Pocketful of Sunshine

Recently discovered Natasha Bedingfield.

So upbeat and positive! Lovin' her tunes.

Check her out. For $.99 on iTunes you can have a pocket full of sunshine too!

Pocketful of Sunshine
Natasha Bedingfield
selected lyrics

I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine.
I got a love, and I know that it's all mine.
Oh.

Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me.
No.

I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine.
I got a love, and I know that it's all mine.
Oh.

There's a place that I go,
But nobody knows.
Where the rivers flow,
And I call it home.

And there's no more lies.
In the darkness, there's light.
And nobody cries.
There's only butterflies.

Take me away: A secret place.
A sweet escape: Take me away.

Take me away to better days.
Take me away: A higher place.

The sun is on my side.
Take me for a ride.
I smile up to the sky.
I know I'll be all right.

More Lovin' The Hawaii Chair!

Gotta have a Hawaii Chair

Only $293.96!

Click here to get yours!



Click here for earlier Hawaii Chair fun!!

South Carolina Speech: Ready To Believe Again

Snipit From Barack Obama's South Carolina Victory Speech

It's about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today, or whether we reach for a politics of common sense, and innovation — a shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.

There are those who will continue to tell us we cannot do this. That we cannot have what we long for. That we are peddling false hopes.

But here's what I know. I know that when people say we can't overcome all the big money and influence in Washington, I think of the elderly woman who sent me a contribution the other day — an envelope that had a money order for $3.01 along with a verse of scripture tucked inside. So don't tell us change isn't possible.

When I hear the cynical talk that blacks and whites and Latinos can't join together and work together, I'm reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters I organized with, and stood with, and fought with side by side for jobs and justice on the streets of Chicago. So don't tell us change can't happen.

When I hear that we'll never overcome the racial divide in our politics, I think about that Republican woman who used to work for Strom Thurmond, who's now devoted to educating inner-city children and who went out onto the streets of South Carolina and knocked on doors for this campaign. Don't tell me we can't change.

Yes we can change.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can seize our future.

And as we leave this state with a new wind at our backs, and take this journey across the country we love with the message we've carried from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire; from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people in three simple words:

Yes. We. Can.

The Hawaii Chair

This is hilarious.

*Can* you i-m-a-g-i-n-e?!?

I have visions of my keyboard tray going flying across the room ...




Gotta have a Hawaii Chair. Click here. Only $283.96!

Happy Birthday Lego!

Click here for the Lego Birthday webpage!

Thought For The Day

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.

The Pickster and her New Toy

I started out the day with a "To Do" List a mile long. Well, it is now dinner time and very little progress has been made.

Instead of getting my chores done with the fast and furious approach - I decided to take the slow and mindful path. On my walk over to the post office I wandered through the pet store - this is where my day started to derail. I found this cool new cat toy and the rest is history. The Pickster and I spent the day playing!

Acceptance, Understanding, Compassion

Jim Wallis and Jon Stewart

Jim talks about the new movements in faith and politics described in his latest book - The Great Awakening.

Tippy Sighting

So how cool is this?!? A picture taken this weekend in Durango.

Shout out to Jill for the Tippy sighting. Holla!!

Beyond The Blue Box

For me the blue box is the universal symbol of re-cycling. I remember when I was doing some contract work in KY and discovered the corporate apartment I had rented did not have a blue box. I naively went to the apartment management to report the missing 'blue box'. I was greeted with a blank stare and then in a long drawn out southern accent "Where y'all from?" It was a great surprise to discover that there was no universal blue boxes nor free curbside pick up. If I wanted to recycle I could collect my wasted and drive 20 miles out of town to a re-cycle center or convince all my neighbours to pay for a contractor to come and pick up our recyclables.

Not everything can be re-cycled in our blue boxes. There are some resourceful individuals and companies out there that are willing to put our cast-offs to good use.

Here are a few of my favourite:

• www.recycleplace.com will pay you for your used-up ink and toner cartridges
  
• www.collectivegood.comwill recycle cell phones and PDAs; some are refurbished for use in the developing world
  
• www.oneworldrunning.comdistributes gently used running shoes to athletes in Africa and Latin America
  
• www.nikereuseableshoe.com for shoes that are beyond salvaging, they can be turned into athletic flooring
  

One person's junk is another person's treasure. Try selling your stuff on Craig's List, ebay or giving it away on Free Cycle.

Make It Right

Click here to help Make It Right in New Orleans.

Martin Luther King Day

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. ” - MLK

Night Sky

I went for a walk on the beach tonight with a friend. When I returned home, I looked up and saw a gorgeous full moon with clouds swirling all about.

Clouds Swirl Around The Full Moon

Friendship

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.


-Henri Nouwen

Tidepooling in Malibu

Today I went Tidepooling at Paradise Cove in Malibu. I had an absolutely AMAZING time!!

What an awesome day. The sun was beautifully warm and there was a slight chill in the air to remind us it is still winter. The pools were brimming with sea urchins, star fish, shells of all shapes and sizes and ocean birds galore!

Until today, I had never seen a star fish up close and personal. For some reason, I thought they were a mush texture -- like the sea urchins. Turns out they have stiff hard shells. All of the ones I saw today were a gorgeous purple colour!

Low Tide


Tidepool


Star Fish


Seagulls Hanging Out

Premier of Nova Scotia Invites David Letterman to come on up for a visit

Ellen Page (lead in the movie Juno) is hilarious as she chats away in typical Canadian style and then translates so David Letterman can keep up. Kind of amazing that Dave knew about the Halifax explosion but was completely clueless about the plight of the fishing industry.

Even better is the video response from the premier of Nova Scotia. It was posted on the provincial website and extends an invitation to Dave to come visit Nova Scotia. Enjoy the 'Top 10 Reasons David Letterman Should Visit Nova Scotia'

Gotta love his maritime accent!

Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald
Top 10 Reasons For David Letterman to Visit Nova Scotia


Nova Scotian Ellen Page on David Letterman

Note on the Coffee Machine

Thank you for your help, but please do not waste coffee cups by sticking one under the coffee stand base in order to catch drips. The purpose and design on the system is to catch drips. You can help by clean up any mess around the machine and placing empty coffee packages in the trash.

Posted on the coffee machine at work

Surprise - It's Pinkberry!

Signs of Peace

The Peace Store, Santa Barbara, CA

A Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious unto you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.
May God give us grace never to sell ourselves short.
Grace to risk something big for something good.
Grace to remember that the world
is now too dangerous for anything but truth
and too small for anything but love.
May God take our minds and think through them.
May God take our lips and speak through them.
May God take our hearts and set them on fire with
passion for peace and justice and truth and love.
Amen

Quote of the Day

I want to sing this song, too,
even if my voice is weak and sometimes wavers
so that others may sing it and that together we may
be in the world singing a song of hope to bring joy
where there is sadness and despair.
-Jean Vanier

Make It Right

Click here to help Make It Right in New Orleans.

Push Pin Wall - An Update

Here is the current state of the push pin wall.

I have a droor full of pins and a few blanks spaces -- just waiting for the next creative to come and add to the wall.

One Vote - Make It Count

Click here to learn listen to each of the candidates discuss their plan to combat extreme poverty and global disease.

Quote of the Day

Good to see you this morning. Thank you for realizing that you can TiVo the football game but not our worship.

Pastor Dan Sharp
LaJolla Community Church

Meeting Rowan and The Lost Art Of Letter Writing

You've got mail!

Now I am not talking about the "sappy quote, forward and your wishes will come true " type . Yesterday, I received the good old fashioned kind. A hand written card with a personal note and some photos. Below is my favourite.



I love to write letters and send pictures in the mail. I use to hand write several letters a week. Recently, I have let the practice slip and I miss it. Many people are surprised when they receive a letter or card in the mail from me. It seems that letter writing has become a lost art. I love this reflection on the subject by the late Henri J.M. Nowen.

As I was writing letters today, I realized that writing letters is a much more intimate way of communicating than making phone calls. It may sound strange, but I often feel closer to friends I write to than to friends I speak with by phone.

When I write I think deeply about my friends, I pray for them. I tell them my emotions and feelings. I reflect on our relationship, and I dwell with them in a very personal way. Over the past few months I have come to enjoy letter writing more and more. In the beginning it seemed like a heavy burden, but now it is a relaxing time of the day. It feels like interrupting work for a conversation with a friend.

The beauty of letter writing is that it deepens friendships and makes them more real. I have also discovered that letter writing makes me pray more concretely for my friends. Early in the morning, I spend a little time praying for each person to whom I have written and promised my prayers.

Today I feel surrounded by the friends I am writing to and praying for. Our love for each other is very concrete and life giving. Thank God for letters, for those who send them, and for those who receive them.
-Henri J.M. Nowen

Wedding Day

This afternoon I went to a wedding. It was the 'real deal. Not a lot of pomp and circumstance or elaborately orchestrated ceremony. Rather, an intimate gathering with lots of happy smiling faces, love and hope.

Foggy Night

As the sun set the fog started to roll in.
This was my view as I walked home from the grocery store last night.

My Next Door Neighbour
a.k.a. The Mormon Temple

Quote of the Day

“Far away in the sunshine are my highest inspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead.”

-Louisa May Alcott

Rock

Sing Along

Some just like to sing along!

Push Pin Peace Dove

House For Sale

Looking for a cozy, intimate 300 square foot house in Toronto?
Click here for more info.

Make It Right

Click here to help Make It Right in New Orleans.




Brad Pitt on Charlie Rose
Talking About "Make It Right"

Prayer

Give us, O God, the vision which can see Your love
in the world in spite of human failure.
Give us the faith to trust Your goodness
in spite of our ignorance and weakness.
Give us the knowledge that we
may continue to pray with understanding hearts.
And show us what each one of us can do
to set forward the coming of the day of universal peace.

Christmas Eve Prayer 1968
By Frank Borman, Apollo 8 Space Mission

Pictures of a Rainy Day

A cold and rainy day here in San Diego. Today, I enjoyed an exhibit at the Museum of Photography in Balboa Park.

A few pictures from a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Sax Player
Balboa Park


Leaves by the Walkway


Arches over Walkway
Balboa Park


The Midway

Picky and the Rain

Today it was rainy all day.

No Saturday bike ride for me!

I enjoyed the rain and tried to encourage my rather reluctant cat to do the same...

Most Annoying

What do you do when you are declared the most annoying person of 2007?

Peace, Love and Grooviness

Groovy Sign
Peace Store, Santa Barbara

Leapin' Lizards

Link to an explanation of the comatose lizards

Bruce

My all time favourite singer songwriter is Bruce Cockburn.

This month a documentary called Life and Times of Bruce Cockburn is airing on Bravo in Canada. Alas, Bravo in the US does not seem to have picked it up.

Alanis Morissette introduces Bruce Cockburn
benefit concert at Toronto's Air Canada Centre



JUSTICE
by Bruce Cockburn

What's been done in the name of Jesus
What's been done in the name of Buddha
What's been done in the name of Islam
What's been done in the name of man
What's been done in the name of liberation
And in the name of civilization
And in the name of race
And in the name of peace!
everybody
loves to see
justice done
on somebody else

Can you tell me how much bleeding
It takes to fill a word with meaning
And how much, how much death
It takes to give a slogan breath
And how much, how much, how much flame
Gives light to a name
For the hollow darkness
In which nations dress?
everybody
loves to see
justice done
on somebody else

Everybody's seen the things they've seen
We all have to live with what we've been
When they say charity begins at home
They're not just talking about a toilet and a telephone
Got to search the silence of the soul's wild places
For a voice that can cross the spaces
These definitions that we love create --
These names for heaven, hero, tribe and state
everybody
loves to see
justice done
on somebody else

New Years Day

The Pickster and I have been enjoying a quiet and relaxing New Years Day.


Picky Relaxing In The Sun

The first day of 2008. Let the adventure begin.

Riding Down The Torrey Pines Hill

Thought For The Day

Deep down, I think all of us sense we were put on this planet to do something significant - to touch someone's life, to do some good. God, the author of goodness, put that in our DNA.

- Mike Breaux in Making Ripples