I haven’t quite had the time to figure out how this piece of fantastic machinery works, (ie. pages, ie. where to put my poetry and prose versus everyday ramblings), but I will soon, and mark my words, once I figure it out it will be fucking epic.

Other than my general lack of any technological know-how, life continues on ever so swiftly.  Last night I got home from work at a later hour than usual, but it was a goooooood Wednesday!  I’ve been thinking of keeping a tip vs. paycheck journal, but so far haven’t found a smart place for it.  Now I’m thinking to make an excel spreadsheet about it… do some comparisons at the end of a 3 month-ish period and see how much money I actually earn.  But, like I said, last night was fantastic.  It was reminiscent of some of the first nights I worked at King Eddies, with more than 100$ in tips coming my way at the end of it, despite me begging for mercy.  The thing is, if you’re busy – you’re happy.  No waitress is going to be happy sitting with the same customers for the entire night – you’re just going to get frustrated even if the person(s) is(are) your best friend(s).  But if you have a legit stream of newcomers that you semi-know and can entertain the fuck out of? You are your own best friend.  You are the queen of the butterflies, flitting from table to table with your gorgeous smile and anticipating beers and presenting wines from behind your back like magician’s tricks, much to the awe and congratulations of the patrons (ie. audience).  You are everywhere at once, you are working the room and you know you are damn good at it.  Everybody loves you, and the table at the back from Alberta, full of hockey players and moms, that is getting rowdy singing Rasputin at the top of their arms?  They give you hugs every time they see you with another rye and coke, or rye and diet or vodka water lime (mostly because you remember each person’s specific drinks, and partly because you’re russian and they’re hockey players).   They sing, they laugh, the ask you whether your nipples are pierced, and then they leave in a giant flurry of stumbling tall men, in cabs too small to their hotel across the street.  You are now satisfied – they are happily drunk, they are coming back for more, and they tip like madmen!

What’s better then that?  A close second would be getting more than 8 hours of sleep for me, since these guys kept me at work till about 2:15 last night, and I wake up at 7 on Thursdays.  But it was worth it – I’ll sleep on the bus and dream about dancing 20$ bills on the way to my retardedly early English class.

I hear the best writers lived in bars… except the thing is I don’t think they worked there, but .. er… drank there.. so really the best writers should be my regular customers… except they’re not.  But I will be from listening to all of their ridiculous drunk stories time and time again.  I will be.

Time to go dry my hair.  And eat something.

Ciao. Arina.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (Message)

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Are you stressed out yet? Do you have at least five lists concurrently running? Is the turkey really thawed or are you in for a real surprise today around dinner time? Will your in-laws become out-laws? Will all your leftovers fit in the refrigerator? How can there possibly be more that your children could want after last Christmas and why in the world can’t it be compatible with the previous game system? Seriously, are ten Christmas parties and three productions absolutely necessary to welcome the newborn King? With heart racing and numbers crunching, anxiety building and depression looming as the holiday season officially arrives, I would like for everyone to stop! Take a deep breath and let it out! Now breathe in again and allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse the clutter from your mind. Today is Thanksgiving which literally means to “give thanks.” However, you may already be overwhelmed with the new arrival of the season that the concept of being truly thankful has been lost. The truth is all the details that create “the” perfect holiday with all the delicious foods, overworked cooks, reduced budgets and pressing details do not promote the heart of the holiday that your Heavenly Father intended. He hardly was thinking of Butterball when He called His Children to be thankful. In fact, God directly links cheerfulness with thankfulness and prayer. The more we are able to convey our appreciation to the Lord the more joy we experience in everyday life. It really is quite simple and does not require a detailed menu, extended guest list or meticulous time schedule, it is a moment of peaceful quiet when all these meaningless things are pushed aside and God’s Child says, “Thanks Dad! I am happy just because you are the Lord of my life! I am content in the blessings you have placed in my life and long only for that which comes from you!”  These simple words will bless God’s Heart!

There is a dinette set which was the first piece of “new” furniture that was purchased for our home. Perfect for a large family and a small space, it fit neatly in the eat-in and its cozy bench for our little girls perfect. It has served our family well over the past several years and endured many family meals, school projects and only the Lord knows what else. It has many blemishes from its years of faithful service and there is an ongoing discussion of replacing it. But this table’s marks are images of great triumphs and victories of God’s great love and care for our family for if you look closely it bears the inscription our little girl who struggled for a long time to write her name until Her Heavenly Father said enough and touched her little body! The awkward letters proclaim the healing touch of God. It is a powerful reminder of a God who is mindful of me. When I wash away the crumbs or sit to grab a bite to eat it reminds me to be thankful for God in all things even those things that to others may prove unsightly. Today stop and look around and allow God to remind you of how He met you and loved you and cared for you! The turkey can wait, the football game recorded but this moment will be wasted if not claimed.

Colossians 4:2 (NLT)

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Be on alert! The people and things that comprise your home and your life are gifts directly from the Hand of God to you His Child! Let that which surrounds you promote a continuous prayer of thankfulness for it marks God’s constant inhabitants in your life. His Blessing has sustained you and His Favor maintains it with the promise of a fabulous future. The joy and peace of this holiday season begins in a moment of being truly thankful exactly where you are with precisely what you have without the pressure to perform and the need to satisfy others. Breathe in His Peace today and you will exhale praise and thanks to Jesus the One who loves you most and was willing to show you with His Life.

Am avut aseara un vis erotic, se facea ca sunt cea mai sexy vampa din oras si aveam la picioarele mele orice barbat, si cum ma plimbam eu asa cu pantofiorii mei rosii cu toc inalt si cu fustita mea neagra pana la genunchi, cu parul negru ca abanosul si buzele rosii ca ciresele, admiram privelistea celor ingenunchiati la picioarele mele si din cand in cand alegeam cate unul sa-mi satisfac nevoile sexuale. Deh, ce-i drept niciunul nu era indeajuns de bun si oricat timp as fi petrecut cu fiecare nu reuseam sa fiu pe deplin satisfacuta, vroiam din ce in ce mai mult si muscam cu pofta din fiecare victima ce  sfarsea la picioarele mele, jocul de-a pisica si soricelul era din ce in ce mai plictisitor pe masura ce soriceii se inmulteau si erau din ce in ce mai nepregatiti. Se facea ca ma plimbam printr-un castel , unde pe fiecare margine a drumului erau barbati care si-ar fi dat si viata pentru o noapte cu mine, stiau cu totii ca o noapte cu mine insemna depasirea limitelor , imaginatiei si simturilor. Din nefericire, ceea ce nu anticipau ei era faptul ca la sfarsit ajungeau sa fie supti de toata energia din ei, aproape lesinati pe cararea mortii, iar eu, cu cat erau mai multi cu atat ma simteam mai puternica. Pana a aparut el….un brunet focos cu ochi albastrii bleumarin, cu o atingere ca matasea pe corpul unei femei, cu o privire sexy si pasionala si o gura cu buze carnoase tocmai bune de muscat. Si el….el m-a facut sa ma gandesc numai la atingerea sa, cu cat ucideam mai multi tinerei sa-mi satisfac poftele cu cat vroiam mai mult sa ajung la el . Caci la el erau culmile placerii, era suprema satisfactie, as fi facut orice pentru el, orice sa-l pot stapani dar nu am reusit…Iar cand m-am trezit pisica mea se uita cu mirare la mine, probabil spunandu-mi ‘trezeste-te’ ,m-am trezit cu un zambet pe fata, e pe aproape brunetul meu focos, de azi incep sa privesc mai atent…

¿Por qué luchas en la vida? ¿Cuáles son los objetivos que mueven tus esfuerzos? ¿Lo que haces te satisface? ¿Lo que quieres es lo que realmente te apasiona? Te hago esas preguntas porque a veces en nuestra vida gastamos todas nuestras fuerzas en objetivos que nos proporcionan resultados no deseados. En otros casos asumimos que vamos por el camino correcto y no es así.

Todavía estás a tiempo para re-enfocar tus objetivos y todavía estás a tiempo para re-definir tu camino. No gastes tu tiempo en cosas que no te generan satisfacción. Me explico: te gusta jugar baloncesto pero en realidad no eres el mejor en ese deporte, sin embargo eres excelente músico. ¿No sería mejor que toda esas horas que inviertes en tu pasatiempo las dedicaras a la música donde realmente sí eres bueno?…a eso me refiero. “Lo que nos gusta muchas veces no es donde realmente somos buenos”…..pregunto: ¿podemos convertir nuestras habilidades en nuestra pasión? Transforma tus habilidades en tu pasión, esa es la meta y si ya las posees perfeccionalas. Al final del camino estarás contento contigo mismo.

¿Te gustaría vivir tu vida viviendo tu pasatiempo o viviendo tu pasión? Creeme, tu pasión te brindará resultados exitosos, tu pasatiempo solo te permitirá “pasar el tiempo”. Vive tu pasión .. “tu pasión te dára emoción”.

************

What makes you struggle in life? Which are the objectives that moves your strengths? What you do gives you satisfaction? Are you really passionate about what you want? I ask you all these questions because sometimes in life we spend all ourstrengths in objectives that brings unwanted results. In other cases we think that we are walking the correct path and we aren’t.

You still have time to refocus your objectives and you still have time to redefine your path. Don’t waste time in things that doesn’t brings you satisfaction. Let me explain this: maybe you like to play basketball, but you know that you are not the best in this sport, however you are an amazing musician. Wouldn’t be better to spend all those diversion hours of basketball in what you know you are really good and in what you are passionate about?… that’s what I mean.  Sometimes “what we like is not what we are really good at”.  Can we convert our abilities in our passion?  Transform your abilities in your passion, that’s the goal and if you already posses it, work to make it better.

Would you like to live your life living for your diversion or living for your passion? Believe me, your passion will give you pleasure and satisfaction, your diversion will only bring you limited pleasure. Live your passion.. “your passion will give you emotion”.

Interrompemos nossa programação oficial para informar a respeito do formato utilizado neste blog.
Voltaremos com a nossa programação ordinária em alguns minutos ou segundos (Tudo vai depender do tempo gasto com a leitura (ou não) do post)
 
Este Post vai ficar fixo por alguns dias, então veja abaixo se temos alguma novidade no blog ok?
 
Comecei a escrever este post umas 5 vezes e em todas as tentativas a expressão “Bom Dia” insistia em aparecer. (hum, acho q acabei de inseri-la de forma não convencional) sendo assim vou tentar denovo.
Bom Dia Caro Leitor!!! (caso esteja lendo este texto à noite, considere o meu desejo para o dia subseqüente ok?)
 
Várias pessoas elogiaram o post de ontem o que me deixou bem feliz da vida. E ao tentar coletar algum feedback (além dos comentários) descobri uma coisa interessante:
O formato de texto corrido deixa algumas pessoas desencorajadas de ler as postagens.
 
Sendo assim, gostaria de esclarecer que tento fazer os textos com parágrafos curtos exatamente para facilitar a leitura mesmo sabendo que isto faz com que o texto pareça ter um volume maior do que realmente tem, mesmo que na verdade tenha em média 800 palavras por postagem (Este mesmo tem só 416… pode contar se duvidar).
Desta forma Caro leitor, gostaria de pedir que você não tenha medo de ler os meus textos os quais (na maioria das vezes) eu TENTO fazer com um humor ácido e sarcástico e tentando (na maioria das vezes) despertar alguma reflexão.
 
Já expliquei nesta postagem os motivos que me levam a publicar muitas vezes sem nenhuma imagem ou vídeo e também sem formatação. Mas sempre que tenho um tempo livre eu tento organizar as coisas por aqui, apesar de que com o fim de semestre está difícil arrumar este tal de tempo livre.
 
Então, sendo assim despeço-me (não para sempre) e prometo tentar fazer postagens mais curtas e diretas (desde q isso não interfira na subjetividade da minha escrita né?) mas peço educadamente (antes que eu parta para a violência) que você não tenha medo dos meus posts que podem ser grandes, mas que (possivelmente) irão arrancar um sorriso dessa cara fechada de quem está compenetrado lendo alguma coisa.
 
Então é isso,
 
AH SIM, já ia me esquecendo! Se não for pedir muito, preciso de ajuda na divulgação do Blog, para ter mais visitas, comentários, reconhecimento e por conseqüência mais motivação para continuar escrevendo  : )
 
Então, AGORA SIM – That’s All Folks.
 
 
Toddy para os leites;
Bjos e Abraços pras leitoras;
Abraço pros leitores.

DAYENU!!

Byrne and Clore’s Reward/Need Satisfaction Theory states that we form relationships based on how the potential partner makes us feel. Based on the social learning theory they explain we can form relationships through operant conditioning as the feeling of happiness created by your partner is a feeling you want to continue. This is supported by a physiological study done by Aron et al that shows in the early stages of romance there is increased activity in areas of the brain rich in the neurotransmitter dopamine- which is associated with the feelings of happiness.

Griffitt and Guay found that when participants in a study were marked highly in a task they liked the experimenter more because they had been praised by them. Similarly in their study they found that after being praised they ranked other people higher as they associated them with the good feeling of being praised. This is supported the second part of Byrne and Clores theory that through classical conditioning we learn to associated people with the emotion we were feeling at the time of meeting them so feeling that emotion when we see them, therefore if we meet them while we feel positive we week a relationship with them to continue that feeling. However it could be said that this theory explains why we maintain relationships rather than how we form them. The studies that have been carried out also lack cultural validity as they were all western studies that cannot be applied to different cultures which have very different attitudes about how and why relationships should be formed.

However, this theory is supported by another theory on how relationships are formed Byrne, Clore and Smeatons Similarity Theory states that it is important that people are similar in order to be able to form a relationship. They theorise that there are two stages to deciding who to seek relations with first we sort out the people most dissimilar to us and secondly then seek out those who are most similar. Caspi and Herbener found that in married couples, those who were the happiest were those with the most similar personality traits. Having similar attitudes is also important however many couples slightly adjust their attitudes in order to align better with their parent, this supports the Reward/Need Satisfaction Theory as when other people have similar beliefs to you it is validation and therefore satisfying. There have been studies carried out in the USA and Singapore which have come to the same conclusion suggesting that this theory will apply to many cultures and is therefore more valid than the RNST. However this theory is reductionist as it looks only at similarities in personality and attitude but does not look at other factors in forming relationships such as socio-economic status or appearance.

As with the Reward/Need Satisfaction Theory it can be argued that the Similarity Theory better explains why relationships are also maintained as they both describe why it is beneficial to continue in a relationship but not how it could have begun. To be able to find similar attitudes and personalities in a relationship, it would need to be formed first and this can most likely be better explained by looking at different aspects of attraction such as physical appearance.

The wierd ii thing was a tick on my word, so they are the positives lol.

Reward/Need Satisfaction Theory

Byrne and Clore 1970

• Based on learning theory- conditioning
• We are attracted to people who we find satisfying to be with ie financially secure or attractive
• We are simulate by rewarding/punishing things
  • Rewarding stimuli produce positive feelings
  • Punishing stimuli produce negative feelings

ü  Griffitt and Guay 1969

• Pps given a taks and asked to rate how much they liked the experimenter.
• Rating highest when experiment had positively evaluated  their task

ü  Aron et al 2005

• Pps scoring high in romantic love on questionnaire have strong activity in ventral tegmental area of brain
• Early stages of love are associated with high levels of dopamine

ü  Cate et al 1982

• Reward level was superior to all other factors in determining relationship satisfaction

×        Hays 1985

• We gain satisfaction from giving as well as receiving

×        Reductionist as it ignores other factors of attraction.

×        This theory  explains maintenance rather than formation

The reward/need satisfaction theory can apply across all stages of relationships, not just the formation stage, never the less it does not fully explain why people are attracted to each other.

Similarity Theory

Byrne, Clore and Smeaton 1986

• There are two stages in the formation of relationship:
  • Sorting partners for dissimilarity
  • Sorting remaining partners for similarity
  • Personality – Berscheid and Reis 1998 – we are most attracted to similar personality traits
  • Attitudes – attitude alignment often occurs in order for relationships to develop.

×        Rosenbaum 1986, Singh and Tan 1992, Drigotas 1993 – Dissimilarity- Repulsion Hypothesis – dissimilarity is more important than similarity. (cross culture proof)

×        Yoshida 1972 – says it is reductionist as it only looks at attitude and personality.

ü  Caspi and Herbener – married couples are happier if they are more similar.

When people share our attitudes it tends to validate them which is rewarding and therefore supports the Reward/Need Satisfaction Theory.

Ram is working in a software company.

He developed a left shoulder back pain. I asked him whether he has any problem in the office. He replied that he has no role in the office and therefore, he is not working to his satisfaction.

The Message from his body is, “Because of your lack of interest, your contribution is less in the office. You are giving less than you are receiving. If you continue to do so, in the future you will get lesser appreciation. There may be a cut in the salary too. Even if you find a new job you will be paid less there. If you don’t want these things to happen then give 100% of your efforts”.  Otherwise your receiving will become lesser and lesser.

I asked him to affirm ‘I choose to find ways to give 100%. I stop resisting the present job. I accept it totally’.

Note

The moment he committed, the body pain was reduced. Please note that there is no right or wrong here!

Every God has their field day

Ramya

For Sivarathri we pray to Siva, for Pradosham another deity and so on. On specific days we chant mantras for a specific god. Thus during different days, we chant different mantras. Do we have to say so many mantras or do we have one mantra which takes care of all the gods.

Naran S. Balakumar

We chant mantras based on the trust and love and association we have for a particular god. Different people prefer different gods. This is based on mind of the person. All gods are one and the same. Why so many gods or energies? Each of those gods has a specific purpose behind them.

Hare Rama Hare Krishna

Of course there is one mantra that gives the benefit of chanting mantras for all gods. It is the mantra, “Hare Rama Hare Krishna”. If we take bija mantras for all mantras, then they are present inside this mantra. Combination of all characters of mantras pertaining to all Gods is found in this mantra.

I chanted so much, and thus ego creeps in

Whatever mantra you say then immediately you get attached yourself to deity. You feel proud that you have done so much. However, while doing a Japam, it should remove my ego too. There is no flaw in the mantras. But mantra should have the capability to shed our ego. Hare Rama Hare Krishna can do that for us. Nothing else is needed. That doesn’t mean we need not go away from mantras for other Gods.

Get a Total Satisfaction

People have attained Siddhis or liberation with all the mantras. Why then Hare Rama Hare Krishna mantra has a special place? If you chant Hare Rama Hare Krishna mantra, then you get the satisfaction that you get by chanting all the mantras. You feel complete because you have not missed out any.

Revathy on healing her knees – a Case History

Earlier, I use one leg to get climb the stairs to attend the classes of Naran. After chanting Hare Ram Hare Krishna mantra, I could use both the legs. My knees are so much better

Follow up with the previous blog(Our responsibility) I post.

We are imperfect people and we  all have fallen short(Romans 3:23) but that doesn’t give us an excuse to neglect our responsibility and sole purpose. We are to die for ourselves and live for Him(Galatians 2:20). To die is gain and to live is Christ(Philippians 1:21).

Nicole and I go through this cycle all the time and I bet most other Christians. We struggle on our relationship and walk on the Lord because we lack the discipline to build our life around Him. We are trying to build Him around our life when He is supposed to be the center of our very being, our essence.

Nicole texted me this awhile back after not being able to meet for at least 3 weeks: We fail at life

And I responded with: Yes, we are failing so bad

Indeed we are because no amount of success and pleasure can measure to being one  with God.  Being contented in Him. Everything that is God comes from Him. Savoring things without His presence and recognition can only feel good at the surface,it doesn’t last. We can’t experience good without Him because all that is good is created by Him.

Apart from Him we are nothing.

Only a life that is live for Him counts, the rest fades away into comparison.

“We are to live for Christ. We are to pursue Him in every areas of it“. I have to remind myself of that every time.

He should be the end to my every need and desire. He should be enough.

It should be  a complete surrender of my life, take up my Cross and follow Him(Mark 8:34).

We do it all for Him not out of obligation but out of love.We love Him because He first loved us(1 John 4:19).

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.(KJV) 1Timothy 6:7,8

Paul spoke about contentment. He explained that we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless so to have bread on the table and shoes on their feet should be enough. They brought nothing with them when they came into the world and they cannot take anything with them when they leave. They should be content if they have food and clothing. They should be satisfied just to have food and clothing. Even though they could not carry anything out, this did not mean they could not use their resources wisely right now to lay up blessings and treasures in Heaven. Paul describe the heart of contentment they should possess.

Does this describe us? Or are we never satisfied with what we have? Are we always wanting more? It seems in the U.S. we do not know what the word contentment means. We accumulate all this stuff. We forget all this stuff we think is so important, or that we need to have means nothing in the world to come. We cannot take it with us. We need to be laying up treasures in Heaven which have an eternal value instead of all the stuff we lay up for ourselves here on Earth. We need to have an eternal perspective instead of the temporal perspective which seems to permeate our thinking. Are we content with the simple things like food and clothing? It is easy for us to say that Paul’s description of contentment describes what we have in our lives. Whether we have contentment or not in our lives is often more truthfully known by our spending and shopping practices. How much of a priority does shopping and spending have in our lives? When we lose material things, how does it affect us? Do our material things mean everything to us? Do they hold too high of a place in our lives? What will it take for us to be content?

I had heard that the blog was a good channel for expression. But it took me many years to write my first post. And that too, on some site which I forgot within few days. But again I started it couple of months back and though I may not be a big achiever in this business, I am quite satisfied. I have never thought about the financial part of this domain till now. And I think it will be quite premature at this stage. Unlike other blogs that I have visited, I do not want to cluster up my page, to a point that the reader looses interest in my blog, due to lack of reading ease.

But, I succeed or fail, in my attempt to open up to the world, I will be able to say in the future, “I’ve been there, I’ve done it”.

As I sat at my desk last week I found myself staring out at the bleak-looking woods in our back yard. The recent winds took down nearly all the leaves, and the rain has wiped out the bright colors that pooled on the ground for a little while. Add in the high overcast blocking the sun, and all I could see were the dulled colors of early winter: brown and gray, drab greens and faded yellows. It was more than a little disheartening. And then as I looked out over this scene, feeling a little dull and gray myself, a pair of bluebirds flew suddenly to a branch directly at eye level, flashing almost neon in their brightness.

The “bluebird of happiness” has never been an image that works very well for me: a bit too saccharine, and certainly far too clichéd. And yet I have to admit, my heart did a little flip-flop of joy when those beautiful creatures lit up the scene, and after they had danced their jaunty bird jig on the branch for a few minutes and then flown away the landscape had a sheen to it, a little backwash of light left behind.

One of the quotes I keep posted in my home office on my Wall of Wisdom is from Sarah Breathnach: “Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend.”

Not a bad reminder as we wend our way toward Thanksgiving. Which secret garden will we tend today? Lord knows, most of us take meticulous care of our inner Garden of Dissatisfaction. We wander through its open gate almost before we’ve fully wakened in the morning, sorry for ourselves because of too little sleep or the wisp of some crabby dream. We admire each new little sprout and return, again and again, to the unkempt and extravagant growth of our favorite gripes, some of them many years old and still full of whining vigor.

But there’s another garden growing right alongside this one for each of us, so that just a little tilt of the head or a shift in our vision puts us deep within a world of a different shape. Along its paths we can see the ordinary grace of our lives that we ignore so easily: breath, health, love, friends, food, and all the small gifts brought to us by the unfolding day. In the Garden of Abundance, the bare branches against a November overcast become a blessing, not because of the bluebirds that lighted there for a moment but because the branches themselves exist, and I have the eyes to see them.

Which secret garden will you tend today?

It stormed last night. Crazy stormed. Like untamed passion. Wild and roaring.

And then, with the rising of the sun there was peace. Beautiful golden rays of sunshine like a smile drawn across the face of satisfaction.

And where chaos met calm, a rainbow was born. Bright and magical.

I picked up my coffee and sipped it, like a drag off a cigarette in my lover’s bed, and watched with wonder and delight as the rainbow faded away into a gorgeous day.

Good morning.

Last Saturday, Kristen and I were talking about the music history workshops we taught with some bad-ass GRCA alums for the Girls Now! conference. As you can imagine, it’s hard to pare down nearly a century’s worth of female contributions to popular music into a 75-minute PowerPoint presentation and have it be fun and interactive as well. Thus, we made sure to include many music videos and performance clips that hopefully engaged our girl attendees. One such clip was Christina Aguilera’s Grammy performance of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” apparently beloved by Patti Smith. Afterwards, Kristen mentioned that it was possible to do an entire section on cover songs and wished we had more time to highlight and discuss more interesting examples.

Too right, Kristen. In fact, I think I started this section of the blog to cull together noteworthy cover songs, as I think covers are fascinating. What does song selection and interpretation say about the artist? How do their personae, generic alignments, and identity markers give the source material new meaning? What does it mean for Solange Knowles — aka Ms. “Fuck the Industry (Signed Sincerely)” — to cover an indie rock song like Dirty Projectors’ “Stillness Is The Move,” which was originally inspired by Wim Wenders’s Wings of Desire and includes a sample of “Bumpy’s Lament” in her version? What does it mean for Cat Power to adopt the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” as a signature song and create several arrangements of it ranging from stripped-down folk to soulful rave-up? How does Tori Amos blow apart Eminem’s misogynistic murder fantasy in ”‘97 Bonnie and Clyde” by orienting herself as the dead wife in the trunk? 

Tori Amos as Bonnie; image courtesy of hereinmyhead.com

(Note: For further insight into the last song mentioned, I recommend reading Lori Burns and Alyssa Woods’s “Authenticity, Appropriation, Signification: Tori Amos on Gender, Race, and Violence in Covers of Billie Holiday and Eminem.” Also, I might need to get around to unpacking the cover art for Amos’s Strange Little Girls at some point.)

Continuing why I hope to be an on-going discussion, tonight I selected two songs originally recorded by James Brown and Sam Cooke. ”It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” has always seemed to me to be an ode to chauvinism. ”A Change Is Gonna Come,” however, is an anthem for social change that came to define the Civil Rights Movement. But think about what additional meanings these songs may have when performed by Christina Aguilera and Sharon Jones.  

Guiño al tiempo de Keith Richards- Fotografía sin autor conocido

Las arrugas en los rostros de Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts y Ron Wood son la celebración de una vida imposible. ¿Qué puede ser más contradictorio que ver a estos cuatro ejemplares de la raza humana en perfecto estado de descomposición? Surcar sus rostros es aconsejar mal a nuestros hijos. Sus Satánicas Majestades han cumplido casi cinco décadas desafiando a las generaciones que piensan que la sangre nueva es la que debe fluir. No es así. Leyendas aparte, hay una banda que se sube a un escenario y transmite ganas de envejecer. De la mejor forma posible, la de hacer lo mejor que se sabe y disfrutar con ello. Ahí los ven flacos, pasados y con presencia desafiante. Mick Jagger, la diva, con su ritmo frenético, ombligo desvergonzado y sus contoneos de estrella a la que no le invitarán jamás a desaparecer. Cuenta en el documental “Shine a light” de Scorsese, recién lanzado a la fama, que su objetivo no pasaba por perdurar en el tiempo. Siempre vigilado por la moral del siglo veinte, por otro lado más arriesgada que la del actual, y llevando sus morros icónicos a la extenuación de una voz que no se apagará más que muerta. Baila con Christina Aguilera y la penetra toda la senectud por las nalgas firmes. ¿Se puede ser más soberbio? Y atrás Charlie Watts, el batería mudo, el que arranca con fatiga y después encuentra su ritmo constante. Detrás de su mirada quizá no hay más. Nunca dijo nada y tal vez no tuvo qué decir o se lo calló o ninguna de las cosas. El único que dejó sus canas libres al ritmo de una batería discreta, como si fuera una figura del museo de cera. Sonrisa enganchada y saludo con el aplauso final. Ron Wood, niño abuelo, juega con Keith. Lo mira con admiración. Sigue su compás y lo reta en un duelo de gigantes. Richards se ha ido acartonando como un pirata invencible. Sus gestos muestran a alguien que vive de milagro y que se mueve por el escenario creando complicidades. Con el público, al que mima y guiña el ojo o regala una púa. Tiene ese gesto que atrapa por la bondad del más malvado, el canalla que todos deseamos ser y que matamos por timidez o frustración. Ese tipo debería ser el más antiguo del cementerio para contar todos los excesos que llevan a la tumba y es al revés, la fosa se muere de hastío echando al cielo la más aburrida flor. Un cigarro prohibido vuela escupido por su boca y fabrica un solo de simpatía por el diablo. Y viéndole ¿Quién va a sentir lo contrario? Sólo cuando acaba el último bis con el Satisfaction pide desesperado su bata, muerto de frío, como un cadáver que se mira a un espejo. Después los cuatro van a sus camerinos, acaban su trabajo y se separan rumbo a sus casas, restaurantes de moda, antros o prostíbulos de lujo. Han cumplido su contrato y seguirán haciéndolo hasta que el rock and roll sea un sueño que un día ocurrió. Antes de que se les despegue la piel de la cara la música les cartografiará por siempre jamás.

José Ramón Huidobro

Página web Rolling Stones

//It is Old knowledge which says that in our Navel is a the centre of Satisfaction. It is where all Pursuit, Seeking and Search of the Human Awareness begins once the Satisfaction in a Human gets built up. If it goes wrong in the Navel then it goes wrong all the way. Nabhi (Sanskrit for Navel) on the Parasympathetic system of Human is said to be floating in a Void space or the ‘Ocean of Illusion’ (The Bhavasagar). The ocean is made of ten great seas. Indians called the Nabhi a ten petalled flower, indicating that it made one a master of ten great powers, once the great seas of Illusory seeking are Won over.

//Parasympathetic is the Scientific for what is actually Subtle body according Old Wisdom. The system which like our antenna all the time receives and decodes all the signals and inputs commands for us, from the Nature and thats how we function!

//The awareness once it touches the satisfaction of the Nabhi, takes the Flight of Seeking. The Nabhi is like a compass that puts it on the Flight Direction. The logic behind the Old Wisdom is the Boolean Expression of Satisfaction_in_Reality. It is checked for its Boolean value.

Class Nabhi {

Public Centre Void main ( String Petals [10] )

{

Boolean Satisfaction_in_Reality = true

//Satisfaction_in_Reality = false = Satisfaction_in_Artificiality

If Satisfaction_in_Reality

{

system.out.println (Then the Awareness takes the North Flight ‘Up’ in to the beautiful lands of the Heart, Collective Consciousness, Forgiveness and Endless Bliss );

}

else

system.out.println ( It takes the South Flight ‘Down’ in to the the country of Materialism, Endless pursuit of False Knowledge, Vain Identities and Wanton );

//The Nabhi which is hence an important Point on the Parasympathetic system as it decides the Flight we take. It is the parallel for a Divers Spring Board.  So It better be strong and Well developed. How it is achieved is a longer Indian story thousands of years in time.

}

}

The Best is Yet to Come!

There is a Chinese Proverb that goes: “May you live in interesting times.”

We certainly live in interesting, exaggerated times. There are issues like healthcare, education, poverty, national security. Just 10 minutes into any political talk show and you’ll hear: Who is to blame?

Government is an easy target: the candidates are often elected on a promise of change. But what happens when change is slow, or stalled? “Nothing changes, politics as usual,” is the common grumble. It helps to remember that with every complaint, there is a better version of government morphing in the future.

Right now, we all could use a break from the what-has-government-done-for-me-lately chatter. So here is one rampage for relief:

It is possible to look at our government, and say, some of it is working. Most of us live well. Maybe we ask too much of any government, looking to them to be a fixer of problems immemorial. Perhaps, it’s up to each of us to do the best in our lives. The Founding Fathers knew something about interesting times. They also knew the imperative of a dream, an ideal to look forward to. Suppose that dream is still alive and well. Maybe every time a business makes a sale, or a student graduates, or a senior citizen writes a memoir, maybe that is keeping the dream alive. We wanted freedom, expansion and happiness. And just maybe we are still on our way to becoming that dream. And aren’t we the lucky ones to dream our dreams. Perhaps, instead of waiting for a savior-leader to offer hope, we can be our own leader, discovering our inner well-spring of hope.

And maybe, just maybe, the best is yet to come, not just for our government but for each individual.

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Relax… Everything’s Going Our Way!SusanJoy Grieco

http://www.Bliss-Studios.com