I am sitting here in the wee hours of Saturday morning, March 29th, pecking away at the keyboard in hopes that everyone who reads my blog will tune in sometime during the next 17 hours. I am hoping for this because between 8 and 9 p.m. this evening, the entire world is being asked to “dim down” by turning off lights for one hour. The event, dubbed Earth Hour, is an international environmental awareness campaign that started last year in Sydney, Australia and that the World Wildlife Fund is taking global this year.

In Sydney last year, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney business establishments turned off their lights for an hour. The carbon emissions saved owing to the brief shut down amounted to the same as taking 48,000 cars off the road for an entire year. So far this year, 35 nations, 370 cities, towns and councils worldwide have pledged to turn out their lights for one hour. This includes Read the rest of this entry »

Over the years, my Yoga and meditation practice has resulted in some pretty wild experiences, not the least of which was one instance when I felt the physical boundaries of my body dissolve and every molecule expand into space until I was one with all that is. For years I have also believed that humans will eventually evolve to a point where we vibrate at a higher frequency, allowing us to connect on an energetic level, and that by the sheer force of our collective consciousness, we will be able to ‘think’ peace into being. I have long been reticent to share these views because Read the rest of this entry »

I had my next trip all planned. Until last week I was quite sure that my next long-term travel route would be Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China, Nepal, Tibel, Malaysia, Borneo, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. But when the Chinese again began killing Buddhist Monks and ethnic Tibetans, I started rethinking my visit to China. I was undecided, until the Chinese government accused the Dalai Lama of being responsible for the violence in Tibet.

China has crossed the line with this accusation. The Dalai Lama is a beloved figure across the world. No human being exudes more love and warmth than this man. No one individual could be more Read the rest of this entry »

About a year ago, my roommate, Joan, came home from visiting her mother in Louisiana and handed me a basket of kumquats she had picked off the tree in her mother’s yard. To the uninitiated, kumquats look like tiny oranges; they average about an inch in diameter and are bright orange, with a bumpy skin like an orange. I grinned, popped one into my mouth, and chomped down, skin and all. The instant the skin burst my mouth was flooded with the tangy, slightly sour taste of the juicy fruit, followed by the sweetness of the skin. I hadn’t seen kumquats in years and they certainly aren’t a staple in the grocery stores, but somehow I just knew they were supposed to be eaten skin and all.

Since that time I’ve had a craving for kumquats. They’re in season now and readily available at the downtown Farmer’s Market each weekend. I am simply incapable of walking by the kumquats without buying a basket. They make me feel good. Each time I bite into one, I get all Read the rest of this entry »

Most women I know have a shelf full of purses; big purses for everyday, tiny purses for dressy occasions, and everything in between. Most women change their purse to match their outfit each day. In lieu of a purse, I carry a backpack because, as a writer, I usually need to carry my laptop, a spiral bound notebook for taking interview notes, and occasionally my camera and telephoto lens as well. On the few occasions when I attend something (like the theater) where I can’t carry the backpack, I will change to one of two other purses in my closet. That’s what happened last night.

I decided to attend one of the free weekly outdoor movies that the Sarasota Film Festival presents as part of their annual spring film festival. Last night’s screening was held at Payne Park, a lovely facility located just east of Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been collecting a few things that I think are pretty funny and saving them all for one post, so enjoy:

Chris Matthews of “Hardball” fame, appeared on the Ellen Degeneres Show yesterday. Famous for dancing with her audience and her guests, Ellen took time out for some “Hardball Dancing” with Matthews:

Read the rest of this entry »

I want to tell you about the incredible fares being offered by Spirit Airlines when you join their $9 Fare Club. During the membership process, you are asked to select five preferred cities from the list of cities that the airline serves. At least once every six weeks, Spirit sends out emails offering spectacularly cheap fares exclusively to its members. Although the emails focus on flights to the five preferred cities, members may also log on to Spirit Air’s Fare Club page at any time and see all the deals being offered. For example, today I joined the $9 Fare Club and then logged on to check the current deals being offered. I discovered they were offering flights to Read the rest of this entry »

When I die, I want people to be happy. I want them to have a party and celebrate my life. I have done everything I ever wanted, and that’s good reason to celebrate.

When I die, I want to be cremated and have my ashes spread on the water in some lovely tropical location that has a healthy coral reef, so that I can spend eternity swimming amongst colorful reef fish, with sunlight filtering down through the crystal clear turquoise waters.

When I die, know that I will still be here in spirit, helping those whom I love and cherish. You need only think about me and I will be standing at your side.

When I die, I will take Read the rest of this entry »

The older (or should I say more mature) I get, the more interest I have in environmental issues. Since moving to Sarasota I’ve become a fan of the Saturday morning Downtown Farmer’s Market, where local organic and traditional farmers sell fresh-picked fruits and vegetables. Not only does everything that I buy here taste delicious, it lasts longer, because it hasn’t been on a truck for three days, crossing the country. The last bag of spinach I bought at the Farmer’s Market was from Worden Organic Farms and it lasted a full three weeks without a hint of slime appearing. Can you imagine that happening with a store-bought bag of spinach?

There’s so much to be said for buying locally. It supports the area farmers; it makes available fruits and vegetables that were picked at the peak of ripeness, rather than just before their prime; and Read the rest of this entry »