I Voted !

     This is the first year, since I started voting, that I voted early instead of waiting until November 4th. Apparently a lot of people do just that because it was actually busy and so was everyone that was working ! My motivation was in reaction to one of the fiercest political contests in my memory. After I watched the first debate between Obama and McCain my decision was made. I didn't like the way McCain addressed Obama. He was totally disrespectful and I was shocked that he was pointed at and ridiculed as if he was a non-person standing there. I wonder what John F. Kennedy (our Civil Rights president) would have thought- were he alive today- to see a presidential debate erode into such a spectacle as this one.

     I've heard so much right-wing garbage coming from the news, radio, TV ads, slanted newspaper articles,  phone calls and snail mail political cards that I cannot understand why these people still believe they are Christians after saying some of things that have been said. Conversely, I commend Obama for staying on track by focusing on coming out with some details on the changes he wants to make. They all sound pretty reasonable to me and I haven't heard that much negative feedback towards McCain from him- despite all the terrible talk that has swirled around Obama from McCain's camp. 

     I have found that character counts for more than all the cheap rhetoric anybody can muster. Character isn't about people not making mistakes- everybody makes mistakes, big and little. Character is about how someone handles the situation when they make a mistake and their self-deportment when in the middle of disaster. Now more than ever we need someone in the White House with real character. We have been lied to for eight years and it's high time someone start telling the truth, rolling up sleeves and correcting the problem instead of covering up lies with more folly.  McCain has said that he agrees with Bush most of time on issues that have become worse than thorny. He was a part of this dangerous bail-out and he may not be able to even stay in office due to his bad health.

     Who would that leave in charge? Sarah Palin. If that idea doesn't scare you, think about this scenario. A woman who is so busy with expensive shopping sprees and supposedly running office in Alaska that she doesn't have enough time to counsel her teenage daughter from making irreversible mistakes such as having unprotected sex. Am I to believe that she could handle a country that is currently in the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression? That she would know what to do if another 9/11 were to happen? Has she shown an ability to correct mistakes and in a calm and cool manner? ( Hint: Neither she nor McCain show anything but hot-headed fervor over non-issues !) She condemns abortion even in the case of incest and rape. Do you think she's really thought about and examined this issue on all sides and been sensitive to peoples wishes, opinions or even their fears and heartaches? I wonder about people who say they have voted or will vote for someone solely on their stand on abortion when the same issue was bandied around Bush. Eight years have passed without change. Perhaps someone should tell these voters that since this is an issue passed through Supreme Court (through Roe vs Wade) the only people that would make a decision repealing or keeping this landmark legislation has nothing to do with the person in the Oval office. 

     Even if I don't agree with laws such as Roe vs Wade, legalizing euthanasia or the death penalty does that mean that I have a right to impose my views on the people as a whole? In a way, this is a judgment and a way of imposing my judgment on others using the court system as my henchman. Roe vs Wade was passed so that any woman who decides that pregnancy is a threat to her life or may be unsafe for her can obtain a safe and legal abortion. Many illegal abortions took place before Roe vs Wade was passed and many women bled to death in warehouses and empty office buildings because abortion wasn't legal. If Roe vs Wade is repealed we can expect more of that. You can see what the effect has been during the time that Roe vs Wade has been under fire from pro-lifers. How many newspaper articles have you read reporting about newborn babies having been thrown into dumpsters, found in public toilets or a high school gym bathroom during a prom? I have read one too many. Obviously, this problem will not go away even if Roe vs Wade is repealed.

     If you are interested in taking a healthy outlook and direct focus to the more pressing issues which threaten this country currently- homeland security, the state of the economy, unemployment, foreclosures ( an issue which might prevent U.S. citizens from voting if they don't know their rights) with an eye to solving the problems and not covering them up or pretending they don't exist, then Obama is actually the right man for you to vote into the presidential office. I believe he will stand up for what is right, fair and true and can keep the correct composure for making the crucial decisions which must be made in the coming years concerning the so-called preventive war in Iraq, health care insurance for everyone, securing our still unsecured borders and making it possible for unemployment to become non-existent within our borders.

    

 I have a dream- so does Obama.

It's the same dream.

The Castle Lady avec beaucoup d'amour!

 

    

Greatness

     Have you noticed that no one has ever done anything truly great by staying at home? Risk takers, gamblers, movers and shakers are the variety of people who are traditionally restless and ambitious. They take risks that no one else dares to venture. Often they would rather be out where action seems to be in high gear than take quiet, solitary and routine paths. They don't see life as something to conserve but rather more like a bank account which needs to be spent. You will never hear them grumble about a loss but you will probably always hear about their latest scheme or plan- and they always have a plan.

    I will grant you this much- this type of attitude can be taken to extremes. We don't have Gamblers Anonymous without a good reason. On the whole, however, I personally would rather live to achieve great accomplishments than shuffle around and try to act busy while making someone else rich. I'd rather really be busy and take my chances with living.

    Now, if someone looks at life with this "mega" drive and zeal there are negative aspects which need to be in check or just about anything can go wrong. Basically, a person like this may spend too much money. It is only when a true fortune has been made ( i.e. at least $1,000.000 !) that one can truly forget about money and even then, so much money may be going out that a budget is the only thing that saves the fortune. Obviously someone has to be watching the bottom line and the person with the "mega" drive will most likely need someone else to take care of finances.

    This type of person will almost always be outspoken and have outlandish ideas which go against the grain of conventional thinking and action. Often they are unique in their approach to a chosen profession. This person may even be an inventor without fully realizing it. In the early days of patents many people were mislead to believe that patenting was a sensible approach to making lots of money and they wasted manufacturers time because they didn't have this unique way of thinking which produces new products or better-made devices and products. (There are legendary jokes about zany contraptions which did nothing but make a mess or worse!) Call them what you will- geniuses, prodigies or just plain gifted- the real movers and shakers see everything from a different angle and may not fully realize their potential. They just know a good idea when they see it and know how to make it work.

    The "mega" drive types aren't the only geniuses in the world but they do have the initiative that people who don't possess such boldness often sorely need. In short, there are more sheep than rams in this world and we need to be sensitive even to these people. Often they don't come in this exact mold and quietly go about the business of what they do and know. 

    I count myself among the "mega" types although I don't fit the description exactly to a tee. For one, I am very careful with money and very value-conscious when it comes to making purchases. I don't buy junk- ever! I took the risk of going into business- the storefront variety- by myself, with no investors and without a loan just before I turned thirty! My business was successful for seven years. Did I crash and burn, you ask? No. I liquidated my business and did very well even though my business was service related. I continued in the service but unloaded the equipment. This is much more savvy than the average Mom and Pop business venture which normally folds within three years.

    To conclude, I would say that I am definitely a risk-taker but I make calculated risks and I never overextend my spending ability, no matter the situation. There is no good reason for someone to be tens of thousands of dollars in debt today and if a person is in that kind of dilemma they need to take a good look at their priorities along with the situation. Is there merely a spending-consciousness here or a real drive to excel? Do you bring something to the world market which improves the world or to make the world a better place to live?

    Greatness comes to the person who finds how to solve real problems or finds how to serve mankind well and with more humility than heroics. Heroics are great for the movies but becoming a real life hero means to take a backseat on the laudits and learn how to enjoy another's happiness. Adding character to any service to the public in general is the true path to greatness. That's something we can all believe in and strive for today.

    Great big hugs and kisses from The Castle Lady !

     

      

Birthdays

     Having recently celebrated a birthday myself I decided to pay particular attention to how people treated me if they knew it was my birthday as opposed to those who didn't and I came up with some startling conclusions based just upon this day in question. Birthdays are a bit of a curiosity when you really deeply contemplate the way we celebrate them. Just the fact that we celebrate them at all is an oddity in and of itself although because we as human beings are steeped in all our traditions they seem quite natural and we nearly take them for granted. In the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, " Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" they had a tradition for birthdays that for us would seem quite reprehensible. For all Hobbits the tradition was that the person celebrating the birthday gave everyone else a present and not the other way around. Now Tolkien may have been playing with our heads a little bit but I think, on the whole he made an excellent argument without making one.  

     Here's a bit of a curiosity: Why do we make a special cake that says 'Happy Birthday' on it and serve it with ice cream? Why don't we always serve ice cream on cake? There are other traditions from foreign countries which have made it to our shores. How about the Mexican tradition of children being given pinatas, which are filled with candy and toys, then are strung up in a tree? They give the child celebrating the birthday a pole or stick and they set them about hitting and striking it until it bursts open and all the children who have attended and the birthday boy or girl scramble around trying to gather up as much as they can for themselves. Rather curious isn't it? I don't know if this is an American tradition but I can't tell you how many birthday parties I attended as a child where we always played "pin the tail on the donkey". I don't know if they still play this game.

     The final item is a particular puzzle in and of itself. Why do we have to wait until a birthday to make someone feel special ? If this person in question really is so special why don't we demonstrate this in more spontaneous ways. Do we really need to wait until someone has waited about 365 days to let them know they are thought about and deserve recognition? I am reminded of the Alice in Wonderland books. We may only have one birthday a year but we have many more un-birthdays. Maybe we should concentrate on those and not make such a big deal out of the one day. Okay, for those who would never give up the tradition- have a blowout on your next birthday but consider what I just said. There's a lot of people out there who feel unloved, unnecessarily.

 

Just The Castle Lady with lots of kisses and hugs !  

He Loves Books

     About a month ago I read a book review on Larry McMurtry's version of an autobiography. ( He is most famous for authoring the books "Terms of Endearment", "The Last Picture Show" etc. which were subsequently made into successful films and has co-authored many screenplays including "Brokeback Mountain" which won him an Academy Award, of course.) I can't remember the last time I read a review on an author's autobiography, in fact, this may be the only one I've encountered.

     I think what really struck a dissonant note with me about the piece was lack of understanding between two writers. Let me count the ways:

            1. The title speaks for itself so we don't have to wonder what it might contain.

            2. Instead of getting a glimpse of how Larry feels about his subject (i.e. books) we are given a character assassination over his reluctance to write about himself or his relationships to the point that he is accused of being bitter because someone (not necessarily himself) is supposedly jealous because others "have achieved more than he has."

            3. In the last two run-on sentences the reviewer, Ms Margolin, takes him to task for not illuminating his life for the reader with the same artistry as his fiction works. This ignores the fact that much of fiction contains a certain amount of fact about the writer. It may be a little or a lot, depending on how private the writer can be in any given situation.

     I, like Larry , tend to avoid revealing much of myself in my non-fiction writing almost to the point of reticence. Further, it is not a deliberate avoidance but more a professional tendency. My introspection is saved for my hand-written journals which are only written for and read by one person; myself.

     You see, writers traditionally are like this by nature. Most of us are not media journalists or moguls and our natural habitat is a library, bookstore or just a quiet place to write.

     I would be willing to bet that if we really want to know Mr. McMurtry a little more than what he revealed in his book, "Books : A Memoir", it may be best to go back and read one or more of the 28 novels he's written.

Twenty-eight kisses from The Castle Lady ! ! !  

 

He that loveth a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counselor,

a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. - Dr. Isaac Barrow

( on a plaque at the Upper Montclair, N.J. public library )

Museums are a trip !

     Last Saturday I went on a little foray to The Denver Museum of Nature and Science as a little break from my usual of working on a day that everyone else on this planet takes off. It was well worth the trip. It has been so long since the last time I visited- probably to see a show at IMAX. This complex encompasses IMAX and our Gates Planetarium, also, so it's always worth it to go! I spent the entire time in the gift shop which is often as fascinating as the museum itself because there are many interactive displays along with gifts and specimens you can buy. I found lots of stuff without breaking the bank, too!

     As a child I remember that, among much smaller dinosaur fossils, this huge T-Rex fossil which dominates the big room and reaches all the way to the ceiling. Even as an adult it can make you feel so small and insignificant. Most of the fossils exhibited were found in Colorado which is one of the most fossil-rich areas in the world. They have thousands of fossils dating back at least as far as 500 million years, according to their claim. Even if I don't believe they're that old it's still an awesome sight to see these bones put together to form the skeletal remains of an animal I'll never actually see. Most of the important part of the collection, Prehistoric Journey, is on Level 3 and the exhibition is well tagged along with explanations of how Earth evolved. What does it matter how long I think it took as compared with their time line which is more years than I believe the earth has even existed ? It's all there and worth contemplating. There is an adjacent lab where you can watch researchers at work- cleaning and preparing fossils for study and to place on exhibit.

     Even though castles are not and never were a living, breathing entity I feel the same way about these edifices as people feel about paleontology and all its variables. There are many aspects of these fabulous monsters that we may never know. In the case of castles, it is how mere men were capable of moving and placing stones without any of the equipment we use today in the form of earth movers, cranes, tractors, mobile shovel loaders, scraper loaders or by making use of straight-line link mechanisms in the case of siege engines. Obviously they are every bit as fascinating if you take the time to really study them in the proper context.  

     Most medieval castles today are museums and are a way of tracing more than human life. Forming and reforming our current mode of existence, castles are a real study in the survival of the human species. I will be writing more on this subject in an upcoming entry on my Live Space blog in August, so keep checking in @ http://castlelady.spaces.live.com to find out more than maybe you ever wanted to know about castles. As for myself...

I love castles, The Castle Lady !

The Smart Pill

Interestingly, a few days after I wrote my last entry I came across an article in USA Weekend which expounded on new research showing how exercise has direct biological effects on the brain and functions controlled by the brain. According to this article written by Dr. Tedd Mitchell, a researcher, John Ratey ( who wrote Spark : The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain ) among others- talk about brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which is a protein that builds and maintains the brain's cell circuitry. According to Ratey,

"Researchers have studied how exercise affects things like improved memory, academic performance and executive function at work. The connection is powerful. As our nation ages, we'll be concerned about preventing neurological disorders like Alzheimer's. Kids ability to remain focused for learning is critical and for active adults everyday stress paves the way for a need for achieving mental calmness. Exercise plays a strong role in raising these BDNF levels which are essential for our well-being in these areas and can be used as a medicine- a 'smart pill', if you will," Ratey says.

Put all this together with what I already wrote and you can see that regular exercise is crucial for maintaining health in many areas besides weight control. As we move into the 21st century I believe exercise will be relied upon more and more as technology advances and we would be likely to become more and more sedentary. For my money it's the best and most economical way to maintain my health- both mental and physical. There are most likely many benefits that don't get mentioned because studies remain centered on our most pressing issues in the modern age. I can vouch for the way I feel after a good walk and taking thirty free shots at our basketball court in the local park. There's nothing that can take the place of that !

Keep your happy feet walking !

The Castle Lady

The preservation of health is a duty.

Few seem conscious that there is such a thing as physical morality.

- Herbert Spencer

Sedentary? Not !

     For many years now I have made a regular daily practice of walking for exercise every morning. I found it was the most economical and effective way to get my exercise for the day. I started with walking about  a half hour in the mornings when I was in my early twenties and then expanded it to a full 45 minutes then to an hour later on, encouraged by a weight loss of twenty pounds. I was nearly too thin for my frame.

     After that, I became very fitness-minded and have incorporated other exercise for cross-training. The idea behind cross-training is never allowing your body to get indifferent to a single activity. By continually evolving in your daily practice, every muscle of your body is at least contralaterally exercised if not literally. Covert Bailey wrote, "The more trained muscle a person has, the greater the crossover response in unused muscle...Muscles that are heavily used in ( a )  sport produce lactic acid, which can then be processed by aerobically developed muscles that are not being overused during the sport."

     What this essentially does is make your body more efficient in burning fat which is the usual reason people exercise. You see, no matter your activity, you burn fat all day long. People who are overweight to obese are simply not efficient fat burners.

     I have a favorite Conrad quote that I think about, occasionally, when I walk.

          "Action is consolatory. It is the enemy of thought and the friend of flattering illusions."

     I suppose that the more thoughtful, sedentary part of myself is chiding the restless spirit which says, "Don't just sit there, do something." I know, however, that with all the hours I spend writing- not moving, mind you!- I am very justified in giving my body the proper amount of exercise to balance my life, spirit and physical being.

     Apparently Conrad took a view that people of action really didn't put much thought into it. However, Nietzsche wrote, "Only thoughts reached by walking have value." There are many writers who took long solitary walks- many were English- The Brontees, Alexander Pope and many more.

     I have personally found that walks can be inspirational but often they just seem to have a calming effect which is essential to being able to write well and clearly. Most recently studies conducted in France, Sweden and the U. S. are indicating that regular exercise- by elevating cardio-respiratory fitness in study subjects- can also correlate with improved brain function because it stimulates the manufacturing of neurotransmitters (hormones). These would, in turn, make a better environment conducive to writing and reading since a clear, receptive brain is always better than a mind bogged down with worry, cares or emotional upheaval. I guess you could say that walking is the opportunity to cross-train for excellent writing ! Writing is a rather lonely profession, but if you enjoy being alone with your thoughts then both walking and writing are a path to pleasure and enlightenment. I highly recommend both !

Pour ton plaisir, embrasses et bisous! The Castle Lady

ne vile velis

     Well, here we are smack dab in the middle of summer and once again I'm backlogged in so many simultaneous projects I don't know quite what to get at first! When I have to quit at night to sleep, I'm faced with where to start back up again the next morning. This is all amid the daily work a summer household requires- including my personal care- and fitting in work that I'm paid to do, presently.

     In short my life has become one long rollercoaster ride of trying to accomplish the impossible by myself, get it sold and get to the bank before it closes. This aspect of my life has become a wild-goose chase which only saps my energy and then disorients me to the work that I started prior to the "emergency interruption" which is important but certainly not important to my work. If I am competing with anybody it is only myself and I can't tell which part of me is losing. Maybe the exhausted "me" at the end of the day loses. 

     If any young women out there think life is smooth sailing once you've achieved a certain level of success, I want you to know right now that life won't get any easier- it will become more difficult, complicated and time-consuming. Money has nothing to do with ease but simplifying your life is a given. That requires ending the competition with the Joneses and learning to prioritize your life to match your true (and most selfless) goals along with some selfish reasons as well!

     My title literally is Latin for "form no vile wish" but is better put as "refrain from evil desires". Since many people seem more motivated by greed and competitiveness in the 21st century than ever before this is a wonderful credo to live by more than any other. I am thinking of my great grandparents (none of whom I ever met but have heard many stories about !) as I write those words. That credo taken into practice is a positive aspect of democracy and free enterprise. It also happens to be a better way to live.

     Trying to match someone's lifestyle has never been an aspiration for me nor does trying to look good, drive a better car or outdo my so-called peers in any aspect. I'm more concerned with my inner person and how she's doing. Even when I am at my most stressed I think of ways to ease up on myself but I wasn't always this way. I had to teach myself to pace my day on any given weekday and learn to be content with my best efforts. That's a real test for a perfectionist like myself. Maybe I don't compare myself to others but it is disheartening to see someone make gains at my expense when they don't share my integrity, work ethic or sense of excellence. 

     ne vile velis is more about making sure that you are the right person not whether you're better than someone else. It is about keeping your desires in line with a God who watches to see if you will do the right thing when put to a test of nerves, will or strength.

With strong kisses, The Castle Lady !

 

So much is a man worth as he esteems himself.- F. Rabelais

Why do they do it ?

You know, I wish I had a dollar for every time I've taken a quick glance at someone's blog out of curiosity and found something less than appealing on it, whether it has been an offensive photo, a blog entry railing on some unknowing boss or someone's bad blind date. Whatever the subject, I am really starting to wonder why people don't think at least four times about the ramifications before they post something on a blog that's less than socially acceptable. As an article I recently read on the subject quotes, "This generation didn't invent stupidity.. it's just the first to post it online for all the world to see."
As a matter of fact this same article made the point I want to make in this entry with this quote.
"Anything you post online is public information."
If you don't understand that, then you shouldn't put anything online. The biggest misconception that people have about the internet are those who think that any type of interaction online is private. There's no such thing as private and online and that's regardless of the forum or what you deem as deserted. As a matter of fact a potential employer can simply Google your name and a lot of information comes up about you that you might think is none of his/her business. This is the information age and they can and will find out many things about you. You can't control mandatory data but you can control the information you supply about yourself, personally.
That is why I don't understand why a woman would post nude photos of herself online. I've seen a few photos posted on blogs that made me want to vomit. I've seen quite a few images online, quite by chance, that didn't belong where they were posted. These photos involve human beings with brains. Why do they do it? Only they can answer that, but I have a sneaking hunch that most of these people really didn't think a whole lot before they went to the trouble to alert all internet viewers of the inane action they just made against their own person.
In conclusion, I would like to mention that in the beginning of my ventures online, which were merely e-mails at first, I allowed myself to become embroiled in online fighting. When my hypertension got the best of me for about the fiftieth time (probably over someone making a mean comment to me about a poem I posted on a poetry web site ) I realized that some battles weren't worth getting embroiled in and I couldn't control what they do but I could control what I chose to place. After that, it was smooth sailing for the most part. It's one of the reasons that blogs are so popular. It's your baby and you get to say who stays, who goes and what's on the menu. It's also your chance to show your true self.
Or not.

The Castle Lady keeps you in line and online

in style ! Kisses and hugs !

The King of Spring

     When Spring returns each year I start to think about how I can improve and streamline my life. Simplifying your routine or surroundings is a better way to get control of what may be out of order or not looking the best professionally or domestically. In my case the two are hopelessly intertwined because a good part of my actual work is done at home. Most people just clean, throw out what they term junk and get ready for a season of accumulating.

     For me, Spring is more than just getting ready for summer or warmer months ahead. It's a time to renew my mind and form my surroundings to synchronize with my mind. I do my best thinking, writing and living when everything is in rhythm. I like to make major changes at this time of year. I started my first business in April of 1990. I moved back to my native Colorado in April from San Diego in 1983 after living there for a few years. These are major changes  but I made them without thinking twice because I was prepared and ready for change.

     I can't imagine the mentality of not wanting to change or denying other people the opportunity to redefine or completely turn their life around. If life is about anything in particular it's growing, learning, transforming and becoming all you are meant to be. This requires that you become a little more flexible in your schedule, perhaps making sacrifices or repenting of old attitudes and opinions. It's not an easy task for many people. So often, people miss golden opportunities because they cling to what they know. The strangest sanctuary people return to is "things have always been this way and it's never going to be different". In truth, they don't want to modify their lives in any way because remaining the same gives them a false sense of security.

     For those who are resistant I would give a stern lecture on thinking only inside the box at all times. I believe they do it because they are full of fear about the future and knowing tomorrow will be the same as yesterday is preferable to having to face the unknown. This is an especially sad attitude for young people. I have never taken this attitude and it's opened many doors of adventure, enterprise and just plain joy for me. I don't want to live the way most people live and not because I think it's boring but because I don't believe it's real life.

     Limiting your experiences and sticking with the tried and true may feel, for some, to be practical and safe but in the long run nothing is to be gained by never risking anything. It is the opposite of gambling and furthermore- not any less addictive. There is something oddly obsessive about attaching the word "normal" to our lives especially since no one really seems to know what that is anyway. Maybe the real question we should all ask ourselves is, "Does my life make sense?"

 

The Castle Lady filling up your senses!   

      

      We are not the same person this year as last; nor are those we love.

It is a happy chance if we, changing,

continue to love a changed person.

- W. Somerset Maugham