Soundtrack Friday

 I've never been a huge Hallowe'en girl. Growing up where I did it was pretty much guaranteed there would be snow on the ground. Or at the very least very cold making costumes unnecessary under the winter coats, wool scarves, toques (hats), and mittens. Getting free candy was always fun. Unless I happened to get candy I did like. Or my brother decided my stash was much more interesting than his.

What I did love about Hallowe'en were the cartoons. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Bugs Bunny's Howl-Oween Special. The Devil and Daniel Mouse. Any of the Scooby Doo Hallowe'en themed episodes. Young Frankenstien - while not a cartoon, a damn fine movie that I pull out every year about this time.

These I loved more than Christmas specials. Even as a child I loved being a little bit scared. Just a little bit. I wasn't into the slasher movies of the 80s. But I was into reading great creepy books like Lois Duncan's Stranger With My Face and Down a Dark Hall. The Twilight: Where Darkness Begins series, especially Fatal Attraction (not to be confused with the movie by the same name).

I also enjoyed the camp that came with the Hallowe'en themed cartoons and specials. They were often very hilarious and even ridiculous but that made me love them all the more.

Today, two days before Hallowe'en 2010, I give you The Monster Mash done up in one of the campiest ways I have ever seen. Not even a little bit scary, but that's okay. I like it anyway. :)

Running with the Bulls

Running with the Bulls
Originally uploaded by BaileyC

The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona is a celebration every July for St. Fermin, the city's patron saint. The run is a little over 800 meters long, 903 yards for you Americans. It lasts approximately 4 minutes and has resulted in the deaths of at least 13 people in the last 100 years. From the pictures, it looks like true and utter chaos to have 6 bulls and 6 steers (oxen)

The city of Pamplona advises, "Reunners need to be calm people with good reflexes and in excellent physical shape."

Think about a challenge you currently have.

• If you were perfectly calm, what would you notice about your challenge? 
• If you were in excellent physical shape, what could you do?
• What's the most dangerous thing you could do?  

Soundtrack Friday

This year a lot of my friends are turning 40. We all grew up in the 80s. Went through the disaster that was the 80s style, 80s hair, 80s slang. Not everything was horrible. Most of us became adults in the 80s. We learned a lot about who we were and several of us vowed never to wear shoulder pads that made us look like linebackers ever again. That was a very good thing to come from the 80s.

In a lot of ways, the 80s gave birth to the music video, the techno movement, bubble gum pop and some of the most unlikely one hit wonders ever.

The 80s was also a time of fertile imagination. And camp. Great, fantastic camp. Like this video for this song by 80s power group Duran Duran. I listened to this group a lot in the 80s. Even followed them when they temporarily split into Power Station (with Robert Palmer) and Arcadia. To date, my favorite Duran Duran title is A View To A Kill, which is also the only Bond theme song to hit #1 on the charts.

Back to campy songs. Hungry like the Wolf is fun. The lyrics are possessive, the music is catchy, and the video is cheesy, but does have some great bare chested moments. It's one of those songs that earworms its way into your brain. But it is a song I remember fondly from my youth. So to all my friends who are children of the 80s, this Soundtrack Friday is for you!

Duran Duran - New Music - More Music Videos

Follow the Sun

There is this amazing thing about sunflowers. When the flower is a bud, the sunflower will follow the sun across the sky over the course of the day. It somehow knows it needs the sun to grow that bud into a flower head so it tracks the sun as the sun make's its journey across the sky.
Once it flowers the head faces east. Away from the heat that could damage those tasty seeds. It protects itself against something that was once nurturing that may now be destructive.

I often think about sunflowers tracking the sun. They seem to know what they need and they know just how to get it! I wish I was more like that.

I don't always do what I know I need to. I stay up too late reading or watching TV instead of going to bed at an hour that supports good health. I don't make the best food choices. I don't always do the right thing with my time. I don't follow the sun. Or, I don't realize what I needed last week or last year isn't going to help me today. To be more deliberate about my choices, I ask myself the following questions:

• What repents the sun in my life? What do I need more of? 
• When does a good thing become too much? 
• The sunflower's goal is to produce fruit (seeds). Is what I focus on getting me closer to my goal? Or further away? 

Provocative Thought Wednesday

“When I visited my brother in Ngukurr, an Aboriginal community in Australia’s Northern Territory, one of the most amazing things was to see the blanket of stars stretching from horizon to horizon. It was a powerful reminder about just how small this moment of time is compared to the vastness of the universe.”

 ~ M. B. Stanier (lifecoach and entrepreneur)

If you’ve ever tried to gaze up at the stars in the city, you know the distraction of the city lights, the cars; even smog can keep us from clearly seeing the stars. Think of these stars as our goals or the positive things in our lives. When we can’t see them clearly, it’s difficult to stay motivated or to be able to find out optimistic selves.

When we turn off the lights the stars no longer have to compete with the distraction of the city lights and we can see, them crisp and clear against the midnight sky. The same thing happens when we remove those things that distract us from our goals. These things that challenge us right now, they aren’t going to be around forever. The stars will continue to shine whether we see them or not.

Think of something that is challenging or distracting you.

•  What happens when you clear aware the distractions? What’s the “bottom line” about your challenge
•  When you are 95 years old, what do you want to say about your life?

Books Read in June, July and August

I need to shake it up a bit since I haven't been motivated to post here lately. It's not you, it's definitely me. Anyway, I'm combining my books read in June, July and August. There are a lot of good books in here, so please, bear with me and read to the end. Who knows, there may be a book or two in my list you may enjoy.

Madhouse and  Deathwish by Rob Thurman -- books three and four of the Cal Leandros series. Wow, the twists and turns this series took. Deathwish was specifically a mind bender. There is another book in the series out now and I have to read it soon or I'll go nuts trying to figure out what happens next.

Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, and  Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning -- the first four books in KMM's Fever series have been a reread for me this summer. Her fifth and final book is coming out in January 2011. Too long to wait!

Love is a Four-Legged Word by Kandy Shepherd -- a cute story that has a little intrigue and a lot of laughter. If you're looking for a fun and sexy contemporary romance, this book might do the trick.

Infamous  by Suzanne Brockmann -- her first original contemporary romance in years, this book was everything I love about Suzanne's early books. A definite treat.

Forsaken by Shadow by Kait Nolan --  A debut short story  in the paranormal romance genre by self published author Kait Nolan. I'm jealous of her storytelling ability and her moxie. I predict we will see a lot of Ms. Nolan in the future.

Love and War by John and Staci Eldridge -- I really enjoyed this book. A non-fiction look at marriage, spiritual warfare and building a love that lasts.

Liberty Starr  by Rebecca E. Grant -- This was the summer of debut authors for me. This was a solid erotic romance by Ms. Grant and I'm looking forward to what she writes next.

Chasing Perfect and Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery -- Books one  and two of Susan's Fool's Gold series, where men are a hot commodity and community is everything. This is a great contemporary romance series, book three is out now so you can read all three if you don't like to wait. *grin*

The White Queen  by Phillipa Gregory -- Before the Tudors there was the royal house of Plantagenet, consisting of the Lancasters and the Yorks. This is one interpretation of the beginning of the War of the Roses or the Cousin's war and tells the tale of Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen. A quick historical read that poses a lot of questions and promises much adventure.

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah --  A reread of Kristin's first women's fiction novel. Even better the second time around. Have I mentioned how much I love Kristin Hannah?

A Wild Light by Marjorie M. Liu -- Wow. I have no words for how amazing this story is and what it does for the world Ms. Liu has created for her Hunter Kiss urban fantasy series. If you like rich and lyrical storytelling and you haven't read this series, I highly recommend you try it!

Dreamveil by Lynn Viehl -- Book two of Lynn's  Kyndred series is amazing. I bow to a master and want her to write faster so I can read more!

If Angels Burn  and Private Demon by Lynn Viehl -- I started a reread of Lynn's Darkyn series. The books are a study in finely woven plot lines and superb character development. They have almost ruined me for other paranormal romance novels. Almost.

Beyond the Night, Embrace the Night Eternal and Abandon the Night by Joss Ware -- Joss, aka Colleen Gleason, writes  a terrific post-apocalyptic the Envy Chronicles romance series. The series does not end. Look for at least another book coming in 2011. And if you like vampires and the Regency era, you may enjoy Joss' alter ego, Colleen Gleason.

Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh -- Book 2 of Nalini's Guild Hunter series. I enjoyed the story and the continued world building and I hope the next book goes into even more depth of the politics and hierarchy of the archangels.

Spider's Bite and  Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep -- Ms. Estep is known for her tongue-in-cheek superhero series. She proves she's a master of the dramatic as well as the comedic. Her Elemental Assassin series takes an unlikely heroine - a professional assassin - and turns her into a heroine you want to root for. There are at least 3 more books forthcoming in this series and I can't wait for the final showdown.

Hush by Kate White -- this mystery was a quick read and just what I needed in between all the paranormal romance and urban fantasy I've been reading. Kate White is the editor-in-chief of Cosmo magazine and still manages to write entertaining mysteries. There is hope for the rest of us!

Finding the Dream  by Nora Roberts -- Since getting my nook eReader I've been collecting some books in electronic format and clearing out bookshelf space. Barnes and Noble need to get on the ball and offer the final book in Nora's Dream trilogy. I have the first two and had to get the final one from the library. Don't worry, I still enjoyed the end to a great trilogy.

The Search by Nora Roberts -- a stand alone novel about a woman, a man, a dog and a bad guy. Okay, it's not quite that simple. In fact, the story is very rich in character and setting, as only Nora Roberts can do. As a dog lover, reading a story about a search and rescue team and dog trainer was a treat. One of the best single titles she's written lately.

Destiny's Star  by Elizabeth Vaughan -- The final book in her Epic of Palins series takes us back to her beloved Plains (Warprize, Warsworn, Warlord). Each book in her Epic of Palins series was better and better, bringing us to the place where several of Elizabeth's worlds meet and gives fans of her Warlands series hope that she is not finished with Lara and Kier. Well done.

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen -- This is book 8 in Tess's Rizzoli and Isles series and the thrillers are getting better and better. This story had twists and turns that had me jumping up in surprise. It's not often a plot twist blindsides me but Tess did it not once but three times!  I read this on vacation in Canada. I bought it for my nook and read it on the plane. What a joy it was to not have to carry a million books with me and yet have around 30 on the nook I could choose from.

Provocative Thought Wednesday

 “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”

~ Oprah Winfrey

There is a saying that no one is an island. I used to wonder what that meant and over time I have come to the conclusion that we don’t walk through life alone. To be successful we need people. People who will accept us. People who will accept us as we are - the good, the bad, the ugly. People who are willing to ride the bus with us when the limo of life breaks down and things get messy. People who will mourn our losses and celebrate our successes. People who are also willing to tell us the truth because they want to help us grow and become our best authentic selves.

These people are our allies and supporters. When we have them in our lives, we are blessed. When they are absent, the road can seem even more difficult and our challenges insurmountable.

·   Who would be a powerful ally and supporter for you?

·   How can you recruit them?