I got a call yesterday from a woman I haven't talked to in a year. We took several classes together and she's heading out of this area with her husband in the near future. She wanted to touch base before she left and to let me know that although we didn't hang out a lot, she truly valued the friendship and support we found in each other as we went through the classes of the Ph.D process.

The call came out of the blue and it was a nice, karmic night. It reminded me of the importance of making such contact and spreading support to one another. We rarely take the time to 'chill out' enough to contact others in the ways we always intend.

So that is my Wednesday homework for everyone. Do the ol' fashion dial thing and reach out.

Bryan

Follow up to Betty White

Ruth Stone from Neil Astley on Vimeo.

I studied with Ruth Stone as an undergraduate. She's now 93 and the summer I spent in Vermont I reunited our friendship. She was there the same summer that My great Aunt Rena passed away in Rutland. Ruth was central to my experience at Binghamton University and I channeled her karma yesterday when I was working with student writers, some of who were in great need of grandmotherly advice.

This clip is long. I wanted to post it so I knew where it was.

Ruth radiated strength and often rebelled at the conventions that were placed before her. She wanted her students to be strong, to define their own worlds and not to conform to the pressures of societal expectations. She simply wanted everyone to be as free as they could be.

;heyheyho;

peepzx

how was ur monday??

[woah.1st tym i.m asking;]

weird,

ANIWAES;

tdy was ENGLISH EXAM.

gah..

it was......

frm

8a.m. to 

ermm...

9.50 a.m.

rite?

yeah.

haiz""

recess was supposed to be 9.30

*change* 

10.30

*change*

11

dotzdotzdotz

....

my passion for MUSIC.

;

________________________________________________

cool.

imperfect moments:DD

lisening to BROKEN.

raw talent..

<3 dat song laa..

argh.

smemre??

how cute!!

so sweeeet.

ttyt peepzx of my world!!

btw <3 jb; :DD

hawt.

buhbyeee!

Thank You Betty White

During yesterday's Mother Day celebration, we found peace and harmony through watching Betty White host Saturday Night Live. For some reason, watching the Sopranos seemed to cause chaos, but Betty White brought laughter and serenity. It worked, and as KC said, "Betty White saved the day."

If you did not catch her on SNL, you should. I have often said I'm so thankful that I've been alive during JK Rowling's Harry Potter Series and Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy. Now I can say, I was blessed to see Betty White, a golden girl diva in her own right, as she hosted an American classic.

Now go eat your muffins. That's karma for you.

Yesterday was May 8th

The United States Postal Service did a food drive yesterday by taking donations on their mail runs. When I ran, I noticed many mailboxes with canned goods hanging out front. I like to think that these efforts are karmic and I put baked beans and pasta in my box. Perhaps on monday, tomorrow, they will take additional cabinet bounty. Throw a can in the box without a stamp and do good for the world. Every little bit counts.

And Happy Mother's Day.

Bryan

On a Karmic Friday Night

So, yesterday was what it was, and I kept going forward knowing I had an event at ESM High School - a fundraiser for Sudan - and the ceramic cows needed to be displayed. A teacher there, Keith, has run a three year comedy show to make money for Sudan's causes. He asked the Cow Project if they'd come and that we did.

I went with high students from Sudan, college students from Sudan, and adults from Sudan and was blown away by the efforts of the American kids. They sold 400 tickets at $10 a piece, made money off of t-shirts, threw lose change into boxes, and sold jewelry all for a global cause.

The show revolved around comedy, and I found irony, because I sat out of the auditorium talking to some of the guys who were having flashbacks of Sudan because of the pictures that were displayed on student-created posters. They were pouring their hearts out while laughter came from the seats. It's all good. "Laughter makes money in America," they told me, "and we can send it to our families to make schools and to get water. The laughter of all these kids will feed a village for many years."

(¯`v´¯)
.`·.¸.·´
¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.♥