After a few Jedi Mind Tricks, a friend convinced me that since this is such an important trip to me (and it is, really something I feel like I've been waiting for forever) that I should document it on sort of a Travelblog. I pretended to resist the idea, but once the name emerged it was all I could do to contain my excitement over the idea. I was planning on just uploading photos and jotting down notes about them on Flickr or here, but this is a MUCH better idea. I love the thought of having a space designated just for the trip.
Thus, Just for Paris was born. :-) I really cannot wait. 22 weeks!
While I normally delete e-mail humor with a sort of mad glee, I couldn't help but smirk at this...
Thoughts from across the pond
An email from Ireland to the brethren in the States...a point to ponder despite your political affiliation:
"We, in Ireland, can't figure out why people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States.
On one side, you have a pants wearing lawyer, married to a lawyer who can't keep his pants on, who just lost a long and heated primary against a lawyer who goes to the wrong church who is married to yet another lawyer who doesn't even like the country her husband wants to run.
Now...On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name starts with the appropriate Mc terminology, married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship.
What in Lords name are ye lads thinking over there in the colonies??"
It is a valid point. Happy Thursday, everyone! :-)
Share a picture taken underwater.
Submitted by jacolily.
Does this count? :-)
I always liked the way this turned out. And that I didn't drown my camera in the process.
You know, I don't care which side of the fence you sit on: pro-choice, pro-life, don't care, waiting to see so you can decide what's popular, whatever.
But you know what? I did NOT need to f*&king see poster-sized blow-up photos of bloody parts on my drive in to work this morning. In fact, I don't need to see them ever.
I know people feel really strongly about it all, I do. I get it. I feel strongly about lots of things...but I damned sure don't print up giant photos of it and shove it in your face as you drive down Piedmont on your way to work.
WTF is wrong with people? GUH.
Although we typically post on Team Vox to let you know about things that are going on with Vox (to, uh, state the obvious), once in a while, we like to let you know about other cool things that are happening around the blogosphere. And we think the idea of four hilarious mommy bloggers traveling across the U.S. on their way to the BlogHer '08 conference - all the while blogging and video blogging the journey - is one trip you will not want to miss.
Four adventurous bloggers from the Silicon Valley Moms Group were selected to participate in the Summer Road Trip '08 and blog about their travels, hotel stays, media appearances, time away from their families, and life on the road. Six Apart helped them partner up with General Motors, who provided the blogging mommies with a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV to help make their journey comfy, safe, and a little more green.
In case you're not familiar with them, SV Moms is a group of over 200 bloggers who showcase the ups, downs, outrages, struggles, victories, and everyday humor of motherhood. There are currently nine regional and demographically tailored sites that give mothers from D.C., New Jersey, the Deep South, Rocky Mountains, L.A., and Silicon Valley a powerful voice and sense of camaraderie across the country. Whether you're a mother, a child, or just a person who enjoys a good blog, you'll really love reading the words of these amazing women.
The moms buckled into their Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV on July 11th and even got an encouraging message from Katie Couric to kick things off! They are currently somewhere in the middle of America making their way to San Francisco where they'll attend an SV Moms Group Party, as well as BlogHer '08.
You do not want to miss these entertaining and irreverent bloggers -- or their spontaneous contest giveaways! -- as they blog from the road. Experience the journey at MomRoadTrip.com.
And let us know about your summer road trip - or plane/boat/bus trip - in the comments! (I like to live vicariously.)
I have so many thoughts and feelings swirling around inside of me and they need to be released before I go crazy! Too late for that maybe? lol anywayz how can I be happy knowing that I hurt someone very close to me? Even though we haven't been together in almost 9 months, he still harbors deep feelings for me and has become a wreck lately wanting me back. The thing is is that I can't take him back because my feelings romantically are gone for him. I can't stand him even touching me! It's so weird. This should be easy. He told me today that love should come with a warning sign because he's never felt this kind of pain before. I've been there and know how he feels but what can I do? He just needs to get through it somehow and move on. I know he can and will. I hate being in this situation. To make matters worse, I'm starting to feel closer than ever to a friend of mine and I don't want to get too close because I'm scared of what might happen. I can't fall for anyone right now at this stage in my life. I need to focus on me. I can't afford to put myself in another relationship just to get hurt again. The only remedy to that is to stop hanging around him so much...it's too dangerous right now. Either way someone is getting hurt and I can't do a god damn thing to stop it. All I wanna do is go away by myself and just chill.
From the archives-this was originally posted on Nov. 16, 2006...C:
"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." James 1:12-15 (NKJV)
Most of you have probably heard of the Siegfried & Roy show in Las
Vegas. Well it was brought to a dramatic close when a seven-year-old,
white Bengal tiger attacked Roy and drug him off the stage before an
audience of 1500 people. It was Roy's 59th birthday, and shortly after
introducing the Tiger, it bit Roy on the arm. When he hit the tiger
with his microphone to back him off, the big cat grabbed him by the throat
and dragged him off stage. Spectators were shocked and said that Roy
looked like a rag doll as the tiger shook him and dragged him away.
Roy was rushed to University Medical Center for emergency surgery after he
suffered massive blood loss. Siegfried & Roy have been putting on
their act in Vegas for 30 years. They should know tigers, but this one
obviously surprised them. Siegfried tried to say that the tiger was
protecting Roy, but the tiger did not grab him by the scruff of the
neck, he grabbed him by the throat - an instinctive move to kill.
Siegfried and Roy practically live with these animals. They tame them
and train them. They become emotionally attached to them. But as
someone pointed out, the older the tiger gets the more its instinctive
wildness comes out.
I did a little research on the Internet and found that there have been
several tiger attacks in the United States. At the Savage Kingdom in
Sumter County, Florida, a Siberian tiger lunged at Vincent Lowe, the
trainer as he was fixing a fence. When he tried to use a board to push
the tiger back, it turned on him and crushed his neck and killed him.
Since 1990, tigers in the United States have killed at least six
adults and two children. More than 60 others have been seriously injured in
tiger mauling. There are now three times as many tigers in captivity,
and kept as pets, as there are in the wild.
I'm saying all this to make a point. There are many people who invite
some seemingly small sin into their lives because it looks so cute.
It's nothing all that big. It seems harmless enough until it begins to
grow. It begins to roam your house until it becomes the biggest thing in
your life. The wildness and ferocity of it finally comes out, until you
realize that you are afraid of it. Finally you wake up to the fact
that is controlling you, and has the power to bring you irreparable harm or
destroy you. It can rip you to shreds. The Bible warns us: "Be
self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
I want to begin this morning by making this first point: Never
underestimate the power of sin. I think about those people who have
taken a cute little tiger cub into their home. I have seen what a
common cat is like as far as being in charge of a house, I can hardly imagine
what a 500 pound tiger would be like. You would need a special room
just for the litter box. If he starts to mark his territory you had better
take cover. Imagine living every day with a tiger in your house.
Imagine living with some sin in your life that is roaming around in
your life like a tiger. There are real messes because of it. Worse than
that there are dangers. And it is not only you that you have placed in
danger, but also the people you love. Partying started out as a lot of
fun because there were plenty of other people doing it, and you became
accepted. But now the addictions to drugs or alcohol have defined your
life, and you are no longer in control. Sexual sin has you by the
throat and has made you its slave, and perhaps even brought unwelcome disease
into your life. You began to nurse a grudge, but now bitterness has
taken over your life. You got your way by pouting a few times, but now
you can't stop complaining and trying to control people with your
moods. It began as a friendship, progressed to flirting and ended in moral
failure. You began being aggressive when you had to stand up for your
rights, and now you trample the rights of other people by being
abusive and domineering. You have become a rage-aholic. One little white lie
led to another, then another, until now there is no way out, and you are
not sure you know what the truth is yourself anymore. You never want to
invite sin into your life no matter how small it is in the beginning.
Rev Todd
I spent a good part of the rainy afternoon lost in the bookstore looking for a new author. It seems there are just a tremendous number to choose from, and while that's really a good thing it also makes it something of a challenge when you want something new to read.
It becomes a daunting task when you factor in someone with eclectic tastes...who might be seen reading Shakespeare in the morning and erotic vampire fiction before bed (oh yes, I've read the entire Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series and I'm not afraid to admit it.). So it's tough. I like light, fun reading, historic fiction, crime, fantasy and occasionally science fiction (the best thing L. Ron Hubbard wrote was not Dianetics. Trust me.).
I also like books with continuing themes and characters. There's something nice about picking up in a story from one book to another and feeling familiar with the characters and time. It's like having a really interesting friend who leads an extraordinary life and stops to tell you all about it occasionally, but doesn't ask to borrow money or steal your car to make a clean getaway from the feds. And what's not to like about that?
Lately, I've also found a lot of Women's Fiction appealing. I don't know who coined the term or why, so far it just appears people needed a way to distinguish between books where the protagonist might stand up for herself and show human strengths and weaknesses and (gasp!) intelligence from the ones where she'll be running around in circles with her top off while the killer sits and waits for her to get tired so he can slay her efficiently.
Not that I mind her running around naked, mind you. Not one bit. Naked is good. Naked and capable of pulling off a witty remark and then artfully escaping after driving a ten penny nail through the killer with a giant nail gun, however...
So I'm open to suggestions! Today I picked up the first of the J.D Robb (Nora Roberts) In Death books. I like the premise of futuristic crime, and after reading a couple of excerpts from a web site, I found the intereactions between the main characters likeable. So we'll see how it goes. A friend recommended I actually read the Harry Potter books and I plan to after all the films are done. I kind of want to see them all and then go back and read the books from start to finish to fill in the blanks. It should be an interesting experience I think.
So any other suggestions?
Off topic, I actually heard a Coldplay song that doesn't make me want to slit my wrists with a pocket comb.
You can pick it up here or here from iTunes. It's kind of catchy.
i had this weird thought in yoga class the other day...it stems from overwhelming feelings of dissatisfaction with my job and the urge to change career paths.
if i actually do pursue teaching yoga, will i lose the feeling of refuge and serenity that i love so much about this practice? will the mat no longer be my alter? will i end up resenting it like any other job?
i'm afraid i'm going to lose what i love most about it.
on the flip side, i would love to be able to be the one who lights a fire under a beginner's ass that would encourage them to pursue a whole new way of looking at life, love and the world.
what to do...what to do.
It's been a long, exhausting week and I'm genuinely happy it's Friday. Not that I have some great weekend plan, complete with dancing monkeys and hula girls or anything, but I am definitely learning to appreciate the art of not being bored by doing absolutely nothing.
Sometimes, that's just what you need to do. Or not do. Hmm, I'll have to think about that one.
It's also been a stormy week, with impressive lightning shows, rain so hard I couldn't see out the window and that deep rolling thunder that reverberates through everything, shaking the walls the way so many little earthquakes used to do back in SoCal. The sun has yet to show this morning but it's ok. I feel kind of quiet and slow, like Sunday morning in a Walter Moseley novel. And I could do with an easy kind of day.
Happy Friday, everyone. :-)
