This morning I fired up my laptop and went to seek the help of the FlyLady. Normally I cringe at gimmicky stuff however lately I am finding tremendous comfort in them.

and

Blessed Ostara and Happy Spring!!!

An American Family
Ten years ago, HBO bought a pilot script for a show that no one—not creator David Chase, lead actor James Gandolfini, or any of the original cast—thought would ever get made. Today, The Sopranos is perhaps the greatest pop-culture masterpiece of its day, a fearless series that has transformed television. With the story of Tony Soprano, mobster in midlife crisis, just nine episodes from a finale, the players behind the phenomenon tell how it all went down.
by Peter Biskind April 2007

Read the entire article here.

stick little black pins in them.

I have an acquaintance who when told something horrible has happened to someone will automatically resort to useless New Age rhetoric:

"Bad things happen as lessons to us and in the end we realize that it was in fact a gift."

A gift? I disagree. Strongly. Sometimes bad things happen to us because there are rotten people in the world who have no respect for the dignity of other people. Fuck them.

I have been subjected to what could best be described as a verbal beating that included and was not limited to character assassination of yours truly. The metaphor goes like this:

Someone I knew I led me into a well-lit alley and then proceeded to beat the shit out of me while two people (who could have stopped it) watched.

Now that the utter shock has subsided I find myself going over all my notes on stregoneria, Santeria, and Voodoo from way back when. Legal recourse won't be enough to quench the fire in my heart. It'll help, but from where I'm standing right now...

Io voglio vendetta.

Well it's true...

A year has passed and today I pack up my office and close the door behind me for the very last time.

It has been one hell of an adventure.

My Zia, buon'anima, used to say:

"quando si chiude 'na porta, s'apre 'na finestra."

When a door closes, a window opens. I used to always challenge her on how can a window compare to or be better than a door, to which she would reply:

"ugh... you inherited your father's pessimism .... It just does. "

it's not like I can change anything so, I'll spend the next week or two getting my house in order (literally!). Maybe I will attain that ever elusive goal of a clean and tidy house with two children between the ages of 3 and 5.

How do you let go of something you are not finished doing?

Do you know your truth?
Is it your truth or someone else's?

Are you who you think you are?
Are you who others tell you you are?

Are you a moral person?
Are you a good person?

Are you humane?
Are you caring?

Are you competent?
Are you professional?

I am currently in a situation that has me totally beside myself. I mean it. I feel like I'm out of my body hovering right by it trying to figure out what the heck am I looking at? It has me questioning everything I thought I knew to be true about myself. It is very painful.

This still rings true to me after all this time.

For Kent:



"This movie was tailor made for Diana Ross, at the height of her career, & it's a must see for all her fans. Sure, it's pure fantasy but it is very entertaining. It's in the campy/angst ridden/clichéd genre of rags to riches movies like "Valley of The Dolls", "Back Street", "Harlow", etc. The movie is overloaded with Ross from the theme song, the (ugly) clothing she designed for it, & the fact that she's in just about every scene. It SCREAMS: 1970'S!!!" ~IMDB User Comments

Yes, yes, YES! I have loved this song since I first saw the movie 30 years ago.