Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities, and so on. When we feel love and kindness towards others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. And there are ways in which we can consciously work to develop feelings of love and kindness. For some of us, the most effective way to do so is through religious practice. For others it may be non-religious practices. What is important is that we each make a sincere effort to take seriously our responsibility for each other and for the natural environment.
~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama, “Nobel Peace Prize Lecture,” in The Dalai Lama: A Policy of Kindness, edited by Sidney Piburn
The best cold Sake I've ever had. We also went out on a limb and got a prix fix meal - don't know what half of it is. Will report on it later!
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Drake's is out of town - with his folks near Calgary, Alberta - for a family gathering (60th wedding anniversary) on this father's side. We'll be visiting his folks in west-central IL - together - in August, so I sat this extra trip out as I'm pretty thin on vacation time these days.
I've been laying low this weekend, working through some cleaning/organizing projects. My goal is to have everything in tip-top shape by end of day tomorrow. The only project that will be left for the coming week is switching our filing system over to FreedomFiler - I've ordered the supplies, but they haven't arrived yet. And also getting updated full DVD backups of both computers to our safe deposit box. With all the little home organizing projects checked off my list, I'll be able to focus 100% on summer fun!
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Our neighborhood, as usual, was party central for the 4th of July. We've got a great view of the fireworks from our neighborhood, so there is a big influx of people (and alcohol consumption). Drake and I usually stay home and watch the fireworks from our place, so I upheld that tradition. I got out early this morning to run errands, and as I predicted, it was super-quiet everywhere I stopped. So I was able to zip in and zip out quickly.
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Just talked to Drake; the 60th anniversary celebration was today and it sounded lovely. Sheesh, we'll be looking to do that for his folks in the not-too-distant future (2011). For their 50th, we orchestrated a surprise party. It was quite an undertaking to pull that off. Actually, we unveiled the surprise the morning of - wrapping up one of the invitations we sent out as an "anniversary present" for them. We didn't want to give them a heart attack (figuratively or literally) with a complete surprise.
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OK - think I'll get ready for bed and crawl in and read for a while...
I got my bike today and it's beautiful! The color of my bike is EXACTLY the same as our car.
I'm having to guess a bit at speed, as it reads in Kilometers (with a tiny inside ring reading mph). And the seat is not what I expected. The photos all showed a tan seat, so I ordered a tan jacket. The dealer and I were both surprised to see that the bike has a brown seat. Odd for a red bike. Odd for ANY bike. Black would have made more sense. Oh well - They are ordering me a tan seat so it will look as expected eventually. And when my butt's on the seat I don't see it!
I got the bike with 2 miles on it. I rode it home 24 miles. Ben and I rode into the hills tonight and I am now at 61 miles. I LOVE this bike. I feel so relaxed on it. Its perfect for me. And finally I feel happy to ride fast! Once I get 100 miles on my tires, I'm trying it on the freeway!
It's also WONDERFUL that Ben and I both have new bikes from same dealer. Both our bikes have approx 60 miles on them. We will be taking them in together for service. The dealer and all the folks working at this shop are wonderful. Aprilia for the win!
It's desert ice outside but this diner has thawed my ears
Hot coffee in a clean white mug and a smile when the waitress hears
That I was born in North Carolina
Not an hour from her home town
And we used to play the same pizza parlor pinball
And there's a glance in time suspended as I wonder how it is
We've been swept up just by circumstance to where the coyote lives
Where my days are strips of highway
And she's wiping tables down
Holding on and still waiting for that windfall
But I've come home
Even though I've never had so far to go
I've come home
I pay the check and leave the change from a crumpled ten-dollar bill
Head across the street where VACANCY is burning in neon still
Well the night eats up my body heat
And there's no sign of another
And I find myself slipping down into that black
But things are good I've got a lot of followers of my faith
I've got a whole congregation living in my head these days
And I'm preaching from the pulpit
To cries of "Amen brother"
Closing my eyes to feel the warmth come back
And I've come home
Even though I swear I've never been so alone
I've come home
I just want to be living as I'm dying
Just like everybody here
Just want to know my little flicker of time is worthwhile
And I don't know where I'm driving to
But I know I'm getting old
And there's a blessing in every moment every mile
Thin white terry bars of soap and a couple little plastic cups
Old Gideons Bible in the nightstand drawer saying "Go on open up"
Well I'll kneel down on the carpet here
Though I never was sure of God
Think tonight I'll give Him the benefit of the doubt
I switch off the lights and imagine that waitress outlined in the bed
Her hair falling all around me
I smile and shake my head
Well we all write our own endings
And we all have our own scars
But tonight I think I see what it's all about
Because I've come home
I've come home
The Steely Dan concert was tonight, not last night. We just got back a little while ago.
It was an amazing show. Donald Fagan looks more and more like what would happen if Lurch and Richard Belzer made a baby together. Becker was his usual laid back, sardonic self. Nothing about their music sounds dated or MOR--the arrangements were really fresh and current. The band was unbelievably tight. They played for 90 minutes straight with no intermission. And the weather tonight was perfect, not too hot, not chilly, with what Becker at one point called a "Moroccan moon" hanging in the sky. Fantastic.Mr BA got some great pics; I'll try to post them tomorrow.
On the downside: the dude standing next to me who smelled like pee. Also, the people in our vicinity who were smoking really shitty pot. I mean, dried catnip and oregano would have smelled less harsh than that shit. The high-as-a-kite skanky chick who kept screaming at Mr BA to take her picture. And worst of all, all the lame-asses who drag their stupid lawn chairs to all these outdoor music festivals, plonk them down to "save" the best spots all day, then complain if you are standing in front of them to dance. I'm sorry, if you want to watch Steely Dan sitting down in a comfy chair, just stay in your living room and watch their DVD. Ottawa is notorious for the ongoing feud between the "sitters" and the "standers." I've been to concerts where the artists are literally yelling at the audience to get their asses out of their lawn chairs and dance. Pathetic.
About 2 hours before fireworks I caught this full rainbow on the 4th of July. Quite a sight.
And then of course there was the usual flash and bang.
Finished painting the living room 'focal' wall (also known as I'm-too-afraid/lazy-to-paint-the-whole-room).
And today after a long bike ride in the afternoon heat, I treated myself to the first three episodes of Secret Diary of a Call Girl starring the lovely Billie Piper.
And I still have a whole night and day to go. Wonder what fun I'll be able to scare up in that time...
Enjoy the day, ladies and gents.
