Amadeus

There's a place that I like to go.
A place for me that no one else knows.
It's full of beautiful sights and sounds.
Full of colors that have not been named.
There are no signs or directions to show you the way.
You have to close your eyes and listen.
You have to let your heart lead the way.

The piano is one of my favorite instruments. The sound and beauty transcends all barriers to tell you a story, to share with you it's inner most thoughts and emotions. All it asks in return is that you lovingly stroke and caress it's beautiful ivory skin.

This is how I feel whenever I hear piano compositions.
This is what I feel every time I listen to Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, better known as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I'm transported into another realm where the impossible does not exist and everything can be explained.

In honor of one of the greatest composers of classical music, I give thanks for opening up the boundaries of my world and wish you a Happy Birthday.

January 27, 1756 - December 5, 1791

Mozart's attributed last words:

The taste of death is upon my lips.
I feel something, that is not of this earth.

She's Back! [Insert Psycho Theme Music Here]

Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy. The premise of this reality show is that two moms switch homes and try to assume each other's familial duties, with each family getting $50,000 for participating. The catch: The moms decide at the end how their host family will spend the money.

I don't watch this show, (damn did I hear about this episode though)

but if you were anywhere near a computer in 2005, you probably saw video(s) of Marguerite Perrin looking like a demon herself as she denounced the pagan ways of her host family.
I laughed so hard that I cried when I watched her tirades on-line for the first time over a year ago. And you know what? It's still hilarious!



Oh man, her poor family is all I could think of. The look of horror on their faces as she screams out her frustrations about her ordeal is classic (and sad)! There was one little catch phrase that she used that I just fell in love with because I thought it was so-o funny ... she would go around screaming that people were Dark-Sided (sounds like she's saying dork). I loved it! Wouldn't that make a great t-shirt? I call dibs just in case Fox or anyone else hasn't cashed in on that.

"Religious" hypocrites such as herself are the reasons why so many stay away from church. Yes, I called her a hypocrite. You see that she took the money after all. She [that ... it] is scary!

Trading Spouses knew they couldn't let the self-proclaimed "God Warrior" disappear into obscurity after that. This season, Marguerite has returned, slimmer thanks to gastric bypass surgery (I'm eager to see how she looks now), and she's ready to take on the Malone-Browns (that poor man, I hope he has patience and a sense of humor), a family of African-American community activists in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Part 1 of 2 episodes will air tonight, Friday, on Fox at 9/8c

Weird Wednesday

FISH DIP
Would you let skin-eating fish nibble at your toes?
To satisfy an increasingly sophisticated clientele in a competitive market, and in line with the national penchant for the bizarre, Singapore's beauty providers often go to extremes.

At Fish Reflexology, clients' feet are exfoliated by tiny fish that nibble off dead skin, a method used in Turkey for decades to treat diseases. The treatment is also available in some areas of China and Japan.

So, if you have really jacked-up feet, would they need to use a piranha?

A Dream That Should Never Be Forgot

Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to forge the common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together to address important community issues. Working alongside individuals of all ages, races and backgrounds, Dr. King encouraged Americans to come together to strengthen communities, alleviate poverty, and acknowledge dignity and respect for all human beings. Service, he realized, was the great equalizer.



If you want to be important - wonderful.
If you want to be recognized - wonderful.
If you want to be great - wonderful.
But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
That's a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great,
because everybody can serve.
You don't have to have a college degree to serve.
You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.
You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve.
You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve.
You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.
And you can be that servant.

Excerpt from The Drum Major Instinct

Read, listen and watch Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver his "I Have A Dream" speech given on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

No End In Sight

President Bush is suppose to address the nation tonight to tell us that it had been a mistake earlier not to have more American and Iraqi troops fighting the war and to acknowledge that the rules of engagement were flawed.

So he's going to acknowledge this flaw by sending in 20,000 more troops? Where the hell is basic common sense? Forget actual leadership, as it has never been present. I'm talking about your everyday, run of the mill common sense that should tell you to change, or rather stop, your current strategy when it yields no results.

There are currently over 132,000 troops now in Iraq. This war has cost us, so far, over $400 billion, with another $1 billion expected to be used for Iraq's economy. Thousands of American and Iraqi lives have been lost. And in the meantime, it has taken Bush over three months to come up with a 20 minute speech, I mean, this new policy in which he continues to ignore the reviews of experts and their advice in handling this vastly unpopular and unsupported war.

He just doesn't get it. He thinks by saying, and trying to align himself with the "American" people, that he isn't satisfied with the "progress" in Iraq that we all of a sudden are going to listen to what he thinks is a good idea?

When we say that we aren't satisfied, we mean: pull our fucking troops out of there already!

Musical Genius Overload

David Bowie



and

Elvis Presley

What can be said about these men, really?
I've found that with most people, they either love them or hate them.
Obviously I love them both.
To commemorate this momentous day, 12 years apart,
this weeks random music mood is dedicated in their honor.

And for you those of you who love David Bowie,
(as anyone in their right mind should)
check out Zaius Nation's amazing compilation of YouTube videos
that I link stole found while visiting SamuraiFrog.

Happy New Year

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the current Seven Wonders of The World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:

• Egypt's Great Pyramids
• The Taj Mahal
• The Grand Canyon
• The Panama Canal
• The Empire State Building
• St. Peter's Basilica
• China's Great Wall

While gathering the students' votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many wonders." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read from a small notepad,
I think the Seven Wonders of The World are:

• To Touch
• To Taste
• To See
• To Hear

She hesitated a little, and then added:

• To Feel
• To Laugh
• To Love and Be Loved

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
The things we overlook as simple and ordinary are indeed wondrous.
May your New Year be filled with each of these wonders as well.


Feliz Ano Nuevo
Felice Anno Nuovo
Bonne Annee
Prosit Neujahr
Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Xin Nian Kuai Le
Sun Leen Fai Lok
Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu
Gott Nytt Ar