Insanity Is Relative

Video: Dream Big in 2012

2012-01-19T20:10:00.001-06:00

Video: Symphony of Science - The Quantum World

2012-01-12T16:05:00.002-06:00

VIDEO: Change for A Dollar

2011-12-21T20:57:00.003-06:00

VIDEO: "Living Without Money" Trailer

2011-12-12T15:04:00.000-06:00

Amazing to see these ideas come from all over the globe. Please also visit their website at www.livingwithoutmoney.org

Living Without Money - trailer from Without Money on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-11T08:45:00.002-06:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

VIDEO: Tapping World Summit - How to Tap

2011-12-05T17:19:00.000-06:00

Thanks Dad for sharing this simplified and short version of tapping that is easy to do!

David Wilcock: Occupy Yourself!

2011-12-03T16:43:00.000-06:00

Highway or Low

2011-11-27T20:48:00.000-06:00

Apologies as I am not sure who to give credit for this poem to, however with the changes we are seeing in the world, it felt appropriate to share...

HIGHWAY or LOW
To every man there openeth, A way, and ways, and a way,
And the high soul climbs the high way, And the low soul gropes the low,
And in between, on the misty flats, The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth, A highway, and a low.
And every man decideth, The way his soul shall go.

Antioxidants in Coffee...

2011-11-27T20:31:00.005-06:00

The following article is a reprint from the October 2011 Northshore Naturopathic Clinic newsletter. Article written by Irene Hayton.

More information can be found at Dr Jon Matsen's website: www.eatingalive.com

I found this article especially compelling as I just stopped drinking coffee due to taking homeopathic remedies. I used to drink one cup per day and thought that was fine. However, what you do every day is more important than what you do once in a while. Now I am a chai addict. But my anxiety and stress levels are much more manageable! I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.

Health Tip by Irene Hayton
Antioxidants in Coffee

If you are a patient at the Northshore Naturopathic Clinic and/or if you’ve ever read any of Dr. Matsen’s books, you most likely know that one of the dietary changes that we recommend on the Eating Alive Program is to avoid drinking coffee. I’ve noticed that in the media lately there are numerous articles about how coffee is so good for us because it contains antioxidants. Antioxidants protect your cells from the oxidative damage of free radicals, which are toxic by-products of chemical reactions that take place in your body every day.

So, does the fact that coffee contains antioxidants make it okay to drink it? This is a question that patients sometimes ask and the answer we give is “No.” Other than antioxidants, coffee does not contain nutrients your body needs and instead can have adverse health effects.

One of the reasons most people drink coffee is for the boost in energy that it gives because caffeine causes an increase in heart rate and respiratory rate, and it causes a temporary surge in blood sugar. Unfortunately, this surge is eventually followed by a blood sugar crash due to an increase in insulin production, leading to cravings for more coffee or other stimulants. This roller-coaster effect puts incredible stress on the body, especially the liver, pancreas, and adrenals. And increased insulin levels can cause your body to store fat.

The caffeine in coffee stimulates the secretion of the stress hormone, cortisol, by the adrenal glands. Excess cortisol can have many negative effects on the body. Cortisol activates fat cells to store fat, especially in the abdominal area. This effect combined with the fat-storing effect of excess insulin, as mentioned above, can make it difficult to lose weight for those who are trying to do so. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can also: compromise your sleep and immune system; increase blood pressure and cholesterol; contribute to mood imbalances; put stress on your liver; and can cause your adrenals to wear out, affecting their ability to produce cortisol and other hormones, including estrogen, testosterone, and DHEA.

Caffeine can also cause urinary excretion of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals and it can inhibit the absorption of some nutrients.

Coffee is acidic and it increases the secretion of stomach acid, which can cause gastrointestinal problems, such as heartburn and reflux, for some people. For those with ulcers, caffeine can aggravate the situation.

Decaf coffee isn’t necessarily a better choice. It still contains some caffeine as well as the acids and oils that naturally occur in coffee, which can cause digestive and liver problems. And many brands of decaf coffee are processed with toxic solvents which can leave a residue in the final product.

So if you want to increase your antioxidant levels, there are far healthier ways to do so other than drinking coffee. All fruits and vegetables, as well as green tea, contain antioxidants, so increase your consumption of these instead. For more information on the antioxidants in plants, see Dr. Matsen’s Monthly Comment for December 2003, titled “Plants as Allies.”

Reprinted with permission from the Northshore Naturopathic Clinic, with thanks!

Occupy Non-Violence

2011-11-26T22:00:00.007-06:00

Image courtesy of the AP showing 84-year-old Dorli Rainey,
a retired schoolteacher, being helped after receiving a blast of
pepper-spray by Seattle police on October 15.

I cannot think of a more appropriate time for the title of this blog to be relevant. Looking at the violence against peaceful protestors this past week seems like complete insanity. There are many opinions about what the purpose of these Occupy groups are, but to me the common thread is that "We The People" are fed up with being stolen from and lied to. Especially by the "people" who are supposedly elected officials that represent The People.

Protests are not new, but this movement does not seem to be going away. And if you subscribe to Naomi Wolf Guardian article, The Shocking Truth About the Crackdown on Occupy, then you can see why it is extremely important to the top minority that this all go away. As with most major conflicts, it comes down to money.

Naomi writes of asking what do Occupiers want, and one of the three main answers she is given is...

"No 3 was the most clarifying: draft laws against the little-known loophole that currently allows members of Congress to pass legislation affecting Delaware-based corporations in which they themselves are investors.

When I saw this list – and especially the last agenda item – the scales fell from my eyes. Of course, these unarmed people would be having the shit kicked out of them."

Other articles have debated many points in her article, down to whether or not President Obama authorized DHS funds to support mayors in these brutally violent crackdowns. The very fact that this is happening at all tells me that the message is an important one for The People and a very dangerous one for The Few.

In one of the videos on AlterNets, Caught on Camera, 10 Shockingly Violent Police Assaults on Occupy Protestors, you see NYC police officer actually smiling at the violence. I found this shocking, especially considering what that city has gone through in 2001, to now see the very force that is suppose to protect it's people (in fact is being PAID by NYC tax payers to work for THEM), turning on them violently.

The thought that I could not shake came up during one of the videos of people trying to help someone being beaten, who were then beaten themselves. What would happen if the policemen dragged a woman out into the street and began to rape her. It's a dark thought, but there it is. A brutal violent act, no? More brutal or violent than getting pepper spray at point-blank in the mouth? More violent than beating someone as they are walking away? Maybe. Maybe more people would run in and try to stop it, rather than just shouting "shame on you", which I did like. But this kind of barbaric behavior is reminiscent of the "rape and plunder" days. I can't help but think in my mind as I hear the protestors chant "We are people" that They Don't Care.

Image captured by The Oregonian in Portland on November 17.

So. That being said. What can be done? The only thing I can think of is non-participation. This means to me that if my vote is my dollar, then I choose who to support. And who to not support. But this no longer seems like enough. Especially when I am obligated to pay taxes (and that's another topic all together) which pay for the forces that are holding up the systems that are basically raping the American people. (And let's not kid ourselves in thinking other Western countries are much better off).

Do we take to the streets? Do we head for the hills? Do we hold compassion and peace collectively in our hearts and hope that is enough? Do we step out of the systems that are designed to enslave us, and not fear the consequences? I don't want to wait and see anymore. I am ready to stand up and say "ENOUGH!"

VIDEO: If Dr Seuss Met Eckhart Tolle (Oh,The Places Your Ego Will Go!)

2011-09-24T15:09:00.003-05:00

Watch the movie "Food Matters" for free!

2011-09-22T20:17:00.001-05:00

Click here to register to watch the entire film for free!

Why Are We All Working So Hard By Ourselves?

2011-09-08T21:07:00.000-05:00

So I'm folding laundry and listening to the hum of my dishwasher and washing machine and I couldn't help but wonder (SJP style)...

How did "they" do it all before these inventions!? It's almost 9pm already and there's no way I would have time to take three loads of laundry to the creek!?!

Plus it's dark outside.

Then it came to me. "They" used to live in a community and all share the work. Women would carry water, do washing and cooking, build fires and homes, all together with their fellow women and children.

The next thought that came to me was in the form of an image. This image showed me all these houses lined up, with women (and some men too) all doing the same work only a smaller amount of each. Every house did their cooking, cleaning, laundry, dishes, and child rearing. But for their family only.

Does it really take that much more time and energy to cook for eight than it does to cook for four?

Does it take longer to create something bigger? Or is the creation process the same, regardless of what you are creating?

With that in mind, I reflected on a quote that was in my inbox this morning:

This is an example of "Notes From The Universe" from Mike Dooly's website:

Do you want to know why I have an issue, Andrea, with compromising, economizing, and settling for less?

I have to work just as hard whether the bar has been lowered or raised. Yeah, "Poor Baby..."

~The Universe

Thoughts become things... choose the good ones!®

Andrea, dream even BIGGER.

So the question for me is, why do we continue to be compartmentalized (google says it's a word!) within our four walls, probably living next door to people who are all doing exactly the same work as us?

Where is the community?

And with that in mind, back to my laundry. I am sure it hasn't folded itself!

*photo courtesy of ebaumsworld.com

To the People Who Are Enforcing These Laws... PLEASE WAKE UP!

2011-08-06T13:26:00.000-05:00

Farmageddon, The Movie:

Farmageddon - Movie Trailer from Kristin Canty on Vimeo.

VIDEO: "Where's the Octopus?"

2011-08-06T09:51:00.001-05:00

"What makes a marine biologist scream...?" You will find out by watching this video from Science Friday.

I have to admit, I screamed too! Nature is amazing!

Buy this Honda CR-V and Help Support Alaina Giordano!

2011-06-14T23:24:00.000-05:00

"Thumbs Up for Rock and Roll!" Little Boy Gives Inspirational Speech VIDEO

2011-06-06T13:57:00.000-05:00

This little boy shares his success at learning to ride a bike! So sweet!

Thought Provoking Question of the Day...

2011-06-05T10:01:00.001-05:00

Why do we spend so much money on "The War on Drugs", when people basically want to feel good, and when they feel bad, some use drugs to kill the pain? Why don't we, instead, look for options to help people feel better so they don't NEED to use the drugs, rather than throw them in jail to punish them for trying to numb the pain...?

Alaina Giordano on The Today Show

2011-05-20T17:59:00.000-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" Season 2 Starts Tuesday!

2011-04-08T21:41:00.000-05:00

The Daily Show - Jamie Oliver
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Can You Hear the Horses...? 'Cause here they come!

2010-12-20T17:18:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from All of Us in Tulsa! #JibJab

2010-12-19T13:50:00.001-06:00

Gaypocalypse Now - Video from 12/02/10 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

2010-12-13T10:37:00.004-06:00

I ♥ Jon Stewart!

Embedded video did not stick! So here is the link...

The Daily Show: December 2nd: Gaypocalypse Now

Danny MacAskill: "Way Back Home" Video

2010-12-12T19:23:00.000-06:00

This amazing video shows beautiful scenery and breath-taking bike tricks! I don't really want to call them 'tricks' but am stumped for a better word. If anyone finds the download to the second song please let me know, as I found the first one on iTunes and they are both beautiful! Shame it is sponsored by Redbull, but either way, a great watch. Inspiring!

You Are My Sunshine - The Miracle of a Brother's Song

2010-11-30T15:35:00.001-06:00

Thank you Lois for sharing this lovely story with me:

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling.
They found out that the new baby was going be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee.
In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes, every three, every minute. But serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor. Would a C-section be required? Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.

The days inched by.
The little girl got worse. The pediatrician had to tell the parents there is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst.
Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot.
They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral. Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. "I want to sing to her", he kept saying.
Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the week was over.

Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. Karen decided to take Michael whether they liked it or not.

If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never see her alive. She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket.
The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, "Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed." The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line.

"He is not leaving until he sings to his sister" she stated. Then Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside.
He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray." Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond.

Her pulse rate began to calm down and become steady. "Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes.
"You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away."
As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr.
"Keep on singing, sweetheart."
"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms".

Michael's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her.

"Keep on singing, Michael." Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don't take my sunshine away..."

The next day...the very next day...the little girl was well enough to go home. Woman's Day Magazine called it The Miracle of a Brother's Song. The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God's love.

NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE. LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.

In God We Trust!
"The evidence of God's presence far outweighs the proof of His absence." - Unknown

The Orangutan and the Hound Dog

2010-11-11T20:33:00.000-06:00

This is Why I Love Concerts... "Yes this is a Cult" #30SecondToMars

2010-11-06T17:01:00.002-05:00

Nissan Leaf 100% Electric Commercial and the world's cutest Polar Bear

2010-09-20T18:04:00.000-05:00

The G.I.V.E. Project

2010-09-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

I am extremely inspired by this non-profit organization that is The G.I.V.E. Project: A 100% transparent world conscious non-profit organization based out of Los Angeles, California. The acronym G.I.V.E. stands for "Group Investment in Virtue and Empowerment".

Founded by Q Imandel, check out this video for what they are about:

Their most recent project was Juicing for the Homeless in Downtown Los Angeles. Please have a look at their website at www.thegiveproject.org and share it with any of your friends who you think would also be interested.

Also, check out their Facebook Fan page here.

Amazing Video of Healing

2010-08-29T21:29:00.001-05:00

http://www.dogwork.com/healing2/

Please click on the link above to view an amazing video of wolf healing at the Earthfire Institute.

Massage Therapy Schools - cool new blog!

2010-08-28T09:59:00.000-05:00

I was recently sent a link to a blog called Massage Therapy Schools. My first impression was that the blog itself is very nice to look at and has a great layout. But it is also an amazing resource of a lot of information!

Their site is "a one-stop resource for all the information you need to launch your new career in massage therapy."

Their blog also covers other topics to do with sustainable and healthy living. I especially like their post on "100 Ways You Can Have a More Sustainable Table".

Each point has a link to another amazing resource on that topic! Looks like a lot of work was done putting this together.

So whether you are working or thinking of working in massage therapy, or just interested in learning about healthy alternatives, have fun browsing this site. You never know what you will learn!

Southern California Police Raid Organic Food Co-op with Guns

2010-08-06T14:20:00.001-05:00

I do wonder if the everyday people who uphold these 'laws' will wake up as well and start questioning for themselves, rather than just following orders from what is obviously a system designed to make the public dependent on dead food with little nourishment.

Watch the full version of "Home - The Movie" for free

2010-08-04T16:22:00.003-05:00

Watch the full version of "Home - The Movie" on youtube for free.

8 million views and counting...

Click here to watch HOME - THE MOVIE (redirects you to Youtube)

We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate.

The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being.

For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film.

HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

HOME official website

http://www.home-2009.com

PPR is proud to support HOME

http://www.ppr.com

HOME is a carbon offset movie

http://www.actioncarbone.org

More information about the Planet

http://www.goodplanet.info

Greenpeace UK shuts down BP stations all over Central London

2010-07-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

The Story of Cosmetics - The Ugly Truth of "Toxics In, Toxics Out"

2010-07-21T18:18:00.003-05:00

Why IS there lead in lipstick?

The Horse Boy Trailer

2010-07-19T12:39:00.001-05:00

How far would you go to heal the one you love?

The Truth About Sunlight, Cancer and Vitamin D

2010-07-16T11:24:00.003-05:00

Thanks Dad for sharing this video!

This text will be replaced by the player

A Tiny Home Tour

2010-07-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

Amazing and inspiring!

Video "Even The Troops Are Waking Up"

2010-07-14T12:33:00.001-05:00

Inspiring Levi's Commercial "Go Work"

2010-07-08T20:37:00.004-05:00

"Maybe the world breaks on purpose, so we can have work to do."

Let's go work!

What America's Big Food Companies Are Doing To Make You Eat More

2010-07-07T17:49:00.001-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Childhood Obesity Reaching Critical Mass in the United States: News Clip

2010-06-25T18:09:00.002-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Great Flood

2010-06-21T13:11:00.002-05:00

What a difference a week makes.

This time last week I received a text from Renae in Oklahoma City asking which neighborhood Linda, Scott's mom, lives in because Edmond is getting flooded. Turns out it was her neighborhood, The Valley, among many others. After some Google searching, I found this video showing her street:

News OK Video

The result was three feet of water in her home, which had receded by the time she returned from work. Linda's boss at Oklahoma Educators Credit Union put her up on that night and the next few nights as well.

The next day, Scott and I drove the 90 minutes south to Edmond to help with the recovery process. We were not sure what to expect. Here are some photos of what we found, as well as the progression throughout the day:

Flickr Slideshow and Videos of Water and Mud Damage

The flood did not affect the whole neighborhood, however Linda's street and the streets around it were all affected. It was a total disaster zone. Everywhere you looked there was damaged stuff being pulled out of homes and stacked at the curb.

As the day went on, The Red Cross turned up and volunteers started patrolling the streets bringing water and Gatorade to everyone. It was about 90 degrees F at this point.

Three of Linda's co-workers were also there to help and we got to work and stripped the house, moving out furniture, DVDs, clothing, and pretty much everything. Three feet of water was just enough to pretty much soak all electronics and appliances.

Then the news crews showed up, and Scott gave The Oklahoman reporters a tour:

Interview with the Oklahoman

By mid-afternoon, the streets were packed with cars as more relatives, helpers and volunteers arrived. Bear in mind that this is normally a quiet, residential neighborhood.

Volunteers had now started to approach us at the house and ask if we wanted any help. At first we turned them down as it felt strange to accept help, but as the day went on, and the temperature rose higher and higher, these newly arriving, freshly washed and energized volunteers started to look like just the kind of energy burst we needed to keep going.

Jason's Deli provided boxed lunches with a sandwich, chips and a cookie, at the Red Cross station at the end of Linda's street, which was someone's house on a corner lot with a bunch of 6 foot tables and cases of water and drinks. By dinner time, there was a huge Red Cross trailer parked out front cooking hamburgers for all the people working.

I was told that they would be providing meals every day for the rest of the week! It was amazing to see the outpouring of support. And everyone in the neighborhood was working so hard. No one was complaining, and we were all just getting the work done.

People who lived in homes that were not affected were out with their kids and wagons bringing water and bananas to people who were dealing with the damage. It was an amazing thing to see people come together in a crisis. But as I was to learn later, this was just the beginning...

Several contractors had approached us about carpet, drywall, painting etc, and we booked a restoration company to start work on stripping the wet walls and carpet on Thursday (two days later).

Scott loaded the truck with bags of soaked clothing and pretty much anything else we could salvage and we drove home arriving at about 12:30 am. I don't remember showering but I do remember my head hitting the pillow before zzzzzz....

Wednesday was spent doing 14 hours of laundry. Scott laid out the clothes on the front lawn and driveway to hose off the mud, and then hang them on any surface available. He called it "The World's Worst Garage Sale". I would take in a load at a time and wash and hang them. Yes, you read that right, 14 hours of laundry.

On Thursday, Scott and I drove to Edmond again to see what was going on with the restoration company. Here are some photos of that day's work:

Restoration Photos - Day One

I hit the wall around 2pm and had to leave. An over-heated pregnant woman is not a big help on a construction site. So I went to Greg & Renae's for a couple of hours to hang out by the pool with the kids, and have a little nap.

I returned to Linda's around 6pm. Linda was eating and Scott and I wandered over to the food area where the local culinary institute had provided some excellent meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner. All the people there were so very helpful and friendly. They also had tables of toiletries and washing powder for the flood victims to take. A box company had donated pallets of empty boxes, and box cutters and packing paper. I mentioned to Scott that I was overwhelmed at all the donations. He told me I hadn't even heard the best part yet...

Bear in mind that 85% of the flood victims, including Linda, did NOT have flood insurance. This basically means that they are denied their insurance claim, and then need to apply to FEMA for support. However FEMA told us that it had not been declared a state-of-emergency yet and so they could not help. Basically that means that each individual is responsible to pay for everything. Repairs, new furniture, appliances, electronics... everything. To give you an idea of cost, the restoration company alone was thousands of dollars. And that does not cover putting new drywall and carpet in.

Here is Scott's attempt at humor:

Walking back from the food area, Scott told me that some volunteers from Life Church (who were the main organizers of all the aid) had come by to see how many people lived at Linda's house and to get her details. They told her that the donations from their church go to disasters like this and on top of that, they are campaigning the furniture and appliance companies for donations for the flood victims. They invited Linda to come to their church on a certain day to basically "shop" for new furniture and whatever else she needed. For free.

I am sure that even without the extra hormones, I would have burst into tears anyway. I really believe that humanity is good and people coming together like this when it is really needed just proves this.

So next time you watch the news and see all the horrible things happening, and doom and gloom stuff, just remember how many individuals and local community groups like Life Church are out there quietly making a difference every day.

More on my thoughts on insurance companies in a later post...

Mac Surgery

2010-06-13T16:38:00.006-05:00

I decided to finally upgrade my 5th Gen iMac desktop from its 1GB of memory to 3GB. Partly due to the purchase of my MacBook Pro which has 4GB of memory and is soooo fast comparatively. So I received my 2GB chip in the mail from Crucial on Friday and finally decided to crack open the Mac today.

Here's my desk, all cleaned off and ready for the operation!

(What you can't see is the coffee table full of stuff I pulled off my desk...)

The patient prepped for surgery.

The process was a lot easier and faster than I imagined. First I downloaded instructions off the Apple support site.

Next, I had to follow said instructions...

I undid the two screws on the middle door, exposing two memory slots, both occupied by memory cards. This was already different from the instructions. Where was my brand new 2GB card to go? I gingerly (read: forcefully) opened the plastic hinges on either side of the cards to see that once open, the cards slide partially out. I pulled the cards out to find that each card was half of a GB. Now I am perplexed.

The underside of Big Mac, showing one chip in and one removed.

So I returned the bottom half a GB chip to its original spot and inserted the 2GB into the top slot. Fingers crossed, I replaced the panel, and turned Big Mac back on. It worked!

Proof!

So the whole process, including having a pregnant moment and putting both old chips back in once, and then having to open the whole thing up again, took about 20 minutes. What I am perplexed about is that the Mac Tech support says my Mac can take up to 3GB total memory. I mistakenly thought I would have one 1GB card in there with a vacant spot for my 2GB. But this was not the case. Now I actually wonder if I can sneak another 2GB card in there and see if it will take.

There are "unconfirmed" reports of iMacs like mine with 4GB of memory... So I have decided to wait and enjoy my addition 1.5GB of memory. And it makes a huge difference already! I can't wait to open Flash, Dreamweaver and Inkscape all at once and then see how fast iPhoto opens...

Maybe I will max it out later. At $49 for 2GB of memory, it's not a huge investment, and it pays off fast in saved time and lack of frustration.

Now on to secure empty the 80,000+ items in my trash...

PS: SO glad I chose to upgrade my Mac and not my PC.
Check out the PC instructions!!

Awakening As One video "The Call"

2010-06-09T22:07:00.004-05:00

"The Call" from keith wyatt on Vimeo.

If you enjoyed that, I encourage you to view Part 2, "The Plan".

Sam Roberts Band live at Austin City Limits 2009

2010-06-08T18:34:00.001-05:00

I have been hoping someone took video of this concert as it may have been one of the smaller gigs, but it was my favorite of the whole festival! Great music, great energy, under cover (it was POURING) and Mariki and I were front row! Enjoy!

Think it's a slow song? Give it two minutes...

(I can hear us woo-ing!)

Irony...

2010-06-06T22:11:00.000-05:00

The Baby Blog

2010-06-06T19:52:00.008-05:00

Check out my new blog!

"The Baby Blog: Diary of a First Time Mom in Oklahoma". I was so excited to get it up and running that I just picked the first (ok, tenth) name I thought of.

So let me know if you have any suggestions for a better title.

I will still be posting my usual ramblings here, but will limit the baby talk to the new blog.

I hope you enjoy!

My Friend's Blog

2010-06-06T14:36:00.000-05:00

My super talented friend on Vancouver Island is blogging again at her personal site called YoYo Veggie Mama. Definitely check it out. She has two kids, grows her own veggies, runs a great photography company, and is now writing about going "plastic-less". Very cool!

PS: Check out her photography website at here: Tall Tree Photography and her photography blog here.

Compost from Hell

2010-05-28T20:52:00.003-05:00

Some of you may remember back in 2009 when I purchased an indoor compost kit called The Bokashi Cycle. Early on in this experiment, Scott and I discovered that "indoor" was not really a good idea since the "pleasant pickled smell" it was supposed to emit was not at all pleasant.

So I would collect kitchen scraps during the day and then fill the bucket outside and top with the Bokashi mixture that would pickle the compost and prevent rotting. This went on until, oh about November 2009. Then I ended up with a full bucket, and frozen ground. I figured I would wait until early spring and then dig in the really pickled stuff and have a great start to the growing season. Here's what really happened...

I kept the bucket on my back porch for months. Each day or week that would go by, I would think to myself "I really should get out there and plan my garden." And I never did. And now it is May.

After six months of pickling away, I decided to open the bucket. I open the bucket, and being two months pregnant, I am greeted with that familiar pickled smell, to the millionth degree. Breathing though my mouth only made it worse.

What I found fascinating was that the food all still looked exactly like food! No rotten fruit. Leftover noodles still completely intact. Milhouse was in dog heaven.

So I finally dug in my six month old compost. And did not stop to take photos. Although now I kind of wish I had! After a few crazy moments of thrashing about on the front lawn with the hose (flying bugs are out for vengeance), I finished cleaning off the remnants of the bucket and lid, and left the parts on the porch to dry overnight. All of Nature seemed to stop and take notice of this new "scent" that was greeting the neighborhood. Suddenly, I had no bug issues...

Let's hope the birds in the nest on the front porch aren't too upset about their pickled neighbor.

A Project Avalon Interview with David Icke

2010-05-28T17:45:00.000-05:00

Click here to pre-order David Icke's latest book "Human Race Get Off Your Knees".

Laboring Under an Illusion: Mass Media Childbirth vs. The Real Thing

2010-05-28T15:06:00.005-05:00

To find out more, please visit www.birth-media.com

Video: What in the World Are They Spraying?

2010-05-26T21:17:00.000-05:00

Nike: Write The Future

2010-05-25T13:25:00.000-05:00

Nike's "Write The Future" commercial.

It's almost time! Almost 8 million views and counting. Best commercial ever? Could be.......

New Ted Video: Sir Ken Robinson - Bring On The Learning Revolution!

2010-05-24T10:43:00.008-05:00

What are you passionate about?

Click here to see Sir Ken Robinson's prior talk "Do Schools Kill Creativity?"

Teaching an Old Dodge New Tricks!

2010-05-22T12:40:00.004-05:00

At long last, the third installment of Truck Farm, by Wicked Delicate, the guys behind King Corn.

But first, here is the new 2010 Truck Farm Trailer:

And here is Episode Three!

Check out Episode One and Episode Two if you have not already!

Click here to donate to the Truck Farm Project! They need to raise $15,000 before June 10th! I just did, and can't wait for my Truck Farm trucker hat!

"Humanity is Getting Better". The Dalai Lama on The Today Show.

2010-05-20T12:17:00.003-05:00

I was amazing and excited to see the Dalai Lama on The Today Show this morning. The whole interview is excellent and insightful but I especially like how surprised Ann was to hear that we are getting better as a whole.

(Please let me know if you are in a country that cannot view this, and I will see about a written transcript)

Addition 5/22: Thanks to my Dad for this link to the Dalai Lama Interview on The Today Show that is available to watch in Canada.

Tulsa News Reports on School Lunches, and the Link to Childhood Obesity

2010-05-19T18:05:00.002-05:00

In the wake of Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" I was not that surprised to see this topic featured on our local CBS news. Reporters investigated menus at Tulsa school's and whether they are to blame with the '1 in 4' childhood obesity statistic.

You can watch the clip below or click here to watch the report on Newson6.com:

While I was definitely riled up about the nutritionalist's comment about having to serve what the children like to eat because they are considered the 'customers', I got to thinking about how much responsibility are we putting on schools to properly feed our kids.

I am torn, because I do feel that parents should be the ones teaching their kids about nutrition, however I also realize that for some kids in some schools, the school-provided lunch is the only decent meal they get that day. For other kids, it may be the ONLY meal.

"Food Revolution" delved into the minds of teachers, parents, kids and cafeteria 'lunch ladies', but what left me astounded at the finale was that if there is not a decent distribution chain making clean, healthy, unprocessed foods available, then it does not matter how much red-tape you cut through or how many mindsets you change. If you can't get the food, you can't eat it.

I now believe that this is a much bigger issue, with the schools as one piece in the puzzle. I see the other pieces as the parents, food producers, food distributors, as well as the medical community and nutritionalists. And that is just the start.

What really gets me upset is seeing an individual like Jamie Oliver, who is trying to do what seems like a very simple thing in setting up schools with the tools and resources to provide healthy lunches for the children, meet resistance with government regulations.

Shouldn't doing the right thing be easy? Or do we have make it highly profitable too so the big companies pay attention?

For more information on these topics, please visit:

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and sign the petition!
Eat Well, Love Life Blog by Allison Goss
Fed Up With School Lunch Bly by Mrs Q
Michael Pollan

Our France and England Trip

2010-05-14T18:30:00.002-05:00

Have a look at the book I made for Mom for Mother's Day about our travels in France and England last month, using Blurb.com.

France & England 2010 | Make Your Own Book

Fun with Star Wars

2010-05-12T17:27:00.003-05:00

The Horses Are Calling Me

2010-04-15T23:10:00.005-05:00

Well, I already knew I was interested in going to Kamloops to see these beautiful creatures. But I think this sealed the deal for me...

Tonight's The Night! Mars in Tulsa!

2010-04-13T00:00:00.001-05:00

Titan Maximum. I just watch for the monkey...

2010-04-12T18:10:00.005-05:00

Hurray Leon!
(ps: Pretty sure this clip is not for kids. Don't let the cartoon look fool you...)

A little backstory. How the monkey made it into space...

30 Seconds to Mars "Bad Romance" Cover

2010-03-30T16:33:00.000-05:00

Post comments on the 30 Seconds To Mars blog here.

Prayers for the People of Moscow

2010-03-30T02:36:00.000-05:00

There is limited internet access here in Montpellier, and I am using a French keyboard so the typing is slow and strange (not to mention the spellchecker not understanding any of these words!) but I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the people of Moscow who are dealing with the aftermath of a terrible attack on their Metro during rush hour yesterday morning.

My heart goes out to the families of the people who were killed in the bombing, as well as to all the people who are having to deal with the aftermath of having their city attacked. We travelled by train yesterday from Paris to Montpellier and there was a sense of high alert everywhere, punctuated with the presence of machine gun weilding guards patrolling the station. They looked so young...

I heard on the news this morning that the taxi cabs in Moscow have increased their fares by tenfold. I suppose they figure more people will be afraid to take the Metro and would prefer a cab.

Anyway, I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge this tragedy and send out compassion to the people who need it the most.

* * * * *

Au Revoir Paris!

2010-03-29T02:41:00.000-05:00

This morning we get ready to take the train south to Montpellier. We will stay there for one night before going west to Carcassonne for two nights. But here is a little about what we have been doing for the last few days...

Spend the day on Thursday sight-seeing around town. Saw lots of great monuments including the Arc de Triomphe (pictured above). Apparently there are so many accidents around the roundabout that circles the Arc, that your car insurance is void if you drive it. Bizarre!

The hotel wifi is slooooow otherwise I would upload more photos here. Let's hope the next hotel's wifi is faster. It's taking three hours to download the latest episode of Lost. Gah!

So, more on the trip later on tonight!

How Time Flies

2010-03-27T15:52:00.003-05:00

It has been 14 years since I first came to Paris. The next time was in 2001. The time after that was to go to Disneyland Paris in December 2003. But I do not count that, as it is not really Paris proper.

It amazes me how easy it is to adapt or re-adapt to your surroundings. Public transport is so available and easy to use that you can see many of the sites in one day. But with all the walking every day, I am discovering muscles in my legs that I did not know existed. Probably a good thing!

So here's some nostalgic photos of Paris trips....

April 6, 1996

(My first photo with the Eiffel Tower - waaay on the right.
Wow. those glasses...)

May 27, 2001

(Outside Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris)

March 25, 2010

(Finally! A decent photo with the Eiffel Tower! Long live digital cameras)

Day Two: Planes, Trains and Taxi Cabs

2010-03-25T15:35:00.002-05:00

I am not sure I really count this as Day Two considering there was very little sleep between Days One and Two but c'est la vie! The flight from San Francisco to London Heathrow was amazing. Virgin Atlantic was amazing, and the fully reclining seats allowed for some horizontal shut-eye (even thought I could not really sleep, it was still comfortable!)

We met Marietjie at Paddington and made our way to the station where the Eurostar leaves from.

The Eurostar is a fast train from London to Paris. It takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes from city to city, and although cramped it was not all that unpleasant. I think I actually slept!

Here's some video footage of the train ride from Calais to Paris:

After arriving at Paris' Gare du Nord station, we stood in line for a taxi and then got a mini tour via a lit-up Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, before arriving at our hotel.

The room is nice and the beds are really comfortable. If it weren't for the strange effect of the long-journey keeping me awake until 5am this morning, I would have probably been completely adjusted to this time-zone by now. But it is amazing the inspiration you get at 5 in the morning, so I spent the time organizing my photos.

And so Day Three began. Stay tuned for details!

(spoiler alert: Sock Monkey almost got abducted!)

Day One: Flying Solo

2010-03-23T17:16:00.002-05:00

Alarm went off at 6am. This is early for me. Especially considering I have been up till 1am or 3am lately....

Southwest flight from Tulsa to San Francisco via Phoenix went smoothly. Except for the world's smallest woman sitting in front of me. I offered to help her put her bag up top. Her repayment was to fully recline her seat. I am sure she needed the leg room.

Also had a moment on that second flight where I thought "Why does the plane STILL smell like poop? " Then I realized there was a baby on the other side of the aisle. Phew!

Met Mom at the San Francisco airport, and we checked in to Virgin Atlantic. Then headed to the Upper Class lounge. (insert 'dahling' here). It all went pretty smoothly. Except for my small, carry on sized perfume bottle emptying its contents in my "quart-sized", zip lock baggie. Although considering it melted the paint off my conditioner bottle (leaving a pink liquid in the bottom of the bag), it may not be a bad thing that I can no longer apply it to my skin.

Also, blew out my flip flop. Within five minutes of wearing it. What the...? Oh well. Might as well get it all out of the way early on, right?

Anyway, Sock Monkey and I are having a great time with Mom. Here is us in the lounge...

Enjoying a bit of food (and mojitos!)

Living it up!

Q&A with Mrs Q of "Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project" blog

2010-03-21T10:35:00.006-05:00

I recently discovered a great blog called "Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project" and became obsessed with reading it. In fact, I read the first two months worth in one day, just to catch up! The blog is written by "Mrs Q", a teacher who has committed to eating school-provided lunch every day in 2010 in an effort to bring awareness of what we are feeding our kids.

Mrs Q has decided to remain anonymous to protect her job and identity. Here are some questions that I asked Mrs Q about her project:

A: What inspired you to become a teacher?

Mrs Q: I like working with kids and I wanted to make a difference. I didn't want to sit in a cubicle for the rest of my working life.

A: What do you love most about your job?

Mrs Q: I like it when a student makes a connection. Those light bulb moments are thrilling!

A: Why have you decided to do this project and how has it changed things for you in the three+ months that you have been eating this way?

Mrs Q: I just thought of the project one day late last year. I had forgotten to pack a lunch from home a few more times that usual and I had to eat cafeteria food a couple times. I was dismayed and thought,
"what could I do?".

The blog has changed my life. First of all I finally put two and two together that I am lactose-intolerant. I wasn't drinking much milk before and so all the milk I was drinking at lunch bothered me. Secondly I'm even more focused on eating more healthy foods at home to balance out what I'm eating for lunch.

A: Do the kids know you are writing about it (school lunches)?

Mrs Q: The kids don't know anything about what I'm doing and no one at school has a clue.

A: How has eating this food every day changed things for you? Has it affected your attention span?

Mrs Q: My attention span is a little worse than before but blog maintenance has me staying up a lot later than I'm used to. I can't say it's directly related to the food I'm eating.

A: (Magic Wand Question) How would you fix the school lunch problem (the problem of poor quality food for kids that are growing bodies and brains)?

Mrs Q: I want to see less processed foods, more variety, more fruit and vegetables, a salad bar in every school and explicit instructions on nutrition and cooking. Many kids just don't eat veggies because of lack of exposure.

A: If no magic wand is available, what would your short-term, temporary fixes be?

Mrs Q: We have to think long-term. There is no short-term fix. Thinking short-term is what got us into this mess. So much of the school lunch program is based on old thinking and not the latest on nutrition research.

There are hidden costs that will rise. For example, highly processed goods rely on the continued low cost of fuel to go from farmer to processing plant to the school. Well, the cost of gas is going to increase because we only have so much oil. We have to change the system to farm-to-school and school gardens now in anticipation of a new, greener economy.

A: What are your plans after the year is over?

Mrs Q: I really hope to be able to eat the food every day this year. I don't have any plans for next year. I'm already looking forward to packing lunches again.

What has surprised me the most is the support and encouragement from the readers. It's really great to create a community of people concerned about kids and their health.

Thank you Mrs Q for taking the time to answer my questions!

To read Mrs Q's daily blog,
visit "Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project".

Also, you can follow her on Twitter!
@FedUpWithLunch

For more information about farm-to-school projects in the US,
visit FarmtoSchool.org.

To read about Alice Water's school garden project "Edible Schoolyard,
visit EdibleSchoolYard.org.

For information on Jamie Oliver's upcoming tv show "Food Revolution",
visit JamieOliver.com.

More about Guest Bloggers and Q&A Participants.

How You Like Me Now...?

2010-03-19T11:15:00.002-05:00

I LOVE this commercial. It came out at the Superbowl and shorter versions are still being aired on Oklahoma networks. Every time it's on I feel like dancing. And sometimes I do! For the record, I am not endorsing anything on this video, except for Sock Monkey (my new hero) and the marketing company that created it. Genius!

I have since bought my very own Sock Monkey (thanks Target!) and am considering bringing him with me on my Europe trip next week... You can also find your very own Sock Monkey at Amazon.com

PS: You can stop watching at the one minute mark if you want to skip the voiceover at the end.

PPS: The Robot doing "the robot" on the dance floor is pretty cool too!

A Chance To Do My Personal Best

2010-03-15T18:16:00.002-05:00

Today I was having lunch with a dear friend, and the conversation turned to something my yoga instructor had said. I was pondering the idea of "hoarding" and how collecting or keeping stuff in fear of lack sends a message to the universe that I am in fear of not having enough. He said it sends a message that you do not trust in god, the universe or whatever name you put on it to always provide for you exactly what you require.

So I had been pondering this for a little while, and then at lunch today I stated that if someone asks me for something, and I have it, I will give it to them. Then the food arrived and we talked about lots of other things.

After lunch I ran some errands before having about an hour to kill prior to my dental cleaning. I took back roads to the dentist and decided I would fill up my gas tank. Passing several gas stations, I finally decided impulsively on one and stopped.

I filled up the tank and watched as a lady drove up in a bright red expensive something. I admired the car and observed the woman as she got back in. Finally, I finished up and got back in my car.

Still another 50 minutes to kill. I pondered what to do next when suddenly a voice spoke at my open driver's side window.

I was startled to see a girl standing there saying that she is basically out of gas and new to Tulsa and also not sure how to get home and doesn't do this kind of thing but could she...

(Sidenote: As she was saying all this, several thoughts ran through my mind, including how at lunch I had also said I don't like opening my wallet in front of strangers. I thought of people running scams at gas stations, like you see in the movies. But finally, my mind rested on the statement I had made at lunch. "If someone wants something and I have it to give, then I will give it to them." At that moment I decided to give her $10.)

She continued... could she have even just $5 from me and also did I know how to get to (insert address here). I nodded and said yes. I turned to my purse on the passenger seat and firmly ignored the voice in the head that mumbled something about how she could pull a gun on me.

I gave her the $10 and she looked surprised! Then we tried to figure out how to get her home. It was almost funny, as I had been cruising along in my own world and was not entirely sure of where I even was!

After we figured it out, she said thank you thank you and I drove away. I had to smile to myself as I drove. Suddenly I discovered I was in a housing edition and not sure where the dentist was. Still pondering that encounter I took two random right turns... and was shot out a block from my dentist's office with 30 minutes to spare!

I firmly believe that I did a good deed, but also that I got a chance to be true to my word. I had stated my intention clearly and *pow* a chance to live up to it (or not) appeared.

Now I'm off to discover the winning lottery numbers.

I repeat, winning lottery numbers...

PS: The dentist saw me early (they are always fully booked!) and I was out in time to beat traffic on the way home! Bonus!

Michael Moore, Jimmy Fallon, and Capitalism...

2010-03-13T22:32:00.005-06:00

I just finished watching Michael Moore's latest film, "Capitalism: A Love Story". Suddenly I am really glad I left the corporate world to work for myself!

At the end of the movie, it shows Michael Moore's website with the words "Do Something!". It got me thinking because everything we do is something. Every day we choose what we support by voting with our dollars, pounds, euros, rand and the like. Every single time we spend our hard-earned money on a product or service, we are (on some level) agreeing and supporting that company or product. Your currency vote says that you are ok with what it is and how it does business. You agree to how that company treats (or doesn't treat) it's employees.

So what are you going to do today? What are you going to support today? How will you vote? I can tell you I'm looking for an ethical banking establishment that discloses how they lend my money.
Let me know if you know of one!

PS: SPOILER ALERT! One part of the movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story" reveals companies that purchase life insurance on their employees, basically making the employees worth more to the company dead than alive! For a list of the companies that participate, please visit this law firm's site. I choose to no longer support these companies. I'm talking to you too, Panera Bread! Bummer, as I really like your soups...

Understanding Time - A Zen Understanding

2010-03-13T10:52:00.001-06:00

The following is a repost of a forward I received this morning from my dear friend, Angelique, in South Africa. It was a great message to read first thing in a new day. Thanks Angie!

The original post can be found at www.kristopher-raphael.com

There is a Zen saying, “To understand nothing takes time.”
When in body we have available to us the beautiful gift of time. Time is a wonderful tool but it is a tool we often repel – either we have too much of it, or more often, not enough of it. In a society of instant gratification many have difficulty accepting and using time the right way for their growth and transformation.

Due to time there are things we can do in body that are simply not possible when not in physicality. Due to time we have process. A spiritual path is a process. It is through the process of healing that growth and transformation occur. It is through the process of cleaning, clearing, and healing the human tonal (a Toltec term) or personality that we reclaim our personal power.

It is possible to compress time. This is one of the secrets of a spiritual path. A master gets much done with little effort. He or she does this by compressing time.
How do you compress time? You do it through expanding awareness. The more awareness you have in any given moment, the more time is compressed, and the “quicker” your transformation, the more you will ‘get done’ in a short amount of time. Awareness is like a muscle. The more we use it the stronger and more expansive it becomes.

What most people do is to grasp and repel. They repel the healing, maturing and growth they need to do, due to their fear of pain. And, they grasp at the life they want. The problem with this is that by grasping and repelling they are increasing the time required. In other words they prolong their suffering. By grasping and repelling they stop the possibility of process. Without process no growth and transformation can occur. All they have is motion, like a dog chasing its tail – lots of motion but little movement.

Repelling is a form of avoidance. Avoidance is a shutting down of awareness. When we shut down awareness all growth and transformation stops, we end up living the same painful cycles over and over again.

When we embrace time and process, each moment becomes fuller and more alive. Life literally expands in each moment. Each moment becomes a transformative process.

A practical exercise we can do is to slow down. A spiritual master moves slowly. This is the opposite of what most people do. Many people rush around driving themselves into a tizzy and actually getting little done. When you find yourself in a rush to get things done, slow down and you will get more done. But more importantly, when you slow down and engage your awareness, your growth and transformation actually speed up.

Savor each moment. There is another Zen saying, “Chop wood, carry water.” In other words by fully existing in simple daily activities we enter the state where time becomes our ally and not our enemy.

Love and Light,
Kristopher
www.masteryofawareness.com

The original post can be found at www.kristopher-raphael.com

Jamie Oliver's TED Award Speech

2010-03-11T16:45:00.001-06:00

I am personally amazed and inspired by the passion Jamie has and how well he presents these issues.

"Jamie expresses his wish to teach every child about food and fight obesity. You can support his wish here: www.tedprize.org/jamie-oliver"

Why Insanity is Relative

2010-03-11T10:36:00.001-06:00

Growing up in rural Vancouver Island was a great experience. Lots of trees and forest to explore, and no cell phones, so kids had a real sense of independence.

During that time, my mom got sick. Over nine years she went to various doctors, but none of them could tell her what was wrong. I remember going to allergy screenings with her. She would tell me about how they did 'scratch tests' on her back, placing things like newspaper, cat hair and other common allergens on the scratches to see if it incited a reaction. Good thing she didn't tell them we had two cats at the time, or they would have said to give them away!

It was also at that time I discovered I had an issue with shots. Mom took me with her to get her weekly allergy shot when I was five. No one told me what was happening, but all I remember was seeing the needle go into her arm. Then I hit the floor. But I think I got ice cream later because of it... That was the last time I went with her.

After nine years of suffering, Mom came across a book written by Dr Jon Matsen called "Eating Alive" that described a patient that had the same symptoms she was suffering from. The doctors had told Mom she had ulcerative colitis. But Dr Matsen diagnosed this patient with a candida imbalance. That patient, under Dr Matsen's care and advise, was cured in three weeks.

So Mom changed how we ate. We became vegetarians. No more white flour, sugar, or dairy. And that was just life as I knew it.

School was another story. When I ate at home, I felt great. The Catholic private school I was attending by this point had milk days where you could buy little cartons of milk. I would buy these on occasion, but it always made me sick later. So I stopped.

When parents would carpool, my friends' parents would sometimes stop to buy us ice cream on the way home. They were puzzled when I would decline. What 11 year old doesn't want ice cream?!? I'm sure they thought I was crazy.

Meanwhile, my parents would come home from their government jobs and meditate each evening for about 30 minutes before dinner. This required absolute silence on my part, and I would play quietly in my room. Of course, most of the time, I would be on the phone when they got home. And so I would have to explain that my parents were going to 'take a nap' and I had to go.

No one talked about meditation, or even healthy eating. I don't even think doctors really even talked about how food affects your health. My mom had to figure it out on her own. And part of that occurred when she was at a supermarket and saw a woman in line ahead of her that looked radiant with clear skins and eyes, and shiny, healthy hair. Mom tells the story of how she wondered how this woman was so healthy, as her eyes dropped to the woman's purchases on the conveyer belt. All fresh fruits and veggies and whole grain items. No meat. No processed foods. And the lightbulb lit up.

For those of you not familiar with this part of Canada, Vancouver Island is kind of a hippy, new age mecca. So my parents did not have to go far to obtain this information that turned around a nine year illness in three weeks. However, it was not at all 'mainstream' like it is now. So small health food stores carried mostly bulk grains and sad looking, pesticide-free apples and veggies. The term 'organic' wasn't even really recognized by most.

Why am I telling you all this, you may ask? Because of my choice of the name of this blog. Because more people are questioning their doctors, rather than just agreeing with what they say. Because people seem to understand that injected antibiotics and growth hormones in their meat may not be good for you. Because no one used to think there was anything wrong with smoking. Because the majority of people in authority used to think the world was flat, and the sun revolved around it, and if you disagreed you were a heretic or insane.

And so, I give you "Insanity is Relative", inspired by the Ray Bradbury quote "Insanity is relative. It depends on who has who locked in what cage."

If you are interested in learning more about my mom's journey to health and beyond, have a look at her lovely website www.ullajacobs.com (which I just happened to design myself! :-)

Deepak Chopra's new iPhone App "Authentic Yoga"

2010-03-08T16:52:00.006-06:00

Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" starts March 26th on ABC

2010-03-08T12:11:00.004-06:00

And the beat goes on! Can't wait for this series to start. Please share this with people you love and support the show. Ryan Seacrest is producing.

PS: Problems watching this video? Not in the US?
Try clicking here to go to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution site.

Ellen... (again!) Great success story!

2010-03-07T17:25:00.000-06:00

This year I decided to start watching American Idol again, after not watching for a while. I decided this because Ellen DeGeneres is the new judge! And I think she's great. She cares for people, is extremely compassionate, and is just a great person. Here's another reason why I love Ellen.

One with the Herd : Liz Mitten Ryan

2010-03-05T11:32:00.003-06:00

Mother of six, grandmother of seven, Liz Mitten Ryan, artist, writer and horse breeder, and her architect husband Kevin Ryan, made a decision that would change their lives. They moved onto 320 secluded acres in the hills of the Nicola Valley, British Columbia, and built a solar home/barn, which they share with their family of horses.
Living in close proximity with the herd, and in seclusion from the rest of the world, opened the door to spiritual realms and mysteries that the horses revealed.
For Liz, worship in the wisdom of HORSE is a life-long fascination. She is dedicated to their understanding and their wisdom as great spiritual teachers.
The horses, living as they would in the wild, but with the benefit of loving and supportive humans, share their secrets through the concept of EQUINISITY: the gift of finding the unexpected and truly important perspective through the clear and almost 360-degree vision of the equine.

You can find out more about Liz, her workshops, books and DVDs, and the herd at her website www.lizmittenryan.com.

Legend of the Guardians Movie Trailer Featuring Music by 30 Seconds to Mars

2010-03-04T19:47:00.007-06:00

I am looking forward to this film for so many reasons! What do you think?

Happy Chickens Featured in the Natural Foods Merchandiser!

2010-03-03T00:01:00.000-06:00

I received the March edition of the Natural Foods Merchandiser today and was surprised to see a face on the cover that I recognized. Well recognized from the Internet, at least. I have recently discovered Orren Fox's blog titled
"Happy Chickens Lay Healthy Eggs: Weekly, maybe even daily journal of a 13 year old raising chickens and bees".
And now I see he is on the cover of the largest natural / organics industry trade magazine. And I am excited!

For the full article, please go to: Q&A with Orren Fox

I find the interview inspiring because there seems to be a strong movement for local, natural, humanely grown / raised food and there really is no end in sight! I know several people here in Tulsa who are starting or expanding their backyard gardens, and even getting chickens themselves!

The world is changing and as more people become aware of where their food actually comes from, and what happens to it before it gets to their plates, the demand for clean food will grow. I am still amazed that I live in a world where pretty much every mainstream, supermarket food item contains very little (if any) nutrients. As word gets out that an ingredient is bad, it is 'modified' and then listed in the ingredients under another name. The same could be said for pharmaceuticals that are recalled. But that is a whole other topic... or is it?

Clean, natural, organically grown foods are deemed more expensive. But the way I see it, you either pay now and spend the money on decent food, or buy the cheap, empty calories and live a life on medication. Sound harsh? I used to think so, until I see it as a reality. And not just a reality for people down the road. This is happening now. To people my age and younger. Medicating children is a common occurrence and I can't help but wonder if all the ADD, ADHD and misbehaving in the class is caused by too much soda, caffeine, artifical sweeteners and colors and flavors, and maybe all this can be totally avoided.

I have no medical background and so these are all my own personal opinions. But I see what one can of Redbull does to Scott and the thought of wrestling him into a chair attached to a desk and asking him to 'pay attention!' for eight seconds is laughable, much less eight hours. But I digress...

I see more and more younger people, like Orren, getting actively involved in raising awareness about food issues mostly through living their own lives as examples. I salute the work they are all doing and am excited to see the results!

Orren is thirteen years old and lives north of Boston. You can follow his blog (and vote for what you think he should name his honey) at http://happychickenslayhealthyeggs.blogspot.com Also check out his tweets @HappyChickens and @HappyHoneyBees.

My New Photo Album

2010-03-02T00:00:00.006-06:00

My "Favorites" album features my fav pics from my December California trip.

A Beautiful Lie

2010-03-01T23:25:00.005-06:00

Thirty Seconds to Mars is coming to Tulsa in April and I have tickets! So in the spirit, I thought I would post one of my favorite videos. Enjoy!

A Beautiful Lie

30 Seconds to Mars | MySpace Music Videos

For more information, you can visit www.ABeautifulLie.org

Pavlov's Dog... And Me!

2010-02-28T19:02:00.001-06:00

The other day, at the end of yoga class as we were putting away our mats and things, someone accidentally struck a large ornamental bell that was hanging by the door. It let out a loud 'gong' sound. Without thought, I immediately stopped, inhaled a deep breath, and then continued to put my stuff away. Two steps later I stopped again. What just happened? My memory took me back to when I lived with my parents. My dad had hung a bell in the front door hallway and mentioned once or twice that each time he passes it, he hits it, and the sound is a reminder to connect with the present moment. He would stop, take a deep breath, and then continue. Sometimes if people were arguing, and the bell was rung it was enough to break the bad mood.

And so many many years later I find myself having this automatic reaction to an external sound. It brought back nice memories, but the fact is that there is (or was) an unconscious program running in my brain that told me what to do when I heard that sound. Even if that action was no longer appropriate.

Since that moment a few days ago, I have been pondering about how many other similar programs are running that I am not aware of. It makes me wonder if that is why I have a reaction to something that is maybe not appropriate. Or why I bark suddenly, and then look back on the situation and wonder why I did that.

I suppose these programs get set when we are much younger, and maybe at the time they are set they are appropriate for the situation. But then as we grown up they may no longer be required. And so I am on a quest to discover what hidden responses are lingering in the background of my consciousness, much like those minimized computer programs that are still running but you cannot see them.

Just be sure to tell me if you see me drooling...!

Chile

2010-02-27T12:34:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to find out about the 8.8 earthquake that hit Chile while I was sleeping. Ripples are being felt across the world, with aftershocks affecting Argentina, and tsunami warnings for Hawaii, the Pacific Coast of North America (all the way to Alaska!!) as well as across the Pacific to Japan.

These events seem to be happening more frequently, but this morning I really realized how one event in one country really does affect the whole planet - physically with the aftershocks and tsunami warnings, and emotionally as our hearts go out to people in need. It really hit me today that we are really all in this together. There is no "us" and 'them'. We breathe the same air. We look up at the same moon and sun. We are all connected.

So I take this moment to write my thoughts here and send out love and hope to all the people affected by these earth changes. My prayers go out to the people of Chile and Argentina. I also envision the tsunami to be just a small ripple, in some hope that my focus on a positive outcome will help. Namaste.

"Hypnotizing Maria" by Richard Bach

2010-02-24T14:18:00.003-06:00

Richard Bach's latest book, "Hypnotizing Maria" was a delight to discover. I'm not sure how long it has been since his last book, but I'm thinking maybe 10 years at least. This little hardcover is an easy read at 154 pages and tells the story of Jamie Forbes, a flight instructor, who assists a woman to land her husband's plane when he falls ill.

But that's just the plot and the first few pages. The underlying idea behind "Hypnotizing Maria" is that our daily lives are all ruled by suggestions that we either accept or reject. Bach proposes via one of his characters that hypnosis is merely "suggestion accepted" and that we have the choice in every moment to accept or reject the suggestions made to us by ourselves and society around us, thus creating our own world.

I found this book deeply moving and had to put it down at several times to fully absorb what I was reading. Some of the ideas were not new concepts to me, but as they were presented in a different way, I was better able to assimilate them.

Bach's love for flying is apparent again in this novel and it is a joy to go on this journey of discovery. I highly recommend this book!

(To read my other reviews, check out my Amazon Profile)

Tom Brokaw Explains Canada to Americans

2010-02-23T20:03:00.000-06:00

Heart Before Head

2010-02-23T10:35:00.001-06:00

Posture has always been an issue with me. Well, let's say lack of good posture. I don't know if it is because I got tall fast as a teenager or what but I have always been aware of the fact that I slouch and I used to worry about it. Lately I have been going to yoga about four times a week at a studio here in Tulsa called Tulsa Yoga Therapy. I started going mid-January and have seem amazing results in just over a month.

Before going to yoga class this year, I had been going to the chiropractor on a regular basis. I also had a handful of supplements to take every day. My old job had me driving an average of 5 hours per day and I am sure being hunched over a steering wheel for that long contributed or exacerbated the posture issue. I now find out that hours in front of a computer can do the same thing!

After two or three classes, I started to feel really good within myself. My neck and shoulder tension, that I had accepted as normal, started to fade. And so I thought I would try an experiment. I would see how long I could go without going to the chiropractor. Remember, I was in there once a week at this point.

It has been over a month and I have not had my back cracked once. Ok, professionally cracked... There would be days where I would wake up with the familiar tension and it clouded my brain. I would panic, thinking I had to get in to get a treatment, wanting to feel 'normal' again. But instead I would go to class, and find out that on this particular day we were working on the neck and shoulders! No coincidences, right?

Now it would seem that the 'side-effects' of doing this much yoga all of a sudden are amazing and frequent releases of emotion. Some days I leave class elated. Actually that is most days. Some days I wake up the next day and feel really cranky or sad, seemingly for no reason. The yoga instructor mentions that this is part of the release that goes along with the practice and as I am releasing old physical pains, old emotional pains stored in the body on a cellular level are also releasing.

I find all this fascinating. I have always felt that we (humans) have everything we require to live long, healthy, balanced lives. I also always felt that we have within us the intelligence and knowledge of how to heal ourselves. I have gone to many many practitioners over the years, mostly out of curiosity, and have found most of them quite useful. But it still was always in the back of my mind that I should not have to rely on another person for my health. (I also believe this on a spiritual level - that this is within and I am not required to go to another person to connect with god, source energy, higher self, or whatever label makes you more comfortable).

And so here I am, five weeks later, supplements all gone, and I am free of pain. Pain that in all honesty I had accepted as normal and some of it I didn't even notice until it went away. And my posture has improved! My shoulder are actually level with my ears! But it requires constant reminding on my part to maintain this posture.

Last night I noticed as I walked through the kitchen that my shoulders were starting to slouch and I stopped, lifted my heart and pulled my chin back. I noticed that if I remembered to lead with my heart and not with my head, that my shoulders naturally moved back and down and my spine straightened. That thought suddenly made me stop and smile, because I had not thought of it in a literal sense as well.

Lead with your heart, and everything else falls into place!

Testing My Mobile Blogging Abilities

2010-02-20T12:59:00.000-06:00

With my upcoming trip to London and Paris, I decided it was time to learn how to blog from my phone.

I am using the app Blog Press. And so far it seems to be working fine.

I am not sure how to add links into this post but am sure I will figure it out.

But for now it's back to Words With Friends!

(Hey! I learned how easy it is to add a photo!)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Canada: "We Are More" by Shane Koyczan

2010-02-13T15:44:00.001-06:00

(NBC is not allowing any footage of the games on any other website, so this will have to do)

Shane Koyczan performed this poem about Canada at the opening ceremonies in Vancouver last night. It has been 14 years since I have lived in my home country of Canada, and I have never been prouder.

Check out the full transcript here.

"Killers" Starring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher (and Tom Selleck!!)

2010-02-11T17:22:00.002-06:00

Why I Think Television is Flawed (and the positive flip side!)

2010-02-09T17:06:00.004-06:00

This morning I watched The First Lady give a live presentation about her new program called "Let's Move" on the White House's website. (see previous post) Also for the full video of Mrs Obama's presentation click here.

It got me wondering why such an important topic was not being covered on tv. (Maybe I will be corrected and find out that it was on tv, but I could not find it.) I pondered the idea of how shows must make their money based on ad support. That led me to the idea that advertisers basically determine what is shown on tv.

These are basic assumptions, so I did a bit of research. eHow provided a good article that says:

Television advertising is a very important aspect of the television industry. These advertisements typically pay for the cost of the programming you are watching, as in situations with major networks the television programs are being provided to you for free, rather than by a monthly subscription charge (cable, satellite). Time slots for advertisements are sold by television networks for the highest possible price. In an ideal situation, the price advertisers pay for commercials will cover the cost to produce the show and still make enough money for the network to profit off of it.

Statistic collectors, like the Nielsen Company, determine what types of people are watching what shows. This, in turn, helps advertisers to determine where and when to spend their advertising dollars.

When I consider cable and satellite, I can't help but wonder if that small box on top of the tv transmits two-ways. I think I will have to research this a bit more, but I wonder if cable companies are able to collect data of what we are watching and sell it to the ratings people as well.

Either way, I also believe that there is a way to take our collective pulse of what we are watching and enjoying and using that information to make more of the same. Similarly, Hollywood seems to make it their business to know what collectively scares us. I see disaster films shifting from the Russians blowing us up, to us blowing ourselves up, to the earth destroying itself and humanity, to viruses wiping out people and turning everyone into zombies. We seem to go through phases of collective fears that the media draws on and reflects back to us via tv shows and movies. I suppose you could take from this shift that humanity seems less divided and we have perhaps moved from a collective fear that one country will destroy the other, to an outside enemy doing it. But I digress...

These observations lead me to realize the power and importance of the internet. Live webcasting happens 24 hours a day, all over the world. Anyone can stream live video from their iPhones and anyone with internet access can watch it. (unless you live somewhere that blocks these liberties).

The thing I love about internet video is that for the most part, although it is often less polished that what I see on my HDTV, it is more genuine. I am excited to see that in the 21st century, anyone can become a celebrity, thanks to youtube! There are also many other sites that host and promote independent video. Anyone can self-publish on blogs, websites or in print. We can connect with countries all over the world from our homes and offices.

And so part of my reason for having this blog is to share videos that I find that inspire me and / or are having a positive impact. I also like to share things that make me think and make me laugh. I hope you find some of those things here too.

Paulo Coelho

2010-02-09T14:11:00.000-06:00

I was amazed to read today that Paulo Coelho's parents had him committed to a mental institution when he was younger, which he escaped from three times! That is only one bit of info of this very interesting man's life.

Michelle Obama Introduces "Let's Move"

2010-02-09T12:52:00.006-06:00

Oprah talks to Michael Pollan

2010-02-09T10:50:00.000-06:00

Thanks to happy chickens lay healthy eggs for posting the video of Michael Pollan's interview on Oprah. (I had found clips of video from youtube and posted previously, but the quality was poor, so here it is properly!)

Mutts on Monday

2010-02-08T14:20:00.003-06:00

What Is Your Internal Weather?

2010-02-07T01:35:00.000-06:00

The first part of 2010 in most of the United States has turned out to be quite dramatic weather-wise. We have had a lot of ice and snow here in Oklahoma and apparently there is more to come! At first, I joined the masses, stocking up on groceries and staying home for days. The second freeze that came through wasn't as bad and I decided to not hibernate anymore and dragged myself to yoga class.

My car has not been washed once since the first ice storm this year, and it is looking really dire. But somehow I don't even mind. I just have my own little routine that I follow and I quite enjoy it. It would be much nicer, I suppose, if the sun was shining and the sky was blue everyday, but for a few days the snow covered all the hibernating brown grass and made everything look beautiful.

Now that everything is melting, I see large groups of birds sitting on our roof, or in the fields down the road, hunting for their food.

So I observe all these things and I feel good. That is probably why I was surprised when making small talk with an acquaintance, I found myself involved in a conversation about how terrible the weather is, and how it makes people feel bad and how long this winter has been. This may sound like a normal thing or a small thing to mention, but I was really surprised. As I drove home, I realized that how I feel inside reflects in my world "out there". And so, at least right now, as I feel great, the weather does not bother me. I hadn't even really noticed, to be honest, except for the appearance of ice and then snow and then lack of snow and then snow again.

So tonight I ponder more about how resetting my internal thermostat, or how my internal weather, is the dominant source of how I feel. And that feels pretty good! Because that means that I am in charge of how I feel.

Guardians of Being, by Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell

2010-02-05T11:58:00.003-06:00

I got this little book from the library the other night and what a joy it is! "Guardians of Being" is a little hardcover with words by Eckhart Tolls, author of The Power of Now and A New Earth and art by Patrick McDonnell, creator of the Mutts comic strip.

Each page has a few words by Eckhart Tolle and a corresponding cartoon by Patrick McDonnell. The book is about how our animals, dogs and cats specifically, live in the moment and are here to help open our hearts and connect to the present moment ourselves.

I think I am going to do some research to see if I can buy some of the images to frame. Although I read through the book in about 15 minutes, I decided to buy it to keep on hand.

An example of one of the many lovely quotes is "Just watching an animal closely can take you out of your mind and bring you into the present moment, which is where the animal lives all the time - surrendered to life." The words invoke a positive emotion and bring me to the present moment, and the pictures next to the words seal the deal.

I highly recommend this book to everyone! Anytime you are feeling blue, you can pick it up and open it to any page!

What's That New Button On The Right?

2010-02-04T18:56:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed I added a new button on the right column that says "Solar X Rays" and "Geomagnetic Field". What is it? Well, it is Current Solar Data from the NOAA (National Oceanic and atmospheric Administration).

You can find out more information about this and Space Weather here.

I find it interesting to view the changes in mood and general feeling in the body vs the changes that show up on the NOOA website. Could there be a correlation?

See how you feel when the button says anything but "normal" and "quiet"...