Oh the week begins...

He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which.
-- Douglas Adams

:-)

While I thought I would continue my short trend of naming the titles of my blog postings with the day of the week, I thought I should refrain from that. It might lead me down the path of the boring or the mundane. I am definitely not boring or mundane (those of you who know me may disagree about this).

Today was one of those great days where one can hop in the car (yes with the price of gas) and take a drive. My destination was Wickenburg to hang with my family and a friend of mine. There is nothing like cruising down the road with great tunes and great company. It was great to see my dad and mom. They seem much more relaxed knowing that when they saw me two weeks earlier after a month in China that I was really back. I started to show them some of my photos of China but I think after having turkey for lunch, the tryptophan was making them sleepy.

Thanks all for a great Sunday.

How to enjoy a Saturday.

Today there was a birthday party for a friend of mine at my house. It is my way to get out of having a party for mine when I turn 40. But this isn't really how to enjoy a Saturday. What you need is a couple of beers, great friends and a friend who is willing to go get more beer for her husband and I to enjoy. That is how to enjoy a Saturday.

Smiling on a Friday

I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.
-- Marlene Dietrich

What happens when we do?

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.
-- Galileo Galilei

Own eyes and heart...

Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.
-- Albert Einstein

This quote has been bouncing through my mind as of late. In wandering to the other side of the planet, I have found how our preconceived notions about food, politics and people shape us. Most of our society has become oblivious to the fact that most cultures eat the entire animal...from its flesh to its organs. Also, when they buy their meat, it doesn't come in those nice prepackaged containers we are use to at the grocery store. We don't really see the live animal before we purchase it. We take it for granted that what we are buying is what it is. It is interesting to see our faces when we watch people buy a chicken, a duck or any live creature for that matter from a create or tank. Yes it will be dinner tonight. Here is a novel concept...all governments censor. We should either figure out a way to change it or just accept it. Information is twisted to meet their needs, not ours. We we as a society need to become much more open minded and hearted to see who we elect and the rest of the world as a whole. Don't think that what the media says about any country or culture is correct. Get out there and experience it. Learn its history to find out why things are the way they are. So before you start spewing off your ideologies...check to see if are truly one of those who Albert Einstein meant. If not...you know what you need to do.

Did you know....

Obviously I am not keeping track of the days of the week very well. I know it is Tuesday. I hung out with my friends for Jane Austen night...so of course it is Tuesday. So I need to figure out why I argued with my Mom about what day it was. I was trying to tell her it was Monday and she was telling me it was Tuesday. Finally after 3 minutes of this banter it dawned on me. I think my calendaring and time noticing skills are slipping. This is not good. But I am glad that my mom got me back on the right track. This means tomorrow is the half way point. Yes!

The sleepy stick and a chocolate filled croissant

I have been back for a week. I slept like the dead on Saturday. I got 8 hours of sleep last night. So why did I feel like I wanted to lay my head down on my desk and nap for about 3 hours? Who knows. It is a good thing that I went to lunch and got some protein. The chocolate filled croissant didn't help for breakfast. On a side note...the next time you are in Trader Joe's, hit the freezer section and get the box of 4 frozen chocolate filled croissants. The are amazing. Just take them out the night before, leave it out to thaw and proof over night and bake in the morning. Your house will smell like a French bakery...yum!

A Pine Tree

So I have one large pine tree in my front yard and I was amazed how many pine needles it shedded over the winter. I do have two smaller trees but their shedding is minimal. So from this one pine tree, I got 7 bags of pine needles...7! At least it was cooler today then yesterday. The reward for the bagging...an ice cold beer.

Oh idleness...

There are 24 hours in a day. No I did not just realize this. If I had, then I must have been on another planet or something. In the 24 hours of today I managed to sleep for about 18 hours of it. That only left 6 hours of grocery shopping, being couch potato and trying to find some forms of sustenance in the cupboards. I know I did nothing and that feels weird. I should have been doing something or everything.

SO...yep nothing...left to my mind's thoughts, fears and dreams. Where do I go from here? Do I keep self imposed deadlines for life or throw them out to the wind and see where they land? I have many questions and few answers. Argh! I have got to quit thinking so much on many things. Time is flying and 40 is approaching fast. Looks like I am going to be turned back into that pumpkin.

Yep...too much sleep.

A week ago I was where???

Wow time flies. A week ago I was in Shanghai, China. I have spent the week dealing with jet lag, and catching up at work. Now it is the weekend....now what do I do?

Not a lot of words...

So has you now doubt have figured out...I was wandering across China. It was an amazing experience. Since I have been home, I have been dealing with jet lag. China is 15 hours a ahead of us and across the international dateline. So I have had to figure out what time zone am I in. In the morning it is time for me to go to bed and when I should be sleeping, I would be awake. So needless to say I am a bit topsy-turvey and have been talking more than writing. Additionally, I have had weird adjustments in my life such as trying not to ask for tea and water in Chinese, not having watermelon after every meal and that I don't need to carry my own paper products to use the bathroom. See...weird. Sigh...

So what does this have to do with the title of my post today? Well I have been asked why my postings have been rather shallow and short for the last month. A couple of reasons...slow connectivity, hanging out on the other side of the planet and I need sleep. So be patient. I will start rambling soon enough.

Thank You!

My equation for tonight

1 bath tub + 1 glass of wine = jet lag remedy

Happiness is...

A bear hug and knowing that you were missed.

I'm home

A month of traveling abroad and experiencing life has made me realize that I have changed and I did miss some things that I did not expect to.

Buried in my soul

Tonight is my last night in Shanghai and we went to the Cotton Club to hear blues and jazz. I didn't realize until I had been there awhile that this genre of music is buried in my soul. It describes me. It awakens me. It makes me smile. I am coming home.

Being me

I am glad that I don't exist in a cookie cutter form. I live outside of the box. I am still questioning if that is OK but I believe it is. I am me...being me

Calligraphy

A wonderful painting is the result of the feeling in your fingers. If you have the feeling of the thickness of the ink in your brush, the painting is already there before you paint. When you dip your brush into the ink you already know the result of your drawing, or else you cannot paint. So before you do something, "being" is there, the result is there. Even though you look as if you were sitting quietly, all your activity, past and present, is included, and the result of your sitting is also already there.
-- D.T. Suzuki

Little Emporers

There was a time when we expected nothing of our children but obedience, as opposed to the present, when we expect everything of them but obedience.
-- Anatole Broyard

Patience...

Yep...I have a lot.

Rollin..Rollin...Rollin

From a boat to a bus. Watching rice being planted while we are cruising by is a lesson in agriculture. Why am I so focused on how high the corn is?

Rain drops keep falling on my head...

One of my rules in life is making friends with the bartender. I succeeded and it has become useful as it is raining. Kind of hard to see the Three Gorges under clouds and fog.

Life in a small space

Two people + a river boat cabin = now where is the bar.

Boundaries

I have them and the only way I can keep them is solitude.

Interesting bits

I know that around the world they eat all parts of the animal. Well I have been on an average adventure in eating. I have had pig ears, gums and other bits. I have had duck intestines and water buffalo stomach. I know that there have been other meals of parts and bits but I don't know what they were. I did draw the line at stinky tofu and scorpions.

At last in China...

I saw Pandas!

Being Centered

Find time to see the playfulness of life. It will surprise you in many ways.

Network unhappiness

I am in a place where the only OS allowed on the network is Windows XP. No linux. No Mac. No Windows Vista. Normally I would be fine with it but when I have ongoing projects...this is not cool.

Being young

Take everything you like seriously, except yourselves.
-- Rudyard Kipling