Subatomic Particles are defined as particles that are smaller than an atom and basically what all matter is made up of - subatomic particles of energy....life. This blog is my small space on the web for expression of things that matter to me.
Hey everybody! Hope you had a good week. Looks like I'm a weekend warrior with my blog! Where did the week go? I hope to catch up on some stuff that has caught my attention this week and will work to post more frequently during the week. Anyways, Sarah found a link for the band Three 5 Human that I talked about last week that we saw open for the Indigo Girls. Go Sarah! She played the CD we got at the concert for one of her English classes and asked them to write a journal entry on what they thought...maybe she will share some of the feedback! They have a great video that you can watch on their site if you want to check it out. They have a great sound that is described as "guitar driven rock with a politically and socially bent lyric edge, delivered in a style reminiscent of Janis Joplin meets the Band of Gypsys."
I am reading 2 books right now (that's what I tend to do) and there is a third that is sitting on the counter that I am tempted to pick up! I like to read a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Too much non-fiction can be overwhelming sometimes and I'm in the mood for just a good old fashioned made up story. I will probably do some reviews on them as I finish them so if you are looking for something to read, you may want to take a look.
One of the books I'm reading now is called The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing by Gross and Shapiro, described as " a unique approach to the art of living that draws upon Taoist wisdom and photographic artistry to provide insights into creativity, spirituality, and awareness training." Sounds good to me! I have only read it for about a day now but love it already. I recommend it even if you aren't into photography as a guide to just being more aware of the present moment and all that it holds. A must in today's fast paced world.
The second book I'm reading right now is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Amazon.com says "Settle down to enjoy a rousing good ghost story with Diane Setterfield's debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale. Setterfield has rejuvenated the genre with this closely plotted, clever foray into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. She never cheats by pulling a rabbit out of a hat; this atmospheric story hangs together perfectly." Well how can you not want to pick up that book this time of year?! I'm about 5 chapters in and it is yummy.
Sarah is reading The Impeachment of George W. Bushand I keep hearing her sighing in disbelief so it must be worth reading. If you are wondering what it's about, I think the title says it all.
My XM radio has a great "memory" feature that I can push when I hear a song that I want to remember. This iMix is a compilation of all the songs I put into my XM radio memory for the week ending October 22, 2006 that represents the different moods I was in this past week. There are some cool tunes on so if you have iTunes, click on this link and check it out! If you don't have iTunes (what??!!) you can still see the song names and artists on the sidebar.
Here are some of my random thoughts/poems written in the first couple days after coming out of the wilderness in Alaska after a 2 week rafting trip in July. It is interesting looking back at what I wrote in my journal book and how I was feeling about reentry.
We were in the real world and have come back to an unreality
Sleep came more easily in a tent under the watch of bears than between crisp white sheets under a plaster sky
The river's currents pull at me long after I have stepped off the raft
You cannot walk away from this place unchanged
Living among a small village of 25 on the river we play together, eat together, sleep together, and become children again in sense filled awe - the amazing world this river, mountains, lakes, and creatures have shared with us.....
There is too much noise here. Ear piercing, heart wrenching noise in traffic, voices, billboards, TV, and even the sound of music carries an annoying tune. I have been spoiled by the songs of birds, the howl of the wind, the lullaby sung by the river, the crackling of ice and the most powerful sound out there....deep silence.
Ok, I wanted to end the day of my political/social issue themed posts with one of my favorite photos that I took in Alaska. It was an amazing trip and seeing beauty like I did there and spending time with special people continues to give me hope and reminds me of why it is so important to keep fighting the good fight. Like I said in an earlier post...you have to go play outside and breathe some fresh air.
Here is a preview of a book I plan on buying called The Best War Ever. It has gotten great reviews and looks like it is worth a look after seeing the video preview.
We watched a movie this week called The Ground Truthfrom Universal Pictures - Focus Features. It is a movie that every American should watch whether you agree with the war in Iraq or not....I feel that you owe it to the troops to see their side of the one way mirror. FOX news should not be your source of information. Listen to the soldiers who are paying the price. The film focuses on troops who served in Iraq and what they did and saw while serving and what it has been like for them when they come home. It is not a feel good film and one that I hope moves people to get their head out of their #$%^ and pay attention to the truth of what is going on over there. One of the soldiers in the film said something that I wish I could yell at every car I see with a damn" I Support the Troops" bumper sticker right next to their "Bush 04" sticker. He said that people at home (here in America) have their yellow ribbons, bumper stickers, etc "showing" their support for the troops but then don't listen to what they have to say when they come home. It is an eye opening film...watch it!!
One of the disturbing things of my day or actually last night was when I picked up this weekend's edition of USA Today. Take a look at the front page if you happen to have it or look at it tomorrow if you don't and tell me if there is anything wrong with it. On the front page of a nationwide newspaper is a large picture and front page story about the...you guessed it....the World Series. On the sidebar is a short preview of another story..."Deaths Tearing at Fort Hood" on page 10A. 10A!!! WTF? I think this is a perfect example of where our priorities are in this country. Thousands of troops have died and are dying (3 more today since that story printed) not to mention the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians and what makes the top story...the World Series. Thousands of people come out in force for sporting events but can't find the time to get involved to come out in force for things that really matter. What does this say about us as a society. Hey, I don't like to be angry and depressed by reality either but we are so numb as a nation to what is going on in the world. I can't believe we're all not screaming at the tops of our lungs, out in the streets, shaking our heads in disbelief at what is happening. No, we are sitting at home or in a bar watching the World Series. It is a good day to be an American...isn't it?!
Speaking of sports...take a look at the article written by Pat Tillman's brother, Kevin Tillman that posted on Oct 16th: After Pat's Birthday
On November 7th, vote your conscience. Look at the issues that matter and not the ones that the politicians use as a distraction to get your vote.
I am going to be posting a lot of things all at once since this is a new blog and I want to get some things out there that have affected me this past week or have just been on the "to do" list. Hope you'll browse :)
We went to Ann Arbor last night and saw the Indigo Girls in concert. It was a great show and I was pleasantly surprised to discover a new band that opened for them called Three 5 Human. I haven't been able to find a web presence for them but if you have the chance to check them out..do it! They rocked out and had a great message too. Their name comes from The Three-Fifths Compromise when slaves were regarded as 3/5 of a human being when determining the distribution of taxes and the appointment of members to the U.S. House of Representatives. They named their band that to keep the meaning in the forefront...so that we don't forget the past and remember that things can change. The lead singer, Trina spoke briefly and the message that keeps ringing in my head is "the Government doesn't have the power...the people have the power". It sometimes becomes difficult in today's political arena to remember how true that is. I remember a line from the movie V for Vendetta, "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." I think that our government has forgotten that they exist to serve their people when all I have seen for many years now is government serving themselves and corporations. We the people have the power to change our government and need to demand change. Our society today is distracted by so many things that don't matter. We must wake up!!!!! If you're not angry then you're not paying attention. It is also easy to get depressed and burned out by all the wrong we see in the world so we must have balance...do what you can and enjoy this life's journey. Turn off the TV and read a book, go outside and play, have fun, and set aside time to become informed about what is really going on and demand a better world...for all.
If you are reading this...hello! and thanks for checking out my blog. I had some other posts on it but decided to start over in a new direction. I hope you find my posts informative, intriguing, interesting, and engaging. This blog is also a journey for me to record things that interest me in my day to day life. My interests include the outdoors, photography, the environment, technology, music, books and many of the global political and social issues that may directly or indirectly affect me in the world we live in. I believe we are all connected and that everyone can make a difference in the things we choose to do each and every day.
