he has risen!!!!

Good day everyone...and it is a good day to be alive...He has risen....



a jubilant celebration...and I love this hymn



This is the story...of all stories..

just a matter of trust...

Well if we all could have a crystal ball and simply peer into this ball...to find the answers to all the unanswered questions...would be nice. But, I think we would find this an empty endeavor...because there are lessons to be learned about ourselves...when it comes to trust. How so? Well...read on!!!

Over my life I have never really had trust issues...that being said...I should have had more trust in myself. In other words...trust lies within...our own barometer for how we interact.

My deepest trust issues came with Internet interaction. Why? Well there are many reasons...but the most important comes from the fact I am a visual person. I guess I require more senses...to sense things. Eye contact, body movement and other clues. The Internet does not provide that. However, there is something else...and that is the clues that we dismiss...or the clues we over emphasize...but in the end...we are the final architects of our trust building...and learning.

For the most part,I would say...how I interact on the Internet, is generally who I am...with some exceptions. If I think that I am being "lead"...I may be less than candid...but I suppose that comes from the unknown variables...especially if I don't know the motivation of the fingers typing on the other end. However, that does not mean that I am not willing to suspend judgement...it just means...I remain unsure.

Here are some things to think about when you question your own judgement as I have done.

It would seem when you learn to trust yourself and your ability to make smart decisions, you feel confident, self-sufficient, and empowered. You are no longer anxious when facing critical decisions and can stop doubting and second-guessing the decisions you have already made. Here are the essential steps for learning to trust yourself.

1. Accept that there is no one right answer
For any problem or question there are as many answers as there are people in the world. Therefore, it is important to let go of the notion that there is one right answer that you must somehow find. Each of us experiences the world in our own way and makes judgments based on our own unique perceptions, experiences, assumptions, frameworks, filters, and processing ability. The best you can hope for is to find YOUR right answer.

2. Recognize that you will never have 100% of the information you would like to have to make your decision
Each time you have to make a decision, you need data/facts/information. But there is so much information - how do you find it all? The bottom line is that you will not be able to find and process ALL of the information relevant to any decision you need to make. So the real question becomes, "How much information is enough?"

People differ widely in how comfortable they are with expressing information they are not "sure" of. In the ultimate sense, we are never really "sure" of anything. Therefore, only you can make the judgment as to when you are comfortable putting forth something as "fact". Some people feel comfortable making decisions when they believe they have 70% of the information; some want to believe they have at least 95%. What is your level of comfort? The higher the percentage, the more time your decision will take and the more likely you are to be overtaken by events - that is, things will happen in spite of you because you are not reacting quickly enough. Each time you face a new decision, consciously consider your comfort requirements AND your time constraints for making the decision. These factors will help you answer the question "How much is enough?"

3. Try on a new framework: you don't need to HAVE all the answers, you just need to be able to FIND the answers
Many people feel anxious when faced with having to make a decision because they believe, "I should know the answer." In addition, they feel sure that, "Everyone else already knows the answer." You take a step toward empowerment if you are willing to accept a new framework: "The answers are out there somewhere, and I can find them. I don't need to have all the answers. I just need to learn the tools and the skills to find them." Of all the skills you will need to find the answers, communication skills are the most critical.

4. Learn to communicate clearly
To make good decisions you need clear and accurate information. To get good information, you need to learn great communication skills so that you can:

* Clearly ask for the information you need
* Hear and understand the information others give you
* Articulate your final decision in a way others can hear, understand, and respond to

5. Learn how to use the inputs of others wisely
Most of us seek the inputs of others when we are facing an important decision. Collaboration with others can help you develop good decision-making skills or hurt you, depending on how you go about it.

When faced with a decision, many people will call up several of their friends and family members, solicit opinions from each, count the "votes" pro and con, and go with the majority opinion. If you use this process, you are not truly learning to synthesize various sources of information and arrive at your own conclusions - you are simply learning to be a scorekeeper.

On the other hand, there is an advantage to be gained by seeking the advice of others. As a single individual you see things from your own perspective, constrained by your own blind spots, worldview, and experiences. Since you can't see or know everything by yourself, you can see more clearly by using the eyes, ears and minds of many people. By partnering with other people who each bring their own unique perspective, what emerges is a combined intellect and an ability to see things from a new and different perspective. The collective wisdom of the group opens your mind to new possibilities. Creativity, inspiration and solutions come from many minds working together.

The trick is to use the inputs and opinions of others as additional "facts" to be considered in your decision, not as final answers in themselves or votes that you add up to make your decision.

6. Lean to accept responsibility for you decisions
Making your own decisions and accepting full responsibility for them and their consequences can make you feel frightened, empowered, joyful, or any of a number of other powerful emotions. However, one thing is for sure. You can never fine-tune your decision-making skills if you don't accept this responsibility. You need to experience both the process of making the decision and the process of directly experiencing the results of your decision so that you can learn the relationship between the two. If you deny your part in the decision or blame others for the decision, the only experience you get is one of observing the results of someone else's decision. If you try to escape or hide from the consequences of your decision, again you miss the key experience of getting the feedback you need so that you can make better, smarter decisions in the future.

7. Learn to trust your intuition and your body
We often think that making decisions is strictly a mental process. But we also have access to other sources of personal wisdom though our intuition and the reactions of our bodies. Have you ever had the experience of meeting someone who made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end? Learn to tune into your intuition and your body reactions. You want to make sure your decisions "feel right" as well as sound right.

8. Keep your filters updated
None of us can make decisions independent of who we are, our beliefs, assumptions, frameworks, and personal worldview. All of these serve as filters that effect the quality of our decisions. However, we can work to make sure that these filters are current and up-to-date with who we are at the moment.

Frequently we operate from assumptions, beliefs, and frameworks that were appropriate for when we younger but no longer serve us well. Often we unconsciously take them on from our parents or other close friends and family members without questioning whether they are right for us. As an adult you have the power to re-examine and re-choose your underlying assumptions and beliefs and find new, more empowering, frameworks.

9. Trust the record
Once you have the experience of making and experiencing the results of many life decisions, then you begin to trust your own record. You begin to understand what factors result in your making a good decision and what factors cause you to make a poor decision. As a simple example, you may come to realize that you typically make poor decisions when you are tired or emotionally overwrought. With each new decision you have a new opportunity to observe the results, and to gain insight and feedback that will help you make a better decision the next time around.

10. Often it's OK to take the path of least resistance
We often fall into the trap of believing that good decisions are always difficult or complex. We surround ourselves with "shoulds" - "I should think this, I should do this." Sometimes just choosing the path or direction that is the most obvious or effortless is the right way to go.

11. Learn how to insulate yourself from the potential negative effects of your decisions
Before you make a decision, try to think through the possible consequences. What can go wrong? What is likely to happen if something does go wrong? When and how will I know if something is starting to go wrong? Identify potential pitfalls and be prepared with alternative plans and strategies.

It's Your Decision
Your decisions shape your world. Do you want to create your own world or live in a world defined and constructed by others? Who knows best what you want and need and what is right for you?

We are all works in progress...hopefully learning and growing along the way. I know I am. And in that respect...still learning about me...in connection with the world. One mis-step at a time...

And I trust one thing...that trust is something of a gift we give to ourselves...and to those we trust...



Trusting...

Love,
The Lass

purchasing a new car...I think I am going to be sick

Sometimes even independent, persnickety people simply need to let others help them. I am one...You know I have traveled this planet alone for quite awhile...and feel fairly competent to handle almost anything...I say almost because it is almost anything that I can do...however...when it comes to purchasing a car...well..that is something I simply don't do well. Especially when I have to. So...in walks my new friend Justin, and he is going to help me...for a price of course...haha.

So here is the question. How can a person who navigates most things in life fairly well, have this car problem. El Cid is a good negotiator. But not me...so although she has handed down many a fine characteristic...this is not one. What is up with that?

I think it is because I have no desire to really own the thing. I love to drive...I love the ease and comfort of having a vehicle...I was born in Detroit, Michigan...which should make it genetic...but...somehow, the whole thing makes me a little squeamish.

So, I actually asked Justin for help. Me...yes mom...I said I asked for help. I don't know why...but that one is difficult. I think it is...because, I think I must do everything for myself. However, admitting to our shortcomings...is after all a wise thing..so, never too old to try something new...

Justin and his lovely lady Adriana will help me look at a car tomorrow. Now...that may not mean I will get one...but I need to do this quickly. Time is now critical.

So...here is what I did. I looked up purchasing tips. Yes of course I did...and boy was it an education. They should require this in School.

NOW...ABOUT THE PRICE I AM PAYING FOR ASSISTANCE...lunch ON ME..maybe I am a better negotiator than I thought!!!



Did you understand this? hmmmm



Now I did understand this...but I speak Ausie...(I think that was what she was speaking)

well...let us hope this doesn't happen to me...



Yikes....

Love,
The Lass

oh...and see you tomorrow Justin and Adriana...just in case you read this...you guys are great...did I tell you that?

Pascha

Well that might mean nothing to you...but it means Easter to me...which has nothing to do with Easter baskets...bunnies...or chocolate (although that is nice).

No...this is about...



and this...



Everything in the universe is connected to God's love and understanding.

What does this day Easter mean to me?

Why this...



Oh...and I found this to be interesting...

What would the SUN say about Jesus?



So to all of those I hold dear...and to those that think of me as a royal pain...(which I believe includes the ones I hold dear)...Happiest of days...

And there is this...as El Cid would say...bring on the rain...(and His answer...was... okay...how about a little flood?)



Happy Easter all...

Love,
The Lass

accidents and lifes little bumps

Yesterday I was driving to work...and suddenly there was a huge thud...my car and me with it forced forward...and that was that. Someone had hit my vehicle full force...and it was forceful.

My little car now broken...the frame collapsed and what was my means of transportation was now gone...not drivable.

So now what? Well that is the question...I do have insurance...however the car wasn't worth anything. I will not be able to replace it...and certainly won't be able to afford a new car. Life just became a little more complicated...and that is an understatement.

We all have our moments don't we? I seem to move forward then two steps back. I just spent 500.00 repairing said vehicle...now I won't even have that...My gosh what a mess.

But, here is the thing...irony. Earlier today I was speaking to El Cid about my life and seeking her wise counsel...What does God really want with me? What is it that I am suppose to do?

El Cid in her usual fashion said one thing...Ask God to give you some direction...to help you with this...So I did. As I was driving along...I said a little prayer..."Please God, let me know what it is I am to do with my life. What is the plan here?" Then thud...

I am not quite sure that was the answer I was looking for. However, me being me...figured that maybe it is the only answer one can get by just asking...

So...what will this mean? Inconvenience no doubt...and that is something I am sure will just be a little difficult. But...in truth, I am certain that it will mean one thing....God...is not finished with me yet.

Love,
The Lass

car less in Seattle

saint or social worker?

There are people who lead two lives...well that would be most of us. There is the exterior self...that the world sees and judges, then there is the interior self, that is where we really reside. Sometimes...even our icons...lead two lives...Like Mother Teresa.

Those people who have gravitated to her over the years, like to bring up her name and sometimes even associate with others, like Lady Di...which on the face of it seems absurd to me...but here lies the question...for Catholics...is she a saint? or a good social worker?

The difficulty in viewing people like Mother Teresa is we know her through so many different lenses...the one she used for herself I believe to be the most accurate...what others think...is no where near what we know of ourselves.

As a Catholic nun, Mother Teresa was given to have confessors, who she would confide her most dark thoughts...and doubts, and they were many. Her wishes were to have all of the confessions and letters destroyed upon her death...however, that did not happen...why? Because the Church deemed to have her beatified as a saint...and so...her other self has now been revealed...and the question for the Church is clear...Saint? or Social Worker?

I am not going to say that she was either...you see...she was a woman who struggled with all of the complexities and loneliness that a person could. She was human...frail and like all people who stand in the dark...trying to light the way, she suffered. It is easy to use her name...as if to say...you believe in what she stood for...but to understand what she suffered and how she suffered you would have to have lived her suffering.

Did she have doubts and questions...some..and at times...she also had surety...but who she was is complex and those who want to understand that relative to the Church, need to remember another saints confessions...

It is a brotherly mind that I wish for... a mind which is glad for me when it sees good, sorry for me when it sees bad, because whether it sees good or bad, it loves me. It is to good people I shall show myself, hoping that in my good they will be glad, and in my evil, be sad. And I pray that you, Lord ...may have mercy upon me according to Thy great mercy for thine own namesake, and, in no way forsaking what you have begun, perfect my imperfections. --St Augustine, Confessions, X.IV Mother Teresa said her work with the poor and outcasts was possible because she saw the face of Jesus in everyone. Her 're-birth' happened, so perhaps her dryness, doubt and darkness were to keep her humble and maybe to deliver a message to 21st century Christians?

In the Christian tradition, the "dark night" can occur in anyone who has developed a strong prayer life and consistent devotion to God. The trauma they experience when their traditional form of prayer become difficult and unrewarding, are akin to the abandonment Jesus expressed as he was dying on the cross when he quoted Psalm 22:1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27: 46

An individual experiencing the dark night of the soul will feel as though God has suddenly abandoned them, but in the spiritual realm, the dark night is believed by mystics to be a blessing in disguise; a refining and the ultimate testing of one's faith.

The spiritual journey lasts a lifetime and is all about change; awakening and evolving from an infant into a spiritually mature being. What many Christians refer to as their "born again" experience tends to be an emotional moment and often can be the very end of their maturation. Believing one has arrived, that one has been 'saved' neglects St. Paul's warning "to continue to work out your salvation in fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." -Philippians 2:12-13

The Hebrew prophet Micah illuminated, "What does God require? He has told you o'man! Be just, be merciful, and walk humbly with your Lord." -Micah 6:8

To paraphrase 1 Corinthians 3: 1-2; brothers and sisters, you are not yet spiritual, but mere infants in Christ. You have been fed with milk, not solid food, for you are still not ready for it.

Perhaps Mother Teresa's confessions of doubt in the midst of her perseverance and compassionate mercy to the least among us will lead to the spiritual growth for many, "because at times the en kindling of love in the spirit grows greater, the yearnings for God become so great in the soul that the very bones seem to be dried up by this thirst, and the natural powers to be fading away, and their warmth and strength to be perishing through the intensity of the thirst of love, for the soul feels that this thirst of love is a living thirst."- St. John of the Cross

Jesus promised that "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."-Matthew 5:6

But he never promised the spiritual life would be a walk in a rose garden.

I spoke today with El Cid about this...and we discussed the difficulties of finding balance with temporal holiness and spiritual. The tests are endless and the difficulties sometimes hard to traverse...however, the one thing we agreed on...is that this temporal plane...is not and easy one...but the inner self...the soul's search for God...is constant...and at times dark...for that is what we struggle with...that is the suffering of finding our spiritual selves.

What I do hope is that those "spiritual" people who like to use her name and image as an icon of love...understand...that this woman had little given to her in her life time...as she reveals here...

Lord, my God, who am I that You should forsake me? The Child of your Love—and now become as the most hated one—the one—You have thrown away as unwanted—unloved. I call, I cling, I want—and there is no One to answer—no One on Whom I can cling—no, No One.—Alone … Where is my Faith—even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness & darkness—My God—how painful is this unknown pain—I have no Faith—I dare not utter the words & thoughts that crowd in my heart—& make me suffer untold agony.

So many unanswered questions live within me afraid to uncover them—because of the blasphemy—If there be God —please forgive me—When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven—there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives & hurt my very soul.—I am told God loves me—and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. Did I make a mistake in surrendering blindly to the Call of the Sacred Heart?

—[By Mother Teresa]

Did she believe in God? She asked this..."Jesus has a very special love for you," she assured Van der Peet. "[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak ... I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand."

Was she a social Worker?

The other side:







Here is the complex part of what is known...and what is not known.

How do we deal with it?

We do not make icons of virtue. Do we need to remember? Christ said it simply..."love each other." He did not say: "and when you do...become a celebrity and celebrate your giving...those who brag about being good or kind to the less fortunate most assuredly have found a way to market their spirituality and goodness...thank goodness there is a never ending supply of the needy...

So...I ask again...saint or social worker

I will leave it to you to decide....

Love,
The Lass

The world of love....and good things

It is always good to know that stories end well. They end well for people who truly deserve it. People of the heart I would say. People who have the good fortune to find happiness, family and the love of people who remain faithful...in the end.

It is a time to rejoice and be happy for those who find such things in life.

It is a true blessing from God.

These days people who I hold dear are finding love...have finally found it...and in that I am content...

So today is filled with God's joy and happiness for those I have known, or those I have known little. They came around to the side of light...and found something very special in their lives.

Marriage and the bonds that keep people together are important.

So...today I am wishing all the happy couples out there...a wonderful new life...and the joy only such fulfillment can bring.

Carpe Diem...

The Lass

The creator...neither serves nor rules...

One of the great movie speeches...and a question becomes a movement...Provocative thought...it always has appealed to me...

Roark's defense...

Thousands of years ago, the first man discovered how to make fire. He was probably burned at the stake he had taught his brothers to light, but he left them a gift they had not conceived, and he lifted darkness off the earth.

Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision. The great creators -- the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors -- stood alone against the men of their time. Every new thought was opposed; every new invention was denounced. But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered, and they paid. But they won.

No creator was prompted by a desire to please his brothers. His brothers hated the gift he offered.

His truth was his only motive.

His work was his only goal.

His work -- not those who used it.

His creation -- not the benefits others derived from it -- the creation which gave form to his truth.

He held his truth above all things and against all men. He went ahead whether others agreed with him or not, with his integrity as his only banner. He served nothing and no one. He lived for himself. And only by living for himself was he able to achieve the things which are the glory of mankind. Such is the nature of achievement. Man cannot survive except through his mind. He comes on earth unarmed. His brain is his only weapon. But the mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain. The man who thinks must think and act on his own. The reasoning mind cannot work under any form of compulsion. It cannot be subordinated to the needs, opinions, or wishes of others. It is not an object of sacrifice.

The creator stands on his own judgment; the parasite follows the opinions of others.

The creator thinks; the parasite copies.

The creator produces; the parasite loots.

The creator's concern is the conquest of nature; the parasite's concern is the conquest of men.

The creator requires independence. He neither serves nor rules. He deals with men by free exchange and voluntary choice.

The parasite seeks power. He wants to bind all men together in common action and common slavery. He claims that man is only a tool for the use of others -- that he must think as they think, act as they act, and live in selfless, joyless servitude to any need but his own.

Look at history: Everything we have, every great achievement has come from the independent work of some independent mind. Every horror and destruction came from attempts to force men into a herd of brainless, soulless robots -- without personal rights, without person ambition, without will, hope, or dignity.

It is an ancient conflict. It has another name: "The individual against the collective."

Our country, the noblest country in the history of men, was based on the principle of individualism, the principle of man's "inalienable rights." It was a country where a man was free to seek his own happiness, to gain and produce, not to give up and renounce; to prosper, not to starve; to achieve, not to plunder; to hold as his highest possession a sense of his personal value, and as his highest virtue his self-respect.

Look at the results. That is what the collectivists are now asking you to destroy, as much of the earth has been destroyed.

I am an architect. I know what is to come by the principle on which it is built. We are approaching a world in which I cannot permit myself to live. My ideas are my property. They were taken from me by force, by breach of contract. No appeal was left to me.

It was believed that my work belonged to others, to do with as they pleased. They had a claim upon me without my consent -- that it was my duty to serve them without choice or reward.

Now you know why a dynamited Courtland. I designed Courtland. I made it possible. I destroyed it. I agreed to design it for the purpose of it seeing built as I wished. That was the price I set for my work. I was not paid. My building was disfigured at the whim of others who took all the benefits of my work and gave me nothing in return.

I came here to say that I do not recognize anyone's right to one minute of my life, nor to any part of my energy, nor to any achievement of mine -- no matter who makes the claim!

It had to be said: The world is perishing from an orgy of self-sacrificing. I came here to be heard in the name of every man of independence still left in the world. I wanted to state my terms. I do not care to work or live on any others.

My terms are: A man's RIGHT to exist for his own sake.

Who spoke these words? A character in a book...The Fountainhead...the speech is one that I have read-re-read over the years...

I took a look down memory lane...a movie moment...and history is made. The individual against the collective..."The Borg." had not yet been born...



Although I don't agree with Ayn Rand's Objectivism...I would have to say...without a doubt, I have always been taken by this speech...partly because it is challenging the ideal of community first...and poses the real question...what motivates us to build cities...is it art? or function?...or is it as Roark claims....the individual vs. collectivism...so one might argue that every creative act is owned by the person who created it...Really? What would be the consequences of that reality?

Well...I will let you decide...me...I do have an opinion...that I will keep to myself.

Love,
The Lass

I am a fan...of a man named John...Adams that is...

It is no secret that I am a John Adams fan. Not that he was a great president...nope, actually he wasn't. So why am I a fan? Well, there is the man...and a lifetime of achievements...then there is the relationship with his wife, which...thank God, is revealed though a thousands of letters, then there is that little thing...independence...and although Jefferson may have penned it...Adams...gave light to it...forced it by will alone...

That is why I am looking forward to the new mini-series John Adams. There are no monuments to this man...no picture on the coin of the realm...but he is after all is said and done...the one person...who turned a tea party...into a revolution for independence...and the world would never be the same.

This farmer's son was brilliant, and persuasive. He was able to articulate with passion and fervor the thoughts of greatness...and that greatness was... he believed in us...a future of individuals living free lives...not for Happiness as Jefferson would coin...but as servants to each other...as he lived.

Here is John...at his best...



What the human heart believes the human heart divines...Commitment...sublime truth.

From a friend....a message

Hand in hand...word upon word...we are connected...so live as though it is your last breath...and if you do...your heart will open...to the message...one hand clapping...or as the Zen Master says...We shall see...we shall see.

Thanks...now I am sharing...

Love,
The Lass

a dungeon...a dragon...and a generation of geeks...

Now I have to admit I like role playing games. Don't tell me you never played...if so, then you missed out on something...but you probably are not a "geek".

There are many games that people love to play. The list is endless...truly endless. Card games, board game, games of chance...games of skill...but no other game that I know of...allowed the players to create a universe, for "geeks" like me.

Geek you say? Why of course. Geek was, and remains to many, an offensive term. It has been a stick with which to beat anybody who does not enjoy all of the cultural and social values of the majority. Anybody who had an interest in computers, science fiction, fantasy literature or collecting comics could be easily dismissed as a geek once upon a time.

And the key thing with the classic "geek" pastimes was that they were - except for the occasional convention - typically fairly solitary pursuits. Except...when they were playing...Dungeons and Dragons.

This game was launched in 1974...about the same time as the Tolkien's work was being read with almost a religious fervor on college campuses everywhere. I recall it was almost impossible to talk to anyone who did not know about the little Hobbit.

So much is this fantasy genre in our culture that in ET the game being played on that fateful night...was of course...Dungeons & Dragons. An icon...that we all recognized...there was a reason that Spielberg didn't have them playing Monopoly...

Even Political candidates are being viewed through the eye of a D&D veteran...read on..



While your friendly neighborhood Trivia Geek endeavors to remain publicly neutral on all issues political or controversial, I simply could not resist reposting (without editing or judgment) the three leading U.S. presidential candidates as they would appear in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons‘ Monster Manual, courtesy of British sci-fi author Charles Stross.

FREQUENCY: Very rare...John McCain
NO APPEARING: 1
ARMOUR CLASS: -7
MOVE: 3″ (72″ per flight sector on the campaign jet)
HIT DICE: 200 hit points (But first you have to defeat 4d8 Secret Service Agents)
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: All your NATO base are belong to us!
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Invades Iran. Takes 100d20 casualties in first strike while inflicting 20 x 100d20 civilian casualties. Followed by war of attrition, economic collapse, recrimination.
SPECIAL ATTACKS: 5% chance of 30,000 Megaton nuclear first strike on Upper Volta.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +3 or better weapon to hit. In event of combat, 20% chance of heart attack per round, followed by the swearing in of President Santorum. You wouldn’t want that, would you?)
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80% (10% vs. mind control spells by Cheney.)
INTELLIGENCE: Normal.
CHARISMA: 12 (16 to neocons)
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil if under control of Cheney; otherwise Chaotic neutral.
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X/29,950* (* for impeachment)

A huge, ancient, carnivorous dinosaur from the swamps at the heart of Republican country, not unlike Godzilla in appearance and wrinkled integument, McCain has seen better years. Nevertheless he can breathe fire and threaten to stomp flat the capital city of any country that Fox News disapproves of with the best of them.

The biggest danger in facing off against a McCain is that he might be under the mind control of the Svengali-like Cheney, Prince of Darkness. In this case, he is likely to be lethally aggressive and even more unpredictable than usual.

Image courtesy FreakingNews.comHilary Clinton (Demon Queen of Pork Belly Futures.) (Lesser Goddess.)
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO APPEARING: 1
ARMOUR CLASS: -7 (But -4 if encountered in the same campaign as a Bill Clinton)
MOVE: 3″ (72″ per flight sector on the campaign jet)
HIT DICE: 200 hit points (But first you have to defeat 4d8 Secret Service Agents)
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: The future is … Pork!
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 + 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: captures 2-16 superdelegates; 20% chance to cast Slime per round
SPECIAL ATTACKS: If sustaining damage, 33% chance per round of invoking Bill Clinton to fight alongside her. See also Big Dog.)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +4 Fundraising, Regeneration, +3 or better weapon to hit.
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%
INTELLIGENCE: Genius
CHARISMA: 17 (Democrats)/ -1 (Republicans)
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral (Will steal anything that’s not nailed down, especially if she can construe it as lawful appropriation. Depending on the meaning of the word “it”.)
SIZE: 14
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X/12,250* (* for impeachment) As with all Clintons, Hillary exudes negative charisma towards Republicans. Otherwise, she’s a classic machine reptile.

Image courtesy of freaking news.comBarack Obama (Demon Prince of Upsetting Applecarts.) (Lesser God.)
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO APPEARING: 1
ARMOUR CLASS:
MOVE: 3″ (72″ per flight sector on the campaign jet)
HIT DICE: 200 hit points (But first you have to defeat 4d8 Secret Service Agents — unless attacking in Texas, Florida, or other Republican-held states)
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: Budget Deficit: -500,000 million G.P. plus compound interest
NO. OF ATTACKS: 0 (He runs a clean campaign).
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Makes his opponents look foolish: -1 Charisma per round engaged in combat polite debate.
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Casts Mass Charm 1 per round engaged in combat polite debate.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +5 Fundraising, Regeneration, +3 or better weapon to hit.
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%
INTELLIGENCE: Genius
CHARISMA: 18(100) (Democrats) / 12 (Republicans)
ALIGNMENT: Law Professor
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X/89,950* (* for impeachment) Handsome, intelligent, charismatic, and he manages to sound absolutely wonderful … but how do you know what else is lurking under that sleek exterior? The Obama’s main advantage in combat is that he makes everyone else in the melee look absurdly aggressive or foolishly short-sighted, sapping their Charisma. Probably the lesser evil, so once you elect him you’ll have the luxury of knowing you’ve been eaten by the right lizard god.

So it is that when I heard the news of Gary Gygax death...I could only think...what happened to the healing spell? Where was his "healer"?

oh...and there is this...just a thank you...from




and a tribute...



Sweet dreams Gary...rest with all of the beloved characters you helped a generation play..."life points"...we all have them...

Love,

The Lass or should I say Ember...the monk...

a peacefull mind...and thinking with your heart

Years ago I had a friend who was dying in a little hospital room in Fairbanks Alaska. A veteran of the Vietnam War...and a former prisoner of that war. He was an older man when I met him. He had little of the vigor of the younger man he was...but something in him remained...intact. Something of the young boy he was...still came through every now and then...he had survived war...to return home to find his wife and child had long ago left him...to find another life.

One evening after I got to know him a little...he showed me a picture he kept in his wallet. Yellowed with age, this piece of history...his history...showed the tale of a man lost in time...long gone by. A woman and a child...his child...would forever be beyond his worldly claim. He never remarried...and never saw the child he helped bring into the world. His only connection to those he loved...a yellowed picture...

So...it was on a chilled evening, I sat holding this man's hand. Alone in a little room , waiting for time to expire...in his years of living. How odd it was, for me...to sit in a room with someone I hardly knew...not wanting to let go...of his frail hand.

His voice was low, his breathing shallow, but something in his eyes was still alive. I would read to him, talk to him...and be silent wit him. At one point, he opened his brilliant blue eyes...and smiled a smile of such serenity and peace. I asked, "are you in any pain?" "No", he answered. Then he said the most remarkable thing. "I am at peace, Diana." Peace? Here was a man...whose last breath would come soon, in a place far from home...whatever that place was...with a virtual stranger...no family, or close friends to see him on his final journey. But he was at peace. I asked him if he needed anything. No...he didn't...

Then he squeezed my hand gently...and asked me to contact his son. "Let him know I always loved him...he was always in my heart." That was when I realized...what peace he spoke of. He hadn't analyzed all of the things that had happened to him...he never questioned the fate of his life. He simply lived out his years,..accepting that which he could not change...and transcending the transgressions that came from war...loss, and more.

When he took his final breath...he was indeed at peace. A man of peace given the worse life can offer...whose heart remained clear...leading with it...and not his mind.

There are many paths our lives take...each road full of choice and chance. Sometimes we take the road we are meant to take...other times...we take the wrong one. But, there is something wonderful in the simple idea...that no matter which road we take, all roads lead to one...and in that final moment...I believe if we live with our hearts...we will find the peace of mind and soul, that gives meaning to all that came before.

Peace...a place for quiet landings...and loving reminders of just how precious life really is.

Tonight I remembered that little room, and my friend...and his graceful exit from the world that had been difficult...perhaps he knew in that final moment, that he would rest with the angels...or perhaps he had been resting with them...all along.

If you find yourself in a restless place...then think with your heart...the mind is a muddled thing..and not too attached to the soul...the heart, well it is not the cardio pump...it is the souls attachment to our little bodies...and the only thing, that makes us human after all.

Oh...and I did finally find his son...and told him what his father said. "I always knew he loved me...I could sense it..." See...living in the heart...is all that we need.

Love the lass

three words...I love you...and life is full...

But many never hear the words...some never know the warmth...of this wonderful knowing.

So to those who share this place...here is my valentine to you...



Don't give up..you are loved.

Love the Lass...Happy Valentine's Day.

a passing of a friend...across the pond

It is always difficult to lose someone you care about. John is no exception, even though we met in person only briefly, John is a person who I remained in contact with for a lifetime....so is his wife Ann. My dearest friends from across the pond.

Back in 1985 I was invited to spend time with a wonderful couple who lived in England...and that is a story in itself.

I was separated from my husband...and going through some very difficult times...doubting myself, doubting God, doubting everything. I suppose you could say...I had detached from life...and was wallowing in self pity. It is a luxury of the grieving...to wallow...It is a place of pain, and sometimes we just need to experience it to move on...but if we allow ourselves to wallow too long...we get stuck...not good.

During my wallowing, I decided to treat myself to an evening of dinner and entertainment. I dressed up, and invited myself to join myself at a wonderful spot in Mildford, MI...for dinner. I looked good, felt good, and thought..."get out of the rut...you wallower."

The place I chose was perfect. The menu was perfect for a lass who is eclectic in her dining tastes, and there was a live band with a dancing floor. Now remember, this is many years ago and miles away from the dinner clubs of today. But, there I was sitting at a table next to the dance floor...forcing myself out of a rut.

While ordering my lamb and rice pilaf dinner, the band began to play...Wonderful Tonight...from Eric Clapton...and that is when I first saw Ann and John. I spied the two walking to the dance floor, a couple in their early forties and having the look of a couple who were indeed in love...in an old shoe kind of way. They began to dance...deftly. He held her gently, and she moved gracefully on the floor. They were making love...on the dance floor...it was rapture...as I saw it.

I suppose that I became fixed on the two...and it made me smile inside...to be a witness to the two lovers...and then it struck me...words of another tune came shooting into my mind...

Play us a song we can slow dance
On we wanna hold each other
Play us a groove so we hardly move
Just let our hearts be together
Oh baby 'cause it feels so good
When we're close like this
Whisper in my ear
And let me steal a kiss...and I understood the words...for the first time...and my rut was about to disappear.

The song ended and the couple returned to their table...then the fateful moment. John got up and came over to me. I thought..."Oh my God...he saw me looking at them...he is going to say something...like..."what are you staring at."...I would be humiliated by my smile..."

John's bright eyes were jovial...and he leaned over and said..."My wife noticed that you were dining alone...would you like to join us?" "Whew", I had not made a social faux pas...even better, I would join this couple for dinner and conversation...and perhaps get to see them dance once more...

But there was no more dance...just wonderful conversation for hours...we closed the place, which frequently happens with me. And an invitation to England. Ann and John were in the US...because of John's work. He was at the end of a year working at the Milford Proving Ground for General Motors. John, was an engineer for General Motors and had been to the US many times...and Ann was his wife of 20 years...who made the journey with him.

So it was that I would make the journey to England. A chance meeting became a life time friendship...albeit through cards and letters...and then today the letter came. Ann's love...John, had died. Ann's letter is private as to the details...but...I understood her pain...and it made me feel the loss of opportunity to share in their lives...so many trips I didn't take...a lesson in life...never say no to chance...

Today I am off work...completing tasks...and thinking about John...Ann...and viewing wonderful pictures of my trip so many years ago. Ann is in failing health as well...one of the things she shared is that she was grateful that John did not suffer, and that she is ready to join him...I believe she is. One of the things she always said..."I don't think I could live without him..." These two shared a lifetime of memories...they had no children, just each other. However, they invited the world to share their lives...one person at a time...like me...a stranger across the pond.

So...to Ann, I send my love and my gratitude...for the dance, the dining, and the dedication to a friendship both of you showed me over the years.



To...John..the man who danced...through life.

Love,
The Lass

my grandfather played the sax....

And I rather think he would like this one...

For you Steven...



love,
chicken

my brother's gal...and words she sent to El Cid today...

My brother has had a long relationship with a woman that has been there...waiting for my brother to give up on his fantasy...to see her reality...I think he has finally turned a page...one can hope.

This is a something she sent to my mother today...which was passed to my brother's...sisters...haha

The Souls of people, on their way to Earth-life,
pass through a room full of Lights;
Each takes a Taper, often only a spark, to guide it in the dim country of this world.

But some souls are of rare fortune, and are detained longer and have time to grab a handful of Tapers, which they weave into a Torch.

These are the Torch-Bearers of humanity, its Poets, Seers, and Saints, who lead and lift the race out of darkness, towards the Light.
They are the lawgivers and the Saviors, the Light-Bring..ers, Way-
Show..ers and Truth-Tell..ers, and without them,
Humanity would Loose its way in the Dark.....

"PLATO"

Now Wendy...what a beautiful way to tell my mother...you are one of the clan...

in an odd way...after many years...your voice young one...has come to the point that El Cid...actually recognizes what our brother may just now be seeing...as the zen master says..."We shall see"

Love,
The Lass

Plato...hmmm....I just purchased Aristotle...but Plato has rested by my bedside for more years than I would care to admit...

oh and the picture is of the two guys...probably arguing over Sophism...I would guess...

the mind of a child...

I am not shy about being proud of my nieces...down right giddy about them. So...here is a little note I received from my baby sister...with the attached photo...

This is what a creative child (Meagan) does with her leftover mustard and ketchup after having a hot dog... hee hee Just had to take a picture. Love you


Meagan wants to own a restaurant...and be the Chef...I took the girls for cooking lessons while in Alaska...Meagan fell in love with it...But she does have a flare...just not sure about the medium...or the message...

But, this aunt...well...beauty is in the eye of the beholder...Is it not?





Love,
The Lass

Oh...time for me to go to sleep...

I could have told them that...

I worked on an employee survey ...for the company I work for. And...just as predicted...there was trouble in river city...and just as in all things....trouble with a capital T....stands for the end of a career...and the beginning of a new message...just not certain...that they get it...because even the lowest on the rung...could have said...

nothing is working...

So...the business obituary of my boss...

Well, that was a surprise. Not the announcement that Sears Holdings (Nasdaq: SHLD) CEO Aylwin Lewis was stepping down, but rather that Sears even had a CEO. Given the tight control that Chairman Eddie Lampert has exerted over the discount retailer, it was easy to forget that there was even a body keeping the CEO title warm.

In reality, Lewis had little chance for success from the start. He came from Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), where he worked to sell fast food, not a diverse field of clothes, hardware, tools, and appliances.

True, many companies think that bringing in an "outsider" offers a fresh perspective, but instead, investors often come away disillusioned. Simply having run a previous company isn't always enough. It's more important for a CEO to have a thorough knowledge of the business, and how it fits into its industry.

While outsider CEOs have certainly enjoyed some successes, their ranks are also littered with abundant failures. Blockbuster's founders nearly ruined the Boston Chicken franchise when they took over. Home Depot (NYSE: HD) reeled when Bob Nardelli brought his General Electric (NYSE: GE) background and cronies in (good luck, Chrysler!), even as Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) prospered.

Yet with Lampert running the fiefdom, having divisions report directly to him, Lewis was left with little more than a title and a figurehead position. Even if his role was more operational, Lampert didn't give him much to work with there, either.

As a numbers guy, Lampert seemed more interested in financial gimmickry than retail basics. He slashed costs to get Sears to post profits, rather than investing in his stores to build and strengthen its brand as a retailer. While Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and Target (NYSE: TGT) maintained, brightened, and expanded their stores and offerings, Sears was content to sell off real estate and use credit swaps to make numbers. Lampert didn't care that same-store sales deteriorated each and every quarter since the company emerged from bankruptcy. In fact, he fell in with the crowd that argued that monthly comps were unimportant. Funny how the only companies that seem to feel that way have falling comps.

Sears is now being broken up into five autonomous divisions, with Lampert supposedly staying out of the decision-making. Certainly, the company needs a fresh infusion of some sort of entrepreneurial spirit -- assuming it isn't already too little, too late.

Lewis' abrupt departure creates a void that might be tricky to fill. Then again, I'm not sure this will be too big a problem. After all, who really remembered that Lewis was there in the first place?

So...what will Lewis's tombstone read? Well...maybe it should read...I once had a chance...And I chose not to dance...and now I am deep in the ground...with nothing to show...for hanging around...at least not in my last job....

Listen...all the glib comments will not help the situation...and Lambert should learn...that hedge funds are not running a business...and yes...Virginia...there is a Santa Claus...he just came a little late this year.

Love,
The Lass

Now...what will they do for seconds...after feeding at the trough? I wonder.

and one last thing...it is easy to say a man failed...much more difficult to have helped him to succeed....I think he could have used some help...but that is me...



just dancing...a little humor never hurts...or maybe there really is trouble in River City...I wonder...

a trolley...MRI...and morality...and I have my own theory...

A young man named Joshua Green is an Associate Professor at Harvard University. Don't let that bother you.....he is quite bright...and he asks good questions...so forgive the Harvard thing.

Now...here is what the young lad says:

I study moral decision-making using behavioral methods coupled with neuroimaging (fMRI). My research focuses on the interplay between emotional and "cognitive" processes in moral judgment. Sounds very important to me...however, he does this with an interesting problem...The Trolley problem.

Rationalist philosophers such as Plato and Immanuel Kant conceived of mature moral judgment as a rational enterprise, as a matter of appreciating abstract reasons that in themselves provide direction and motivation. In contrast to Plato and Kant, "sentimentalist" philosophers such as David Hume and Adam Smith argued that emotions are the primary basis for moral judgment. In more recent years, the rationalist banner has been carried by developmental psychologists such as Lawrence Kohlberg. Likewise, some contemporary researchers, most notably Jonathan Haidt, have emphasized the importance of emotion in moral judgment. My research program aims at a synthesis of these two perspectives. In my experiments I present people with moral dilemmas that, if I'm right, elicit a complex combination of reasoned and emotional responses.

What you ask? Well the great moral dilemma...

Moral Dilemmas and the "Trolley Problem" The moral dilemmas that I use in my experiments are often adapted from dilemmas devised by philosophers to probe our moral intuitions. The most famous example of these is the "Trolley Problem," which goes like this: A runaway trolley is hurtling down the tracks toward five people who will be killed if it proceeds on its present course. You can save these five people by diverting the trolley onto a different set of tracks, one that has only one person on it, but if you do this that person will be killed. Is it morally permissible to turn the trolley and thus prevent five deaths at the cost of one? Most people say yes. Now consider a slightly different dilemma. Once again, the trolley is headed for five people. You are on a footbridge over the tracks next to a large man. The only way to save the five people is to push this man off the bridge and into the path of the trolley. Is that morally permissible? Most people say no.

These two cases create a puzzle for moral philosophers: What makes it okay to sacrifice one person for the sake of five others in the first case but not in the second case? But there is also a psychological puzzle here: How does everyone know (or "know") that it's okay to turn the trolley but not okay to push the man off the bridge? My collaborators and I have collected brain imaging data suggesting that emotional responses are an important part of the answer. (Click here to download the paper.)

In our more recent work we have collected brain imaging data suggesting that "cognitive" factors are important as well and that emotional and "cognitive" processes compete for control of behavior. (Click here to download the paper.) For example, consider the following moral dilemma: It’s war time, and you are hiding in a basement with several other people. The enemy soldiers are outside. Your baby starts to cry loudly, and if nothing is done the soldiers will find you and kill you, your baby, and everyone else in the basement. The only way to prevent this from happening is to cover your baby’s mouth, but if you do this the baby will smother to death. Is it morally permissible to do this? According to our theory, this dilemma is difficult and uncomfortable because it creates a conflict between a strong emotional response (“Don’t kill the baby!”) and a strong "cognitive" response that points in the opposite direction ("But if you don’t kill the baby, you gain nothing and have much to lose.") Two findings from our most recent neuroimaging study support this interpretation. First, we have found that in response to difficult moral dilemmas such as this a brain region associated with response conflict (the anterior cingulate cortex, or ACC) exhibits increased activity, suggesting that the difficulty associated with dilemmas such as this results from response conflict and not just a need for extended computation. Second, we have found that in response to dilemmas such as this brain regions associated with cognitive control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, or DLPFC, and inferior parietal cortex) exhibit greater activity when people favor the promotion of the best overall consequences. In other words, when people say, "Yes, it’s okay to smother the baby," they exhibit increased activity in parts of the brain associated with high-level cognitive function.

My take:

Well, here is where I dabble a bit, into my own views.. You see, I think that God...gave us hard wiring for certain things...one being a social...moral...cognitive, synaptic code...for the answer to the first Trolley Dilemma...for the good of the community...He also gave us another code...for the second dilemma...We simply are hard wired. However, the second dilemma is not the same as the first....because it involves our choice...to personally harm a person...with our own hands...in otherwords...we play God...at that moment, and we really don't like that position...thus the confusion...although the math is the same...one sacrificed for the many...our evolutionary code provides us with the a pretty easy answer...but when push comes to shove...we can't. Put a mechanical means in our way...and luck is still involved...and it really is not by our hand..it is the "switch" that does him in. But...push an innocent to save others? Our wiring for this is also coded...do not harm an innocent...that takes over...and the others...become secondary...thus the dilemma... God...does not play dice...

So...I asked one of the women at work...what would you do? She is a bible...study gal...and said..."If I knew one of the people on the tracks...it would make a difference." She added, "I am going to ask my husband tonight."

This got everyone else involved in the question...and here is the question for all of us..."If you were the fat man to be thrown off the bridge...would you jump to save the others?...and make the man's dilemma go away."

In any case...it is worth discussion...and thought...and more discussion...and then...think about this little dilemma...it happens quite often...just not with trolleys...but it does.



OH...and it Green's work is not enough...

At Rutgers, an anthropologist is investigating the neural circuitry of romantic love by putting besotted volunteers in a brain scanner and asking them to stare at a photograph of their beloved. At Harvard, a business professor is comparing brain responses to different advertising images, while an English professor is preparing to look at what happens in a reader's brain when she encounters a metaphor in Proust. At Rice University in Houston, a music professor is planning to study the cognitive basis for sight-reading. Even perceptions of racial difference have been examined in an M.R.I. machine.


We want to understand our biology...but one thing is certain...

The majority of individuals respond ''yes'' to the first scenario and ''no'' to the second. Now...how about the guy sacrificed in the first dilemma...how do you think he answered the question...same way we all do...that is more interesting to me...

OH...and when they find the receptors and regions for love...they have of course...they need to dig around in there a bit...and see if romantic love...is next to our love of chocolate receptors....just wondering...because our store is full of chocolate for some holiday in February...which by the way...I don't celebrate...

Love,
The Lass

A moral to the story...and a good one...I think

Arthur and the Witch:

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighbouring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.

The question?... .What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer.

But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first.

The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!

Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.

He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.

He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus:

What a woman really wants, she answered.... is to be in charge of her own life.

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared.

And so it was, the neighbouring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened

The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.

Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night?

Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?

What would YOU do?

Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.

Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.

Now ....what is the moral to this story?

The moral is.....
If you don't let a woman have her own way....
Things are going to get ugly

Love,
the Lass