Reaching Polaris

Transmission 6-10

2010-09-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.transmission610.com/

This is a must see documentary.

I just realized I know nothing.

Watch full free documentary at this link, I chose you tube, but downloading options are also available.

Feedback??????

The Dirty 30's - We've Earned It.

2010-05-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

Well, its arrived. The big 30. The moment where every women is reduced to tears and forced to contemplate her life's purpose. The actual "mid life crises".

A funny thing happened that night. It felt good. The weeks ahead brought more good feelings. Being 30 is kind of liberating. It forced me to finally accept who I was and where I was in my life, and work on making that better instead of changing everything.

Oddly, I don't hear a clock ticking anymore to accomplish all these amazing things by 30. The pressure is off, and the confidence is on.

My hair didn't fall out or turn grey overnight and I got ID'd the next weekend for buying a bottle of wine.

Anyone else had experiences they would like to share?

I'm on twitter???

2009-02-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

I've decided to give twitter another chance, and I'm finding friends to follow. Although here in Canada, there is still a lack of sms capability, Twitter has proven to be a great networking tool and looks like a lot of fun as well. We will see if I can actually make some friends and use well. If you are already on board, feel free to add me and send me some tips!

See you out there!

http://twitter.com/jedichica

Creating Balance, cleaning the clutter

2008-12-16T05:19:00.000-08:00

All my life I've been a pack rat. I've saved everything I could get my hands on for that rainy day I might need it. From cardboard boxes to empty candle holders to clothing tags, I would not throw anything out.

Growing up, it would be torture having to clean my room, my friends would try to help me, only to realize I was hopeless. I would assign special meaning to everything, and feel I was loosing a best friend in a twist tie.

As an adult, I moved into my apartment with a massive amount of accumulated clutter. I moved it around in baskets, and piled it in the closet. Each time I looked at it, it would be a surprise, or new find I had forgotten about.

About a year ago, I cleaned my room. I made myself throw out just a few items of clothes. It was surprisingly addictive, the next time I threw out more, a huge box the time after that and then I hit the garbage in my room.

I felt so much more balanced, like I could breathe. My room became more inviting, more motivating, my mind lighter.

I still have a long way to go if I want to become a minimalist (and I do), but for now, one box at a time, its all going out.

Try it! Let me know your experiences or thoughts on purging, or tips to help pack rats like me take bigger plunges.

A life skill coach idea: Wise self-talk and the secret of energy

2008-11-11T00:34:00.000-08:00

A life skill coach idea: Wise self-talk and the secret of energy

This is a great site, this article was very useful. Check out all the articles for work place moral issues, internal peace, and some wise words to think about.

Add StumbleUpon button to blogger(XML Layouts)

2008-11-11T00:15:00.000-08:00

Add StumbleUpon button to blogger(XML Layouts)

FINALLY it has been done!!!! This fine blog HERE has made a widgit for stumble upon to be used with blogger.

No more code nightmares for people like me (and maybe you).

THANK YOU

Creepy Skittles ad - Entertainment Videos | thevine.com.au

2008-11-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

I want to rip out my eyes.

Creepy Skittles ad - Entertainment Videos | thevine.com.au

You will not be disappointed. Seriously.

Seven Steps for Overcoming Ego’s Hold on You > Wayne W. Dyer

2008-10-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

Seven Steps for Overcoming Ego’s Hold on You > Wayne W. Dyer

This is a great article, and it is truly words to live by! Its similar I find to a book I love called 'The four Agreements', and offers some simple rules to live by.

Happy reading, you won't regret it!

A Test of Strength

2008-03-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

I had a recent personal situation I would like to share with you all.

Through out recovery I've always made decisions based on protecting my health. I've been so focused on maintaining balance, I was afraid to push further, afraid to take a few risks.

About a month ago I got a phone call from my mother. My father was very sick, he has just had an aneurysm burst in his head, he had a 25% chance of making it and I had to fly home.

The shock hit about halfway through the phone call, and I had to give the phone to my roommate. I started to black out and heard "Breathe Jill, Breathe". Slowly the room started to come back into focus, along with my brain, and I numbly packed whatever my roommate told me to throw in the suitcase and headed home.

Dad survived the operation, and hour by hour our wait began. With the recovery process his brain could spasm and force a stroke, and his brain could spasm for 2 weeks straight. His blood pressure was some days at 220 / 175, and some days not much less. We all held our breaths, hours gratefully turned into days. Each minute was like a blessing.

The bad news struck Day 4, just like clockwork Dad started spasming, and he stroked. Since he wasn't conscious, he barely knew what was happening. We knew if he stroked again, he wouldn't make it. We also knew we had a long haul.

Through the next few days he got movement back in his left side, and started responding when he was woken up. One day he knew his name. Most days he was a vegetable, with a brain tap in his head.

Visiting was restricted to 2 at a time, for the last 15 minutes of every hour and that was it. He was in NEURO ICU, and his care was so intensive, we had to stay away.

About day 8 he contracted the "Super Bug" MRSA. In his brain stem. Mom collapsed, this was not what he needed. Dad was quarantined, and we put on a high does of anti-biotic. Two days later his kidneys started shutting down. All the while his blood pressure was through the roof. Finally a cardiologist was called in, he convinced the neurologists to get it down.

The night before I left to go home, my Dad was just visited by the cardiologist, and he just woke up. Day 17 and his eyes opened, and he smiled at us and began teasing us. I told my Dad I loved him and we sat and laughed as he made faces and made us laugh. I'm sure he was trying to reassure us that he was OK, and that maybe he knew who we were.

That was the first night in 17 days I left my Dad thinking he would make it through the night. I hugged him and he hugged me back..as much as a restrained man can that is.

The next day he was back to zombie status, but as I got on the plane I thought, he's going to pull through. But even more shocking was what I realized next..

I'm going to pull through this.

My Dad is far from recovered, in fact he still has the super bug. Physically, he will be fine, and his memories are solid, but ever since the stroke is fuzzy, and short term is shot at this point. He rarely can understand still he is in the hospital.

Since returning to work, I've found I've been emotional at times, like an onset of depression again. I can feel the cracks slowly eroding at my facade, but I take a walk and its OK.

Deep breathes help, and I realized something important from the Neuro Nurse.

She explained that my Dad probably won't remember much, as the brain protects us from recognizing the full severity of what we have gone through, and sometimes it won't ever give it to us all.

When I stop to look at the huge picture I start to panic, and then I realize, one day at a time, one thought at a time, one cry at a time. As it comes, as I need it. Some days will suck, some will be wonderful, but I know that I'm handling it as it comes, as I'm ready for it. My brain protects me too.

My Dad is my closest family, its hard to define if I'm alone right now, if he's ever going to be the same. I'm in limbo, and will be for a long time. This is truly the hardest thing I have ever gone through, and you know what?

I'm doing OK.

For Other amazing pictures please visit

http://www.catchycolors.blogspot.com/

Neatorama » Blog Archive » 11 Most Important Philosophical Quotations.

2007-09-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

Neatorama » Blog Archive » 11 Most Important Philosophical Quotations.

1. “The unexamined life is not worth living” – Socrates (470-399 BCE)

Socrates’ [wiki] belief that we must reflect upon the life we live was partly inspired by the famous phrase inscribed at the shrine of the oracle at Delphi, “Know thyself.” The key to finding value in the prophecies of the oracle was self-knowledge, not a decoder ring.

Socrates felt so passionately about the value of self-examination that he closely examined not only his own beliefs and values but those of others as well. More precisely, through his relentless questioning, he forced people to examine their own beliefs. He saw the citizens of his beloved Athens sleepwalking through life, living only for money, power, and fame, so he became famous trying to help them.

2. “Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily” – William of Ockham (1285 - 1349?)

Commonly known as Ockham’s razor, the idea here is that in judging among competing philosophical or scientific theories, all other things being equal, we should prefer the simplest theory. Scientists currently speak of four forces in the universe: gravity, the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. Ockham [wiki] would certainly nod approvingly at the ongoing attempt to formulate a grand unified theory, a single force that encompasses all four.

The ultimate irony of Ockham’s razor may be that some have used it to prove God is unnecessary to the explanation of the universe, an idea Ockham the Franciscan priest would reject.

3. “The life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” – Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679)

Referring to the original state of nature, a hypothetical past before civilization, Hobbes [wiki] saw no reason to be nostalgic.

Whereas Rousseau said, “Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains,” Hobbes believed we find ourselves living a savage, impossible life without education and the protection of the state. Human nature is bad: we’ll prey on one another in the most vicious ways. No doubt the state imposes on our liberty in an overwhelming way. Yet Hobbes’ claim was that these very chains were absolutely crucial in protecting us from one another.

4. “I think therefore I am” – René Descartes (1596 – 1650)

Descartes [wiki] began his philosophy by doubting everything in order to figure out what he could know with absolute certainty. Although he could be wrong about what he was thinking, that he was thinking was undeniable. Upon the recognition that “I think,” Descartes concluded that “I am.”

On the heels of believing in himself, Descartes asked, What am I? His answer: a thinking thing (res cogitans) as opposed to a physical thing extended in three-dimensional space (res extensa). So, based on this line, Descartes knew he existed, though he wasn’t sure if he had a body. It’s a philosophical cliff-hanger; you’ll have to read Meditations to find out how it ends.

5. “To be is to be perceived (Esse est percipi).” Or, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” – Bishop George Berkeley (1685 – 1753)

As an idealist, Berkeley [wiki] believed that nothing is real but minds and their ideas. Ideas do not exist independently of minds. Through a complicated and flawed line of reasoning he concluded that “to be is to be perceived.” Something exists only if someone has the idea of it.

Though he never put the question in the exact words of the famous quotation, Berkeley would say that if a tree fell in the forest and there was no one (not even a squirrel) there to hear it, not only would it not make a sound, but there would be no tree.

The good news is, according to Berkeley, that the mind of God always perceives everything. So the tree will always make a sound, and there’s no need to worry about blipping out of existence if you fall asleep in a room by yourself.

6. “We live in the best of all possible worlds.” – Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646 – 1716)

Voltaire’s famous novel Candide satirizes this optimistic view. And looking around you right now you may wonder how anyone could actually believe it. But Leibniz [wiki] believed that before creation God contemplated every possible way the universe could be and chose to create the one in which we live because it’s the best.

The principle of sufficient reason holds that for everything, there must be sufficient reason why it exists. And according to Leibniz the only sufficient reason for the world we live in is that God created it as the best possible universe. God could have created a universe in which no one ever did wrong, in which there was no human evil, but that would require humans to be deprived of the gift of free wills and thus would not be the best possible world.

7. “The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk.” G.W.F. Hegel (1770 – 1831)

Similar to “vision is 20/20 in hindsight,” Hegel’s [wiki] poetic insight says that philosophers are impotent. Only after the end of an age can philosophers realize what it was about. And by then it’s too late to change things. It wasn’t until the time of Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) that the true nature of the Enlightenment was understood, and Kant did nothing to change the Enlightenment; he just consciously perpetuated it.

Marx (1818 – 1883) found Hegel’s apt description to be indicative of the problem with philosophy and responded, “the philosophers have only interpreted the world differently, what matters is to change it.”

8. “Who is also aware of the tremendous risk involved in faith – when he nevertheless makes the leap of faith – this [is] subjectivity … at its height.” – Søren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855)

In a memorable scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy deduced that the final step across his treacherous path was a leap of faith. And so it is in Kierkegaard’s [wiki] theory of stages of life.

The final stage, the religious stage, requires passionate, subjective belief rather than objective proof, in the paradoxical and the absurd. So, what’s the absurd? That which Christianity asks us to accept as true, that God became man born of a virgin, suffered, died and was resurrected.

Abraham was the ultimate “knight of faith” according to Kierkegaard. Without doubt there is no faith, and so in a state of “fear and trembling” Abraham was willing to break the universal moral law against murder by agreeing to kill his own son, Isaac. God rewarded Abraham’s faith by providing a ram in place of Isaac for the sacrifice. Faith has its rewards, but it isn’t rational. It’s beyond reason. As Blaise Pascal said, “The heart has its reason which reason does not know.”

9. “God is dead.” – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900)

Well, you might not hear this one in a graduation speech, but you’ll probably hear it in college. Actually, Nietzsche [wiki] never issued this famous proclamation in his own voice but rather put the words in the mouth of a character he called the madman and later in the mouth of another character, Zarathustra.

Nevertheless, Nietzsche endorsed the words. “God is dead” is often mistaken as a statement of atheism. It is not, though Nietzsche himself was an atheist. “Dead” is metaphorical in this context, meaning belief in the God of Christianity is worn out, past its prime, and on the decline. God is lost as the center of life and the source of values. Nietzsche’s madman noted that himself came too soon. No doubt Nietzsche, too, thought he was ahead of his time in heralding this news.

10. “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.” – Albert Camus (1913 – 1960)

Camus’ [wiki] solution to the philosophical problem was to recognize and embrace life’s absurdity. Suicide, though, remains an option if the absurdity becomes too much. Indeed Camus’ own death in a car crash was ambiguous. Was it an accident or suicide?

For Camus, the absurd hero is Sisyphus, a man from Greek mythology who is condemned by the gods for eternity to roll up a stone up a hill only to have it fall back again as it reaches the top. For Camus, Sisyphus typified all human beings: we must find a meaning in a world that is unresponsive or even hostile to us. Sisyphus, Camus believed, affirms life, choosing to go back down the hill and push the rock again each time. Camus wrote: “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s
heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”

11. “One cannot step twice in the same river.” – Heraclitus (ca. 540 – ca. 480 BCE)

Heraclitus definitely isn’t alone here. His message was that reality is constantly changing it’s an ongoing process rather than a fixed and stable product. Buddhism shares a similar metaphysical view with the idea of annica, the claim that all reality is fleeting and impermanent.

In modern times Henri Bergson (1859 – 1941) described time as a process that is experienced. An hour waiting in line is different from an hour at play. Today contemporary physics lends credence to process philosophy with the realization that even apparently stable objects, like marble statues, are actually buzzing bunches of electrons and other subatomic particles deep down.

Bonus: Fake Your Way Through a Conversation (with Correct Pronunciation!)

If you fumble with a philosopher’s name, nothing you say afterward will sound credible. So, learn to pronounce these names correctly, then start worrying about their ideas.

(George) Berkeley is properly pronounced like Charles Barkley (bark-lee). This name is commonly mispronounced “burk-lee” like Berkeley, California, which, ironically, is named after George Berkeley.

(Friedrich) Nietzsche is commonly mispronounced as “nee-chee.” The correct pronunciation is “nee-ch-ya” and rhymes with “pleased ta meetchya.” “Pleased ta meetchya, Neechya.” Say it!

Lao-tzu (born ca. 604 BCE) is spelled several different ways in English transliteration from the Chinese. But no matter how you spell it, the proper way to pronounce it is “lau” (sounds like “ouch”)-“dsuh”. The stress goes on the first syllable.

(Charles Sanders) ~~Pierce~~ Peirce (1839 – 1914) is commonly mispronounced as “peer-s.” The correct pronunciation is “purse,” which is somewhat funny because ~~Pierce~~ Peirce rarely had a penny in his purse. Oddly, ~~Pierce~~ Peirce took his middle name, Sanders, as an anglicized form of Santiago, or “St. James,” in honor of a fellow pragmatist, William James (1842 – 1910), who helped him out financially.

(Ludwig) Wittgenstein (1889 – 1951) is a name that demands authentic German pronunciation, and there are plenty of ways to slaughter it. Here’s one that embodies all of them, “wit-jen-steen.” The correct pronunciation is “vit” (rhymes with bit)-“ghen” (rhymes with ken)-“shtine.” The first name is pronounced “lude-vig.” If you think it’s hard to pronounce his name, try reading his Tractatus.

___________

From mental_floss’ book Condensed Knowledge: A deliciously Irreverent Guide to Feeling Smart Again, published in Neatorama with permission.

[Update 3/15/07: Original article written by William Irwin, associate professor of philosophy at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA.]

Be sure to visit mental_floss‘ extremely entertaining website and blog!

Female Porn

2007-09-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

Female Porn

Caring for Your Introvert

2007-09-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

Caring for Your Introvert

I love this article, many of us that need time alone to "recharge" will find good things in reading this. It might also explain why I think everyone around me needs to stop talking sometimes and start thinking. Enjoy! I did!

Massage and Acupressure Points for Relieving Anxiety and Nervousness

2007-09-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to HerbalShop -- Acupressure Points for Relieving Anxiety and Nervousness

"Acupressure Points for Relieving Anxiety and Nervousness.

Working on these points can help you get better quicker. You do not have to use all of these points. Using just one or two of them whenever you have a free hand can be effective.

Points (A) -- Heavenly Pillar
Location: One finger width below the base of the skull on the ropy muscles one-half inch outward from the spine. Benefits: Relieves stress, over exhaustion, insomnia, heaviness in the head, eyestrain, stiff necks, swollen eyes, and sore throats.

Points (B) -- Heavenly Rejuvenation
Location: On the shoulders, midway between the base of the neck and the outside of the shoulders, one-half inch below the top of the shoulders. Benefits: Relieves nervous tension and stiff necks; increases resistance to colds and flu. It is also good for the lungs.

Points (C) -- Crooked Marsh-- on both side of arm
Location: On the inside of the arm at the lower end of the elbow crease when the arm is bent. Benefits: Relieves nervous stomach, anxiety, arm pain, elbow pain, and chest discomfort.

Points (D) -- Inner Gate-- on both side of arm
Location: In the middle of the inner side of the forearm two and one-half finger widths from the wrist crease. Benefits: Relieves nausea, anxiety, palpitations, and wrist pain.

Points (E) -- Spirit Gate-- on both side of arm
Location: On the little finger side of the forearm at the crease of the wrist. Benefits: Relieves emotional imbalances, fear, nervousness, anxiety, and forgetfulness.

Points (F) -- Third Eye Point
Location: Directly between the eyebrows, in the indentation where the bridge of the nose meets the forehead. Benefits: Calms the body to relieve nervousness.

Points (G) -- Sea of Tranquility
Location: On the center of the breastbone, three thumb widths up from the base of the bone. Benefits: Relieves nervousness, anxiety, chest tension, anguish, depression, hysteria, and other emotional imbalances.

Not a bad site, I routinely get tension head aches and massaging the back of my neck always works well. I'll try some of these also! Let me know how you make out!

Even Happier: Letter to my daughter: on being yourself

2007-09-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Even Happier: Letter to my daughter: on being yourself

"

Dear Sally,
You must learn that you cannot be loved by all people.

You can be the finest apple in the world – ripe, juicy, sweet, and succulent – and offer yourself to all,
but there will be people who do not like apples.

If you are the world’s finest apple, and someone you love does not like apples, you still have the choice of becoming a banana, but be warned: if you choose to become a banana, you will be a second rate banana.

You must also realize that if you choose to be a second rate banana, there will be people who do not like bananas, so you can spend your life trying to be the best banana – which is impossible if you are an apple –
or you can seek again to be the finest apple.

Hugs, Daddy.

Author unknown, adapted from Adrienne Lee’s psychotherapy seminar"

This letter is great, I think everyone should write a similar letter to their children. Too often self esteem issues do begin as children trying so hard to fit in or to become a "Banana" as the author puts it. I think one of the hardest lessons we learn is that even if we practice everyday to become something we are not, we will never succeed, ever. We will always be transparent to everyone around us, and never achieve the respect we deserve. At 27, being true to myself is a lesson I really have just recently grasped, and I have to admit, once I accepted myself for who I was and worked with what I had, instead of against it, life changed remarkably. My critical parent, that evil jerk inside your head that constantly tells you just how bad you suck, went on a vacation, and left a less aggressive, even soothing replacement in its wake.
The good news? No one can be you as good as you can do it, and being you isn't so bad after all. I challenge everyone to right a list of things you love about yourself, and focus on that. I once read the key to becoming exceptional is not to develop new skills but to strengthen what you are already great at, to become exceptional. I'm not saying that you shouldn't discover new skills you love and are good at, but work with the things you enjoy and are already confident in, it will make life much more satisfying.
You will never be happy trying to be something you are not, ever. You sell yourself short every time, everyday life becomes toxic to your self esteem.

Breaking the norm, again.

2007-09-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've never been one to go with the grain. Growing up I was more interested in driving the lawn tractor and playing in the mud then dressing barbies and cooking with my sisters. That's why it came to no surprise to everyone that I chose construction as my latest job choice. Already having a few months of carpenter apprentice work under my belt, I wasn't too worried, and new with some hard work I would learn quickly. What I did manage to forget about though, was the pain! Do other women have a hard time with labour? My first day consisted of removing about 40 windows from a 4 story building, and basically cleaning the 4 story complex of everything from wood to tiles that the trades workers left behind. I told myself all day that the workout I was going to gain would sure be worth it. I know from experience the pain will go away. but having the energy to keep it up is difficult to come by.
Diet is probably the most crucial element to making it. My daily routine consists of multi vitamins, complex carbohydrates, and protein. I also drink an insane amount of caffeine at this point too, which is expensive if you choose the new high energy drinks out there as your preferred medium.
Another key is stretching, since labour is very much a workout its important to stretch before hand, throughout and after your day to prevent more abuse and injury. I also prefer to shower at night and another good stretching after that.
Advil and other anti inflammatories are good to keep the pain at bay and help you out in the morning if you can't move, as well as topical creams such as A535 occasionally. Its important to listen to your body though, and if the pain is acute or more than muscle stiffness or soreness, it may be a sign you are just doing too much. In time you will get used to it, and gain strength, but not if you injure yourself in the process.

Are you Getting what you need?

2006-11-14T13:44:00.001-08:00

Hello There!

I apologize for the delay in publishing, I've been really sick with a cold, and had to do what we all have to do, that's take a break.

Last week I went out to get some multi-vitamins, and thought I'd share some tips. Taking multi-vitamins is a great way to stay on top of your current battle with depression. Some experts argue that vitamin defiancey may actually be the cause of mental illness. I bought some "stress" formulated vitamins which have a high potency of the vitamin "B's" group and Vitamin C and more, and also a really great multi-vitamin *from A to Zinc" for example.

I find a big difference in how I feel day to day taking these both as prescribed on the package. I also try to eat regularly, but I really recommend getting into a routine with this, it may be worth more than fighting the common cold! My stress vitamins help control "cortisol" labeled right on the bottle.

I want to make sure you stop by YOUR pharmacist before taking any natural supplements... Make sure they know what you are taking already and ask them if its OK.
In my case it was, for example, Saint John's Wort should not be taken
with anti-depressants. Its important your Dr or Pharmacist OKs all other meds first.

In saying that, just a personal note that really seemed to help me allot...I'm keeping strong, let me know how you are doing!

Take care!

Technorati Tags: Depression, self help, mental illness, vitamens, medication

The Three Fears

2006-11-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

I Found this on the Internet somewhere, and made note of it awhile ago, as I usually do when I find something that's thought provoking..Thought I'd share its kinda neat! Its a long read but worth it, some I don't agree, but maybe you will find some things you do agree with!

The Three Fears

| going crazy | sexual orgasm | death |

In therapy group situations, there are three fears that always come up in people: the fear of going crazy, the fear of sexual orgasm and the fear of dying.

The fear of going crazy is essentially the fear of being alone.
The fear of orgasm in essence is guilt.
The fear of death is essentially fear of the unknown.

Osho's comment on the three fears was recorded live in an interview with Veeresh in September 1985:

In these three fears humanity has lived for thousands of years. They are not personal - they are collective. They come from the collective unconscious.

1. GOING CRAZY

^ top ^

The fear of going crazy is in everyone, for the simple reason because their intelligence has not been allowed to develop. Intelligence is dangerous to the vested interest. So for thousands of years they have been cutting the very roots of intelligence.

In Japan they have a certain tree which is thought to be a great art. It is simply murder. The trees are four hundred, five hundred years old, and six inches high. Generations of gardeners have taken care of them. The technique is: the trees are put in a pot without any bottom, and they go on cutting their roots; they don't allow their roots to go into the earth. When you don't allow the roots to go deeper, the tree simply grows old - it never grows up. It is a strange phenomenon to see that tree. It looks ancient, but it has only grown old, old, old, but it has never grown up. It has never blossomed; it has never given any fruits.

That is exactly the situation of man. His roots are cut. Man lives almost uprooted. He has to be made uprooted, so that he can become dependent on the society, on the culture, on the religion, on the state, on the parents, on everybody. He has to depend. He himself has no roots.

The moment he becomes aware he has no roots, he feels he is going crazy, he is going insane. He is losing every support, he is falling into a dark ditch, because his knowledge is borrowed, it is not his own. The respectability is borrowed; he himself has no respect for his own being. His whole personality is borrowed from some source: the university, the church, the state; he himself has nothing of his own.

Just think of a man who lives in a grand palace with everything conceivable for his luxuries. One day suddenly you make him aware that the palace does not belong to him, and that neither these luxuries belong to him. They belong to somebody else, who is coming, and he will be thrown out. He will go crazy.

So in deep therapy you will come across this point, and the person has to face it and allow it. Allow in the therapy the situation that the person can go crazy. Once he goes crazy, he will drop the fear. Now he knows what craziness is. The fear is always of the unknown.

Let him go crazy, and he will soon come down, because there is no real base to his fear. It is a fear projected by the society. The parents say, "If you don't follow us, if you disobey, you will be condemned." The Jewish god says in the Talmud, "I am a very jealous god, a very angry god." Remember that I am not nice, I am not your uncle. All the religions have been doing it.

Just go off the way which is followed by the mob and they will declare you crazy. So, everybody goes on clinging to the crowd, remaining part of a religion, a church, a party, a nation, a race. He is afraid to be left alone, and that's what you are doing when you bring him to his own depths. All that crowd, all those connections disappear: he is left alone, nobody on whom he has always depended is there. He cannot depend on his own intelligence. That is the problem. Unless he starts growing his own intelligence, he will always remain afraid of being crazy.

Not only that, the society can make him crazy any moment. If the society wants to make him crazy, if that is in their favour, they will make him crazy. In the Soviet Union it happens almost every day. I am taking the example of the Soviet Union because they do it more scientifically, methodologically. It happens everywhere all over the world, but their methods are very primitive. For example in India, if a person behaves in a way that is not approved, he is made an outcast. He cannot get any support from anyone in the town. People will not even speak to him. His own family will close the doors upon his face. The man is bound to go crazy: you are driving him crazy.

The fear has entered into very deep realms of unconsciousness. The work of therapy is to make the person free of that fear. If he is free of that fear, he is free of society, free of culture, free of religion, free of god, heaven, hell and all nonsense. All that nonsense is significant because of this fear and to make that nonsense significant the fear has been created. It is the ugliest crime one can think of. It is being done to every child around the world every moment. The people who are doing it have no bad intentions. They think they are doing something for the best of the child. Their parents have conditioned them; they are transferring the same conditioning to their children. Basically the whole of humanity stands on the verge of madness.

In deep therapy the fear grips suddenly, because the person is losing all the props, supports. The crowd is disappearing farther and farther away. He is being left alone. Suddenly there is darkness, and there is fear. He has never been trained, disciplined for being alone, and that is the function of meditation.

No therapy is complete without meditation, because only meditation can give him his lost roots, his strength of being an individual. There is nothing to fear. The conditioning is that you have to be afraid on each moment, each step. The whole of humanity lives in paranoia. This humanity could have lived in paradise; it is living in hell.

So help the person to understand that this is nothing to be worried about, there is nothing to be afraid of; it is a created fear. Every child is born fearless. He can play with the snakes with no fear. He has no idea of fear or death, or anything. Meditation brings the person back to his childhood; he is reborn. So help the person to understand why the fear is. Make it clear that it is a phony phenomenon imposed upon him, so there is no need to be worried.

In this situation you can go crazy. Don't be afraid. Enjoy for the first time you have got this situation in which you can be crazy and yet not condemned, but loved, respected. The group has to respect the person, to love the person; he needs it. He will cool down. He will come out of the fear with a great freedom, with great stamina, strength, and integrity. ^ top ^

2. SEXUAL ORGASM

^ top ^

The second fear is of sexual orgasm. That, too, is created by religions. All religions are existing because they have turned man against his own energies. Sex is man's whole energy, his life energy. Religious prophets and messiahs, messengers of god, they are all doing the same work in different words, different languages, but their work is the same: to make man an enemy of himself. The basic strategy is, because sex is the most powerful energy in you, sex should be condemned. Guilt should be created. Then arises a problem for the individual. His nature is sensuous, sexual, and his mind is full of garbage against it. He is in a split. Neither can he drop the mind, because dropping the mind means dropping the society, the religion, the prophet, Jesus Christ, god, everything. He is not capable to do that, unless he has become an individual and is able to be alone without any fear.

So man is afraid of sex as far as his mind is concerned, but his biology has nothing to do with the mind. The biology has not received any information from the mind. There is no communication; the biology has its own way of functioning. So the biology will drive him towards sex, and his mind will be standing there continuously condemning him. So he makes love, but in a hurry. That hurry has a very psychological reason. The hurry is he is doing something wrong, he is doing something against god, against religion. He is feeling guilty and he cannot manage to do it. So the only compromise is to do it, but be quick. That avoids the orgasm.

Now there are implications upon implications. A man who has not known orgasm feels unfulfilled, frustrated, and angry. Because he has never been in a state which nature provides freely, where he could have relaxed totally and become one with existence at least for a few moments. Because of his hurry he cannot manage the orgasm. Sex has become equivalent to ejaculation. That is not true as far as nature is concerned. Ejaculation is only a part that you can manage without orgasm. You can reproduce children, so biology is not worried about your orgasm. Your biology is satisfied if you reproduce children. They can be reproduced only by ejaculation, there is no need for orgasm.

Orgasm is a tremendous gift of nature. Man is deprived and because he is so quick in making love, the woman is deprived. The woman needs time to warm up. Her whole body is erotic, and unless her whole body is throbbing with joy, she will not be able to experience orgasm, for that there is no time. So for millions of years women have been completely denied their birthright. That's why they have become so bitchy, so continuously nagging, and always ready to fight. There is no possibility of having a conversation with a woman. You are living with a woman for years, but there is not a single conversation that you can recall, when you were both sitting together, talking about great things of life. No, all that you will remember will be fighting, throwing things, being nasty.

The woman is not responsible for it. She is being deprived of her whole possibility of blissfulness. Then she becomes negative and this has given chance to the priests. All the churches and the temples are filled up with women, because they are the losers more than men are. Man's orgasm is local. His whole body is not erotic. So his whole body does not suffer if there is no orgasmic experience, but the woman's whole body suffers.

It is good business for religions. Unless people are psychologically suffering, they will not come to the churches. They will not listen to all kinds of idiotic theologies. Because they are suffering, they want some consolation. They want some hope at least after death. In life they know there is no hope; it is finished. This gives a chance to religions to show to men and women both that sex is absolutely futile. It has no meaning, no significance. You are unnecessarily losing your energy, wasting your energy. Their argument seems to be correct, because you have never experienced anything. So by preventing the orgasmic experience religions have made men and women slaves.

Now the same slavery functions for other vested interests. The latest priest is the psychoanalyst. Now he is exploiting the same thing. I was amazed to know that almost all new priests, particularly Christians, study psychology in their theological colleges. Psychology, psychoanalysis have become a necessary part of their education. Now, what has psychology to do with the Bible? What has psychoanalysis to do with Jesus Christ? The priests are being trained in psychology and psychoanalysis, because it is clear that the old priest is disappearing, he is losing his grip over people. The priest has to be made up to date, so he can function not only as a religious priest, but also as a psychoanalyst, as a psychologist. Naturally the psychologist cannot compete with him. He has something more: religion. This whole thing has happened through the simple device of condemning sex.

So when in groups you find people afraid of orgasm, help them to understand that orgasm is going to make you saner, more intelligent, less angry, less violent, more loving. Orgasm is going to give you your roots that have been taken away from you. So don't be worried.

Mixed with the fear of orgasm is the fear that one may go crazy. If in orgasm one goes crazy, help him to go crazy. Only then will he be able to have it in its totality.

Orgasm relaxes every fibre of your mind, your heart, and your body. It is immensely important for meditation that the person has the experience of orgasm. Then you can make him understand what meditation is. It is an orgasmic experience with the whole of existence. Orgasm can be so beautiful, so beneficial, and so healthy, with a single human being; meditation is getting into oneness with the whole that surrounds you, from the smallest blade of grass to the biggest star, millions of light years away.

The question is always the first experience. Then he knows that his craziness was not craziness, but a kind of explosion of joy. That cools down and leaves him behind healthier, more whole, and more intelligent. Then the fear of orgasm is disappeared. With it he is finished with the religion, with the psychoanalysis and all kinds of nonsense for which he is paying so tremendously. ^ top ^

3. DEATH

^ top ^

The third fear you say is of death. The first is of being alone. Much of the fear of death will be destroyed by the first experience of being alone and having no fear. The fear of death will be immediately destroyed by the experience of orgasm. In orgasm the person disappears. The ego is no more. There is an experiencing, but the experiencer is no more.

These first two steps will help to solve the third step very easily. With each step you have to go on deepening his meditativeness. Any therapy without meditation cannot help much. It is just superficial touching here and there, and soon the man will be the same again. A real transformation has never happened without meditation. These are beautiful situations as far as meditation is concerned.

Use the first to make him alone; use the second to give him courage and tell him to drop all thoughts. Just go crazily orgasmic. Don't bother what happens. We are here to take care of you. With these two steps, the third will be very easy. That is the easiest. It looks the biggest fear of man; it is not true. You don't know death, how can you be afraid of it? You have always seen other people dying, you have never seen yourself dying. Who knows, you are maybe the exception? Because there is no proof that you are going to die. Those who have died have given proof that they were mortals.

When I was in the university and learning logic from my professor, in every logic book, in every university around the world the same Aristotelian syllogism is being taught. "Man is mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore Socrates is mortal." When I was taught that syllogism for the first time I stood up and I said, "Wait, I may be the exception. Up to now I have been the exception, why not tomorrow? About Socrates I accept the syllogism is true, because he is dead. What about me? What about you, what about all these people who are living? They have not died yet."

It is just experiencing death, people dying, in disgust, in misery, in suffering, in all kinds of pain, old age; that gives you the fear of death. Nobody has known the death of an enlightened man. How beautifully he dies, how joyously he dies. The moment of his death is of tremendous luminosity, silence, as if joy is radiating from every pore of his being. Those who are near him, those who have been fortunate to be near him will be simply surprised that death is far more glorious than life has ever been. This kind of death happens only to people who have lived totally, without fear. Who have lived orgasmically, without bothering about idiots what they are saying. They know nothing about it and they go on saying about it.

The fear of death will be the simplest out of the three. You have to solve the first two. Then you tell the person that death is not the end of life. If you meditate deeply, and reach to your innermost center, you will suddenly find an eternal life current. The bodies, there have been many. There have been many forms to your being, but you are just the same. It has not to be just a belief; it has to be made their experience.

So remember one thing: your therapy groups should not be ordinary therapy. Just somehow whitewashing and giving a man a feeling that he has learned something, that he has experienced something, and after a week or two he is the same. There is not a single person in the whole world who is totally psychoanalysed. There are thousands of psychoanalysts doing psychoanalysis. Not a single case they have been able to complete yet. For the simple reason because they have nothing to do with meditation. Without meditation you can go on painting on the surface, but the inner reality remains the same.

My therapists have to introduce meditation as the very center of therapy. Everything else should revolve around it. Then we have made therapy something really valuable. Then it is not only the need of those who are sick, or of those who are somehow mentally unbalanced, or of those who feel fears, jealousies, violence... This is a negative part of therapy. Our therapies should be that we give the person his individuality back, that we give him integrity, crystallisation, so that he never fears death. Once the fear of death disappears, all other fears are very small; they will follow it, they will simply disappear. We have to teach people how to live totally and wholly, against the teachings of all the religions. They teach renounce, I teach rejoice.

Some Tips

2006-11-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

Before you say "Yes," ask yourself:

- Do I really want to do what I've been asked to do?
- Will I benefit personally from the experience?
- Will I have the opportunity to do this again?
- How much of my time is involved?
- Can the job be done quickly or will it involve weeks, months, or even years?
- How much help will I have, or do I have full responsibility?
...and this is the KEY question...
- Am I being asked to do this job because I'm right for it or because I usually don't say "No"?

If you don't have the right answers to these questions, teach yourself to say, "No, thank you, I already have plans." Or to say "yes" by saying "no."

Clean out the closets of your life

When a friend came over and made me clean out the clothes that didn't fit or that no longer represented my self-image. It was an exhilarating feeling. Now the clothes I wear make me feel and look great, and project the image I like.

Your clothes closet isn't the only hiding place for negative things in your life. You have a self-image closet too. Take a serious look at what you find there. Try cleaning it out. Throw out ideas that no longer fit your lifestyle or your experiences.
Clean your closet of certain old friends as well -- the ones who have become acquaintances. Too often we spend our energies with people whose interests have grown apart from ours.

Clean the negative people out of your life's closet. Some folks cannot accept your achievements, insisting it's only a "fluke" when you finally attain a great goal. Their own insecurities require them to shoot other people down. It is time to let them know you are proud of your achievements, and then move on to someone who will support you in your endeavors.

Closets may be hiding places for our outmoded clothes and ideas, but they are also where we store the building blocks for our daily lives. Don't let them get cluttered with outdated ideas.

The 25 most difficult questions you'll be asked on a job interview

2006-10-31T20:16:00.000-08:00

As Reprinted from FOCUS Magazine -- January 5, 1983

I know this is a reprint, but starting out again in the new world, or getting back in to the job market after a big change can be tough, this site helped me understand a bit more what its like to be on the other side of the table, and to calm my anxiety as I realized interviewers are just people too! Here are 25 questions you should be prepared to answer, and why they may be asking them!!

As Reprinted from FOCUS Magazine -- January 5, 1983

The 25 most difficult questions you'll be asked on a job interview

Being prepared is half the battle.

If you are one of those executive types unhappy at your present post and embarking on a New Year's resolution to find a new one, here's a helping hand. The job interview is considered to be the most critical aspect of every expedition that brings you face-to- face with the future boss. One must prepare for it with the same tenacity and quickness as one does for a fencing tournament or a chess match.

This article has been excerpted from "PARTING COMPANY: How to Survive the Loss of a Job and Find Another Successfully" by William J. Morin and James C. Cabrera. Copyright by Drake Beam Morin, inc. Published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Morin is chairman and Cabrera is president of New York-based Drake Beam Morin, nation's major outplacement firm, which has opened offices in Philadelphia.

1. Tell me about yourself.

Since this is often the opening question in an interview, be extra careful that you don't run off at the mouth. Keep your answer to a minute or two at most. Cover four topics: early years, education, work history, and recent career experience. Emphasize this last subject. Remember that this is likely to be a warm-up question. Don't waste your best points on it.

2. What do you know about our organization?

You should be able to discuss products or services, revenues, reputation, image, goals, problems, management style, people, history and philosophy. But don't act as if you know everything about the place. Let your answer show that you have taken the time to do some research, but don't overwhelm the interviewer, and make it clear that you wish to learn more.

You might start your answer in this manner: "In my job search, I've investigated a number of companies.

Yours is one of the few that interests me, for these reasons..."

Give your answer a positive tone. Don't say, "Well, everyone tells me that you're in all sorts of trouble, and that's why I'm here", even if that is why you're there.

3. Why do you want to work for us?

The deadliest answer you can give is "Because I like people." What else would you like-animals?

Here, and throughout the interview, a good answer comes from having done your homework so that you can speak in terms of the company's needs. You might say that your research has shown that the company is doing things you would like to be involved with, and that it's doing them in ways that greatly interest you. For example, if the organization is known for strong management, your answer should mention that fact and show that you would like to be a part of that team. If the company places a great deal of emphasis on research and development, emphasize the fact that you want to create new things and that you know this is a place in which such activity is encouraged. If the organization stresses financial controls, your answer should mention a reverence for numbers.

If you feel that you have to concoct an answer to this question - if, for example, the company stresses research, and you feel that you should mention it even though it really doesn't interest you- then you probably should not be taking that interview, because you probably shouldn't be considering a job with that organization.

Your homework should include learning enough about the company to avoid approaching places where you wouldn't be able -or wouldn't want- to function. Since most of us are poor liars, it's difficult to con anyone in an interview. But even if you should succeed at it, your prize is a job you don't really want.

4. What can you do for us that someone else can't?

Here you have every right, and perhaps an obligation, to toot your own horn and be a bit egotistical. Talk about your record of getting things done, and mention specifics from your resume or list of career accomplishments. Say that your skills and interests, combined with this history of getting results, make you valuable. Mention your ability to set priorities, identify problems, and use your experience and energy to solve them.

5. What do you find most attractive about this position? What seems least attractive about it?

List three or four attractive factors of the job, and mention a single, minor, unattractive item.

6. Why should we hire you?

Create your answer by thinking in terms of your ability, your experience, and your energy. (See question 4.)

7. What do you look for in a job?

Keep your answer oriented to opportunities at this organization. Talk about your desire to perform and be recognized for your contributions. Make your answer oriented toward opportunity rather than personal security.

8. Please give me your definition of [the position for which you are being interviewed].

Keep your answer brief and task oriented. Think in in terms of responsibilities and accountability. Make sure that you really do understand what the position involves before you attempt an answer. If you are not certain. ask the interviewer; he or she may answer the question for you.

9. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?

Be realistic. Say that, while you would expect to meet pressing demands and pull your own weight from the first day, it might take six months to a year before you could expect to know the organization and its needs well enough to make a major contribution.

10. How long would you stay with us?

Say that you are interested in a career with the organization, but admit that you would have to continue to feel challenged to remain with any organization. Think in terms of, "As long as we both feel achievement-oriented."

11. Your resume suggests that you may be over-qualified or too experienced for this position. What's Your opinion?

Emphasize your interest in establishing a long-term association with the organization, and say that you assume that if you perform well in his job, new opportunities will open up for you. Mention that a strong company needs a strong staff. Observe that experienced executives are always at a premium. Suggest that since you are so well qualified, the employer will get a fast return on his investment. Say that a growing, energetic company can never have too much talent.

12. What is your management style?

You should know enough about the company's style to know that your management style will complement it. Possible styles include: task oriented (I'll enjoy problem-solving identifying what's wrong, choosing a solution and implementing it"), results-oriented ("Every management decision I make is determined by how it will affect the bottom line"), or even paternalistic ("I'm committed to taking care of my subordinates and pointing them in the right direction").

A participative style is currently quite popular: an open-door method of managing in which you get things done by motivating people and delegating responsibility.

As you consider this question, think about whether your style will let you work happily and effectively within the organization.

13. Are you a good manager? Can you give me some examples? Do you feel that you have top managerial potential?

Keep your answer achievement and ask-oriented. Rely on examples from your career to buttress your argument. Stress your experience and your energy.

14. What do you look for when You hire people?

Think in terms of skills. initiative, and the adaptability to be able to work comfortably and effectively with others. Mention that you like to hire people who appear capable of moving up in the organization.

15. Have you ever had to fire people? What were the reasons, and how did you handle the situation?

Admit that the situation was not easy, but say that it worked out well, both for the company and, you think, for the individual. Show that, like anyone else, you don't enjoy unpleasant tasks but that you can resolve them efficiently and -in the case of firing someone- humanely.

16. What do you think is the most difficult thing about being a manager or executive?

Mention planning, execution, and cost-control. The most difficult task is to motivate and manage employees to get something planned and completed on time and within the budget.

17. What important trends do you see in our industry?

Be prepared with two or three trends that illustrate how well you understand your industry. You might consider technological challenges or opportunities, economic conditions, or even regulatory demands as you collect your thoughts about the direction in which your business is heading.

18. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) job?

Be brief, to the point, and as honest as you can without hurting yourself. Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. where you considered this topic as you set your reference statements. If you were laid off in an across-the-board cutback, say so; otherwise, indicate that the move was your decision, the result of your action. Do not mention personality conflicts.

The interviewer may spend some time probing you on this issue, particularly if it is clear that you were terminated. The "We agreed to disagree" approach may be useful. Remember hat your references are likely to be checked, so don't concoct a story for an interview.

19. How do you feel about leaving all your benefits to find a new job?

Mention that you are concerned, naturally, but not panicked. You are willing to accept some risk to find the right job for yourself. Don't suggest that security might interest you more than getting the job done successfully.

20. In your current (last) position, what features do (did) you like the most? The least?

Be careful and be positive. Describe more features that you liked than disliked. Don't cite personality problems. If you make your last job sound terrible, an interviewer may wonder why you remained there until now.

21. What do you think of your boss?

Be as positive as you can. A potential boss is likely to wonder if you might talk about him in similar terms at some point in the future.

22. Why aren't you earning more at your age?

Say that this is one reason that you are conducting this job search. Don't be defensive.

23. What do you feel this position should pay?

Salary is a delicate topic. We suggest that you defer tying yourself to a precise figure for as long as you can do so politely. You might say, "I understand that the range for this job is between $______ and $______. That seems appropriate for the job as I understand it." You might answer the question with a question: "Perhaps you can help me on this one. Can you tell me if there is a range for similar jobs in the organization?"

If you are asked the question during an initial screening interview, you might say that you feel you need to know more about the position's responsibilities before you could give a meaningful answer to that question. Here, too, either by asking the interviewer or search executive (if one is involved), or in research done as part of your homework, you can try to find out whether there is a salary grade attached to the job. If there is, and if you can live with it, say that the range seems right to you.

If the interviewer continues to probe, you might say, "You know that I'm making $______ now. Like everyone else, I'd like to improve on that figure, but my major interest is with the job itself." Remember that the act of taking a new job does not, in and of itself, make you worth more money.

If a search firm is involved, your contact there may be able to help with the salary question. He or she may even be able to run interference for you. If, for instance, he tells you what the position pays, and you tell him that you are earning that amount now and would Like to do a bit better, he might go back to the employer and propose that you be offered an additional 10%.

If no price range is attached to the job, and the interviewer continues to press the subject, then you will have to respond with a number. You cannot leave the impression that it does not really matter, that you'll accept whatever is offered. If you've been making $80,000 a year, you can't say that a $35,000 figure would be fine without sounding as if you've given up on yourself. (If you are making a radical career change, however, this kind of disparity may be more reasonable and understandable.)

Don't sell yourself short, but continue to stress the fact that the job itself is the most important thing in your mind. The interviewer may be trying to determine just how much you want the job. Don't leave the impression that money is the only thing that is important to you. Link questions of salary to the work itself.

But whenever possible, say as little as you can about salary until you reach the "final" stage of the interview process. At that point, you know that the company is genuinely interested in you and that it is likely to be flexible in salary negotiations.

24. What are your long-range goals?

Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. Don't answer, "I want the job you've advertised." Relate your goals to the company you are interviewing: 'in a firm like yours, I would like to..."

25. How successful do you you've been so far?

Say that, all-in-all, you're happy with the way your career has progressed so far. Given the normal ups and downs of life, you feel that you've done quite well and have no complaints.

Present a positive and confident picture of yourself, but don't overstate your case. An answer like, "Every thing's wonderful! I can't think of a time when things were going better! I'm overjoyed!" is likely to make an interviewer wonder whether you're trying to fool him . . . or yourself. The most convincing confidence is usually quiet confidence.

As a closing note, I find truly being proud of what you can offer and portraying that to the interviewer in an honest manner is usually the best.. Good luck in all the new jobs and beginnings in your worlds, and remember your a stronger person through it all!!

* HOW TO TICK PEOPLE OFF HAHAHA

2006-10-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

HOW TO TICK PEOPLE OFF HAHAHA

Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.
In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."
Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."
If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."
Practice making fax and modem noises.
Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."
Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
Staple pages in the middle of the page.
Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
Honk and wave to strangers.
Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
type only in lowercase.
dont use any punctuation either
Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
Repeat the following conversation a dozen times.
"DO YOU HEAR THAT?"
"What?"
"Never mind, it's gone now."
As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
Ask people what gender they are.
While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
Sing along at the opera.
Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles."

Depends on which way you look at it....

2006-10-28T01:10:00.000-07:00

Its a big World -comic relief, may contain offensive material

2006-10-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't write this but found it funny with a few good points...

1. Science has proven that the domestication of animals has resulted in a progressive erosion of their mental facilities. The domestication of humans has led to similar effects.

2. Your life is passing in front of you, you are getting old. You are going to die, and you're never going to be on television.

3a. Get drunk and have sex at 4 am on a Tuesday in the back of a running cop car while the pig's in the Chinese restaurant shaking poor Johnny Wong down for Chow Mein leftovers. Call in sick to work tomorrow.

3b. Stop being afraid of everything.

4. It has been structured so that we "need" money to survive. Most options for "earning" money involve us trading a large portion of our limited lives. Our "work" usually involves meaningless repetition that runs absolutely opposite to our human nature. Not only is our "work" boring, it is enforced with strict behavioral rules and the constant fear of being "fired". It has been rammed down our throats that this is a "reality", and that the benefits of this planned system outweigh the negatives. It is becoming increasingly clear that this may not be the case.

5. Being cool to people gives them hope. It gives you hope too. Help anyone who needs it and pay back every favor given to you in spades. Assholes are their own punishment.

6. This is my body. I'm the one who moves it around and I'm the one who makes it do amazing things. I will take full responsibility for the actions of this body. I will not be controlled by the body of another.

7. There is no priest, no politician, no boss, no cop, and no concerned citizen who will ever convince me that they are performing functions necessary to my continued existence. They do not matter, they only impede. There are no masters and there are no gods. There are only people who demand life, and people who demand control. Whose side are you on?

8. There is nothing sexy about mass production, hamburgers, or soda pop. American consumer 'culture' must continue to be ignored at home and worldwide. Yankee go home, and take yer shitty food with you.

9. Sex is awesome. So is a good burrito. So is a round of drinks with friends. So is reading. So is sleeping late. You shouldn't feel bad about constantly enjoying yourself. Misery loves company. So does boredom. Ignore the telephone.

10. Freedom is the only important thing, personal liberty the only pathway to dignity. Anything that stands in the way is the enemy, no matter what costume it wears. Stop being afraid of everything.

11. Nobody knows anything. Everyone is lying. Look out for each other.

12. Do Not Pet The Tiger. The Tiger is Sick.

13a. It is an easy power to ridicule everything with sarcasm and irony, anyone can do it. It's much harder to give things a chance and try to understand. As smart as you are, there is always something to learn, and, conversely, always something to unlearn. Stop being afraid of everything.

13b. Buy a gun.

13c. Lighten the fuck up.

STRESS REDUCTION

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TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR STRESS REDUCTION

l. Thou shalt not be perfect, or even try to be.

ll. Thou shalt not try to be all things to all people.

lll. Thou shalt sometimes leave things undone.

lV. Thou shalt not spread thyself too thin.

V. Thou shalt learn to say "no".

Vl. Thou shalt schedule time for thyself and for thy support network.

Vll. Thou shalt switch thyself off, and do nothing regularly.

Vlll. Thou shalt not even feel guilty for doing nothing, or saying no.

lX. Thou shalt be boring, untidy, inelegant, and unattractive at times.

X. Especially, thou shalt not be thine own worst enemy. But, be thine own best friend.

Pics To make you smile

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Learn about Sleep Disorders

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Find out about insomnia, sleep apnea, Restless Legs Syndrome and other sleep disorders by visiting NSF's new Sleep Disorders section.

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/

OK so we've all had trouble from time to time getting to sleep, maybe its the project you have due the next day, the big interview you aren't entirely prepared for, or maybe you just can't tear yourself away from looking at that alarm clock as the minutes of attainable sleep count down. Sound familiar? You're not alone.
Everyone from time to time experiences sleep issues, but if its happening for more than a few days to a week, best consult your doctor to find out whats really going on. This site has allot of great information on it about sleep disorders, how to combat them, and when its time to get help. As I mentioned, I'm on zopliclone, and clonazepam to help, neither are dealing with the issue, just allowing me to sleep. I rarely dream on these, and when I forget to take them I sleep deeply and dream, feeling allot more refreshed. THE problem is, I rarely DON"T need them, so for short term they are great, long term, good for me I guess, but I'm actively looking into other ways to learn how to get a good nights sleep.
I don't ever recommend coming off medication or going on it without a Dr's approval, that's for sure, its just a hot cup of herbal tea, a nice warm bath, reading a story or a journal to vent may help.
Another tip my Dr insists in is staying away from stimulants, this means putting out my cigarette, setting down that glass of Pepsi, and forget about that 25 cigarettes a day smoking habit I swear (see procrastination article I wrote) I'm going to quit. These are my choices, but if your mind won't stop, anxiety is to the fullest, you worry all the time and jump at the slightest noise, your adrenaline gland is running, time to see a doctor and break the cycle. My general rule of thumb is if its effecting your daily life and making things worse, its time to take action..

This works for me, give it a try, and nightmares are another category I'll get into the another post!

Jill