Thanks to the wonderful Linda at Linda's Yoga Journey http://lindasyoga.blogspot.com/.
She turned me on to "Notes from the Universe". www.tut.com
It's an email system wherein the Universe sends you these wonderful personalized messages. It's all about self-actualization and empowerment. Of course, today's message to me asked me to
rely on the Universe a bit more than I do. Makes me roll my eyes...but in my heart, I know the email is correct on many levels.

go try it out yourself! ^___^
Who couldn't use some encouragement from the Universe in their life?!?

my art

Hey there,

I'm putting up my art...beginner's work as it is...to make this my art blog.

I'm a beginner artist. A long time ago, I dreamed of being a journalist. In junior high and high-school, I was on the newspaper and took classes thinking I'd be the next great journalist. And let me tell you it's because of Murphy Brown....no kidding. But something didn't click. I found out it wasn't creatively free as I wanted. And so, for the middle part of high school I began to drift. Here and there...not really sure I wanted to be anything. There was about a year when I wanted to be a private eye...thanks in part to V.I. Warshawski. So yes...strong women inspired me. But, I was living other people's dreams and not my own.
So in the distance approaches my senior year...and my counselor says..."You need to take an art class...or you won't graduate".
"BUT I'M NOT AN ARTIST!!!" I cry.

Of course I had to take the class...but what I forgot about really was that a long LONG time before someone very special had said to me...

"You're an artist...you just don't know it yet".

Well...my Into to Art course was like magic.....Suddenly I was up drawing every night...creating things...making pictures that were looking more and more like what I wanted them to.
And I did very well in class...(with two exceptions of overzealousness...a house design that was insane and a 3-d painted wheel that didn't turn out that great.)
And so I tell my father I want to go into design school...we go to FIDM and they give me a dvd to take home. On it...it has their spring student fashion show. My father at this point FLIPS out!!!
"No son of mine is designing dresses!"
::insert eyeroll here::
Dear missguided Papa....having a gay son is something you have to deal with whether he designs dresses or not. (He's finally come around Thank God!)
He told me to go to a regular college and get a business degree...I have a hard time with business.
Basically...though I'm from my parents...I am not them...but alas, when we turn into parents we forget this fact, don't we?
Well...I was downtrodden...and lost for a very long time.
But art continually calls me back...along with my wonderful Granny...who keeps sending me those art sets...the ones with all the crayons, pencils, and watercolors.
Then...about two months ago, Granny asked if I was keeping up with my art.
Alas, I wasn't until then. So I made a choice. If I don't make something my heart and soul,
I'm going to end up losing myself completely. I was just going to be another accountant lost in the strange business machine...not an individual nor a person...just a cog in a machine.
Well...screw that.
So I've been training myself these past two months...and this is the start of something precious.

Who is WITH ME!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_c5K7Jdw9E

Cowboys and Indian

Tonight I'm going dancing with P., J., C., and possibly D. Don't you love all those letters?

Well, I'm going gay country western dancing at a place called Oil Can Harry's in North Hollywood. I'm all 'gussyed' up...got my new cowboy boots on. I sure hope they don't clash

with my Shakyamuni Buddha necklace. ....Only Kidding....

I guess that makes me one of the few, the proud...Buddhist Cowboys. 

And when I say few, I do mean few. ^_~ 

suffering

You know, as a johnny-come-lately Buddhist, I'm learning all the time about concepts which would have been so much easier if I'd studied them in order. One of them, of course, is the first Noble Truth of the Buddha. To exist brings suffering. Somehow, I seem to have my head stuck in the sand over what that means. And yet, the more I look around, the more I see the truth in it. I also didn't want to be touched by others suffering for the longest time. It would make me so sad to see it all. But the more I listen to my 'root guru' (the Ven. Robina Courtin), the more I understand that I have to open up to the world. To learn to go to the place Siddartha went, I must learn what his teachings are. I must of course, understand that as Robina says "the labels of enemy, friend, or stranger are arbitrary labels we put on to a person and not something that's inherent in their character'. And by opening myself up to the world I see that we all suffer in our own ways. Some, like me, deny it's exsistence and stick our heads in the sand. Others get so indignant as to actually do something about it. And yet, whether we're mad, sad, angry, or hurt about it...we all STILL suffer. Doing something about it is preferable to not, but that still doesn't end it. Yesterday, I was walking to the grocery store and looking around I couldn't tell whether it was the product of sleep or not, but I swear I saw each suffering being as a light. It was like the night was lit up with each spark of life. And it was all around. Such a peaceful calm overcame me. And for the first time, I wasn't just trapped in my skull with my own thoughts, but connecting to everything.

Buddhist Wisdom for you...

Conquer your foe by force, you increase his enmity; conquer by love, and you will reap no after-sorrow.
-Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King

oh yeah!!!