By signing this petition, you will help keep this ban on mining and keep the residents of VA, North Carolina safe.  You will also prevent the possibility of an ecological disaster that will spread further.  Please, sign this petition, follow this link.  Thank you.

http://keeptheban.org/?page_id=38

Please watch this video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOGPIfPngSY&feature=player_embedded

Maneki Neko’s - the Beckoning Cat – origin is Japanese and it represents good luck, protection, prosperity, and good fortune.  To own one is to wish that to yourself and to all who enter your home and business – this is why they are so common in Asian businesses and homes.  Since I want this vibe for me and all who enter my home, I decided that admiring the Maneki Neko from afar was not good enough, and I brought one into my home.  There are several stories about the origin of the Maneki Neko, and there is a temple which relates to one of those stories.  This temple is visited by tourists and locals - it is called Gotokuji Temple.  I read about it on this blog which is dedicated to Maneki Nekos – http://luckymanekineko.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/the-road-to-gotokuji/

Here you will find more information, pictures of different types of Maneki Nekos and the legends surrounding this cat.

Here is a picture of my Maneki Neko, which I have not named yet.

I am not responsible if you, as I was, become enchanted by it.

“Are these real organic eggs?”

“What are they doing now; who can consumers trust these days?”

“Are they getting sloppy?”

“Ooops, somebody ran out of paint.”

“Is it the Easter Bunny’s fault?” (Well, it was Easter after all)

No, seriously, here is a picture of the “unfinished eggs” so you can tell me if this isn’t crazy.  On the left of the picture you have the Organic Valley eggs and on the right of the picture, the EB eggs.  I decided to take the picture before I eat them, and then I decided to write this post.

These are the Organic Valley ones.  It is supposed to look like the one on the right.

Here is the EB and the egg is supposed to look like the one on the right.

Here are two 3 other pics.

I don’t know if coating them is supposed to be a normal practice in this industry, but if it is, I would like it to be a neat one.   What do you think?

UPDATE TO THE EGG SAGA

I got a comment from a farmer who produces some of the eggs for Organic Valley and he explained the reason for the color variation.  Here is the comment.  I thank Mac for explaining this and for letting us know that these eggs come from small farms and real people, and happy hens.

MacApr 9, 6:30 pm

Vegetable Scraps (Photo credit: mikecogh)

While cutting some veggies for last night dinner, I had one of my epiphanies.  I always cut the ends of the carrots, tomatoes, celery, or any other fruit or veggie that crosses my path.  Even when they are cut in halves, if pre-packaged, I go back and cut a slice from the ends just to have a fresh end (not sure if you follow me).  Well, by the time I am done, I have a decent amount of veggie scraps that go into the garbage because I cannot compost where I live now (but that will be possible in the near future – can’t wait).  It occurred to me that my waste was a perfect meal for people in some countries that will give anything to have a tiny slice of that scrap to make a soup – I mean countries where there is extreme hunger and poverty, and food is not an everyday sight.  Not that I am not aware of hunger, for some reason this time, it was different.

Besides feeling terrible and wasteful, I thought of how much perspective matters in how we go through life and do our own thing, and then, I thought of how it affects our writing.  When we write a story, even when we are writing from the character’s point of view, our own perspective of things and life is playing in the background.  I don’t think that it is possible to escape it totally, even when we try to be true to the character and do a lot of research about the topic or character’s behavior, origins, culture … and so on.

My point is, our perspective follows us everywhere, it is how we see things, life, and how we interpret it, besides being influenced by our own upbringing, culture, and experiences.  I have made vegetable soup countless of times, and yet, this time, those scraps meant something different, and have become meaningful somehow.

The pentagram is used as a Christian symbol for the five senses, and if the letters S, A, L, V, and S are inscribed in the points, it can be taken as a symbol of health (from Latin salus). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As I have said before, sometimes I get so focused on a task that I forget everything around me; I block everything else, and many times I forget that I was just making pancakes for breakfast or that I had just put a load of laundry and heard the bell a minute ago.  All I can say is thank God for all my senses.  The smell of starting to toast pancakes or the too quiet house will alert me and bring me back.  The gentle nag of a cat that wants a temptation treat has brought me back from the extreme focus vortex just in time.  This brings me to the topic of appealing to reader’s senses in your writing.

Just as it is important to me to get rescued by my senses, I thought of how important sensory stimulation is on a novel or a piece of writing.  Awakening readers senses gives a new depth to your story, and may rescue some readers from boredom – boredom of too much dialog or description.  Even if you are deprived of one sense, another takes over, keener and improved.  I try to keep this is mind when writing my story, as I tend to run into too much dialog.   To me, the senses are a miracle; it is how we experience the world, and how readers can experience your story.

Sometimes, I tend to ask myself the weirdest questions, and I have asked myself if I was to be deprived of a sense or ability, which one will I give up.  I know, it may sound sinister to many, but I think about unusual things sometimes.  I would give up speech.  I don’t  talk much; I am the silent type, the observer, and I rather write than talk.  As long as I can communicate when I need to in some way, I think I would be happy.  I am a very visual person, and that would be the sense that I would miss the most, probably to the point of insanity, which brings me to this point – readers are very different in their consumption of reading material and learning, so the senses that prevail throughout your story may appeal to some readers more than to others.  My point, striving for a good balance might not be a bad idea.

Do you think about stimulating the senses when writing your story?  Which sense would you give up?  Which one would you miss the most?  If you are missing a sense, how have you improved the other senses?

Almonds (Photo credit: HealthAliciousNess)

The other day I felt a bit sick and since I had not eaten anything that I thought was bad for me, I was puzzled.  Everything in my pantry was healthy, and there I was pondering why my belly was a bit upset again.  I back-tracked what I ate and realized that the last thing had been a pack of almonds and I had read the ingredients before bringing it home.  I recall eating almonds in two occasions and feeling my stomach a bit bloated and upset.  Upon inspecting the package I read, “Manufactured on shared equipment.  May contain other tree nuts, peanut, wheat, milk, or sesame seeds.  May contain shell pieces.”   What the heck?  Shell pieces?

There it was, spelled out for me, if I would had bothered to read the warning in the allergy information section.  I am aware of gluten cross-contamination, but somehow, almonds felt safe, and I don’t have any nut allergies.  It is a miracle that people with nut allergies have not been wiped-out of this planet by the mere cross-contamination issue.  I decided to wait until I felt a bit better, since I wasn’t that sick, and test the package once more.  Sure enough, I ate the almonds and about half-hour or so later I felt my stomach paying the price.  I promised myself to read labels more carefully and to -check gluten-free packages for allergy warnings along the same line.

This time I knew that I would be feeling better by next morning or mid day, as I have learned to listen to my body.  This time, it took longer for me to feel back to normal again.  Upon backtracking what I ate, there were no culprits besides the tested pack of almonds.  I hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary before going to sleep except rubbing a bit of apricot baby oil on my feet and elbows.  Upon inspection of the ingredients written on the tiny bottle, I found “wheat-germ oil” listed.  I don’t know if that was making me feel lousy the next day, but I was not about to use it again.  At one  point, I felt as a lab rat.  I thought of passing it to my husband, but then realized that it was baby oil, and if he uses it, somehow it will end on me.

The lesson learned - If I want to continue feeling this good and not go back to feeling crappy (and believe me, you can get used to feeling crappy)  I must be more carefull (and less in a hurry) while reading labels at the grocery store.  Just because the label reads gluten-free does not necessarily mean that it hasn’t been cross contaminated during the manufacturing process.  Lesson learned.

First off I’d like to say that Adele, as much as I’ve grown to love her, keeps coming on the station that my co-worker is playing and her songs are making me want to slit my own throat. Ugh. Secondly, I’d hate to admit, but every day this week, I have been drowning myself in a 32oz cup of Coke. This has got to be bad for me, but this is a rough month, and a good excuse to get my caffeine fix. >_> Though I am happy that the Bossman is not here and won’t come back probably til the end of the month, but I can’t help but to be stressed over so many things. My “soon to be laptop” that I am still in denial that I have to buy, my phone that refuses to charge and is due for an upgrade (but T-Mobile doesn’t have free upgrades anymore, FML.), the whole changing jobs thing, Kenny’s birthday next Friday, etc. Therefore I have an internal battle of wanting both the time to past by fast cuz I’m so freakin’ bored each day and can’t wait to go home, or for the time to pass slowly cuz passing fast means that the Bossman will be back in town. #screwme

Funny thing that happened today, my Intern Roger; who has been exiled to the MS branch for who the hell knows how long called me today. I do miss him dearly and I feel that I am somewhat handicapped without this annoying and witty intern. Boo!! #givemerogerback The funny part comes in when he calls and says “Hey! Let me talk to the dumbass…” And I paused and said “Which one?” ROFLMAO!! We both busted out laughing cuz we knew how true it was. Unfortuantely we have more than one dumbass at work, and if you don’t follow it with a name, I can’t identify which one you need to speak with. This is such a damn shame… SMH.

But anyhowtos; today I was watching a makeup guru video on YouTube, and as she was describing how much highlighter you should use, she described it as a “nose shit amount”. I busted out laughing. A while back, when I was still sending Runa “Random Facts Of The Day”, I sent her one telling her that “buttload” was an actual unit of measurement. That was damn fascinating!! All this time I thought that was just figurative speech. Come to find out its an actual form of measurement. It is actually used to measure liquid, and is exactly 126 gallons. #randomfact So when I saw the video, I was thinking hum… maybe “nose shit amount” is a legit form of measurement too. Lol!! Which brings me to my next ponderable. When I was a kid, I use to be envious of people with big eyes. I always thought that folks with big eyes got to see more, and that was unfair! Ahaha. #kidlogic The reason I thought this was cuz when I tried to open my small chinky eyes super wide, it felt like I was seeing more stuff around me!! But now that I think about it, it was probably just the after affect of my eyeball spazzing from “staring hard”. *EPIC FAIL* >_> But anyways. Everyone that I told this to, cracked the hell up. But at the time, I thought it made so much freakin’ sense!! Lol. I secretly held a grudge with reason A for limiting the amount of world I got to “see”. *DIES*

Ever since I was a kid, I would ask these inquisitive questions, or “retarded” ones as one may call them depending on who it is. Lol. I recall asking Kenny retarded questions such as “If I never grow my wisdom teeth, does that mean I won’t ever get wise?” Or “If cow dung can help fertilize veggies and make them grow, if we put it on our heads, will we grow more hair?? O_o” #stoplookingatmelikethat But he always seems to find a witty answer that shuts me up. Lol. So the question that suddenly popped in my head today was…

Do people with bigger noses have bigger boogers?!?

Like really, think about it. But then it leads me to so many more questions, if you have a bigger butt does that mean you take bigger shits? But that’s not necessarily true I guess cuz you could have a big butt but a small asshole. Hum… (*Seriously thinking about this question) But if you have a big nose with big nostrils, then do you have larger boogers?? The reason I ask this is cuz I think about it the opposite way. It wouldn’t make since for a person with a little button nose to have huge wads of booger right?? I mean, they can’t even dig it out!! So I always pictured people with button noses to have cutesy, cutesy boogers! ROFLMAO I can’t believe I wrote a legit blog post about boogers, FML. So yeah!! Can anyone with a big ass nose let me know if ya’ll have bigger boogers? O_o I’m genuinely curious. I can’t wait for Kenny’s answer to this theory I have when I ask him tomorrow. >_> #selfsabotage

http://timeanddate.com/astronomy/

http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html

http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/rs-one-year-us

http://stardate.org/nightsky

http://stardate.org/nightsky/moon

I like those.  For two days, there has been a cloudy sky at night so I have been unable to take some pics.  Last night there were a few clouds but I was able to get some shots this morning at 5:30 am when I woke up.  One thing was unusual, and I don’t know if it is that I never noticed it before, but in the 11 years living in this house, I never saw the moon thru my window at that hour.  I know because I love the moonlight hitting my face at night, usually in the early or middle hours of the night, sometimes.  I know because I look for it to happen; it is a treat, so I thought it was unusual to see it at that time in that position in relation to my window.  Hubby thought the same thing.  My Mom said to me that when I was about a year and a half or so, I used to point at the Moon and called it Lulu.  I guess the love affair had been for a long time and I got busy and stopped paying much attention to it.  Here are some pictures of it.

It is almost a half-moon now.  I thought it was too late to be in that position.  Usually that happens around 11:30 to 12:30 as I enjoy its light hitting my side of the bed.

Today, there are absolutely no clouds in the sky, 360, all around, none.  I like clouds, even if they are the ugly chemtrail clouds.  Without clouds the sky seems a blank canvas.  I hear several jets up there as I type this, so soon I guess we’ll have a few clouds.  Here are a few pics of what the sky looks like today.

Two planes, one passenger and the other military.   The white area is the sunlight as I take the picture.

Soon, we’ll get a few clouds.  I noticed how many few clouds we have these days, unlike when I was a kid or a few years back.  I also notice that there seems to be tons of clouds later in the evening and at night, sometimes.  Here is a picture I took this year, a couple of months ago, maybe last month or so; I don’t remember.  I thought it would make for a beautiful and interesting picture.  It is a chemtrail near the moon, just sprayed.  Beautiful, isn’t it?

I hope you enjoyed this post.

1:50pm Update to this post.

The sky has been painted, I have clouds, it is filling up fast.  Here are the pictures I took just now.  It didn’t take long thanks to a few chemtrails sprayed.

These are not natural clouds - they are sprayed, they spread fast in the sky.

MARCH 19, 2012  6:30 AM

This is just an update, as I have tried to follow with pictures, but unfortunately there has been clouds or fog at night, and I have not been able to see the moon.  Last night, the sky was clear and the moon rose at about five thirty in the morning or so, and I was able to see it through the trees at around six thirty in the morning, a very short window since the sun was ready to come up, and the first chemtrails were already being sprayed, so early.  Here are the promised pictures.

I waited so long to take this picture and only took two, and both of them came out a bit blurry – sorry about that, but there she is, Lulu shining and ready to become new moon soon.

Early chemtrails at around 6:40 am – I notice that they are spreading fast into cloud like – this is not a comtrail, it doesn’t dissolve, just takes the shape of a cloud faster.  It is very interesting to watch.  I will keep updating this post.

TUESDAY MARCH 27 2012

In keeping with my promise of updating moon pictures through the phases here is how the moon looked last night.  Last thursday, we had a new moon and since that day the skies have been cloudy or foggy.  Last night, we had clear skies and many stars so I was able to see the moon.

So it should progress to full moon almost upside down.  Our next full moon should be on April 7, Saturday.

APRIL 2, 2012 – 5:45 pm

Just another update with pictures of the moon, which can be seen very early today.  As I glanced to the skies at after 4 pm, there she was.  The blue skies around her free of clouds, and she looks marvelous.

Now, compare these pictures to this virtual reality phase of the moon for today at that same time, follow this link which I already set up for the time.  Interesting.

http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/vphase-post.sh

or set up for today’s date, time, and region so you can compare in your area

here is the link for setting up your particular time and date, region …

http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html

APRIL 4, 2012 – AFTER 8 PM

Last night the moon was so bright that it was hard to look at it with binoculars; it was gorgeous, getting ready to become full moon.  I was able to get a hold of my husband’s camera so here is a good picture of it.  He has better zoom than I have in my  camera.

What a gorgeous silver moon it was.

APRIL 6 2011

Here is the last update to this post, a gorgeous full moon.  I don’t know what I did wrong but the moon came out blue – it wasn’t blue of course, I used Hubby’s camera since I wanted to capture it with a better zoom.

The moon’s light has been so bright these couple of days that is actually mesmerizing.  I love this picture of it, although it came out blue for some reason – I don’t know why, maybe I moved some button I was not supposed to move.  ANyhow, it is gorgeous.  Here are the rest of the pics for that day, as the clouds started to set, I am glad that I took this one when there were no clouds near it.

I love this one as the clouds are almost covering it.  Today, Monday April 9, 2012 the skies have a gorgeous blue and beautiful clouds, just the way I like it.  Here is a picture of it, although it is extremely windy today, the clouds  seem almost stationary and it makes for a great picture.  I love this sky.

Isn’t it lovely?  These colors are not enhanced, this is how I took the picture.

Have you ever doubt your existence?  I have to admit that since I noticed the change in lunar and solar activity (see previous post with pictures), I visited YouTube looking for videos of people who have experienced the same.  A few of them were jokes and alien propaganda … but others seemed legitimate, and were only of people filming what they thought was wrong with the moon or sun from their perspective or points of reference (a building, a window …)  This made me think a bit about my existence and what I think of it.

Here is how I see it.  I need a purpose to exist, the mere organic existence just doesn’t do it for me; I mean, I do believe in a Creator of all (although not in the traditional religious sense) and I have searched for my purpose for the longest.  It keeps me going through thick and thin.  In addition, I like the concept of faith – whether it is faith in a God or Creator, Spirit, Soul, Science, Beauty, the Human Spirit, or the Universe or universal and natural order of things.  The point is that I see purpose and faith in one of those above mentioned things closely related to our existence on the planet and the universe, whether you are an Atheist, Agnostic, a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist … you put your faith and purpose in something, even if you worship the Devil, you put your belief in something, and it gives you purpose to keep going in one direction.

Many of these videos talked about observations, theories, government conspiracy, a holographic moon, a fake moon, FEMA renting acres of land to store tons of coffins and aerial/terrestrial pictures and video of those … and other interesting stuff (as long as it was presented organized and in a serious way).  The topic of seamonkeys popped in my mind.  What if we were somebody’s seamonkeys?  What if we were an experiment, an organic test …?  What if our existence was a mere organic existence or one compared to a Truman Show existence?  What if there was no real purpose?

I did not like were my brain was headed - no purpose?  Then I asked myself how would I feel about this, if one day, I was told that there is nothing more than a tiny test terrarium called Earth and that it was all an interesting experiment, that evolution was just started to see how far it  would all go, and that we created everything else, given a few cues here and there.   I pondered this and I got my answer.  Here is my answer to that possibility.

First, realizing that the concepts of faith, purpose, science or creator, spirituality, or universal order  had been eliminated, I would be a very Pissed Human.  I would be mad at everything around me, then would have considered most of my existence futile and useless.  I would have no goals left, and I would crash for a while – my world, just as Truman’s world, would crash.  After that, one amazing thing started to happen once the fireworks and anger subsided – I looked around me and saw all the beauty inside the terrarium/tank, all the friends and loved ones, and all the other seamonkeys around it.  I saw the beauty that these creatures created out of nothing, out of a lie, and realized that all along, the faith and purpose, the creator, the science and the universe, was not outside the terrarium, but on the inside of every seamonkey on that terrarium called Earth.  After that, the rest didn’t matter at all, there was no anger, and there were only possibilities, tons of possibilities, many of them outside the terrarium, others on the inside, and many others, tons of them, in a world with no limits, no constraints, and no boundaries.

And that is, my friends,  the answer to my question.

Another thing that I noticed this morning, since I was looking for the sun as well, was that my sunrise moved about 35-40 degrees from where it used to be.  The sun used to come out right above the firemen training center, and now it comes out to the left of it.  I invite you to watch your sunrise and moonrise, and especially the shape of the moon this week (the ones of you who usually know its routine in your area).  I know that there have been some talk about the shift of our axis and the magnetic poles, however, I did not expected it to be so pronounced.  This might explain all those birds that fell from the sky and fish that floated or came ashore last year, since their radar got affected, resulting in disorientation.  A possible explanation can be found in this link http://www.qi.com/talk/viewtopic.php?p=121093 however, it seems to early in March for that.  Anyhow, it is interesting non the least.

Anyhow, I wish I had a better camera, with a big zoom so you could see what I observed last night, but I don’t, so this is the best I could do as far as pictures.  The tiny spot that you see next to the moon is just the glare of the camera, so ignore it.  Hubby took some pics as well, so I will check them out to see if his came out better.  In the mean time, these are the ones I took.

MOON LAST NIGHT

This is taken from my bedroom window – 2nd floor – at around 11:30 pm, clear sky.  I had to wait until the moon rose above the trees.  Notice that the decreasing part is on top, and not on the right side?  As I continued to take pictures throughout the night (I slept very little) here is a succession of pictures, that I took a few times, until this morning when the sun hid the moon light.  I will share these one after the other.

As time passes, the moon starts to look as it is supposed to be, according to its phase on that particular day.

This is in the morning hours, from the window at the side of the house.  Noticed how the decreasing part keeps changing position throughout the night ?

The sun is coming out, so soon I won’t be able to see it anymore.  Too bad because I wanted to see if after a while, the decreasing part would get to the bottom.

I cannot see it anymore, the sun is out.  But now, I want you to see the sunrise, where I used to see it and where I see it now (around the same season, as this varies throughout the year).  I marked with a circle where I used to watch it come out, and the arrow where you see it now.

That is almost a 40 degree angle from where I am standing.  It used to come out atop that firemen training center you can see in the distance, now is all the way to the left.  Next is 2 old pictures I took of the sunrise a year or two ago, of the same area, same season.  Some trees have been cut, and the fence has been painted white, but you get the idea.

See where it used to come out?  I find this very interesting, although I know that our planet and orientations are changing, and I am definitely not an expert or aficionado of the stars, I don’t even know their names; I just noticed something a bit different than usual.

Hope you enjoyed this post; I welcome to share any observations of your own.

UDATE 12/4/2012

Shadow of the sun at 12 o’ clock

12 o clock from where I am standing looks like 1 o’ clock. I am sure there is a logical explanation for this.

UPDATE 1/7/13

Just wanted to update with recent pics so you all see that all is good, and the natural order runs its natural course.

Sun coming up near the firefighter’s house which is to the right of the pic

This pic taken today 1/7/13 of the sun again on top of the firefighter’s house.

This is to show that the eye tricks the mind.  LOL.

LOL (Photo credit: sermoa)

Alright, maybe it is just me, but every time I hear someone say “Who would have thunk it” my blood boils and my head spins so fast that it wants to rip off my neck – maybe I am exaggerating a little, but the sound of thunk being used as a past participle of think makes me furious.  Don’t ask me why, it does.  I am not perfect; I make a lot of honest mistakes when writing, but I try to learn from them and correct myself.

I love words; I love language.  I am fluent in English and Spanish, the later being my mother tongue.  It bothers me that people are getting so lazy speaking their language that it has spread to signs, billboards, the news … it is like the plaque.  I understand the use of computer slang - lol, lmao, bbf - at least it has a purpose; it is supposed to be just that.  However, it kills me when I see an entire generation writing/talking sloppy.  Sometimes I don’t recognize the words!  Oh, and it has nothing to do with generational gap or with my age – it is just plain bad use of language.

Some people don’t even enunciate the words.  They have become so lazy in conversation that they drag the words out of their mouths, making a pitiful noise, which you can hardly understand or it can be mistaken for a speech impediment, slurred speech, being drunk, or a recent visit to the dentist – the anesthesia wearing off.

I’ve heard well-educated people using the thunk word, and not in its correct meaning, which is an abrupt dull sound.  The Merrian-Webster Dictionary (online) defines thunk as  dialect past and past participle of think, which drives me insane as well.  I tolerate the use of thunk to express ignorant surprise, if you are trying to be funny, but lately, it seems that as soon as a word becomes popular it ends up in the dictionary.  I understand that language evolves and people make the language; however, there is got to be a line to stop this insanity.  As evolving, language is a living entity, but it can be killed by the ones who speak.

idea (Photo credit: Tony Dowler)

“This is a great idea!” – we have thought at one point or another.  It may be a good idea, but good ideas are sometimes, not well received or are ahead of their time.  Pride in what we do is great; however, pride should not block our vision, stalling our future.  Simply put, ”try it, give it some time, and if it doesn’t work, weed it out.”  This is something that I’ve learned with time.  The problem is when we are so emotionally and intellectually attached to our work/idea that we forget to evaluate its performance and choose to ignore the fact that it is not yielding the results we expected.  You may spend years pushing a project, to find out that it was time to let it go, years back.  Just because a good idea is not ready for the now, doesn’t mean that it is rendered obsolete or useless.  It may have a good reception in the future.  An idea or project may be ahead of its time, so if you have given a good and honest try to something and it is not working out for you, put it aside, and revisit it in the future, or not.

Weeding out all the dead stuff is a way of opening room for new ideas and opportunities.  It hurts to let go of a project, especially when we spend a lot of time, energy, money, commitment, and emotional interest in it; however, not weeding out the dead stuff might end up crushing your spirit, impeding growth as an artist and as a human being.  This is a death trap for the soul.

For many of us, letting go of a project or putting it aside is synonym of failure.  I disagree; on the contrary, recognizing the need to move and rearrange ideas and projects will lead to success.  Success is defined by how you feel about the results, and not by what society tells you success is - which is usually money or status.  We are so conditioned to ”the persevere-never quit mentality” that we fail to recognize when things are not working out.  If you are passionate about something, pursue it, but keep your gardening gloves on, and weed out everything that is not contributing to that dream’s growth; only then, it can flourish.  In the garden of your dreams, time is precious, don’t waste it trying to revive dead roses; instead, plant new ones.  (Could not resist ending this post with that cheesy line).

On one side, we look horrified when someone on the street throws a paper napkin, but on the other side we are mesmerized while watching the beauty of hundreds of paper lanterns going up in the sky, carrying wishes for good fortune.  I bet you that if I stand on the street with a paper napkin and toss it to the ground making a wish for good fortune, no one is going to be mesmerized and certainly, I am setting myself up for a few angry looks and a few not so kind comments.

So is it just me or can you see the ridiculous side of this issue.  “Pitch in” reads the  cute little sign in the recycling/trash can, well, how about “Pitch up” and don’t let those go up in the sky.  In my eyes it is littering, same as tossing that lunch paper bag to the street or that paper cup – the only difference is gravity, one goes up and the other goes down.  It drives me nuts!

What do you think about this issue?

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We have heard this line many times – “Misery loves company.”  It is a very damaging way to live by.  Why?  When we sulk in our misery and surround ourselves with people who feel the same way, we are becoming victims of whatever situation it is that we sulk about and prolong.  Some people may even live a lifetime this way.  They have become victims and most likely, blame another for their misfortune.

I wholehearted believe that I cannot blame anyone for whatever happens in my life, because ultimately, I make the decisions, whether these are decisions that I make or think I have to make, but is not what I would like to do – in any case, I always decide, like it or not; therefore, there is no assigning blame.  When I fully understood this truth, I became free.  I saw that no matter the circumstances, I chose and that meant accepting responsibility for those decisions – positive and negative.

When we say ” it is ______ (fill the blank) fault, we are closing the door to growth.  Only by understanding that you are responsible for every path taken, and letting go of blame, there can be growth.  For some people, this is difficult to accept and they don’t want to be reminded of it.  If you do, they will find something wrong with you to be able to refute this truth, whether it is your lack of experience in certain area or life situation or something else.  For them, this is ground for invalidation of what you have to say.  Many times, that same “lack” is what helps you be neutral and understand many points of view.  Keep playing the same misery song and you will keep dancing the same misery dance.  If you don’t change the tunes, don’t expect your feet to move at a different rhythm.  That is what I say.

The artist/writer is many times, misunderstood and labeled.  Many artists/writers know that there is a price to pay when they chose to welcome creativity and change in their lives, specially when others don’t understand their art or path.  They may be accused of daydreaming, having unrealistic expectations, not working, being too emotional … and many other things, tons of other things.  If you find yourself wanting your dream very much and on the path to make it real, to survive this you must avoid becoming discouraged by what others may or may not think of you and you must work your dream against the odds.  Most important, don’t invite company to celebrate misery, because misery loves company, and growth will stop.

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This morning, as I scanned the FB comments, I stopped at one made by Paolo Coelho - “What other people think of you is none of your business.”  I thought, excellent words of wisdom, but not easy to follow them.  The truth is that doing that is really very difficult because it goes against our human nature.  As a social species, we want to be liked by others,  and we love to be accepted and celebrated by others.  We want to share our wisdom with others, wether blogging, writing a book, talking to family or friends, thru a painting exposition …  We want to achieve but we also want those achievements to be recognized.  We do mind what other people think and say of us, and maybe we give too much importance on what others think of us.  That is why I thought that those words were such an epiphany - “What other people think of you is none of your business.”

If we lived that way we would be so much happier with the world around us and with the world within us.  We would be less critical of others and of ourselves.  We would spend less time worrying and sulking and more time dreaming and doing.  Ever tried to talk to someone who refutes or challenges every word that comes from your mouth – even if you are talking about laundry?  Well, I have, and let me tell you that it is the hardest thing to do, because it is impossible to have a normal conversation with that person.  This is when those words work well and instead of forcing a conversation or defending mine, I choose to mind my fabulous business and shut up, and in the way to happy land, I realize that Paolo Coelho is right – what other people think of me is none of my fabulous business.

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If you are human, you have a set of beliefs.  Those beliefs form as you grow up and are highly influenced by culture, family, country … and many other things.  In a way, you identify with those beliefs, in a way, they are you, part of you.  I know people who are so set in their beliefs that refuse to explore beyond their horizon or entertain another point of view.  These people may fear that by opening their mind to receive information that may or may not contradict their belief system, they might cheat on that same system or worst, lose themselves – I pity them.  Why?  Because opening your mind to try to understand something and exploring information does not in any way diminish what you think, or believe; on the contrary, if you truly respect your beliefs, there is no need to fear new information.  What would have happened if all the explorers and scientists of the past had not stepped one foot pass their comfort zone (beliefs) and try to expand what they already knew or believed?  You answer that question, since the answer is obvious.

I used to write for a site and the community there seemed very friendly and loved commenting on each other’s work.  There was only one thing that drove me nuts, especially when I wrote a piece of poetry.  I write about many things, true or fictional, and many times, I love to imagine things poetically.  What drove me nuts?  That most times, people thought that the piece of poetry was directly related to me, as in true life.  I was too lazy to explain that it was just a piece of writing, many times fictional.

Don’t believe everything you read or are told; expand your horizon, move one step over the flat ocean’s edge and refresh your mind and spirit.  Think for yourself, believe what you must but after you consider the opposite point of view, there is no harm in that; who knows, it may even strengthen your beliefs.  As a writer, you owe it to yourself, and your readers … believe and expand your horizon.

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The other day, I was pondering on this adage (yes, I ponder a lot – even as a toddler, according to my Mom) – “Use it up, Make do, Do without.”  I don’t know if you are familiar with it, but it has been thrown around from time to time.  I realized that these words have been forgotten in today’s society.  Although, some people are turning their lives around and embracing these words (many times they are called ”greenies”) most people live the opposite to this, at least that is what I’ve observed.  I was there once.

Use it Up – Most people throw away things before they even finish their contents, many times, unused items that they never got to open, spoiled food, and so on.

Make Do – That has become an insult in today’s society.  To some, Make Do is synonym to being a loser, or being poor.  I’ve known people with lots of money that live by the Make Do rule; it doesn’t have to do with how much money you have.  Some people choose this way of living, but this is the minority.

Do Without - This is unheard these days, especially since the invention of credit cards.  It is the source of many tantrums at stores or at home, and I am not talking about kids.  People become miserable if they cannot have stuff NOW!  Do Without? – But that is impossible!

The New Rules of the Game

1.  Use it Halfway, if ever.

2.  Get the newest and latest.

3.  Get it Now before it becomes old.

Disclaimer:  Some people will hate me for this post.  After the Zombies invade, nothing will matter, so old goods will become new again, and the old rules will become survival techniques.

Spotted Lungwort - Echtes Lungenkraut (Pulmonaria officinalis) (Photo credit: Maggi_94)

Some people don’t like change, others associate change with negative things, mostly because they are very comfortable with the current situation or stage in life, and they view change as a disruption.  “If it is not broken, don’t fix it” they may say.  When change is abrupt,and fast it leaves little or no time for this.  Change may be good or bad, however, it is always change.  The only thing that you can control about it is your reaction – accepting change.

Change is inevitable, and it offers an opportunity for movement and growth – whether it is disrupting or good change, either way you must claim your place in life – either embrace it and grow or fight it until you have no more strength – change is inevitable; it is part of our nature.  We go through change since our conception in the womb and it continues until we die – and God knows what else is beyond that, more change?

Change can be sudden, or it can be gradual, the later easier to swallow and embrace, the first, full of punch and invigorating, both regenerative, leaving a sense of renewal in the end.  The greatest thing about change is that no matter how it comes and how it may feel at the moment, it is evolving, and never stalls – that in itself is good.  If change for you represents your darkest hour, find comfort in that – everything shall pass, and it leaves experience, and growth if you choose to accept/embrace it.

Change is inevitable; it is our nature.

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February is around the corner, and I can’t help but think about Valentine’s Day; must of us do, at least if the holiday is part of your culture. The sweets are everywhere, the cupids are in full view, and the roses are in full bloom in the store shelves. The other day, my husband came home  with the cutest Valentine mug full of Dove chocolates – he knows I love coffee and he told me “you don’t have one of these.” I have enjoyed the little chocolate treats from time to time, and I love to read the sweet message inside the wrapper. I read one that stuck with me – “Discover how much your heart can hold” – it read. That tiny Dove chocolate heart was an epiphany.

Huh, I thought; I have never asked myself that question before.  I wonder, how much can my heart hold?  The answer is as inspiring as it is scary.  Why?  Because it touches on the essence of being human; on how much can we love, and how much we can  hate, and all the other emotions and feelings in between – from Awe, Bliss, and Beauty, to Fear, Doubt, and Heartbreak.  In physiology, the heart can take a beating, and eventually, one day, it will give up.  In terms of emotions and feelings, the heart is so much more amazing, stronger, and stretchable.  (I know, it is all about the brain and its electrical connections, but bare with me for the purpose of this post).

While pondering about the message in the Dove chocolate wrapper, I realized that the only way to know the answer to that is to live life, to live one heartbeat at a time.  Only thru living, the heart will continue to expand, to hold all the humanity and spirituality that life presents its keeper.  So, how much can the heart hold?  It is different for every person, as it is life and the things we let ourselves experience.  We can live minute by minute, or we can live heartbeat by heartbeat – it is up to us.  We can live life going thru the motions, at the beat of the clock, or we can find a true heartbeat in everything we do.  We can expand the capacity of our heart to hold as much as we want, as we allow, and many times, as much as we need.  As far as I’m concerned, every heartbeat counts, you don’t have to climb Mount Everest to get your rush, but if you want to do it, that is wonderful, as it is the way you want to live as you stretch your heart.

How much can your heart hold?  It is up to you to discover it.

Unless you know your true What, your Why is useless.  To add to the dilemma, many times, you might think that what you want is a certain something, to later find out that you really didn’t want that at all, or maybe had to tweak your want a bit to realize that your Why was totally out of zinc with your What.  I don’t blame you if your head hurts by now, but life is complicated sometimes, or at least, our perception of it.  I have found that many times, my What (s) were totally wrong, and my Why (s) did not take me there; however, I found that it was all a process for me, and one that I had to undergo to be able to find my true What and Why.  Sometimes, the journey is a What in itself, and later, it becomes the Why, at least temporarily until you realize your true What and Why.

Don’t forget to check out Ollin’s post; you can find it by clicking here – http://ollinmorales.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/and-you-cant-pull-me-down/

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The other day, I was parked at the local Wawa-gas station having a cup of coffee with my husband.  Parked next to me, there was a woman who may have been in her mid or late sixties, waiting for her friend who went inside the store.  The woman was in the driver’s seat.  Just in front of her car, maybe about 15 steps or less, there was a giant trash can.  The woman chose to open her window and throw her cigarette butt on the floor, mind you, we are at a gas station/convenience store.  I could not understand this behavior.  There she was, less than 15 steps from a giant trash can, and probably had a trash compartment in her car, and she chose to litter.  I thought of saying something to her, but I stopped myself.  Instead, I looked at her, looked at the trash can, and moved my head from side to side – I’m sure she got the message.  I did not say anything because at that instant, I realized that if at that age, who knows, she could have been in her early 70s, she was still doing this, she must have done that her entire life, and my comment wouldn’t have mattered.

When I thought of it, her disregard for her planet, must had been learned long time ago, and she will probably go to her grave in this state of mind.  I am no saint, far from it, but there are things that baffle me, and they just don’t make sense.  This woman had no regard for the planet she calls home (unless she was from another planet), which translates, in my eyes, to disregard for the legacy she leaves her children or grandchildren, if she has any.

Ok, maybe you are thinking that I am making a huge deal out of a woman who happened to flick a cigarette at a parking lot.  However, the way I see it - “every action affects you or someone else, either in a positive or a negative way.”  I wish I had the power to follow that cigarette’s journey throughout the many years to see the impact that simple action had.  I can think of many scenarios -  the breeze rolls it over to the gas section just as a person is retrieving the gas nozzle from their car and a drop of gasoline falls to the floor.  Or maybe, a cute little bird or pigeon carries it to its nest underneath the roof of a home nearby.  I can think of many more scenarios, but it was just a cigarette butt, right?

The drama, oh, the drama …

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The busy Holiday Season has ended and a new year is here.  For those who are independent contractors it means a fresh new start and the continuation of past business.  Keeping clients isn’t easy, whether you do retail or offer a service.  You have to find that balance that makes clients happy as well as yourself.  But what are the things that make your clients/customers go Wow?

1. Attention to detail - I have found that this is very important in keeping your customer happy.  It goes beyond good and basic customer service.  You can be polite and go thru the motions of the sale, but when you take a good look at what your customer likes and strive to magnify that a bit, you are putting some love into the sale or service.  It is popularly called “going the extra mile;” however, you can go the extra mile out of duty or you can walk it loving it – there is a difference – and there is the balance.  To put it into perspective, when you give attention to detail, your packages are neat, extra well-packed, beautifully wrapped, and you include a little something special inside for your customer – they will remember you for that.  The online world has open many retail opportunities for online shops, and this is good.  However, I have seen many things that I don’t consider desirable; for example, receiving an item packed in a cereal box without any lining in it or any extra layers of protection.  I am all for recycling and saving the planet, but if you need to use a cereal box, you can pretty it up by wrapping/camouflaging it with some nice paper, putting some tissue inside to protect the item … and so on.  Recycle but also Upcycle.
2. Being honest – Honesty in business goes far, and customers/clients notice.  Maybe for you, the extra dollar in shipping doesn’t make much difference, but it does to a customer.  These days, shipping packages is expensive, online sellers know that, and many times, they cannot compete with the free shipping or low shipping deals that other large companies offer.  The way I see it, it is not about competing but about being different, and you do that by refunding the difference if shipping was less and eating up the cost if it was more than you quoted.  Customers will notice and they will thank you for that, usually.
3.  Giving the Royal Treatment - Even if you operate a very small online store, you can treat your customers as royalty.  Strive for an excellent shopping experience in all levels – communication, delivery of the product, and resolving any issues that may arise.  From offering tracking numbers, returns, and striving for making your customer happy at the end, there are many ways to wow your customers.  If you offer a service, excellent communication practices and prompt delivery, as well as following up are key.
4. Saying Thank You - This is one of the most important things that you can do, whether you work an online business, brick and mortar store, or are an independent contractor.  It says to the  customers/clients that you value and appreciate their business – in other words, you don’t take them for granted.  You are stepping away from the “clerk treatment” so common at the street and letting your customers know that they are appreciated and that you would like to continue serving their needs in the future.  You do this by thanking them verbally, sending an email or a personalized card, including an appreciation gift or a discount coupon, and most important, following up with them briefly.  There are as many ways as far as your imagination can go.
5. Personalizing the sale – This is of most importance, at least in my eyes.  Treating customers as people and not as dollar signs is what it means.  You can chat up a storm with a client and ask many questions to find common ground, but if you still see that person as a dollar sign, you will give that vibe back to him/her – everything is energy and energy passes thru.  Instead, think of a way in which you can truly help that customer with his/her need.  If a customer/client came to you, it is because there is a need and it is up to you to find a way to please that customer.  Next time, he/she can go somewhere else.  These days, there is a whole worldwide of choices out there in the concrete world and in cyberspace.  So, when a customer visits your online site or your brick and mortar store, be honored that they have seen your tiny dot shining in this huge retail universe.

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The New Year is here and I’m happy that it is.  Despite all the doomsday talk, the way I see it, each day is full of possibilities, so I got myself a year full of possibilities.  Each day important, and certainly, not taken for granted.  Although I am a planner by nature and I love lists, I have trained my stubborn self to appreciate each day for what it is, despite the curve balls that life serve and the not so happy situations that may present along the way.  I have learned that everything is temporary, nothing is forever, and things are as bad as you make them to be - the mind and the attitude will master your emotions, and the acceptance and understanding of emotions will shape your day – days will shape your present and your future.  I say this because I have realized that life is indeed too short.  I know everyone repeats this adage, but many have not ponder the depth of it, and truly, when you think about it, life is too short for all the things you want to do and live.  This is why it is so important that you love what you do and try to pursue that love and get there.  Whether that means moving to another state or country, no one will know but you, and there are always sacrifices on the way – a great salary, time, lifestyle … it is different for each person .

I think of the day I arrive to this earth, my birth day, and I am amazed first, that I was born, and second, at how fast the years have gone by.  Yes, I regret the bent on the road, some detours, but then I understand that without taking those, I would not be writing this post.

I have arrived to a point where I can say that I am blessed and I am happy, and it doesn’t have to do with financial status, material possessions (I have none of those) or the curve balls that life serves – all of that is temporary.  One thing I am glad I found along the way – that I CAN love every single day.

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With this poem that I wrote sometime ago I wish you all the best New Year ever.  Cheers and until next year!

Countdown

5-4-3-2-1 …

New Year

Parties and champagne …

The blackboard erased,

A new count starts

For the everyday man.

Dreams, plans, and dissertations

Things left to the imagination,

New loves, old loves, memories that are gone.

Time anew

The curtain opens

Good days, bad days …

The race starts all over again.

365 … what a big number

265 … today I feel somber,

165 … everything’s fine

65 … I don’t even have a dime

25 … Christmas is here

5-4-3-2-1 … parties and champagne,

The New Year is here.

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Revisited

The Theory of Possibility

I have adopted the philosophy that no one is 100% right – there are many possibilities and sides to a story or to a belief.  This has made me a better person.  I don’t have to judge and I don’t have to shove my beliefs up the throats of others; instead I agree to disagree and to value other points of view.  I am happier now.  I don’t have to turn blue to prove a point; instead, I just express it and let it go to do what it needs to do.

One day, I went to reach for a glass of milk but decided to drink peach juice instead.  It was a change that took a split of a second but got me thinking.  I was sure I wanted milk but instead ended up grabbing the peach juice.  What followed was enlightening, at least to me.  I understood that this world is made entirely of possibilities.  I understood that everything, absolutely everything is possible.  It takes a matter of less than a second for a possibility to become reality.  This changed my view of things.

I will go back to the milk and juice to illustrate the point.  In my mind, I wanted milk and went straight ahead to the refrigerator to get it.  From my point of view it was already something I would do, saw myself doing, but never materialized – it was a possibility.  Instead, another possibility presented itself – the peach juice – a possibility that was not in my mind a few seconds ago, when heading towards the refrigerator to get some milk.  This sudden change puzzled me to the point that I am writing this article.

Going back to the example, the second possibility became my reality, not the first and intended one.  I changed my mind in the split of a second, whether conscious of it or not, but it ended up shaping my reality.  This in my opinion was a powerful message.

Possibilities abound, they are just multidimensional, and so are we when we think of it in that sense.  Multiple realities – can that be possible?  You be the judge – I don’t judge anymore.