Soul meets body

I'd like to live where soul meets body too; maybe I could catch a cab there.

Life lessons

Sometimes good people do bad things.

It's better to be tired from doing too much than bored from doing nothing.

Before eating peach ice cream, it's important to make sure someone isn't about to tell you a story about a boy slicing open the main artery in his arm.

NKOTB

They're back! Yes, they're still really cheesy, but Jordan and Joey are also still really hot, and I love their new song. That's right...I'm not afraid to admit that I've sought out and played the song several times this morning. Click here to listen. Good stuff. Brings back memories of Jones Beach and high school, especially of the performance they did in our auditorium. Whether or not you were a fan (I'm pretty sure I pretended I wasn't, but I was secretly crushing), it was pretty exciting to have them right there.

Stress

It's evil. Insidious. And in my case, quite internally generated. Until recently that is. My long vacation from real life allowed me to analyze my stress level and how it related to my happiness level and also my ability to effectively interact with the people around me. I've been on high alert for any sign that I'm beginning to either create unneccessary stress for myself or allow legitimate stress to take over my life and personality ever since. So far it has been working extremely well. Nothing has really changed except the way that I choose to react to situations and problems. Mind over matter...it can be done! Now I live much more in the moment and enjoy much more of my time with my children. The house is messier, a bill almost got paid late last week, and my schedule got thrown completely off by a three-hour nap today, but the truly important things are much improved. If I can keep this up, my head will have gone from a stressed-out to a stress-reduced zone; stress-free being far too ambitious. ;-)

Never give up?

There are two facts that are a constant source of upset to me and my rational mind: George Bush will not leave Iraq, and Hillary Clinton will not leave the race for the Democratic nomination. They both believe, no doubt, that they are exhibiting great strength and perseverance by "staying the course." Bollocks, I say. Refusing to see reality or admit the truth is not a sign of strength but of denial, proof of nothing more than stubbornness and fear of failure. These weaknesses are staining their personal legacies and threatening the future of our great country. Giving up is not weak when it saves lives or allows others to succeed. Sometimes it is simply the right thing to do.

Yikes

For months it has been tripping me out that I can say I have a five-year-old, and as of today I have a three-year-old too. The first thing this means is that an impossible amount of time has passed. The second, and more maddening, thing is the fact that there are now two little maniacs living in my house. Up until this point there was one maniac and one sweet boy, but in the last month Julien has turned into a growling, punching, Lego-gun-building, fit-throwing, "No"-screaming, scrunchy-faced monster. One of my many nicknames for him, Hooligan, is now sadly appropriate. As this transformation is undoubtedly not reversing itself anytime soon, and Riahna shows no signs of suddenly becoming a quiet, obedient angel-child, my only hope is that I'm able to maintain a calm and patient force to withstand their combined attacks. I'm in trouble.