Friday, September 28, 2007
Poodles...
Not good for monks... or anyone else for that matter
The travesty that is and has been the political situation in Burma continues. This latest report from the BBC regarding civilian casualties is just another horrific reminder of the price most people in the world must pay for something those of us in countries with free election take for granted.
I'm inspired as always by the people of Burma, who had the courage to take action at the polls, only to find themselves silenced, and who now, in the face of death, maintain that courage to achieve a life they feel is truly worth living.
I admit I was a bit unsure as to if the hilarious but unkempt Jim Carrey was really the most likely choice for a spokesperson for the cause, but perhaps these most recent events following on the heels of his infamous youtube video may help people draw the thread and find time to take action.
Let us hope that the world is finally ready to listen to their voice and aid them in their fight to be heard.
I'm inspired as always by the people of Burma, who had the courage to take action at the polls, only to find themselves silenced, and who now, in the face of death, maintain that courage to achieve a life they feel is truly worth living.
I admit I was a bit unsure as to if the hilarious but unkempt Jim Carrey was really the most likely choice for a spokesperson for the cause, but perhaps these most recent events following on the heels of his infamous youtube video may help people draw the thread and find time to take action.
Let us hope that the world is finally ready to listen to their voice and aid them in their fight to be heard.
And while I'm on my soapbox...
Another topic near to my heart, again, within the space of advocating for responsible and ethical development in the Truckee Meadows, is the proposed development of Rosewood Canyon.
I don't believe we should allow any development in the canyon or the wash whatsoever. Development of this area will increase flood and fire danger and pose unacceptable risk to life and property, threatens endangered floral species and is just generally going to be an eyesore.
We should all be fighting to preserve the open spaces left to us in our local communities. Natural beauty is one of the main reasons we all choose to live in places that are not in the heart of urban environments... yet somehow, we all let it go and then only find time to complain when they erect condos that block our views or break ground on a shopping mall. Let your voice be heard BEFORE the open space in your community is gone.
Let's hope we continue to have success in keeping development out of Rosewood. After 20+ years of saying no, you'd hope someday someone would listen for good.
I don't believe we should allow any development in the canyon or the wash whatsoever. Development of this area will increase flood and fire danger and pose unacceptable risk to life and property, threatens endangered floral species and is just generally going to be an eyesore.
We should all be fighting to preserve the open spaces left to us in our local communities. Natural beauty is one of the main reasons we all choose to live in places that are not in the heart of urban environments... yet somehow, we all let it go and then only find time to complain when they erect condos that block our views or break ground on a shopping mall. Let your voice be heard BEFORE the open space in your community is gone.
Let's hope we continue to have success in keeping development out of Rosewood. After 20+ years of saying no, you'd hope someday someone would listen for good.
Protests this weekend to stop animal testing
Charles River Laboratories plans to open another test facility in Reno, this one employing around 800 to 900 people and thousands of animals in preclinical research.
It's fascinating, when you consider the amount of red-tape a facility like this should have gone through to initiate a second base of operations in the Truckee Meadows, that media coverage is virtually nil. The link above is an rgj featured blogger, but not an "official" rgj column... apparently that article has yet to be published. And I find that fascinating, in this news-starved town, where regular calls from reporters seeking mere tidbits from the companies I've worked with have been de rigeur, someone wouldn't pick this potentially volatile and certainly emotional issue and really run with it.
I'll say it frankly: I do not support animal testing. I believe there are a wide variety of alternatives to animal testing that have proven enormously successful in the prevention and treatment of human disease and prolonging life. We do not have to choose to make trade-offs when it comes to the quality of human life or animal life. This amazing planet of ours is made to sustain both. We are built to inquire, to innovate, to analyze and to be creative. It is in our DNA to ask impossible questions and discover the answers. And we need not choose to harm in the course of that exploration.
The kind of community I want to live in does not choose dollars over ethics. When our city council and city planners make unacceptable trade-offs that jeopardize our environment and the quality of life we want to have, it is the responsibility of each of us to let them know.
It is my position that Charles River Laboratories should never have been invited to open their Sparks location, and they should not be permitted to open another in Reno.
It's fascinating, when you consider the amount of red-tape a facility like this should have gone through to initiate a second base of operations in the Truckee Meadows, that media coverage is virtually nil. The link above is an rgj featured blogger, but not an "official" rgj column... apparently that article has yet to be published. And I find that fascinating, in this news-starved town, where regular calls from reporters seeking mere tidbits from the companies I've worked with have been de rigeur, someone wouldn't pick this potentially volatile and certainly emotional issue and really run with it.
I'll say it frankly: I do not support animal testing. I believe there are a wide variety of alternatives to animal testing that have proven enormously successful in the prevention and treatment of human disease and prolonging life. We do not have to choose to make trade-offs when it comes to the quality of human life or animal life. This amazing planet of ours is made to sustain both. We are built to inquire, to innovate, to analyze and to be creative. It is in our DNA to ask impossible questions and discover the answers. And we need not choose to harm in the course of that exploration.
The kind of community I want to live in does not choose dollars over ethics. When our city council and city planners make unacceptable trade-offs that jeopardize our environment and the quality of life we want to have, it is the responsibility of each of us to let them know.
It is my position that Charles River Laboratories should never have been invited to open their Sparks location, and they should not be permitted to open another in Reno.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Snow monsters
I'm planning a trip... and anxious to hear from anyone who's skiied or boarded in Japan. Backcountry preferred, naturally. Tell me about your experiences with the snow monsters?
One more reason New Zealand rocks
Funny. Funny. Funny.
Everything about the Conchords is just plain hi-digi-larious, right down to their eyebrows.
What can I say except: I wish I were a.k.a. hipopapotamus?!
Forever in flight
My thoughts are with the families and friends of the air racers who lost their lives this week.
Take a moment to celebrate these amazing spirits, who though gone from this life, continue their bold flights in the next. They did what they love and that's something I think most of us spend more time just wishing about.
The one thing I've learned from the pilots I've known: understand the risks associated with the sport or activity you're passionate about and decide if you are willing to accept them... because from that place of honest endeavor, you will find true joy.
While we never want to see a pilot hurt, or lost forever, the Association has made the right call, and honors the memories of the fallen, by allowing the races to continue this year and into the future. It takes courage to make these kinds of decisions in the midst of tragedy and fear.
Rest in Peace Steve, Brad and Gary.
Take a moment to celebrate these amazing spirits, who though gone from this life, continue their bold flights in the next. They did what they love and that's something I think most of us spend more time just wishing about.
The one thing I've learned from the pilots I've known: understand the risks associated with the sport or activity you're passionate about and decide if you are willing to accept them... because from that place of honest endeavor, you will find true joy.
While we never want to see a pilot hurt, or lost forever, the Association has made the right call, and honors the memories of the fallen, by allowing the races to continue this year and into the future. It takes courage to make these kinds of decisions in the midst of tragedy and fear.
Rest in Peace Steve, Brad and Gary.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Ways to live: Why I love people who love to travel
There is nothing in the world like a good adventure, goldarnit.
Shout out to Matt, for getting out there in the name of that cause, and for having the courage to be a little silly while doing it. His adventuring antics even caught the eye of Stride gum: they now feature him on their website and have sponsored his traveling bug.
You gotta love this guy! In addition to being a great dancer, he seems to love trivia even more than I do. Imagine how excited I was to learn via his site that I also have a Darwinian tubercule. (Google it trivia hounds, and no, it's not anything gross!)
Fellow adventurers, take heart! Whenever a roll-around on your deskchair seems like the most traveling you will ever do in this lifetime, think like Matt. If you really want it, Nike it. And remember, it doesn't hurt to be willing to dance for it either...
Shout out to Matt, for getting out there in the name of that cause, and for having the courage to be a little silly while doing it. His adventuring antics even caught the eye of Stride gum: they now feature him on their website and have sponsored his traveling bug.
You gotta love this guy! In addition to being a great dancer, he seems to love trivia even more than I do. Imagine how excited I was to learn via his site that I also have a Darwinian tubercule. (Google it trivia hounds, and no, it's not anything gross!)
Fellow adventurers, take heart! Whenever a roll-around on your deskchair seems like the most traveling you will ever do in this lifetime, think like Matt. If you really want it, Nike it. And remember, it doesn't hurt to be willing to dance for it either...
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The sucking expanse of joy
In re-reading one of my old journals, I came across this quotation today: "There is enough joy inside you to hold off any darkness. Take the time to find it and send it out the universe."*
I don't know about you, but every so often, I wake in the morning full of hope, only to be brought low by some series of daily events, or some memory that simply won't disappear as quickly as it should, and the rest of my day is either me, finding my stiff upper lip and inventing some way to ignore the stormclouds or, me, desperately searching the internet and coaching resources and the historical library of my life for some sign of hope that things aren't really as bad as they seem.
I was a bit heavy on the latter this morning, I admit it. Today was more of a wallowing self-pity party hidden under a cloak of self-improvement research than it was a study in acceptance and forgiveness. Shame, shame, I know my own name... but...
Excuse? Reason?
Well, honestly, despite having had a great weekend that helped me be grateful and confident in all the blessings that underline my life, I just could not stop thinking about an interaction I had with a former friend last week.
Obviously, it wasn't a good interaction, or I'd not be using the word "former" to describe her.
I sat down this morning and I took a little mental inventory of my life. And I've got to tell you, after years of feeling out of control, or at best, somewhat out of control bordering on ready to move to a small island in the south seas, my life is finally starting to feel more like a cozy cardigan with interesting buttons than a pair of wet socks with holes. I often have a sense I've gained a handle on some of the stuff I can get a handle on. I've believe I've made some good, solid choices. I've invited mentors and coaches into my life who I sense will help me be a better person. I have accepted the spiritual side of my being. I've learned to ask for help. I'm getting better at taking risks. I am learning to cook on my George Foreman grill, instead of just eating popcorn for dinner.
After spending yet another day stewing on this deal with my friend, it occurred to me:
1) Yes, it's true, there are two points of view to every situation of this kind, and no, you don't control each other's experience of reality (but I already knew that, darn it!)
and
2) The primary job of an Ending is to create a New Beginning (wait, I knew that already too!!!).
So, what did I actually learn???
Well, I guess closer to the truth is a derivative of the above: Endings are like yoga teachers with a really dark sense of humor. That's why more often that not, they choose to twist you like a pretzel until you are crying and delirious and uncertain which part of your anatomy hurts most, so you can either just start laughing or hope the pain ends by the time you fall asleep. From this position, it's slightly easier to admit you're ready to try something different, no matter how mad about it you might be. Although, it is much, much more difficult to take yourself too seriously.
I love my friend. I would never have imagined or predicted a situation in which we would be so unable to communicate that what had been a good relationship would end up looking terribly like the last few unrefrigerated bites of a month-old tuna casserole. I am angry about this situation. I am even, dare I say it, indignant. I am still absolutely, positively, 100% without a doubt certain, that I AM RIGHT. The under evolved part of me wants to pound my fists and stomp my feet, maybe right into my friend's face, and tell her I AM RIGHT. And the slightly liberated and centered part of me would be more than willing to say, hey, I quite think I'm right, but I really don't care anymore, because I love you and this was all a stupid misunderstanding, and I just want you back as my buddy, life is sooo short, can't we get along?
But neither of those scenarios is going to play out. My friendship with this person is over. And I'm going to try my best to focus on the lesson in that quote instead of how crummy I feel about this loss. I do believe I have that joy inside me. I can feel it rolling around underneath the grumpy, sorrowful, self-pitying cloud. It's time to let it light the way...
Anybody got a tip on how to do that?
*Note: I have a sneaky suspicion I culled that quote from some internet horoscope back in 2005. Does this quasi-cosmic origin lend more or less weight to the sentiments expressed in this post?
I don't know about you, but every so often, I wake in the morning full of hope, only to be brought low by some series of daily events, or some memory that simply won't disappear as quickly as it should, and the rest of my day is either me, finding my stiff upper lip and inventing some way to ignore the stormclouds or, me, desperately searching the internet and coaching resources and the historical library of my life for some sign of hope that things aren't really as bad as they seem.
I was a bit heavy on the latter this morning, I admit it. Today was more of a wallowing self-pity party hidden under a cloak of self-improvement research than it was a study in acceptance and forgiveness. Shame, shame, I know my own name... but...
Excuse? Reason?
Well, honestly, despite having had a great weekend that helped me be grateful and confident in all the blessings that underline my life, I just could not stop thinking about an interaction I had with a former friend last week.
Obviously, it wasn't a good interaction, or I'd not be using the word "former" to describe her.
I sat down this morning and I took a little mental inventory of my life. And I've got to tell you, after years of feeling out of control, or at best, somewhat out of control bordering on ready to move to a small island in the south seas, my life is finally starting to feel more like a cozy cardigan with interesting buttons than a pair of wet socks with holes. I often have a sense I've gained a handle on some of the stuff I can get a handle on. I've believe I've made some good, solid choices. I've invited mentors and coaches into my life who I sense will help me be a better person. I have accepted the spiritual side of my being. I've learned to ask for help. I'm getting better at taking risks. I am learning to cook on my George Foreman grill, instead of just eating popcorn for dinner.
After spending yet another day stewing on this deal with my friend, it occurred to me:
1) Yes, it's true, there are two points of view to every situation of this kind, and no, you don't control each other's experience of reality (but I already knew that, darn it!)
and
2) The primary job of an Ending is to create a New Beginning (wait, I knew that already too!!!).
So, what did I actually learn???
Well, I guess closer to the truth is a derivative of the above: Endings are like yoga teachers with a really dark sense of humor. That's why more often that not, they choose to twist you like a pretzel until you are crying and delirious and uncertain which part of your anatomy hurts most, so you can either just start laughing or hope the pain ends by the time you fall asleep. From this position, it's slightly easier to admit you're ready to try something different, no matter how mad about it you might be. Although, it is much, much more difficult to take yourself too seriously.
I love my friend. I would never have imagined or predicted a situation in which we would be so unable to communicate that what had been a good relationship would end up looking terribly like the last few unrefrigerated bites of a month-old tuna casserole. I am angry about this situation. I am even, dare I say it, indignant. I am still absolutely, positively, 100% without a doubt certain, that I AM RIGHT. The under evolved part of me wants to pound my fists and stomp my feet, maybe right into my friend's face, and tell her I AM RIGHT. And the slightly liberated and centered part of me would be more than willing to say, hey, I quite think I'm right, but I really don't care anymore, because I love you and this was all a stupid misunderstanding, and I just want you back as my buddy, life is sooo short, can't we get along?
But neither of those scenarios is going to play out. My friendship with this person is over. And I'm going to try my best to focus on the lesson in that quote instead of how crummy I feel about this loss. I do believe I have that joy inside me. I can feel it rolling around underneath the grumpy, sorrowful, self-pitying cloud. It's time to let it light the way...
Anybody got a tip on how to do that?
*Note: I have a sneaky suspicion I culled that quote from some internet horoscope back in 2005. Does this quasi-cosmic origin lend more or less weight to the sentiments expressed in this post?
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