What's Up

What's been going on.... well, I've been on a few days off and have wasted much of it - sleeping in too much, watching too much tv and wasting time on the computer. As much as I hate to waste time, really sometimes I think we are all entitled to a little bit of it and I'm not going to apologize for my laziness these past few days!!

What I did do: I read quite a bit. I finished the book, "Turning the Mind Into an Ally" by Sakyong Mipham. I really enjoyed the message and the writing. It is by a Tibetan Buddhist and is largely about meditation and achieving peace, yada, yada, yada. It was very good and I would read another by this fellow. I'm not Buddhist per se, but I do find it very interesting and I think we can take the parts that work for us from various practices.

I usually read several books at a time (not a great way to remember them all clearly, but I can't help it - this is what I do...) and the others I'm reading are: "Inspire! What Great Leaders Do" by Lance Secretan - so far an interesting book on leadership that my mom gave me. "Spontaneous Healing" by Dr Andrew Weil. I've read two other of his books and found them fascinating and this one, which I believe might have preceeded the others I read, is equally fascinating. I not only love the content of his books, but I love how he writes. He writes as though he were sitting next to you and having a conversation. His books are truly the only health books I've read that didn't feel like I was back taking some uni course. I've also been picking away at "Creative Visualization" by Shakti Gawain. I've seen this book numerous times in book stores, but only picked it up a while back at Fair's Fair (fantastic used book store in Calgary) on Suzie Q's recommendation. I enjoy it, but only in small bits at at a time. I guess I am also still reading "The Secret", but can also only read it in small bits at a time - I "get it" but can't help feeling like I am reading the script of an infomercial.... I have been reading "Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky which is quite interesting (and sad) because it was an unfinished manuscript by a Jewish woman who lived and wrote in France during the Nazi invasion of World War II. This manuscript had been lost since her murder in 1942, which sadly was at the hands of evil people in Auschwitz. The book was found, edited and translated in 2006. It is very interesting to read this long lost work of fiction which tells a story of various people living during the same era which ended up taking her life. And lastly, I am reading "26a" by Diana Evans. In my own defence, I only started this book because I had misplaced temporarily the "Suite Francaise" and I was in need of something to read!

I'm almost tempted to delete this last paragraph - I think it makes me look kinda crazy, like I have some sort of personality disorder which doesn't allow me to focus. (Pingcat - any comments!!!) Oh well, I do eventually finish books and when I find one that I LOVE, I generally don't read any of the others. A good example would be "Eat, Pray, Love" which I finished a week or two ago. Really, one of the best books that I have read in a very long time. My cousin Angie gave it to me and she had loved it as well. It was just the book I had been in the mood for.

Anyway, what else. My brother has been renovating the basement. This has been going on for a while now, but that is how he does things. He never buys things on credit (unlike myself...) and patiently does things properly as he has the cash and the time. I'm more of an instant gratification kind of person unfortunately! He has little (actually none) experience at mudding so that is taking some time! I'll post a picture of what he looks like at the end of every evening! It will be so great to have another room in the house, although I'm not sure that I will be allowed down there - he hasn't said so, but I suspect it will be "his" room. I hope he takes his stupid "UFC" obsession down there with him! It is pretty bad when some UFC show comes on and I've already seen it and know who wins...

Today I went for a hot stone massage - can I just say that there is nothing quite like it. This was a gift from the fabulous S n' N duo. I say to them, Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you!!! They had given me one another time and I swore at the time that it was probably the best single hour of my life. Today was a repeat of that experience! If you have never gone for one, I would highly recommend it. We gave my mom one for part of her Christmas gift and she loved it also. Who wouldn't. I wish I could go for one every day!!!

Tomorrow, for my final day off, I am going to help my friend work on the books for his company - very exciting... I am going to a meditation class and hopefully if it is nice I will have time to get my bike out and go for a ride somewhere - Fish Creek park maybe. I was supposed to go camping with my friend for a couple of days this week, but he had some family thing come up and had to cancel. That's more important stuff so we'll try again another time.

Oh, and can I just say that I LOVE George Stroumboulopoulos on The Hour. I think he is most brilliant.

Well, that is about it. Cheers!