a day of loving-kindness

ommm shanti....
Some people may read this post and think I'm a crazy ass. But if you have been reading me for a while, you know that I am really into meditation: I do it at least 3 to 5 times a week.

In any case, I awoke this morning happy to be alive and light hearted. Its Friday and I am already on vacation mode. So much, in fact, that all morning I have been practicing the Loving-Kindness Meditation: where I send positive energy to people. This morning, I have sent positive energy to each person that crossed my mind or that I saw. Even that asshole that cut me off this morning almost making me crash into his rear bumper.

So today, continuing on my walking meditation, here's one for all my readers (all 4 of you)

I wish you personal happiness, whatever that may be to you

I wish you and your family the best of health, and the ability to overcome illnesses (this especially goes out to Ms. Mickey Glittter and her papi)

I wish you safety, from danger and ignorance

I wish you a life of ease; may you get that paper $$ and all that good shit

You know, this meditation should be used in anger management classes. It truly works in making you feel like a million bucks. Not only that, it really puts you in that x-mas spirit, ya know ? Why don't you try it ?

cookies anyone ?

After days upon days of helping my mom bake hundred of cookies and x-mas treats for family and friends, I can finally eat a few!! YUM!!

time for another revelation...

Yesterday I took a look at my parents and for the first time in my entire life, saw the reality of how old they are getting. They both looked suddenly shrunken and spots like their hands, legs, and areas around their eyes were starting to look and feel like mis abuelitos (my grandparents). Even though they are relatively young - in early 50s, I started just PLAIN freaking out.

Yesterday, while we were all sitting down for dinner, I started to feel sad thinking about how, in fact, my time is so limited with them. I do try to make it over to visit them at least twice a week - either after work or on the weekends - ya know, between the hustle and bustle of life. But even those few hours a week, is limited in many ways. Just contemplating this fear, I panicked even, thinking and begging for more time with them.

There's still so much I want to share....Things I vow to share like:

~ I have yet to learn 1/2 of the glorious recipes my mom has stored in her membrane

~ Learn more about my dad & moms first years in the USA (like yesterday I learned that 1/2 of my dad's family was forced to pick grapes and live in concentration camp like conditions just to survive - how does one go almost 30 years of her life without knowing something that significant about her papi?!!)

~ Invite them to my house to enjoy a glorious dinner I made specifically for them JUST BECAUSE

~ Go on a family trip together; its been at least a decade...

~ Have them witness my marriage and/or experience being grandparents (between me & my brother, they are getting impatient lemme tell you)


I don't want to bore you with the rest; the list is extensive. It's funny how things come out of nowhere and hit you HARD. All I can say is that I left their house with my eyes wide open last night- knowing that every moment shared with them - no matter how insignificant was precious.

book of the moment

Since the love of my life will be gone for another 2.5 days, I went and brought the book: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything to pass some time. The book is a bit trendy (which usually just isn't my style), but once I opened up the covers and started reading Mr. Levitt's twisted genius, I was hooked. Since last night I have already gone through about 1/2 of it.

At this rate, I might need to get another book before Mike, my sexy man, comes back home.

who am i to judge crazies ??? ;)

I could not believe my eyes this morning while reading the RedEye's article about a group of young vegans named "the rat patrol" scouring the rat infested alleys and dingy garbage cans of Chicago for...(gulp)...recycling (i.e eating) remaining food. In essence, they raid local garbage cans in Chicago's alleys in an attempt to reduce the amount of national waste. What was funny to me is their catchy name: FREEGANS, coming from the intermixing of being vegans and getting free food from garbage cans.

what's for lunch, man?!!!


No matter how much I try to heed their noble vision of reducing national waste, I just cannot fathom their actions. I mean, its kinda a cool concept, but when you get to the nuts and bolts of it, its plain disgusting, unhygenic, and plain old NASTY!!! I can see recycling other things like furniture, computers & books, but FOOD? What are these people thinking ?!!!

I mean, I dearly try not to judge people, even extremists such as these - but GOOD LORD!!! You couldn't pay me enough to go digging for "jewels" of leftover food in garbage cans (both business and residential), especially in Chicago. I've seen some rats the size of kittens driving down these alleys and refuse to even go there.

Its just nuts I tell you, FREAKING NUTS!!!

let it snow...

It's snowing once again in Chicago and despite the added traffic and shoveling times it has caused me, I am loving every second of it.

This morning: It's just me, my green tea, and a smile...

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow - bitches!!!

:)

Stanley "Tookie" Williams

This morning at 12:35 AM GMT, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, one of the founding fathers of the Crips gang and more recently, reformed gangster & Nobel Peace Prize nominee, took his last breath - a result of lethal injection.

While he is responsible for starting a group of gangsters which still continue to this day to be violent and deadly, does his last years of reform and messages of peace mean nothing?

I know its a controversial topic. But honestly, what's your view on his execution now that it's all been said and done ?