I took a week long vacation from posting. It sure did feel good. I didn’t really have the gumption to come home and do more blogging after my first week of work. My brain was simply spent trying to take in all the new information.

Anyway, I’m back now and grateful for my little break. I feel recharged and have more desire to keep going.

What is a break?

Taking a break is interrupting one’s activity briefly, as in We’ve been blogging way too much lately; let’s take a break.

You can take a break too…

Ten Tips for Taking a Break from Life

If you feel like you can hardly remember the last time you took a break, check the following ten tips to taking a break from life, reality and yourself. You are guaranteed to start to feel rejuvenated, revitalized and ready to take a real break sometime soon.

• Make a shopping trip especially for something new to wear which is bright, colorful and just perfect for breaks and vacations. Then leave right away and enjoy your purchase.
• Take a break from skipping lunch at work and making do with eating fast food. Instead, eat something simple, colorful, fun, exotic or with wild flavors and textures. Enjoy!
• Take one day out of your life and vow not to say a single word. Relax, enjoy the peace and silence.
• Take a break from routine. Drive to work a different way. Break your usual daily habits. Expect the very best all day and be ready for the unexpected.
• Dream a dream of your perfect break or vacation. Promise to put a little money aside regularly to make it happen. You’ll be amazed of how easy and painless it is to do.
• Take a break from life as you know it by sitting down and being still for ten minutes. Close your eyes and relax. Let your thoughts come and go. Focus on your breathing. Allow your body to relax and your mind soar.
• Take a break from the image that you have of yourself and the image that you project. Just let yourself be whoever you feel like being in the moment. Give yourself permission to be you.
• Make a regular practice of stopping whatever you are doing and checking in with yourself to feel how, who and where you are in the moment.
• Take a break from reality. Look at a simple object, a flower, a tree, or a building. Imagine you are looking at it as if for the very first time.
• Take a break from barriers and boundaries. Do something you did not know you could. Overcome your fear and amaze yourself.

[source]

Photo by Tom@HK on Flickr

Today was, like every December 1st since 1988, World Aids Day. Red ribbons are everywhere reminding everyone to protect themselves from the spread of HIV/AIDS.

I remember when the awareness of AIDS hit during the early 80′s. The gay community was the first in North America to be ravaged by the disease. A lot of ignorant misconceptions and fears arose around that fact. People actually thought that if AIDS awareness were taught in schools, it may “encourage” homosexuality in young people. Ridiculous.

As part of my education a man in his late 30′s with AIDS came to the school to speak with each class about the disease. He told us how he had come out of the closet to his family having already been married with children almost a decade earlier. I don’t remember what he said exactly but I do remember his face. Every year at this time I wonder whether he survived or not.

Not many at that time did.

What is AIDS?

AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency “is a condition caused by a virus called HIV. This virus attacks the immune system, the body’s “security force” that fights off infections. When the immune system breaks down, you lose this protection and can develop many serious, often deadly infections and cancers. These are called ‘opportunistic infections (OIs)‘ because they take advantage of the body’s weakened defenses. You have heard it said that someone ‘died of AIDS.’ This is not entirely accurate, since it is the opportunistic infections that cause death. AIDS is the condition that lets the OIs take hold.” [source]

I have known quite a few people who have lived with HIV for a very long time thanks to healthy diet, lifestyle and a cornucopia of drugs.

That is in North America.

Africans, especially the women and children there, has been particularly hard hit by HIV/AIDS. Carol met a woman and her child when she was in Zimbabwe many years ago. Both have passed away due to AIDS related illness. Watch Carol’s blog for a post in the next few days about this story.

Organizations like RED are doing what they can to help with the problem.

What is RED?

(RED) is a business model created to raise awareness and money for the Global Fund by teaming up with the world’s most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT) RED branded products. A portion of profits from each (PRODUCT) RED product sold goes directly to the Global Fund to invest in African AIDS programs, with a focus on women and children.

I personally have a family connection to an AIDS story. A cousin of mine, who I never met, from Dad’s side of the family, passed away from “complications due to AIDS” in 1992.

His name was Robert (Rob) McCall. He was a figure skater. He and his partner Tracy Wilson (seen in the above photo) were the first Canadian ice dance team to medal at the Olympics winning Bronze at the Calgary Winter Olympic Games in 1988. He and Ms. Wilson received the Order of Canada and were inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.

Thanks red ribbons for reminding me.

Wilson and McCall photo source

World Aids Day graphic source

As you may have noticed I took the past couple of days away from blogging. I was fairly busy as I had a few things to prepare for the start of my new gig as the blogger / social media coordinator at the DOXA — Documentary Film Festival. Yes, I am working outside of home again.

I got tired of looking at these forest green walls here in my home office. Working you own hours in your pajamas is nice and all but I really missed interacting with other human beings. Thankfully I am in a busy, social office so I will have plenty of contact with people. What a relief. The cat, although lovely, is not a very decent conversationalist.

Believe me, I have tried.

What is a new beginning?

A new beginning, in this case, is a fresh start; a reset; a happy point from which to look nowhere but forward.

I’m excited I get to do such a cool job. Not everyone gets to do something they love to do and get paid for it. I am so blessed that I get to work in a funky neighbourhood with interesting and super-creative people. I am even blogging from a MacBook Pro courtesy of Mac Station and DOXA.

I did not really even have a desk at the last place I worked… no kidding. This is much better. It’s nice to be appreciated right out of the gate.

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. ~ Napolean Hill

I knew it was possible. I saw myself doing this kind of job, and now I’m doing it. How about that? Visualization actually works. It’s totally true. When you can hold a clear thought in mind long enough the Universe will move mountains to make it happen.

I sure have tried a lot of different things.

Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call “Failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down. ~ Mary Pickford

I’m amazed at what a few hours getting situated at a new gig can do to a guy’s energy level. I am completely sapped. I am not complaining. I’m actually glad to be tired. I am going to sleep like a baby tonight.

That’s pretty much all I can muster for now. I will post a link to the DOXA blog when I am posting on it.

Thank you DOXA for the new beginning!

Photo by Sir Mervs on Flickr

As I mentioned two days ago, we were off to the Movember Gala Parté last night. We had a great time and, as a result of our involvement in the event we have gotten to know some fantastic folks a lot better. Interesting how nice people are attracted to doing things for charity’s sake.

Our friend, John Biehler, participated in and won a video making contest sponsored by LG Electronics Canada. As you can see from the photo above, taken by Carol Browne, he was given a Happy Gilmore-esque novelty cheque for $5000. That’s a lot of cake to go to a great cause. Thank you very much LG and way to John.

What is charity?

Charity is “generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless; something given to a person or persons in need; alms; a charitable fund, foundation, or institution.” [source]

Even though times are tough people are still giving. In fact I mentioned that in my post about generosity a while back. Also, an interesting read, both post and comments, is this one, titled Do You Believe in Karma?, from Tanya of Bluefinch Creative here in Vancouver.

I like good karma.

Due to financial considerations we have had to rework our holiday giving. It has really made us think about things a little differently. I don’t know if we’ll ever go back to the old way of doing things. Even when I had a lot of money in the past it made me crazy. It just never felt right. Perhaps, as things improve financially, rather than give more stuff for Christmas why not give the money we would have spent to charity in the other people’s names and spend time spending time with and appreciating those folks.

Personally, I really like the idea of micro-lending mentioned in Tanya’s post. She mentioned one great site to get you started – kiva.org.

Here’s a video that describes how Kiva works:

A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.

This video follows the path of a $25 loan from London, England to Preak Tamao village, Cambodia. Kiva.org is a website that allows internet users like you or I to lend money to people that need it in developing countries, with the aim of empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty.

I have already been approached about doing a post about quitnow.ca‘s challenge to smokers in BC to Quit Now and Win. That will be one of my next charitable projects.

Being charitable makes me feel good. Thank you charity!

Photo by Carol Browne on Flickr

I have tried meditation at various times throughout my life. Good friends of mine have been telling me about it for years. Only since May of 2009 have I made meditation a part of my daily spiritual routine.

My workout is my meditation. ~ Kyle MacLachlan

I am glad I finally listened to all those wise folks. The way I perceive and react to the world has undergone a real shift. I deal with adversity, or at least the appearance of it, much better than I used to. By no means am I some sort of guru or spiritual giant. I’m just a guy who meditates.

What is meditation?

Meditation is “used as a broad term for practices done by a sole practitioner without much, if any, external aid, often for the purpose of self-transformation. Often, though not at all necessarily, meditation is done as part of a religious tradition.” [source]

I am not into organized religion at all. In fact any temple, church or mosque I walk into is pretty sure to instantly either crumble to dust, explode into a million splinters or burst into flames. So it’s best I stay away and make my practice a personal affair. It’s better for everyone that way.

You don’t have to be religious or even spiritual at all to obtain benefits from meditation. It’s great for stress relief and helps with a variety conditions. Some of them are:

• chronic pain
• anxiety and panic
• sleep disturbance & insomnia
• gastrointestinal distress
• fatigue
• headaches
• job or family stress
• skin disorders
• high blood pressure
• stress factors in heart disease

[source]

When I had shingles this summer, rather than take any of the super-strong painkillers prescribed by the doctors, I used meditation for pain relief. It worked like a hot damn.

How do you meditate? Here’s what I do:

• Choose a quiet, comfortable spot to meditate. Sitting on a cushion, on the bed or in a comfy chair.
• Wear loose clothing. Easy since I do this first thing in the morning and am still wearing PJ’s.
• Light some incense. I am really into jasmine lately.
• Set a timer for 20 minutes. I use my iPhone and it tells me my time is up with some tinkly bells.
• Sit in your spot, back straight, legs crossed and hands clasped in my lap.
• Without tipping over of course, relax your body completely, from tip to toes. I do spot checks during my session and relax my body parts if I feel any tension.
• Close your eyes and begin breathing normally paying attention to each breath – in and out.
• As your mind wanders, as it inevitably will, bring your focus back to your breath. Allow the thoughts that are invading your peaceful time just to pass by. Don’t cling to them.
• Regaining focus can be difficult at times. I count backwards from 10 to 1 with each breath and once I reach one, if I am refocused I concentrate on my breathing again. If not I count down from 10 again and repeat as required.

Sounds simple enough, but at first it can be very hard. If 20 minutes is too much at first try 3, then 5 to 10 and so on until you make 20 minutes. You will definitely learn a lot about

Meditation is painful in the beginning but it bestows immortal Bliss and supreme joy in the end. ~ Swami Sivananda

Here’s a video that sums up the way I meditate:

I always feel fabulous after a meditation session; very relaxed. It is a great way to into my day.

Sometimes, I listen to some binaural beats or a guided meditation, but typically, the way above is how I usually meditate. I also listen to a guided meditation by Kelly Howell as I drift off to sleep at night.

Of course my way is not the only way to meditate. There are some other great online meditation resources that teach all kind of different methods. Find the one that is right for you:

• learningmeditation.com
• freemeditation.ca
• how-to-meditate.org

Without meditation, I’d probably be dead. ~ Mike Love of the Beach Boys

As I saw on a bumper sticker at Banyen Books here in Vancouver, “Don’t just do something, sit there!”

Enjoy your meditation. Namaste!

Photo by adwriter on Flickr

Tomorrow night we are headed out to a party to celebrate the end, or nearly the end of Movember; the Vancouver Gala Parté (tickets here). I have had a great time I’ve had participating. I have grown a mo’ustache, I have met some really cool folks, I have had some fun and now we get to go and be silly with the rest of the Movember bros and sistahs.

We haven’t been going out to a lot of these kind of things, but recently we are more compelled to be social and hang out with the awesome new friends we’re making. I can think of no better way to do that than at a party.

What is a party?

A party “is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, and recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well. [source]”

There’s a movie I love called The Party, starring the late great Peter Sellers. If you haven’t seen it I recommend it. Sellers plays a friendly but bumbling East Indian actor who accidentally gets an invitation to a Hollywood party he should not be at. He just does not fit in. Here’s a clip:

Birdy num num!

I am fairly sure that there won’t be any parrots or English actors pretending to be from India at the party tomorrow night, but one never knows. These affairs can be rather wild. Carol will take lots of pictures I am sure.

Short post tonight. I need to get my beauty rest.

I’m going to a party!

Photo by Bill MacIntyre on Flickr

Don’t mistake this for a post about mathematics. You will find no equations here; no long division; no cube roots; no measures of volume or mass. I am grateful for theoretical physics and how some new (but very old at the same time) ideas are making their way into the collective consciousness that ties science and spirituality together. I am interested in and fascinated by what makes the Universe, and ourselves, tick.

I want to know God’s thoughts; the rest are details. – Albert Einstein

The Universe works perfectly. Its laws are unfailing. Thanks to Physics we are beginning to understand it more and more.

What is physics?

Physics (Greek: physis – meaning “nature”) is a natural science; it is the study of matter and its motion through spacetime and all that derives from these, such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the world and universe behave. [source]

An idea that is becoming increasingly popular is that there is some kind of creative energy within everything in the Universe, even space itself is full of this energy. The energy is intelligent, we are within it and it is within us. Pretty much every spiritual master who ever walked the Earth taught this and now the science of Physics is finally catching up.

According to award winning physicist Nassim Haramein this is factual:

As early as 9 years old, Nassim was already developing the basis for a unified hyperdimensional theory of matter and energy, which he eventually called the “Holofractographic Universe.”

Nassim has spent most of his life researching the fundamental geometry of hyperspace, studying a variety of fields from theoretical physics, cosmology, quantum mechanics, biology and chemistry to anthropology and ancient civilizations. Combining this knowledge with a keen observation of the behavior of nature, he discovered a specific geometric array that he found to be fundamental to creation, and the foundation for his Unified Field Theory emerged.

This unification theory, known as the Haramein-Rauscher metric [pdf download of his paper] (a new solution to Einstein’s Field Equations that incorporates torque and Coriolis effects) and his most recent paper The Schwarzschild Proton, lays down the foundation of what could be a fundamental change in our current understandings of physics and consciousness. This groundbreaking theory has now been delivered to the scientific community through peer-reviewed papers and presentations at international physics conferences. Further, The Schwarzschild Proton paper has recently received the prestigious “Best Paper Award” in the field of physics, quantum mechanics, relativity, field theory, and gravitation at the University of Liège, Belgium during the 9th International Conference CASYS’09. [source]

Einstein sought the unified field theory doggedly for the last part of his life and never came up with an acceptable answer prior to his death. If what Nassim is proposing is fact, we are on the cusp of a revolutionary time that would possibly see the development of things like gravitational drives for spacecraft and the curing of disease and possible long term extension of life.

If you would like to learn more about Nassim’s theories you can listen to him on a wonderful episode of Kelly Howell’s Theater of the Mind podcast entitled, The Universe Within You from Tuesday, October 06, 2009 (download the 34.8mb mp3 file to listen). If you have iTunes you can subscribe to the podcast if you like.

It is mind-blowing stuff and worth the 37 minutes of your life to listen to. I am listening now for the third time.

Also recently relevant, some videos about physics using some recognizable names and faces from the world of science, notably the late Carl Sagan, have been making their way around the web. Here is “Our Place in the Cosmos”:

MP3: http://symphonyofscience.com or http://masonstreetgangstas.com/sos2 if my main site isn’t working!

“Our Place in the Cosmos”, the third video from the Symphony of Science, was crafted using samples from Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, Richard Dawkins’ Genius of Charles Darwin series, Dawkins’ TED Talk, Stephen Hawking’s Universe series, Michio Kaku’s interview on Physics and aliens, plus added visuals from Baraka, Koyaanisqatsi, History Channel’s Universe series, and IMAX Cosmic Voyage. The themes present in this song are intended to explore our understanding of our origins within the universe, and to challenge the commonplace notion that humans have a superior or privleged position, both on our home planet and in the universe itself.

RIP Dr. Sagan and Dr. Jastrow!

For more science remixes, check out http://symphonyofscience.com

As always, view in HQ mode for better sound and visuals.

Enjoy!

John
john@symphonyofscience.com

Lyrics:

[Narrator]
With every century
Our eyes on the universe have been opened anew
We are witness
To the very brink of time and space

[Robert Jastrow]
We must ask ourselves
We who are so proud of our accomplishments
What is our place in the cosmic perspective of life?

[Carl Sagan]
The exploration of the cosmos
Is a voyage of self discovery
As long as there have been humans
We have searched for our place in the cosmos

[Richard Dawkins]
Are there things about the universe
That will be forever beyond our grasp?
Are there things about the universe that are
Ungraspable?

[Sagan]
One of the great revelations of space exploration
Is the image of the earth, finite and lonely
Bearing the entire human species
Through the oceans of space and time

[Dawkins]
Matter flows from place to place
And momentarily comes together to be you
Some people find that thought disturbing
I find the reality thrilling

[Sagan]
As the ancient mythmakers knew
We’re children equally of the earth and the sky
In our tenure on this planet, we’ve accumulated
Dangerous evolutionary baggage

We’ve also acquired compassion for others,
Love for our children,
And a great soaring passionate intelligence
The clear tools for our continued survival

[Michio Kaku]
We could be in the middle
Of an inter-galactic conversation
And we wouldn’t even know

[Sagan]
We’ve begun at last
To wonder about our origins
Star stuff contemplating the stars
Tracing that long path

Our obligation to survive and flourish
Is owed not just to ourselves
But also to that cosmos
Ancient and vast, from which we spring

Thinking about physics in this way makes my realize that my daily problems are absolutely petty. Big ideas are good, and interestingly, once you get your head around them, so simple and sensible.

Thank you physics!

Photo of "Grand Design" Galaxy by Hubble as seen on Flickr.

Having grown up in a place like Nova Scotia, where you are never any more than 30 minutes to the Atlantic Ocean it isn’t surprising that I have such an affinity for oceans. I love the sight, smell, sound, taste and feel of the ocean.

People have asked me why I came to British Columbia rather than stopping in any other place in Canada, like Toronto or Calgary. I often joke and say, “It was the only other place in Canada with another ocean.” Joke or not, there’s a lot of truth to that. I don’t understand how anyone could live in a  place far from the ocean. Life just wouldn’t feel in balance.

What is an ocean?

An ocean (from Greek, Okeanos (Oceanus)) is a large body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface (~3.61 X 1014 m2) is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.

More than half of this area is over 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) deep. Average oceanic salinity is around 35 parts per thousand (ppt) (3.5%), and nearly all seawater has a salinity in the range of 30 to 38 ppt. Scientists estimate that 230,000 marine life forms of all types are currently known, but the total could be up to 10 times that number. [source]

(AP Photo/Larry Madin)

One can only imagine the weird and wonderful creatures that lurk beneath the ocean waves. Scientists are continually discovering thousands of never before seen species in the depths of Earth’s oceans.

“A report released Sunday recorded 17,650 species living below 656 feet, the point where sunlight ceases. The findings were the latest update on a 10-year census of marine life.” [source]

Having come from a boating family, I personally have seen plenty of wildlife in the open ocean.

Some of what I have seen:

• A green sea turtle, six feet across the back, following our cabin cruiser and playing in the boat’s wake as we entered the mouth LaHave River
• Seals, mink, sea lions, sunfish and dolphins doing their thing
• Giant schools of translucent jelly fish with tentacles meters long
• A basking shark more than half as long as our 35′ boat, mouth agape, gobbling zooplankton.
• A super-pod of killer whales leaping and spy hopping outside of Victoria, BC

I sound like Roy Batty the replicant, talking to Deckard at the end of Blade Runner:

I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.

Sorry.

Maybe you’ll forgive me when I show you this beautiful video titled Underwater Opera by Escape to Nature:

Underwater Opera from Escape to Nature on Vimeo.

Nice, huh?

Thank you oceans!

Photo by Kawa0310 on Flickr

If it came down to it, could you feed yourself? I mean, if there were no more grocery stores and you had to grow or gather your own food, raise animals or hunt, could you do it?

I don’t know if I could. I can’t even grow bamboo and that’s supposedly very easy. As far as animals go I shudder to think of what a mess trying to raise them would be, as is evidenced by our latest cat shenanigans. And slaughtering an animal to eat? Forget about it.

When I used to mow the lawn for my father’s animal hospital a horse from a local farm was brought in via truck having cut its leg on a fence. The farmer and his son removed the animal from the back of the horse trailer with a large bandage on a hind leg. Dad removed the bandage and blood shot across the parking lot, at least 10 feet with every pump of the horse’s heart.

Dad quickly set to repairing the damage while I became quite woozy and needed a seat. Still wobbly, I left on my bicycle with the image of that bleeding horse burning a hole through my skull on the sweltering summer day.

I made it halfway home and everything started to go white. I got off my bike and fainted on my grandmother’s front lawn. She rushed out to tend to me.

I am a wuss, or “wooz”, as my mother pronounces it. I would not do well in a slaughter situation. So, I think I would starve. There are only so many blueberries in the world.

This is why I am grateful for farmers.

What is a farmer?

The term farmer usually applies to a person who grows field crops, and/or manages orchards or vineyards, or raises livestock or poultry such as chicken and cows. Their products are usually sold in a market or, in a subsistence economy, consumed by the family or pooled by the community. [source]

Due to Dad’s business as a large and small animal vet with a large rural territory to cover, I got to meet many farmers over the years. Dad would take me along on “country calls” to learn about sheep, horses, pigs, and cows. I have seen pretty much all of those, and more, being born as well. Farmers, in my experience, are interesting, honest, hardworking and often dirty (no offense) folks who get up way too friggin’ early.

There are some people brave enough to tackle farming in urban areas as well, take the following for example –

Novella Carpenter started small, with some plants in an empty lot next to her house in Oakland. A couple of years later, she was tending to a full-blown farm, with goats, turkeys, ducks, pigs, and a robust garden. Her book, Farm City, details her experiences. As does this video, which tackles questions of neighborliness (which is more offensive: police sirens or roosters crowing?), environmental poisons (raised beds are key), and the all-important slaughter question. The answer: Yes, she does (and yes, there is some bloody footage). [source]

Just hold your hand over your eyes for the disturbing parts, this video is worth seeing:

OBSESSIVES: Urban Farmer – on CHOW.com from CHOW.com on Vimeo.

That gives me a little hope and some inspiration. If Novella can do it, maybe I can too. Though I am nowhere near as gutsy as she appears to be.

Carol would like goats, but we don’t have place for them right now. We could have some chickens in the garage, but I think the clucking would make the woman in our basement suite crazy.

Looks like we will be sticking to growing things on the balcony. Carol’s the green thumb; my personal farmer. I am the taste tester.

Thank you farmers for helping me live to see tomorrow!

As you might have guessed, parking in downtown Vancouver can be tricky and expensive. Not as excessive as Calgary for some reason, but costly all the same. We parked in the Cinemark Tinseltown Mall as the neighborhood is kind of sketchy and it is covered.

We were fully expecting to pay at least $10 for the two hours we were there. We put our money into the machine and tried to pay, but the machine spat our first $20 bill. The machine ate the second $20 bill and told us we owed another $9 when the bill was onl$10 to begin with.

What?

Carol quickly hit the “cancel” and out came our $20 with a second parking stub.

So we thought, let’s try the credit card. We stuck the ticket stub in and a message saying “no charge” popped up on the screen.

Huh?

So, we hopped into the car with two parking stubs in tow, now expecting a discussion with a parking attendant at the exit.

We waited in the line up of cars slowly making their way out of the underground, chatting about this weird experience. As we pulled up, the gate was wide open and the attendants were waving people through. Hooray!

I don’t believe in angels, no. But I do have a wee parking angel. It’s on my dashboard and you wind it up. The wings flap and it’s supposed to give you a parking space. It’s worked so far. ~ Billy Connolly

Carol and I just say, “Cah Pahk!” If you have ever watched The Secret you know what we mean. It actually works like a hot damn. It did tonight.

What is free parking?

Free parking is a parking space that you don’t have to pay for and also a spot on a Monopoly board that causes arguments between game purists and those who play by other rules. No need for quotes tonight.

We are becoming full time philanthropists. We went out to another fundraising event this evening. Tonight it was RENDEZVOUS: 6TH ANNUAL DOXA FUNDRAISER for my new gig with the Documentary Film Festival here in town. Although I don’t start until November 30th, it was a no brainer to show up and shoot a little video and get some stills of the event.

The people I’ll be working with are so nice! What a great group. I am so happy I get to put some of my skills to work and help them out. I am very much looking forward to this new adventure.

It sure is nice being taken care of by the Universe. Thanks!

Photo by Thomas Hawk on Flickr