and theater experience.

Katha Collage is essentially a collection of 3 short stories by Premchand.. representative of contemporary Hindustani literature. The stories – Bade Bhai Sahab, Shatranj Ke Khiladi and Sankraman aren’t translated but are told in the exact words as they were written.

Bade Bhai Sahab or Elder Brother is a tale of 2 brothers, primarily narrated by the younger brother. The story highlights the contrasts between the brothers – the elder brother is dour, studious but mediocre always criticizes the easy-going approach to life that his younger brother who is unknowingly intelligent takes. The criticism that starts during schooldays proceeds until their adulthood. This story is a study of contrasts – of mindsets and approaches to life; of tradition and modernity; and of natural brilliance and natural dullness.

Shatranj Ke Khiladi or The Chess Players is a satire set in the pre Indian Independence days and focuses on the lives of 2 feudal lords – Meer and Mirza Saheb who are barely bothered by the volatile political environment around them but dedicate themselves to playing chess. They barely bother when the Britishers invade their city but fate catches up with them when they kill each other over a game.

The last play was Sankraman or Circle of Life which went on for sometime. Sankraman captures the circle of life from the perspective of a typical middle class family caught up in the throes of every-day life. The narration starts off with the head of the house followed by his son and then finally through the reminisces of his wife after his death. It also highlights how the children finally imbibe the very qualities of their parents that they either hated or criticized once.

There was a gradual transition in the language used for communication as well as the play progressed – Bade Bhai Sahab started off with pure hindi, Shatranj ke Khiladi took on a mix of Urdu and hindustani and Sankraman had the actors speaking everyday hindi. The play was very well directed and seamlessly played out until the end.  The flip side to the experience is that bad stage setting not to mention the acoustics took away the experience. We could barely make out the emotions expressed by the actors.

Imaad Shad played Chote Bhai, Jameel Khan played the roles of Bade Bhai as well as the son in Sankraman, Seema Pahwa played the wife in Sankraman, Ahmed Khan was Mirza while Khaalid Muhammad was Meer. Naseeruddin Shah doned the role of the head of the family in Sankraman. It was truly a unique experience though.

For more details on this play – FullHyd, MumbaiTheatre

It’s just like in nature.

Every relationship you have with another person…

you’re either nourishing them or eating them…

and visa/versa.

Some thing that has kept me happy all the while. For the last so many years, I have never been bored. There have been times which were definately low, however, life has been happy.

Normally people only have 2 quadrants in life – Personal and Professional. The joys and sorrows of one gets taken to the other. In today’s globalized world, the job pressures are such that they impact our behaviour in the personal sphere. A bad day at work translated to a free-bad-day for the family, for no fault of the family members.

On insertion of another quadrant in your life – of a hobby or a passion, one intervenes with the flow of emotions and tensions between the 2 quadrants. This would add a constant newness to your life, giving one a time and space to renew, be what one wants to be or at time what not one can be.

All one has to do is to maintain a balance amongst the three quadrants. Never let any one go either below or above a threshold (The thresholds are for one to define). Anyway, one will know the threshold values are being reached when one is either less happy or bored or both.

Yes, it is okay to have the Hobby or the Passion become your profession, till the time you have another hobby picked up

The singer songwriter producer with the 2008 number one hit Time of Your Life—which became an American Idol winner—has signed a combined book and record deal with Tate Publishing and Tate Music Group.

The book, scheduled for release in 2010, tells the life changing decision Regie Hamm made to adopt an orphaned Chinese girl. Regie’s song was the winning entry in American Idol’s seventh season.

“You can’t see the circle while you’re making it,” says Regie. “Only special moments can allow you to see all of it. China…babies…songs…music…dreams…success…happiness. They all mean different things to me because of what I have been through. Any plan I would have developed could not have been as beautiful and unexpected. This one was divine.” From Tate Publishing Newsletter, Quarter 4, 2009.
To find out about the annual Bella Bash concert Regie runs to raise money for Angelman syndrome, go to http://bellabash.tatemusicgroup.net/. To get those amazing lyrics, go to
http://www.lyrics007.com/Green%20Day%20Lyrics/Time%20Of%20Your%20Life%20Lyrics.html

Die Oktober-Ausgabe der National Geographic befasst sich mit den in Kalifornien verbliebenen Redwood-Mammutbäumen. Diese größten Bäume der Erde wurden nicht etwa als Nationalpark und Weltnaturerbe gehegt und gepflegt, nein, sie sind zu 95% abgeholzt worden. Hauptsächlich Bauholz wurde aus diesen seltenen Lebewesen gewonnen. Die Story im NG ruft alte Erinnerungen aus meiner Studentenzeit wach.

In den 90ern, also bevor es das Internet für Jedermann gab, wurde ich auf die rücksichtslose Abholzung dieser Wälder aufmerksam und habe von meinen paar Mark etwas an Julia Butterfly Hill und ihre Mitstreiter überwiesen. Ich blieb in losem Kontakt mit den Aktivisten von Circle of Life und bekam eines Tages ein Paket aus Amerika, mehrfach vom Zoll geöffnet und mit Prüfsiegeln übersät, zugestellt. Der Inhalt war eine Videokassette mit dem Titel “Fire in the Eyes”, die ich erst kürzlich beim Ausmisten entsorgt habe (in Ermangelung eines Abspielgeräts). Gezeigt wurde auf dem Band die Verwendung von Pfefferspray durch die amerikanische Ordnungsmacht im Einsatz gegen Umweltaktivisten, die sich für den Erhalt der Redwoods einsetzten. Heute habe ich dieses Video bei youtube wiedergefunden:

Diese Bilder haben mich seinerzeit tief beeindruckt und lassen mich auch heute nicht kalt. Beide Seiten, sowohl Aktivisten  als auch Polzei, zeigten sich in einer Entschlossenheit und Konsequenz, die ich nicht kannte. Unsere Demonstrationen gegen den ersten Golfkrieg oder die Castortransporte waren ehrlich aber harmlos, oder im besten Fall unter Eventgesichtspunkten bemerkenswert. In diesem Video jedoch wurde offen gezeigt, mit welchen Hilfsmitteln die Demonstranten arbeiteten, aber auch mit welcher Entschlossenheit die Polizei  vorging, um die ökonomischen Interessen der Holzindustrie durchzusetzen. Meine Distanziertheit zur amerikanischen Gesellschaft wurde mehr durch dieses Video begründet als durch die dümmlichen Reaktionen auf 09/11 Jahre später.

Auch nachdem Julia Butterfly Hill vom Baum auf den Boden der weiteren Tatsachen zurückgekehrt ist, sind ihre öffentlichen Äußerungen bis heute beachtenswert und verleiten mich zum Nachdenken und Hoffen auf gute Veränderung (abgesehen von den “Hände-hoch-Spinnern” im Vorspann):

Zuerst ignorieren sie dich, dann lachen sie über dich, dann bekämpfen sie dich, dann gewinnsst du.
Mahatma Gandhi

via: LunchBreath

I’m in a Disney sort-of mood and these make me happy…

♥ Under The Sea – The Little Mermaid ♥

♥ I Just Can’t Wait To Be King – The Lion King ♥

♥ Tale As Old As Time – Beauty And The Beast ♥

♥ Can You Feel The Love Tonight – The Lion King ♥

♥ A Whole New World – Aladdin ♥

♥ Circle Of Life – The Lion King ♥

♥ Hakuna Matata – The Lion King ♥

Walking down the street in the crisp autumn air, content and even happy and focused on the objective to get home in good time. I stopped abruptly to make a call just on the side walk. I barely noticed but soon I discovered a dead robin partly on the side walk and partly on the grass. It’s orange breast pushed towards the sky. It’s brown white tipped feathers fluttering delicately in the breeze. It’s head stone are two pine cones framing the bird’s little head. A sense of loss and sadness fills my inner being as I sympathize with mother nature. A lady in a hurry rushes past not even seeing the fallen friend of the place we call home. I compose on as a man walks by, absorbed in his music. Another man walks past pushing a stroller with a child who will impact our world for the next ten, twenty, fifty, or maybe even a hundred plus years. A college student walks with determination and purpose with his eyes trained on the path ahead of him. I slowly continued on my way hoping I would not be the only one to mourn its sweet and sorrowful death.

Each month author Lucy Harmer dedicates her blog entries to the theme of “transformative and inspirational living” – finding the fun, magic and laughter in everyday occurrences! She explores ideas, thoughts, and quotes from her first two books: Discovering Your Spirit Animal and Shamanic Astrology.

October 2009

Shamanic Astrology
Which spirit animal sign are you?

© Copyright 2009 Lucy Harmer

I’m really excited and delighted to announce the launch of my new book Shamanic Astrology: Understanding Your Spirit Animal Sign which is released on October 22nd. This month’s journal entry explores what Shamanic Astrology is, and how it can apply to your life.

Many ancient societies practiced a form of astrology based on their shamanic beliefs and practices, which consisted mainly in communicating with the spirit world and understanding the fundamental forces in nature. According to shamanic belief, each natural element – whether animal, vegetable or mineral – is a living being, closely connected to all the others by a circle of life, which the Native Americans call the medicine wheel.

The moment of our birth marks our entrance onto the medicine wheel. In the shamanic model, the soul enters the physical body before birth, bringing with it all the qualities, strengths, and potential we need to learn the life lessons necessary for our evolution. At the moment of our birth, our potential is complete; we have everything we need spiritually to follow our life path.

The position of the sun at the moment of our birth gives us life, and gives us the strengths and qualities that follow us throughout our lives. The moon’s energy at the time of our birth is connected to our emotional cycle. The combined “energy” of the sun and moon in the season in which we are born reflects our “true” being. This energy governs our emotions and the characteristics that enable us to evolve and develop our hidden potential.

The qualities and strengths which make up our personality are represented in Shamanic Astrology by a spirit animal that gives them form – such as Deer, Owl, Wolf, Beaver, etc. There are twelve astrological “signs” on the medicine wheel, which are represented by twelve different spirit animals. Shamanic Astrology teaches us that inner power derives from knowing the properties, characteristics, and qualities of each spirit animal (known as their “medicine”), and applying this in our own lives.

Table of Spirit Animal Signs:

Shamanic Astrology is based on the natural cycle of the seasons and the sun, which means that – unlike Western astrology – the shamanic astrological signs change from one hemisphere to another. The spirit animals and their properties differ in the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere. For example, the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere corresponds to June 21/22, when the days are long and hot; in the Southern Hemisphere, the summer solstice falls on December 21/22. Woodpecker is the spirit animal associated with the sun being at its most powerful position. Therefore, in the Northern Hemisphere, the Woodpecker period is June 21 – July 21; in the Southern Hemisphere the Woodpecker period is December 22 – January 19.

To find your spirit animal sign, just locate your birthday from the dates below, according to your place of birth. If you were born north of the equator (eg; USA, Canada, Europe), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Northern Hemisphere”. If you were born south of the equator (eg; Australia, New Zealand, South Africa), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Southern Hemisphere”.

Shamanic Astrology offers a method to help us discover our inner strengths, accept our weaknesses, and develop harmonious relationships with other human beings, as well as with the natural world and the spirit animal of our birth sign. It invites us to fully experience the energy of the seasons and of the lunar cycles, giving us a deeper understanding of who we are.

You can find out more about the personality of your own spirit animal and how you relate to the other signs in my book, Shamanic Astrology: Understanding Your Spirit Animal Sign. You can also discover the different spirit animal clans that you, your friends and family belong to, and your own special plant, stone, element, colour and life path.

Look out also, for my new “Shamanic Astrology Forecast,” which will be coming out on the 21st of each month (starting this month). Each month I will focus on the spirit animal for that month, and describe the “energy” of the month itself and also the influence of the moon. I will also indicate which other spirit animal signs will find that month to be particularly beneficial, and why.

This month, have fun in getting to know your shamanic astrological spirit animal sign! I wish you every success with recognizing and appreciating the strengths and qualities in yourself and others.

Love and blessings,

Lucy

Shamanic Astrology is available for purchase directly through NorthAtlanticBooks.com, as well as major book stores and online retailers.

CLICK HERE to learn more about courses, seminars and workshops offered by Lucy Harmer.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Shamanic Astrology.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Discovering Your Spirit Animal.

I’ve had a thought bugging me for at least a week now and I haven’t posted it because it’s so very naiv. At least it feels like it is. We live in a world were the parents take their time to bring you up and protect you. Yet when it is their turn, when you actually have the possibilty to take care of them for a change; they’re apparantly in the way. Old and bothersome. This feels so wrong to me. I would love to have a big home, with a big family. Not in the sense that I want a lot of kids, but in the sense that the home is big enough for kids, parents and grandparents all helping out to take care of one another.

Of course, this would need a very big home because otherwise we’d all probably get on eachothers nerves but with the way my parents for example like to travel and go about their own lives they wouldn’t be in the way (not much anyway) and then I’d know they’d have a place when they get weary, without having to send them to retirement home. Parent-in-laws also welcome. Can you imagine any better baby-sitter? And the freedom that will give in some respects, to all parts, aswell as the comfort and the respect it will teach the kids.

It’s all just a naiv dream of course, but it’s a pleasant one. Mostly because the older I get, the more the idea of having my parents so far away, and having such a split family (like I’ve had) irks me. I want my kids to grow up with their grandparents, and I want a close-knit family.

Sweet kisses to all the big families out there (that function!)

NO.

Lol I spent about three weeks trying to be vegg
and aghhh its way too hard for me
i’m too lazy for it
I have no patience
and I like meat to much.
It sounds super barbaric but owell, thats what we were born to do right? We have the instinct to eat meat for a reason.
I feel bad seeing a baby lamb get chopped up, but hey they have to go some time. Like when we die we fertilize the earth,then become a plant that the animal will eat, then we kill them to eat.
Its the circle of life, and i’m going to help it go round. ^_^

After Rain I ©Susan Morrison Sims

giclee’ print, donated for charity  

~ 

In helping others,

we shall help ourselves,

for whatever good we give out

completes the circle

and

comes back to us.

~Flora Edwards

Well, it seems fall is upon us, and I am happy to see it come. It also seems to be a time of charities. I think I told you before that I had to select a few charities, as I can’t possibly donate to all of them. In the past, it has been charities for abused women/children and animal shelters (see my note below). During the year, I usually try to add in one or two other things that touch my heart,

and so… 

Recently, a new friend told my husband and me about a charity at his church. They give food to families in need and with the economical situation, they’ve had a VERY large increase of people in need. I am not into organized religion, but what my friend told us touched my heart. So at the very last minute I decided to donate something for their spaghetti dinner and silent auction. I donated an “After Rain I“ giclee’ print. Some of you may remember the “Mystery of the Woods”  post I wrote about the painting. (the original sold and hangs in Canada now).   

I usually donate things without attending the event, but for some reason I wanted to attend this one. So last Saturday we changed our normal routine and traveled to a little “one stoplight” town for a $7 spaghetti dinner and a silent auction. I admit, as we drove south I wondered why I hadn’t simply donated the print as I find it uncomfortable being there during the bidding.  Alas, only our friend and his wife knew the print was mine..so it was to be a true silent auction for me, and I liked it that way.  

As we drove through the little town it was obvious it was not a place of great material wealth. Yet, when we parked and entered the event  I saw lots and lots of local people helping..volunteers all of them…all ages, from old to young and from all walks of life. 

What I saw was wealth beyond material things in that little town.

I saw wealth, of heart.

The spaghetti line was long and continued to be so for hours!  The meal was simple but quite good..they even had cupcakes for desert!! We sat across the table from three delightful senior citizens..more new friends! I was happy that the print sold for a very good amount (three people bidding against each other), and I came home with an object I can use to hang things on the wall in one of the studios. Though I felt a little guilty about it..I was bidding against another person. eh, eh All for a good cause though…right?  

So not only did we leave our hermit world and attend..we stayed until the end, and we had a divine time! We came home filled up..I don’t mean just with spaghetti, salad, garlic toast, and cup cakes. Though I confess, I ate two chocolate cupcakes!!  

No, I mean our hearts were full. This is why I will always try to help in some way or another. I also have another reason, I have a debt to pay… 

Some years ago, as a single mother, I desperately needed help with food for my little four year old daughter and me. I did receive help. Some ordinary people came to our rescue..and they did so, more than once.

So…

I’ve seen and met angels

wearing the disguise of ordinary people 

living ordinary lives.

~Tracy Chapman 

I’ll never forget those ordinary people..those angels!

Though nothing like that long ago time, we all have challenges we deal with …such is life.  Alas, I can temporarily put it all aside and find happiness in helping others, even in small ways. Maybe it is somewhat selfish of me, but I also keep doing it because..

I want to be a part of that circle

that complete circle…

of love!

~

in Love, in light, and in laughter,

~gypsy-he♥rt

**Note I am donating a photo finish print of “Butterfly Blues” (original post Butterfly Secrets~ Butterfly Wisdom)to the Safe Animal Shelter charity event. How could I not donate something..’tis where I adopted our beloved guru dogs, Ringo and Amber! A wonderful friend of mine and of the shelter is anonymously donating beautiful framing! They too are having a dinner and silent auction…though their dinner will be much fancier! I will not be attending theirs this time..maybe next year…you just never know.   

 Butterfly Blues ©Susan Morrison Sims

original /oil on canvas

(click on thumbnail to enlarge) 

I’ve been around to “visit” some of you..will be around to see more of you. I can’t seem to keep up with everything anymore. I will tell you again that facebook has been an unexpected pleasant surprise.  A quick way to keep up with old friends and make new!  You may want to think about joining us.  ta, ta for now.

~♥♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

“Pilot”

September 23rd, 2009

There has been a pretty impressive critical consensus that Modern Family is pretty darn good. While Glee might be creating the most enthusiastic response amongst fans, and Community appeals to particular senses of humour more, Modern Family has been the one pilot that nearly everyone has considered well-made, well-cast, and just all around kind of great. It’s also one pilot that I wasn’t able to see in advance, which meant that I went in with that always awkward sense that I was almost required to love the show. Expectations were higher than perhaps any other show, and the result could easily have been a sense that this had all been overhyped, and that it was all for naught.

But, as hard as the critics have tried to potentially ruin this experience, and the clips I saw back when the show was first announced ruined particular moments, and ABC decided to ruin the pilot’s “surprise,” none of it did anything to ruin the enjoyment of an enormously charming pilot. With a fantastic cast and a clever premise, the show only stops delivering laughs to provide heartwarming moments which are then turned upside down all over again.

The show isn’t perfect, by any means, but it’s a pilot which so hilariously defines its characters without turning them into one-dimensional stereotypes that it is certainly something to get excited about.

The pilot divides out the show more than you’re used to in a pilot, its three-part structure entirely disconnected until that final scene. As a result, we meet the three groups in pods, individual sections which join at the end. It allows the show to prove two things: first, that these individual families are interesting and worth spending time with, and secondly that when you bring the three families together their individual neuroses are going to become that much more entertaining. So while Phil’s “cool dad” schtick is entertaining in the context of his own children, it becomes a legitimately awkward (and a different sort of entertaining) when he tries to be cool with Gloria, and when he keeps using his hip slang.

What’s interesting about the show is that I don’t have a whole lot to say about it. I enjoy Phil and Claire’s dynamic (especially her delivery of “I do our job”), and I think Jay goes through the episode’s most substantial transformation (both with Manny and with accepting Mitchell’s adoption of a baby), and Cameron’s Lion King introduction of young Lily is perhaps one of the funniest sequences I’ve seen on T.V. in a very long time (I nearly lost it when the spotlight came on).

But it’s a pilot that’s largely without surprises, built as if the final scene was going to be the big twist as opposed to an eventuality in terms of marketing. If you were to list out its various scenarios, you can see precisely where they’re going. Part of the strength of the pilot is that its scenarios are so stock that they tell us exactly what kind of parents Phil and Claire are (scheduling out punishment was particularly fun), but the second a boy comes over you know where things are going. This doesn’t change that I didn’t love when Phil accidentally shoots Dylan, or that his dance routine to High School Musical wasn’t clever, but none of it was built around characters acting against our expectations. We learn that Claire is trying to keep her daughter from turning out like she did when she was her age, and it’s clear that Phil thinks he is far cooler than he actually is (“Why the Face”), and the episode doesn’t go very far beyond that.

The same goes for the other two groups: as the end of the episode indicates, Cameron is the emotional and dramatic one in he and Mitchell’s relationship, while the latter enjoys long speeches and avoiding real issues, while Jay is understandably concerned about people thinking he’s old while Gloria mangles the English language. We know that Manny is going to fail at his conquest, so the surprise was saved for that final scene. It’s a hell of a scene, but when it’s not a surprise it gives me something less to talk about.

The show is funny, very funny at points. I love the cast, with Ed O’Neill delivering quite an engaging December and Julie Bowen in particular killing as a paranoid Mother, and in particular feel that they’ve done a bang-up job of casting the kids. And I certainly want to see what happens next, as the writers have shown a flair for the dramatic and a real grasp of the “situational” in situational comedy, but I don’t really have that much more to say: these are typical examples of non-typical families, and while the show’s quality may not be typical it remains to be seen how atypical its staying power will be in the weeks ahead.

Cultural Observations

• I enjoy Alex, the middle child of Phil and Claire – her nonchalant discussion of how great it would be to have a nephew who her mother pretends is her brother was kind of fantastic.
• The Phil and Claire storyline was your usual madcap series of circumstances that all culminate in a particular screwup: my favourite little bit was the fact that Phil slipped on the baby oil (the look on Dylan’s face was priceless).
• My favourite line, though? “Let me take your multi-coloured jacket and bejewelled hat.” Just so good – Mitchell gets a Sports Guy Chest Bump for that.