Barbara Sher’s Web Forum July 29, 2007

I’ve written about Barbara Sher’s books on a previous entry, and now I want to write about her forum. This place is amazing. I don’t go there on a regular basis (not sure why: every time I go there after months have passed I curse myself for not going there more often). Not only is it a great great place for support in your “trying to find your path” process, but also a site where all sorts of ideas about anything you can think of are exchanged with really intelligent, creative, supportive and funny people.

Just now I was taking a break from an art project I am making (waiting for my modge podge to dry!) and decided to mosey on to BB Sher’s Forum. I clicked all over the place and then came across a post called: Yale Offering Free Classes on the Web under the forum called “Freebies and Donations”. Ok, this is crazy! I had absolutely NO idea that all these ivy league universities (Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley…) offer FREE classes online that you can download onto your computer. I clicked on one of the links and it took me to this page: Massive Resource List for All Autodidacts

so there you have it…I’m running right back to that page to see what amazing new things I can learn…watch out, world! my brain is ready to grow!! heellppp, I’ve been shrinking!

if it’s Sunday, you might want to start your day with Glide Memorial… July 29, 2007

I don’t think I am going to write a whole resume about Glide Memorial Church again cause I already did at my buddy Chris’ website Rad, Buddy!, But as I sit here, early Sunday morning, I am contemplating if I should get myself a bit of spiritual / gospel / inspiration…

Glide is the kind of “church” I can go to. It really doesn’t feel like a church, a place I did NOT grow up going to every week of my life (oh, and would I not have gone to Temple instead? but I didn’t do that either). Glide just feels good.

So without further ado, here are my comments about Glide. Good for visitors to San Francisco or YOU, who has lived here for over 10 years and never been. Try it out:

Michele’s Comments on Glide Memorial Church

Esther and Adan have a little boy… July 25, 2007

…and his name is Joa, short for Joachim.

ok, so if anyone deserves this child, it’s Esther and Adan. After many years of trying to conceive and finding out that they couldn’t, they decided to adopt a child. I’m not sure which organization they went through, but they wanted to adopt a baby whose biological mother decides while pregnant that she wants the baby to be adopted.
Esth and Adan had to got through all sorts of screening, create a sort of “brochure” about them, their lives, their friends, their family. And then, they must wait. They were so patient. They waited 8 months. Then I get a call from Esther a few weeks ago telling me that a young girl called them and wanted to meet them. She met them and surprise surprise, she chooses them.

The baby (they don’t want to know its gender until it is born, even though the biological mother knows ~ I think that’s great!!) is due end of August. So they organize a last party before the baby arrives for the beginning of August. A baby shower is organized for the middle of August.

Another call 2 days ago from Esther tells me that the baby is born. It’s a boy! His name is Joachim. He is born 5 weeks early, but healthy and fine. He has to stay in the hospital perhaps another week. The crazy thing is that they were visiting Esther’s brother in Canada and were CAMPING! Supposedly it took a while to reach them first. The baby was born on Saturday but they couldn’t get back till Monday! How’s that for a shocker!

Well, the pictures have already arrived this morning and OMG, little Joa is absolutely ADORABLE!!!

and so, a new chapter in their lives begins…congratulations Esther and Adan! Can’t wait to see little Joa avec Maman et Papa (I promise, I will only speak French to him!).

Bon Anniversaire, petit Joachim!  Born July 21st, 2007

Games of Love and Chance July 19, 2007

I just finished watching the French film “Games of Love and Chance”…I read a few reviews:
Village Voice
CineScene.com
and also on Netflix…Netflix review

I myself liked it. At first it seemed a bit annoying. Lots of screaming and even though I speak French fluently, I had to turn on the English subtitles because these are teenagers in the Paris Projects (HLM) who pretty much speak their own language. Lots of really fast and loud yelling. But eventually you grow to like (or at least be interested and curious about) each character for his/her unique personality. The filming itself also feels real, as though part of it was not prepared.
I’ve seen other such films where the quiet arab kid falls in love with the one beautiful blond girl who lives in the projects (See “Lila Says”). I got pulled into this one. The contrast/parallel story between these kids’ every day realities and the play that is being prepared in their class is well portrayed. One of the main characters, Kimo, just can’t get out or into the Harlekin character. The girl he falls for, Lydia, is sort of a star on stage, yet can’t make up her mind in real life (thus the title of the movie: L’Esquive ~ the Dodger).  By the end of the film you feel something pulling in your gut…I found myself rooting for Kimo and hoping to find the end I imagined…

I recommend it.

Quote of the day July 18, 2007

I found this quote online:

A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam.  And for a brief moment its glory and beauty belong to our world.  But then it flies on again, and though we wish it could have stayed, we feel so lucky to have seen it… 

The simplicity and wonders of massage… July 17, 2007

I woke up with a really tense neck this morning. Yeah, I probably slept in a bad position, but underneath that is the reality that I hold my tension in my neck and especially my shoulders. Then, as I was sitting at my computer this morning sipping my morning coffee, I stretched and somehow managed to tense up my shoulders even more by pulling something. Crap!

That was the beginning of an uncomfortable day. Not the end of the world, just not great. So I decided to lie down a bit longer (let’s not forget, this girl usually wakes up at 6:30am even though I don’t need to go to work until noon) and read in my new book calledThe Power of Focusing (recommended by a friend)…all about learning to listen to the language of your body. Quite appropriate, I may say.

Then I went to meet my friend Alice for breakfast. After that, still with pain in my shoulders, I walk back home and keep thinking: Gosh, I wish I could get a quick massage! Then I remember that the new nail place (there are WAY too many in my neighborhood) across the street had a sign that they give a 10 minute massage for $10. Well, that’s definitely not my #1 choice for a massage, but at this point I don’t care. Anyone rubbing my shoulders for 2 minutes would probably do wonders for me. I will save the $75 45-minute full-body massage with aromatherapy, streaming new-agey music in the background for another time. Right now I need a quick fix.

So I go and this Vietnamese girl who’s nice enough and keeps asking me if I want my nails done too (no, no and no again) finally sits me on a regular chair and gives me the 10 minute rubbing. WONDERS! Oh my God! This girl has fingers of steel. I love it. She keeps rubbing and massaging my neck, my left shoulder, my right shoulder…everywhere she massages I feel the bumps of my tense muscles. I close my eyes, take deep breaths and listen to KOIT on the radio. Well, at least I get to hear James Taylor singing “you’ve got a friend”, one of my favorite songs. If you can believe it, at one point I almost thought I was going to start crying. But that would’ve been REALLY REALLY embarrassing so I do manage to hold that thought.

And so now I’m home feeling so much better. The tension is still there, but so much less than 20 minutes ago. I can still feel the heat of the massage in my muscles. Hey, I think I may just go back to this girl next time I get a migraine or a stiff neck. In the meantime I will try to find a place for a full body 1 hour massage that I will treat myself to every once in a while.

And why am I so tense, you ask? After the emotions of losing Bob, our friend and fellow teacher, we found out that one of our former students from last semester, a 23 year old really sweet Thai girl called Suchira was killed in a car accident over the weekend on her way back from Los Angeles. That’s 2 losses in the past few weeks. It’s part of life, I know. But it’s sad, it’s unfortunate and the communication with all my students (I am the one who has everyone’s email addresses) brings the emotions back every time I get an email, call or visit. It’s ok. I want to be there for them. Perhaps it helps me too. But these emotions sit on my shoulders and that simple 10 minute massage will surely help me get through this challenge.

Be well, Suchira…(girl on the right with the long white dress).  There are many many people who miss you already…

So long Bob… July 16, 2007

Bob was a teacher at the Institute of International Students where I work. Bob went on his yearly trip to Greece (after Ireland). On June 22nd he was sitting in a cafe with his friend Stavos drinking coffee and laughing. Suddenly he had a heart attack and died. On August 23rd, he would have been 55. Oh man.

I heard about it while I was still in Germany. I couldn’t believe it. None of us could.

Yesterday was the Memorial for him and we met his parents, his sister, his wife, his son, his many friends. It was nice to be there, but also sad.

Who was Bob? He taught English at 3 different colleges. He lived in Germany for several years. He wrote, he played music, he loved the Rolling Stones, he played tennis. He was very proud of is son who is a soccer player. He always talked about him.

Bob was a quirky guy. He was unassuming, yet larger than life. He used to come into my office all the time and we’d talk about all sorts of topics. He was from New Jersey and I loved the fact that he was a typical East coaster. You could joke around with him, be a bit sarcastic, tease him and talk. Boy, could he talk. And his voice! His classroom door was always open and if you were walking down the hallway, you could always hear HIM speaking to his students.

When I found out about his passing, I informed all the students, present and past via email. I could not believe the responses I got. Emails from students who were long gone, back in their countries far away, phone calls, visits from present students. They all had to ask me if I was talking about THE Bob Dill that they had as a teacher. It was hard to have to say yes. What struck me most was the outpouring of kind words, memories and sadness that came from his students.

Yep Bob, I know you’re the last person who’d want so much attention, but by God, we will all really really miss you. Your loud voice, your comments, your cool way of being, your passion. You were a spark at the Institute. You affected the students in your own way. Sometimes we don’t really realize it until someone is gone, but you are one that I wish would come back so we could say to you: “ok, that was a bad joke, but man did we miss you! and can I tell you what a special guy you are??”

Obviously there is a big lesson to be learned here.

So long Bob. I will think of you often. You were a real guy, a real Mensch.

Back to basics… July 9, 2007

I just returned from 5 weeks in Germany where I visited my family. It was well needed and I will write more about it in another blog entry.

But this morning I want to write about how I have been feeling since I returned from Germany. This happens pretty much every year that I go. Somehow, going “home” re-energizes me. I spend a lot of time with my family, I have very little time to watch TV (except in the evenings with my parents, which is, believe it or not, an important time with them), sit at the computer (that feels good for a change), or even do anything that is ME oriented. It is a time of outward focus. When I return from that trip though, the inward focus is more extreme. I usually return with a new outlook on myself, which makes me conclude that this time “away from myself” is very good for me.

After I returned I first went through one week of the flu, which I caught there since the weather was so extreme. This weekend I finally was able to read, watch TV, spend time on the computer and think think think (here I go again). So what happens in that thinking when I return from Germany?

I ask myself what I want out of my life. Don’t worry, I ask myself this all the time, but somehow this short period of time after Germany I seem more active in that search, more organized (?), more focused.

I trying to find relaxation/meditation cds online for my parents, I spent a lot more time last night browsing through audible.com to find the perfect cd for them AND to see what else they had. Of course I found more CDs that I ended up purchasing. One of them is called “Glenn Harrold’s Ultimate Guide to Manifesting your Goals and Dreams”. I know I know, it sounds totally goofy and New Agey. But I am occasionally a total sucker for that kind of stuff IF I feel it has essence and quality. I have a real problem with so many people who call themselves experts at something just because they took a few seminars and workshops. Anyway, I was first able to listen to a sample on audible.com and I was impressed with the sound of this guy’s voice (british, calming yet strong) and the fact that the background music was not too annoying. So last night I lay down on my couch, put on my headphones, put on these eye shades (that I got on on my flight with Virgin Atlantic) for total darkness and listened to his soothing voice. At one point, Eduardo snuck into the living room and made me crack up for a few seconds…luckily I was able to get back into my “trance”.

I liked it. I liked what he said. It was simple, back to basics kind of words and suggestions (self-hypnotic) that I needed to hear. I will listen to it again tonight and the next night, etc… I want to see if it will help me take further steps towards creating the life that I am meant to live. In the beginning of the cd, he asks for the listener to think of a goal. He emphasizes the importance of first having to know what your goal is before you can try to reach it. I realized (again) that that has usually been my problem. I don’t KNOW what my goal is. I don’t know what exactly I want. Or perhaps I do know it, but I’m too afraid of it, or I have way too many and I can’t decide what is more important. Well, that’s a whole topic, isn’t it? (I can hear you, Peter! loud and clear!!)

So instead of freaking out trying to find my goal, I decided that my goal at this point is to “open my heart and mind to finding my direction”. In other words, not allowing blockages, fears, insecurities fog and distract from my path…a path in which I AM creative, open, communicative…a path in which I hone my talents and abilities…a path in which I accomplish goals…and a path in which I prosper financially too.

This morning I went online and found Eric Maisel’s newsletter that I subscribe to. Eric Maisel is an author and Creativity Coach who lives in San Francisco. I first came across him when my friend Thi Thi got me his book called “A Writer’s San Francisco”, which I read in one night. I’ve been meaning to get more of his books and look at his website more carefully, but never quite got round to it until this morning. I clicked on the link to his latest book called “Ten Zen Seconds” and began to read about his blog tour dates as well as clicking on a few people whom he visited and discussed his new book with. These people have their own blogs, are artists, writers, creative beings who are also on their own path to realizing their true selves. I can get lost in reading these for hours.

So what is my point here (cause don’t worry…I’m also getting tired…)? These actions I took this morning are a perfect example of discovering a new tool, a new “instructions manual” for taking the next step in the right direction. I don’t know if I will get his book. I don’t know if it will help me. All I know is that the signs and the messages are always out there. Sometimes they are louder and clearer. Sometimes they are just a whisper and you need to be quiet for a moment so that you can hear them. I am an example of one who sometimes hears them, sometimes not, sometimes ignores them, sometimes follows through with them. But life is an experience and if I am lucky enough to live another 40 years, I hope I can look back one day and take my lessons and say to myself: Well done, girl. Now go out there and teach what you’ve learned!