Embrace Friday the 13th as if it means only the #bestofeverything

Yes, you got it :: today is Friday the 13th and you had better not have been belly aching about bad luck, this or that.  Have a listen to this swan song that came out in 1980 from the Talking Heads that pokes fun and demystifies complaining and inspires us to get a move on if we want what we want:

Once in a lifetime
Is pretty startling.  It is a resonating message that today, May 13, 2016, is once in a lifetime.  You will not have another chance to relive it.  So make it worth a story worth telling.

I was fiddling around with my camera app on my laptop and decided to ignore it and just get down to writing, darn it.

I am all showered and made up to head out and meet my husband as we drop our inherited car off to have new tires put on.

Inherited?  Well, it's part of the 50s inheritance plan :: It's when you cosign a car loan and your daughter decides to head out to make her mark in the world, leaving you with the loan so you start driving it.

Now you may get the reason why I have the gadget to the right with cars called "Pump this ride".  It is my expressive rebellion on taking responsibility over want.  

I realized that I really don't post many pictures of myself so I did a couple of selfies to show that I'm not short on attitude, just in height.

My husband is already texting me to see if I've left - we're meeting in an hour and 15 for darn's sake - my way of gaining control over my life is being late more often than not.  That's from a gal who was meticulous about being on time, so much so that I was always 20 minutes early for everything and had to fight the boredom of waiting.

So I'll write about the favorite makeup used today later on.  The texts are coming speedily and if I want to meet my husband after work again, I'd better disprove his "always late" label for me (which wouldn't be far from the truth).

Remember to make today, your BEST day ever!!

xo

Immortally memorable: Christopher Reeve

I admit that I had a secret crush on Christopher

Reeve and wanted to stumble onto​ his path 

when he was in Calgary filming Superman II in 

the 80s. Unfortunately, that never happened. 

Yet this unforgettable quote came from an 

ordinary movie star who became an 

extraordinary hero.

His life demonstrates to us that however much

we think of ourselves, we can be humbled by a

power outside our control to become our true

destiny in whatever form that makes us 

memorable forever.

Once a beacon of strength in character and out,

Christopher Reeve became a symbol of courage 

in his quest for a cure by spinal cord research.

Within us (sometimes disguised) is a powerful 

talent that we need to discover. It may not 

be destined as glamour or glory, it is not ours to

decide. It lies beyond our dreams to reach out,

to grasp, capture, and embrace it.

Stroll down memory lane with me in this clip from

Superman who is getting drunk in the East 

Village of Calgary. You will see some

of our landmarks (Calgary Tower, St. Louis) ...

In our days of pining for what we want or

dwelling on what we don't, we should remember

what we have. Be full of gratitude for each 

moment and extend forgiveness when it is ours

to give.



Thanks Chris.

xo

How Sean Penn is re-inventing himself

One can't help the past couple of days two headlines featuring Sean Penn, as an interview:  first with kingpin druglord and then squashed interview with ISIS Chief (as reported by The New Yorker):

ISIS Chief Abruptly Cancels Meeting 

with Sean Penn

BY ANDY BOROWITZ

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CREDITPHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHANE MAHE / REUTERS

HOLLYWOOD (The Borowitz Report)—Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the terror group known as ISIS, has cancelled a long awaited meeting with the actor Sean Penn, a spokesman for the group announced on Sunday.

The spokesman gave no reason for the abrupt cancellation, but said that al-Baghdadi no longer felt that meeting with Penn would be “prudent.”

A publicist for the film actor said that he was “disappointed” by the sudden termination of his appointment with the ISIS chief, and noted that Penn had gotten himself outfitted in brand new desert-camo attire in preparation for the meeting.

For his part, the ISIS spokesman said that al-Baghdadi hoped that Penn would harbor “no hard feelings” toward him, and emphasized that he remained an “enormous fan” of the actor.

“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi loves all of Sean’s films, even that one he did with Madonna,” the spokesman said.

Sean Penn Under Fire for ‘Crazy’ El Chapo Interview

Sean Penn Interviews Mexican Drug Lord ‘El Chapo’ While Fugitive

“Why didn’t Sean Penn ask El Chapo how many real journalists his organization has killed?” a New Yorker reporter writes on Twitter

Sean Penn is taking heat on multiple fronts for his bombshell interview with Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Rolling Stone published Penn’s interview on Saturday night, one day after Mexican authorities recaptured the Sinaloa cartel boss. In his article, Penn detailed traveling to Mexico with actress Kate del Castillo to sit-down with El Chapo, but not everyone was impressed.

“If one of these American actors who have benefited from the greatness of this country, who have made money from our free enterprise system, want to go fawn all over a criminal and a drug trafficker in their interviews, they have a Constitutional right to do it,” Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “I find it grotesque.”

Also Read: 7 Takeaways From Sean Penn's Rolling Stone Interview With El Chapo

During Penn’s interview, El Chapo talked about GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, who has described Mexican immigrants in the U.S. as “rapists” and “criminals.”

Trump appeared on NBC and Fox News on Sunday, but the conversations were taped and did not include his reaction to the article. However, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough did weigh in on the story.

“It poses a lot of very interesting questions both for him and for others involved in this-so-called interview, so we’ll see what happens on that – I’m not going to get ahead of it,” McDonough told CNN.

Also Read: Sean Penn, Kate del Castillo Sought for Questioning After 'El Chapo' Interview

The journalism world was much more critical of Penn and Rolling Stone.

Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron took aim at the Hollywood actor, by tweeting a link to an article that said real journalists who cover Mexican drug traffickers often end up dead.

New Yorker writer Ben Taub tweeted a similar response: “Why didn’t Sean Penn ask El Chapo how many real journalists his organization has killed?””

Also Read: El Chapo's Favorite Sean Penn Movies? Hollywood Weighs In

Meanwhile, New Yorker editor Nicholas Thompson called Penn’s story “crazy.”

“Every single sentence here is crazy in one way or another,” he tweeted.

Read below for a compilation of tweets.

Is Sean Penn's interview with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the next issue? https://t.co/zIJQo77ac3

— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) January 10, 2016

I still don't understand how Sean Penn, of all the possible writers, is who secured the only interview ever with El Chapo.

— deray mckesson (@deray) January 10, 2016

Every single sentence here is crazy in one way or another. https://t.co/hJdnrWZhIA pic.twitter.com/mjouhCX5e0

— Nicholas Thompson (@nxthompson) January 10, 2016

El Chapo contacts Sean Penn thru @katedelcastillo because he wants to make a movie????? Resulting in his subsequent arrest. #hollywooddreams

— Gabriel Salvador (@RealGSalvador) January 10, 2016

The pen is mightier than the sword. Unless it is Sean Penn's pen.

— John Lurie (@lurie_john) January 10, 2016

Sean Penn can’t write.

— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) January 10, 2016

I don’t think it was worth @RollingStone giving up editorial control to a murderer for Sean Penn’s diary entry and a short Q&A at the end.

— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) January 10, 2016

Why didn't Sean Penn ask El Chapo how many real journalists his organization has killed?

— Ben Taub (@bentaub91) January 10, 2016

Good moment to remember what happens to real journalists who cover Mexican drug traffickers https://t.co/xb7OASMTNe

— Marty Baron (@PostBaron) January 10, 2016

_________________________________________________________

Personally, I like how Sean is stepping out and recreating himself.  That is a healthy mode for survival in this topsy turvy world we live in where what matters can spin on a dime.  

I've enjoyed his ground breaking roles that have made us all go "WOW" at some point.  He appears to be anti-establishment.  He plays by his own rules, and makes them up as he goes along.

It takes courage to be true to oneself.  You have to develop a thick skin when you put yourself out there.  Controversy definitely sells.  However, my first reaction when I read about his meeting with El Chapo:  he's preparing for a role.  Why not?  Villains have been made into film since the beginning of the industry.

Now, I think Sean Penn is shedding Hollywood's skin and getting really comfortable in his own.  It is a great example for those trying to sort out their greater purpose.

If you're curious about something or someone, why not try to interview them?  If your career isn't going in the direction (or no direction) you want it to be, take a risk and just go for it.  It worked for Dennis Rodham meeting with basketball fan Kim Jong Un didn't it?  

Granted it was short lived.  Who are we to judge when so many would love a chance to have a chat with these unique villains of our day?  It sells ads, newspapers, magazines and television ratings.  So why not take a chapter out of media and make your own mark.  

Have a listen to this great Canadian group:  The Sheepdogs from Saskatchewan, an emerging favorite of mine:

Farewell 2015, bring on 2016

So close, yet so far away .... the count down to 2016 and the farewell to 2015.  Time to fold up the bitter thoughts that may have lingered and shed its unproductive head.  Syonara baby to all the naggy little irritants that floated above my head, ready to *PUFF* and become a cloud, waiting to pour the negative imaginations.  Take a snow blower to the tenacious icicles that make you freeze, instead of live high on life.  Hit those memories like a volleyball.

You know you have some, we all do.  Granted, some seem to have more than others.  Is it because they exhaust them, some appear to be too willing to share their grief?  When so many others, will bottle it up and without a leak, the smallest of shaddow will egnite an explosion of rage, or rant, or retaliation.  How calm those can seem unless you are around when it catches alight.

You wouldn't be harboring any resentment towards anyone or anything per chance would you?  Sometimes masked in blame, you gurgle and ripple when a reminder flickers before you:  a transit bus sign, a song soothes you before it reminds you of a time, when things were less complicated.  

The burden of security.  Laying in our minds in varying capacities.  To one it may mean safety, while distinctions apart:  a warm bed to sleep in, a healthy meal to eat, the last drag on the cigarrette and the final withdrawal of a needle.  Where being clothed is always a choice and having clothes to wash and change is always a blessing instead of a chore.  

To have hands to pick out vegetables or fruit because we are grocery shopping.  The littlest things gone missing.  New ones to be discovered.

Let 2016 be a time of peace.  A peace of mind, a peace sign, a peaceful time.  Void of explosions, where those in need are given safety and men and women are only friends.  

Rejoice in the peace sign.  Let it be renewed symbolism of hope.  Those who want * P E A C E * have their wishes granted.  Let art and music along with all means of expression carry that one unified theme * P E A C E * to you, to me, to your neighbour, to mine, to your church, to my prayers, to your job and all that entails:  be paid, love what you do, help others become better.

2016 brings about a freshness and spirit.  Avoid casting a noose around your neck called "Resolutions" that are high, wide and difficult to reach.  Instead find steps you can make in that ultimate destination.  Health equals exercise, mental health, security, love, vegetables, fruit and food we can learn to like.  


Replace "Resolutions" with absolutions.  Things that are possible for you to accomplish one minute, one hour, one day, one month, arriving at another year.  You have cast aside the negative in 2015's wind, to allow the sun to shine on optimism, hope, pride, and opportunity.

Look into your left hand.  It is almost time to blow the molecules left of 2015 away.  Your right hand trying to force you to look ahead.  Don't look down, look up.  The horizon is changing with you at the wheel.  Of your destiny.

TGIF Friday can sometimes be lonely on a dark snow covered road

I love Fridays, and actually, I get to experience

one again tomorrow. You see, I've been working

shift work for the first time in my life, going on

two years .......

One who works any 7 day of the week and any 

morning, afternoon or evening or a combination

of any of them all. There is nothing more

wholesome and rewarding as Friday.

A tradition we start in our teens, move into our

dating years, into our children's lives and all 

back again. Most important, in all of those 

memories are the friends we hold dear. 

Yes, I mean you. One who thinks to reach out

every single day. Perhaps for some that is their

brightness for their day. You bring that to

people, the world, and so much more. If you

don't. You should.

I drove along the lonely road

exhaust falling behind as hazy residue

The snow covering winter's total darkness

from light

The city behind with failing from sight

I had a talk with myself in my mind asking: 

are you living the life you designed?

Well, no, my honest voice spoke

Not out loud, for others to vote

It shows in your face when looking down

A slight crease, warding off forming a frown

The music in the background drowned out by the

whop whop whop of the wipers

You realize you've been gripping the wheel so

tightly as though fleeing vipers

Suddenly your grip loosens up ad your chin rises

Your eyes open wider in rejoicements to see

you've arrived at you journey's end without

hitting a tree

The radio's music tempo on the radio reacts

with an upbeat change -even if it is only

snow within eye's range.

You wanted to drive to dispell the worry and conquer the fear

To master the feelings that linger near

So take a drive in sleet and rain

Out of the city lights to clear your brain

Not realizing it as the symbol it was

Daily we face limitations clouded in fuzz

The gift that you strive forward to is 

a new appreciation of facing your fears

Like the miles on the snow ridden highway 

with music's melodic soothing

To hip hop lyrics, guitar strings beats it brings.

Startling us back to the light we should focus on

Appreciate life even on abandoned roads

Forget about work, life's worries, those fears

Instead, reflect upon nice acts of kindness

There is always someone not waiting, nor hoping

for a kind hand to reach out

That may be who you needed to remember as,

for and being about.

 

Your gift is wrapped, even with a bow,

Who it is waiting for, may never know

 

While the whole world may wonder

how you found the calmness you glow

It is for you, about you, the forgiving you,

the worries bursting with warm memories

How odd that it is. All day long, every day, we

see those we know, meet and care about 

Not ones we end up staking our lives, intentions

clouded by being part of a crew.

Forgetting to realize how important we are too.

Wanting to be close to that important crew

It is with caring and optimism that allows gratitude to renew

Written by Jeannette Marshall