"We spend most of our time and energy in a kind of horizontal thinking. We move along the surface of things going from one quick base to another, often with a frenzy that wears us out. We collect data, things, people, ideas, profound experiences, never penetrating any of them. . .But there are other times. There are times when we stop. We lose ourselves in a pile of leaves or its memory. We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper." -James Carroll

Jung-suh y Song-joo crecieron juntos. Ellos siempre estuvieron allí para el otro. La tragedia comienza cuando Song-joo inicia sus estudios en el extranjero sin Jung-suh...

El padre de Jun-suh se casa de nuevo, con Mi-ra Tae. Mi-ra Tae lleva a sus dos hijos de su matrimonio anterior con ella, Tae-hwa y Yoo-ri, esta última siente mucha envidia de la vida de Jung-suh y está decidida a arrebatarle todo cuanto ella tiene, incluyendo a Song-joo.

Tae-hwa comienza a desarrollar sentimientos por su hermanastra, a sabiendas de que ella está enamorada de Song-joo.

Cinco años después, la tragedia vuelve a la vida de Jung-suh cuando es arrollada, perdiendo así la memoria. Tae-hwa se aprovecha de esto para comenzar una nueva vida junto a ella.

Song-joo se niega a creer que Jung-suh esté muerta, sin embargo, cuando ellos se vuelven a encontrar un día, el se empeña en hacerle recordar a ella el amor que ellos compartían. Cuando el destino finalmente parece estar de su lado, comienzan a suceder hechos que ponen en riesgo su felicidad...

Reparto:

1. Kwon Sang Woo como Cha Song-ju
2. Choi Ji Woo como Han Jung-suh
3. Kim Tae Hee como Han Yu-ri
4. Shin Hyun Joon como Han Tae-hwa

País: Corea del Sur

Año: 2003/2004

Capítulos: 20

     I have been struggling to find a name for it, and the silver basketry work reminds me of bridges.  With the current election hot on everyones minds, of course 'Bridge to Nowhere' comes to mind.  Hence, that's what I am calling it until a more suitable name comes along.  Suggestions are welcomed!

[see update on name below]

  It's created with a beautiful watery (more sky) blue amazonite for the main focal with blue topaz and green peridot accents.  the peridot on the bottom of the wrap is my first experiment of setting a faceted stone in what is called a 'strip setting'.  I think it turned out pretty well, but it sure was a beast to manage!  Overall I am pleased with the outcome, however.

   I've also been working to get my new studio together.  It's been so much fun digging out all my wonderful jewelry making tools and supplies that have been packed up for the past two years for lack of space.  I've rediscovered many treasures that had been long forgotten along the way.  I can't wait to have my studio fully together again.  When it get it together I will share pictures of my new space.  Meanwhile, there's still lots of unpacking and reorganizing yet to do ... and so I am off to be productive.

UPDATE:  I posted this on the Year of Jewelry (hoping to start getting back on track) for this weeks entry.  I mentioned there that I was looking for a new name for the piece and Valarie of Valaries Jewels suggested "Stairway to Heaven" which I instantly fell in love with.  I am thankful for the new name!  I have been watching too much election coverage lately and I just couldn't get that bridge to nowhere phrase out of my head!  LOL  Thanks for the new name, Valarie! :)

I'm really not sure where I'm going with this piece. I thought I knew where I was going. I even made some pretty positive directional statements to a few of my Quilted Sisters - but this piece isn't about me, as I am forced to constantly remind myself.

"We have seen the enemy and he is us." -Pogo

So I'm doing my best to work contemplatively and intuitively, to listen and be led. As a Recovering Perfectionist & Control Freak I really have to work at allowing a piece to evolve itself. I have never been very good at taking direction or giving it, but work best quietly and on my own. I am an only child, perhaps that has something to do with my inability to play well with others and work in a group setting.

"Improvisation and discipline go hand in hand." -Mary Sullivan Holdgrafer

What you see here is nothing like what it will become, of that alone, I am sure. It seems to me that for right now, finding pleasure in the journey is all I need to do. The rest will come with time and inspiration.

"It is important to do the work that leads to our renewal, clarity and inspiration and then remember to taste it, experience it and let it flow." -Linda Saccoccio

"God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing."

We had Church in the Park this morning and a covered dish lunch afterwards. It was a beautiful day for it. I think we should invite our family dogs to church more often, they may not tithe, but they comfort.

Stairway To Heaven / Led Zeppelin

There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
And she's buying a stairway to heaven

There's a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook
There's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven
It makes me wonder

There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west
and my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking
And it makes me wonder

And it's whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forest will echo with laughter

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean for the May queen
Yes there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on
And it makes me wonder

Your head is humming and it won't go
In case you don't know
The piper's calling you to join him
Dear lady can you hear the wind blow
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whisperin' wind

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our souls
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll

And she's buying a stairway to heaven...

This stained glass window hangs in the front hallway of my church and is currently flanked by a pair of fireside armchairs. Every time I see it I giggle.

"Have a seat," Jesus seems to be saying. "Take a load off."

I giggle. Then I feel warm, and comforted, and peaceful.

"Humor and laughter are carbonated forms of holiness." -Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith

The Old Christian Kim would have felt somewhat shamed by the giggle. I would have thought of it as irreverence. The Born Again & Again (and maybe even Once More, who knows) Kim takes comfort in the Jesus of the Hallway and joy in the laughter he brings.

I don’t mean to give you the impression that I think that God is a series of one-liners, all giggles and happy happy joy joy fun and frolic. This Jesus stuff is serious business. Loving thy neighbor and whatnot is nothing to joke about.

But we all need to be spiritually fed to be spiritually healthy. We can be fed with the joy of laughter. Refueled by a smile. Enlivened by a guffaw and even elevated in spirit with a snicker. It's difficult, if not impossible, to spew hatred when you have a mouth full of laughter and a heart full of joy.

P.S. Just as I was finishing up my blogpost, I hear, "Chuck, chuck, chuck, CHUCKLE!" outside my front door. It's a Chukar come to call, wanting to know if I have anything to eat. I told him he'd better get a move on unless he wanted to become someone's dinner. Not the smartest of birds, by any stretch of the imagination, but they're great gigglers.

Korea Times publicó el octubre pasado una lista con las 10 estrellas más valoradas de Hallyu, la mayoría de ellas actores. Aunque es tarde para publicar este post, siempre es bueno ver cómo anda la cosa y ver si algo cambia.

1. Bae Yong Joon

El actor, admirado dentro y fuera de Corea, llamado Yonsama por sus fans, es el número 1 de este año. Desde Winter sonata en 2002 ha sido admirado por sus seguidores, y suma y sigue. Tenerle a él en un drama, es conseguir audiencias millonarias.

2. Rain

El cantante y actor tiene una legión de fans por toda Asia, lo que le convierte en el número 2. Jung Ji Hoon fue conocido y querido a raíz de Full House, que tuvo una gran audiencia. Pero no paró ahí y siguió adelante, tanto que sus conciertos hacen lleno absoluto y ha debutado en Hollywood.

3. Song Seung Hun

Este actor comenzó su carrera como modelo, y fue conocido por Autumn tale y Summer scent. Volvió hace poco de la mili y lo hizo pisando fuerte; su último drama, East of Eden, ha conseguido más de un 20% de audiencia con sólo 6 capítulos emitidos.

4. Kwon Sang Woo

Este actor, que se hizo popular con la película My tutor friend y el drama Stairway to heaven, es admirado por toda Asia. Antes de ser actor trabajó como modelo. Habrá que ver si tras el escándalo de su matrimonio todo sigue igual.

5. Yoon Eun Hye

Es uno de los jóvenes talentos de Corea. Tras formar parte de Baby VOX, consiguió ser reconocida por su actuación en Goong, y aún más con Coffee prince, por cuyo papel aún no deja de ser premiada. Actualmente es una de las actrices mejor pagadas.

6. Choi Ji Woo

Gracias a sus llantos en Winter sonata, Beautiful days y  Stairway to heaven consiguió una enorme popularidad, y todos la envidiaban, tanto por su belleza como por sus compañeros de reparto. Pese a su tropiezo con Air city, aún sigue siendo la "princesa Ji Woo".

7. BoA

La superestrella del pop continúa reinando en Corea y Japón tras 7 años de trabajo. con sólo 21 años, ha sacado al mercado 5 discos en coreano, 5 en japonés y 23 singles.  Pese a que su último album japonés fue un fracaso, está preparando el siguiente.

8. Song Hye Kyo

La actriz, imagen de lo natural, consiguió un enorme éxito con Autumn tale y, sobre todo, con All in. Junto a su compañero, Lee Byung Hun, acaparó titulares tras hacer pública su relación. Tras Full house, tomó un largo descanso, y volvió con Hwang Jin Yi, apareciendo en portadas como Vogue y siendo imagen de productos por toda Asia. ¿Quién no la conoce?

9. Hyun Bin

Todas nos enamoramos de él en My name is Kim Sam Soon, que se vendió a multitud de países y ganó varios premios. Su encanto y su atractivo le convirtió en una estrella Hallyu.

10. Lee Young Ae

Se hizo con la audiencia con Jewel in the Palace, uno de los dramas más famosos de Corea. Nombrada la "reina del drama" consiguió éxitos con películas como  One Fine Spring Day, Last Gift y, sobre todo, Lady Vengeance. Es, además, con 36 años, la representante de Hallyu Expo en Asia.

¿No os falta gente en esta lista? Yo echo de menos a actores como Lee Jun Ki, Jang Dong Gun, Ha Ji Won o Lee Byung Hun.

Not much compared to Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter or Christopher Hitchens but I'm grateful so many have visited my site and read my writing.

I'm an IT project manager who helps lead software development teams.  I had to take some time off from work recently and took up the habit of putting my thoughts down in writing and sharing them over the Web. 

I would be honored to someday make a living in the public policy area - writing, legislating or campaigning.  I’m too old (44) to join the U.S. Marines, like my Uncle who fought in Korea, so I will fight the War of Ideas in a suit instead of fatigues. 

I chose the name Look2theWest because:

"There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west
and my spirit is crying for leaving"

It's a lyric from Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven that captures the way the west has inspired millions to migrate here and billions to demand freedom and justice in their own lands. 

The Audacity of Reason is a nod to the excellent philosophy of Ayn Rand and an easy counter to Obama's purposely ambiguous euphemism the "Audacity of Hope".  

Many say the country's on the wrong track but I find that many things about modern America are truly remarkable. 

One of them is the dramatic rise in home-grown blogging. Could our fathers and mothers, let alone our forefathers and mothers, have predicted that someday the average person can sit down at their desk, write down their thoughts and then share them with thousands of others in an instant?

I've never had to convince some liberal publisher that my conservative viewpoint would be popular.  I just put my writing out there and people decided for themselves if it was good or not. 

You did not have to rely on some elitist screener to determine - for you- what's worth reading or not.

Likewise, I can go online, read what other Americans are thinking and even give them feedback.  Sometimes the feedback sparks a discussion between two strangers about important issues.  That's remarkable to me, and fun.

Thanks again for your interest in Look2theWest, the Audacity of Reason.

However, while reading, this is what I could not believe: A Day In The Life by the Beatles was ranked SEVENTH!  Seventh... One of the greatest songs on one of the greatest albums by one of the greatest bands (have I adequately displayed my bias?). 

Well, at least DDD met their goal of causing discussion (at least by me).  What do you think?

The List (click to see the full list - if you go to the site you can listen to each song):

1. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
2. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
3. Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
4. Respect - Aretha Franklin
5. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
6. Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
7. A Day In The Life - Beatles
8. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
9. Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
10. What'd I Say - Ray Charles
11. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag - James Brown
12. Won't Get Fooled Again - Who
13. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
14. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding
15. Imagine - John Lennon
16. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
17. Layla - Derek & the Dominos
18. Light My Fire - Doors
19. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
20. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
21. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On - Jerry Lee Lewis
22. When A Man Loves A Woman - Percy Sledge
23. Hey Jude - Beatles
24. Hotel California - Eagles
25. Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets
26. You Really Got Me - Kinks
27. American Pie - Don McLean
28. Tutti Frutti - Little Richard
29. Baba O'Riley - The Who
30. Sympathy For The Devil - Rolling Stones
31. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
32. Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
33. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
34. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
35. Yesterday - The Beatles
36. My Generation - The Who
37. Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
38. Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley
39. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
40. Shake, Rattle & Roll - Big Joe Turner
41. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
42. Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran
43. In The Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett
44. Time - Pink Floyd
45. Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
46. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream
47. Walk This Way - Aerosmith
48. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
49. A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
50. What's Goin' On - Marvin Gaye
51. Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton
52. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
53. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
54. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
55. Good Golly, Miss Molly - Little Richard
56. Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
57. Roundabout - Yes
58. Bye Bye Love - The Everly Brothers
59. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
60. Sixty Minute Man - The Dominoes
61. Voodoo Child (slight return) - Jimi Hendrix
62. November Rain - Guns N' Roses
63. One Nation Under A Groove - Funkadelic
64. The House Of The Rising Sun - Animals
65. Mr. Tambourine Man - Byrds
66. Let's Go Crazy - Prince
67. Please, Please, Please - James Brown
68. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen
69. Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane
70. Dust In The Wind - Kansas
71. Slow Ride - Foghat
72. Crossroads - Cream
73. Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
74. With Or Without You - U2
75. More Than A Feeling - Boston
76. We Will Rock You - Queen
77. Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
78. 21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson
79. Mystery Train - Elvis Presley
80. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills and Nash
81. Show Me The Way - Peter Frampton
82. Where Did Our Love Go - Supremes
83. My My Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue) - Neil Young
84. Money - Pink Floyd
85. Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
86. Master of Puppets - Metallica
87. Stand! - Sly & The Family Stone
88. Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
89. That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly & The Crickets
90. Dream On - Aerosmith
91. Maybellene - Chuck Berry
92. Every Breath You Take - Police
93. Jesus Christ Pose - Soundgarden
94. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
95. All Day And All Of The Night - Kinks
96. Tom Sawyer - Rush
97. Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan
98. Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
99. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
100. All Right Now - Free

I should have known better than to question the genius of Ms. Parton.  While her fun-loving persona and considerable physical assets have become the most recognizable aspects of her persona, the woman responsible for such giant smash hits as "Jolene", "9 to 5", and "I Will Always Love You", among countless others, knows her way around a song.  I was pleasantly surprised by Dolly's straightforward take on the song, and her voice sounds angelic.  The song almost foreshadows Robert Plant's later collaboration with country music's other crystal clear vocalist, Alison Krauss.  I tip my hat to you, Dolly.

The rock and roll band Led Zeppelin released it's 4th album in 1971. The album does not have a title, nor any other information on the front or back cover to determine the album or band. Only a picture of an old man carrying a load of sticks framed on a dilapidated wall.

The inside cover doesn't offer any clues to the name of the band as well. It depicts a hooded sorcerer high atop a mountain shining his lamp down upon a distant village. A village worshiper kneels at the base of the mountain perhaps pleading to the sorcerer.

The back cover when folded back is a continuation of the front cover showing an end to the jagged wall and a modern ill-repaired city. Again, there is no clue who the record belongs to.

The front jacket sleeve has four symbols. None identify the album or the band. Only at the bottom left is one clue given. The album is produced by Jimmy Page, one of the band members of Led Zeppelin.

It also has the song titles of the album.

Side One:
Black Dog
Rock And Roll
The Battle Of Evermore
Stairway To Heaven

Side Two:
Misty Mountain Top
Four Sticks
Going To California
When The Levee Breaks

Everyone of these songs are classics and a staple to every rock and roll radio station. It's very rare that this occurs making this album even more special.

The back jacket cover had the lyrics of one of the most popular rock and roll songs of all time, "Stairway To heaven." Here are the lyrics.

There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And shes buying a stairway to heaven.
And when she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and shes buying a stairway to heaven.

There's a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook
There's a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.

Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.

There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who standing looking.

Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.

And its whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo,

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now,
Its just a spring clean for the may queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.

And it makes me wonder.

Ohh, ahh, ohh, ohh.

Your head is humming and it wont go
In case you don't know,
The pipers calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.

And shes buying a stairway to heaven.

Only on the actual vinyl record does the bands name and members appear. They are Jimmy page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham.

Some state the album title is ZOSO, the letters of the first symbol on the album. I simply call it Zeppelin IV, a legendary rock and roll album from 1971 that not only stands up to the test of time, but obliterates all other competition that proclaims to be the best rock and roll album of all time.

Back To Vinyl Record Albums Archives

LURKING, AND ROCKING, ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

This list of "6 Questions to Ask Yourself to Get the Most Out of Life" is from the zenhabits blog (one of my favorite blogs), go there to READ MORE:

1. Who do I love, and what am I doing about it?
2. Am I pursuing my dream, or is fear stopping me?
3. Am I doing something that matters?
4. What am I doing to help others?
5. Am I as good a person as I want to be?
6. What am I doing to live life with passion, health and energy?

And now it's time to update my Quilting Opportunities List. The first seven items of my QOL are left over from my list 2 weeks ago:

1. Borders onto Flying Saucers quilt. (half done)
2. Finish Seagull pillowcase for Conkerr and mail pillowcases to Seattle Children’s Hospital.
3. Quilt and bind Christmas Kaleidoscope Table Runner Uno.
4. Piece Christmas Kaleidoscope Table Runner Dos.
5. Write Hexagon Kaleidoscope Table Runner pattern.
6. Write Quilty Lady purse pattern.
7. Add beads to Alzheimer’s Art Quilt project.
8. Finish tacking down binding on Pink Fantasy Hexagon Kaleidoscope Zen Monkey Quilt.
9. Plan first Quilt of Valor project.
10. Collect more purple batiks for St. Andrew/Advent quilt banner.
11. Finish piecing Marty's Florida Gator's quilt (Uh oh. My dh's project is last on my QOL. Item number one on the ZenHabits list suggests that perhaps it should have been my number one priority a LONG time ago! Ouch!)

"Know the true value of time; snatch, seize and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness...never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." -Lord Chesterfield

Kashmir...

Imigrant Song...

All Of My Love...  ( original version )

Today, jessieDog decides she wants to go too.

Miss jessieDog is a stubborn old gal and I worry that she won't want to run the ditch. So I take off at a trot, keeping to the shoulder, hoping she will follow suit. My thought: the faster the trip, the less danger.

And then I fell down. Hard. One minute I'm running with confidence, the next minute I'm brushing the gravel from my knees and hands, picking my glasses up off the road and limping back to the house. Stunned, hurt and not a little scared. Trying my best to be brave and not to cry.

"I don't know why it is we are in such a hurry to get up when we fall down. You might think we would lie there and rest for a while." -Max Eastman

But the unbidden tears fall anyway while I silently, ruthlessly admonish myself for my own arrogance and stupidity. "What in the world am I doing running? I'm 46 years old! I'll hurt myself! I'm not strong enough to run! No more exercising. It's too much! I can't handle it!"

“The existing phrasebooks are inadequate. They are well enough as far as they go, but when you fall down and skin your leg they don't tell you what to say.” -Mark Twain

Once inside the house, I stop to take a few deep breaths and roll up my pants legs to access the damage. I'm a little amazed to see that one knee barely bleeding and the other isn't bleeding at all. I would have thought there would be a least a trickle, if not a torrent, considering the pain I'm in.

I am, however, strangely satisfied to note that while there is an inadequate amount of bleeding, there does seem to be quite a bit of bruising and swelling under way.

You think I'm kidding, don't you. Come on, be honest with me and with yourself. Isn't it much more satisfying when pain is at least somewhat visible to others?

"Pain (any pain--emotional, physical, mental) has a message. The information it has about our life can be remarkably specific, but it usually falls into one of two categories: "We would be more alive if we did more of this," and, "Life would be more lovely if we did less of that." Once we get the pain's message, and follow its advice, the pain goes away." -Peter McWilliams

"The spiritual path is one of falling on your face, getting up, brushing yourself off, turning and looking sheepishly at God and then taking the next step." -Aurobindo

"Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead." -Lucille Ball

Okay, so that last quote has nothing to do with falling down, but I love it anyway.

Oh, and just so you know, after I brushed off my hurt pride and mended my shredded ego, I went back out and walked up that hill.   I'm not sure it was the SMART thing to do, but I felt brave doing it.

Grace to you and Peace.

"Yes", I replied.

"Well than that means you could play Stairway to Heaven too.....Right"?

I have never understood this leap in logic.  But there are a lot of folks out there who think that because I know how to play song "A" by such and such band, that I should then also know how to play song "B" by such and such band.

To those who have never learned how to play an instrument, let me set the record straight. Think of each song as being a different mini language unto itself. Before you can learn how to play a new song , you must learn it's language. Now it's true that many songs will have similar chord patterns and this will make learning those songs easier, but there will still be subtle and sometimes not so subtle differences that require their individual learning curves (and that's not even counting that you have to learn a different set of lyrics).

A good analogy for this is the difference between the kind of Spanish they speak in Mexico vs the kind of Spanish they speak in Spain.

It follows then, that the more songs you learn, the easier it becomes to learn more new songs. This is why if say you have an experienced guitarist who has never played Johnny Be Goode before (which is a simple song) but he's heard the song plenty of times. You can tell him, it's a a 1,4,5 chord progression in the key of "A", and he can say "OK, I can do that, so long as you can sing the lyrics".

However if you ask him to play "Mood for A Day" By Yes, it isn't going to matter how many times he's heard it, He is going to have do his homework and learn that songs individual language before attempting a performance.

But how do I explain all that to the guy who thinks that song are learned by osmosis.

I didn't.

I just said to him very seriously "I'm afraid Stairway to Heaven is against the rules".

He nodded solemnly and replied "Oh".

The best thing we bought today was the "To Write Love on Her Arms" t-shirt (shown below). Shane had already heard of this organization, and had decided he was going to find a shirt to buy. This was the first I had heard of it, but I'm really excited about the whole idea.

Kids are SO much more involved with the world than I was at their age. Compassion for one another's pain, a strong belief that they can make a difference in this world...those are the thoughts and actions of a much more mature and aware youth.

Click on the picture of the t-shirt to see a larger version and read the tag.

I'm proud to be Shane's mom. Very proud.

"Never look down on anybody unless you are helping him up." -Jesse Jackson

"There are so many things that can provide us with peace. Next time you take a shower or a bath, I suggest you hold your big toes in mindfulness. We pay attention to everything except our toes.  When we hold our toes in mindfulness and smile at them, we will find that our bodies have been very kind to us. We know that any cell in our toes can turn cancerous, but our toes have been behaving very well, avoiding that kind of problem.  Yet, we have not been nice to them at all. These kinds of practices can bring us happiness." -Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced Tick Naught Han) is a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Monk, a poet and a peacemaker. I'm a big fan. I first encountered him in a podcast interview with Krista Tippett in Speaking of Faith (download that podcast HERE).

If nothing else, the above quote should make you smile at the seeming absurdity of the idea of contemplating your big toe. But I really hope that you take a moment to consider the miracles that lay before us every day in the simple joys and graces of our lives.

Actress Kim Tae-hee who has been in "Stairway to Heaven" and "Love Story in Harvard" has returned to Korea from the U.S.

She stayed in Los Angeles for a month. It is known that she was attending English classes with her sister for her break from work in Korea. She rode her bicycle to her class from her apartment as a regular student.

Kim wrote on her Fan Homepage online that she is trying to get over the jetlag. She also wrote about her daily thoughts like how she is enjoying Damien Rice's song "Delicate" to soothe her and reading Mich Albom's "Tuesdays with Morrie". Kim said that this book helped her during the nights when she was going though insomnia.

Kim is expecting to start working soon.

Source: Cyworld & hancinema.net