"Help us to be the always hopeful /
Gardeners of the spirit /
Who know that without darkness /
Nothing comes to birth /
As without light /
Nothing flowers."
just booked a week long vacation to this very magical land --
napa valley, california :)
for my 25th birthday. i know i know, i just celebrated my birthday - but a girl always has to plan. i am wishing it was tomorrow, as a vacation is something that must come into my life as soon as possible. a week long retreat to catch up with myself and life is much needed. until then, i am awaiting thanksgiving break next week and the holidays around the corner.
in other news - anthropologie's new winter catalog came in the mail today and there are so many things i am craving. if i was in an apartment now, this little guy would be a total purchase. yes, i would spend the money on that. he is SOO darling! i am hoping after the holidays he goes on sale and i will snatch him up and save him for next christmas :)
i feel as though this month i have seen/witnessed two historic moments.
1.) barack obama becoming president.
2.) seeing girl talk. live.
obviously, i am going to express my feelings on the second historic moment. because really, that is how i am currently rolling.
girl talk was introduced to me by g & co early this summer / late spring. as soon as i heard girl talk was performing, tickets were purchased. in a large amount. sadly, a few days before the show, my most excited friend was rushed to ER, and had to (literally) sit out girl talk. so g and i were left. alone. we sold some tickets, got a party group - and made our way to the low 50's to experience a really sweaty hipster-style dance party. it was insane. terminal 5 favors as one of my favourite venues, because of the three floors and numerous locations to sit, dance, drink, etc.
we began on level 3, which is where we saw mika - but i may add, girl talk was (strangely enough) an all ages show (which in my opinion is SUCH a bad idea). this being said, level three was packed with underage high school'ers making out in the booths. vomit-icious. we decided then, at that moment, to experience girl talk, head on, and moved to level 1 - the dance pit. girl talk himself has expressed in many interviews that full on debauchery occurs at his shows. he has said that he has lost teeth - and has to keep his dj-supplies covered in plastic wrap so no "liquids" get put on them. here i am, a polite, warm hearted girl with her gay best friends who are defined as "twinks" in the middle of a dance pit with people on god knows what over the counter pills. insanity. that is what it was.
i will end this 'historic moment review' by saying -- we lost george within the first ten minutes of the show (he was found at the end, soaking wet from sweat), alex had a shoe thrown at him (this is a very true statement) and my favourite plaid shirt kept unbuttoning, from the amount of people rubbing against me - thus taking off buttons (this is meant very NON-sexually). it was a brilliant show, however. we do not know how long girl talk expects to be around, so i am so grateful i was able to see him live in new york, for what could have been his last shows.
ps: dont know who girl talk is? well friends... do not log onto girltalk.com. trust me.
just watch this:
(ps: this was my view the entire show, except i was the third row of people squashed. amazing).
to be happy help help someone help someone who needs it help someone who needs it badly help someone who needs it badly and you know there will be no return help someone who is not related to you help someone who is not your close friend help someone who does not expect you to help when it is not your duty help in whatever way you can help and you will be happy
the purpose of World Kindness Day is to look beyond ourselves, beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, our religion; and realize we are citizens of the world. as world citizens we have a commonality, and must realize that if progress is to be made in human relations and endeavours, if we are to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence, we must focus on what we have in common. when we find likenesses we begin to experience empathy, and in such a state we can fully relate to that person or those people. while we may think of people from other cultures as being ‘different’ when we compare them with our own customs and beliefs, it doesn’t mean that we are any better than they are. when we become friends with someone from a different culture we discover that despite some obvious differences, there are many similarities.
we can be co-creators of a better world, and we can have a positive effect on world peace, when we bring order into our lives. be what you want the world to be. is that difficult? only if you think it is! when we accept the reality that we can create positive change, we move beyond ourselves, our limitations, our doubts, and realize our infinite power.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has".
ten ways to spread kindness:
1. Leave something special on the neighbor's doorstep. Flowers, a baked good, an invitation to share a meal or a dessert. 2. Make someone's bed. A parent, a brother/sister or roommate. Then spray the room with lavender. 3. Make a contribution toward a charity/cause close to your heart. Change and one dollar bills from piggy banks count too. 4. Write a thank you or draw a picture for someone you love. Tell them what you love about them and thank them for being themselves. 5. Pay the toll for the car behind you or swipe your metrocard for a stranger. 6. Pick up some trash. Even in the hallway at work. 7. Make Hope Notes together as a family and spread them all over your city or town for complete strangers. 8. Try to smile at 10 people today. 9. Visit a grandparent or elderly friend. 10. Start an Acts of Kindness list.
Kindness pays HUGE dividends, Marvelous Melissa, materially and ethereally, forever and ever.
Love on, The Universe
Monday, November 10, 2008
I am deeply saddened by the decision made in California on proposition 8 (and also in Arizona and Florida...). It seems like every time America takes a step forward, it takes 20 steps back.
I have very dear friends who this is affecting more than myself. My heart breaks for them, it breaks for the entire gay and lesbian community who do not have the same civil liberties as myself, it breaks for America.
Love should be enough.
Mothers, tell your children: be quick, you must be strong. Life is full of wonder, love is never wrong. Remember how they taught you, how much of it was fear. Refuse to hand it down - the legacy stops here.
Try to make at least one person happy every day. If you cannot do a kind deed, speak a kind word. If you cannot speak a kind word, think a kind thought. Count up, if you can, the treasure of happiness that you would dispense in a week, in a year, in a lifetime!
:)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change so that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger but in wisdom, understanding and love.
i am so anxious right now with election nerves. i dont even know where to begin, really. i am prepping myself for everything. i am shaking just thinking about going into the polls.
no matter the outcome, this election is already so historic. we are all becoming a piece of history, just by casting our vote today. it's exciting and nerve-wracking. our country needs something new. lord knows it.
