So, I've been wanting to do this for a while, at least a year, maybe longer. But I finally did it. I Recorded myself reading one of my poems and uploaded it to You Tube!
     I am going to try to embed it in this blog post. I'd appreciate you letting me know whether it works OK on whatever device you read this on. I'd like to know what platforms it works on and doesn't work on. The video has a watermark, because I downloaded one of those trial versions where I couldn't find a price on their website, and didn't want to pay for it without giving it a good workout. So far so good. I had recorded the video with the software that came with a Logitech camera that I'd had for a while, but I needed to cut a few seconds off of the end, so I had to download a video editor. The editor is Wondershare Video Editor, and the price is $39.99.
     If you know anyone who wants to make a video for You Tube, let me know.

     I guess it's been several months since I've visited what used to be one of my favorite websites, Stumbleupon.com.
     So I'm at home procrastinating doing something important, and I remembered Stumbleupon. Whew. A good, fun half-hour almost wasted. But wait, good thing I decided to take screenshots as I went along. It might make an interesting blog post.
     First some quotes from one of the random pages that Stumbleupon served up tonight for our viewing pleasure.

"If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." Toni Morrison

"A woman must have money and room of her own if she is to write fiction." Virginia Woolf (Hmm, not a bad idea for a male writer either.)

"Write without pay until somebody offers to pay." Mark Twain

"Words have weight, sound and appearance; it is only by considering these that you can write a sentence that is good to look at and good to listen to." Somerset Maugham

"A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people." Thomas Mann

"You must write for yourself, above all. That is [your] only hope of creating something beautiful." Gustave Flaubert 

"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else." Gloria Steinem (except for sex!)

Now for a few visuals - 

     Wait, I'll tell you about this picture in a bit. First--I went to a Playwriting workshop in Menlo Park this morning. It was only two hours (and three more tomorrow), but it was one of the most informative and fun two hours I've spent in years.
     In addition to some fundamental playwriting theory, we had to actually get up front and act out settings, characters and actions. There were only five of us in the workshop, which was great as one couldn't really hide in the crowd. So, we all got to add our ideas into the mix, and all got to be "on stage" in a kind of improvisational way. So cool. A little scary, but again, where can you hide, when you pay the money, show up, and suddenly you're "on."
     So, our homework was to write a three page play, based on what we'd learned. I went right home--OK, I stopped at Subway for a sandwich. By the time I got home, I already had an idea on how the play would start. By the time I finished my sandwich in front of the computer, I had the first page done, and an hour later I had a first draft, well-formatted with a quick edit thrown in. Then I had to go out to Costco and buy some ink for my printer in order to print out copies for the class, which turned into a mini shopping spree for things in my "need to buy soon" queue and a couple of spontaneous purchases.
  Then I got home and decided to bake some bread using my new 1-hour microwave-assisted bread recipe I got off the internet--yes, it really works, it's a yeasted bread that takes an hour from start to out-of-the-oven. Pinky-promise! Another 20-30 minutes to let it cool/rest before cutting the first slice. Gnom, gnom, gnom!

  Oh, and while I was at Costco, I bought an amplified indoor antenna, a translucent square of about 14" to pull in local HD channels. Without even putting it near a window, just to try it out, I logged 60 new channels. Very new, since when I moved into my condo, I decided not to get cable TV, instead opting for a Wi-Fi equipped Smart TV and a faster broadband connection. Now for $50, I have HDTV as well. And no monthyl cable bill. The downside is, well, half of those 60 channels are Spanish, Chinese, or Korean. But I will rescan after mounting the antenna on my glass patio door.
     But wait ... there's more. I ran across a Korean show called Madame Jeong Gag Concert. It seemed like a Korean version of Saturday Night Live, only funnier--or perhaps as funny as I ever remember SNL to be. 
     Very young audience, perhaps teens to 30s--at least where the cameras panned--and just basically a non-stop round of comic sketches in Korean with English subtitles. The subtitles were occasionally a little off in their English grammar, but the scenes and the dialog still translated very well. I must have watched for nearly an hour, and couldn't tear myself away, except for some kind of local commercials that interrupted perhaps 2 or 3 times. 
     That was really fun. Check it out at DailyMotion.com.

     I'm certainly not an expert on multi-level-marketing, and can't really say that all MLM business are pyramid schemes by definition, but as someone whose been around the block a few times, and had some personal experience (my own and friends') with Amway, EST, LifeSpring, Tupperware, Avon, Mary Kay - I think what they all have in common is that the people at the bottom keep bringing in new people and spending their own money on products or trainings, the people in the middle lie about how well they are doing, and the very few at the top make a lot of money.
     Just my opinion. But recently I had conversations with a few people who were "selling" MLM opportunities, i.e. sharing their excitement about another easy way to get rich quick. 
     Ultimately if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Doing a little detective work on the web, like Googling company names and products along with the word scam for instance. Doesn't mean it is, but it helps to get some perspective from the other side of the aisle so to speak.
     Being successful for me is about giving what I can and receiving what comes to me gratefully. And yes, I am learning to be more business-savvy in what I give. But in order to have a successful exchange of services, I have to really KNOW, not just believe that my service is valuable and worthwhile. That knowledge is not that easy to come by, but once that knowledge is there, then presentation of the product or service is really about truly sharing oneself with the world in order to provide others with what they need, and make the world a better place.
    And that's the--my--truth.

     It's been a really great day all around. Went to Hobees for lunch. They have an awesome omelette with super-awesome home fried potatoes, ham and cheese baked into the omelette. OMG, and it's too big for me to eat at one time ... uh, but I did.
     Then I got to take on new responsibilities at work, administrating our company-wide internal- and external-facing Wikis.
     THEN, I went to an open mic at the Dove & Olive Works, sponsored by the California Writers Club with my co-author and friend Sandra and my friend Tina Gibson--where I read two of my poems.
     But wait--there's more. Found out that the two copies of our book, The Liar, The King, The Libertine that we donated to the store actually got sold. AND we now have ordered more books that we will actually get paid for. Yay! We are in a bookstore !!!

     The thing that I hear from most aspiring or wishful bloggers is that they're afraid they won't be able to keep up with the  commitment that it takes to blog on a regular basis.
     Believe me, I have had the same thoughts--many times--yet, here I am a couple of months into a new blog, my seventh start in about as many years.    
     And still asking myself the same question. As I start to build a subscriber basis, a readership, I wonder whether they want or need something from me every day. Probably not. Most people I know get plenty of email. It's not like they're waiting anxiously by the mailbox waiting for my blog post to arrive.  Once a month and I think I'd lose any continuity in the effort. Once a week--I don't know--I probably have more to say in a week than would fit in a single post.
     So, I'm thinking every 2 or 3 days might be just about right. And less pressure than trying to do it every day.
     I'm also exploring having guest posts. I've already had one, and have another in the works. How about you? My email address is on the Home page of my website, and there is also a web-based contact form if you don't happen to be near your email client at the moment.
     

     I remember once asking my mother whether it was better to be happy or to be right. Without a moment's hesitation, she answered on the side of right. I, of course, as a teenager at the time was solidly on the side of being happy.
     Many years later, I came to the realization that the two are alternatives are actually not alternatives at all, but inseparably intertwined demands of a fulfilled life.
     Being right, or trying to be right, insisting on being right, or even a lifelong quest for the truth, is a sad and meaningless struggle if somehow it doesn't make us happy, or at least happier, and in some way contribute to the happiness of others.
     On the other hand, from personal experience, I know that the pursuit of happiness, for its own sake, i.e. as brought about by immediate or simple pleasures is doomed to failure as a never-ending quest for the next high, the next thing, the next promotion, whatever we think might make us happy, or happier.
     And when all is said and done, we must discover by exploration and experimentation what is right and true for us. Whether we accept, reject our modify and integrate the truths of our culture, our family or the spiritual tradition we were raised in, we must find our own tenets of faith, our own personal ethical and moral values, the creed that we live by daily. 
   So, I think that the missing piece of the puzzle is balance. And what actually constitutes balance may not look the same for each person. Each individual must also find their own balance between truth and feeling. In the end, doing the right thing should result in happiness, even if not immediately. And doing what truly makes us happy, fulfilled and content should be our right and true path.
     

    Today's insight is about focusing. I notice that the ability, even tendency, to multi-task can sometimes become a problem. It is easy to get distracted with all the input constantly coming at me. So, the other day I tried a new approach. I call it "Chunk and Tunnel." It's not something I read about, but something I kinda discovered on my own.
     So here's the scoop. I am working on a project. Something big enough so that I know it's at least a multi-day effort. And something comes up. A thought, an email, an urge to get up and stretch, or an idea about something else I need to do. Al long as it's not something critical that has to have attention immediately, I am learning to resist the impulse to do something about it--at least for a while. 
     I look at what I am already doing, and make a conscious choice to just finish this "chunk," this small piece of the project, before I pay attention to whatever was distracting me. Just a quick chopping off of a small piece of the project and committing myself to getting that done before I take care of something else.
     I have found that doing this puts me into a kind of tunnel, a very focused state where I can get in the "zone," and concentrate on completing the chunk, because I know that as soon as the chunk is completed, I will be back out of the tunnel, and able to focus on whatever the distraction was.
     And, once in the tunnel, it's easy to concentrate, be productive and enjoy the task at hand.
     I used to try and jot down ideas, afraid that they might get away, or not come back. I would answer email that wasn't critical, just because I was aware of it coming in.
     No time to do that anymore. And there will always be distractions. But chunking and tunneling is my new way of dealing with them. I can go in and out of these tunnels several times a day, and still be on top of anything critical or urgent that comes my way as well. Try it out!

     First, I have to say a very grand Thank You to the six people who subscribed to my blog this week. I  really appreciate your support, and will do my best to make it worth your while. Only 14 more to go to meet my goal!
     I spent the last half hour or so "Lost in Cyberspace," i.e. Facebook, email, general browsing ... so I finally decided to take a look through Google Images and see what kind of image might pop up about that. Hmm, a Sci-Fi Fantasy Rock Opera Series. Sounds interesting! Since I started this blog, I have been religiously putting a picture with each post, and actually having fun doing it. Used to be I would struggle to find just the right picture. Now something has happened, and I am feeling much more at ease with the process, having fun with it, and just picking a picture that strikes my fancy to go with the post. Hope you like this one.
     Here's an example of my somewhat childlike and twisted sense of humor - from my childhood actually, for Valentine's Day.

     Roses are red
     Violets are purple
     Sugar is sweet
     And so is maple surple.

Go figure.

     Yay! Tomorrow is my writing and coaching day. Working on our next collection of poems and short stories, "The Second Book of Truth," and attending a business networking group "Successful Thinkers Network" at the Coyote Point Yacht club. Great people, awesome venue.

     Yes, Valentine's Day is an extremely commercialized day, with expectations of Hallmark Cards, flowers and candy, with perhaps a dinner thrown in.
     But in our so busy lives, whether we have a special someone at the moment or not, it's not a bad idea to stop for just a day, or even a few hours, and think about love. Think about how we express love, whether or not we have been feeling loving or loved lately, and what we may want to do differently.
     There are many ways to express love, and some work for certain people, and not for others. Some people only see love through action, others primarily through feeling. Love may last a long time, but even if it doesn't, that doesn't mean it wasn't or isn't love. 
     Sometimes love is not returned. Some love secretly, others can't help but display their feelings publicly. Love is not a simple thing, not easily defined or put in a box. 
     There is no papal, governmental or societal authority that defines what love is or isn't, though often parents try to convince their children that they know what love is and that surely isn't love, not at your age.
     I suspect that real love, true love, has a lot in common with kindness and compassion. It may also include aspects of loyalty, humor, stability, understanding, risk and patience. And it may be that we all get to "roll our own" from the plethora of feelings and actions that make up a human being.
     Perhaps the one thing that I know about myself, that just might be true of all, is that I need to both love and be loved. How that is expressed is a continuous and changing journey of self exploration and spiritual growth.
     Here's a little acrostic poem I wrote for this day.

I LOVE YOU

I 'm thinking of you tonight; of how

L earning to know you has been such fun, and

O h, sometimes there's hard times too, but the

V ows we made still keep us on track. You know,

E very day I thank God for you. The

Y ears fly by, and we're still together, with

O pen hearts, hand-in-hand, looking outward at

U nlimited possibilities for service.