Flip It

#1066 - Feeling Motivated To Clean and Going Further Than I Usually Do I flipped my mattress and washed the bedskirt (possibly for the first time.)

#1067 - Out the living room window - the sun was setting so the Only Thing Lit was The Bright Colors on Top of Trees - Like a Spotlight on Fall's Beauty

#1068 - Having a Personal Dance Party with K'Naan

#1069 - Wanting to play along with a song on the CD - I picked up the Guitar and Tried to Figure it Out and I Think I Did! (At least a simple version that sounded alright - first time I've done that.)

#1070 - Eating Simple Yummi Veggie Burritos on the Back Step on a Warm Fall Evening

Awake

Hello Tammy

<>Caponi Art Park

#1046 - My Soccer Team Played As A Team Today and I realized - We've been Playing Together for One Year Now Exactly

#1047 - As I was leaving soccer I walked past a referee for one of the following games. I said, "Hello."

He said, "Hello, Tammy. How are you?"

If I've spoken to him (I don't recall speaking to him) it would at the most be a coin toss at the beginning of a game. I've never told him my name, so the only way he would know it would be from hearing teammates call it. I was touched he had remembered.

#1048 - Laura Finding Bugs Flying in Sunlight Beautiful

#1049 - Seeing someone I worked with 6 years ago (and haven't seen since) in the co-op. I almost moved on, she hadn't seen me and I don't like small talk. I Didn't Though I Turned Around, Tapped Her Back and Gave Her a Hug.

#1050 - Finding/Searching for Meaning in Small Things - I do this all the time. In a fun way. In a life is a mystery way. Inquisitively thinking. "What Does it Mean that Woman Crossed My Path Today?" What comes to mind is that she is a a "real" artist. She was attending Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) when I knew her. The first thing I told her was that I did my first acrylic painting recently. (I will post a photo of this at some point.) The second thing that comes to mind is the work we were doing - political work. So she represent arts and political engagement.

Twister Discovery

#1036 - Twister - I always thought the picture of people tangled up on the cover of the board game was a lie. It never happened that way when I played. Today I played for the first time apparently actually following the rules and we looked like the cover. Now this game is actually fun thanks to Holly and Ashley.

#1037 - The Harvest Moon- rising at the high school football game and at least 3 other strangers I heard Commenting on its Beauty.

#1038 - Playing the Clarinet with Ashley - new instrument fun

#1039 - Watching Krystal Dance at Football

#1040 - At 10:30pm it is Quiet at my Cousin's House. (This has never happened at this hour.) Holly is asking me about my gratitudes. I read her the last ones and she was interested in Ingrid Betancourt and is asking me great questions about lots of topics.

What Matters

If You Could Use A Reminder

12 Hours of Sun

#1026 - Fall Equinox 2010 - Minneapolis, MN

Sunrise: 0700

Sunset: 1911

#1027 - The Woman who Reached out and Touched a Decorative Pumpkin as she Walked By (it had interesting texture)

#1028 - Ingrid Betancourt being on Oprah - (and the fact that I knew about it beforehand). I read Betancourt's book Until Death do Us Part : My Struggle to Reclaim Colombia right around the time she was kidnapped by FARC and held hostage for 6 years. To say she is a brave woman is an understatement.

#1029 - I've been listening to K'Naan's Troubadour CD. (I highly recommend it). Today I looked up the Chords for Wavin' Flag and Played Along. (I don't usually play with music so at first I was a little flustered that I had to follow someone else's pace, but fun).

#1030 - Glancing at my hand in a Mirror and thinking it looked Beautiful

Arms Sales

#1016 - Finally Making An Appointment to have the Piano Tuned - It hasn't been tuned in who knows how many years 20?, 30?, more?... I've been meaning to do this for 6 months. In general I am not a procrastinator, but sometimes/somethings there just seems to be a hold-up. I felt a sense of relief and energy when I finally took action on this today.

#1017 - Eating Dinner in the Backyard and Being Quiet Enough to Appreciate: the chipmunk whose mouth was full of bedding and surprised to see me along in his/her pathway, the breeze in the trees, and the red squirrel, clearly in charge, once again chasing a larger gray squirrel.

#1018 - Right After I Came inside a Friend Called to Read me Some Hafiz Poems - which required a quiet mind, sitting outside was good preparation

#1019 - Obama is Said to be Preparing to Seek Approval on Saudi Arms Sale... - this may become the largest arms deal in U.S. History. I heard about this on the radio recently and I'm reading a memoir where the woman spends some of her youth in Saudi Arabia. So I'm grateful because this blog made me do some research into this topic.

Let's talk a little about how women are regarded in Saudi Arabia. According to Wikipedia, Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women cannot drive on public roads. Not only that but women cannot travel at all without approval of their closest male relative, this relative could be their son. Apparently they also cannot vote or be elected to office.

"Freedom of speech and the press are restricted to forbid criticism of the government. Trade Unions and political organizations are banned. Public demonstrations are forbidden. The Saudi Government is an active censor of Internet reception within its borders." Wikipedia

So this country is our top customer for arms.

I'm grateful to know enough about history to remember in the 1980's we supplied weapons to both the Taliban in Afghanistan and Sadam Hussein/Iraq.

Do I think it would be okay if Sweden was our top arms customer? No, but seriously... Does what we do with our money reflect the kind of world we want to live in?

#1020 - NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF for his New York Times Op-Ed (and my brother for sharing it with me)