As I try to re-invent my life, it's funny, because all I can think of is how I can help other people with my hopefully triumphant, small or big, victories. When you go through something tragic, you learn a lot of life lessons, if you choose to wake up.

What I have come to find, ironically, is that for all of my hopes and desires over the years, all I ever really wanted out them was to touch other people. I realize that one of my favorite things ever is to make people laugh. I have made so many people I love sad the past few years, when I used to bring them laughter and happiness, that I feel a great desire to bring joy again. To give love and receive it in return. I want X amount of money or X career,(I never by the way, thought in terms of money- which has it's good and bad points) in the end is just a means to bringing people, especially those you love and that love you, joy. It all comes back to this desire. That is why I so strongly believe you should do what your heart tells you to do, otherwise you will be too unhappy to bring it to anyone else. That's all we are trying to do, give love (in it's many forms) and get it. You know I always knew this and tried to live this way, but when I became so self consumed with my own mis perceived troubles (meaning: things were not as bad as I made them to be) , I had nothing to give. You cannot make everyone happy, but if you do all you can to make your life happy, the things that make you healthy and happy, the rest will follow and it will happen by default.

Funny how things can be so clear in the midst of turmoil. I am ever hopeful.

In staying with that feeling I guess my SOTD should be my sweet James Taylor favorite:
http://www.deezer.com/track/1013780

SOTD Amy Winehouse - Valerie

I highly reccommend you play this and just listen and appreciate her for her raw talent. Really. Just to see her for who she is musically, instead of all the crap that has made her so unattractive to us.

I liked Rehab ('no, no no') when it came out, but all her mayhem took center stage before I got a chance to really delve into what she had to offer musically, so I never knew. This was on my co-workers IPOD and it was piercing. I love watching someone who is just singing from their soul like this- it's so real and such a gift. This makes me want to give her a break. I hope she gets herself together. I hope she doesn't do a Janis Joplin on us. Her twitchy, buggy drug adled state as she sits in the chair cannot go unnoticed. Sad.

I love Eleanor Roosevelt

"One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else. "

"Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events and small and unhappy minds discuss other people"

Eleanor Roosevelt

When I was looking for something by a meaningful President to post regarding election day, I of course, found many by the wonderful Eleanor Roosevelt. I loved these.

SOTD Heart - Barracuda (1977)

THE. SINGLE. MOST. INFLUENTIAL FEMALE MUSICAL GROUP OF MY LIFE.
I WOULD SING THIS WHEN I WAS YOUNG TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN. MY POOR BROTHER! IT WAS THE SONG THAT NAILED ME A SPOT IN THE COLLEGE CAMPUS BAND. AND IF I EVER WIND UP AT A KARAOKE WITH ANYONE OF YOU, I WILL GRANT YOU A PERFORMANCE.;)

Rachel Maddow is a smarty pants

I read this today in a MC Q&A with Rachel Maddow from CSNBC

Q: So, what do you read daily to keep up on the current news and events?

Rachel A: Well, I usually do most of my reading in the morning before or during breakfast as my days are usually so busy. I read the Drudge Report, The New York Times, Huffington Post, BBC online, Chicago Tribune, Mccarthy, LA Times, Wired, Wall St Journal, Boston Globe, and a couple of others.

Q: This, all before breakfast?

A: Well, and during, rememeber?

......of course Rachel, just like me.....ahem...

SOTD Madness - Our House

Man, A week and a half into my whole 'Song Of The Day' thing and I am finding that it might be a little more than I can deal with committment wise. However, I persevere!
Funniest thing I can think of about this is that because this groovy great band and video came out as I was coming of age along with MTV- I insisted, four years ago, when I went to London for Christmas to visit my ex English boyfriend Gile's parents, that we go to this row of houses where this was filmed. I emailed him today to see if he even has the photo he took of me standing there. I'll post it if he does! I just do things like that.....oh boy.

Still.......my fav Halloween photo.

I meant so much to blog this on Halloween. Damn. Belated, anyway.

My friend Sam is so pretty. One of those girls that is a total tomboy, doesn't think of herself that way, (which, of course, always makes a girl even more beautiful) but looks just like a 1940's Vargas pinup girl. A few years ago, she and her friend Maggie did a 'last minute' Halloween costume and went to this Variety store and bought Batman and Robin cotumes, which none of us thought much of. They got to the house, went into the bathroom with scissors and slashed the shit out of them to fit them..well....like they fit. Though I love being girly and sexy, on Halloween, I have always been of the mindset to dress really clownish or goofy, sexy always seemed too nauseting, unoriginal and uninventive to me. Yet, when they emerged in these getups, I was pretty jealous. Though a few years old, it is still my fav Halloween duo among photos of friends dressed up and it just needed to be shared.