Fitz!

Morning gang!

morning Christy

listening to the Brandenburg #4 puts me aat ease and helps me breathe. music has always been the food for my soul. even toomy yums “had enough” but i need to put that on the shelf periodically.

Mornin’, Christy!!

Bliss would be sitting on the lanai overlooking the ocean in Kailua-Kona Hawaii as the sun rises this morning, listening to the surf crash on the lava rock shoreline, sipping a cup of freshly brewed Kona coffee.

I’d be equally happy peering down on the street from my room above somewhere in the 5th arrondissement in Paris, too, watching the “green men” getting busy in the street.

But instead I will hit the shower in a moment and get ready to lay the ground work for bliss — spending a couple of hours going door-to-door doing literature drops.

Hi Christy, thanks for all the effort you put out, and wishing for you a peaceful mile of empty beaches ahead.

Good morning, Christy.

Rayne at 4 — you are doing such awesome work — kudos to you. Here’s hoping for much election success!

New pot of coffee on.
Beautiful photo, if I close my eyes I can feel the soft breeze and smell the salt in the air.

How do you feel about aromatherapy? A trip via a scent? I like Pachouli, which is reported to bring a sense of tranquility and peacefulness. My favorite brand (interesting name) is Kiss My Face.

I don’t particularly like the scent of Pachouli, it’s not floral, but smelling its fragrance does seem to bring about tranquility.

tricia at 8 — I spent an hour and a half looking through photos trying to find a perfect one for this morning. This one captured that empty beach calm that I love most…when we go to the beach, I prefer to go in fall or winter when there are very few people there. (Plus, I don’t turn into lobster girl so much…sunscreen can only do so much when you are this pale. *g*)

OT, but funny and interesting at the same time. An old wives tale for curing hiccups is to have someone say to the person with hiccups: “Do you own a white horse?”

We’ve tried this, and surprisingly, it seems to work! Try it and let me know if it ever works for you.

fitz!

I would be happiest hiking in the mountains in Switzerland, my home country. I used to do that a lot when I lived there. It is a great way to regenerate your energy and your thoughts as you are alone with nature. In a way, it is similar to Christie’s empty coastline, except that it is easier to be by yourself in the mountains than at the beach. But wherever there is wide space extending before you, be that the ocean or some valleys, you can take your mind for a ride and feel peaceful about doing it.

Actually, I find ‘Pull up a Chair’ to be a relaxing and ‘centering’ preparation for the rest of a busy day. Also, when ever I get stressed or angry, I perform a brief ‘body scan’ focusing on abdominal breathing.

Heath Schuler will win NC-11!

I got a clay firebowl late last winter for my little patio. On nights when my daughter is at her dad’s, I like to light a fire in it, even when it’s cold or hot out, and just stare at it while sipping wine. I can do this for hours.

Good morning, Christy. My husband is leaving for the weekend and I’m trying to get him going. My attention will be a bit fragmented for a little while. heh.

Karen at 9 — when we were in NYC for the meeting with Bill Clinton, my hotel was near Grand Central Station and I took a stroll to get some dinner the first night that I got into town and discovered that the renovated shops in there are quite lovely. Last time I was in NYC, I hadn’t had time to explore much at the station, other than taking Mr. ReddHedd through to see the gorgeous ceilings, so I wanted to go back and have a look around.

In one shopping hallway, they had an Origins store — I love their ginger line, but I discovered a new milk bath scented with lavender and vanilla that is amazing.

I was born to live on a beach.

Unfortunately, they’re hard to move.

Thanks, Christy, but you know that like this blog it’s a labor of love. You do it because you want it — badly.

A little lagniappe before I power off for the morning…Everyone knows Rush Limbaugh’s just faking.

Heh.

Sippin’ my first cuppa, and going over my To Do list for the day. Time to put the yard to bed for the winter. When a vacation is not on the horizon, my own yard is a bit of a get-away.

And don’t forget we get an extra hour of sleep tonight! I’ll bet we could all use it.

OT, but funny.

Bush will be across the river from me stumping for an idiot R. The local paper has a list of what you can’t bring.

“IF YOU GO

Those attending the rally featuring President Bush today in Sellersburg must be in Silver Creek High School by noon. Doors will open at 10 a.m. Attendees must pass through security and can’t bring into the school:

Knives, including penknives.

Fingernail clippers with files.

Liquids, including water, perfume or cologne.

Sport balls, such as baseballs and footballs.

Round fruits.??? I guess banana’s and pineapples are in order….

Laser pointers. What about laser sites??

Chemical-protection sprays such as Mace.

The Democrats’ rally will begin at noon at American Legion Post 204. The post is at 412 N. New Albany Ave. in Sellersburg.”

The bold is mine.
http://www.courier-journal.com.....025/NEWS02

I used to get up every morning and do “morning pages” (a la Julia Cameron — three handwritten pages of blurting out whatever was on my mind to get the day started with a fresh slate). That was incredibly centering, but it’s gone by the wayside because I’m rushing to get a post up first thing for the blog and, frankly, I’m not getting enough sleep at the moment so dragging myself out of bed to do it early wouldn’t work out well. But after the election, I’m going to restart my morning pages. It is important to take some “me time,” and I’m doing far too little of that lately. And I get the feeling that a lot of you guys are having the same problem — which is why I mention this.

bekkieann at 20 — I had planned to do some yard work today as well, but the weather is not cooperating with me today, I’m afraid. I swear, I am never going to get the last of my daffodil bulbs in at this rate…

So, let’s talk calm. What gets you there. What keeps you sane. What fills you with joy or peace or whatever it is that makes you…zen. Pull up a chair…

What I’m doing right now qualifies.

Bath and Body Works has a splash scent called Warm Vanilla. They have a travel size, if you want to try it out, for about $3.00. It smells warm and friendly and makes you feel like a lovely Earth Mother. All around good for a conference with your child’s teacher as well as splashing on before you get into bed.

Here’s a surprise: There is a lovely brand of lip gloss that comes scented and with a good stay-with-you flavor. The surprise is that it’s by Jessica Simpson and available at Wal-Mart in their designer fragrance aisle for $8.00. It makes you feel alluring and comforted at the same time.

Kentucky Woman says
October 28th, 2006 at 6:08 am*

OT, but funny.

Bush will be across the river from me stumping for an idiot R. The local paper has a list of what you can’t bring.

I don’t see anything that rules out my sour cream-n-spinach surprise….

Last week we just happened upon the sight of a lifetime. From a cliff on the central Oregon coast, we saw 7 or 8 whales frolicking in the tide below, having the best time ever and in no hurry to swim away. For an hour we watched them, enchanted to see their spouting, their large, long bodies, their tails. They say it’s a sign of good luck to see a whale, so the Republicans are going DOWN!

Christy,
The list keeps growing here too, as Election Day nears. My morning walks have gone away and the stress level has risen - it’s no coincidence, once causes the other.

I do have to say, this place goes a long way to taking my tensions away, when I get time to come here. The turnout from the chat we had for my campaign on Wednesday was simply overwhelming. I can’t thank everyone that donated enough for how it will help me spread my message to the people in my district.

Time for me to hit the shower and get ready to face the public. Thanks again to Howie, Jane, John, Christy and everyone here that has helped out any candidate this year!

JoyB @ 15

I got a clay firebowl late last winter for my little patio. On nights when my daughter is at her dad’s, I like to light a fire in it, even when it’s cold or hot out, and just stare at it while sipping wine. I can do this for hours.

I should do that. I don’t have a fireplace, but I love fire - it is soothing, relaxing, very primal. I could sit and read by the fire for hours, happily lost in another world.

Where would I find a firebowl? I’ve never heard of it.

Good Morning Christy and All
I actually just got back from spending five days at that beach! We had the most amazing weather in Monterey. It was very, very sunny (a rarity) and very, very warm (equally rare). We stayed at Asilomar, a conference center/resort that calls itself “refuge by the sea” and it truly was. No phones, no televisions in the rooms and right on the Asilomar State Beach. It was so relaxing and destressing.
Then last night, back to work getting McNerney elected. We were treated at the McNerney campaign to a pep talk from Arshad Hasan (I hope I’m spelling it correctly) who some of you may know from the Lamont primary. He’s from Democracy for America and he is here in CA-11 to head up our GOTV here. He is full of energy and will be a big help here in CA-11. It is great that he chose CA-11 and we really appreciate that he is here to help us.
After my morning coffee, I will be back walking precincts and will be walking many, many more times until the victory party on November 7th. (We hope!)

pete at 4 — I love Bach. The Brandenburg concertos are a fantastic choice, and for me you can also add in Ode to Joy (love me some Beethoven). One of my fave relaxing CDs is this one by Branford Marsalis — the mix of music on this is excellent, and the soprano sax is surprisingly mellow. It’s a wonderful antidote to a stressful day.

First-time poster here…breaking out of lurk mode. With a couple of questions.

Where’s the news of the third Connecticut Senate debate? We got lots of information about the first two, but virtually nothing from the third.

Also, you guys were screaming about the missing $387,000 from Lieberman’s campaign a few days ago, then nothing. Has it been resolved? Have they explained it? I don’t want Lieberman reelected (I sent an e-mail to John Edwards last night asking him to go to CT for Ned), but I would like to know what the result of the missing money story is/was. I’m busy trying to convince people to vote for Chris Bell here in Texas, so firedoglake is my main source of info for the CT senate race.

Thanks.

Christy,

This thread is perfect and we all need to help ourselves out right now.

My stress level went up dramatically when UptownNYChick brought this N Y Times article to my attention. It took me a good hour to get to sleep after I read it.

Bloomberg sends troops to help Lieberman

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10.....r=homepage

Native American Flutes

Sample .wav file - download or play directly with WMP

Other sample sound files, other formats

I have no commercial interests here - just like the stuff - it sends me to that beach in the photo.

dipper at 27 — thanks so much for sharing that — I bet that was an amazing sight. The Christmas that I was pregnant with The Peanut, we rented a condo at Hilton Head, and ended up getting a unit that had a lovely balcony that looked out over the ocean. And every morning, just around sunrise, a pod of dolphins would come frolicking by as I was sitting in a chair on the deck doing my morning pages. I would just sit there in wonder every morning as they chattered at each other and played in the surf — it was magical, and the most relaxing vacation we ever had. All the happier, I’m sure, because we were finally having our miracle, but that little piece of joy every morning was my favorite part of the day that whole week.

http://www.lindysgraphics.net/.....anssky.wmv

This windows media file consists of photography I did on a middle of the
line (at the time) digital camera over the course of several years. I’ve
been fascinated with the New Orleans sky since I’ve been here. The
sunsets, sunrises, cloud formations…all are stunning. When I bought my
Wacom tablet (I’d been waiting for that one for eight years), I got a
program in the software bundle that, while klunky, was better than
anything I had for making animated slide shows (Photoshop Elements 3), so,
in the course of seeing what the program would do, I set these slides to
music purchased from a music stock house, provided transitions, played
with the timing of each transition, et voila. People who’ve seen it say it’s relaxing. I hope you find it so. It’s about 3.5 minutes long and views well at full-screen.

I’d be on that tropical island my sister moved to a couple of years ago, because she couldn’t take it living in this country anymore.

I have a dream of someday owning a small farm. A place where I can live off the grid if I have to. Grow most of my own food,have a horse or two,and the nearest neighbor can’t be seen from my house. I want my own tractor,lol.

When the world seems too close or just plain nuts,I spend time looking at farming catalogs,designing my little farmhouse,looking for a good place to live,far,far away from metro Atlanta. Had I picked today’s photo,it would have had to have had a barn and some critters roaming about fertile,non toxic land. I need trees,a body of fresh water and some mountains close by,I can see the place in my dreams.

I have a friend who lives on an indian reservation in South Dakota. She says one of the things she loves about living there is that at night,the stars are so bright and clear that if you lay on the ground and look up,you almost feel like the sky is your blanket. Here,at night you can barely see any stars because of all the city lights. I think I’d rather have a blanket of stars in a heartbeat.

Dylansdad at 32 — the third debate was liveblogged the night of — if you check back to the post that was up and the comments, you’ll see that there was a lot of play-by-play from everyone who was watching. As for the $387,000 plus — no resolution on it and, I hear, the CT press is sniffing around on several fronts on the story. The Lamont campaign filed a complaint with the FEC and we’ll have more on it as we can dig more up. We’re juggling as much as we can here at the moment, so a little patience would go a long way, but I promise that as soon as we have anything solid, we’ll share it with everyone. Thanks!

Good morning Christy. I’m in the process of building a small HO scale model railroad. But I seem to spend more time planning than building LOL. Today, I hope to get my tunnel portals painted and weathered. It’s a good diversion IMHO.

Some of my best moments have come walking through tropical forest. It’s dim, lush and secret. I’ve also gotten that feeling walking through the Muir Woods in CA. And I remember one night on a beach in Costa Rica when there were phosphorescent diatoms attached to sand grains in the waves. They lit up as they swirled in the waves. It looked like the stars were in the waves.

Right now, my most peaceful feelings are coming as I contemplate moving to my new home that has 2.5 acreas of land, perhaps half of it nice woods. I hope I can have the discipline to develop a habit of a daily walk in the woods. I do think it would do much for my psyche. Until then, I’m keeping my job! and painting! and cleaning! and moving too much stuff!

Ah, da Bajan beach.

Every other year (or so) I go here;

http://www.coconut-court.com/gen_photo.cfm

for 10 days of rest and relaxation and flying fish sammiches and scuba and fresh tropical fruit from the market and Mai Tais and lotsa hiking and great food and even greater people and music with dancing and some limbo (I won the tourist competition in 1992!)

Sweetest memory is sitting on the terrace at sunrise, cool ocean breeze on my sunburnt body, sharing some bread (actually sesame seeds) with three little finches, eating right out of my hand.

We Canadians like to call Barbados ‘the 11th Province’.

dab at 33 — I saw that this morning. It’s pretty damn late to start trying to throw together a ground game now, isn’t it? If they were going to do this, they ought to have been planning it months ago. For some reason, this says desperation to me, but I’m not on the ground in CT at the moment, so it’s tough to say for sure. Have you seen much ground game activity from the C4L gang while you’ve been making the rounds?

Dylansdad @ 32

1) Where’s the news of the third Connecticut Senate debate? We got lots of information about the first two, but virtually nothing from the third.

There was a third debate - it was held last Monday, the 23rd, and “moderated” (I use that term lightly) by George Stephonopolis. It aired on the local ABC channel - and you might be able to download it from C-Span. Ned did quite well.

There is supposed to be a fourth debate, sponsored by the local Fox News affiliate and held at Quinnapiac University. Lamont and the (R) candidate, Schlesinger both accepted. Joe did not accept. He didn’t do very well at any of the three and I guess he feels he doesn’t owe CT residents more than three hours of his time in this type of forum.

2) Also, you guys were screaming about the missing $387,000 from Lieberman’s campaign a few days ago, then nothing. Has it been resolved? Have they explained it?
Thanks.

The Lamont campaign filed an official complaint with the FEC. The FEC has to make a ruling within five days as to whether or not they will pursue an investigation. As far as the public knows, the Lieberman campaign has produced nothing to justify $387,000 spent in petty cash right before the election.

Although many folks have contacted the media and requested follow up, there has been nothing written at all about it. Just business as usual. Perhaps when the FEC makes its ruling, the media will take more of an interest.

There is work going on at MyLeftNutmeg to go into the records of other Senators - both Dem and Rep - to see whether or not Lieberman’s $387K in unaccounted for funds is unusual. Apparently it is. Most campaigns have $100 or $500 in petty cash.

I, personally, have asked the New York Time to follow the money - but if they are digging - we know nothing about it.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 22

I used to get up every morning and do “morning pages” (a la Julia Cameron — three handwritten pages of blurting out whatever was on my mind to get the day started with a fresh slate). That was incredibly centering, but it’s gone by the wayside because I’m rushing to get a post up first thing for the blog and, frankly, I’m not getting enough sleep at the moment so dragging myself out of bed to do it early wouldn’t work out well. But after the election, I’m going to restart my morning pages. It is important to take some “me time,” and I’m doing far too little of that lately. And I get the feeling that a lot of you guys are having the same problem — which is why I mention this.

CHS, I could have written this. ‘The Artist’s Way’ is fantastic. http://artistsway.meetup.com/cities/

ot I saw letterman on letterman with orielly leterman is uninformed, allowing oreilly to get away with claiming there was a connection between saddam and al qaeda the connection was they were enemies, but that's besides my point on this post the republicans have a question that the democrats are stumbling with "do you want us to win in Iraq" it's an absurd question but the democrats don't know how to answer it the answer is as follows, I use caps lock to represent indignation where it belongs; "of COURSE we want to win in Iraq, that is NOT POSSIBLE following the inept decisions of the this administration, these people have made choices that CONTRADICT our generals in the field, the have the NERVE to overrule the sage advice of the finest military minds on the planet and if we want to have ANY hope of "winning" in Iraq we have to STOP allowing these people with NO military clue to make decisions that they are NOT EQUIPPED to make" now THAT needs to get sent to all progressive candidates and pundits because the new talking point is that question, "do you want to win in Iraq" and then COUNTER attack with; "do YOU want to win in Iraq"…because if you do you have to STOP supporting the polices we KNOW are creating MORE enemies, MORE instability, MORE terrorists, MORE terrorism and these people need to START employing the tactics and strategy that stands a chance" a very nice follow up would be something along the lines; "the democrats SOLVE the problems the republicans CAUSED…documented by the way, by the presidents own investigations the REPUBLICANS put saddam in power, the REPUBLICANS embraced and endorsed him when he was the MOST brutal, the REPUBLICANS put him BACK on power, the REPUBLICANS gave him weapons of mass destruction the DEMOCRATS REMOVED THOSE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, he was no longer "running amok", he was absolutely no threat what so ever…thanks to the democratic party and NO thanks to the republicans that PUT THE THREAT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE period all facts, proven before the war and proven every day after, and sad for you people that MAKE BELIEVE republicans can protect this country NEARLY as well as the democrats, this proof comes not from liberals or democrats, the proof comes from the presidents own reports, his own agencies, is own aids errr…the DEMOCRATS resolved the problems the republicans CAUSES and they will do it once again let me remind you, the REPUBLICANS refused to defend against terrorism when they came to office, the REPUBLICANS waited until we were attacked before they did ANYTHING, EVEN THOUGH they were informed in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS we would be attacked with PRECISE intel HAND DELIVERED, and the republicans REACTED…errr…far too late then the REPUBLICANS diverted the resources NEEDED to fight terrorism and invaded a country that posed ABSOLUTELY no threat the REPUBLICANS attacked Iraq for what came from Afghanistan, they captured SADDAM HUSAIM for what Bin laden did, THEY WERE INFORMED by America's military their decisions would HARM America and they DIDN'T CARE" hate to toot my own horm can you say spotlight please? democrats need to get on this train

Dear Christy: Beach time in Massachusetts is over, alas. Those 60 mph wind gusts discourage a serene walk in the sand.
However, yesterday I spent the entire afternoon raking leaves, a simple, satisfying chore that while dull, leaves the brain totally free of thought. And last night, instead of dial-twitching between political shows, I watched, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”
Worked like a charm.

Morning Christie - a wonderful calm day in to you. Ocean does it for me, especially a certain 70 degree aqua blue and white sand bordered beach in the Carribbean where I try to spend a few days in the summer (cheaper and just as nice). Closer to home, my writing does it for me - but it is hard to get big enough bites of time these days to get in the zone. In addition, during a day packed with teaching, meetings, and attempts at battling foreign email combattants, 10 to 15 minutes of fdl, kos, and raw lurking usually gets my breathing down to a more even pace - unless I am so pissed at what is happening that I have to really struggle to get back to tasks at hand.

I miss living along the shore. The sight, sound and smell all work in tandem for me. One of the best places I’ve experienced pure bliss was on a rock jetty along the coast of Maine during a full moon. It was so dark, and even with the light of the moon I could see so many stars. The darkness was astounding. To see the ocean shimmering and reflect that shade of black, it sent me to place I had never been before while mediatating.

Nature is what centers and inspires me. As for the rest of this gray dreary day, I’ll be making phone calls on Mendenz’s behalf. It should be a good day to catch people since the weather is so nasty.

Did anyone watch O’Reilly on Oprah? I couldn’t watch it but was curious about how it went.

Hi everyone. I hate to break the calm and I’m so sorry to be off topic. I’m traveling with my husband and trying to help Larry Kissell from a distance. I received a phone call this morning relaying another Hayes attack ad. The new ad says Larry was fined for running negative attack ads. Of course, it is a lie because not only has Larry not run negative attack ads, he wasn’t fined for it. My understanding is DCCC lawyers are down helping to deal with this situation, but as you know the damage is done. We have put a call out for LTEs at BlueNC and so far we’ve had some successes at getting printed. This time, though we’d like to flood our 8th District media. They might not print a letter from someone from out of town, but they might just respond to the level of outrage.

If anyone has the time or is inclined to send out a short LTE to an 8th District(NC) media contact I have a list at BlueNC. I’ve linked to the site on my name. Thanks everyone. I’m sorry to spoil the calm of this post. You’ve responded to so many calls for action. I hate to pile another one on. Thank you for all you do.

When I was looking for heavenly quiet and repose for the over busy mind and heavy heart…

I would go riding on my horse Nara (meanest horse in the barn, and an absolute treasure on the trail) into the nearby reserve. I would go early in the morning on a crisp fall day with a light jacket, packing a sandwich and water.

After an hour, stop, sit in the grass, eat my sandwich and have some water, and be quiet… very quiet. Thoughts of elsewhere disappear; breathing becomes the rythum of life, not ‘to do’ lists; and thoughtless relaxing begins listening to Nara chomp grass.

Just writing that made me cry. And with this thought I face a week of medical tests starting with an ENG - sigh.

CHS - Joe has had NO ground game up until now. I have been out canvassing the past five weekends and have seen NO Joe signs, literature, or canvassers.

I agree about desperation. I think Joe’s numbers haven’t been that good since the debates (or you know he would have jumped at the 4th debate offer) We’ve been like the perverbial tortoise - slowly but surely going to thousands of houses - nice, normal but passionate folks, just wanting to chat about how terrific Ned is. Same with the phone banking - lots of conversations have been going on since August. (And don’t forget the phoning and canvassing that went on in July and August).

What I’m hoping is that the people of CT are offended by the insertion of a New York mayor into our election process. It’s a match made in heaven - Bloomberg’s ego teamed with Lieberman’s ego.

And I’m just wondering how Hillary is gonna feel about a political opponent putting himself in the role of kingmaker - right in her own back yard. Makes her look a little impotent, doesn’t it?

I hope this forces some out-of-state Dems out of their complacency - because the Bloomberg effort might negatively impact some of the Dem Congressional races (Bloomberg is coming in to help Shays, as well)

can somebody close my italic tag please, I can’t get in anymore, will try on this post

Speaking of bliss, I’m going to get a local piece of it. The bakery in town makes jelly donoughts with peanut butter icing.

dab-Thank you for ALL your updates and your positive outlook on Ned. I hope to get to CT again on Monday and Tuesday (election day) to help out.

Mornin’ All,

I usually am up earlier and post on the Late Nite thread.

For serenity: knitting and swimming laps [not at the same time]. Both are highly rhythmic physical activities, and once you get into the right rhythm, your mind is free to work on whatever is bothering you. Both are great, with wonderful side benefits, like sweaters and muscle tone. But I’d do them even without the benefits. Here’s my favorite: a great animation about knitting obsession.

I volunteered over at Linda Stender’s campaign last night [NJ-07], doing some phone calling to get known supporters to turn out for a debate on Sunday, then working on another mailing [stuff, seal, stamp, address label]. Nice people, including the candidate’s son. Most people half my age. It’s great to meet other progressives, especially the candidate. I’ll be able to spend another evening helping out, then one day next weekend.

It was really nice to feel constructive. I had been making calls to other NJ Dems, sitting on campaign cash, through MyDD’s Use It or Lose It project, and had gotten nowhere in persuading them to free up cash now, to make other races more competitive [and endear themselves to the grassroots, who will remember them in future races], but they’re all hoarding like misers.

Mr. NJP was at another peace group meeting last night, talking about Iran. They had a very good speaker, a professor of Middle Eastern Languages from Rutgers, born in Iran, but who emigrated to the US about 30 years ago. The professor frequently travels to Iran and other countries in the the Middle East [he’s highly regarded as a translator for literary works], and has extensive contacts in the intelligentsia in Iran. Mr. NJP said the professor gave a very good presentation, and there was some very constructive discussion [plus a few minor ranters–sort of like online discussions].

Be good to yourselves. Take care of your families and friends. Be kind to one another. Work for peace, every day.

My horses keep me zen. I don’t know if it’s being out of the city and away from all distractions - no noise and zero cell phone signal - or if it’s just doing something physical, something my long office hours often make difficult. But a few hours at the barn leave me physically recharged and emotionally mellow.

GrandmaJ at 52

I’ll think about you this week and send some courage your way. Let us know how it goes.

GrandmaJ,
You sound like a wonderful person, enjoying the sound of a horse eating in a quiet world. I am lighting a candle for you.

dab from CT @
53

CHS - Joe has had NO ground game up until now. I have been out canvassing the past five weekends and have seen NO Joe signs, literature, or canvassers.

I agree about desperation. I think Joe’s numbers haven’t been that good since the debates (or you know he would have jumped at the 4th debate offer) We’ve been like the perverbial tortoise - slowly but surely going to thousands of houses - nice, normal but passionate folks, just wanting to chat about how terrific Ned is. Same with the phone banking - lots of conversations have been going on since August. (And don’t forget the phoning and canvassing that went on in July and August).

What I’m hoping is that the people of CT are offended by the insertion of a New York mayor into our election process. It’s a match made in heaven - Bloomberg’s ego teamed with Lieberman’s ego.

And I’m just wondering how Hillary is gonna feel about a political opponent putting himself in the role of kingmaker - right in her own back yard. Makes her look a little impotent, doesn’t it?

I hope this forces some out-of-state Dems out of their complacency - because the Bloomberg effort might negatively impact some of the Dem Congressional races (Bloomberg is coming in to help Shays, as well)

Bloomberg and Lieberman deserve each other. He’s another closet authoritarian promoted as a bi-partisan “centrist”. I have to say that I will never forgive the man for his tactics regarding the anti-war rallies and marches as well as the RNC convention. Some of his other policies I support, but free speech and assembly are the basis for democracy and non-negotiable.

And Dab, I have been in two-way contact with both NYT and with New Haven Register. We need to get them some lieberkidz and field coordinators to talk to. I’ve clued them both in to more data about the $387k being a huge outlier.

What is Bliss?…A couple years ago, an evil Shyster Lawyer threatened me with a lawsuit for his evil client without telling me why there would be a lawsuit. The Shyster said “You better hire an Attorney.” I wrote a letter to the State Bar asking that the shyster be investigated for PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT. Then I sent another letter to the evil client saying I wrote to the State Bar, and included the first letter. The Shyster called me up the next day threatening me with Restraining Orders and other legal threats including “hire an attorney”. I wrote another letter to the State Bar asking that the Shyster was terrorizing me with legal threats. After that I never heard from either. That was Bliss..
But, a different evil Shyster is trying to extort money from me. I may be sending another letter asking that this Shyster be investigated for PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT. This can be habit forming, bitch-slapping lawyers who use the legal system to terrorize and extort.

The misty mountains of the North Carolina Blue Ridge beckon my heat-weary Florida soul. The little train winding by Toe River in the morning light. Trees, gold and red, shimmer as if afire. The produce stands on the edge of the mountain roads offering golden apple cider and huge tomatoes. And the crickets at night, a symphony under a bowl of winking stars. And, dear Lord, its all for free, all generously given and happily received.

tomorrow morning, birdwatching at Sepulveda Basin. Maybe not for long, as it’s still warm here, but with luck the white pelicans will have shown up (’the Fleet is in!’) and we’ll see the usual five kinds of herons and egrets (great blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, black-crowned night-heron, green heron). I saw some of the downtown Peregrines this week also.

Hi Christy,

I run and spend time with the grandkiddos
(both boys, age 6 and 12). My wife and I
had two girls so now we have the best of both
worlds.
I do appreciate your Plame analysis. Fitzy
gives me hope for a world that has become
foreign to me… I try to stay hopeful and the gang at the Lake fulfills that urge…

If it pleases the court, we need to take
Park Place (Nov elections) and Boardwalk
(The Libby Trial)…

I’m originally from Salem, Ma, the home of Parker Bros, so Monopoly kicks in…

What frightens me is if (a) the elections
produce fraud and (b) if Libby, Bush, and
Cheney pass Go…. without a criminal
indictment….

Then, I head to a weekend retreat at
the Trappist Monastery in Spencer, MA…

Jack

Frank33 at 61 — I gotta say, not really my cuppa bliss, that.

njprogressive,

I used to knit until the arthritis in my hands made the needles and wool too heavy. Now it’s counted cross stitch that works for me. It’s the most relaxing thing in the world.

My bliss (after my grandchildren!) is wandering through an old cemetery in the fall with leaves fluttering down off the trees and communing with the ancestors and the heroes who made this country what it is. I can almost see them rolling over in their graves at our present state of affairs. I can also spend many blissful hours poring over old documents and courthouse record books. I love history, as I’m sure you can tell. Many of my ancestors served in the Revolutionary war, Civil war, and WWI & II. Their heroism and sacrifice make me cry and reinforce my determination to do all I can to throw out the criminals running our country into the ground.
GOTV!! Time to start my call list for the day!

Well I’m bummed out. I was all set to go door to door, but it is raining hard and now the wind has kicked up. Maybe I’ll go to Ned’s office to phone bank instead.

Not doing too much relaxing these days. Maybe after Nov. 7th I’ll get back to crochet. This best I can do now is listen to Irish music.

I love Paris. There is a street on the west side of Sacre Coueur, lined with trees, that calls to me in the night. There is a bench in the Luxembourg Gardens, where you can read the paper watch people walk by, serious men with briefcases slung over their shoulders and fierce faces, young women in swinging skirts, off to work, parents with their children barely under control, young men glancing at the young women, mind you, they have things to do, but why not on a sunny summer morning? The just a little more than a tourist feels almost at one with the other older people on the nearby benches….

Christy,

To answer your question… sailing in the caribbean. Like CTBob I am a sailor and have been for decades… and escape to my boat as often as I can and for as long as I can. I did manage to do a sailing sabbatical in the Carib for 3 yrs and now returned I am a weekend sailor.

I have not done TV on the boat and have no laptop for “connectivity” and only turn the smell phone on when I want to make a call. One can be quite far away anchored in the middle of any harbor in the madness of New England.

Maine is another story… and sailing up there is akin to being in heaven and a lot closer (to us) than the tropical heaven… I often dream about.

If I can’t take this country anymore… I simply will sail away. The boat’s ready… Let’s see what the see what the pro fascists do to this country.

As a more traditonal fallback, my sister lives in a lovely apartment over looking the Arno near the Ponte Vecchio in Firenze. But they have their own brand of fascists on the rise… Oh well… the food is to die for!

For me, Kayaking on Lake Almanor (getting a little cold for it), snorkling at Ke’e beach in Kauai, homebrewing, and playing my new-used G&L ASAT Special guitar through headphones so my family doesn’t complain fills the bill. I also like whipping up a mammoth crockpot of beef stew to coast on during the week.

My favorite place would be on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama. One of the best-kept beach secrets - white beaches, wonderfully blue water, and a small beach town that’s not quite yet a tourist haven.

I’m obsessed about the elections next week. So it’s ten more days of apprehensive what-if-ing. A joyous celebration if we win the House, and a don’t-want-to-think-about-it if we don’t.

Christy.

Please read this and try to stay calm.

Maher Arar Statement

So, when I read this sort of stuff, and remember that Republicans like Walsh, R-NY25, Bloomberg, and Lieberman voted for torture and Bush’s military commissions, remember the price.

Relax? I’ll relax when the fiends responsible for this enormity are brought to justice. I think we can all relax then.

As a lead-in to my relaxing spot, which was best enjoyed with breakfast: one acceptable payoff for the otherwise grueling years I spent as a breakfast cook to pay for college–I learned how to make French toast. Use good sourdough bread, and dunk it overnight in eggs, cream, a bit (~ tablespoon) of sugar, and some Amaretto. And most importantly–use a bacon weight when cooking it on the grill! (Cook once side lightly first to avoid getting raw egg on the weight.)

As a grad student I was able to rent a house on Cayuga Lake in upstate New York for a fall and winter. It had a nice big flagstone patio and picnic table overlooking the lake. In the early fall, it was perfect for Sunday mornings watching the leaves turn on the slopes on the other side of the lake, while eating French toast with strawberries and fresh whipped cream. Add cappuccino and a Sunday NYT Book Review for instant sanity return.

Christy, the bad part is the this new evil shyster is taking time out of my campaigning, and investigating the Diebold e-voting (evil-voting) we have. However I have already voted and I will be a poll-watcher on Nov. 7.

‘morning all … a perfect topic for me this morning!

been stressing out with election plus regular work and was scheduled to fly in early to a conference in the Rockies, planning one quiet day at the resort where the event is held …flight cancelled due to blizzard so another day of more work … flying out this AM, overslept, dash to waiting (not so patiently) cab, get to airport, flight delayed til 11 … so I went outside the terminal, chilly but bright sun and dreamt of my favorite place in the world … a little village in Jamaica called Treasure Beach where you can just sit … and when you want to do something stenuous, you can get a drink and talk all night with the great folks who live there … bliss? Treasure Beach is heart home bliss to me.

http://www.treasurebeach.net/guide/default.cfm and my favorite spot in TB:
http://www.islandoutpost.com/jakes/

cfeddy @ 68

Well I’m bummed out. I was all set to go door to door, but it is raining hard and now the wind has kicked up. Maybe I’ll go to Ned’s office to phone bank instead.

Not doing too much relaxing these days. Maybe after Nov. 7th I’ll get back to crochet. This best I can do now is listen to Irish music.

Yes, they are phonebanking today & I’m sure they’re supplying donuts, etc.

They are also going to be canvassing tomorrow - all over the state. Hope you can door knock tomorrow.

Waking up at the Ahwahnee Hotel, pulling on my boots, and heading out to wander aimlessly around Yosemite Valley.

Or (seasonally) waking up at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Durham, NC, and wandering aimlessly around one of the prettiest college campuses there is, before heading over to Cameron Indoor Stadium to watch the Duke basketball team (men’s or women’s, doesn’t matter all that much to me).

Or flirting with the speed limit on some narrow, winding road with the top down and favorite tunes blasting out of the iPod (Coltrane, Los Lobos and Solas seem to be in heavy rotation these days).

Whatever helps you recharge, do it, and do it often.

Frank33 … if you are interested (as we all should be) in the whole diebold deal, check out Hannibal’s post at Ars Technica

http://arstechnica.com/article.....voting.ars

Jon is extremely knowledgeable and has worked very hard to nail down the issues.

That’s where my partner and I were for an extended weekend last week, for our anniversary: that picture. My escape/base is anytime for us to be together.

Siun - what do you make of the Bloomberg thing? Do you think it will have an impact?

masaccio@69

Know the spot to which you are referring. It is nice, isn’t it. And you can get your workout in on the way there, by walking up the 214 steps to Sacre Coeur. The first time I went up there, it was on a Saturday morning, and walking up from Boulevard Haussmann I stumbled across Rue de Martyrs (not sure I spelled that correctly), one of those neighborhood shopping streets that still exist in many parts of Paris despite the incursion of les hyper-marches. What a neat place to kill an hour!

I would be in Palau, exploring the wonders of its Coral Reef below and Rock Islands above.

There, I am no Balrog.

There, I enter the food chain, and not necessarily at the top. -J. Cousteau

dab from CT @ 29
I dropped to comment so between 29 and bottom of comments you probably have some good ideas already.
We have one out in the back yard that sits in the center of a 24 by 24 brick patio.
Ours is rather simple. I took the inside of a Maytag washing machine that was discarded, set it on the ground and layed bricks around it stacking to the top of the washer bowl. The bricks are just layed next to one another all the way up. Between the open ended bricks and the small holes in the washer bowl, the air gets to the wood very easily.
On top is a 22″ used Weber grill grate which fit perfectly on the top of the washer bowl.
Hope this helps.
P.S. I love your updates on Ned and the Connecticut race. You are awesome along with all the people from FDL that have “been there” for Ned.
Now back to reading the comments.

I know not everyone can experience this kind of relaxation; or even wants to for that matter ~ but maybe I can invoke its essence for you in words…and you might take something away for you from it. My horses; early morning; three heads peeking over a white rail fencing - ears forward, eyes intent - total focus on this cold human blowing smoke in the air who will bring them breakfast. A soft whinny comes from one, an attempt at expressing “what took you so long”; another emits a sound I equate with a motorboat engine ~ both warm my heart, as does the vision of them.

The cats do the happy dance around my feet and I get my first co-ordination lesson of the day trying not to trip over them. I smile thinking that all that animals must surely be reacting to me with such enthusiasm because of my sparkling personality; could have nothing to do with the hay or the cat food I’m about to be the source of.

Crunchies decend into cat bowls; cats decend into crunchies. The wheel barrel is loaded with hay; it’s tossed over the white picket fence and elicts my favorite sound in the world next to my children laughing or my husbands sigh ~ the sound of horses contentedly chewing their hay. Under a crisp turquoise blue morning sky, I lean on the fence and watch and listen; getting my first lesson of the day in the importance of being ~ in the now.

Offered with thanks to all at FDL for all the energy, humor, insight, hope and enthusiasm that I can come to this site and find any moment of “now” in my day ~ when I begin to despair about this world we live in…………

dab .. I don’t see Bloomberg as much help …suspect Bloomberg voters (repubs) are Joe voters anyhow.

The only visitors who would move the election in CT seems to me - would be the big gun Dems if they came in for Ned (as they should and I will not forget they have not) who would signal - and should say explicitly - that JL is no Dem!

njprogressive: I love the knitting obsession video. I noticed it was a Finnish production. Great designers & artists. Appeals to my Finnish ancestry. A knitting blog I haven’t visited for awhile is by a woman living in far north Finland..I think it’s Dances with Wool. Along with her wonderful knitting projects she posts photos of outdoor scenery, draws clever calenders, and once posted detailed, step by step w/photos recipe for cardamon bread (pulla). I wish I could have some right now.
I was trying to think of how to reach some stubborn crumbs in my toaster…a long skinny, knitting needle will do the trick.
I rub on Badger Sleep Balm before hitting the bed. I don’t know if it helps me sleep (what’s sleep?) but I do like how it smells. Bergamot, ginger, rosemary, lavender & fir. The castor oil in it may help with artritic hands. Now if I could just keep my cat from trying to lick it off.
samwoman: If you are here, does the sam part of your handle have anything to do with the Sami people in the Arctic Circle?
wini: What part of the Iron Range are you from?

Horsewoman - when my dtr was riding seriously we spent many an early morning at the barns, grain, water, mucking out … and nuzzling with the wonderful horses … it was a perfect time of day even for this late night sorta mom.

back in a few … gotta go through tsa …

GrandmaJ @
52

When I was looking for heavenly quiet and repose for the over busy mind and heavy heart…

I would go riding on my horse Nara (meanest horse in the barn, and an absolute treasure on the trail) into the nearby reserve. I would go early in the morning on a crisp fall day with a light jacket, packing a sandwich and water.

After an hour, stop, sit in the grass, eat my sandwich and have some water, and be quiet… very quiet. Thoughts of elsewhere disappear; breathing becomes the rythum of life, not ‘to do’ lists; and thoughtless relaxing begins listening to Nara chomp grass.

Just writing that made me cry. And with this thought I face a week of medical tests starting with an ENG - sigh.

Here’s two hugs, one for now and one to take to your tests. I’ve got some coming up this week, too. Let’s hope they only ask us stuff we know. (nervous grin). This being outta warranty is rough!

This old introvert finds GOTV calling renewing. As I made calls last evening I worked on my answer to the folks who say they won’t vote because of all the negative ads.
“But sir the purpose of the negative ads are to make us stay away from the polls. Don’t you agree we have got to get things under control in Washington? [Answer:Yes] Then do what I did. Go vote right now! Then you can ignore all the negative ads!