Saturday, August 9, 2008
Calligraphy I: Mindfulness in Action
I once had a beautiful calligraphy portfolio of samples and client work, but it perished, along with many other irreplaceable parts of my life, in a fire. During the last three weeks, I have missed three opportunities to pick up money doing calligraphy, so I decided to spend a few hours this afternoon doing creating work for a new portfolio. It’s been years. I started to feel a little apprehensive. It was harder than I remember, and just thinking about the portfolio brought memories of the fire, etc. But the work turned into an exercise in mindfulness; it was meditative, really, because when I came up for air, the sun had been replaced by the moon.
No inky paw prints, no cat hair-induced streaks.
A week tobacco, nicotine and caffeine free (well, I did have a nice cup of coffee today – does that count?)
I know -- "sumer."
This one isn't new; in fact, it's the very first piece I did -- in the 80s.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
No Chewie, No Drinkee
Oh, forgot to add Digital Photography for Dummies!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Coca-Cola Se Prohibe Aqui -- Hoy, Baby, Hoy!
On the way to the pharmacy to get the gum, I passed a guy who was smoking, or, more specifically, I passed through his little swirling universe of second-hand smoke. I would like to say that the primary response was revulsion, but it wasn't. For about 3 seconds, I would have back-tracked and proposed to the dude just to get a puff (more like the whole cigarette) of whatever he was smoking. (Heh-heh-heh (that's the mad laugh of withdrawal).)
BTW, just broke up with that no-good bastard, the caffeinated, calcium-leeching, corn-syrupy Coke. Well, maybe I'll see him sometimes, just not every day. I have to tell you, the sound of that aluminum tab snapping and letting that fizz escape, the feel of that cold, sweating can between my palms, the first swig of the tongue-tickling stuff (hey, kinda like baby bees, too!). Oh my . . . No one should feel that way about anything except love -- or winning the lottery.
Got a big jug of water by my side filled with electrolytes. Got a cup by my side ready for de-tox and ginger teas. And the brand-X gum.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Se Prohibe Fumar -- Manana, Baby, Manana
I won't go into a song and dance about it, but let's just say that I'm so looking forward and I am so nervous(?) about it. I think it's because I want success so badly. It'll be great to be unaddicted. (I hope my allergist's assistant doesn't read this, because they don't know that I still smoke.) I plan to make use of some kind of support -- nicotine gum for a while, acupuncture. In addition to stopping, I want to do a detox program, so I'm looking into nutritional therapies, too. And my Buddhist practice, which goes without saying. $9.00 a pack! Yes, I'm divorcing the tobacco companies. Hit the road, Jack!