music junkie

i'm a music junkie and thought it had been too long since i've posted a list of bands i'm listening to at the moment. Since the moment is constantly changing this list will not be indicative of my future tastes.

But for now you might want to check out:

Amadou and Mariam.....Welcome to Mali
Muse....The Resistance
Monsters of Folk....Monsters of Folk
David Grey.....Draw the Line
The xx.....xx
MGMT......Oracular Spactacular
Mason Jennings.....Blood of Man
Three Days Grace....Life Starts Now
The Rural Alberta Advantage....Hometowns

I don't like all the songs on all the albums...but find a way through, there is lots of good there. Lala.com is a fun place to listen to music.

i'm also a book junkie and although i haven't been reading much lately these were good.

Breakfast with Buddha...Roland Merullo
My Stroke of Insight....Jill Bolte Taylor
The Sparrow....Mary Doria Russell
I Am A Strange Loop....Douglas Hofstadter

The Century Plant is going through a metamorphosis. Most of the little plantlets that grew on the cut down stalk have spread out and fallen off. The shoot that came out a while ago had a partner that joined it. They both grew straight up with slight curves and then bent over to the west together. They have flowered together and i'm still watching them to see what is next. They are beautiful. The stalk is dying off and it will be interesting to see what is left in its place. All the little followers i imagine

Hope the bird is most amazing. Her flight of 3,500 continuous miles is a record for Whimbrels. She is still here, 46 days and counting. She has stayed longer than the researchers in Virginia thought she would. There was another Whimbrel that landed in the Dominican Republic but she only stayed two weeks and flew on to South America. She was released in Virginia in September and came straight to the Caribbean so hasn't been traveling as long as Hope.

My friend and i are the only ones to have seen Hope on St. Croix. We have seen her 3 times now and every time its as if it never happened. She is very skittish, has a lovely loud cry and i imagine because of that transmitter she is carrying she won't let us get too close. We also had a flagged Ruddy Turnstone that we are trying to find out where it came from. This time of year is a wonderful time for birding. i'm constantly amazed at how far these small creatures travel just to survive.

As most of you know i'm a believer in defensive war only, i don't believe in Just Wars there is no such thing. i think Guantanamo should be closed, we should be out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and those responsible for creating an environment where torture was tolerated and even condoned should be held accountable. i believe in universal health care and think we as a nation can do much better for those living within our borders.

Andrew Sullivan in the October issue of Atlantic Monthly has a four page letter that he wrote to President Bush. It is one of the most eloquent pieces i have read in a long, long time. He comes from a conservative background and expounds on those things he agreed with during the Bush administration. Many things i don't agree with but that is beside the point. He speaks to Bush in a respectful manner which many have lost the capacity to do in this day and age, and he speaks truth.

A very dear friend put me on to this piece and i'm putting the link here because everyone should read it. Please set aside some time from your hectic lives as this is very important.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200910/bush-torture


And finally aren't clouds the most pretty, handsome, good looking, alluring, prepossessing, delightful, bewitching, elegant, drop-dead gorgeous, easy on the eyes creations to look upon. All the color changes they go through as the sun rises and sets just makes my heart glow. My mother lives in Southern California and once said she was sick and tired of blue skies. "Blue, blue, blue" she said, "I've had enough." She longed for a billowy white cloud to look at. Well we have loads of them here taking all shapes and sizes. Hiding all sorts of messages. Look up and enjoy them. If you double click on the cloud pic you will find two rainbows.

e.e.cummings once said:
"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit."