Edith Piaf Live in Paris.

My good friend, Ms. Cadiz had the great priviledge of seeing Edith Piaf live in Paris in the mid-50's. We had a glass of vino and listened to some of her fabulous Parisian tunes.

Check out some old Footage below...



Photo: www.susandunn.cc

Thought for today.

"All the evil in the world,
and all the unhappiness,
comes from the "I" concept.
-Wei Wu Wei



Read more on the concept of Anatta

Mariachi los Camperos - Olympia, WA, USA

To celebrate my parents 45th Anniversary, we took in a fabulous show with singing, dancing & some amazing Mariachi violin. The crowd was hooting and hollering all through the show. These guys rocked, and their orange outfits were great also. When you thought it could not get any better, the dancers came out, in full Mexican regalia. I guess a collaboration with Linda Ronstadt put them on the map in the states.

Take a listen...

Photo Credit: www.umich.edu

Well we went to school in Olympia-a-a!

You know the song...
It was a raving full moon over Olympia Friday. Had a bit of a reunion with some very old friends from yesteryear, which included a tear around downtown Olympia for a bit of laughter, libation (great microbrews) and jukebox domination at the Eastside Club. Great to catch up on stories & see old friends prosperous & happy in their lives.

Microsoft Vino?!

Yes, it is true...
Stormhoek Winery has created
the "tipple for Techies".

Link: Stormhoek.com

Pedal-powered Roller Coaster!

Deemed "The Sky Cycle", Japan has come up
with a human pedal-powered coaster.

Link to SkyCycle

Crazy Night.

Truth be told, I spent the greater part of the early 80's listening to butt rock. Good ole' hair metal. (not Bon Jovi) My fellow rockerchick friend, Ms. Wade, and I saw every heavy metal/ b.r. concert we could, from Judas Priest (too many times to count), Quiet Riot, Motley Crew (too many times to count) Queensryche, Deep Purple (comeback tour, unfortunately) and many other bands. One of the most memorable bands was a band from Japan, called "Loudness". They were coined the Motley Crew of Japan, and they rocked. Here is some 80's Loudness...

Revelations of a Pack Rat.

Having spent the better part of my early 20's as a pack rat, I rebelled in my late 20's by purging & becoming highly organized. It all started when my friend loaned me her copy of the "Simple Living" Newsletter, out in print at the time and I was hooked... Tips for getting organized & creating a better, balanced life, by simply taking time to smell the flowers, enjoy the small things & never forget to remain humble and show appreciation for what you do have. I have been practicing the "simplicity" philosophy for quite a while now and it feels good.

The first step in living simply is to just realize that...
"The important things in life are not things" - Author Unknown

A few things I practice:
-Commune regularly with Mother Earth, could be a walk in your hood
-Don't overconsume, there is already to much shit on the planet
-Write a friend a letter & post it, remember stamps?
-Every item in your home or office has a place
-If you have not used the item in a year, donate to charity

Here are a few great sites for inspiration:
www.simpleliving.net
www.liferemix.net
www.zenhabits.net

Shoes over Jericho 2.

Here we go again! Strange shoe sightings at Jericho Beach after our Saturday picnic. Where was the three footed toddler? We could not locate her!

"Shoes over Jericho 1"

Eavesdropping in SF.

This is a hilarious blog written by a SF playwright blogging about whatever they overhear out and about in San Francisco.

http://overheardlines.blogspot.com/

Rastas Unite!

Kingston, Jamaica - Launched on September 11, 2007, Rastafarian Orders worldwide have finally unified, creating The Ethio-African Diaspora Union Millenmium Council (EADUMC).

Courtesy of : www.riddimja.com

Roast Hedgehog with Nettles.

The ancient culinary delights were first recorded in 6,000 BC according to new research. Ruth Fairchild of the University of Wales Institute (UWIC), Cardiff, Food Science Department, spent two months finding the definitive list of the oldest recorded recipes. Records show nettle pudding to be the oldest recipe, closely followed in chronological order by smokey stew, meat pudding, barley bread and roast hedgehog.

-link on skynews.co.uk

Bust out yer Led Zep T-shirt.

While strolling to the green grocer on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, BC, where I reside...Led Zeppelin was blaring out from a few cafe speakers, I saw at least 3 Zeppelin concert T's and that was all in one hour. I guess that just goes to show that people are really excited about the reunion.

images:allposters.com

Together Again.

Finally...

Led Zeppelin split after John Bonham's (drummer) death in 1980. Page & Plant collaborated throughout the years and I was fortunate enough to hear the the result, No Quarter, at the Gorge Amphitheatre in 1995. It was a magical show.




Photo: guardian.uk

Rock On, Dude!

Ochi Yosuke won the Air Guitar World Championship, in Oulu, Finland, for the second year in a row. He won a custom-made Flying Finn electric guitar worth $3,400!

Watch him in action on YouTube...




photo courtesy: TokyoTimes.org

Bunsen Lake is beautiful.

Living in beautiful British Columbia gives us ample opportunity to commune with nature. KormaCurry & I headed out with a picnic (sealed in plastic, to deter bear) to Bunsen Lake in Port Moody, right outside of Vancouver. It was an easy 2 mile hike North, on the Bunsen Lake Trail from beach A to beach B with epic views. We had a nice picnic at the beach B, had a nap and walked back.

*aerial shot from globalairphotos.com

The old growth trees in the forest were massive, as you see.

Madeline L' Engle.

Madeline L' Engle passed on today.

When I was about 9, I read my first SciFi book "A Wrinkle in Time". It was a fantastic tale that made a lasting impression. She wrote the book in 1963. It won lots of awards and it is still a popular read today.

Link to Wikipedia

Ikea Hackers...

Mei Mei Yap's blog is dedicated to using Ikea furniture parts as raw materials to create other unique, usable objects.
Very clever!

Ikeahackers.com

Photo NYTimes:
Ikea end table/cat litter box

Luciano Pavarotti

[ 1935 - 2007 ]

" I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent & this is what I have devoted my life to."
- Luciano Pavarotti




-Quote from LucianoPavorotti.com
-Image from Classical.net

Finland Fully Digital !

Working in television for the U.S. market, I remember in the mid-90's, hearing everyone talk about tv "going digital" in the next 5 years - everyone will have a digital set and for those who cannot afford it, converters! Everything will be shot in digital only...The switch is just starting to happen now, many years later. According to the following article, U.S. is next, with Canada soon to follow...

"There is, however, a stodgy minority that has stuck by their old television sets and rabbit-ear antennae. These people, along with the unlucky few living outside the range of the new digital transmitters, woke up today to find themselves in a world without television."
- CBC News

Amy Winehouse has an amazing voice.

Trees. Trees. Trees.

Since trees produce the oxygen that we breathe.....
here is an "Ode to the trees."


"Between every two pines is a
doorway to a new world."
~ John Muir



Bury, Manchester, England











Sa Coma, Majorca, Spain










Knutsford, England

Car-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Yes, indeed...Forget frying an egg on the sidewalk, when you can bake cookies right on your dashboard. I am both amazed and perplexed at this possibility. Step by Step instructions are available here...

BakingBites.com

Gogol Bordello Rocks.

Hooked up with KormaCurry & Dubmaster C and headed down to the Commodore Ballroom to watch the best show I have seen in a long time - Gogol Bordello. The band was awesome and the crowd was excitable, which made for a great night. It is refreshing to hear a new musical genre-gypsy music with punk rock sensibility. They are coming back in October and I will be there.

Sunscape via NASA

STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is the third mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program (STP). This two-year mission, launched October 2006, will provide a unique and revolutionary 3d view of the Sun-Earth System.

-NASA Website