iTunes is the Greatest

But now, their great little invention is about to cost me a bunch of money, I can tell.

When you update iTunes to version 8, you're offered the opportunity to download Genius, which will automatically create playlists that play well together for you from your library. Grand.

That's not it, though. Those people at iTunes are smart and have Genius suggest songs which would go well with any song you're playing. For example, I played Enya's "How Can I Keep From Singing" (arguably my favorite hymn ever), and it suggested these fabulous additions.

• Lullaby (with Ladysmith Black Mambazo); Josh Groban
• The Andrew Lloyd Weber Collection, Sarah Brightman
• Edge of the Ocean; Ivy
• May it Be; Hayley Westenra & Conventus Choir
• J'ai Deux Amours; Madeline Peyroux
• Arms of a Woman; Amos Lee

So, perhaps I really just need to set aside some decent pocket change so I can have all the wonderful songs iTunes is suggesting now. *Sigh.*

Move On, Already!

(March 22, 1999)

We grieve for the loss of things, or persons, ache for what we cannot do, but there is a day when the sun finally shines. We can make it.

Time heals more quickly when we decide to let it. It is written that any man can make a mistake, but none but a fool will continue in it.

This is a new day; live it fully.

Peace,
Tawanka

I Just Have to Agree With This

From an email I've received (and subsequently checked against Wikipedia):

You are The Boss . . . which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, multiple war fronts, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, skyrocketing Federal spending, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc., etc., this is an unusually critical election year.

Let's look at the educational background of your two options:

Obama:
Occidental College - Two years.
Columbia University - B.A. political science with a specialization in
international relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude, where he was also selected as Editor of the Harvard Law Review

& Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

VS.

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899

& Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire ?

Now, truthfully, these are all real people. Oddly enough, I'd bet there are people out there who think they can relate to Ms. Palin just because they also went to four colleges to be able to graduate after 4 and 1/2 years. (Makes me wonder how long it would have taken had she just stayed at one.)

And there are certainly lots of people who think they can relate to John McCain because he only has an undergraduate degree--and they didn't like math, either.

And, truth be told, Joe Biden wasn't stellar in his education, but he did pursue and achieve more education, at not-too-shabby institutions.

Really, people. We're electing the next president. We want someone who can speak well and correctly. Who knows the difference between exports, imports and how they affect the deficit. Who can at least understand that there are very intelligent people out there who can at least help them understand the hoohah that's happening in our financial markets right now (although, it'd be very helpful if they understood the difference between equity and debt, I can assure you).
We want someone who's actually got a thorough knowledge of U.S. law. We want someone who knows our history and who knows the ins and outs of not only international relations, but also domestic relations.

So, all that to say: make your choice wisely when you vote.

This Friday Night . . .

More on the event of the year, put on by the DWSP.

Word of the Day

Which is pretty good, for two days before the ides, seeing as how one of the best days of the year is the day before the ides (for me, at least):

auspicious \aw-SPISH-uhs\, adjective:

1. Giving promise of success, prosperity, or happiness; predicting good; as, "an auspicious beginning."
2. Prosperous; fortunate; as, "auspicious years."

(c) Dictionary.com

I'll take that as a good sign. ;)

NWS: Yes, This Blog is for Adults

Today in my email, I find this:

The Value of Sex
Rather than more late nights at the office in search of that promotion, maybe all you really need is a little more sex. Researchers have found that regular sex is equivalent to a $50,000 annual pay raise in terms of life satisfaction, giving new meaning to the term benefits package. The average American has sex about once a week. Married people have more sex than the single or divorced, but everybody could stand to increase the frequency — especially if it makes you feel richer!
(c) Dr. Laura Berman

Amen, sister.

Forgiveness

(March 21, 1999)

Forgiveness seems to be a necessity for so many things that are wrong. Forgiveness never degrades, but elevates, and is not to let someone else get away with something, but to free ourselves from entanglement.

It frees us from bitter resentment that can make us sick, and can help heal the sickness if it's already there.

Eventually, it makes us glad that we did not react, doing and saying things for which we would later be very sorry.

Peace,
Tawanka

Six? Only Six? Geez.

Recently, Melody tagged me for this meme: list six unspectacular quirks. Makes me realize that my unspectacular quirks may not be quirks that I want to share with everyone, but then, they're unspectacular, so perhaps they're not that bad.

Here goes:
1) Even though I have summer robes, I don't grab for them first in the summer. I'm almost always cold - and I'm currently sitting in my fluffy winter robe. (Besides, it's so cozy, it's yummy.)

2) There are times when I cannot be bothered to put clothes away. At all. Like now. You should see the pile of clothes that needs to be put up that's on my bed right now. Luckily, I've got a guest bed, so I still get somewhere comfy to sleep, un-impeded by the mounds of laundry. (Hey, it's a good reminder that I've got more than enough clothes and it does sometimes keep me from shopping frivolously!)

3) I walk around outside barefoot a lot: in the yard; on the sidewalk; in the garden; on the back hill; on the porch; on the deck; down the street. It doesn't matter whether it's raining or not, but I definitely won't be out walking barefoot when it's snowing.

4) My collection of unread books might be more numerous than my collection of read books, but I'm convinced I'll read them all someday! If only I could not visit Border's or Ed McKay's or . . .

5) People who have at least a high school education should be able to correctly construct a sentence. Anyone who can't automatically loses, oh, 50 IQ points in my book (because then it's a choice and why would you choose to not correctly construct a sentence?).

6) I've got 20+ pieces of Texas Toast in my freezer. :)

Oh, How Cool

So, Bookmarks is coming up (September 13, if you didn't know already), and I'm all sorts of thrilled about it. Jess and I kinda stumbled upon it last year and LOVED it. Made a number of people we know jealous that they didn't know about it. (Oh, and yeah, I added it to "Events I'm Attending" on Goodreads.)

Among the authors, the food, the activities, the workshops, the exhibitors, there's also this really, really cool news:

STORYCORPS will be at Bookmarks!

Now, how they're gonna pull that off, I'm not really sure. But among the NPR series that I love these days, StoryCorps is in the top 10. (Perhaps that will be tomorrow's blog post . . .) Maybe I'll interview mom. Or dad. Or both.

Ooh, and maybe we'll talk about Tawanka.

Is it Really September Already?!

Ok, ok. Yes, it is September. I might be able to handle that.

I was going to write that life was starting to slow down (being done with tourney and almost done with the crisis situation at the office), but then I realize this is what's happening so far in September:
- Baby shower on the 6th
- My APR panel on September 9
- My baby sister's and my father's birthday on the 11th
- The big crisis conference that I'm planning, with four others
- Bridal shower on the 13th (Gotta RSVP and hit Sur La Table)
- Bookmarks on the 13th
- My birthday on the 14th (and some sort of planning for some sort of event)
- Winston book club on the 17th (The Red Leather Diary, Lily Koppel)
- Greensboro book club on the 21st (Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen)
- Hopefully, the end of the crisis situation I've been working on since March

OH! And Alli comes to town for a visit. Well, a stay. Five weeks of it (yeah!).

Busy September. But how's that any different from the rest of my life? ;)