A man who can understand Buddha and has an intuition of the heaven and hell of humanity ought not to live in a world ruled by "common sense" and democracy and bourgeois standards. It is only from cowardice that he lives in it; and when its dimensions are too cramping for him and the bourgeois parlor too confining, he lays it at the wolf's door, and refuses to see that the wolf is as often as not the best part of him.
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You are right...a thousand times over and yet you must go to the wall. You are much too exacting and hungry for this simple, easygoing and contented world of today. You have a dimension too many. ... Whoever wants music instead of noise, joy instead of pleasure, soul instead of gold, creative work instead of business, passion instead of foolery, finds no home in this trivial world of ours.
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Yes...what we are doing is probably mad, and probably it is good and necessary all the same. It is not a good thing when man overstrains his reason and tries to reduce to rational order matters that are not susceptible of rational treatment. Then there arise ideals such as those of the Americans or the Bolsheviks. Both are extraordinarliy rational, and both lead to frightful oppression and impoverishment of life, because they simplify it so crudely.



Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse

Well, another Thanksgiving has come & gone, and our family did the traditional Brussel Sprout toast. Well, not everyone. Not even the guy who invented it, actually, but he couldn't eat because of surgery. Other people are just, well, you know... But I digress... For those who don't know, our newish, wierdish, Thanksgiving tradition involves eating 3 Brussels Sprouts each. My brother started it a few years ago, because he doesn't like Brussels Sprouts, and is thankful that he doesn't have to eat them the rest of the year. Not only is this rather amusing, it has forced us to come up with clever ways to prepare the sprouts so that they actually taste good! (Yes, it is possible.) But even this misses the point. There are millions of people who go hungry every day, even in our 1st world industrialized nation. They don't get to choose what to to eat or not. They don't have the option of turning down that less savory side dish out of the 10 or so available. I don't want to give you the old "there are starving children in Africa" line (tho there are), but I would like you to keep it in mind over the holiday season. Food banks have less stock available, even as the need goes up. So, perhaps you will make a donation. Perhaps you can't afford to, but will be more grateful for what you do have. Perhaps when Granny offers you yet another helping of her slimey glazed carrots, limp green beans, or lumpy gravy, you will smile graciously, and make a silent toast to the Brussels Sprouts Gods, thanking them for the food available, the dog under the table who eats scraps, and the fortune that brought you to the position of such a wonderful dilemma.

Who has your best interests at heart? Yeah, you may not be crazy about any of the candidates, and often if feels like choosing the lesser of the evils. But you must choose. You must vote. It's important. There are all kinds of issues: the war on terror, the war on drugs, abortion, the economy, gay marriage, social security, taxes, outsourcing, immigration, etc. etc. Big issues and small, national and international. Some may affect us tomorrow, some next year, some, maybe, never. They all matter, they all must be weighed and accounted for. But remember, all politics is local. And when you boil it all down, it comes to this: who has your best interests at heart? Ask yourself this question, and listen to the honest answer. There can be only one responsible choice in the presidential election. Barak Obama.

I'm lazy, so usually I don't feel like cooking. But I like to eat healthy food. Thus my dilemma. I tend to nuke stuff way too often, I'm trying to get out of the habit, especially where plastic is involved. (Can you say "carcinogens"?) But my world's-smallest-toaster-oven (2 toasts) (my favorite appliance) is hard to get to and not always appropriate. What to do? The solution: an eensy-weensy itty bitty cast iron skillet, about the size of a large waffle. I'm cooking like everything in this skillet. Since it's so little, it cooks fast. And you can't make more than like 1 burger or whatever at a time, so your portion sizes are o.k., too. If it doesn't fit, you can't eat it. (You can't cook for the week, but everything's fresh when you make it.) The lid from my smallest pot covers it nicely when needed, and lets the steam out the sides, and it doesn't heat up the whole kitchen. It was only a few bucks at Macy's, and is the best investment I've made since that Bellydance video. Plus, you get the added bonus of free minerals. Rock on, little skillet, rock on.

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Bonus Feature: Restaurant Reviews
Visited Luray, Virginia recently and found 2 great places to eat: Uncle Buck's (we had breakfast) and the Artisan Cafe (we had lunch/dinner sandwiches and desert). Those who know me know, I hate everything. I'm very picky. These 2 place suited very well, thank you very much. Staff was nice, food was mmm mmmm. Two thumbs up to Luray, VA.

Express your truth!!! 'Nuff said.

Over 10,000,000 Americans are currently living with cancer. 1.6 million more cases will diagnosed this year. 1 our of every 4 families will be affected at some time. What can you do about it? Rise to the challenge. I am once again participating in the Livestrong Challenge to raise funds to fight cancer. You can help. Ride, walk, run, volunteer, donate. For more information, go to http://philly08.livstrong.org/bbet. Join my team: http://philly08.livestrong.org/sparesomechange. Events will take place in Austin. Philly, Portland and San Jose. It's fun, it's good for you, and it's for a good cause. Can you spare some change?

Two quotes I really liked this week:


The world is my country,
All mankind are my brethren,
to do good is my religion - Thomas Paine


We are all of us children of the earth, ...If our brothers are oppressed, then we are oppressed. If they hunger, we hunger. I their freedom is taken away, our freedom is not secure. - Stephen Vincent Benet

Ever So Early and Never Too Late once fell in love, but love had to wait.
"You're too young" said some, "it's too soon to date." Wait till you're older, and you'll find a mate.
They needed a plan to get past the folks (who always think that they know the most!)
Sometimes in daylight and sometimes in dark, (@ 5 - before supper, and 4:00 am sharp) they'd sneak out for smooches and walks in the park.
Now all these years later, still blessed by the fates, they still keep their meetings, they still make their dates. 'Cause breakfast's not ready and supper can wait when its still a bit early but still not too late.

A memory from the distant past
slightly unpleasant, like the medicine of a childhood cough.
More than a score of years gone by
And yet, you say you loved me then?
My 13 year old self is wryly amused
but the sour-cherry taste has faded.
And I see your light...
dim, distant, but glowing none the less.
Namaste.

We are bodies of water.
Salty, tangy, sometimes sweet.
Not made of ashes, surely, but of droplets and waves,
life-giving refreshment
Floating on our blue planet, canvassing boiling rapids, frozen into icy divides,
we swim in a sea of humanity, raining into puddles of hope and despair, buffeted by the tides of time and change. But one thing remains

We are bodies of water. Salty, tangy, sometimes sweet - which must needs be replenished or we are dessicate, dried to a husk, 10% of our former volume.
Fill me with your healing waters, let me bathe in the sacred pool. I am anointed by your tears and sweat. My blood for yours, we heal each other.
Hot springs and glaciers war in our hearts. Hear we make our own miracles, turning wine into water
and casting upon it our bread of ashes and dust to be remade a thousand fold and to which it will return.
While we return to the sea, the clouds, the swirling vapors.
For we are bodies of water. Salty, tangy, sometimes sweet.

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