How Cute is This??

you're either asleep or you are awake - I'm WAY too complicated!

I had a sleep test performed on me several months ago because I'm just way too tired all of the time. I have trouble waking up in the mornings because I sleep too heavy. I've been thinking about REM cycles and have been wondering if I'm in a REM cycle when it's time for me to wake up in the mornings. I seem to always be dreaming when I wake up (or try to wake up); so if one dreams only during REM cycles, then it would explain why I have trouble waking up if I am the deepest sleep possible...

I was speaking to a friend of mine last night on the phone. I asked him if he knew anything about the different levels of sleep . . . He said he didn't, and wasn't interested in them, and stated, "you're either asleep of you're not" !!! That statement deeply affected me. I'm WAY too darn complicated! That statement summed up who I am. . . There are only really two states - sleep and awake!!! Yet, I seem to have to make it more difficult than that.

I hope that this statement will continue to affect me. I don't have to analyze, I don't have to pick apart, I don't have to wonder. . . True, I'm always going to be me. I don't need to change who I am. Yet I don't have to make things more complicated for me if I don't have to! Life is way too hard as it is. . . Relax a bit, Trace. . . Realize that sometimes things are just as simple as "asleep or not". . .

Thanks to my new friend for this new realization that you didn't even know you provided.

Sweet puppy trying to sleep :)

Almost there!

Precious chubby baby

Sleep Art

Don't shop Clinique Counter at Belks Hattiesburg!!!!

Have I mentioned how very passionate I am about quality customer service??? Well there's nothing that gets me going if I don't have it.

I encountered an extremely snooty, rude, degrading woman at the Belks Clinique counter in Hattiesburg, MS. I had purchased a man's fragrence that when opened, looked as if half of it had spilt. The bottle was oily in testment of this. I went to return the bottle and she had the nerve to say that it was not their fragrence. As if I had poured something else in there; to insuinate that I was a thief! I am passionate about integrity and honesty. Surely she could in no way know that about me as a stranger. But she also had no way of knowing that I was a manipulative thief either.

What happend to the customer being right?? What happened to making the customer happy at most any cost? I used to work in retail. And I was taught that one unhappy customer can make you lose as many as seven because the unhappy customer will tell their friends. Well, I'm doing more than that. I am telling the world. I am a loyal customer. If I love a product or a business, I will tell everone I know and they will gain customers from me. But the same holds ture for the reverse.

Because I had my receipt, the snooty Tara, "the counter manager", said she'd honor it "this time" but not again. As if it would happen again???? I was so close to telling her, "you don't have to worry about it happening again because I will never shop here again", but I knew I would just get pissed and want to fight. She would continue to belittle me and I just didn't want to put up with her. However, I am AM a regular Clinique customer and Dillard's Clinique will have all of my business from now on.

If you are a local reader, please do the same. We as customers pay their salaries. There would be no Clinique counter if we did not shop there. They need to treat us as if we pay their salaries. I will not tolerate less. Tara and the ower of Belk and the owner of Clinique need to know this. She did a foolish, foolish thing when she messed with this customer....

Good stuff from Ben - quoting Ben Stein

Quoting Ben Stein

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart:

I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is, either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. Is this what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.

Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

- Ben Stein
http://www.benstein.com/121805xmas.html

PS This is going around as an email but has additional text added to it; my understand is that the latter portion of it is not his.

More Ben re: Katrina

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Lee White Speaks

Lee White

"Be in the Moment"

Being in the Moment

I've been doing a lot of research this evening on being "in the moment". . . I tend to let my brain work WAY more than it should. I over analyze, evaluate, re-live, worry, analyze again, worry some more. . . Why? Not sure. . . am trying to figure that out. I found some powerful thoughts and quotes regarding this subject. Maybe the words and encouragement of others will sink in and help me to relax . . .

Before I get into that, I want to speak regarding the authors of these quotes. I am of the belief that we can learn something from everyone. I didn't use to believe that. I had certain beliefs and would only read/speak to/seek advice from someone who held the same beliefs. Sad and shallow minded, but true. Many of these quotes are from Buddhists, individuals that are Jewish, or practicing Zen. Some of them are "hokey". . . but there is a wealthy of truth in these phrases.

I pray that I will learn to relax, to breathe deeply in and out, soak in my surroundings, love those in my life, be content with what I have, accept what I don't and truly be in the moment; trusting, accepting, appreciating . . .

The following are weighty words! I know it's meaty. . . If anyone reads all the way through them, I'll be surprised! Let me know if you do. Enjoy. . .

Credit is given to those that spoke these words. Those that are unmarked are unknown.

1. The key . . . is to live and be in the moment. Don't jump ahead, don't wish that this wasn't happening.
2. "How a moment affects future moments and what it means to be 'in the moment.'"
3. Your best music will always come when you are in the moment and just playing the piano. Why is this? Because you have forgotten about trying to make music. Instead, you are now "making" music
4. Be in the moment, trust yourself more, pay attention to and have an increased awareness of your body.
5. "In Moment is incalculable value." - Awia
6. "The thing about jazz," he muses, "is that old idea of, you know, 'being in the moment.' Well, to play really good jazz you have to be in the moment, and it takes an incredible amount of concentration to be in the moment--to be able to go anywhere, musically, with whomever you are playing with. "I try to do my life the same way," he says, "to really be in the moment, not to be thinking all the time of the past or the future, but just to really be there performing whatever is before me." re:Mel Graves
7. Be in the moment at the moment every moment, making the most of yourself, being authentic. - Louis Schmier
8. When you can be in the moment free of thoughts or feelings about thoughts, free of the need to speak or act, then you will dwell in the heart of truth. - Paul Ferrini
9. To be in the moment, is to be fully present, fully aware. The now includes not just the chair you sit in, and the room you are in, but also everything that is happening in your life. - Ellen Kennon
10. After all, when something of import occurs, we should be encouraged to feel deeply and wholly what is happening. We should literally be in the moment. Only afterwards, from a distance, can we step back and with clarity, contemplate the significance of the event and begin to put it in perspective. - Avi Weiss
11. Learning to be in the moment can be thought of as making every moment a privileged one. In other words, we are constantly seeking new perceptions of our experiences even if our circumstances may be quite familiar and routine.
12. "if we are in the moment, then we cannot know anything except that moment. however, if we are looking at context, then we can never truly be in the moment," - em
13. "I don't spend my time missing things", he says. "It's so important to me to be in the moment. If I don't love what I'm doing at the moment, then I go find something that I do love". - Tommy Tune
14. "All I have to do is stop looking at the past and not project any hopes into the future about this new relationship. All I have to do is just be in the moment with the man of the moment, whether he's in future moments or not. And living in the moment will be a huge lesson for me." Lorna Tedder
15. Spend time with Children. These little folks know how to be in the moment. Spend time with them doing what they want to do. Follow their example. This shouldn't be too difficult.
16. . . . As one can be in the moment, you are in the moment. Because really that's all there is. - Donna Williams
17. Be in the moment! One of the ways to do this is through physical exercise. - Frederick "Cork" Graham
18. I don't know what it is that makes meditating at the gym better than doing it alone at home. Maybe it's that "being in the moment" thing. When we are meditating, we are supposed to be in the moment. I spend so much time in fantasy land that I find "living in the moment" really hard to do in my real life. Of course, it's really easy to do when I'm exercising. All I can do is concentrate on my muscles. Just keep moving, just keep moving, just keep moving. That's all I can think about when I exercise at the correct level. Maybe that's it. All of those people are living in the moment more than they probably do the rest of the day. Maybe that's why some marathon runners call running their religion. - Laura Moncur
19. The more we heal our emotional wounds and change our intellectual programming the more capacity we have to be in the moment and tune into the Love within. - Robert Burney
20. Spiritual growth is simply the process of awakening our consciousness to be in the moment with what is. - Dick Rauscher
21. This lesson of being "in the moment" has been important and personally meaningful. I tend to think about the past decision choices. I can stew in the "what ifs" - I could have; I should have; I also tend to think about what needs to be done. Of course, as with everyone, thinking about such things brings worry and angst. The list of things to be done is always endless. Dogs remind me to be in the moment - to live and enjoy this very moment. And that is one of the great lessons I try to learn and practice from my dogs. Dogs are a wonderful example and remind me not to waste the moment. - Catherine
22. There are very few joys in life greater than spontaneity. Spontaneity means to be in the moment; it means acting out of your awareness, not acting according to your old conditionings. Those days are gone -- those conditions, conceptions are absolutely invalid. - Osho
23. "Stay in the moment. Become the best you can be in the moment, and what lies out ahead only God knows. Enjoy and stay in the moment you're in and if you do that, you will not be disappointed with what you do." - Jim Tressel

Row

I love this quote:

All you have to do is the best you can.

A high wave comes, a crushing wave comes, a gentle swell flows.

Whatever comes, stay in your boat.

And enjoy the ride.

And row.

Author Unknown

Junior High Girl

Ok, one of my girlfriends has often compared me to a junior high girl... It is SO much worse now.

I've been an American Idol fan since the very first season. For the first two seasons I've had TiVo and can now catch every episode. I have fallen IN LOVE with Taylor Hicks on this year's season. He is the most unbelievable singer and performer. He sings from his gut with such passion and conviction. He has these eyes and smile that are just simply KILLER. He has this precious personality and seems to humble and down to earth.

I've told this guy that I've been speaking to lately that every man in my life from now on will just have to accept that he's going to take a back seat to Taylor!! Ha... I've also written several emails trying to get a date with him!! How pitiful am I...

http://www.taylorhicksfan.com/

Airbrushed Me! Disclaimer: This photo HAS been edited :)

I simply had to post this... My friend Tracy,

the photo editing genius, touched up this photo of me today.

She added the "glow" and whitened my teeth :)

Ok, I HAVE to see my dentitst about this ASAP!

Great Article - "The Keys to Happiness, and Why We Don't Use Them"

The Keys to Happiness, and Why We Don't Use Them

Robin Lloyd
Special to LiveScience
LiveScience.com
Tue Feb 28, 11:02 AM ET


"It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don't make it." —Author and researcher Gregg Easterbrook

ADVERTISEMENT
Psychologists have recently handed the keys to happiness to the public, but many people cling to gloomy ways out of habit, experts say.

Polls show Americans are no happier today than they were 50 years ago despite significant increases in prosperity, decreases in crime, cleaner air, larger living quarters and a better overall quality of life.

So what gives?
Happiness is 50 percent genetic, says University of Minnesota researcher David Lykken. What you do with the other half of the challenge depends largely on determination, psychologists agree. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

What works, and what doesn't
Happiness does not come via prescription drugs, although 10 percent of women 18 and older and 4 percent of men take antidepressants, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Anti-depressants benefit those with mental illness but are no happiness guarantee, researchers say.

Nor will money or prosperity buy happiness for many of us. Money that lifts people out of poverty increases happiness, but after that, the better paychecks stop paying off sense-of-well-being dividends, research shows.

One route to more happiness is called "flow," an engrossing state that comes during creative or playful activity, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has found. Athletes, musicians, writers, gamers, and religious adherents know the feeling. It comes less from what you're doing than from how you do it.

Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California at Riverside has discovered that the road toward a more satisfying and meaningful life involves a recipe repeated in schools, churches and synagogues. Make lists of things for which you're grateful in your life, practice random acts of kindness, forgive your enemies, notice life's small pleasures, take care of your health, practice positive thinking, and invest time and energy into friendships and family.

The happiest people have strong friendships, says Ed Diener, a psychologist University of Illinois. Interestingly his research finds that most people are slightly to moderately happy, not unhappy.

On your own
Some Americans are reluctant to make these changes and remain unmotivated even though our freedom to pursue happiness is written into the preamble of the Declaration of Independence.

Don't count on the government, for now, Easterbrook says.

Our economy lacks the robustness to sustain policy changes that would bring about more happiness, like reorienting cities to minimize commute times.

The onus is on us.
"There are selfish reasons to behave in altruistic ways," says Gregg Easterbrook, author of "The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse" (Random House, 2004).

"Research shows that people who are grateful, optimistic and forgiving have better experiences with their lives, more happiness, fewer strokes, and higher incomes," according to Easterbrook. "If it makes world a better place at same time, this is a real bonus."

Diener has collected specific details on this. People who positively evaluate their well-being on average have stronger immune systems, are better citizens at work, earn more income, have better marriages, are more sociable, and cope better with difficulties.

Unhappy by default
Lethargy holds many people back from doing the things that lead to happiness.

Easterbrook, also a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institute, goes back to Freud, who theorized that unhappiness is a default condition because it takes less effort to be unhappy than to be happy.

"If you are looking for something to complain about, you are absolutely certain to find it," Easterbrook told LiveScience. "It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don't make it. Most people take the path of least resistance. Far too many people today don't make the steps to make their life more fulfilling one."

My response to the above article

Wow...this is good stuff.. I agree with so much of this (the italics are my emphases)...

When I was in my early 20's I went through a bout of depression. Someone recommended a book to me entitled "Happiness is a Choice". Even the title of this book pissed me off. Why in the world would I choose depression??

As I've grown in age and maturity, I now see that the title is entirely true. Now, some due to nature/nuture are just blessed with a more positive outlook on life rather than a negative. However, it does take work to be happy; to make a choice to be positive and grateful. There are horribly depressing things in this world; BUT there are delightful, pleasurable, beautiful things as well. Which are we going to choose to focus on? If we want to be miserable, we can choose to focus on the negative. If we want to be upbeat, positive, happy people, we can choose to focus on the positive (have you noticed how much I love the word choose/choice??? It IS up to US! and us alone)....

I have made the choice to be grateful, to fight my battles, to take responsibility where the responsibility is mine, to notice the beauty in life. NOW, that's not to say life doesn't utterly SUCK at times. I've had more pain in my 35 years than I care to admit. Fifteen years ago I would have sworn I'd be married to my best friend and have lots of babies... I'm nowhere near that... I haven't found my dream job..yada, yada, yada... But I have a precious family, precious friends, have internal strength that I never dreamed I'd have. I am fighting my health and my debt head on. I am making huge progress. I have a God who is FOR me. I have a brain, and talents and great things going for me. Life is good. And I am grateful. Today I choose to be happy. What is your choice?