Living In the World, Not on It

As usual, People Magazine has found a couple of interesting books... The first one is Inside Scientology , an exposé on what has to be one of the most screwed up ideas of a "religion" to pass muster in who knows how long. L. Ron Hubbard made up this wacky system and then made tons of money on the nutters who actually believed this stuff! I've read bits and pieces on this and really, I want to read this book, since it (hopefully) fills in the gaps about this weirdness and exposes all the fake information that people buy into (and "buying" is the operative word) in the hopes that the government will finally succeed in shutting this cult down. (It is misleading to call it a religion, since it is not mono- or polytheistic; how can it be a religion without a God or Gods/Goddesses?) The other book that looks interesting is Bed . This is about a man whose brother has taken to his bed two decades ago, has ballooned up to 1,400lbs and won't - or can't - get up. ...

Just when something positive and happy occurs, halfway around the world, something tragic happened. On 22 July, some madman armed to the teeth, bombed the Prime Minister's building in Oslo, then showed up at a camp in Utøya, a small island in the Tyrifjorden Lake in Norway that had 600 Norwegian kids there and shot at least 68 (dead) and injured many more. The shooter, Anders Behring Breivik, is a rabidly conservative, anti-immigration activist. He opened fire on children... to what end? How is this going to fix or solve anything? Why do people think violence is the answer to anything? I'm terribly disappointed in the human race sometimes. This is one of those times. I don't know what the Norwegian government will do with this nutter, but I hope they will at the very least lock him up and throw away the key. What insane thinking was going on inside this man to perpetrate such heinous crimes? And killing kids? What possible positive outcome can that have? My thoughts go out...

I'm delighted and happy to know that finally people can get married in New York no matter what gender the bride and groom, bride and bride or groom and groom (or however one wishes to phrase it) may be! Finally, a state that understands and bestowed its blessings on all couples. It has only taken far too long for this to happen. California, which appeared to be a modern and open-minded state, began granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples in June 2008 and then repealed that in November 2008, thanks to Proposition 8, which labeled marriage as a union between one man and one woman. I used to think highly of the state of California until that happened. How stupid is that? But New York has turned around and made it possible for couples - regardless of same-sex or not - to take vows, walk down the aisle, or whatever they wish in order to legalise their union. And I say, "Yahoo! for New York and same-sex couples!" I have always felt very strongly for this and it is none o...

A friend of mine put up a post on his site: "When Death Doesn’t Warrant Celebration Posted by Patrick in Celebrities , Memorial , Mind Boggling Any time a celebrity dies at a young age, over-enthusiastic fans come crawling out of the woodwork with their “only the good die young” platitudes. Over the past few days, since police discovered the body of singer Amy Winehouse inside her London home, fans have been tweeting about her now being an “official” part of the “Forever 27 Club.” That dubious honor goes to those troubled celebrities who happened to die at age 27. According to some tweets, those celebrities include Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. One can argue about the relative talent of those people compared to Winehouse. In most cases, I suspect Winehouse would come up short hands down. But that’s beside th...

Luis and I determined that we really want to see Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana . So even though I was up and got very little sleep last night, we were up and out of the house by 1000 heading to Hoboken to part in one of the many Park & Ride buildings that festoon the lower road (two below and parallel to Washington Avenue) to take the Path train. To give you an idea how long it has been since I've been in NYC, I had no idea that the cost of the Path train has gone up to $1.75 for a one-way ticket. I still thought it was $1.50 - duh! But the Path trains run the same as always - every fifteen minutes on the quarter-hour mark. The trains are kept quite well and there's a telly screen with no sound that is clear made for this - it had local news, weather seven-day forecasts and little tidbits that are printed and scrambled words and such. It was not at all crowded going in (I was confident that few people had any great desire to be traipsing about the hotter-than-hot confines...

t's the time of the season When the love runs high In this time, give it to me easy And let me try With pleasured hands To take you and the sun to Promised lands To show you every one It's the time of the season for loving What's your name? (What's your name?) Who's your daddy? (Who's your daddy? He rich?) Is he rich like me? Has he taken (Has he taken) Any time (Any time to show) To show you what you need to live? Tell it to me slowly Tell you what? I really want to know It's the time of the season for loving What's your name? (What's your name?) Who's your daddy? (Who's your daddy? He rich?) Is he rich like me? Has he taken (Has he taken) Any time (Any time to show) To show To show you what you need to live? Tell it to me slowly Tell you what? I really want to know It's the time of the season for loving

All of these lines across my face Tell you the story of who I am So many stories of where I've been And how I got to where I am But these stories don't mean anything When you've got no one to tell them to It's true... I was made for you I climbed across the mountain tops Swam all across the ocean blue I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules But baby I broke them all for you Because even when I was flat broke You made me feel like a million bucks You do I was made for you You see the smile that's on my mouth It's hiding the words that don't come out And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed They don't know my head is a mess No, they don't know who I really am And they don't know what I've been through like you do And I was made for you... All of these lines across my face Tell you the story of who I am So many stories of where I've been And how I got to where I am But these stories don't mean anything When you'...

Auf einer Brücke ziemlich hoch Hält ein Mann die Arme auf Da steht er nun und zögert noch Die Menschen strömen gleich zuhauf Auch ich lass mir das nicht entgehen Das will ich aus der Nähe sehen Ich stell mich in die erste Reihe und schreie Der Mann will von der Brücke steigen Die Menschen fangen an zu hassen Bilden einen dichten Reigen Und wollen ihn nicht nach unten lassen So steigt er noch mal nach oben Und der Mob fängt an zu toben Sie wollen seine Innereien Und schreien Spring Erlöse mich Spring Enttäusch mich nicht Spring für mich Spring ins Licht Spring Jetzt fängt der Mann zu weinen an Heimlich schiebt sich eine Wolke fragt sich Was hab ich getan vor die Sonne es wird kalt Ich wollte nur zur Aussicht gehen ...

Viniste a mi Como poesia en la cancion Mostrandome Un nuevo mundo de pasion Amandome Sin egoismo y sin razon Mas sin saber Que era el amor Yo protegi mi corazon El sol se fue Y yo cantando tu cancion La soledad Se aduena de toda emocion Perdoname Si el miedo robo mi ilusion Viniste a mi No supe amar Y solo queda esta cancion Viniste a mi Como poesia en la cancion Mostrandome Un nuevo mundo de pasion Amandome Sin egoismo y sin razon Mas sin saber Que era el amor Yo protegi mi corazon El sol se fue Y yo cantando tu cancion La soledad Se aduena de toda emocion Perdoname Si el miedo robo mi ilusion Viniste a mi No supe amar Y solo queda esta cancion English: You came to me as poetry comes in song and you showed me a new world of passion. You loved me without conditions or reason while I ignorant of the meaning of love protected my heart. The sun has gone and now I sing of you this solitude consumes me. Forgive me if I was stolen away by fear. You came to me I did not know how to lo...

There's a moon over Bourbon Street tonight I see faces as they pass beneath the pale lamplight I've no choice but to follow that call The bright lights, the people, and the moon and all I pray everyday to be strong For I know what I do must be wrong Oh you'll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet While there's a moon over Bourbon Street It was many years ago that I became what I am I was trapped in this life like an innocent lamb Now I can only show my face at noon And you'll only see me walking by the light of the moon The brim of my hat hides the eye of a beast I've the face of a sinner but the hands of a priest Oh you'll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet While there's a moon over Bourbon Street She walks everyday through the streets of New Orleans She's innocent and young from a family of means I have stood many times outside her window at night To struggle with my instinct in the pale moon light How could I be this way whe...

Traveling with no destination No place to go. Nameless towns with faceless people No place I know Time to close my mind and drift off to other scenes Lose myself in glossy pages dull magazines. Moments pass by oh so slowly Makes me lonely too Twisting street lights in the darkness makes me lonely too. No The damned don't cry - no The damned don't cry Curling smoke climbs upward slowly past my troubling face I see myself in rain soaked windows in a different place. Single heartbeats in the dim lights makes me lonely too Hearing sounds of celebrations makes me lonely too. No The damned don't cry - no The damned don't cry. No The damned don't cry Damned don't cry Damned don't cry

The word that would best describe this feeling Would be haunted I touch the clothes you left behind That still retain your shape and lines Still haunted I trace the outline of your eyes We're in the mirror hypnotized I'm haunted I find a solitary hair Gone and still I reminisce I'm haunted Haunted by your soul Haunted by your hair Haunted by your clothes Haunted by your eyes By your soul, by your hair By your clothes, by your eyes By your voice, by your smile By your mouth, by your soul By your hair, by your clothes By your eyes, by your voice By your smile, by your mouth By your soul HAUNTED (haunted) This is for when you feel happy And this is for when you feel sad And this is for when you feel... Nothing OOOOH when the minutes drag OOOOH when the minutes drag And this is for the tears that won't dry And this is for a bright blue sky And this is for when you feel... Lucky And this is for when you feel... Lucky OOOOH when the minutes drag OOOOH when the minutes drag So...

[01] How have you celebrated National Ice Cream Month? I celebrated it with a chocolate ice cream fix yesterday! [02] Have your got a favorite ice cream flavor? Who doesn't? Pistachio is the best! [03] Have you got a least favorite flavor? Yes. Vanilla. Yawn.... [04] Where do you prefer to get your ice cream fix? I love to go to either Lake Hiawatha Dairy or Maggie Moos. [05] Do you have a nice memory associated with ice cream? I suppose so, but I can't think of one specifically.

The Twenty-Fiver Meme Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we also have our rules. First, we always credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's post. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") We do sometimes edit the original meme, usually to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, sometimes to select that meme's best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from either this new meme or recently asked questions from a prior featured meme. Let's go!!! Today we ripped off a blogger named Reyna Elena fr...

I really hope you played last week’s edition of the Sunday Seven , but if you didn’t, that’s okay. Last week, I asked you to list seven things you were grateful for that week. It’s often easy to come up with a handful of things that you’re grateful for. But what if you had to come up with more than a handful? Are you really aware of how much you have to be thankful for? This week’s question requires an adjustment in your mindset depending on whether you played last week. If you answered last week’s question, then you must list seven things you didn’t list last week. If you didn’t play last week, make yourself a list of seven things, then take a few moments and make another list of seven. That second set will be harder…and that’s the point. Give me items 8-14 on your list. That’s this week’s challenge! Oh, that's not fair! You saw that comment and did this! Yikes. 1. Vacation time (more than I could possibly know what to do with) so Luis and I can travel 2. Thai foo...

This is a string of comments from Facebook. Admittedly, I could have ignored the narrow-minded Mr. Botes, who horned into a conversation that was not meant for him. But he did and true to form, it brought out the worst side of me. But really - if you insist on just using quotes to argue, well, broaden your horizons. Either use your own words or engage in some quotes outside of one source to make your point. There are so many excellent quotes out there from Ben Franklin to Erma Bombeck and beyond! "Darren Johnston Bothered and wanting to know the truth Aislínge Kellogg de Gómez The truth is that man really did go to the Moon and it is not a conspiracy theory. Or wasn't that what you meant? Darren Johnston hehe Jaco Botes The Truth is known as the Word of God Aislínge Kellogg de Gómez Uh, okay. The truth is that the Universe is predicated on the Goldilocks Paradigm - that there is a specific balance that needs to be maintained. Otherwise entropy takes over. Jac...

And...here we go! 1. Life is very good . 2. Luis is one of the best places to people watch EVER because it is interesting to see how his mind works . 3. if I was going somewhere, the one thing I have to bring is water flavour packets and my iPod . 4. Tomorrow will be here soon enough. 5. Next year, I hope I have more to do with my time . 6. This week Luis and I found the song Darling I Do by Landon Pigg and Lucy Schwartz . 7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana , tomorrow my plans include going to New York City and Sunday, I want to relax in my hammock !

Welcome to Saturday: 9 . What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme! Saturday 9: White Wedding 1. Tell us about the most recent wedding you attended. Wow... who's was the most recent wedding I've attended? Oh, yes, I know! It was a coworker's wedding - mine, for a refreshing change, not one of Luis' - and it was in 2009. They were married on a boat and was wonderful - romantic, sweet and the best music! 2. Do you enjoy attending weddings, or do they bore you to tears? Most weddings do bore me to tears. What can I say? The standard, usual wedding is boring and except for ...

For many people, beating this ridiculous summer heat means taking the plunge in a swimming pool. So the subject of swimming is the theme of this week’s set of questions! Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check back this week and click on the links of bloggers who play along in the comments below! It’s a great way to find blogs you may not have visited and to keep the conversation going! Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your blog… But don’t forget to leave a link to your blog so that everyone else can visit! Permission is not granted to copy the questions to message boards for the purpose of having members answer and play along there. Enjoy! 1. At what age (if at all) did you learn to swim? Honestly? Hell if I know. As far as I know, I've always known how to swim. I know it is not really innate knowledge, so I must've learned very young. 2. Some educators have proposed t...

1. July 20th marks the anniversary of the first time man stood on the moon. Flash forward 42 years to July 8, 2011 which marked the start of the final Space Shuttle mission. Should we continue to explore space? Should nations devote more or fewer of their resources to exploring space? Would you want to go into space if the opportunity arose? Of course we continue to explore space! That is what we do. Imagine if man had not gone over the next hill, had not taken to the seas looking for the Eastern Asian countries to find the New World. What I don't want is for us to go to Mars to Terra-form it. That would just be wrong. 2. What are three things in your freezer? Sherbet, ice pops, ice (for my husband, not me) and ice packs for injuries. 3. If you could see any band/artist perform live tonight who would it be? It has to be someone living--no Beatles, Elvis, etc. Coldplay! 4. Ice-cubed or crushed? Or are you one of those people who don't like ice? I never use ice and often don...

There is a lot of fun, weird and interesting facts in this book. Some of it gives me the willies, some of it is fascinating, and some just funny. But as long as I'm learning something, then it is doing what I really want. So here are some interesting facts for you. The Top Third Common Misconception: 'Hitler was an Atheist "We were convinced that the people need and require this faith. W have, therefore, undertaken the fight against the atheistic movement, and that not merely with a few theoretical declarations: we have stamped it out." --Adolf Hitler, Berlin, 1933 Christianity--a religion of peace and tolerance that preaches moral values and love for one's enemies. Well, clearly from a historical perspective, this has certainly not always been the case although it's not so much the religion's fault as the people who attempt to follow it. With over a billion worldwide adherents, is it really probable that everyone who considers themself a Christian is piou...