food for thought

listen to the Oct 19 podcast of the next chapter. this ted talk also fed the fire this morning.

opera by candlelight

the power went out on our street tonight. darkness enveloped the house and the entire street. made the gusty winds rustling in the trees seem spookier. dN lit some bee-z wax candles and sure enough, the muse, the opera singer on the other side of the wall, decided to take the darkness as an opportunity to practice. the faint smell of honey was a nice touch...the lights came back on and the spell was broken.

life is but a dream

i have had many vivid dreams lately, here are the highlights. all insights welcome.

the green library
i dreamed dN and I were applying to OCAD and we snuck into their library prior to sending our application. the library and all the books were painted green. there was a collection of students there clipping stuff from various books for their applications. it was a tough crowd, they were convinced we wouldn't get in. i was going to make a choose your own adventure collage type book as my entry. the deadline was 7pm on friday.

picking perfect vegetables
i was at a deluxe grocery store and the whole dream was about selecting the perfect, healthiest produce. garlic, mint, mushrooms, stuff to make lots of salads and stirfrys. i didn't sample any of the fare but couldn't believe my luck to find such good stuff.

the township of olive
i was poring over these maps/architectural plans of this utopian village. sort of cottage country meets italian hill towns. beautiful typography. the plans showed shops to buy figs, bread, and of course olives. julia roberts made a cameo. she was telling me how olive was the type of place she liked to ride her bicycle around and watch sunsets from her dock.

obama makes a cameo
obama and i were trying to get bookclubs started in schools for all subjects. the idea was to start interesting conversations early and expand the topics covered in the curriculum. i was tutoring some of the kids on their recycling projects.

special forces

this post is for a special soul who has inspired me and continues to coach from the sidelines like no other. her son Mark (26) Corporal of the USMC will be dispatched to Afghanistan today and she needs all the prayers and thoughts imaginable to bring him back safe! he will be over there for 8 months. join.the.circle.

thank.you

on thanksgiving, a theme song...

good find: life as an experiment

a chill in the air

fall is in the air. officially. bundle up.

a lake, dark but still

had a dream that i was touring this new gym with a friend and there was both a pool and a lake to swim in. we wanted to swim in the lake and jumped in bravely even though it was dark and deep, maybe even cold. it was beautiful and the waters were calm. sort of felt a bit swamp-like when you peered into the thick waters but from afar it was the kind of lake that begged to be swam. so inviting. the gym was like a modern cottage with high ceilings, wood beams and lots of windows and light. my dream book falls short once again, what do you think it means?

i'll be seeing you

this is a song that i want played when i die. i know that seems morbid but it seems fitting. you can bet i'll be dropping in for tea when clocks align. is it creepy or beautiful? tell me the truth please.

black swan manifesto

recently i have been coming to terms with the ugly duckling of days past and trying to embrace the black swan within. why beat yourself up trying to please all the ducks? stretch those wings and dare to soar.

in.spire: ignore everybody

a long lost friend sent this, and the words of wisdom in.spire.

Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb. You may never reach the summit; for that you will be forgiven. But if you don’t make at least one serious attempt to get above the snow line, years later you will find yourself lying on your deathbed, and all you will feel is emptiness

Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.

You have to find your own shtick.

mercury in retrograde

the power was gone for a time this morning, cancelled calls and appointments were the norm, email down for a stretch this week. maybe there is something to this mercury retrograde stuff. any one else notice any hijinks? hmmm... Officially ends oct 14.