January: things I think are just great

Things I think are just great:

** Year in Review: found here:

A great way to make fun, creative, unique, practical goals for the coming year. From my experience, best when done with a good friend.


** Thai Massage

Last Sunday I attended a free Thai Massage event to kick off the career of a new masseuse. Thai massage is a unique form of massage that employs various Buddhist meditation and yoga principles. The masseuse uses different stretching techniques on the client to release tension and bring a sense of mental and physical peace. As a viewer, this form of massage is graceful and beautiful as the masseuse uses his/her whole body to release tension in the client. I was lucky enough to receive a massage from one of Chicago’s finest masseuses, and I would highly, highly recommend this form of massage if you’d like to treat yourself. Edgewater’s Yoga Now now hosts Blake , who is also a well-respected masseuse.


** NPR Song-a-Day

I am slowly becoming a radio addict. Now, on top of desiring a land line and a New York times delivered each morning to my door, I want to listen to the radio constantly. I found myself sitting drinking tea next to the radio over my Christmas vacation. Furthermore, I was introduced to excellent music through Song-a-Day – check it out!!

Reflections from So. Ill.

I just watched The Last King of Scotland. Great movie. Awful idea to watch it before sleeping. Because then sleep doesn't happen and one finds oneself... blogging. About beauty. Because beauty is needed after such a lesson in history.

The film is about Amin, the self-imposed president of Uganda from 1971-1979. He is responsible for an estimated 300,000 deaths. Classic dictatorship/terror storyline -- thousands being killed, yet the United Nations accepted Uganda to the UN Commission on Human Rights. (Shoot, is that my cynicism escaping?)

Anyway, back to reflections. For Christmas I received a compilation of poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke. A classic, I know, but I was only somewhat introduced previously. I tend to muse over a poem for a few days before being able to move on to another. There's a line from Lament that is melting in my mouth like a... jolly rancher? (I never eat those! Why does that come first to mind???)... like a... piece of dark chocolate. (Mm. Better.)

"I would like to step out of my heart

and go walking beneath the enormous sky."

I've been in Southern Illinois for the past week, and have spent time with some gems.

"Irreligious and devoted": Roger. A dear friend, mentor, coach, author. I have never met someone who dreams as big as Roger. He inspires me to fill space with dreams that are too unrealistic to plan. He urges me to run straight down my lane of hurdles, with my eyes only on the finish line. Roger loves people practically with no expectations or motives. He is the most competitive, driven, devoted man I've met. He used to wrestle. If I were a wrestler, I would *never* dare to face him.

"It's your heart palpitation.": G.M. A friend whose presence does the same for me as does a walk in the crisp, cold night air. The complexity of life clears, calms and life regains its beauty. G. is a poet, and seems to make my words sound better. For example, I told him of my dancing. He saw my eyes light up and sat back, smiling. "It seems like it's one of your heart palpitations," he observed. Dale. I'll take that. I'm ready to submerge myself in life once again.

"Hello, my dear!": Mentor, close friend, sister, mother, counselor. A woman who's known me since age 14, who buys my Christmas gifts months in advance (a beautiful wooden tea chest), and who knows the perfect moment, amidst my tears, to make me laugh. Her inventiveness, endless list of ideas, desire to learn, and loyalty make life sparkle. I feel grounded, soothed, and mentally stimulated in her presence. I realized my cheeks hurt from smiling.

Final thoughts about life in a small[er] town: garden gloves are what litter the side of the road, I heard the flapping of twenty blackbirds leave a bare tree as I hiked past, I *did* go walking beneath the enormous pearl-like sky, the owner of my favorite night-spot stayed late until G.M. and I finished our conversation, a store owner flipped his sign back to "open" when I peeked in his window, I paused in my run to listen to geese pass through my part of the sky.

Here's to beauty, magical people, 65 degree days in December, and Rilke's Palm.

Shout out for great organization: Arcus Foundation

I would like to give my support and cheers to the Arcus Foudation.

"The mission of the Arcus Foundation is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes."


Enough said.

Hearing

What I've been excited about and listening to lately:


3. Kings of Leon: Only By The Night
Rocker'esk. Energetic. Catchy. I can't wait to put them on my iPod and go for a hard run.

2. The ReMINDers: ReCollect
Hip hop couple currently residing in CO. He sounds like JayZ, her voice blows my mind. They're politically conscious, hopeful and inspiring. I saw them last week at Community Cafe, hosted by IMAN. (You should check out the next Cafe. It was excellent.)

1. The Silent Years
I don't have their album yet, but I've been sampling. They're opening for Longwave at the Double Door on Dec. 17. I'm stoked to go. They have such different sounds -- folk, acoustic, rock... they go loud and energetic and soft and pensive. LOVE THEM.

Enjoy!!!

Shout out for my fav Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals released Cardinology on October 28.

I rarely can give one answer to a "favorite ever" question, except that Ryan Adams is my favorite musician ever.

I don't find their new album to differ too greatly that past albums, and in truth it isn't INCREDIBLE, but it's fresh and new Ryan Adam's sound, so I'm in.

Check it out:

http://www.losthighwayrecords.com/artist/releases/release.aspx?pid=1755&aid=58.

Things I think are just great - Post #2

Fall has arrived. The air smells like fall, leaves crunch and blow, and every morning I sprint from my warm bed through my freezing apartment to the stove to make tea.

Things you should take advantage of:

A morning or dusk on the lakefront. The air and wind is crisp, but not too cold. The sunsets are gentle and layered, and the water is a deep sea green. Today on my bike ride home, a man was painting the horizon, a few men were snapping photos, and other young people had simply put down their bikes to sit for a while.

Honey crisp apples from a farmers' market. I got mine this past Tuesday at Dearborn/Adams. They're the best apples I've ever had -- and I know apples. Check out the Green City Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I'm sure they're there as well.

An out-of-city trip. Tomorrow a friend and I are taking our bikes on the Metra post-work and traveling out of the city to ride.

Learning about Eritrea. This might not improve your joy and faith in humanity's goodness, but eat a honey crisp apple while reading and it should balance you a bit. Few people know about Eritrea, yet it is one of the world's leaders in human rights violations. The government forces young men and women into the military, where they are tortured, mistreated and the women often raped. Check out Human Rights Watch or the BBC for articles on Eritrea and the surrounding countries in the Horn of Africa.

Dictionary.com's Word-a-Day. It makes speaking more adventurous. Recent favorite words: enervate. slugabed. repine.