Stress Management

This morning I forced myself to go for a little run since I had only been up for less than an hour and my shoulders were already feeling tight. The weather seems to have broken here and it is actually cooler than 70 degrees in the morning here now!

I didn't have that much time but I thought 20 minutes was better than nothing.

So I ran up my street, around the corner, and up the hill to this other residential neighborhood. And all of a sudden, ahead of me I started seeing women in pink t-shirts walking up the street. As I knew what it was...... I was coming upon the route for a breast cancer walk. And I started tearing up.

For my birthday in 2006, I participated in the Susan G Komen 3-day Breast Cancer Walk. It was an amazing, inspiring experience that I undertook partially because a friend of mine from grad school had been previously diagnosed with breast cancer a couple months after we graduated, and 2 weeks after she got married to another classmate, at the age of 29. I will have to paste more about her later......

I need to find a way to do more to others......

Options

Isn't it great when you are in the middle of a difficult situation and discover an option that you didn't know that you had that opens up some new possibilities!! I am feeling encouraged!

This fall is proving to be very challenging for me. But just when I thought I was out of options and faced with a really unpleasant choice, I discovered an alternative path.... A temporary solution but hopefully I will find a permanent one soon.

Unpresidented!

So one thing that I have been really surprised and pleased by is the unpresidented involvement of the black music artists in the Presidential race this year.... regular comments on concert tours, making calls for candidates, creating politically aware content to support the candidates.....

But, today I was watching BETJ Soul Sessions and I saw the video for a song by Big Boi and Mary J Blige called "Something's Gotta Give." I had actually heard it on the radio before and thought it was a politically aware song but I didn't truly realize how direct the political message was until I saw the video today.

Take a look! (Sorry, embedding is disabled for this clip...)

Good for them!

An interesting result of Facebook friendship....

So.... The other day I was helping my boss with her blackberry and I saw that she had a Facebook app on it. So, I asked her where she got it and she showed me how to download it. Well, that night I got a friend request from her. It lead to a little dilemma....... Do I really want my boss to be my Facebok friend??? But.... I know she knows I use Facebook so if I don't accept that will raise suspicion. So, I accepted -- she's pretty cool anyway. I will just have to censor my status updates a little.

So, then, other people from work started friending me since they saw I was her friend. One of them is this woman who I have known professionally, although we haven't worked much together, for a while. We have worked at the same last 3 companies so she is a good professional contact.

But, after we became Facebook friends I began to realize that...... she is a RAGING Republican! Ugh! A Palin supporter nonetheless...... So, this has an interesting affect on our hallway chatter. Basically, now I strongly question her judgement and am not as excited about speaking to her. Am I wrong? Anyway, it doesnt affect my opinion of her work but I don't think I will be clamouring to hang out with her or go to lunch.... especially not before the election is over for a little while!

The unintended affect of technology!

Caribbean Eats!

I was flipping the channels the other day and I ran across a new 4 part series that is being aired on The Food Network -- Feasting on Waves -- and it caught my eye. Alton Brown, the amusingly nerdy but adventurous chef, is sailing across the Caribbean, in search of all the delicious local cuisine that the region has to offer. And the cool thing is, he is not just going to restaurants, but also to local dives, roadside stands, farms etc. to really learn about the local ingredients and flavors and get an idea of what food the locals enjoy on a daily basis. I wonder if they will delve into the intracacies of roasted/fried breadfruit, ackee, and guinep along the way?



Check for show information and schedule here.

Number 1 fundraiser for the Obama campaign this week?

Sarah Palin!

While the Republicans raised $1 million after the Sarah Palin speech last night, the Democrats raised.........$8 million.

I have to say.... I am amazed, and encouraged by Obama's ability to raise so much money across such a large base. Now, it just needs to translate into votes!

Good Friends.....

So what was so great about my trip to the West was my being able to catch up with a lot of friends, some I hadn't seen in quite a while, some I finally met for the first time after hearing so much about them, and some I don't get to see nearly enough. It was great to see everybody!! In the end, it is your friendships and relationships that are what is most important.

Actin' silly!

At the wedding.....

Obama Girls!


Old classmates and their new addition!

Awww! So cute!!

Quite a wedding!

I just got back from a trip to that flashy city to the West to attend a wedding and visit some friends..... Seems like I have a lot of friends there, from all stages of my life now. There have been times when my mind has flirted with the idea of moving there, especially when I am feeling wistful and lonely but it is just not a good place for me to be careerwise etc so, I will just have to visit often! (And I seem to be averaging a visit a year these days....)

Anyway, the key reason for this trip was..... the wedding of one of my good friends from grad school. Suzy is this crazy smiley ball of energy who is so genuine and nice and fun to be around. I actually didn't meet her fiance until the weekend of the wedding but from what I had heard about him, they are the perfect pair.

How they met: Interestingly, Steve is the best friend of Suzy's ex-boyfriend's brother (I think I got that right....) Or the brother of her ex-boyfriend's best friend..... Well, one of those!

Where the wedding was located: It was held in this old art deco hotel that was renovated and is rented out for special events. It actually borders this infamous park in the middle of the city (it is even named in a popular song from the late 70's -- the park, that is.) These days it is infamous for not the most positive of things but it is really interesting to have these anachronistic interplay between the park and this hotel. Those staying at the host hotel took shuttles to and from the event which worked out really well since 1) there was not a lot of parking available and 2) we had been informed, jokingly by the bride, that there was an 8 drink minimum at the open bar!


The ceremony: So Suzy's mother is Japanese American and her father is Mexican American of Persian decent. Steve is Canadian. So how did all of this play out in the wedding ceremony? Well, the ceremony was held in a square courtyard in the middle of the building. When you first walked into the hotel, you were greeted by a large Asian -inspired flower arrangement of orchids, draped by paper origami cranes that Suzy's friends and family created for the couple. It is a Japanese tradition to create a 1000 of these cranes as a wedding gift by the folder, who is wishing a thousand years of happiness and prosperity upon the couple.


The ceremony was actually a Buddhist ceremony held under a gazebo by the family Buddhist minister in traditional dress. It included the a version of the Shinto San San-Kudo ceremony of three x three (9 is a lucky number in Shinto tradition) sips of sake from three flat cups, almost like dishes with small, medium and large size. Both the bride and groom sip from the cups and the ritual was also shared with both of their parents.


Attire: In a move that was probably less Canadian and more reflective of his personality, Steve and his groomsmen wore tuxedos and.... brand new black Converse low top tennis shoes! Suzy's bridesmaids wore brown or black strapless cocktail length dresses. Suzy herself, wore this beautiful strapless Oscar de la Rente dress will an a-line multi-layered tulle skirt, hand embroidered with beading and tulle flowers. It was really amazing as you can see....

The brand: Suzy is in marketing so, everything related to her wedding, from the Save the date card to the invitation to the program, menus, gazebo, and candles at the ceremony, to the spotlight shining down on the dance floor at the reception were all consistently branded with their fonts, monogram and logo.

The reception: After the ceremony, there was a cocktail reception with hors d'oeuvres in the room right off the courtyard where the wedding ceremony was held. Then the whole party moved to the the ballroom where the full reception was held. The ballroom was true art deco style and old black and white movies were being projected onto the wall above the stage at one end of the ballroom.
The tables were decorated with big centerpieces with large white ostrich plumes and the wedding party sat in the middle at a long table which was really nice because everyone else could see them.
The cutting of the cake happened at the top of the stage so everyone could easily see it as well.
The party!!!: After all the formalities and eating were complete, we all got down, drinking and dancing and having a great time.

As you can see, she doesn't get out much anymore! Two kids will do that to you!

A good time is being had by all!

Afterwards: The next morning, Suzy's parents had a brunch at their house, full of great comfort food to soak up any residual alcohol. It was a nice relaxing way to recuperate and get a chance to chat with folks before we all went our separate ways!