Toe Jam!

I'm alive. I just ran into a creep stalker and his sidekick a while back, so I stopped blogging where they could learn more about me. And then I just plain forgot how to get to my own blog.

That's kind of a bummer to read, huh? Why don't I cheer you up with a music video? Remember those?

If you love David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, you'll love Toe Jam!


David Byrne & Fatboy Slim: Toe Jam - Watch more Funny Videos

I wanna be a cowgirl
And you can be my cowboy

"The cowboy is and always has been a common man in an uncommon profession, giving more than he receives, living by a code of conduct his detractors will never understand."
-Elmer Kelton

Fill my heart with song
And let me sing for ever more

Yesterday was a perfect example of why I love my life.

I woke up to mimosas and brunch with loved ones who are usually far away from me; went outside to hose the mud off my boots from a KISS concert the night before; rode bikes through a charming neighborhood, around a lovely park, and along a river; had a fantastic late lunch on a romantic patio with more champagne; hit some golf balls at the driving range; saw musical acts ranging from an all brass & percussion group, to the Flaming Lips, to Lenny Kravitz; caught a bit of the World Series; explored family traditions that include voodoo rituals; and nestled into bed under a nearly full moon.

The song is in your heart
Your heart is in the song
The song is of the earth
The song is of the sky

This is what feminism looks like!

I'm in love with this paragraph from today's NYT piece on "how changing the lives of women & girls in the developing world can change everything":

[Disclaimer: you should only read this paragraph if you're up for some tears of triumph]

Bill Gates recalls once being invited to speak in Saudi Arabia and finding himself facing a segregated audience. Four-fifths of the listeners were men, on the left. The remaining one-fifth were women, all covered in black cloaks and veils, on the right. A partition separated the two groups. Toward the end, in the question-and-answer session, a member of the audience noted that Saudi Arabia aimed to be one of the Top 10 countries in the world in technology by 2010 and asked if that was realistic. “Well, if you’re not fully utilizing half the talent in the country,” Gates said, “you’re not going to get too close to the Top 10.” The small group on the right erupted in wild cheering.

there's a place in
your heart
and I know that it is love
and this place could
be much
brighter than tomorrow
and if you really try
you'll find there's no need
to cry
in this place you'll feel
there's no hurt or sorrow


I wouldn't normally post two Michael Jackson songs in a row, let alone the SAME Michael Jackson song twice in a row, but...

I am emotionally exhausted. I never thought I'd get all worked up at the death of a famous person. When John Lennon was shot, a friend asked if my mom had cried upon hearing the news. I thought it was weird that her mom had cried and preposterous that my mom would cry because some famous guy died. When Princess Diana was killed, I was sort of nauseated by what I saw as faux and showy mourning.

But Michael was clearly a beautiful (if perhaps tormented) soul who wrote and performed music that made me giggle, made me cry, and made me boogie. His music has given me joy for my entire life and moved me to tears for much of it.

I defended him when people first started saying horrible things about him. I don't believe that the man who gave us "We Are the World," "Heal the World," "Human Nature," "The Man in the Mirror," "Black or White," etc. could ever hurt anyone. He was persecuted for becoming an unsympathetic character with very deep pockets. And he gave love in return.

And people are saying horrible things about him today. They hope he burns in hell.

If realms like heaven and hell do exist, I'm pretty sure that he's going to whichever one is full of music. And the people choosing to say horrible things? They're probably going to the place where there is neither his music nor the music of anyone influenced by him. Or maybe we're all going to the place that's flooded by Michael's music to learn about love and joy and inspiration.

And I will remain incredibly grateful to Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and everyone else whose accumulated efforts made it possible for me to listen to Off the Wall and Thriller.

There's a love that cannot lie
Love is strong
It only cares of joyful giving
If we try
We shall see
In this bliss
We cannot feel
Fear or dread
We stop existing and start living

There have been one or two times in my life where I encountered someone with so little regard -- or so much contempt -- for others that I thought "wow, maybe I could actually be angry with or hate someone." But each time, I quickly realized that the worst I'm capable of feeling about another person is pity.

Hate and anger are weird things. I don't understand why people hang on to either one. And, yes, I pity those who do. Because the only thing that seems to make sense is that they hate themselves.

I wish I could have my superpower now. The one where I can run around hugging people and infuse them with intellect, integrity, love, and respect.

Plumeria alba in bloom at Volcan Masaya

I'm increasingly suspicious that my life is too good for me. Can I really deserve all this?

I guess I can only continue to work hard, appreciate everything I have, and hope my luck doesn't run out.

I spent the weekend on Bourbon Street and all I got was this stupid baby.

I've seen the nations rise and fall,
I've heard their stories, heard them all,
But love's the only engine of survival

I'm hoping President Obama was predicting the future of his administration when he said "peaceful protest could shake the foundations of an empire, and expose the emptiness of an ideology."


Let's go jangle keys in front of the Capitol and the White House!

And she can't
And she won't
And she don't
STOP!

Now that I've accepted that ADHD is a neuromapping-based understanding of how creative, right-brained people's minds work, I'm finally learning how to develop even better coping mechanisms than the ones I unknowingly developed up until now.

I don't know why I spent so many years calling it a made-up disorder. I guess I was just turned off by the drug use aspect, which I still fully intend to avoid. After all, I've made ADHD work for myself this far, why stop now?

I can't possibly recommend Freed and Shapiro's book 4 Weeks to an Organized Life with AD/HD enough. Yes, they offer a number of ideas for coping, but if you've made it this far, you've probably come up with your own methods. What's fantastic is how well they illustrate what's going on in your mind that's not going on in the minds of other people. You not only realize just why you're lucky, but how to maximize our potential.

Does my mind ever quit? No, but that's okay. Do I have a hard time focusing on boring things? Yes, but that's okay. Do I still get so excited about ideas that I can't sleep? Yes. Do I still juggle 27 projects at a time? Yes. But, who cares? I am so much more productive after simply reading this book -- and not yet even trying the suggested methods -- it's unbelievable! And it's just because I better understand how my brain works.

I am thankful for these authors -- and my brilliant yoga teacher for getting me to meditate more often -- for helping me unleash the Force!

Now it's a matter of counting down the days until I launch the empire!!! Hooray.