DISQUS

Of course, like all of you, I have a few favorites...The Rolling Stones 1989 Steel Wheels tour at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The Stones are my all-time favorite band, and the whole spectacle of it, the huge stadium, was so fun and fantastic. REM, again at the Orange Bowl in Miami, in the early 90's. They are and continue to be so totally great, I can't say enough good things about them, musically, socially, etc. In 1988 or '89 I went out on a first date with a guy who took me to see a band called the Church at a small club in our college town. They were terrible- drunk and a total mess, but the guy who opened for them was Peter Murphy. I did not know who he was. (He is the former lead singer for Bauhaus.) Peter Murphy put on probably one of the best shows I have ever seen, and his music was magical, moving, thrilling, energizing, sexy. To this day I'm still blown away by that performance. And last but not least- Elvis Costello at the Hard Rock in Orlando, when I turned 30 in 1999. It was just him and his acoustic guitar and a piano player, with dinner theatre seating. He was incredible, and we loved it so much that we have made an effort to see him every time he comes to our area- he's that good. If you get a chance to see Elvis, it's well worth it. :-)

I love my flat, tight tummy, and my arms. My arms look really strong and muscular without being big. The only nickname I ever had in college was "Pipes" because of my arms. I used to wish I had grown taller, but I decided long ago that I love being a petite woman. I feel strong, quick, elegant, and also child-like when it suits me. Studying dance all my life, and yoga and pilates in recent years, has given me a really great mind-body connection, which makes me love my body. I'm flexible and strong, and my body lets me know when it needs attention, healing, action, rest, more water, less alcohol or caffeine, etc. I consider myself truly blessed. I also have a great butt (and my husband lets me know it often, which is really nice. :-)) and nice lips.

That's a great story, and quite inspirational. Good for you! It's amazing how exposure to the broader world around us, especially through art, can open people's minds and hearts. Good luck with your play!

It's uncomfortable to realize how hard it is to put your action where your mouth is. It's so much easier, and less risky, to be a "back-seat driver." It's the path of least resistance, and most people adhere to it. I'm trying very hard to follow up my complaints about things with actual positive action, and right now I'm more in the "awareness" or "consciously incompetent" phase. If I can get to "consciously competent" I'll feel like I've accomplished a great deal.

I am completely horrified & digusted by "factory farming" and how the animals that we eat are raised and treated, and yet, I eat meat in all forms without reservation. I realize that if I, myself,had to hunt & kill animals to eat, I probably would be a vegetarian. However, I know it's extremely unlikely that I will ever be put into that position. The plight of the poor in this country (USA) upsets me greatly, and yet I get extremely angry and unsympathetic when I see people panhandling. I'm sure there's more. :-)

I'm with you! Go Barack Obama!

I'm excited about all of the new music my husband and I have been discovering this year. I'm most excited right now about politics in America. Excitement because the general interest level seems so palpable and huge. The other side of that coin, though, is an accompanying feeling of dread and worry about how things are going to turn out in November. I'm so curious to know from all of you in Canada, Europe, and Australia, how all of the silliness going on here in the States is playing out in your neck of the woods. It's got me excited, because I finally feel like I am able to think globally and see the big picture in things like I never was able to when I was a younger.

The money and guilt-free attitude to have a full-blown deep tissue massage on a weekly basis. Every single week- how fabulous would that be?

Big strong hands. Broad shoulders. A strong chin. When a man runs his hand through your hair at the base of your neck. When a man cups your face with his hands. Watching a man shave. Athleticism. Very little body hair. No smoking! Respectful intensity. Humility and a genuine smile. Being able to laugh at yourself and get goofy without overdoing it. Quiet confidence and a happy disposition. Gentleness with children. Wow, is it getting hot in here?

I love my contradictions. It's so limiting to put so much energy into being all one way or another way. It's not even possible. People try so hard to "define" things, "define" themselves, lock it up in stone, but then further growth becomes hampered or impossible. I wrote this poem last year that sums it up for me: I walk in circles. I am a contradiction. I am high and low. I am black and white. I am Quantum. The answer depends on which door you open. Until then, all possibilities exist and are true. And even afterward. I never said it would be easy to really know me. I prefer to be a mystery, even to me.

I am so lucky that I married a man who cooks! He is amazing, and fast. I manage to put together some tasty food, but it stresses me out and my kids are always nipping at my heels. But our best, quickest, and easiest meals come from my husband throwing some kind of meat on the grille (which cooks real fast) while I steam some veggies. There's very little clean up afterwards too. And I've also learned that the quickest way to get your meal started at the end of a long day is to be diligent about defrosting your food early. Get it out of the freezer before you leave the house. Nothing has killed a decent meal opportunity more than realizing that all your food is still frozen at 6 or 7 pm. That's when we make pasta. :-)

My computer, without a doubt. Also, I'm a new iPod user, and I love it. We have so much music in our collection that was just collecting dust, and now all of it is on the iPod. Every day I hear songs that surprise me, remind me, confound me, and delight me. Finally, my digital camera. No more waiting to see how your pictures will turn out! And if you looked like crap in any particular shot, into the little garbage can it goes! How cool is that? Hey, does anyone remember what it was like before fax machines were invented? Seriously, man, that changed the whole world in my view.

I am recycling almost everything I can. My recycle bins overfloweth every week- I need bigger ones! I opt for no bags or paper bags when I shop at the grocery store. The paper bags get re-used for kids' art projects or splat mats and then are recycled, and I try to re-use whatever plastic bags I acquire. I wash all my laundry in cold water (unless they're really disgusting dishrags & require serious germ-killing) with non-toxic bleach alternative. Unfortunately, I live in a place where driving to get anywhere is an absolute necessity, so I try to consolidate my errands into single trips as much as possible. And finally, since I live in an extremely hot climate, our A/C is constantly running, so I've replaced most of my light bulbs with compact fluorescents (except for the lights that have dimmers- a problem I hope the geniuses work out soon), and I'm constantly turning off the lights and unplugging things that I'm not using. Wow! That's more than I thought I was doing!

Clutter seems to be a never-ending battle in my house and life, especially after having children. The clutter of children's half-completed artworks, little scraps of paper, notes and business cards left on every counter surface by my husband (and baseball caps!), my to do lists, kid's toys that are too big to be stored out of sight, my desk! Don't even get me started on my desk! Thank god for the Vietnam Veterans Association! They take just about everything and anything you want to donate, and they come and pick it up from your doorstep. I have donated lots and lots and lots to them. However, it still never seems to make a dent! We've also got a lovely collection of glass art, glass bowls, figurines, and decorative chochkees (never sure how to spell that word), and I have made a decision: no more! If one more relative gives me a glass candy dish or vase for Christmas, I'm going to go bananas. I heard a quote this year: "the more you know, the less you need." If it doesn't "do" something useful, then I don't want it. My goal is to make gift-giving holidays an opportunity to give "experiences" (like concert tickets) instead of the exchange of pretty junk.

Yes, the fish is the last to know that it swims in water, as the Chinese say. :-) There's so much more to your astrological chart though than just your sun sign. It's pretty complicated stuff, and I would love to learn more about it and have a real natal chart done by someone that can interpret it correctly. But basically, because there are rising signs, moon signs, and all the other positions of the planetary bodies at the time and place you were born, one simple sun sign description is not enough to encompass a whole person. The more you know, the more you want to know!

Ever since I was a little girl and first read Linda Goodman's Sun Signs, I have been hooked on astrology. I am a Scorpio- always aspiring to be the eagle type and not the grey lizard or scorpion varieties. Astrology, in applying it to my personal relationships, has always added a layer of richness and texture to the people in my life, and I really like to solve the puzzles of people. There have been many times in my life where I have realized certain truths about people that spring from the knowledge of their sign.

Thank you! I'll look into that. :-)

I must say that I love my body. I've been thin, petite and athletic all my life, even after 2 kids, and I consider myself partly very lucky and partly very disciplined and in love with dance and exercise. However, I am flat as a pancake, and it has never bothered me before now. I always found a way to look at the bright side of having small boobs- it keeps you looking young, they will never sag, nobody (meaning the men in my life) has ever complained. But I think they got even smaller after having my children (could that even be possible?) and there are many styles of clothing that just look terrible on me that I must completely avoid. I really do not want to get a boob job, but I just wish I had a little more. I also had a couple of precancerous spots removed from my cheek last year which has left an ugly darkish spot in their place. It looks like an age spot, and I'm only 38. That is bumming me out the most- I don't wear a lot of makeup and it's hard to cover up. And I have not had much success with lightening creams.

I would like my home to say that a really hip and cool artist lives here in peace, serenity and casual comfort, and who has the wherewithall to employ a cleaning service. At the moment it looks like a house of chaos where messy children and people with way too many "to do" lists live in a barely contained state of stress.

I'm not big into personal growth/inspirational books. I tend to find most good works of fiction very inspirational. However, I have read one book of this genre that I found SUPER: "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and it's all small stuff" by Richard Carlson. There's also another book I read called "Who Moved my Cheese?" (I can't remember the author's name) that I found incredibly inspiring. Both of them remind you to lighten up! Stop struggling so hard to make things perfect or a certain way. Go with the flow, and don't be afraid to change directions when your plans don't seem to be working out the way you first envisioned them.

I want to feel lithe, dexterous, like I could walk, skip, jump and run without making a sound. Like a ninja, an elf. I want to feel the unbearable lightness of being. :-)

I whole-heartedly agree with you about playing with my kids and doing my dream work.

Good luck if you can even get 6 weeks- and forget about getting paid while you're off. The health care system is the US is a total disgrace. That is what I would revolutionize. And it's not like we have to reinvent the wheel here, you know. So many other countries are already doing it right. And the fact that your employment is tied to your health insurance is the worst thing ever. My husband has a sales rep out of work for 7-8 weeks because she broke her ankle. She only had accumulated enough vacation time to pay her through the first couple of weeks. Beyond that, she was facing not getting paid at all while she's supposed to be recovering. Luckily for her, my husband and some co-workers donated portions of their own paid vacation time to her so that she can continue to recuperate with her income intact. The lesson here in the States is Don't get Sick, Don't have an accident, it's every man for himself, and if you're not independently wealthy you are screwed.

I subscribe to a bunch of design mags because I'm a designer, but honestly, the only one I make sure to pick up and read cover to cover every month is Domino. I really like that magazine, especially because they give you the sources for the products they show. My other long-time subscription favorite is: Popular Science! It is way cool. I started getting this because I am a futurist and a wanna-be scientist, and I thought what better way to keep up with new and future technology as I'm writing my fantastic science fiction epic?! <--My big, audacious dream, by the way.

I indulge with a glass of wine almost every evening. I also indulge myself by getting a good haircut every 6 to 8 weeks. I've had cheap haircuts, and you know what I've learned? You get what you pay for. That said, it's not always true that more expensive is better, but with haircuts I don't mind "indulging." My biggest indulgence is books, books, and more books. Ask me to choose between a beautiful piece of jewelry and a new book, and I will take the book, hands down! I love reading and writing. Writing in my journal is a big indulgence, and frankly, sitting hear reading this website and putting my two cents in a big indulgence too. There are so many other things I could be doing, should be doing, but coming here makes me feel really good. :-)