Wisdom With T

Papal Prophecy

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:41:00 +0000

Lightning struck the Vatican hours before Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation of his position as the Pope. He was the first Pope to stand down in 598 years but we can see the heavens are changing power. If you have heard of the Papal Prophecies of St Malachy then you know that Benedict was predicted to be the second to the Final Pope.

Malachy in 1139 AD had a vision showing him all the Popes stretching from the successor to Innocent II and extending through centuries to the last of the line, identified as Peter of Rome. Malachy assigned short descriptions in Latin to each pope when he committed his vision to paper.

Widely distributed in 1595 the predictions that came to pass usually refer to a family name, birthplace, coat-of-arms, or office held before election to the papacy. The final prediction for the Final Pope stated "In the extreme persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will nourish the sheep in many tribulations; when they are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The end"

While officially the Vatican denies any accuracy of the Prophecy many of the choices to make the Pope fit the prophecy are easy enough to stage. What's interesting though is the other Benedict XV (1914–1922), in the Malachy Prophecies where it stated Religio depopulata or "Religion Destroyed". Of course that Pope reigned during, World War I. This unprecedented period of violence was mainly fought between the Christian powers of Europe began the worldwide spread of atheistic Communism.

Quatrain II-41
The great star will burn for seven days,
The cloud will make two suns appear:
The large mastiff will howl all night
When the great pontiff changes his abode.
- Nostradamus

Nostradamus’ quatrains are confusing and open to many interpretations. But between the Comet ISON and the asteroid of February 15, 2013 we have exciting things ahead for us.

Monday's Music Moves Me

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:28:00 +0000

Well its Monday again, the week has just flown by and its time again for some music. It's a busy week with Valentines Day just around the corner. This week's theme is Valentines appropriate songs but without "Love" in the title. (There are so many)

The first song I thought of when coming up with this was Cupid, by Sam Cooke a classic from 1961.

The 1990 song More Than Words by Extreme is my next choice. The song is a great reminder that sometimes we need to use More Than Words to show what we feel. This song was always a favorite and we sung it in music class when I was in grade school.

What is it about Journey that makes all their songs sound epic? Open Arms remains one of my favorites.

Enjoy your week!

Rules:

1. You Tube, lock & load!

2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.

3. SIGN LINKY, Follow everyone, & leave a Rockin' comment!

Monday's Music Moves Me

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:46:00 +0000

So it's Monday again and that means its time to start our week with some music that truly moves us. Just recently I was at a dinner put on by Girl Guides of Canada and after dinner they had dancing. The DJ wasn't the greatest and at one point you could hear a voice call out "Play some Rock & Roll"!

The problem? He wasn't playing any "A" Songs.

As a DJ that was one thing that I was taught those timeless songs that can get a room dancing. Next time the wedding dance floor, or party just isn't shaking its time to bring these classics out!

Yes that's Tom Cruise dancing to Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll (1978) featured in the 1983 movie Risky Business. Another song from a movie soundtrack always sure to get your feet moving featuring a different actor of the 80's Kevin Bacon and Footloose (1984).

The next song Some Kind of Wonderful (1974) surprisingly not on the soundtrack for the 1987 John Hughes movie of the same name. This song by Grand Funk Railroad is a cover to the original by Soul Brothers Six and not related to that other song of the same name written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King (and performed by artists including the Drifters, Michael Buble, and Marvin Gaye) or that third song of the same name by Canadian band Sky (1998)

Finally we end with another song with a movie named after it to keep with the pattern here. Sweet Home Alabama (1974) by Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. None of the band members are from Alabama. "Sweet Home Alabama" was written as an answer to two songs, "Southern Man" and "Alabama" by Neil Young, which dealt with themes of racism and slavery in the American South. The song also features in the 2002 Reese Witherspoon movie of the same name.

Thanks for dancing along to this week's picks. Time to participate! I am eager for you to join in Monday's Music Moves Me. I was chosen as Spotlight Dancer to pick next week's theme. Next Monday we'll look at Valentines Day Music. I want to hear your picks but I challenge you to NOT use a song with Love in the title their are so many .

Rules:

1. You Tube, lock & load!

2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.

3. SIGN LINKY, Follow everyone, & leave a Rockin' comment!

Play!

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:10:00 +0000

Do you take time out to Play?

Back when I was a DJ, the company I worked for had a slogan "We don't play music, we make music play." This made me think of the word play itself. When you get together with friends you might play a game, maybe you like to play music. Putting on a play or going to one is fun. Play seems to equal fun.

We can learn from play too and while we are young this is how we are taught to hold our interest. In Kindergarten we play and as we get older we have homework and school is less about play and more about work. We get older and decide we are adults and only kids play.

But is their a difference in whether we are playing a video game, playing pretend, or playing the piano? When we play we are able to expand our creativity and grow. Our sense of play, wonder and curiosity often declines as we get older.

We don't want to be childish but that doesn't mean you have to give up the magic of childhood. You can be a "big kid" or a "kid at heart", there's nothing wrong with that. Spend some time with kids, actually play with them. Kids can teach you to open up your heart that you have closed over time.

I go with my pre-school nephew to play group at school from time to time. My Mom babysits this little guy that she brings to the Play Group so its fun for all of us. Here if you look closely enough you can see the kids being teachers. One of my nephews little friends smiles at me encouraging me to clap along and participate in circle time. Kids are great teachers helping us tap into our youthful enthusiasm and energy that we so often as adults lack. Another good teacher of play are dogs, or cats.

Connecting with play with energy and enthusiasm makes life worth living and not just surviving day to day. It is easy with technology's role today to miss out on the imaginative possibilities of play. Exercising your imagination exercises your visualization skills. Visualization skills are needed to be able to set goals.

Play has many benefits and is something that too quickly is forgotten in all its forms. I invite you to go out and find something today to play with enthusiasm and joy.

Monday's Music Moves Me

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:17:00 +0000

I love music and used to be a DJ back when I had a partner with a vehicle. I was invited to participate in Monday's Music Moves Me a weekly meme hosted by XmasDolly.

This week's theme is the elements. You know Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Basically the idea is to post songs that follow the theme. I love themes and thought this would be a great challenge.

Of course the first thing I thought of was Earth, Wind and Fire. They remain an influence on modern music and were quite big in the 70's but still perform to this day. Sticking with the elements I chose Serpentine Fire as my song to represent the element Fire.

Earth Song, by Michael Jackson is a great song with a powerful video and message that brings attention to our Earth and the effect we have on the environment. Whatever you may think about Michael Jackson as a person his music and talent has laid the foundation for pop music, modern dance, and quality music videos.

In

In The Air Tonight, by Phil Collins came to mind for the next video to represent Air. The musical accompaniment at the beginning has an airy quality about it. I have fond memories of this song being played at our high school assemblies every time as people started filling the benches. When that powerful drum segment of the song would come on (doo-dom doo-dom doo-dom) everyone would stamp their feet to the beat of the drums making the music all the more powerful.

I had heard that the song was about a drowning that Phil Collins witnessed which later during the performance of this song he singled out the guilty party. Years later I found out that the story is actually an urban legend. Phil has denied this story, his song is actually about his divorce .

Water brought to mind Water, by Lenny Graf. This choice is a departure from the old school songs I have listed so far as it's a children's song. It's a hilarious song literally about water sung between Lenny and Patrick who would rather not sing about Water.

Of course I couldn't leave it at that and so I challenged myself to pick songs for the elements from Chinese tradition. The Wu Xing, also known as the Five Elements is Earth, Fire, Water, Metal and Wood. There is also a cycle of the Elements being associated with Chinese Astrology's cycle of animals. A person's year sign can be a metal monkey, a wood rooster etc. In ancient match-making customs couples were brought together according to their compatible signs. In Japan, completion of an entire sixty year cycle of twelve animals and five elements is celebrated in a special birthday for sixty-year olds called kanreki.

So for Wood it was hard to think of something until through a Google search I was reminded of Norwegian Wood by the Beatles.

Metal makes me think of Heavy Metal a great animated feature from 1981 and the title track by Sammy Hagar fits well enough. The video shows scenes from the movie which is NOT a cartoon for kids and influenced by the fantasy magazine of the same name.

This was fun! Check back next Monday and we'll do it again!

Blogathon Wrap-up

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:35:00 +0000

Well another Blogathon is coming to a close and it's the best one yet. While I did find myself getting distracted by having social media up and running I did get some writing done. I cleaned out my overflowing e-mail and made the decision to have one blog. (instead of two separate ones)

I met some friendly bloggers and plan to participate in some weekly blog prompts in regards to music and photography. I hope that my inspiration this weekend will result in being more active.

Thanks to everyone who participated this year and I look forward to the next one in June.

Spiritual Comedy Festival

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:14:00 +0000

Laughter is a powerful emotion and experience that can have a profound impact on us. I wanted to share with everyone the Online Spiritual Comedy Festival starting this Tuesday and running till March 21. I find this exciting because I believe that Spiritual growth is often taken far too seriously. Several comedians will share their inspiration and comedy and you can join in listening over the phone or the web. If you miss a show it will be recorded and of course its Free!

This is the sort of thing I support and want to see more of. I believe through music, comedy and the arts we are able to experience these messages of growth using all our senses and emotions. We often read about spirituality but aren't able to put the principles into physical practice in our lives. By experiencing these messages through our different senses and with emotion such as laughter we have a stronger connection to spirit and its messages and are more likely to gain a real tangible benefit from it.

I personally hope in the future to be able to develop events (both online and off) that will combine these elements together to deliver life changing and eye opening transformational experiences.

I will be sharing my own revelations throughout the series on my blog in the weeks to come and invite you to listen and sign up for this amazing event. You can do so on the Spiritual Comedy Festival Page.

Saturday Snaps

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:59:00 +0000

Another great idea by my new friend Naila Moon over at Just the Stuff Ya Know. It's Saturday Snaps where we can share our photography. Naila picks a winning photo each week that she features on her blog.

Let's Play!

I love "themes" so for my first Saturday Snaps my theme is toys!

Last August I attended Fan Expo in Toronto, a massive convention for Comic, Sci-fi, Anime, Gaming and Horror fans. This picture is of the Lego display they had there with several Lego creations.

These are the Star Wars inspired creations at the con, Yoda and R2D2. Isn't it amazing what you can create with Lego?

This Warcraft (or is it Warhammer? I always get them mixed up) was created entirely with Megablocks. Cool!

This picture is a bonus image because I didn't take the picture. My niece took the picture and arranged Ariel in the position she wanted. She just got her own kids camera and has been excited to use it. Who knows what she might capture that could appear here on my blog.

Play, have fun and never stop creating!

Biannual Blogathon Bash Kickoff

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:30:00 +0000

I am participating in this years Blogathon Bash. Its an opportunity for Bloggers to get together and work on their blogging projects. Get as little or as much done as you can is the philosophy behind this site that also provides plenty of resources on how to improve your blog.

I am still getting used to writing and expressing myself. In the Twitter chat it was mentioned that writing can be a stress reliever and I agree that it is a powerful tool that we have access to. I like the support through other bloggers that this event allows.

I have participated before and I have been trying to find my voice while trying to decide on a look for my blog. So much thought that very little writing has been done.

The Blogathon has mini-challenges so I will work through some of those and just get more and more writing done this weekend. I will keep updates on my progress this weekend and I hope to keep writing even after the Blogathon is done.

Friends and Associations

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Sean Stepehenson's post on Facebook today really made me stop and think about the associations and relationships I have.

Sean had this to say "FRIENDSHIP: The power of having a solid peer group is unmatched. There's often talk about how to choose the right mate to love, however there's very little discussion on how to choose the right friends. Facebook is all about linking friends together. Or is it?

Let's cut the crap...

Most of our "friends" on Facebook we'd never pick up the phone and dial. You know why? Because we don't have their phone numbers, they are merely someone we knew back in high school or randomly met at a networking event. I'm a bit ornery here for a reason. Reason being, I really value friendship. I'm talking deep, life-altering-bonds with another person.

Unfortunately most people don't CHOOSE their friends, they fall into them. They make their friend selection based on proximity.

"We went to school together."
"We work together."
"We (fill in the location based encounter)."

I'm not being a Danny-Downer here, you could make your best friends this way. And if that works...hell yeah! However, I've found that most location based friendships usually suck. If you didn't go to school with them and have those childhood memories you'd probably never hang out with them. When that is the case we need to re-evaluate the connection.

Just because you have a history with someone doesn't require you to have a future with them.

So where do we find amazing people to be friends with? I've found those friends are met on our life-path. On that journey we take to live out our life purpose. The most amazing friends I have were collected along my personal growth journey or my commitment to contributing to humanity. Maybe your path is music, art, guns, football, teaching, childhood-care, or any other spark that lights up your soul. Align with people who you are inspired by."

It is true that my friendships are location based. Heck I moved from my hometown to a different city because that's where my "friends were". Its years later and I find myself back in my hometown and wondering who my real friends are. Wondering where the dynamic, positive people are whose habits and thoughts I would rather immerse myself in are.

Yes the Internet is a way to connect with these people but I need to connect with these kinds of people in regular life too.

Good wake-up call

JJ Abrams to direct Star Wars

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:48:00 +0000

Maybe you have heard by know that JJ Abrams has been signed on to direct the next Star Wars movie. A quick look at his resume shows he knows action and mystery two key ingredients for the highly anticipated return of Star Wars to the big screen.

Abrams was executive producer on genre favorites Fringe, Lost, and Alias not to mention his work already on reviving the Star Trek franchise with the movie released in 2009. JJ returns to Star Trek with the release of Star Trek: Into Darkness this year which looks to be exciting, high action and dynamic special effects.

Check out JJ Abrams thoughts on how he approaches storytelling from his 2008 appearance at TED.

No other information has been released yet on plot or anyone else signed on but the announcement of Abrams involvement on Star Wars has already given A New Hope to Star Wars fans everywhere.

Book Review: Doctor Who: Shada

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 22:19:00 +0000

Doctor Who: Shada
Author: Gareth Roberts (Based on original script by Douglas Adams)
Publisher: Ace Publishing (Penguin Group)
Page Count: 400 pages

Summary

From the unique mind of Douglas Adams, legendary author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, comes Shada, a Doctor Who story scripted for the television series Doctor Who, but never produced--and now, transformed into an original novel...

The Doctor's old friend and fellow Time Lord Professor Chronotis has retired to Cambridge University, where among the other doddering old professors nobody will notice if he lives for centuries. He took with him a few little souvenirs--harmless things really. But among them, carelessly, he took The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey. Even more carelessly, he has loaned this immensely powerful book to clueless graduate student Chris Parsons, who intends to use it to impress girls. The Worshipful and Ancient Law is among the most dangerous artifacts in the universe; it cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. - back of book
Shada: Origins

Gareth Roberts, author of several Doctor Who novels and episodes tackles the lost story of Shada. Originally written by Douglas Adams intended to be a six-part serial for Doctor Who in 1980, Shada was planned to be the grand finale of Doctor Who’s 17th season. Strikes at the BBC halted filming halfway through, and the story was left unfinished. In 1992 the episode was released on VHS with additional audio of Tom Baker narrating in efforts to "complete" the episode. This was not well received by Douglas Adams who was highly disappointed by this version released.

The Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann, appeared in an audio adventure adaptation of the story, in a Big Finish Production release, also featuring Lalla Ward reprising her role as Romana. Also some scenes of the episode were reused in the production of The Five Doctors (1983), with Tom Baker noticeably absent.

The character of Professor Chronotis also appears in Douglas Adam's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency which borrows some of the plot elements from Shada including the professor's time machine disguised as his apartment. While not referred to as a TARDIS specifically for copyright reasons it does share the "bigger on the inside" quality that fans are used to.

Review

Gareth takes the screenplay and expands it to fill 400 pages with plenty of action for the Fourth Doctor and Romana. I enjoyed the interplay between the characters and with no less than three Time Lords in the story (Doctor, Romana, Chronotis,) the story presented plenty of Douglas Adam's style wit and intellectual banter.

The story features plenty of other interesting characters: Chris Parsons, the young student that takes the book; his girlfriend Clare; even the villain Skagra's sentient spaceship. The novel is full of the whimsical magic that is Doctor Who. Robot dogs, long coloured scarfs, and tea time with the Time Lords.

The novel takes classic Doctor Who and presents him in all his regular silliness and unearthly wisdom. At one point, Roberts describes him as a cross between Winnie the Pooh and Father Xmas. The story is made all the more interesting with the human companions Chris and Clare whose own love story runs parallel to the Time Lord shenanigans going on.

Read This!

If you're looking for great Doctor Who action, adventure and humour wrapped up in timey-wimey stuff! Overall I think the author does a great job of paying homage to the great Douglas Adam's work. It's a great way for new fans to gain an appreciation of classic Doctor Who while we wait for the next season of Doctor Who.

Triad of Hell

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:51:00 +0000

"Three is a magic number" - Schoolhouse Rock

The power of three, reflected in the legends of the Fates, Norns, and the Tridevi. In Heaven it is known as The Presence, The Voice, and The Word. In the depths of Hell its names are not so well known. The power has been passed on to many infernals. The status within the Triad or Triumverate of Hell is one earned through dark pacts made over the River Styx.

Triad (WB's Charmed)

The Triad appeared on Television in several episodes of Charmed as an ongoing adversary to the Halliwell sisters a group of witches with their own power of three. The members of this faction of the underworld would eventually be named Asmodeus, Baliel, and Candor. Candor was of course played by Leland Crooke who also portrayed upper demon Archduke Sebassis in Angel. Sebassis who was also a member of the Circle of the Black Thorn another faction with high power in the underworld.

Devils often make use of different names, we can assume they are one and the same. I believe Baliel to be a variation on Belial as his position in the Triad is mentioned in the Demon Comic series portraying Belial's son Etrigan.

The Trinity, Demon, DC, 1990

Of course we know in Neil Gaimon's Sandman series Neil knows full well of the Triumverate of Hell and he names them Beelzebub, Lucifer, and Azazel. When Lucifer departs Hell's politics he leaves his position among the Triad. Later Azazel is replaced by Belial.

The Devils are always looking to move up the ranks of Hell and each Lord of Hell has had his (or her) rise and fall. According to Hesiod the River Styx was where the oaths, vocal contracts between the gods were made. These same contracts bind the Lords of the Underworld and form the position of those among the Triad.

Just who are the Triad right now? In DC's Reign in Hell comic series a battle between Neron, Satanus and Lady Blaze resulted in Satanus winning the war for power in Hell. The Triad themselves are not mention but Belial appeared as an ally of Neron, who is ultimately defeated.

Clearly the position could be anyone in the ongoing war for power in Hell. As often as we hear about the Trinity, when mentioned with God, should it be surprising that there be balance of that in Hell?

As above, so below as we all should know!

DC and the New 52

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 02:15:00 +0000

I confess I am a DC fan! I prefer Superman over Spider-Man, Justice League over the Avengers, Batman over Iron Man! As much as I love DC though I have always been very frustrated with the writers frequent disregard to continuity in the comics. DC's Multiverse Mess is well known in the comics community. Power Girl was Supergirl (Kara) from Earth 2 but after the Crisis it was revealed that she had an Atlantean heritage. Donna Troy and Hawkman's origins kept changing. Heck even Superman's origins would seem to be changed every ten years or so. Sometimes DC explained these changes other times they did not.

So when they decided to do another reboot again with the launch of the New 52 I was again frustrated and decided I would no longer buy anymore DC Comics. (I have since changed my mind) Originally from what I saw of this New 52 I was not impressed. Superman looked more like Superboy and was wearing body armor. Teen Titans and Firestorm's origins were changed and Wally the third Flash seemed to not exist at all.

Over a year has gone by and DC has released additional titles as well as the Zero Issues in their reboot. While their are changes I do not like and would sooner ignore there is much that I am starting to be interested in. When I first got into comics DC had just finished Crisis on Infinite Earths. I was a fan of Superman and enjoyed reading the John Byrne Superman series that portrayed Superman in his first year as a Superhero. Reading Crisis gave me an overall view of the DC Multiverse in both different time era's and different parallel earths.

Crisis On Infinite Earths #7

With a "Multiverse" that has been around since the 30's its not surprising all the confusion. DC has purchased many comic companies and over the years added them to their Multiverse merging the characters from Fawcette (Captain Marvel Family), Charleston (Blue Beetle, Question), Image (WildC.A.T.s, Stormwatch) and Milestone (Static Shock) into their main titles universe. Every generation see's its own interpretation of the character so its not surprising they are given a modern spin every ten years or so which is something we see in other properties. Even Star Trek has been rebooted these days.

Now recent reports suggest that Green Arrow is getting a reboot in The New 52 in February so asking the question of what is canon and what is not is an endless task with no real "official" answer. How can you trust an official answer when in a few years they will change their mind anyway.

Despite the challenge of continuity there is some great things happening in the New 52 that has given me enough reason to check out the comics. I really enjoy that we get to see different time periods of DC with titles such as Demon Knights during the Middle Ages and All Star Western. Characters I saw in the Crisis like Jonah Hex, and Amethyst have returned to the spotlight and the range of books they are publishing really gives us a sense of the many corners of the DC multiverse.

Despite the many problems with DC I still have a love for the characters and stories of the DC Multiverse. In running my tabletop RPG using the DC Multiverse I have had to figure out what I want to use from the comics and what I did not. In future posts I will be sharing more on that and my own theories of the DC Multiverse.

Inspire Me Monday: Anno Dracula

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 04:00:00 +0000

What’s inspiring you this week? I was inspired by Create With Joy’s Inspire Me Monday an excellent way to participate in the blogging/creativity community. Learn more about it and get inspired!

I was inspired when I heard about this book series Anno Dracula by Kim Newman. Dracula has succeeded in conquering Great Britain as the King having married Queen Victoria. Normally that would not be enough to interest me but it seems the book is filled with characters from history and fiction of that time era. (Each book is set in a different era)

The book makes use of characters in the public domain (Sherlock Holmes, Van Helsing, Dr. Jekyll etc) but he also makes clever references to other characters from older movies and novels that are now not as well known.

His books were inspired by the World Newton Family a concept introduced by the writer Philip Jose Farmer whose crossover fiction often combined such literary characters as Solomon Kane, Tarzan, Allan Quartermain and the like. Being a fan of such crossover ideas like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen it really appeals to me.

It inspired me to develop a role playing game that would use older historical and fictional characters that we just don’t get to see as much anymore. The book is certainly worth checking out.

Power of Gratitude

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 22:51:00 +0000

I have not felt at home for awhile now. But I would rather focus on Gratitude. To put our minds in the state of gratitude is to remember what is going well in our lives and it can lead to solutions for what isn’t going the way we want it to.

I for one am very grateful for my family. Every day I get to spend with my nieces and nephew is a blessing. I am grateful for the time I get to spend with them. Time is a precious thing, each day can only be lived once and the young can grow up so fast.

I moved earlier this year and had made a decision to come back to my hometown of Windsor, Ontario so that I might be surrounded by my family. I had taken for granted that they would always be there and woke one day to the reminder that nothing lasts forever and that we must cherish the days we have.

Watching old sitcoms with my parents, the sounds of my fathers amateur radio equipment, the hug from my one year old nephew these are the daily reminders that make me feel at home. I have not felt like I was at home for awhile but now staying with family until I get my own place I have come to really value the love that family brings. Not all families get along and mine isn’t perfect but it’s pretty damn close.

Blogathon Bash Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 02:21:00 +0000

Looks like this year I didn't get as much done with only ten hours of work accomplished. There was just too much going on with the rest of my life that I really did not have the energy to keep up.

I did however enjoy the time I did get to spend connecting with other Bloggers and participating in the Twitter Party!

Thanks everyone who gave their words of support!

Blogathon Bash Update

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 04:58:00 +0000

What an amazing time I am having with the Blogathon. Today I was spending my time connecting with other bloggers. Adding Blogs to my Google Reader and learning the ins and outs of Twitter. Other than this post I have done very little in the way of “actual blog post writing” for the Blogathon. I did however participate in my first Twitter Party! That’s real exciting because there was two of them one in the morning and one at night.

The Twitter Party allows you to get to connect with new people with a common interest and participating results in more people hearing about you and knowing what you do. Geek With Style’s Aeryn Lynne said “Network on Twitter and Facebook concentrate more on making friendships rather than followers.” Which is really the key to successfully get noticed in the large ocean of the Internet. Be a resource for people and be someone who helps lots of people.

I have also spent time reading other participants blogs. I found Melissa’s Succeeding Despite The Doubters to be very insightful. It is important to get your support group whether its for Blogging or anything else. She mentions several different support groups she has for the different aspects of her life. This is an idea I would like to use.

I got some inspiration and insight in the Twitter Party and in people’s posts! Thanks everyone for their comments and kind words. I promise the Blog will only get better as I discover myself through writing.

Book Review: Delivering Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 19:36:00 +0000

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose
Author: Tony Hsieh
Publisher: Business Plus

Summary: #1 New York Times Best Sellers List! In his first book, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh shares the different lessons he has learned in business and life, from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business; through LinkExchange (acquired by Microsoft for $265 million), Zappos, and more.

Tony shows how a very different kind of corporate culture is a powerful model for achieving success — and how by concentrating on the happiness of those around you, you can dramatically increase your own.

It was a great book with amazing insight into starting up business. The development of the Zappos culture and personal stories were nicely mixed with practical suggestions to transform business philosophy and company culture.

Not only is it a good book but a movement as well. The team at Zappos now hosts events on how companies and their employees can deliver a little more happiness. Through their Facebook Group several groups have formed in communities to come together to discuss the ideas in the book. Check them out on their website Delivering Happiness.

Blogathon Bash: Walking In My Head

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:38:00 +0000

I guess writing is kind of like walking around in someone’s head. When you read you are having a conversation with the author. You are a witness to their thoughts. If we were to take a stroll through my head we would see a museum of curiosities. Old Antique Cars, Books of Philosophy and oodles of Comics.

Yes I like the word “Oodles”

It’s Blogathon Bash Time Again!

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:01:00 +0000

It seems that I haven’t done any writing since the last Biannual Blogathon Bash nevertheless it’s a great way to help me get re-focused on my Blogging goals. For those that don’t know the Blogathon is a twice a year event created to get those things on your Blogging To Do List completed. It is suggested you try aim for 24 TOTAL but NOT consecutive hours of blogging all weekend but you can do as little or as much as you can. You get the support of the other participants and their are even prizes. You can still sign up!

My goals this time around is to do lots of writing actual writing of posts as well as organizing so that I can keep it up! I will aim for at least 24 Hours we will see. There are a few Mini-Challenges I want to try as well.

Each day I will do at least one post on my progress for that day!

I’m ready to go!

A Moment With T

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 02:26:00 +0000

Don't Think!

That's what was written above Ray Bradbury's typerwriter when he wrote some of the most influential sci-fi stories in Literature. Ray was the writer of such classics as Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Halloween Tree each story which has appeared on the screen as well as the page. Bradbury convinced Walt Disney to build an amusement park the two friends sharing a love for the traveling carnivals and the magic of them. He also was behind the formation of the first comic conventions and remains as one of Sci Fi's Iconic Legends.

Since his passing a week ago I have been learning a little more about the man. His advice to new writers was to just write what you feel and most of all Do Not Think!

I think too much and it stops me from writing and just getting my thoughts out there. I have been busy as of late (sleeping on a couch) re-inventing my life essentially. But thanks to support from my friends in the Blogging World and Ray Bradbury of course I am writing again.

I would call Ray Bradbury a Wizard able to use words and language in magical ways entrancing the reader. In an interview in his home he revealed himself to be a bit of a packrat that each item he had held on to had a significance and its own story. In fact often the source of inspiration for a story Ray admitted a love for magic. If he wasn't an author he would have been a magician and the man found inspiration from life itself always asking questions and making magic with his words.

He wrote 27 novels and over 600 short stories and poetry. More than eight million copies of his works, published in over 36 languages, have been sold around the world. He was a writer for television and movies and the winner of an Emmy for his work on the animated special The Halloween Tree. Ray's narration of the Halloween Tree set the mood and the story itself remains a historical journey through the Holiday and reminds us of the magic of that season. It is one of my favorite holiday specials.

One story that really inspired me was of Ray's younger years as a boy and avid reader of the old Buck Rogers comics. At school Ray found himself bullied by other kids because of his love of comics which were though of as nerdy. Upset Ray tore up his Buck Rogers comics in tears.

I can sure relate to that. My love for comics, cartoons and the mysteries of the universe make me kind of weird and I was teased as a kid it had an effect on me and still does. But Ray did not let that stop him in his own words.

"I went back to collecting Buck Rogers. My life has been happy ever since. For that was the beginning of my writing science fiction. Since then, I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows, or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room."

Ray was brave enough to share what he loved with the world and we got a body of work that inspires and reminds us of the magic of life.

Thanks Ray Bradbury for reminding me of my Love of Libraries, Literature and Life.

Biannual Blogathon Bash Finale

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:15:00 +0000

Well I will call it a successful Blogathon as I need to get some rest for work tomorrow! I got my goals completed and succeeded in a total of 11 hours. As much as I would like to say I will do one more to get to my goal I really do need some time to wind down and be ready for work tomorrow!

It was fun and I look forward to the next one in June!

Thanks everyone for their support!

Confessions of a Wizard

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:14:00 +0000

This post is my effort to allow you to get to know me better. You will often hear me on my Blog refer to myself as a Wizard. (No I am NOT a Potter Fanatic) What I am talking about is the Wizard archetype. An archetype is a universally understood symbol, personality or behaviour. In many stories and mythology the Hero often receives advice from the Wizard which is simply the "Wise person" in the story that gives the Hero the Secret Knowledge they need to get them started on their quest.

In Star Wars the Hero Luke Skywalker meets the Wizard Obi Wan Kenobi (and later Yoda fills the same role) In the Matrix the Wizard is Morpheus another well known example of course is Merlin. Other terms for the Wizard could include Druid, Shaman, Seer, Mystic, Philosopher.

A Wizard loves knowledge. Myself I love books and I have a multitude of different books on my shelves (and spilling out all over the place really). I am also a Movie lover which I see as just a visual medium for knowledge. Wizards love stories and the lessons we learn from them.

I have a deep passion for the magic, music, philosophy and spirituality. I believe in the power of the human spirit to accomplish amazing things and look forward to sharing the beauty and magic with you to help you in your own growth.

That's my path of service to help others realize the brilliance of themselves. In so doing it will help me connect with my own.

We are all connected! We are all One!

Namaste

Biannual Blogathon Update

noreply@blogger.com (~T~) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:44:00 +0000

Just wanted to give you an update on my progress with the Blogathon running this weekend. Friday I was able to get 3 hours work in however Saturday I was out most of the day and didn't get anything done. Today I have been working so far about 2 hours for a total of five hours. That means I have 7 hours left to achieve my goal of 12 hours.

I got a Facebook page up for the Blog and want to thank those who have already "liked" my page. I am going to get some posts up shortly so you can get an idea of what you can expect from the Blog!

Thanks everyone for their support!