Last weekend was enhanced by a visit from our dear friends, Julie & Lucy. They came up from Texas (returned from exile) primarily to see their parents/grandparents, but we managed to grab a bit of their time - even if it was between midnight and 2am.

I took the girls to the National Arboretum for a photo shoot among the azalea collection. It was so fun to watch our girls enjoying their reunion.

It's Earth Day. Do you know what your carbon footprint is? Mine is shamefully huge. We would need 6.5 Earths if everyone lived like I do. I see I need to try harder.
Try the quiz

It is also the PA Primary. I am reminded of the succinct campaign speech in the classic movie Napoleon Dynamite:
"If you vote for me, all of your wildest dreams will come true."
Isn't this what Barak, Hillary, & John really mean to say?

Tree Tunnel in the Springtime
These pictures were taken about two weeks apart.

A new day has dawned in my household. This weekend my 14 year old daughter did all her laundry herself claiming she was tired of waiting. I rejoiced.

I have been updating my resume, which needed major updating after this busy year. My Dear One caught the typo "Business Networking Intentional" rather than "Business Networking International." Good catch, but the error was amusing. I intend to network my business, but often just don't get around to it;-)


My youngest is at the Kennedy Center on a field trip today. In preparation, her music teacher turned the class on to Gershwin. I found this out when I helped her use her iTunes card to download "Rhapsody in Blue" along with the latest by Mylie Cyrus.

And now for something completely different...

I was doing some background research today for a business highlight magazine assignment for a spa who offers eyebrow threading.
Whuh? (spoken in a Scooby Doo voice)

Am I alone in my ignorance here? Even though the spa owner, who described herself as an "eyebrow artist" gave a quick description, I could not understand it.

I came across this video clip, which I'm hoping was an attempt at humorously informative. I really wish that my friend John the Trucker could replace the voice-over on this 5 minute clip and you would cry with laughter.

Anyway, if you have five minutes to spare considering ancient Persian eyebrow treatments, enjoy.

I can't get John Mayer's new song "Say" out of my head. I have it downloaded onto my iPod and play it often, followed by that sappy sounding "100 Years" by Five for Fighting. I don't have time right now to figure out the slick music downloading like my friend Dan does. You'll have to settle for these cool lyrics scrolling boxes and hum.

It occurs to me that Mayer should write a corollary song, "Shut up when you need to shut up."

I have gotten better at saying what I need to say, but then I often keep talking and ruin everything. Which are you better at: Saying what you need to say, or shutting up when you need to shut up? Which do you think is more important?


- John Mayer Lyrics


100 Years Lyrics

I've been sidelined by house work. I've been cruising along through some great events - like my son's lacrosse games, dinner with friends, working on fun writing assignments for a growing client base, starting an aerobics class with my daughter - and I realize that I have let things go around the house.

The laundry is all backed up. All my favorite socks and underwear need to get back into circulation. My kids are pulling stuff out out their baskets - helping on request, but preferring that hamper smell to stepping up to their own laundry yet.

Light bulbs are burnt out. The dishes are all in the dishwasher or the sink. Mail is stacked unsorted. Messages left unplayed. Someone spilled sugar on the coffee table and I just decided to leave it there. Too much stuff on there to clear away before I can wipe it up.

But it's all OK. Those are all just the detritus of the fun I'm having with my kids, my family and friends, my really cool and growing job, and my wonderful boyfriend who eases that frayed feeling at the end of a busy day.

My wheel of fortune had been on a downturn a few years ago, but it is certainly on the upswing now. Where are you on that cycle of the spinning wheel of fortune? Zen encourages you to move to the center so you don't get dizzy with all that spinning.

Here's one of my favorite jokes that I get periodically via e-mail forwards. Can you post one of your favorites in the comments? It's April Fool's Day. Make me laugh!


A woman was driving through Arizona on a long stretch of highway through the desert and stopped to inquire if an old Navajo woman wanted a ride. The gray hair woman nodded gratefully and asked what was in the bag on the front passenger seat.

"Oh, that's a bottle of whiskey I got for my husband," the woman explained as she cleared her seat for her passenger.

The Navajo woman smiled and said, "Good trade."

I've been trying to apply some of my Tao and yoga meditation to my life in general, observing my feelings, my body, my children, my family and friends, strangers even. Sometimes I do well, observing myself and others without judgment. But often I don't observe my own reaction until it has stomped off in a direction I hadn't intended.

I sat at my first deathbed vigil recently. I suppose I am blessed to have gotten this far in my life without having done that. It was unexpectedly inspiring. I feel like, for the first time, I am considering the whole possible span of my life. I wonder what thoughts will meander through my mind my last minutes of this life. I am aware of the impact of my choices on my own peace and that of others. I am enjoying the relationships I have more recently, despite the various stresses each relationship presents. I am trying to collect wonderful memories. I have many already. Am I greedy to want more? I think love just expands.

When you are young, you can barely see past the next grade in school. Maybe some people made a career path in high school, but who knew everything that would happen, plans or not. Now, from mid-point in the journey, I am considering how I want Part Two of my life to roll out. I am more aware now that I need to hold any plans loosely. I think what I want to be when I grow up is peaceful.

I've been tagged to do a MiMe: a minimalist memoir. The rules are as follows:
1. Write your own six-word memoir
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post.
4. Tag five more blogs with links.
5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!


So here's me:

Cosmic Gypsy
enjoying life's beautiful adventure


I'd love to hear one from
Mark
Anne
Julie
Dan
and Yolinna

(Greeny, John, & Mom were already tagged.)

I volunteered to run an art project for my daughter's fourth grade class and was given the theme of Japan. I planned a simple, pretty painting project of cherry blossoms and started with a great children's book called Zen Shorts.
Without really thinking about it, I found myself leading these children to consider some principles of Zen. I'm no expert, I just liked this book. Here is a paraphrase of the favorite Zen Short.

The Farmer's Luck

A farmer worked his crops for many years. One day, his only horse ran away. His neighbors came over, shaking their heads and said, "Such bad luck!"
"Maybe," said the farmer.

The next day, the horse returned with two wild horses. The farmer's neighbors came over and exclaimed, "Such good luck!"
"Maybe," said the farmer.

The next day, the farmer's son tried riding one of the wild horses and was thrown, breaking his leg. Again the neighbors came over and said, "Such bad luck!"
"Maybe," said the farmer.

The next day, military officers came through the village to draft young men into to army and head off to war. They saw the young man's broken leg and passed him over. "Such good luck!" his neighbors exclaimed.
"Maybe," said the farmer.

I am tired of being the grown up. I want a ticket to Never Never Land.

I don't want to spend another moment thinking about my escrow account, my basement drainage, my taxes, that stack of unfiled bill receipts, how much money is left on my line of credit, or the clanking sound my dryer is making.

It's beautiful outside and I'd rather be battling pirates or photographing mermaids.




I loved this movie. Peter Pan is such a loaded story. Cool song too.

The new show in our house is Ninja Warrior on the channel G4. My son found it and now we have Japanese announcers excitedly shouting in our home. It took a while before I finally started reading the subtitles, which are often amusing. This clip (my first experiment in embedding video) doesn't have the subtitles.

Have you guys seen this? The accidents can be brutal. The tension is addicting. It's very entertaining.

I can't remember if I said it on my blog, but I know in conversation that I have compared my current feelings about raising my children, edging into teenage-hood, to the time when the tide recedes from the beach before the tsunami hurls in. I know it's coming soon, but it's not here yet.

This weekend felt like the tides began to turn and the waves are headed for shore.

Nothing terrible. All manageable. All, in a way expected. This weekend just felt like an onslaught for me. Combine that with the first weekend of cookie booths for the girls scouts, a cat with a malicious pee-ing habit, and you can see why I took a nap today.

Aahh, a tall glass of Chardonnay and my book...

My sweetheart did ride in on the first wave, helped cook dinner and shuffle kids in order to take me to the Baltimore symphony. It was wonderful once we finally slogged our way there. They played the score to a Charlie Chaplin movie that they showed: City Lights 1931. I had never seen a whole Chaplain movie before. (Technically I still haven't because the two martinis and the warm theater made for a moment or two of drowsing.)

I thought it was just me.

Did anyone see the survey of American religions that was published in the Washington Post yesterday? This "Religious Landscape Survey" conducted by the Pew Forum of Religious and Public Life, asked 35K American adults about their religion. They determined that
- 40% of Americans have changed their religious affiliation since childhood
- Both Protestants & Catholics are losing membership
- The "religious nones" are growing with people who consider themselves "Spiritual but not religious"

I live in such a diverse area that I was surprised at the low % of Jewish, Muslim, Buddhists in America. I know more and more people who are merging Buddhism with their Christianity.

Does this all mean that people are thinking more? or that we are less committed?

I should probably get a new computer. My five year old laptop is having increasing issues and doesn't keep up with my new business involving lots of photography and advertisement graphics. My kids are all campaigning for more access, and if anyone is getting a new computer around here, it's gonna be me.

Two of my main tech support allies are recommending a Mac, as is the art editor of the magazine. Everyone says I will never regret it. But will all my stuff convert? Will I still be able to network with my old computer?

I am so intimidated by new learning curves, especially where technology is concerned. Generally, I underutilize all my technology: camera, microwave, iTunes, cell phone, computers. I hate taking time to re-learn simple things on a new system. I just want to e-mail something, make an invoice, or attach a photo. I'll have to re-learn everything.

I walked into an Apple store and tried fiddling with a sample Mac laptop. No right click on the mouse. Where is all that stuff? I felt myself start to constrict, like when you call HP tech support and they say you have to call Verizon who says it is a MicroSoft problem. ack!

I walked out of the store and decided to decide later.

My home office wasn't quite as peaceful today as it often is. I am so sick of my basement flooding during a downpour that drastic measures were called for. These measures required a noisy jackhammer and a cloud of dust. The handsome young jackhammerer was added bonus.



This young man and his coworker/father have been re-siding my house for the last couple weeks, despite the cold and windy weather. My 14 year old has been bringing a friend home and working at the kitchen table, I suspect to watch the jackhammerer walking around our backyard. I wonder if he realizes he's being watched.

Tonight in Girls Scouts Lexie ate some King Cake, a Mardi Gras tradition that I just learned about this year. Apparently a tiny baby Jesus is cooked into the bread. Lexie was the lucky ingester of Our Baby Lord.
Is that transubstantiation?
Does it even count as communion if the bread is sprinkled with purple sugar and wearing Mardi Gras beads?
I think yes. I think she is redeemed of shattering Jesus last Christmas. We had a replacement Jesus made out of Model Magic that looked a little like Mr. Bill for a while.

On Thursday, I have to give a 10 minute presentation on myself to the business networking group that I joined at my sister's invitation. Next week, I'll have the same time slot to talk about the magazine. That will be easy.

Giving a 10 minute presentation on yourself is kind of a weird thing to do when you think about it. Especially since we're on the second round - and it isn't church or therapy. The first time, my sister & I went together. We invited our mom. Between my sister and my mom, I didn't have to say much, which was kind of cheating. So this time, I have to say more.

The guy who went last week did his automotive history, describing the various cars he's owned throughout his life up 'til now. It was a fun idea and got everyone reminiscing. So I was thinking of using the same approach: the history of my life through....what?
Schools I've attended?
Jobs I've had?
Bands I like?

What?

Do you believe in old home remedies or have any that work for you?

I dated a guy who said, and believed, that if you rubbed a potato peel on your wart, then threw away the peel outside and never looked back at the peel, that your wart would be gone by the time the peel biodegraded.

I ask because I went to a Naturopathic doctor about my ankle. She prescribed castor oil packs for my ankle. I'm to cut the toes off a tube sock, soak it in castor oil, pull it over my injured ankle, wrap it in plastic, and sleep in that for, I can't remember, a few weeks.

So I tried it, although it seemed real weird. Oddly, my ankle did feel better on the first morning. I think it had to do with the warmth trapped in by the plastic. It doesn't appear to be harmful, although it isn't very sexy. So I'm trying it.

What weird medicine have you tried?