The Pink Martini

How can you miss with a name like that? Well, you can't.

This is the band that is transforming Schubert and Chopin. What they have come up with will really blow you away! (I warned ya'll this video uploading thing would get ugly...)

I could drone on and on about the bios of the members being like a who's who of ass-kickers, or the crazy story of how the band came to be, but instead I'll just leave you to listen (or not), as you wish. But if you don't, you'll wish you had.

This one is called Lilly


Ok, the embedding was taken off of this one, so I only have the link... but PLEASE watch this wack a doo video. These guys are tight, and it's pretty funny stuff!
OFFICIAL VIDEO, PINK MARTINIS

Amado Mio


HEY, EUGENE!


Check out their website for more info: PINK MARTINI

Hedwig and the Angry Inch...

Cher has Nuttin' on Hedwig baby!

How the HELL did this movie slip under the radar?? It's one of the best musicals ever, and while it's not totally serious, it's not total fluff either, like most musicals. And, have I said, the music is unbelievably great.

Wicked Little Town...This may be one of the most simple and beautiful songs ever written. No matter how many times I hear it, it still makes me weep. I believe among other things, it tells the story of the origin of art.

If this song isn't pure fun, then I DON'T KNOW what IS...


Music that takes you for a ride to the far reaches of the soul.

I love this girl... she makes me laugh out loud!

Now that I know how to do this video upload thing.... watch out! It's important, if you watch, to watch the whole thing, you'll see why.

Enjoy.

Blasphemy on the Playground

Today my son and I went to the park and we met a sweet little girl about Harley's age, named Victoria. Victoria and Harley hit it off like gangbusters. While the two of them were off picking beetle carapaces from the barks of pines, Victoria's lovely mother, Rebecca and I had a nice little chat about all things kid. It was during this little chat that I heard the most vile of profanities... The lovely Rebecca informed me in complete gossip style (which I love!) that the cookie monster was having an identity crisis of sorts. She said, that she heard that the cookie monster was going to be renamed the "Carrot Monster"!!!? WHAT? NO WAY!! Well, that's what she heard... she hasn't actually SEEN the Carrot Monster, but she knows people who have... hmmmmmmmmm... Really?

She went on to say that apparently PBS had been getting complaints that the cookie monster was not setting a good example for the children and was another chink in the chain of childhood obesity. ( In the words of the notorious Dennis Leary... "Why do I gotta get mad about this shit?!") At least I think it was Dennis... Anyway, we were both naturally appalled at the notion that this would even be considered rationally by anyone!! Least of all the PBS/Sesame Street gang! (I told you weird things were happening on Sesame Street back in August... Remember?)

Of course I came right home and Googled the hell out of it, and found that it just an ugly rumor. (What the hell's wrong with me??) That's another story... While it's true that now the cookie monster does eat other foods BESIDES cookies, AND cookies are now touted as a "sometimes" food on the show, the cookie monster does still indeed eat cookies. AND he will not be renamed "The Carrot Monster". Whew! That was a close one! I can live with this, for now. BUT, again I say... what happened to Miss Piggy and Kermit?? What about the "yep yep yep yep yep yep and nope nope nope nope nope Monsters"? If I hear any rattlings about how vampires who love to count are not appropriate for kids to watch, you can bet I'll have something to say about it.

I've got my eye on you Sesame Street... and don't you think I don't!

Great Stuff!

I had my first coaching tutorial yesterday over the Skype. It was FANTASTIC! My tutor is very knowledgeable and has a great SA accent! It's soothing just listening to the music of her talking. And...more importantly, I love this stuff and I can see why it works. There is no doubt left in my mind that I want to do this. The only doubts remaining are the doubts anyone has when they go into business for themselves. Will I market myself well? Will I get burned out doing the marketing/networking thing? How long till I can quit my day job?? (just an expression, I don't actually have one, but you know...) The usual myriad of insecure voices one hears in one's head at the most pivotal and inconvenient times.

Regardless of my recurring insecurities, we finished the first teaching module and I am certain that even in the worst possible case scenario, that this has been money well spent. I am learning invaluable skills that will help me navigate life easier, and help make my relationships healthier and stronger. How can you put a price tag on that??

I've also decided to return to the hated chore of looking into getting an office job or sales job. I think I love this coaching business so much, that I will have the energy to do both. I'm not making any promises though, not even to myself. I do have some leads from few weeks ago that I'm going to follow up on, that much I can promise. We have a group called Workforce Plus and another group called ECHO here that are non profits and help people to find jobs they are qualified for. AND IT'S FREE!!! If you live in the Tallahassee area and are interested, just leave a message in the comments section and I'll send you the contact info! Maybe we can go together?? :-)

Ok, everybody, that's all from here. Well, that and the dropping temperature~ waaahooooo!
Have a great week y'all, and whatever it is...go for it!

The Magnificent, Mysterious BRAIN

I've been a busy little bee the past couple of days. I've been exposed to so much intriguing information that I feel my brain will pop right out of it's little cranial cocoon! I picked up a copy of the Utne Reader today at borders. Well, I picked it up to read it, not to take it home. I'd forgotten what a great magazine that is... So much thought provoking information, from the uplifting to the hideously heinous.

I learned about various visionaries who are changing the world for the better in their many unique ways. I learned about US doctors who condone and participate in torture, as long as the person is a detainee of the US government. I learned about how the military suppressed information that would have exposed this, as well as other details concerning government torture and the effects suffered by the victims... often death. And the destruction of files and records. It always amazes me when people really believe the government acts in their best interest. The government acts in its OWN best interest, period. And if a side benefit is that it is also in the people's best interest... Bonus for us!

I finished the Elegance of the Hedgehog. I laughed out loud, making the people around me in Borders very uncomfortable... and I also wept. (A little more silently) It was the most remarkable novel I've read in a long long time.

I also heard an interview with this brain expert on the radio. His name is John Medina. My God, this man is brilliant. He is showing how we are basically torturing ourselves and our children living in the style with which we've all become accustomed. I learned amazing new things from this interview and had many of my own theories confirmed.. on a biophysical... molecular level! I feel more strongly than ever about home schooling, but not sure how I'd work those logistics. I highly recommend at least taking a peek at his blog. If you're at all interested in how the brain functions and how to get the best from it... he's your man. Or at least one of them! Check him out...


His website is: http://www.johnmedina.com/ His blog site is: http://brainrules.blogspot.com/
His new book is, Brain RULES

So, now my own brain is reeling. All the thoughts and possibilities, and learning and expansive potential yet to be discovered. It's all so hopeful and exciting!

A New Path

So, Petit Fleur is starting some training next week to move her career in a new direction. Or really just in ANY direction. There is a long, boring and likely typical story attached to why I chose to major in marketing rather than something like anthropology, religion or psychology, but it's hardly worth sharing.

Most of my "career moves" have been to take whatever job I could get in the field of marketing, sales or admin. I don't particularly like any of them, but have been known to expand whatever position I find myself in just out of sheer will, and well, trying to break through the glass ceiling.... you know, proving myself to get more money. (It really only worked once, but it wasn't enough to keep me there.) I've spent a lot of time spinning my wheels about what I want/need to be doing career wise. I think I wrote the book on feeling stuck... When I was a youngun', my original plan was to become a brilliant psychologist... but now when I think of returning to that plan, I realize it's no longer what I want. It's what I wanted 20 years ago. However, I am still a "therapy" type person. Meaning that anything to do with personal growth and healing is of interest to me.

Considering that the 'therapy oriented' side of my personality is very strong, I figured on the healing path as the one I would choose... but what? Well, I will tell you. Through a strange series of coincidences, I found out about a growing profession called Coaching. It sounds pretty cheesy and there is sort of a scammy aspect to the industry, BUT... all in all, I believe it is a needed service for many people and it beats the hell out of therapy for those that choose it. It is for people who are stuck and want to make a change, but need extra support to do it. People who need accountability, similar to any support group like weight watchers, or AA, only this is an individualized approach which is goal oriented. I like to call it professional nagging! If you think about it, mostly women are in this field, so it makes perfect sense. Just ask any married man and he will tell you. Since I come from a long line of the most excellent, cunning and persistent of naggers, I feel like I have a pretty good shot at making this work.

I have been coached for my ADHD in the past, and it has worked well for me. I also believe that the habits I develop as a result of professionally nagging others will rub off on me... I mean, it pretty much has to, right? Then I will conquer the world!! mooooaaaah!

Seriously, this seems like the perfect fit for me, and I am totally excited about it... however, I am really nervous about spending the money on training. I believe I found a really reasonable and reputable group to train with, but it is still pretty expensive for our broke asses. This is one of the riskiest endeavors, money wise, that I have engaged in for quite some time. So, when you are sending up your wishes, to whomever you address your wishes too, would you please whisper a small wish that this is what finally WORKS for me/us.

I have one Guinea pig client already. This is our first week of working together, and I think it's gone pretty well so far. He's great and very motivated for the shift, so we have not run into any roadblocks just yet. And if anyone of you would like to sign on to be a Guinea pig for me, I am willing to coach you for free as long as my sanity holds up.

Here's to change!

Catching your Breath

Our son has recently been diagnosed with Cough Variant Asthma, which means that every time he gets the slightest cold, he may have coughing for months with jags lasting as long as 45 minutes. That's an awful long time for a 3 year old to cough.

He has been suffering with this since he was a toddler, only we did not know what it was. We were told that it was normal for kids to cough a lot and given the usual array of medications. Some we tried, and some we thought were too intense for a toddler, so we toughed it out with over the counter meds and steam treatments. Now he is almost 4, and in some ways his condition seems more tenacious than ever... We feel only slightly more comfortable using the prescribed medications, Pulmicort and Prednisone, but thankfully we got a doctor who finally diagnosed it. We are not happy that our son has to deal with this condition, but we are relieved to that we have a firm diagnoses. We are not sure if these meds are going to work or not, we're only on day two.

The good news is that now Griffin has fully developed language skills, so we can also try some alternative methods. In my research, I came across a breathing method that is supposed to promote health in anyone who uses it, but was originally developed for people suffering from breathing disorders, like asthma. It's called the Buteyko Method, after the man who invented it, Dr. Buteyko.

The Buteyko Method of controlled breathing is right in line with ancient breathing practices like yoga and meditation breathing. This holistic technique is based on the idea that in general, we all breath too much, due to physical ailments or stress/anxiety. This is known as Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome. Practicing controlled breathing is a way to slow it down and let the mind and body get the full benefit of our breath. Over breathing (or breathing more than the medical norm) does not increase oxygenation of the arterial blood, but reduces oxygenation of vital organs (leading to tissue hypoxia) due to CO2 induced vasoconstriction.

At the core of the Buteyko method is a series of breathing exercises that focus on nasal breathing, breath-holding and relaxation. At present it is used to treat asthma, sleep apnea, snoring, and anxiety/panic attacks. These conditions are associated with disrupted or irregular breathing patterns and the Buteyko exercises aim to 'retrain' breathing to restore a more natural pattern. *Wikipedia*

Learn more about Buteyko Breathing:

Buteyko: A to Z

Buteyko Breathing

Applying Buteyko

TV Asia

Zenfrog Master... and his humble apprentice, Pepe