Visions of Inspiration

I'm in the process of creating goals and visions for myself as a means of getting motivated to accomplish it all. What I've come up with so far is this...

And then I decided that it would be great to document in one place all the things I've accomplished from that list, with my own experiences and photos. Twice a year I'm going to update this video with the new things I've done, places I've been, and people I've met:

I hope two things come of viewing these montages:

1) you enjoy them

2) you're inspired to create one or both of your own

Cheers!

looking back

i hung out with an old friend this weekend. we sat on the balcony of murphy's pub 2nd street and drank beers while we chatted about this and that. she said something she used to say when we were roommates all those years ago, and without thinking, i responded accordingly. 

it's not that the comment was profound, it's not that it was hilarious or brought back memories. it just reminded both of us that we've known each other for a long time. seventeen years. she's the person who's known me the longest without ever having met my mother. 

it's still strange that i think in these terms, but i do. it no longer makes me sad the way it used to. it no longer makes me crazy the way it used to. but it's still part of who i am. we all have a past. we all have something about us that nearly no one else knows about us. we all have something about us that someone almost knows about us. 

this weekend has been great. great for remembering. remembering that friendship. remembering that time. remembering that growth. remembering that life. things are different now, as they always continue to be. and how would we know if we didn't have something, someone to help us look back?

cat, dogs, and dolphins

i wonder if catholics will follow the same ideology for animals that they do for humans. 

meaning??

there's a new law going into effect soon in l.a. stating that most pets 4 months and older must be spayed or neutered. one has 60 days to comply upon being "found out" with no penalty, otherwise pay a $100 or $500 fine for the 2nd and 3rd offenses, respectively. apparently there are 3-4 million animals euthanized in shelters annually in the u.s., and the humane society says that's too many.

soo...how does this pertain to the ideology of catholics? my understanding of the catholic faith is that they do not use birth control. can't really force them to use birth control. so now it's the law to use birth control on their pets. on all of our pets, really.

my guess is that most people won't bat an eye. we'll think it sucks because we have to pay for the operation. we'll think that if the county wants to enforce a law, then that county should somehow pay for it. but in the end, we'll do what we always do, which is complain about it and follow the rules. 

i just wonder why people think it's okay to treat an animal like an animal and not a human. we're different species, sure. and i've heard the argument that when animals earn a paycheck or clean up around the house, then they can be treated like a human. (i might have made that argument myself on an occasion or two. or just this morning.)

so rather than let the feline and canine populations grow out of hand, we're taking it into our own hands and solving a problem before it really becomes a problem. right?

so here's what happens. too many strays, so they get picked up and put in a shelter. that shelter can't afford to take care of all the animals. so if the animals don't get adopted within a specified amount of time (in some shelters), those animals get euthanized. so sad!

we don't do that with humans though. imagine this: an orphanage. unable to afford to take care of the kids. so if the kids aren't adopted within a specified amount of time, those kids get euthanized. riiight.

i realize it's not the same thing. i just wonder why. 

i digress.

but that's not even the issue. that's talking about euthanization. killing a human. killing a living being. unacceptable, i get it. 

the issue is birth control. god doesn't want catholics to use birth control. that's god's decision on whether or not anyone should or should not have a baby. but with animals we can do whatever we want.  no 10 commandments for the animals, i guess.

and of course, animals can't speak up and say, "hey human with the food and the sandbox cleaning: i've talked to god and god says i should just do whatever i want. so thanks for that snippit offer, but no thanks. now go clean that sand again and give me a treat." 

can you imagine? non-birth control users have 60 days to comply with a new law that says population is getting out of hand. first offense: $100 fine. 2nd offense: $500 fine (and all fees and expenses that go along with having a child). the perfect defense to this is clear. just in case they bring this law into effect, i'm prepared. i've gone ahead and "gone gay" just so i don't have to worry about that whole "procreation" thing. i've always thought of myself like a dolphin.

helpful creature. likes to swim. sex for pleasure. 

not necessarily in that order. 

Excerpt: Courage

From 7 Days:

My father was the epitome of courage, although I didn't realize it until after he died. There was one single moment in my life where everything changed.

Everything.

My father pulled into the driveway of the placement home I lived in when I was sixteen and said six words.

Six.

"It’s your mother. She’s dead, Dian."

And thus began my new life.

When my father got sick two years ago, my first emotion was relief; many more would follow. Since my mother's death I’d spent the better part of fourteen years wondering when my father was going to take his turn. I did not dread his death, but felt relief in moving forward. Forward without the anticipation, the anxiety of wondering how my father was going to leave my life.

My mother left unexpectedly, abruptly; my father gave me time to adjust. Time to say good-bye. Time to say all the things I would need to say in order to bury him without regrets; in order to be buried without regrets.

I wondered for years who would break the news of my father's death to me. It never occurred to me that he would be the one. It never occurred to me that I would walk him through it. It never occurred to me that I would watch his last breath heave into his chest and be slowly released. It never occurred to me that I would feel the last beat of his heart with my own hand on his chest. It never occurred to me that I would cherish that moment; just as I’d learned to cherish those six words my father had spoken all those years ago.

My father was not a man of wealth in large bank accounts, but a man of wealth in the courage he held quietly in his heart. My father loved me, of this I am sure. Not because he told me, but because he showed me. His soul spoke six words to me as I held my hand on my father’s chest.

It’s your father. I’m dead, Dian.

fact check

i've been checking my facts. well, not my facts, but palin's & obama's. (mc-who?) 

the facts. factcheck.org. see for yourself. 

some of the things i found interesting: 

the bridge to nowhere thing

the earmark thing

the pigs and pit bulls thing

the health care thing

the iraqi accounting thing

i refuse to believe that either candidate is wholesome and good, with no wrong in their fighting words. i also refuse to believe that either candidate is wholly bad with no good to be said or done. that being said, i think politics is a shady, shady biz. i think we should find out how kindergarten teachers would run the country. we'd nap more. play more (and maybe even play well with others). laugh more. share more. learn more. be held more accountable for cleaning up our own messes.  we might learn to put things back where we found them, or even learn the difference between fact and fiction. hmmm...

my vote for president will go to the one offering mandatory siestas during the work week. i might even go back to work, just for that.