Spring Into An Earthquake

Spring arrived in northern Illinois: birds chirping everywhere, 60 degree weather and my tulips are coming up.

Also sharing the spring explosion--The Earthquake that woke me at quarter to 5 this am.
Actually, I slept through the blasted thing; I was awaken by my Great Dane Charlie, who was barking at the back door for 15 minutes. "Mom, something is out there--I felt it!" I did not feel a thing at a magnitude 5.2 on the Richter.

Welcome to Spring.

Gold At The End Of The Rainbow

His name is Obama; he is gold.

The fresh, inspiration of hope that needs to be in the White House.
The repair work that has to transpire from the last 6 years of hell will be tough, but Barack gives hope.

Yes, We Can

Charlie

Charlie and rain do not mix. I'm not quite sure what it is about some Great Danes and their fear of water; mine certainly has that trepidation.
Storms are brewing tonight in northern Illinois.7-Day Forecast for Latitude 42.34N and Longitude -89W
Charlie doesn't fear the storms themselves, which I'm grateful for. Could you imagine a 186lb. dog running at you in fright? What he has trouble doing is heading outside to do his "business" when it's raining. You'd think he was the Wicked Witch of the West and will melt if doused with water by the way he acts.
All in all, he's a great dog.
Peace.

Presidental Race

The time has come for an African-American President; it is also time for a women President. Are Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton the right candidates?
I've been a Liberal Demorcrat for some time now and this party has not dissappointed me more than in the last couple of years. Would I switch parties? HELL NO!! To be a Republican would go against all that I believe in for this country.
It is politics.
Everyone running is so busy trying to get elected, then staying elected to help the country.
The corporate run media fails to give John Edwards his equal air time. He seems to be the one who is trying to run for President and do something for the country.
As it stands today, for me:


Political T-Shirts - Radical Rags

School Has Begun

As another semester at college begins, I feel overwhelmed and excited.

I am now teaching two classes on Stress (LOL) and Alcoholism and The Family, seeing clients daily for individual appointments, and leading substance abuse groups at least twice a week.
As I type this, my paperwork in my brief case crosses my mind. Mental note: MUST FINISH PAPERWORK TODAY.
My first class was last night: four hours, but enjoyed it. Tonight, another for two and a half.
I'm grateful I enjoy reading as I have two long chapters to read.

I have a client to see in two hours--I'm going to go do something nice for myself and relax until that time.

Peace, and have a great day.

What Will You Do This Year?

What grand plans do all of you have for the coming year?

I will continue practicing karate; I will also add learning Spanish and the guitar. Keeping up with my job & education will be important also.

Abuse & Dependence

Such a fine line, sometimes, between abuse and dependence of a drug such as alcohol.
We live in a drinking culture; alcohol is legal and easily acquired. In our culture, as children, we learn that alcohol always works. Our parents use it. The kid down the street does. Even the little old lady next door takes a nip or two. A rough day at the office--relax with a toddy. Bad exam in college--"Let's go get fucked up!"

A drink relaxes the body--eases tension. Social drinkers do this. Have "A" drink or maybe two.

With abuse, the drinker begins to teach himself to drink...over time a few more at each sitting. Tolerance of alcohol starts to build up. Tolerance alone does not warrent alcoholism--abusers certainly can build up a tolerance to booze over time. Sometimes abuse and dependence intertwine and it gets confusing--do I have a problem or not?

One of the biggest criteria to dependence, I believe, lies in loss of control. If I'm drinking for a longer period of time or my intention is to go out and have a couple and I end up drinking much more than intended, I have crossed over into loss of control.
If I'm spending a great deal of time preoccupied with drinking and making plans around my activities so as to be around drinking, this is something to look at also.

If on medication for ailments such as diabetes or hypertension (high blood pressure), doctors are usually very clear about NOT drinking alcohol if one has these conditions. Any medication mixed with alcohol can have adverse to deadly affects.

Ask yourself some questions:

Alcohol Abuse Symptoms - Am I an Alcoholic?

Peace.

Not One Red Cent

Please check out this new blog I came acrossNot One Red Cent; referred to me by Mike Stark via theDaily Kos.

If you are a Dem tired of the Dems acting like Repugs...check it out.

Stained Glass

Stained glass has a beauty all its own. The colors, patterns and shapes can be unique and a wonderful addition to a home.





These photos are from my home.

For more information on stained glass, use the following links:

Stained Glass Association of America

Stunning Stained Glass

Stained Glass - History / Glossary / Online Examples

My intention lies in traveling, some day, to Australia.

Beautitiful locations: Perth, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney, The Gold Coast.



With summer being from December to February, this is the perfect time to experience the weather.

Maybe someday. Peace, and have a great Sunday.

Rules For Being Human

I'm unsure of the origin and author of the following, but this has been an inspiration for me over the years.


1. You Will Receive A Body
You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.



2. You Will Learn Lessons
You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school, you will have the opportunity to learn lessons - you may like the lesson or think them irrelevant and stupid.



3. There Are No Mistakes, Only Lessons
There is a process of trial and error; experimentation. The 'failed' experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately 'works'.



4. A Lesson Is Repeated Until It Is Learned
A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.



5. Learning Lessons Does Not End.
There is no part of Life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.



6. 'There' Is No Better Than 'here'.
When your 'there' has become a 'here', you will simply obtain another 'there' that will again look better than 'here'.



7. Others Are Merely Mirrors Of You.
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.



8. What You Make Of Your Life Is Up To You.
You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.



9. Your Answers Lie Inside You.
The answers to Life's questions lie inside you. All you need do is look, listen and trust.



10. You Will Forget All This.



11. You Can Remember It Whenever You Want

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

What could I possibly add to the description of the Beatles that has not already been verbalized? They started the ball rolling for so many bands that I cannot imagine what the world's music scene would be like had they not bursted into stardom.

One of the best songs, sung by George Harrison from 1971 in the concert for Bangladesh.....

Twisted Thinking

I'm an addictions counselor in the midwest, mostly working with DUI (Driving Under the Influence) offenders.
In our area, the percentage of individuals charged with a DUI for a second time is 80%. That is high.
The reasons can be debated, but obviously the behaviors are not changing. You keep doing the same thing, you're going to keep experiencing the same problems.
Tonight, in group, I'll discuss different ways of thinking. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemy. Our thinking becomes distorted and then add alcohol and the distortion in thinking becomes that much worse.

Types of twisted thinking may include:

All-or-nothing thinking: Here's where your perfectionism rears it's ugly head. If it's not THIS way, then it HAS to be THAT way. "If she doesn't love me, she must hate me". "If I eat one bad thing on my diet, I just as well eat the whole cake--I've blown the whole thing." You can see how this makes life situations difficult to handle.

Labeling: This consists of a more extreme form of all-or-nothing thinking. Calling yourself names would be an example-"I'm an ass because I made a mistake". When someone does something that may rub you the wrong way, you may think, "What a jerk!"

Jumping to conclusions: The great fortune teller. Always has everything figured out before the end and boy oh boy is the conclusion more or less a negative one. "I just KNOW I'm going to flunk this test." These individuals are also experts at mind reading: You guest has just informed you that she's a tad cold. You assume this means she thinks you are a cheap person for keeping the thermostat lower.

There are several more examples of twisted thinking and we will approach all of them tonight in our group.

We will tie this into drinking and driving and how our thinking is distorted at that time.

Peace.

Aurora Borealis

Aurora: Roman Goddess of the Dawn.

The beautiful light displays that form in the northern hemisphere near the polar regions defy imagination.
I've yet to see these phenomenons of the sky in person, but it is my plan.

Nature provides for us an array of glorious sights to behold; we just have to seek them out.

Peace for all on this Saturday. Check out more light shows:

The Aurora Page

Back In Black

Back In Black Lyrics

Chuck

This is Charlie. He also goes by Chuck. He is 186lbs. of huge, big baby Great Dane. The absolute best dog I have ever had.

If you are looking for info on these gentle giants, click the link.

Peace.

Margaret Sanger

Woman must not accept; she must challenge.
She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her;
she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression.

~ Margaret Sanger ~

Margaret Sanger founded th American Birth Control League which is now Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc..

Be exactly who you are meant to be. If you struggle with who that is, enjoy the journey to find out.
Own your own power.
Peace.

PTSD

We hear more and more about Post-Tramatic Stress Disorder today, but what exactly is it?

It is defined as an anxiety disorder which can develop after an exposer to a terrifying ordeal. During this event, grave physical harm occured or was threatened. One has a valid belief they will die!
Military combat, personal assaults such as rape or robbery, car or plane crashes, natural disasters such as Katrina or the San Francisco earthquake, or human-caused diasters like 911 fuel this ailment.

Someone suffering from PSTD may develop nightmares, sleep problems and/or feeling emotionally detached or numb.

I found a new website which chronicles a soldier from Iraq and his struggle with PSTD:FIGHT-PTSD.ORG Check it out.

Peace.

Stay Conscious

Have you stopped to look at a storm? You have to pay attention if you are to catch the unique formations of lightening. It forces one to stay in the moment.

Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us to stay conscious:

"One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change.
Every society has its protectors of the status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent....But today our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change."

This speech rings true for today's society also. Social change continues. Find what you want to change and become passionate. Locally, one can begin to help. Stay awake and act.



Peace.

Buddha

On life's journey
Faith is nourishment,
Virtuous deeds are a shelter,
Wisdom is the light by day and
Right mindfulness is the protection by night.
If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him;
If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.


Buddha