October @ MindSay 
halloween
Today was the annual block party my workplace holds to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We had games, prizes, door prizes/raffles, clog dancers, belly dancers, music, FOOD, face painting and crafts....I worked from 9:30 am until 2:30 pm. I learned how to make egg rolls and helped in making 500 of them! Yep, lots of leftovers! We also awarded 3 community members for their outstanding work in helping victims of domestic violence. The first was an investigator that works with the county's DA office. He's amazing....I've had him speak in one of my classes so I know how personal and serious he takes his job. The second person awarded was the head of the county humane society. She was awarded because my agency has an agreement with them in which they house pets of families that are fleeing violent homes. It's an amazing thing they do in helping us/our clients that way because often times there are families who want to leave but don't want to leave their pets behind. Most, if not all, shelters don't allow animals so this enables them to be able to get a fresh start and keep their furry loved ones safe too. The third person awarded was the police chief of a nearby suburb that we work very closely with. After multiple domestic violence related homicides in his district, he took a major stand and his force implemented a new program and new efforts to combat domestic violence. More law enforcement should be as dedicated and take it as seriously as he does. News crews were there, and I missed being on tv by a few inches - the person I was standing next to was on tv, but I wasn't. Oh well. I know I was there, and I smell like greasy egg rolls to prove it! There was also a table with information about therapy dogs....and there were probably 8 or so dogs there too....that drew a crowd too. I had a really great time and I was honored to be involved with the event!
Done! For October, a skeleton theme. I've got my palette above; a line drawing with a couple of choice colors. Flannel-plaid for the cool weather as a background and voila! Complete.
I came to really enjoy what I now think of my headboard theme. Don't the swirly shapes remind you of something you would see as a headboard in some kinky persons' or patron-of-the-arts' bedroom?
Alright, off to bed. Happy October!
Rating: A, 98/100, 10/10
Charlie Kaufman explores the depression of Caden Cotard, a playwright/ hypochondriac (Philip Seymour Hoffman). It all stems from his wife (Catherine Keener), but he knows and the audience knows that she is not the cause of all his problems, although she is quite unsettling.
We are introduced to Hazal (Samantha Morton), a sweet distraction from his decaying family life. However, his sense of loyalty stands in the way of anything meaningful happening with her.
As he grows older, Caden becomes acutely aware of the things that are missing from his life. His focus is on himself, but in his myopic state he cannot identify the problem. So he comes up with the best solution he can. He'll make a play of his life. And in so doing, maybe he'll find out what went wrong. Maybe he'll find out who he is. Maybe he'll only continue to destroy his life.
Sammy, the actor who plays Caden in the play, seems to overtake Caden's life and becomes more like Caden than Caden himself could ever be. Lines of fantasy and reality blur as Sammy makes creative choices about the character of Caden that Caden disagrees with. Then, as if that weren't enough, the role mutates to the point where actress Millicent Weems (Dianne Wiest) takes over the role. She becomes Caden's doppelganger, taking control of Caden's life, when he is unable to cope.
The film starts in October, 2005 and continues over forty years into the future. Nothing much changes in the world around the characters. The only thing that is constant is time, spinning out of control. When his grown up daughter, Olive, falsely accuses him of ruining her life, her perception totally skewed, Caden begs to be forgiven in what is a very moving scene.
Not to be overlooked is Hope Davis' psychotherapist character. She plays the straight guy, nodding, asking how Caden feels. Oh it feels bad? Good! Her collection of self-help books (all written by her) don't help Caden solve his problems. They are only false remedies that Caden tries, in effort to satisfy him in his life. Caden either projects his health problems onto her, or she has problems of her own (a grotesque blister on her toe that mirrors the boils on Caden's legs).
Emily Watson plays an actress that is portraying Hazal's character. To me, she and Samantha Morton are like the same person, the same actress. I only saw their similarities. However, apparently, Charlie Kaufman cast them because of their differences. Also, the characters are supposed to be extremely different. But at first, the overwhelming similarities are often confounding. Emily Watson takes over Hazal's character and acts in ways Hazal would never act, just as Sammy and Millicent overstepped their bounds with the Caden character.
What is moving about this movie? Certainly Caden's connection with his daughter, Olive. Certainly his affection for Hazal, the closest thing he has to a soulmate. Yet he always manages to screw things up with her, no matter what. Also, death is explored in this movie, the idea that we're all going to die one day. That everyone is the main character of their own story. That we all have choices.
Synecdoche, New York is a gross and weird movie too, different from anything that you'll see this year. That's ultimately why I love it. It attempts to show the truth through all the seemingly unimportant details, yet they are tied together in a nice bow without the movie seeming too perfect. It's offensive to many, the way life is shown, yet I laughed at the things I should have been shocked by.
After this film, it almost doesn't make any sense to see any movie by anyone except for Charlie Kaufman. No one has more sense of oneself (and everyone else) and yet no one is more lost and wandering (and boy, I thought I was bad!). Kudos to Kaufman for succeeding yet again, when he could have taken the easy way out and written something more simplistic or less gut-wrenching.
October Newsletter
Fall 2008, Vol. 10
To all our friends, and fellow Reiki Practitioner’s from around the world International and Domestic Welcome to our fall Tree of Life Reiki Newsletter.
Fall has finally arrived!
Reiki and Other Healing Modalities Questions & Answers:
Please e-mail us any questions you might have regarding our classes, or perhaps you have specific questions about Reiki. We will do our best to answer them in upcoming newsletters.Question: We seem to be asked this question repeatedly, How does a distant Attunement work?
Answer: All that is needed for the Reiki attunement to be successful is the Reiki Masters intent (belief) to give a Reiki attunement and the recipients intent to receive the Reiki attunement. The entire process is not up to us to make it work we just convey a set of attunement instructions. Simply said, the attunement is based on Reiki intelligence, we are just the conduit of the process. This works for any of the healing modalities as well as Reiki.
New Courses:
Several new courses have been added to our Tree Of Life Reiki web site this past quarter. A very important new class you might want to take a closer look at is titled: Money Reiki. Please visit our web site for more information on these exciting new classes. We also offer a host of other dynamic classes so please join us at:
http://www.treeoflifereiki.comOctober Moon is A Waning Crescent Moon or 4% of the full Moon.
A Brief Explanation of the Moon Phases:
What is the phase of the moon? The changing shape of the bright part of the Moon that we see is called its phase. In the month of October the Moon will start out a mere sliver in the night sky, gradually evolving nightly until the middle of the month where it will be at its fullest phase. In the remaining days of the month it will diminish in size back to a mere sliver.
The phases of the moon are caused by the relative positions of the earth, sun, and moon. The moon goes around the earth in 27.3 days, or 27 days 7 hours 43 minutes, on average. This measurement is relative to the stars and is called the sidereal period or orbital period. However, because of the earth's motion around the sun, a complete moon cycle (New Moon to New Moon) appears to earthbound observers to take a couple of days longer: 29.5305882 days to be exact. This number is called the synodic period or "lunation", and is relative to the sun.
The sun always illuminates the half of the moon facing the sun (except during lunar eclipses, when the moon passes through the earth's shadow). When the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the earth, the moon appears "full" to us, a bright, round disk. When the moon is between the earth and the sun, it appears dark, a "new" moon. In between, the moon's illuminated surface appears to grow (wax) to full, then decreases (wanes) to the next new moon.
The edge of the shadow (the terminator) is always curved, being an oblique view of a circle, giving the moon its familiar crescent shape. Because the "horns" of the moon at the ends of the crescent are always facing away from the setting or rising sun, they always point upward in the sky. Its also fun to seek out paintings or pictures which show an "impossible moon" with the horns pointed downwards.
(Information courtesy of NASA http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov)
View a total eclipse of the moon on Wednesday October 29th.
Our Favorite Reiki Recipe for October
While trying to decide on a recipe for this months newsletter, it occurred to me that we have really neglected to post dishes or favorite recipes from our international friends. At a recent lunch gathering a friend brought a delicious dish, and after trying it I decided why not pass it along this month for others to enjoy. The holiday festivities shared with friends and relatives are approaching and this would be a really great dish to serve.
HUMMUS:
It is a popular food in various local forms throughout the Middle Eastern world. ...Hummus is an Arabic word for chickpeas, it is a dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It can be served many ways, commonly with Pita bread, toasted bread, crackers, perhaps with vegetables etc. It can even be put together with a variety of deli-style meats and served as a wrap.| | Preparation: Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
|
A Closing Thought:
We are all Vibrational Beings. You're like a receiving mechanism that when you set your tuner to the station, you're going to hear what's playing. Whatever you are focused upon is the way you set your tuner, and when you focus there for as little as 17 seconds, you activate that vibration within you. Once you activate a vibration within you, Law of Attraction begins responding to that vibration, and you're off and running--whether it's something wanted or unwanted --- Abraham
courtesy of:
Love, Light, Joy & Blessings,
E-mail us at
: info@treeoflifereiki.com or visit our web site http://www.treeoflifereiki.com
Showing 1 - 5. [ Next ]