the coast

Though the day began with clouds covering the sun, our visit to the beach was indeed a fine one.

And, while we may never traverse that particular beach again, any time soon, we'll not soon forget the sweetness of the air, nor shall the memory of soft waves leave us.

A lovely holiday it was...

strange night

An odd air is about.

It is time for a road trip, for certain.

Seven hours southeast might do the trick.

A lovely drive it should be...

reminiscing: the nutcracker ballet

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Tonight, I happened across the annual PBS showing of The Nutcracker. I found myself mesmerized by the dancers' fluid motions. And though I've seen The Nutcracker performed many times over the years, I could not help but watch the entire thing.

I suppose I'm remembering a time when I'd taken a serious interest in learning ballet. Something about seeing prima ballerina, Gelsey Kirkland, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, in the 1977 version of the ballet, inspired a desire to learn how to float and fly.

Pure magic, those two.


Thank you briciolakatia for sharing this vid.


To be sure, Baryshnikov...one of the best ever!

Thank you BruninhaEB for sharing this vid.

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Chan Clan 2008

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For those abroad we hope to see one day soon, here, a slideshow of random images, Fall 2008.

clear

We happened upon an interesting spot whilst traipsing through a wooded area.

Clearly, there was a purpose for this spot. Thus, upon our centering on it, we immediately assumed meditative positions. It seemed the thing to do, as this place was surely meant to help one focus.

How unexpected it was, to stumble upon such an interesting and lovely find. We enjoyed it curiously, until the light began to fade. It was not but then did we notice the sign...

To be sure, we will meet this spot again.

spiritsuds

In the near future, this SpiritSuds blogspot will hopefully get a new address, SpiritSuds.com (provided such things as DNS settings go as they should).

So, if all this stuff disappears for a bit, it'll be back.

More soon~~

Update: Due to my lack of patience, this'll just be a blogspot until
further notice.

surface

When I first met my husband, I told him straight away of my distaste for surface conversation. The kind where the only item of interest might involve a quick forecast of wind direction and air temperature, with a poke of a wet finger toward the sky.

I got lucky. He is no scratch-the-surface kinda guy. Though our meaningful chats can sometimes get a bit raucous, they are by no means boring.

And here, whilst perusing my blog in search of a direction, I've found little more than a damp finger jabbed to the sky in search of a breeze.

I've censored myself considerably. Unintentional. Yet true.

What began as a place to scrape off the goo from the soul, has evolved into just another kind of gum to get stuck in. How did that happen?

Some might say I'm a nice person. Too nice to think diabolical thoughts. Not true, I say. I think them, but I feel ridiculously guilty afterwards! Well, except for my going vigilante fantasy. Guilt-free on that one.

Maybe, I'm just tired. Staying up too late, doing laundry. The mundane. Inspiration is elusive.

(Yawn)

For now, at least, "the way is shut".

light

Recently, I'd read remarks someone made about a dream they'd had concerning energy and colors. That people and things were energy of different hues.

I don't remember the source of the piece, though I was struck by the topic since I'd had similar thoughts about such a thing.

I've often imagined what it might be like were we to shed our shells and become the light that our souls must surely be. Perhaps we would be different colors, shimmery glowing things free to fly about the universe.

What might such a limitless dance feel like?

Maybe there is no feeling at all being not but a ball of energy. So then, could it be we are here as visitors to experience this life we know, in these fragile shells. . .

It seems we are all children stumbling through this existence, making our mistakes and learning, hopefully, to improve through the generations to an unknown end.

Ah well. . . As my dad might have once said, "It doesn't matter."

After all, what good does it do to ponder such things?

I'm not sure, but to suppose he might now be sailing across the galaxies in the purest of joy makes my heart feel light.

38

I'd never imagine ten years ago this is what 38 would look like. Or that so much chaos could happen between 0 and 38.

Already, I have decided to just call it 40. Why not?

Five years from now, I'll still be 40. :o)

But I don't mind the silver streaking through my hair. I find it interesting and full of character. I'll forever be 40 with strands of white twisting around a wizened face.

I'm not fond of birthday celebrations like most. No parties, no cakes, no big surprises necessary. Let the day fade into night.

A road trip, under a sky full of stars, is all I need. That, our little entourage, a touch of music, and my camera, of course.

Thank you, Husband, for letting me borrow this pic... :oD

riding shotgun...etcetera

So we went to my home state of Oklahoma for the Thanksgiving holiday.

I'm not big on the holidays, for some reason. When they are finally over, there is a long emotional recovery.

Perhaps, I've been away from home for too long...
among other things...

star trek

This might be interesting...

us girls

My eldest will be 13 this weekend. It is difficult to believe she has grown so quickly.

She inspires me with her wit, intelligence and talents. She makes me smile.

Happy Birthday, my Lil Boog! I love you!

lovely fall

the OC Remix

For quite some time, I've been a fan of OverClocked Remix. If you like gamer music, you might like this site, too.

Click to browse gamer music or to find and download free remixes. And since they've got great free music downloads, it's nice to help support their bandwidth by making a donation, or by purchasing a nifty tee like this one found on eStarland.com.


On my playlist, there are lots of OCRemixes. Most of them are from my favorite Final Fantasy RPGs, though the list of remixes available are too numerous to name.

Today I found some stuff I'd not heard before.

Time to load up the iPod!

darkness of light

Tonight, the moon is full.

Camera in hand, I snapped this quick shot. Beautiful night.

But, I'm angry.

Disgusted with certain people who form groups to celebrate their hatred of other people. Groups who, in their complete stupidity and utmost cowardice, kill others for no purpose other than to feel... um, powerful?

Whatever.

These hatemongers I speak of, serve no purpose to humanity whatsoever. Their ignorance is so utterly complete, I dare say, there is no saving them. They are useless, save for the wasteful sucking up of valuable oxygen and the taking up of precious real estate.

Yes, I too sound a bit dark. I do feel a hatred for what the KKK believes in. Where they stand is the absolute opposite of me.

KKK sends death threat...

Klan group on trial...

Oklahoma woman slain...

And it continues to baffle me, how a group like the KKK continues to exist to the point of being organized.

It would seem to me, the peace-seeking peoples of this country would eventually have enough of such nonsense, flush out all these crazies and deal with them accordingly.

Another thing that has always driven me nuts! What is it with neighborhoods where shootings always happen at night to the point the neighbors are numb to it? No one seems to notice anymore. Something I hear going on in parts of Dallas. Or in the following recent case:

Neighbours reported hearing gunshots at Mrs Donnerson's home in the gritty Englewood neighbourhood on the city's south side yesterday morning, but no one raised the alarm until Hudson's sister Julia returned from work and discovered the bodies in the afternoon.(Source)

Ugh! It makes me sick.

Little value, life has...

What does it take to wake up~~~

Note to hategroups:
Send your death threats HERE. I'd love to hear from you. Oh, and please leave your current address and phone number along with your ignorant vitriol.

edge

I do love the night rain.

Wix.com

Particularly, when I'm on edge.

There is something soothing about the sound of falling drops tapping on the back porch. It is like music.

And the scent of rain, sweet, new.

The children smell like rain.

I do so love the rain.

history is made

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President-elect Barack Obama

Thank you BarackObamadotcom for sharing these vids.

colors

Another beautiful day.

This one coming after a most spectacular night with a Milky Way sky and a fingernail moon.



Yesterday, leaving the Dallas Metro for Possum Kingdom State Park was a welcome break from the concrete maze.

Though, once again, we arrived at our destination late, the brilliant stars and peaceful cool air soothed our souls.


The gentle footfalls of small deer that approached us as we scanned the sky, magical.

Innocent faces of curious youngsters, with bright eyes and shiny noses, sneaked up on us in the darkness, whilst I fidgeted with my camera. The night's serenity broken only by the calls of coyotes in the distance.

Lucky for me, my family goes along with my road trip whims. Else, we might not enjoy such moments as these.

Yes, yesterday was quite lovely.


And then, came today.

all hallows eve

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. The kiddos seem to love it, too.

Last night, one of the best treats came in the form of a Halloween concert and dance given by our daughter's middle school. I pulled out the ol' Nikon Coolpix P5100 for this occasion. Not only was I able to snap some pics of Daughter's cool costume, I got some cute vids with the P5100 as well. My Nikon D80 just can't do that.

Yes, the Coolpix P5100 is itty bitty, no doubt. The feel of the D80 was missed. But when the littlest daughter broke out her dance moves, it was all too easy to get a quick vid of the action with my tiny little camera. Gotta love it!

Me thinks it is best to have a good compact digital camera, along with, a good digital SLR. It's much more versatile and fun that way.

I should sleep now...
There's trick-or-treating to be done tonight!

to the left, to the left...

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There's a blog in the LA Times I came across today, written by a Republican. It is about Hollywood conservatives, their possible leanings toward Obama for president, and the reasoning behind it.

The full article can be found HERE.

While my own leanings tend to veer a bit to the left, I do not vote blindly. And though I don't care much what Hollywood has to say about politics (the shrieks from both sides I find annoying), points made in the blog made some sense.

It does seem true, McCain and Obama are both divisive in a sense. McCain's warfare, cultural. Obama's warfare, class. The differences amongst people are now magnified. Can our next president pull it together?

There was a time, I believed McCain to be honorable and a fairly decent choice for president. So, I wasn't worried much if he'd be elected. That changed. Dramatically. Now, I'm terrified he could win the election. The Palin pick was just the beginning. The erratic, almost hateful, manner in which McCain has been running his campaign, validates my concern.

A discussion earlier this month on CNN:

Thank you crown416 for sharing this vid.


At this point, Obama's temperament and overall organization seem to win, despite how some feel about taxes and the social issues.

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Barack Obama: Closing Argument

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Thank you BarackObamadotcomfor this vid.

One week. Vote.

harajuku girl

This is my Harajuku girl.

I love her style.

In our town, we still see the emo style quite a bit. Rarely, if ever, do we see Harajuku.

Me thinks its popularity will rise. Already, the kids are asking my daughter about it. Who knows, perhaps she'll start a trend.

It is said, Gwen Stefani helped to popularize Harajuku fashion here in the U.S. with her "Harajuku Girls" entourage. Though, I'm fairly certain my kiddo chose the interesting togs out of admiration for the culture of Japanese youth.

In any case, just knowing she's having a good time with it, makes me smile.

early voter

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The presidential election is fast approaching. I'm planning to cast my vote early.

I'm pretty sure my vote here in Texas will matter little, due to the set-up of the Electoral College. Still, it's the principle of the thing.

Come to think of it, it may be wishful thinking that anyone's vote really matters.
The following vid about exposed vote-rigging is old news, yet we can hope history isn't repeated.



Unfortunately, there may already be vote-fraud afoot.

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red shoes

Thank you nellie4real for sharing this image.

Tonight, I'm up late.

Okay, I'm always up late.

As I type this, I'm glancing from time to time at the television. A 1948 film is playing, The Red Shoes. It's a romantic, dramatic film about a ballerina realizing her dreams.

Normally, I don't watch films about ballet. Perhaps, it is because I'd been a ballet dancer years ago, and I miss it too much. Dancing and the theater. My past loves.

Watching someone else perform, I can almost feel the fluidity of the motions. It's like flying. It is a freedom. As though one's spirit was let out to play for that moment.

The Red Shoes has brought back memories, indeed. So much hard work. The butterflies before a show. And the pure joy after.

Ah, I do miss it. But now, there are different things keeping the heart light. The children, bike rides, music, the singing...

On it goes...

e.t. field guide of sorts

Whilst viewing YouTube vids about the recent UK disclosure of UFO files (I do enjoy a good UFO story!), I stumbled across a book titled, E.T. 101--The Cosmic Instruction Manual! ,the apparent collaborative effort of Zoev Jho and Mission Control.

This posting is mainly for my husband, since I'd mentioned it to him, but couldn't express the book's finer points. He'll just have to find the humor in it himself.

It is also for anyone else who might enjoy a bit of weirdness with their coffee.

That's about all I've got to say on the matter.

To enjoy, click HERE.

gimp

It's been quite some time since I've used the GIMP.

Though, because Image Ready 2.0 doesn't seem to work with Windows Vista, I'm checking out some of the popular free graphic apps. At least, until I feel like forking over about $700 for Adobe Photoshop CS4.

So here it is, a spinning rock I've created with GIMP. It isn't much, I know. Surely it will take a bit of time to explore the possibilities. And, it will take a little getting over the loss of Image Ready 2.0.

Next, I think I'll try the Pencil app. :o)

finish line

Thank you BarackObamadotcom for sharing this vid.

voice of reason

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Thank you BarackObamadotcom for sharing this vid.
I have always admired Colin Powell.

Much of what Powell has said recently, is what we've been saying all along. That our leader should represent all Americans, not just a narrow group. That, yes, there are even Americans who are, you guessed it, Muslim, among the many other faiths. Perhaps some conservative groups have forgotten the United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, First Amendment:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Perhaps, some of our fellow Americans are simply ill-informed, as they continue to question the faith and patriotism of Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama.


Thank you NCDem for sharing this vid.

Questioning is one thing, but refusing the answer and proof given is choosing the ignorance over reason. The death-threats and hateful remarks of some members of the Republican party only serve to further divide our country.

Let us hope, in November, reason wins.

blue sky, vanilla breeze

Today, lovely.

There aren't many days like this one. The blue in the sky, deeply serene. The flavor of a cool breeze, vanilla ice cream freshly made.

For a moment, we let go of our worries. A wayward economy and angry political rants could not spoil our peace.



The children played. The innocence of their laughter, refreshing. Their sing-song voices, brighter than sunshine.

There is hope in the air. It is palpable.

happy laptop

Finally! The new laptop is happy.

The Photoshop is installed and the plugins plugged.  I can't wait to see what oddness can be cooked up.

Hmm...  Still, it seems something is missing...

lingering spirit

The topic of the spirit-world comes up from time to time at our house.  It's a touchy subject, to be sure.  One reason might have something to do with my husband's rather terrifying past experience with spirits.  

Needless to say, the subject doesn't get brought up all that often.  One would hate to perturb those on the other side by talking about them in any ill fashion.  

But today, my eldest kiddo, who has a fascination with the paranormal, was watching an episode of Paranormal State.  After the show, the disturbed presence was asked to leave the house he'd been haunting, and a priest was brought in to pray and to, in a sense, cleanse the house.

So it got me thinking.  Many spiritual persons, be they Christian, Buddhist, or Native American medicine people, etcetera, practice similar cleansing rituals.  Similar in that they do practice them, though the details may differ somewhat.  Which "religion" is the most effective in helping one to crossover, as it were?

According to my husband, the event he witnessed required priests of a few different religions to get rid of a particularly nasty being.  So could it be that no one religion is the right one?  Perhaps, there is more than one way.

In any case, now I'm worried.  We all are going to die at some point, no doubt.  How best to avoid getting stuck someplace undesirable?  Is simply being a decent person good enough?

---

 

pure

I have found nothing on this earth as sweet as joy on the face of a child. It is honest. It is the light that recharges the hope in my heart. It is pure.

birthday babies

And so...the babies grow...

My lil man is now 2!  He is simply amazing :o)

And the 3 year old little princess...  

A lovely lady is she :o)

They often enjoy working on projects together.

Which makes Mommy, as happy as can be!

green geeks unite

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Yes, yes... You can call me a tree-hugger if you like. And, you may disagree with many of those like me, who believe our world is in dramatic flux due to our trashing up the place.

I'm okay with that.

Perhaps, though, we could look at the climate-change argument a little differently.

Take the following vid by wonderingmind42 for example. The discussion isn't about who is right or wrong regarding climate issues. More importantly, it is about exploring the possible results for choosing to do nothing at all about global warming.


Thanks to wonderingmind42 for sharing this video.

blue stream

sweet as a child's dream

slid the clear waters of this

a playful blue stream