Good bye!

Leaving in 45 minutes.  Telling Troy goodbye was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.  I couldn't fight back the tears that rolled down my face as he drove away headed to work.  Below is my good bye video for you, my faithful audience, and to my friends and family.  I love you and will miss you all.  And music.  And books.  And my kitties.  And my iPhone.  And the Internet.  Pepsi and chocolate milk.  And food.  :)

Good bye!  Signing off.  Metta, Karen

IPhone still dead

I am very sad to report that first attempt to revive beloved iPhone has failed.  I will make one last attempt when I get home from work.  If still no go, we'll have to break down and go get another phone.  An expense, I really, really didn't want to have to shell out.

If it still doesn't work I'm leaving it in rice until I return from my retreat.  If it works then, I may have an extra iPhone for sell ... cheap ....

washed iPhone and our second video

i must be taking this whole silence thing a lot more seriously than i ever realized.  i managed to wash my iPhone early this morning. don't ask what it was doing in my bathrobe pocket and why, today, of all days, i decided to wash my bathrobe. 

on the brighter side of things (i remain optimist, yet realistic), internet research shows a high probability of success in iPhone recovery.  many (and i mean a lot) people suggested placing the phone in an air-tight container with white rice, then placing the container in a warm place for at least two days.  (click on the title of this blog to read the many, many posts of people having success with rice and the back of their computer monitor.  of course, that requires one of them old-time monitors no one has anymore, so the fridge or dryer vent has to do.)

put on the brakes!!!  what??? you say???

two..days..without..a..phone..two..days..before..i..go..out..of..town

wow.  i said a lot of synchronous events had been happening lately, but this one kinda freaks me out.

 so if you text or call, i swear i'm not ignoring you!  if you've got the number call me on troy's phone - or send me an email at my windsong address and i'll call you back.

results of iPhone recovery test to be announced tuesday morning.  if it doesn't work by tuesday afternoon, we'll be making a quick trip to the AT&T store.  i hope it works because i really, really don't want to have to lay the money out for yet another iPhone.  i had to pay full price for this one originally because i wasn't eligible for the upgrade yet and i'm still not eligible until november!!

we just created another crystal bowl video and it's currently being processed on youTube.  it was funny how the first two comments from people who never sat in group before but saw the previous video we posted were:

1. what part was the bowl?  i couldn't tell if there was music playing or not.
        there was very light music in the background but most of what you hear is bowls.
2. wow!  those are REALLY big bowls!  i didn't realize they were THAT big!
        yeah, i know.  lucky me because i get personal, on-demand performances.  :)

yes, it's true.  my husband has big bowls.  the word is out.

so, in response to the question what do just the bowls sound like, we've created our second video of 10-minutes with just the sound of troy playing the crystal bowl.  i've watched quite a few crystal bowl videos and i have to say, i think it's the best 10-minute crystal bowl video i have ever heard.  please comment and let us know what you think about it.  turn the volume up (or wear headphones if you have a lot of external noise), take off your shoes, put your bare feet flat on the floor (or sit on the floor), close your eyes, and relax until the bowls fade...and beyond...

Namaste

-------

May all beings be free.
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
-------

Metta

10 things for 10 days

In true, Karen and Keri* style, I proudly present to you, my faithful readers, the LIST of 10 THINGS I WON'T HAVE TO DO FOR 10 DAYS and 10 THINGS I WILL MISS FOR 10 DAYS while I am away for the Vipassana course!

I won't have to...

1. GO TO WORK! GO TO WORK! GO TO WORK! HAHA!! HEHE!!
2. laundry.
3. wash dishes.
4. feed animals.
5. pay bills.
6. put on make-up.
7. wear perfume or hairspray
8. deal with rush hour traffic
9. cook
10. clean...ANYTHING (well, other than myself, that is, but i don't HAVE to!)

but, I will miss...

1. TROY (horribly, terribly...painfully...IYKWIM**)
2. Steven
3. my family
4. my friends 
5. our meditation group (especially since I'll be missing the chanting meditation!) 
6. my kitties 
7. music 
8. books
9. chocolate milk
10. food, in general :)

* Keri is a fellow list-aholic
** stupid, inside co-worker joke

Go to my insightfoundinside blog to read about my remaining few days of preparation as THE day approaches...

(Sorry, Troy, but the birds did not make the Top 10 things I will miss.... hahaha)

social engineering <> social networking

We all know that Facebook loves to collect our personal data, browsing history, posting history, etc.  We also know they use this data to target specific potential customers for advertisers on their web site. It makes perfect sense and, in all honesty, is a fair trade.  Or, at least, I think so.  After all, we are using their resources for our personal and/or professional use with unlimited storage space for photos, an immense networking system; and it's FREE!!!  Seems a fair trade that they use our data to target us for specific advertising to pay for all the free technology we are using.

I think most would agree that most women generally, do not share their age.  Vanity, I guess.  I've never cared if people knew my age.  (I'm 44, just to prove my point.)  I'm not hung up on the whole, "I'm getting old" thing or anything like that based on some stupid number.  I'm still me and me has no age. Well, except for when you are looking through old photographs and gasp at how you looked fill-in-the-blank years ago.  Even then it is more about "how" you looked at a point in your life, than the age you were when you looked that way.

Back to the ads.  I've noticed a trend in some of the Facebook ads that is, disturbing.  No, not the funky baby ad or Obama Mama go back to college ads with a hairy guy and the caption, "So easy a Cave Mom could do it!".  Although, I must admit, I thought that was pretty darn funny the first time I read it!

The ads are targeting a specific age group.  Understandable.  Makes sense.  (Re-read and keep reading the first paragraph until you do get it.)  My question is why in God's name did they think it was beneficial to incorporate the user's age into the graphic?  Especially when they know the person looking at the ad is a woman!

Wouldn't it make sense that for certain age ranges, displaying the age wouldn't be a good thing?  Women who are self-conscious about their age are being constantly reminded how old they are.

I am not age sensitive and these ads have made me more aware of my age now than ever before.  I am 44.  I don't walk around thinking it all the time.  "I'm 44."  "Hello, I'm 44."  It's something I just know.

But every day I see ads on Facebook reminding me that I'm 44...AND female and live in Florida!

I am doomed!

'Cuz I'm just a girl...

it's a mad world

I have loved this song since the day I first heard it.  Not announcing depression here, just wanted to post the song so I'd have easy access to the lyrics.  I do feel like it is, to some degree, a Bipolar-theme song for me, though.



It's a Mad World by Tears for Fears

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places
Worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going no where
Going no where
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression
No expression
Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow
No tomorrow
No tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles it's a very very
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday
Happy birthday
And to feel the way that every child should
Sits and listen
Sits and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me
No one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me
Look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles it's a very very
Mad world
Mad world
Mad World
Mad world
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles it's a very very
Mad world
Mad world
Enlarging your world
Mad world

things i can cook

it's a very short list, actually.  but of the few things i claim i can cook, i also claim i can cook them fairly well.  or at least, well enough, that people don't get sick and some even come back for second helpings.

here are some of the things I think I make fairly well

• Chili
• Spaghetti
• Chicken 'n' Dumplin's
• Chicken Tortelleni
• Apple Crumb Dessert
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Lasagna
• Pot Roast
• Hamburgers
• Baked Chicken

the Chicken Pot Pie is a new addition to "the list".  It is so easy to make!  It's also one of those that tastes even better on the second day.  I have to stop Troy or he will gorge himself on it!   I'm a fairly bland cook and not very experimental, so dress it up however you think it will taste the best!

Ingredients:

• 16 oz frozen mixed vegetables - OR - 16 oz fresh mixed vegetables, cooked - OR - 16 oz can mixed vegetables
• 1 can Cream of Chicken condensed soup
• 1/2-cup milk
• 1 frozen pie shell
• 12 oz chopped chicken (I use fresh - not frozen - Perdue cooked chicken strips. the honey coated is the best!)
• 1 Pillsbury pie shell refrigerated dough (remove from refrigerator before preparing mixture to allow dough to reach room temperature before handling.  if too cold, the dough will stick and you will not be able to easily unroll it.)

Cook/heat vegetables until slightly tender.  Add can Cream of Chicken condensed soup and stir well.  Add 1/2-cup milk and stir well.  Add chicken and desired seasonings. Mix well.

Pour mixture into frozen pie shell.  Spread evenly in pie shell.  Unroll Pillsbury pie shell dough.  Center over prepared pie shell.  Pinche edges to seal.  Trim excess pieces.  Cut four holes in top to vent.

Cook at 375 degress for 1 hour.