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