R.I.P Paul.....January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008

Paul Newman, film star, race car driver, team owner and humanitarian entrepreneur has died at the age of 83. His spokesperson said he had died after a battle with cancer. No other details were given. He was different from so many people in the industry. He had one of those rare long-term marriages with Joanne Woodward, and once told Playboy magazine: "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" when being asked about any temptations to cheat on his wife.

Paul was nominated for 10 Oscars, winning 1 for his work in "The Color of Money." He also starred in one of my favorite films of all-time "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." He retired from acting last year.

In 1982, he founded "Newman's Own," a line of food products. Proceeds from the company are donated to charity. As of last year, they have donated around $250 million to worthy causes.

Paul also cofounded the "Hole in the Wall Gang Camp," a summer camp for sick children. The camp has expanded within the U.S. and in other countries.

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp Honors the Life and Legacy of its Beloved Founder Paul Newman


He was a man of extraordinary generosity, vision, creativity and compassion. His selfless commitment to the welfare of children living with serious illnesses has been inspirational to people around the world. Twenty years ago, Paul Newman founded The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, the first in what has grown to become the world’s largest family of camps serving children with serious illnesses. The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is part of his living legacy, and for that we remain forever grateful. His leadership and spirit can never be replaced, but he has left us with a clear course for the future.

Paul’s dream lives on in the joy, magic and healing power of Camp. What an extraordinary privilege to have shared his friendship and affection.

“I wish I could recall with clarity the impulse that compelled me to help bring this camp into being. I’d be pleased if I could announce a motive of lofty purpose. I’ve been accused of compassion, of altruism, of devotion to Christian, Hebrew, and Moslem ethic, but however desperate I am to claim ownership of a high ideal, I cannot. I wanted, I think, to acknowledge Luck; the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it.” – Paul Newman

One of Paul's other loves was racing. In addition to being a racer himself, he also owned his own team of cars. When he was 70, his team won the 24 Hours of Daytona making him the oldest person to win in a major race.

Paul is survived by his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, his 5 children and two grandchildren.




Rest in peace, Paul. You will be forever missed!

Point A 2 Point B....

Mason Proper - Miss Mary Lou Carreau
And we, the inhabitants,
love it love it love it
'cause she's shaking the world less
the shaking the world so much less than before
Miss Marylou Carreau Carreau

Mason Proper are an American rock band formed in Alpena, Michigan in 2004 under the name Patterns in Paris. After moving south to Ypsilanti, Michigan, the band changed its name to Mason Proper and continued to record prodigiously in advance of their debut album, There Is A Moth In Your Chest. Check them out here My space. They are hip and cool.


The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

Once again, be earl, he just makes me want to be a better blogger! Kinda swiped this video when i laughed my head off watching it on his great blog, which i urge you to visit, like NOW!!!

So, check it out. I live in a place where most people eventually leave and retire to Florida! It starts out innocently enough, first they just visit for a week or two, then they winter in Florida, snowbirds they like to be called, then after about 5 years of doing this, they just pack up and head south. They live in "adult" or "senior" retirement communities. You know, the kind of place with the prerequisite golf course, indoor/outdoor swimming pool, club house/bingo hall and oh lets not forget the shuffle boards that are installed in every couples drive way!!! This, to me is the beginning of the end.

But, this year especially has me quaking in my boots. I am fucking scared. These people, Nana, Papa, Zaide, Bubby, even Grandma and Grandpa these are the Florida voters!! How can the younger versions, the people who in approximately 20 years will also be Nana, Papa, Zaide and Bubby, how can we get the word out to vote OBAMA!! How?? Threaten them? Not send them golf and shuffle boards? Punish them?? No more brisket for you Bubby!! WTF??

I can see it now...Nana and Papa roaring down the road in their new faster speedy senior scooter!! Smiling, all ready to cast their vote for their "elderly" counter part! Just like that, they win!! We lose!! We then have a Sarah Palin as our President. A woman who thinks because she lives in Alaska, and Alaska is near Russia, she thinks this counts as "foreign policy" experience!! Palin has never been to Russia. She's never demonstrated any expertise on U.S. policy towards Russia. She doesn't have any background in international relations at any level. But for Republicans, the fact that she's lived in a state near Russia is somehow a qualification for national office.

I'm throwing up in my mouth right now!! This is fucking scary shit.


SCARY (fucking) PALIN!!!

VOTE FOR OBAMA, GONNA VISIT GRANDMAMA!!!

VOTE FOR MCCAIN, TO ME YOUR A SHIT STAIN!!!



Do the right thing, come November!! PLEASE!!!

Are you ready for some.....COFFEE and MUFFINS???

Frank Sinatra - The Coffee Song
















I realize i may receive some flack for this, but i must express the virtues of two amazing neighborhood fixtures i so happily discovered today. Gorilla Coffee This is THE joint for coffee in Brooklyn! I'm not a local, meaning this is not in my "hood" but anytime I am in the vicinity i will be a patron there.

They of course roast their own, but the quality of the roast is remarkable. This ain't no weak shit They, from what I've seen/tasted, do a very dark roast which brings a lot more of the bolder essences of the coffee out to the forefront! Truly a coffee for those that are connesiours of the bean. Now, i am far from a connoisseur of the bean, but lets just say today i had the best latte ever!

It made me chuckle a little to myself when I walked in there and saw people in rows, facing the same direction, illuminated by their laptop screens. I got an instant feel like i'm on the starship enterprise, in the midst of a cult, but more likely it's because I haven't had any coffee yet...

I truly think this is as close as i've come to being legally high in a very long time. What a buzz i got off the latte. It was instantaneous, it hit me fast and hard and i loved every second of it. I whipped out my Mac and was one of the illuminated. I occupied a seat facing a beautiful looking boy!

Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about how others are so quick to label a place as a Yuppie-Hipster joint simply because it has an alternative vibe. It makes people sound very pretentious, as though they're something above-and-beyond what they encounter. Please, people, get over the "Hipster" phenomenon and do a little research on the original meaning of the word, which goes back many decades. If you want mainstream and are too insecure as to label everything as "Hipster" then stick with mediocre Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.

I may still be a bit high so forgive my ranting. I need to move on now.
















Blue Sky Bakery my new muffin addiction. Today, i had the pleasure of eating a pumpkin apple walnut muffin, still warm inside (and very moist!) and nicely crunchy on the outside. I also purchased a very warm wild blueberry muffin for later.

Be warned that if you are planning to make your first trip to Blue Sky Bakery while hustling to the subway in the morning, you might want to add some extra time to your commute and turn that hustle into a leisurely breakfast. The brightly lit cheerful interior of Blue Sky is as welcoming as the scent of their fresh muffins, which combine a series of unlikely ingredients into a fusion of sweet and savory flavors that remains palatable well beyond the muffin top. While muffins are often marked by an unfortunate discrepancy between the quality of the top and base, the muffins at Blue Sky are uniform in their crisp exterior and sufficiently but not excessively moist interior.

The muffins are big enough to satisfy, but not overwhelmingly huge--they're light and fluffy and bursting with fresh fruit. If you go to Park Slope, Brooklyn you would seek out the Blue Sky Bakery as if it were the Holy Grail. The anticipation is everything. Will today be an audacious day (mango peach) or a classic (wild blueberry)? Will you rejoice or weep when you see banana chocolate chip? This isn't just breakfast, it's an adventure where the stakes are low. Even the least yummy Blue Sky Muffin (probably a bran) is still excellent by most standards. The graph here only goes from delicious to sublime.

Let's talk brunch...briefly. There are two places on my list. Miriam's and Clinton Street Baking Company. I have not had the pleasure of eating in either place, but i already know what i will be ordering. How is that for efficiency? I am just that kind of gal.

“Coffee and love are best when they are hot”
German Proverb

Just around the corner,
There's a rainbow in the sky.
So let's have another cup o' coffee,
And let's have another piece o' pie.
- Irving Berlin, 1932

TV ON THE RADIO....HOMEMADE SALSA!!!

TVOTR - Golden Age
TV on the Radio (often abbreviated to TVOTR) is a New York City indie rock band formed in 2001 whose music spans genres as diverse as free jazz, a cappella/doo-wop, soul, shoegaze and electro. Golden Age is a song In which these Brooklynites embrace their full dance-rock potential. The bass groove sounds like "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," Extra points for rhyming "natural disaster" with "ghetto blaster." Check them out here myspace

I have lots of people in my life. People i can count on to tell me i have a piece of spinach lodged in my front tooth. People who laugh at me when i slip on that proverbial banana backwards, i might add. People who help me up from that fall and don't laugh. I wonder about those people. I mean why not laugh?? People that are quick to lend me a buck. People who give me free medical advice and make me healthy. People who just love me for who i am and call me gorgeous. I'm not making that up!!!

It's just so fucking cool to me to know that my life is cared about.

Have you ever had amazing home made salsa? With just the right amount of spice that gives whatever you dip into it and carefully controlled kick. Talk about caring and gorgeous!! The person who so nicely and wonderfully sent me her home made salsa is Jenn jenn. Check out her great blog just for conner, Conner being her amazingly adorable son. I cannot say enough nice things about Jenn! She is kind hearted, beautiful, caring...just an all around great gal. Thanks Jenn jenn, your salsa rocks!!

So, i finally transferred my itunes library from my PC to my Mac Book Aspire! With a lot of help from Apple Tech Support, of course. What i thought might be a simple benign procedure turned into something a bit technical and long winded but its done. I love Apple Tech Support. My ipod is my running friend and my night time companion. I like to say music is my life.

Today was a day off from running. I don't know why i feel so compelled to run daIly! It's sort of ingrained into my very being. I feel whole when i run. Incomplete when i don't. It's something i do. Something i love. I like to say running is my life.

By now your probably scratching your head wondering..."Yo dude, which is it?? Is music your life or is running your life?? Short answer, YES!

I fall in and out of love very fast. I think i mentioned my crush on Jon Hamm didn't I? The man is freakin move star hot!! I wanna jump his bones hot!! So, hot i am burning.























Then i come across this guy!!! Wentworth Miller. The name alone send shivers up and down my spine. He is sexy and young and a bonafide TV star!! Prison Break. Nuff said.
















I am staring to realize that my blog is morphing into something entirely different than what i intended it to be. This troubles me. I had every intention of talking mostly about food and recipes and raw! As i venture a bit further from being 100% raw my interests take me to other places. Other things i'd rather write about. It perplexes me just a bit.

So, what i think i would like to do from here on in is write a post about one specific topic as opposed to being all over the map. I want my thoughts to be well formed and coherent to the reader. A short story if you will. Or a movie review. Or a quote with my thoughts. Or a poem. But, not 10 poems or 15 movie reviews within one post. I also kinda like memes. They are kinda cool.

Please my readers, can you give me some input. Tell me what you want from me and i will try to give it. After all, i am a giving person. Ask and you shall receive. Really! Do you guys like the music videos at the beginning of each post? What else might you like to see up there?? A knock knock joke?? A naked photo of moi?? I can do that...well maybe!! We'll see.














"When uncertainty no longer bothers you then the infinite is possible." - Eckhart Tolle

“No one can change your channels unless you give them the remote control.” - Gurudevji Chitrabhanuji

Electrified.....

Dressy Bessy - Electrified
Hey don't talk to me, you don't have to be, i don't want to Meet someone
They don't take to me, they don't have to see, i dont wanna Be someone else
Get on after me, you don't have to involve the one, the Something

Dressy Bessy is an indie rock band from Denver, Colorado, associated with the Elephant Six Collective. Guitarist John Hill also plays with The Apples in Stereo. The name was taken from a popular Playskool doll of the 1970s. Hill joined around the time they started recording. They released two singles and an EP in 1997-98 and licensed songs to some compilation albums. I say check them out right here my space. Their new CD Holler and Stomp was released today!!! Lot's of fun, makes me really want to dance.


I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. . . . And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?
-Chuck Noland (played by Tom Hanks), Cast Away

I really love this quote. It got me thinking about what or who my sail is.

In my life, i've had many sails. Someone or something that sort of saved me from me. From the ridiculous way i handle things. But, that is in the past. I now handle things quite less ridiculously. So who is my sail? Well, i would have to say my therapist Liz Lemon. Yeah thats right...thats her name.

She is a strong person. She laughs at my jokes and tells me i'm fun. Fun?? Is that what therapy is supposed to be? Do i really want to be known as a fun person? Someone who entertains? Not really. I want results out of my therapy. Liz Lemon knows this. She also knows how to handle me when i never seem to be able to handle myself. She subtly points out how annoying i am or how pathetic i can be. She also points out how great i can be. This i like.

Don't get me wrong. I love Liz Lemon. I just don't like what she stands for. She is everything i am not. Confident, pretty, worldly and knowledgeable about all things psychological. It works for her.

I'm totally in a zone. Running zone i mean. Today, i ran my longest run yet. 7.11 miles.

SplitsTimes
1Mile00:10:42.75
2Mile00:21:25.51
3Mile00:32:08.27
4Mile00:42:51.02
5Mile00:53:33.78
6Mile01:04:16.54
7Mile01:14:59.29
7.11Mile01:16:10

7.11. Is that significant? Well, there is a convenience store 7-11. You know the place? Big gulp sodas and extra large coffees at all hours of the day or night. Did i purposely run that distance thinking to myself "Yo if you run 7.11 maybe 7-11 will reward you with a big gulp (that sounds kinda dirty doesn't it)...not that i've had many big gulps in my time but hmmm well you know what i mean?? Right?? Nah, it just worked out that way.

My last post was written in a time of crisis! I couldn't find my ipod. I was lost and bewildered. Confused and depressed. All things apple need to be in front of me at all times. With ipod lost what choice did i have but to write a depressing post. Does that make me a loser? I think not!! I win!! I found ipod.

I am no longer lost, bewildered, confused or depressed. I am electrified. Dressy bessy helped me feel that last emotion. She is cute isn't she? Today, i put on a pair of camo pants i've had for a few years. They used to be extremely tight on me. Tight to the point of busting at the seams. Now sewn up, they fall down on me requiring me to wear a belt. A belt!!! WTF?? Are belts even still in style?? Asked from the girl who thinks her green Brooks Cascadia sneakers are dressed up....

So, since November of 07 raw cool has lost a total of 34 lbs. Now to some that may seem like a slow progresson of weight loss. It is but my goal is to keep the weight off. Thats hard. Starbucks chocolate chip cookies call to me in the night. I dream about them. I taste them in the morning. Makes me wonder if i went to Starbucks in my sleep.

Here's the thing: I love to eat. I love food. I think i can call myself a foodie. I am interested in food and i like to eat. There i admitted it. Is there a group for this? "Hi, i'm Michelle and i am a foodie"....HI MICHELLE!!!

b.e.earl he writes about a yearning for "taco doritos". Back in the day this was a special treat for one and all. Not for me though. As a child, i did not get to partake in such a treat. Not sure why really. I guess i was into nacho cheese. I asked b.e. if we can track down a bag of taco and he said " The new ones aren't that great, and the old ones...I can't imagine any survived the past 20 years. Sniff. Damn right i'm going to sniff!!! I need to taste taco doritos!!



Anyway, i know, know, know the world has seen this upteen times. I just want the world to see it upteen plus one because it's so fucking funny.
















Ya think?????

P.S. I will be using the color orange a lot celebrating the upcoming holiday of Halloween!! Nuff said!! For now!

Superstar..........

LIKE!!! I like that!! So you go here wordle, you put in words, blogs, anything really and it spits out based on your words a sort of “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends. It's very cool. Try it. Post it on your blog. Tell me!!! Or not!! I like mine because the word like is prominent. Lots of good words in mine actually.

I try to understand why i feel certain ways. Try as i might, i never really come to an understanding. Raw cool is so not cool tonight. Just bullshit really but i feel as if i'm just floating. Too much stuff. I need to get rid of stuff. Create a place of simplicity and space. A place of feeling safe. I'm working on it. It's just happening slower than i anticipated.

















What am i thinking?? Well, i think something along the lines of "i shouldn't post this photo in my blog, should I?"

Which version is better?????




i'm such a loser!

Not very vegan, but that's ok, you can make them with soy, they taste good that way....

This is brilliant IMHO!!

Here is a funny parody of Feist's 1,2,3,4 performed byAmanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls.

It's spinning by way too fast. Life i mean. Think about it. There is less then 4 months until 2009. That is scary in and of itself don't you think? There's way to much to do and not ever enough time to do it. I feel as though i need to sit down, take a few deep breaths and just think. No time for that. It's out of control.














This is me and i'm frightened. Sometimes, i need guidance but i don't get it. So, i have to guide myself. Some days i do OK, other days not so good.

Even with my running i don't know how to balance it out so that i don't walk around exhausted each and every day. Yet when i don't run i feel a heavy guilt and i obsess about it all day. In my mind. To myself. So nobody knows except me how i feel. LIfe goes on around me and i obsess because i didn't run. What is up with that???

But, today i feel happy. Happy because i was accepted back to a place i had left. A place full of good people, that perhaps at the time i didn't realize. When i think bad thoughts or bad things about people and they come through for me, i feel bad. Just for a moment, then it subsides. But, today i do feel happy. Really, i do!

Onward and upwards:
True Blood
I was totally disappointed with this highly anticipated HBO show written and directed by Alan Ball who wrote the incredibly amazing Six Feet Under (one of my all time favorite shows, RENT IT). Now don't get me wrong, i love vampires! They are scary and sexy and dark. The vampires depicted in True Blood are strange sort of nomads if you will. Like they sort of come and go. Well thats what i got out of it anyway. Then the characters in this southern town, it seems all they think about is sex. Rough sex too. Oh wait, is that just when they have sex with the vampires??? I'll watch again. Probably all season too, thats just me. I think oh next week it will get better. It might, it might not.













Things i ponder: (when i ponder, i sit like that, with my hands perched on my chin, i'm just saying)
Is mother nature and father time married?
How long is a moment?
Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a bathroom has no bath in it but has a shower, is it still a bathroom?
Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?
Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Stop singing and read on . . . . . . . . . .
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
Dance like no one is looking!! Hmmm why?

I refuse to ponder Palin/McCain/Obama/Biden. At least not today!!!

Check this out my apple ipod loving friends ipod nano

I want to put a ding in the universe.
Steve Jobs

Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?
Steve Jobs: The line he used to lure John Sculley as Apple's CEO

It's not easy bein' Green.....I don't want to live on the moon....

It's not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow, or gold
Or something much more colorful like that

It's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over
'Cause you're not standing out
Like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky

But green's the color of spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like a mountain
Or important like a river
Or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why
But why wonder why wonder
I am green, and it'll do fine
It's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be


Well, I'd like to visit the moon
On a rocket ship high in the air
Yes, I'd like to visit the moon
But I don't think I'd like to live there
Though I'd like to look down at the earth from above
I would miss all the places and people I love
So although I might like it for one afternoon
I don't want to live on the moon

I'd like to travel under the sea
I could meet all the fish everywhere
Yes, I'd travel under the sea
But I don't think I'd like to live there
I might stay for a day there if I had my wish
But there's not much to do when your friends are all fish
And an oyster and clam aren't real family
So I don't want to live in the sea

I'd like to visit the jungle, hear the lions roar
Go back in time and meet a dinosaur
There's so many strange places I'd like to be
But none of them permanently

So if I should visit the moon
Well, I'll dance on a moonbeam and then
I will make a wish on a star
And I'll wish I was home once again
Though I'd like to look down at the earth from above
I would miss all the places and people I love
So although I may go I'll be coming home soon
'Cause I don't want to live on the moon
No, I don't want to live on the moon

See i lost my sense of direction, but i'm alright now

So, i go from yo i'm like all raw and hot and sexy....ooops wrong raw. Let me start again. I go from yo i'm like all raw and healthy and feeling light to yo give me that freakin chocolate chip cookie. It's how i am. It's either one way or the other. It's how i roll.

Raw, to me is a way of life. But a good way of life. I have not embraced it 100%. I've admitted this many times and i am not sad about it. Life needs to be lived in a way that is comfortable for us all. I do that. I live comfortably. I eat. Sometimes too much, sometimes the wrong things but i always seem to come back to raw.

When i meet up with my good friend Anthony over at rawmodel my feelings for raw seem to hit me over the head. In a good way. Anthony is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all things raw. We always have a good time walking around the Union Square Green Market and chatting away about everything.














Here are some amazingly colorful heirloom tomatoes that seemed to dominate the market today!!! I bought some after kindly asking the woman working there yo so which ones are good??? She's all like dude, you can taste anything you want and then buy what you like!!! Fuckin win!!! (dee)...So, i ate me some heirlooms. Then bought what i like.

My problem is when walking around the green market i seem to buy like everything. Anthony, is a more thoughtful buyer. He likes to look and investigate various stands until he finds what he likes. Me, well you know how i roll....

So, i'm looking at some lettuce and today i was on a mission to find Boston lettuce a cultivated variety of lettuce having a rounded head of soft, crumpled leaves, used for salads. I ask "do you have boston lettuce"? No says the woman. Then a woman standing right next to me starts directing me to where i may be able to find some. I glance at her because, well she was trying to be helpful and i think to myself...hmmm she looks very familiar. Really familiar. Then it hits me. Chelsea Clinton is talking to me telling me where i can find Boston lettuce. So, very dorky me says to her "hey are you Chelsea?"...."Yes i am" she answered. Inbetween some blushing and stuttering i asked her if i may take her picture. She very nicely said "i don't think so". So, i'm all like yo Chelsea what up with that?? Who wants your picture anyway!!! And i walked away.

YEAH RIGHT!!! No, more like "OK Chelsea i understand, maybe i shouldn't have asked you that.? Again, she smiled politely and said "no problem, have a nice day, hope you find the lettuce!!! She was actually very nice. Pretty in a very unassuming way. So, today besides getting to hang out with Anthony rawmodel, i also saw and talked to Chelsea Clinton!!!















Here is a product i first read about over at delightful kristensraw blog. She gave it an amazing review and i just knew i had to try it. So, today when i noticed it at Whole Foods, i quickly purchased it and ripped that sucker open. SWEET!!!! You know, not sweet in taste but the SWEET one says when they are cool and trying to say to the world that this food is fuckin win!!! (dee). Here is a bit of what it says on the back of the bag:
Take the succulent sweet taste of mangos, add a twist of lime and a dash of chili and let it bask in the sun until dry, and what you end up with is a zesty treat that really excites the taste buds.

Check it out here the raw choice. I suspect that you may be pleasantly surprised.


I don't quite know where else to go with this post. I find myself laughing at things that perhaps 1 month ago, i couldn't. I flop out of bed each morning so excited to be able to run, that i almost pee in my pants. Ok, well i never did but you get my drift. Also, i don't really flop out of bed, i just like that word. You tend to your mind almost as though your tending to a garden. You water it and make sure it has enough sun and you then stand back and watch it grow.

This is my mind lately. Grateful and growing. Getting enough sun which ignites many passionate thoughts. I just love it. I love the conversations i am lucky enough to have while running. The time literally flies by. Don't get me wrong, i am not the fastest of runners, but when talk is interesting we all run fast. Passionate running i like to call it.

You must make things happen. For yourself. For others. Just do it. I hate the way this political shit is going down. What can i do??? Just vote is all.

I am very happy too. My best friend from Kiev is finally able to bring her hubby to the USA!! It was a hard 2 years for them both and now they can live happily ever after in the land of the free. It's a really long story and once i get photos of the happy couple i will devote an entire blog post to them.

I think i now need to concentrate my thoughts on my good friend Austin. He is having a difficult time health wise and needs support. He is an incredible person and incredible people deserve the best!!!

I wanna leave you with a couple of cool things. This IRAW, i found on a blog. Forgive me, i cannot remember which blog, but once i do, i will give credit.













I'm scorpio!!! Is this me??? Well, yikes if it is and yikes if it isn't!!!




















I want this. As my pet. Like right now!!!

For a pessimist, I'm pretty optimistic!!!

Sleepy Palin!

You know how many blogs posts i've read already where there is talk of Palin/McCain/Bristol/Trig and all things involving being pregnant and when?? Oh, i would guess around 20 or so. And that is cool and the way it should be. This is news. This is big news. It should be followed and analyzed and the truth should be known to all.

beearl, he said it best in his blog post title "Palin comparison"...Brilliant! He also included this link which outlines a lot of what has been going around the rumor mill!

Don't get me wrong, Sarah Palin is a very intelligent woman. She is. I just don't agree with mostly everything she stands for. Let's just take this one topic:
Sex Education: She supports a policy of abstinence-only education in schools.
WTF??? Now, my running friend, she is a pediatrician in an inner city neighborhood. It's a rough area but she stands firm on practicing there because she believes that these kids deserve good medical care. Anyway, i digress...my point is she has told me that she treats pregnant 12 year olds. 12 YEAR OLD GIRLS!!!. They are children themselves. Now, if only these "children" used some form of birth control (condom) they may or may not have become pregnant.


I'm not sure what i'm getting at here. It just angers me. In the neighborhood where she works abstinence-only will not only be laughed at, it will be totally, completely and blatantly ignored!!! Right?

Now, the whole thing going on with Bristol. Is this girl pregnant now or was she pregnant and is Trig her child? I doubt it, but again its those pesky rumors you read about that make you wonder. I think Obama said it best when he said:

"Let me be as clear as possible," "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president."

What makes discussion of this pregnancy upsetting to me is not the pregnancy itself, but the Republicans’ hypocritical response to it. The McCain campaign’s response to it is “life happens.” And that’s exactly the point. The whole reason that Sarah Palin’s abstinence only sex education is a problem is because it doesn’t account for the fact that even in a conservative Christian household like hers, teens are going to have sex from time to time and they need comprehensive information to help them cope for when “life happens.” I for one, seriously doubt that the Republicans would be so generous if Obama or Biden had a pregnant teenage daughter - we’d be hearing about how that would be indicative of their complete lack of moral rectitude. It’s like how the Republicans say that same sex couples having children would be a blight on civilization, but it becomes a private family affair when Dick Cheney’s daughter does it. Life does indeed happen, but the Republicans take much more enlightened views on social issues when life happens to them.

Another thing that bugs me about this is the way that it was revealed. The McCain campaign said that the only reason they even brought this up was to deflect rumors that Trig was Bristol’s son. Did they honestly expect the truth about something like this to stay secret? It makes you wonder about McCain’s judgment.

The final thing about this that bothers me is Palin’s willingness to put her daughter in a position of having her pregnancy revealed to the whole nation. It’s not like she didn’t know about this before she accepted the VP nomination. No one could reasonably expect the 24 hour cable news media to ignore this, even if the Obama campaign has taken the high road on it. I wonder if Bristol was even consulted before her mother made a decision that would embarrass her in front of the whole nation.

So, with all that said, i certainly know who i am going to vote for come November 4, 2008, do you???

Time to include a music video:


Billy Bragg - Help Save the Youth of America
Help save the youth of america
Help save them from themselves
Help save the sun-tanned surfer boys
And the californian girls

When the lights go out in the rest of the world
What do our cousins say
Theyre playing in the sun and having fun, fun, fun
Till daddy takes the gun away

From the big church to the big river
And out to the shining sea
This is the land of opportunity
And theres a monkey trial on tv

A nation with their freezers full
Are dancing in their seats
While outside another nation
Is sleeping in the streets

Dont tell me the old, old story
Tell me the truth this time
Is the man in the mask or the indian
An enemy or a friend of mine

Help save the youth of america
Help save the youth of the world
Help save the boys in uniform
Their mothers and their faithful girls

Listen to the voice of the soldier
Down in the killing zone
Talking about the cost of living
And the price of bringing him home

Theyre already shipping the body bags
Down by the rio grande
But you can fight for democracy at home
And not in some foreign land

And the fate of the great united states
Is entwined in the fate of us all
And the incident at Chernobyl proves
The world we live in is very small

And the cities of europe have burned before
And they may yet burn again
And if they do I hope you understand
That washington will burn with them
Omaha will burn with them
Los alamos will burn with them

People as Places as People....

Fleet Foxes is a five-piece Seattle based band signed to the labels Sub Pop and Bella Union. The quintet describe their music as "baroque harmonic pop jams". Check out Fleet Foxes, they are very soothing!














So, here i am! Beaten down. Tired beyond anything i've ever felt. I am dragging my feet today. My strength is wavering. My breathing seems labored. I sure hope i do not have exercise induced asthma!! it's a scary prospect to ponder because no matter what, i will not stop running. It is much to big a part of my life now.

With that said, today was day 36 and the last day of my running streak. I completed what i set out to do. I set a goal for myself and made it happen. While i am very rundown, i could go on running if i wanted to. I can probably go to 60 days or so. But, i don't need to. I feel like i accomplished something grand. Sure, in the scheme of things this is really not so grand. But, to me it is.

It comes down to a strong mind. I want to share with you something my virtual running buddy said:
Just put 90 minutes worth of your favorite music. Don't even think about miles. Be a minuteman! Just say to yourself "Hey, I am going out for 90 minutes run." Don't even look at your watch. Just go out for a nice 90 minutes of jogging style. Daydream. Listen to the music. Let the river flow! When 90 minutes is up, you will be surprised how many miles you have accumulated.

He also said this:
Believe it or not, running is 90% mental and 10% physical. Its all in your mind. I tell you, my friend, a mind is a powerful command center for your entire body.

So, with all that in mind, my mind pushes me. Mostly! I guess my legs have a little something to do with it also. Running has opened up a world of possibilities for me. It has given me a sort of purpose. Now i worry. Do i have EIA??

So, check this out!!! All raw directory. This wonderful lady pure jeevan, with the help of some others made it all happen!!! I think if you are wanting to experiment with raw, if you want to actually be raw or if you already are 100% this is the place for you!! It has a wealth of information. My blog is even listed!! Well after all, i am freakin raw cool.

I've been thinking and reflecting a lot about the past few months. Besides the fact that i had a ball this summer, i've also learned many lessons. Not at school, but life lessons which is so very important for us all. You learn and you take it in and then try to apply it to your everyday life. It's amazing really.

Now that summer is winding down, i like to reflect and then let it go and move on. There are four months left in 2008. I intend to rock those four months. 2009 can ONLY be better. Soon it will be time for my annual movie post. I will talk about the movies i am anxious to see before the end of the year. The Coen brothers are coming out with a silly funny movie. Burn After Reading is the title!!! Trailer. Take a look!! Cracks me up every time!!

I will also do a big post of upcoming new shows that interest me plus the oldies but amazing goodies that i am so looking forward to. Dexter comes to mind.









I am working on a lot of things right now. Once i get a good nights sleep i will write all about it here.


















This man....he makes me swoon. Ok, who uses that word anymore??? Swoon is a term used to express happiness or excitement, to be overwhelmed by joy or emotion toward something. It's that and so much more. I am beyond overwhelmed by this man. Not only is he an amazing actor in Mad Men he oozes sexuality. He's freakin gorgeous!!!

“When a man gives his opinion he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion she's a bitch.”
Bette Davis