6 things that make me happy

1. leslie.
for tagging me to do this post. she knew full well i would have to do it once i saw she tagged me, so she knows that i still read her blog. ha. and because she wrote that i'm "one of her favorite people to #4 with." that just sounds weird. i love that she reminds me to spend some time thinking about things that make me happy. they've been somewhat difficult to come up with, but i've enjoyed thinking about it. and i needed it.

2. solitude.
weird, right? this weekend, i went with a couple friends up to a cabin in the middle of nowhere wisconsin (bon iver, anyone?) to relax a little and get some work done. it was a fantastic weekend. i really loved it. i loved the cabin. i want to try to go back again if i can talk anna's relatives into letting me. i got a lot done (even though i lost about two hours of work by saving it in the wrong place. ouch.), i played guitar and sang, i slept, i watched a movie, (all things i don't really do to often in the city), and i listened to a lot of music (something i do no matter where i am.) for someone that is often considered extroverted and social, i really enjoy some solitude sometimes.

3. the following artists (all come highly recommended):
seabear
bon iver
santogold
the streets
cat power
radiohead

4. journals.
since it's officially been a year since i arrived in chile and was even traveling, i've been pretty nostalgic lately. (who am i kidding, i've been continually nostalgic). so, i've been really enjoying reading my travel journal from chile and even looking through all the little momentos i saved: bus tickets, a rock from the national park, cards people sent me, etc. but more than anything i'm enjoying the journal. (thanks again to leslie for that. 1, for encouraging me to write, 2, for buying the actual journal i used.)

5. this quote by rumi:
"look carefully around you and recognize the luminosity of souls. sit beside those who draw you to that."
for discussion, see below:

6. i heart huckabees
i love this movie. it's in my all-time top 3, which makes it one of the few i can watch any time, an unlimited number of times. i watched a part of it this weekend with the commentary on. good stuff. and i put it on here because it relates really well to the previous quote by rumi. the movie deals with a philosophy explaining that everything, and especially every living thing, is connected. not only physically because there is no such thing as empty space, but spiritually in that we are all part of the same spirit. and in the movie they talk about what it's like when you "recognize the luminosity of souls" and how most people only want to do that when it's convenient, rather than all the time, because it can be exhausting. (imagine trying to recognize the luminosity of someone who just cut you off in traffic or that crazy, smelly person on the train?)
anyway, i highly recommend the film. and recognizing the luminosity of souls.

click HERE for recent pictures

hey aunt lori

i just wanted you to know i'm thinking about you! hope you had a great christmas!

water for christmas (round 2)

CHECK IT OUT!

water for christmas

check out my YouTube debut!
(and DONATE FIRST)
go to www.hotflawedmama.blogspot.com for more info.
or www.water4christmas.com

WATER FOR CHRISTMAS

YES. WE. CAN.

and did!

what a beautiful night it was in grant park. and everywhere in the country. and the world.

i got an email from each of my host parents this morning congratulating me, telling me how happy they were for our country. and theirs. and the whole world.
my host mom's email said this: (my translation):
"last night we saw the latest news from chicago, the people gathering in grant park, and we were commenting that our princess surely would be there, in the middle of the multitude. congratulations for the new president of the united states, we think from the bottom of our hearts that obama is going to do very well, not only for the united states but for the whole world. theres a breath of fresh air in international politics, and you can feel in his personality that he will help bring about a world more just, less discriminatory, more visionary, and more modern. we think there will be a 'before and after' in the united states after this election, even though it will be difficult to change this world to a more equal society, with equal opportunities for all."

beautiful, no?

and, finally, pictures!!!!

peace and hope to you!

at our most basic level, we are just human beings, relating to each other...

we will we allow another rwanda? or, should i say, the same rwanda re-located?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/world/africa/03congo.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

i challenge us all--what will we do?