a soul massage

As many know, Tom Robbins is my favorite author. I could definitely use some of his illumination today. Here are some of my favorite quotes from him.

“In the end, perhaps we should simply imagine a joke; a long joke that's continually retold in an accent too thick and strange to ever be completely understood. Life is that joke my friends. The soul is the punch line.” 

― Tom Robbins

“Curiosity, especially intellectual inquisitiveness, is what separates the truly alive from those who are merely going through the motions.” 

― Tom Robbins

“So you think that you're a failure, do you? Well, you probably are. What's wrong with that? In the first place, if you've any sense at all you must have learned by now that we pay just as dearly for our triumphs as we do for our defeats. Go ahead and fail. But fail with wit, fail with grace, fail with style. A mediocre failure is as insufferable as a mediocre success. Embrace failure! Seek it out. Learn to love it. That may be the only way any of us will ever be free.” 

― Tom Robbins

“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words "make" and "stay" become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.” 

― Tom Robbins

“When we're incomplete, we're always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on--series polygamy--until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter.” 

― Tom Robbins

“You risked your life, but what else have you ever risked? Have you risked disapproval? Have you ever risked economic security? Have you ever risked a belief? I see nothing particularly courageous about risking one's life. So you lose it, you go to your hero's heaven and everything is milk and honey 'til the end of time. Right? You get your reward and suffer no earthly consequences. That's not courage. Real courage is risking something that might force you to rethink your thoughts and suffer change and stretch consciousness. Real courage is risking one's clichés.” 

― Tom Robbins

“My faith is whatever makes me feel good about being alive. If your religion doesn't make you feel good to be alive, what the hell is the point of it?” 

― Tom Robbins

“Christianity is merely a system for turning priestesses into handmaidens, queens into concubines, and goddesses into muses.” 

― Tom Robbins

“Religion is not merely the opium of the masses, it's the cyanide.” 

― Tom Robbins

“The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion, and the tyranny of the dull mind forever threatens -- but our lives are not as limited as we think they are, all things are possible, laughter is holier than piety, freedom is sweeter than fame, and in the end it's love and love alone that really matters.” 

― Tom Robbins

“Among our egocentric sad-sacks, despair is as addictive as heroin and more popular than sex, for the single reason that when one is unhappy one gets to pay a lot of attention to oneself. Misery becomes a kind of emotional masturbation.” 

― Tom Robbins

living the zen life

 This past week has been insanely busy and I desperately need a weekend to recharge and refresh. My soul needs some attention! Tonight, my plan is to immediately put on fat pants and a face mask, paint my nails and veg out on the couch. I have been wanting to catch up on some reading but it seems harder and harder to just sit still for a few hours. Tomorrow, I plan on sleeping in for a change then going on a long run if it isn't raining. Otherwise, I'm going to the gym to sweat out the toxins I have been imbibing the past week. I think it's important to take some time to ourselves. Happy Weekend! It's almost time to light some candles and perhaps enjoy a long meditation. Namaste.

what we've got here is a failure to communicate

 Communication is one of the most basic functions for all living things yet somehow us humans fail at it more often than not. Why can it be so hard to tell people how you feel and what you want? Take my friend as a prime example. We ran into a friend of mine at the bar (surprise surprise) last week and he seemed pretty interested in taking my girlfriend out. Now, I must mention that they met last Summer and he was laying down the flirt pretty hard. It was overt. He casually gave her his business card but we both agreed that she should leave her number on her check. She left a cute little note with her number but he never used it. I saw him a month or so later and asked him what happened. He told me that he had every intention of using it but that he had just gotten out of a serious relationship and wasn't ready to start dating again but he was still interested. I respected him not rushing into something. Fast forward to last Sunday. He texts and asks what she is doing later. (Don't even get me started on how our future generations will have enlarged thumbs.) They decided to meet up for drinks and then go have a bite to eat. Things seemed to be going well until the bill came. He looked at it with dismay and commented that the wine was more expensive then he thought. She then offered to pay and he accepted. Really? Really? Bad move 1. Last night they were supposed to go see a movie at a movie theater that is about 20 minutes away. Via text he lets her know that he is off of work and asked if she wants to meet him there or have him pick her up. Bad move 2. Maybe he was thinking it was supposed to be a casual situation or maybe he was trying to give her an option. Either way she was not happy about going with him at that point so she canceled. Later that night she text him to tell him the truth about why she canceled. He replied by saying that he did offer to pick her up. Needless to say, they won't be going out again. Just think about how this could have turned out differently. First I would say that having a relationship based on texting will make for communication to be even harder. There is no sense of tone in texts. There is no urgency either. You can take as long as you want to reply. I miss the days when you would spend hours on the phone with someone. Now you text all day long but rarely get a connection. I'd like to think that if she called and told him that she was a little offended that he didn't just ask her what time to be at her place he probably would have apologized and explained why he gave the option. Or maybe not. It could have turned into a fight and a fight after one date is a clear indication of the future. I think they just had different expectations. She wanted things to be formal and he was wanting casual.  I think expectations can have a detrimental effect on any relationship, especially if they aren't talked about. Most people (I hope) respect honesty but it can be such a delicate balance. In a perfect world I would think that if you are interested in someone you could be 100% honest. If you want sex, tell them. If you want a date, tell them. If you want a relationship, tell them. And they could respond with 100% honesty. Unfortunately people like the games, the chase and mystery and there can be so many ulterior motives to weed through. I suppose that there is no real solution. You just have to do what works for you but it's rough out there kids and I suspect that it's only going to get worse as our technology advances.

beach life

 I am so ready for Summer. I am taking a girls trip in late July to a beach and I will be counting down the days. I need a vacation. Very badly. We are either thinking Mexico or Puerto Rico. I honestly don't care where we go, as long as there are plentiful libations, turquoise waves and warm sand. I have been to a few beaches throughout my life but the most beautiful that I have seen so far is Sanibel Island. Ahhhhh d ocean! To further get myself into the mood, I watched "The Beach" last weekend. Hear me out before you make fun. I have loved this movie since I saw it many years ago in the theater. I think it has a really intriguing plot but it definitely could have been executed better. The first half of the movie is what makes it worth watching. The underwater kiss.... the beach itself and the surroundings... the intriguing beach community.... the music. Then it trails off into the weird. It's definitely worth a watch (or read, since it was based on a book) just to witness the collapse of a self governing community in what appears to be paradise.

what I'm listening to

Oh my love of repeating continues...

Camera Obscura
French Navy

I. Am. In. Love. With. This. Song. I seriously can't get enough of it. It's so romantic although the video would lead you to believe that it doesn't work out so well in the end. This is how love feels. Whimsical. A rush. A head spinning, dress twirling adventure. If only it could last.... Enjoy

a slight obsession

 I watched Annie Hall back in college and instantly fell in love. I went on a Woody Allen bender. My friend and I rented every film of his that we could find and although not all of them were superb, most were at the very least entertaining. It was agreed that at times watching his films can become rather painful. His neurosis and constant paranoia of Jew hating can only be endearing for so long. Perhaps it's best to watch in moderation. Having said that, he is one of my favorite writer/director/actor/comics. I love his love of New York and that he plays the jazz clarinet in Manhattan on a regular basis. I love that he calls a therapist an analyst and openly admits that he has been seeing one for most of his life. I love that he is deep, dark and twisty. I love that this quirky little man has been with some of the most beautiful women of his time. I'm going to slide over the fact that he caught himself in a rather compromising situation with his then girlfriend Mia Farrows' adopted daughter, now his wife. Keep in mind,  I don't want to date the man but meeting him for a drink at a dive jazz bar in Manhattan sounds pretty amazing. Here is a list of some of my favorite films.

Annie Hall

Manhattan

Whatever Works

Match Point

Midnight in Paris

Everyone Says I Love You

mixin it up

 Every once in a while a girl has got to mix it up. Can I still call myself a girl at 30? I'm going to say yes. I went and got a hair cut Saturday and although I am still adjusting to the change, I do like it. Bangs. I got bangs. I must admit I do look a little hipster ish when I wear my glasses. I am most definitely not a hipster, fyi. My look was based on a pic I saw of Taylor Swift. Here is my inspiration.