Fame Friday

"I often buy myself presents. Sometimes I will spend $100,000 in one day in a posh boutique." -Celine Dion


*This week's Fame Friday is in honor of Allen McMillen. 

The Sky is Falling!

Is it just me or does all the posturing and drama in Washington just feel a little like theater? There is all the fear that they make sure everyone is feeling - similar to having to buy the banks out or the world would come tumbling down. And then at the last minute they will make the deal hoping they look like avenging heroes saving the world.  In the end the only one that will feel the pain is the taxpayer.

Two years after the bank bailout and it is business as usual for the banks, Wall Street, and the politicians.

I'll think I'll pass on this particular Chicken Little scenario and pour myself a little glass of wine, put my feet up, and let them battle it out. I've decided that getting all riled up is just bad for my health and does nothing to change anything in the end.

Cheers!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Staycation

We're on a staycation this week. Instead of traveling someplace, we have opted to stay home. Luckily we live where many people travel to vacation anyway, so why not just stay home and do what the tourists do? From the picture you can see my husband is not doing anything too rambunctious and my daughter and grandson are happy to soak up the sun after a very cool Pacific Northwest winter. (This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago - but you get the picture...)

Staycations have many advantages:

• No X-rays or pat downs by creepy TSA agents.
• You can bank the money you save.
• You know where the best hamburger for the price is located.
• You are comfortable in bed - no need to haul your pillow everywhere you go.
• You've already located the best beach.
• Going out for a really nice dinner is okay when that is all you're spending for the week.
• You have all the right clothes in your closet. Nothing is forgotten.

Now, I realize it doesn't take the place of an exciting two weeks somewhere wonderful, but the way things are going in the world right now, home feels pretty good to me.

• Oh, and you can take your dog!

What about you? What are your vacation plans?

The Trickster & Dog Poo

You may remember me mentioning coyotes and how I keep seeing them hanging around where we live. It is not unusual at certain times of the year to hear them literally in our backyard. It drives Lucy crazy, especially when they find prey and all start yelping at once.

You may also remember me mentioning that I ordered a set of Medicine Cards. Here is an excerpt on the coyote:

"There are thousands of myths and stories about Coyote, the great trickster. Many Native cultures call Coyote the "Medicine Dog." If you have pulled the card, you can be sure that some kind of medicine is on its way - and it may or may not be to your liking. Whatever the medicine is, good or bad, you can be sure it will make you laugh, maybe even painfully. You can be sure that Coyote will teach you a lesson about yourself."

We've been spending plenty of time at Lake Tahoe this summer. It cuts down on the use of air conditioning in Reno, as most places at the Lake don't even have air conditioning, and it adds only an extra 20 minutes to my husband's commute time. I have a perch in my bedroom where I can view the creek, and all that is going on behind the condo. The other day a coyote came loping by, heading upstream. He was all by himself and being home alone, I was the only one to see him.

So now is probably the time to admit to one of my idiosyncrasies. I have a tendency to blame others when I can't find something. I know, I know, not an admirable trait.

Anyway, since seeing the coyote loping by, I have lost two sets of glasses. One set were reading glasses and they just disappeared! I was using them one minute, and the next they were gone. I have looked everywhere. This is a small place - not many places to hide, but they are no where to be found. The next set were my sunglasses. My husband and I have the same ones - his are black, and mine are very dark brown. I always put them in the same place, and was astonished to find they were not there when I was ready for my walk the other day. My first thought was that my husband confused them, and picked up mine instead. In fact, I will admit to accusing him of stealing my sunglasses when he called.

I know - you can see where this is going...

It seems that my sunglasses were not stolen by my husband. In fact they were safe and sound in the paper bag my husband keeps at the bottom of the outside stairs for dog poo. I must have been in such a snit about picking up the stuff that when I dropped it in the bag - I also discarded whatever else was in my hand - which was my sunglasses. My husband found my sunglasses in the bag with dog poo! Luckily, it was in little plastic bags. Thank heavens for bacterial soap.

The Trickster taught me a lesson about myself. If you are going to blame others for taking your stuff, you just might be full of, well, need I say more?

July 24: The Day Marriage Equality Came to New York

Same-sex couples can start saying "I do" today in New York. Just after midnight this morning, lesbian activists Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd became the first same-sex couple to marry in the state - against the backdrop of Niagara Falls, which were lit up in rainbow colors in honor of this historic day. 

Fame Friday

“New York has finally torn down the barrier that has prevented same-sex couples from exercising the freedom to marry and from receiving the fundamental protections that so many couples and families take for granted,” he said. “With the world watching, the Legislature, by a bipartisan vote, has said that all New Yorkers are equal under the law. With this vote, marriage equality will become a reality in our state, delivering long overdue fairness and legal security to thousands of New Yorkers.” -Andrew Cuomo


Same-sex marriages begin in New York on Sunday. 

The Trinity Secret

I listened to an interesting interview last night on CMN with Marie Jones on her new book The Trinity Secret.

Do you ever wonder why some things always seem to come in threes? We even say death "always come in threes." Why most religious texts have elements of threes?  (The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost) Could the Trinity actually be the Law of Attraction? You think a thought, you act on the thought, the thought manifests... Could a simple mathematical equation be the source of creation? Marie Jones makes a case for this possibility.

So how can we make this work for us? Her suggestion is to first discover what may be holding us back. Is  our subconscious blocking whatever it is that we wish to have happen? Is it old programming that was instilled in our childhood? Is it a belief within that says we are not worthy?

Start a list of all of your beliefs and give them the stress test. It may be time to reevaluate.

To hear more on this subject go here.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

New York State Promotes Same-Sex Wedding Packages

ILOVENY, New York State's official tourism campaign, is inviting same-sex couples around the country and around the world to get married in New York and celebrate the occasion with a vacation package. Check out their site here. 

Care2 Petition Site

One of the ways that I have been trying to make a difference is signing petitions that I feel strongly about. Over the last few months I've signed them for abused animals, women's rights, teachers, the environment, wild horse roundups, and even to have Congress investigate Rupert Murdock here in the United States. There is a petition for every imaginable cause. And if you would like to start a petition - you can do that as well.

We often sit in our living rooms thinking we have no control over our world, but in reality we do have some control - if only to add our voice to the cacophony of voices standing up for the downtrodden and disenfranchised. Adding your name to a petition can actually make a difference. So why not?

You will receive notifications of petitions through email that you can join or not - your choice. It's easy and takes only a minute or two of your time. Click here to get started!

Anthony Synchro

It seems a woman was attacked by another woman and run off the road, causing her vehicle to roll and almost killing her. The woman that was attacked looks like Casey Anthony, the woman released after being found innocent in the high-profile death of her two-year-old daughter, Caylee.

The other driver was arrested, and was thought to be on drugs when she stated she was trying to "save the children."

Now here is the synchro - not only does this woman resemble Casey Anthony enough to be attacked - she also has a daughter named Caylee!

Love Bomb

I've posted in the past about Hate Bombs - those emails that you receive that start out funny or interesting and then they drop a Hate Bomb - usually something about Obama.

Well I found a site that does the exact opposite. Every Thursday I receive an email about someone that needs encouragement - maybe they are depressed, or going through a hard time. Then I have the option to go to that person's blog and leave a word of encouragement. It is easy, it is positive, and it just might make a difference in someone's life. If you have someone you would like to nominate for a Love Bomb, you can do that as well.

This week I dropped by a blog written by a mommy whose tiny baby was about to go through open heart surgery. At last count she had 113 commenters.

If you are interested, you can join here. Go ahead - drop a Love Bomb!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sheet Rant

When did sheets get so expensive? Why are they so complicated? And more importantly - why am I so fussy about sheets?

I know this is a low priority problem compared to some, but what are blogs for if not to occasionally rant about low-priority dumb stuff? It's the mundane that takes up a huge part of our lives.

I've been sheet shopping this week. The bottom sheet seems to have sprung a tear - just when they were the most soft and comfortable. Of course it's that way. Just when something is perfect, we find ourselves in replacement mode.

My first stop was the Internet. Just to remind myself what constitutes a good sheet - softness, durability, sheen, color, price. Of course it must be 100% cotton for maximum comfort, at least for those of us that are hot, not hot, hot, not hot, hot... Egyptian cotton is the most sturdy, with long fibers. So I'm looking for high thread count for softness, Egyptian cotton for durability, sateen finish for comfort, in the color Ivory. (I'm known for my comfortable beds - mine should be no exception!)

Next stop was Macy's, and a very sweet young man who knew his sheets. He steered me to two different ones, and I made my choice. Off to the check stand ---  total price - $800. No, that is not a typo! $800 for one set of sheets and (2) extra pillowcases.

Next stop - Bed, Bath & Beyond. I found 750 count, 100% Egyptian cotton sheets with a satin sheen in Ivory. Great. Only $199. Much better, I thought. Although spending $200 on sheets should be something that that is off-putting,  but after looking at so many sheets, I'm happy to pay it. Off to the check stand.

Okay, so the sheet set was $199 but I needed an extra set of pillowcases. The extra set of pillowcases came to $69. That is $35 per pillowcase! Really?? 

So there is my consumer rant for the year. I hope not have to buy sheets for several years, but when I do - I plan to go into our 401k to pay for them.

Addendum: The additional pillow cases, once washed, were a different color.  Geeze. Back to BBB. Or maybe my old ones will do...

The Top Reasons to Ban Marriage Equality in Minnesota

Obviously more of an effort to energize progressive young people than to change minds of those on the other side:

NYC Anticipates Same-Sex Wedding Boom

Same-Sex marriages will begin in New York state on july 24th, and nowhere is the resulting economic boom expected to be larger than in NYC. One report estimates 66,000 same-sex couples will wed in New York over the next three years, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars to the city's $31 billion tourism industry. Read more here at NPR. 

Beyond Better: A Manifesto for Queer Youth

Here's an outstanding video that was made by the students of Margaret Himley's Queer Writing class at Syracuse University last year. The course is part of Syracuse's LGBT Studies minor (which I proudly hold), the first of its kind in the United States.

Letting Go

July is the month for letting go, according to channeler and energy worker, Lee Harris. You can read his energy forecast for July here.  He says we may need to surround ourselves with different people. Some of our old relationships may not fit this new energy. He also refers to the nervousness and lack of settling in many people, and that we cannot fail to be affected by these energies.


Yet he reminds us -  all is well - no matter how it looks.

I have found this to be true in my own life. Some people are not, shall we say, relaxed? We need to let their stuff move on through. Most of us have enough of our own stuff without taking on their stuff, right? Letting go of the old, especially old wounds and activities that no longer serve, has been part of my personal paradigm for a while now.

Coincidentally, my husband and I have also experienced a renewal of old friendships that have been on the back burner for many years. Friendships that were almost forgotten. In one day we had three sets of old friends call and want to get together.

So what do you think that is about?

Do our friendships serve certain functions at different times in our lives? Maybe circling back around as we enter into new life stages? Could we be looking back to old friendships that may share our value systems, because many that we are around now do not? Or maybe we just want to see if the spark is still there...

You can watch Lee's forecast for 2011 here.

This is just a little reminder that it's okay to let go sometimes.

Dance Weekend

Atlantic City Casino Opens Gay Bar

Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City just became the first major casino in the country to open a full-time gay bar. The initiative is part of a strategy to revitalize gay tourism which was once much more prevalent in the area, and also to save the struggling hotel, which lost upwards of $20 million last year. Read more in this N.Y. Times article. 

Hot Town - Summer In The City

Whew, I guess summer is finally here. It's supposed to be 93 today. I don't know about the rest of you, but all I want to do is lay next to the lake and read novels. I haven't read much of anything of any real value for some time now. But maybe that's what summer is all about - a time to soak up some sun and let your mind wander.

As for me, it's Lake Tahoe time. Cool blue water beckons. The fact that it's icy cold and I will probably only walk out to my waist for another few weeks has not deterred my determination to eventually make the final dive and swim. It's the first one of the season that's always the hardest.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Community Herbalism & Natural Medicine

There are big things going on in the world of change. We often don't hear about them, and they go unnoticed by most of us, so I would like to pass this along because prescription drugs are a bugaboo with me, as most of you know. We are being prescribed more and more drugs at younger and younger ages, and it is scary how many prescription drugs are now being prescribed to children. My posts here and here talk about this problem.

Secret Notebooks and Wild Pages has done a post on Community Herbalism and Natural Medicine that is well worth your time to read. The Thread is a community based educational program located on the East Coast. Please visit her  to see if this might be something you could advocate in your area, or if you live nearby, you may want to stop by for a visit.

It's time to plant the seeds of how we want to see the world change. It will not get done unless everyone decides to do their small part.

I also believe it's time to go back to nature to address many of our present-day illnesses. Mother Nature has always provided for us. We've just been led to believe otherwise.

Revolution/Evolution

Are we beginning to see a youthful revolution? Have they finally had enough of the old ways? War, greed, and out-of-control capitalism have left too many angry and out of the loop. The polarization of the haves and the have nots, the unending consumerism and decimation of our planet, the lack of integrity of our political leaders may have finally come home to roost. And what is interesting is that it appears to be spreading from country to country all over the world.

Coming out of the Fourth of July holiday, I thought this video appropriate for the times:

Where are you going this summer? How will you keep in touch?

The summer travel season is here and we know you need to keep in touch wherever your travels take you. We have some fabulous summer offers to keep you connected while you travel, but first a question! How do you keep in touch during your summer travels? Let us know on Twitter @EtisalatUAE or tick your favourite in our Facebook poll at facebook.com/etisalat.

We have three special summer travel offers, so whether you use a BlackBerry or mobile internet on another smartphone you can keep in touch with family and friends. Perhaps you prefer to make call and hear familiar voices? We have a voice roaming packages to cuts the cost of both incoming and outgoing calls. Just choose the package the works best for you.

BlackBerry® roaming for as little as AED 99

You can take your BlackBerry social package with you around the world this summer for just AED99 each month. No need to miss out on your social connections when you are travelling. Or, if you prefer email, you can subscribe to Etisalat BlackBerry® Global Email for just AED 149 a month. Either way you can share your travel news with the people who matter to you all summer long.

To subscribe to our summer roaming offers
• SMS GS99 to 1010 for Global Social
• SMS GE149 to 1010 for Global Email

Both offers are available for prepaid and postpaid customers; purchase before September 30, 2011.

More details are available by phone at 800 77 666


Pack the Internet wherever you go. Save up to 50% with the new mobile data roaming packs

If you prefer to travel with a 3G smartphone our new daily global data pack costs just AED 95 for 6 MB. At these rates you can afford to check your favourite websites, update your social sites, manage your email and share your news with family and friends no matter where your travels take you.

Subscribe to daily global data by dialing *177# or sending SMS purchase code R DG to 1010 from UAE or abroad. You can repurchase the pack when you use it up or it expires. In addition we have a new flat rate for data roaming. AED 1 for postpaid and AED 1.5 for prepaid for every 30KB across the world. More information on our data roaming packages is available by calling 800 2300

Special roaming packages for calls mean you have more holiday money to spend

Our summer voice roaming offers give you discounts up to 78% on your roaming incoming calls as well as a special discount of up to 30% on outgoing voice roaming calls to the UAE.

To purchase our roaming calls packages please dial *177# or visit etisalat.ae/summeroffers to find the SMS codes for all our summer offers.

So that's three great offer to help you pack for your travels and stay in touch this summer.

Which one will you choose?

BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. Used under license from Research In Motion Limited.

Grandma Hat

It's time, once again, to swap my armchair-philosopher hat for my grandma hat.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy Fourth of July to all of my American friends!