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Visit: Your Spirit Rocks! on Facebook . Our vendors booth appears every other week at the local Farmer's Market(s)

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

A Calm before the Storm

 It is Tuesday afternoon, January 26th, 2021 at 1:12pm Here is the situation as it stands now. We are currently in a holding pattern as we have been alerted that Flash Floods may be occurring this evening, which gives us yet one more reason to shelter in place. The sun was out this morning, so I rode my bike to Ace Hardware™ to purchase some bungee cords to "Batten down the Hatches" so to speak. Last week we had a terrific wind storm that blew the tarp off of my sun deck. I am hoping that the same thing does not occur again tonight. Sometimes I think that all we need in an emergency are duct tape, bungee cords, tarps, and a staple gun. Hey, that's not a bad start. This morning, it seemed that the whole neighborhood was doing something in preparation for this big event ( ...like we haven't had enough big events as of late? ) Besides dumping the Trumpmeister, we have had major fires, rampant racial injustice, insurrection, viruses, climate catastrophes throughout the world, and so it goes.

Yesterday, I got a shot to protect myself from getting a virus. No, not Covid 19, but Shingles. I had a horrible bout with this nasty condition last year. Waiting until January to have this done was a good idea. My new insurance policy which now covers these shots with a co-pay, cost me 40. as opposed to 165. which is what they would've cost me had I not switched. However, I cannot get a Covid 19 shot until after two weeks have passed. No biggie... ain't going nowhere except to Grocery Outlet to stock up on food.

Sleep patterns have not been consistent. I purchased an app for my iPhone called, "Synctuition". It's pretty good. Initially, I was convinced that it was a Russian brain-washing program designed to overwrite my core beliefs but have come to trust the 3D sound effects and the binaural beats that are designed to lull my mind into a perfect Gamma or Theta state. It also uses affirmations to reprogram the usual cynical frame of mind I resort to when getting too lonely, tired, angry, or most especially hungry ( or at times... horny ). 

When things get stale around here, I break out the paints and put on some good music to breathe life into this one-bedroom apartment. Limiting the coffee intake has served to keep things stable for the most part. Exercise is what challenges the schedule lately. Riding the ten-speed around the perimeter of town has sufficed for now. I do miss the hikes to Coyote Peak at Bothe State Park though. I was told by ranger Jessica that the trails should be partially back open in the Spring ( trusting that there will not be much erosion resulting from the Glass fire last Fall ). 

We cannot expect any sort of "New Normal" type stability to ramp up on such short notice these first few weeks of January. Time takes time.

That being said ...it's time for a nap.

This Week's Rock is a double-sided bedside piece designed to bring about restful serenity. Four views, same rock under different lighting ( blacklight, no light, and normal light )






Saturday, January 9, 2021

Old Hat?

Some years ago, at the height of the Movie Ratatouille's popularity, I produced something that I thought would be of value to both the Pixar and the Disney team. After much angst and preparation, I was able to secure an appointment with a marketing director at Disney, and drove to LA to meet them. To do this, was to show them this thing I had created which I thought would be a fabulous gift for anyone who enjoyed the overall theme of the movie.

 At the time, the movie had already peaked, and since the Remy™ character wasn’t going to be "evergreen," more promotional ventures wouldn’t be viable. ( as it was explained, characters like Mickey Mouse™ and Donald Duck™  were iconic, and therefore long-lasting )

    When the film came out in 2007, I had been working at the Culinary Institute of America as a Concierge. Students there are required to wear clean, disposable chef’s toques in the kitchen during class time ...not just for identification but for sanitation purposes. When I wasn’t busy assisting tourists who came to visit the school, some time was spent sketching out ideas for fun. That's when I began working on a new chef's hat. Having seen the movie, the very idea of having a rat inside a chef’s toque was amusing. Finally, I figured out a way to imprint the shadow of  Remy™  the hair-pulling rat on the interior of a toque.






Some of the staff at the Culinary Institute encouraged me to build on this idea, which I did to the point of annoyance.
   
    Finally, when an opportunity to meet Celebrity Chef Thomas Keller became available I quickly provide him with one of my prototypes in appreciation for his advisory contribution to the movie, and to perhaps endorse this as a potential product. Needless to say, it didn't fly, but at least I got a chance to further my creativity.










Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Grateful

Today I am grateful for the life that has been given me. I’ve done nothing to deserve such a gift. Thanking God each day for my sobriety has kept me on the right track. It has not been an easy road to be thankful for all the misfortunate experiences over the years. Today has afforded me a different perspective in this regard. 

Seeking Gratitude has been a major key to spiritual renewal. Resenting others (including myself) has sabotaged all types of human relations because of this. Not surrendering the ego and the shame state can render paralysis, and thus making one unavailable for growth. "The degree to which we discount ourselves is the degree to which we can damage others" *. The way out is through, and a way out of this particular state is to become other-oriented by "paying it forward" as my niece has reminded me through her abundant generosity. 

It's baby steps for now, but this simple (and no one said easy) strategy is beginning to allow emotional growth once again.

* Roberta Meyer- "Listen to the Heart" ©1989 Warner Books ISBN 0-446-51432-2 Creating intimate families through the power of unconditional love. 


Creative Communication Experiences (CCE)
Staff with the birthday boy, March 1979


Some of the same happy group in later years