Nykki fell asleep amid a Star Wars coloring frenzy! The heat wave has seemed to pass thank goodness! I'm looking so forward to fall!
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Sunday, August 31, 2008
Late Summer Seistas
While writing two days ago I was suprised to hear the house so suddenly quiet. I got up and walked around and this is what I found.
Nykki fell asleep amid a Star Wars coloring frenzy! The heat wave has seemed to pass thank goodness! I'm looking so forward to fall!
Nykki fell asleep amid a Star Wars coloring frenzy! The heat wave has seemed to pass thank goodness! I'm looking so forward to fall!
Late Summer Seistas
While writing two days ago I was suprised to hear the house so suddenly quiet. I got up and walked around and this is what I found.
Nykki fell asleep amid a Star Wars coloring frenzy! The heat wave has seemed to pass thank goodness! I'm looking so forward to fall!
Nykki fell asleep amid a Star Wars coloring frenzy! The heat wave has seemed to pass thank goodness! I'm looking so forward to fall!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Ejected for a Bathroom Break....
Fan Ejected From Yankee Stadium For Bathroom Break
Man Says Cops Kicked Him Out When He Tried To Go To Men's Room During 'God Bless America'
Reporting
Hazel Sanchez
NEW YORK (CBS) ― A Queens man is considering legal action against the New York Yankees after he was ejected from Tuesday night's contest against the Boston Red Sox for trying to use the restroom during the playing of "God Bless America."
During the patriotic 7th inning stretch at Yankee Stadium, nature called on Bradford Campeau-Laurion. When he tried to leave his seat during the traditional singing of God Bless America, however, he says he was stopped by a NYPD officer who said he'd have to wait until the song was done.
"I then said to him, 'I don't care about God Bless America. I just need to use the bathroom.' As soon as I said that, he immediately pinned my arm behind my back," Campeau-Laurion told CBS 2.
The 29-year-old says two officers pinned both of his arms behind his back and ejected him from the stadium. Read the rest of the story here...
Ejected for a Bathroom Break....
Fan Ejected From Yankee Stadium For Bathroom Break
Man Says Cops Kicked Him Out When He Tried To Go To Men's Room During 'God Bless America'
Reporting
Hazel Sanchez
NEW YORK (CBS) ― A Queens man is considering legal action against the New York Yankees after he was ejected from Tuesday night's contest against the Boston Red Sox for trying to use the restroom during the playing of "God Bless America."
During the patriotic 7th inning stretch at Yankee Stadium, nature called on Bradford Campeau-Laurion. When he tried to leave his seat during the traditional singing of God Bless America, however, he says he was stopped by a NYPD officer who said he'd have to wait until the song was done.
"I then said to him, 'I don't care about God Bless America. I just need to use the bathroom.' As soon as I said that, he immediately pinned my arm behind my back," Campeau-Laurion told CBS 2.
The 29-year-old says two officers pinned both of his arms behind his back and ejected him from the stadium. Read the rest of the story here...
Friday, August 29, 2008
Happy Labor Day to US Pentaxians
We're babysitting two of our grand kids this weekend. Kayla, my assistant in the garden, is also going to help me select the winner of the 35mm macro lens.
September is going to be a little crazy for me, with a trip to Japan and then after 5 days back in the states on to Germany for Photokina. If any Pentaxians are attending the show, stop by our booth to say hi!
(iPhone photo)
(08.29.08) Recommends:
Space Invader.
Invader is a street artist who forms the classic arcade game character using mosaic tiles. The art is cool because it is simple and at first glance seems to completely fit in with the landscape. It is only upon closer inspection that you are left scratching your head as to why there is a video game icon in the middle of a building or city street.
He recently hit Los Angeles to contribute to an exhibition at the World of Wonder Gallery (6650 Hollywood Blvd), which is itself putting on a computer game-inspired art show. Here are some pics:
Learn more about Space Invader here.
Invader is a street artist who forms the classic arcade game character using mosaic tiles. The art is cool because it is simple and at first glance seems to completely fit in with the landscape. It is only upon closer inspection that you are left scratching your head as to why there is a video game icon in the middle of a building or city street.
He recently hit Los Angeles to contribute to an exhibition at the World of Wonder Gallery (6650 Hollywood Blvd), which is itself putting on a computer game-inspired art show. Here are some pics:
Learn more about Space Invader here.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Barak and Change
I'm on to you Barak.
"Change is what occurs when you shift the components within a closed system. Nothing is fundamentally different. The house still has all the same things it always had, but the order, the arrangment is different. In a closed system the most exciting thing that can happen is change. However the problem with change is that it is only a temporary diversion from the real problem, which is that you are in a closed system...
Transformation...fundamentally alters your perception of the world and creates an entirely new set of possibilities for yourself and those around you." The Heart of Learning by Lawrence Williams, Ed.D.
Barak and Change
I'm on to you Barak.
"Change is what occurs when you shift the components within a closed system. Nothing is fundamentally different. The house still has all the same things it always had, but the order, the arrangment is different. In a closed system the most exciting thing that can happen is change. However the problem with change is that it is only a temporary diversion from the real problem, which is that you are in a closed system...
Transformation...fundamentally alters your perception of the world and creates an entirely new set of possibilities for yourself and those around you." The Heart of Learning by Lawrence Williams, Ed.D.
August 28, 2008 - The Gift in It
“If I hadn’t been on this journey, I wouldn’t have met some of the people that I have. I put all my faith in God, and every day you just keep going. Having cancer lets me live my life in a different way than I would’ve. There is a gift in it.”These are the words of Betsy Poehler, a 42-year old breast cancer survivor who was quoted this morning in our local newspaper. Cancer as a gift-giver? It’s a statement that can be hard for someone who hasn’t faced a life-threatening illness to understand. This sort of outlook is more than a breezy, ephemeral optimism. For most people who say such a thing, it’s a costly, hard-won bit of wisdom.
The image that pops into my mind comes from a Greek myth: the well-known story of Pandora’s box. The only thing most people recall about this story is that Pandora, a young woman of insatiable curiosity, opened a box she'd been forbidden to open, whereupon all sorts of bad things came flying out, like bats fleeing a cave at sunset. “Opening Pandora’s box” has come to mean unleashing a cascade of unintended consequences.
Yet, there’s more to the myth than that. The name “Pandora” means “giver of all” (pan means “all,” dora means “gift”). The gods created Pandora, the first woman. They gave her the famous box (actually, a jar in the earliest versions), which they filled with greed, vanity, slander, envy, warfare and all manner of other evils. The cunningly-crafted box had been built strong enough to contain these horrors, but once opened, there was no getting them back. Pandora lifted the lid, and that was that.Well, not quite. There was one other gift remaining; a bright, golden spirit called Hope. Pandora happened to see it before it could make its escape, and slammed the lid back down, keeping it eternally available to human beings. To this day, hope continues to be a remedy for all the evils and sufferings that continue to roam the world, wreaking misery.
Hope is the unexpected gift many of us discover in the midst of cancer treatment. It’s among our greatest allies in the long march towards healing.
(08.28.08) Recommends:
Anticipation.
Man, oh, man. Barack Obama's acceptance speech tonight. I can't remember the last time I was this excited/nervous to hear, you know, a speech by a politician. I think the excitement first started building this morning, when I got into the office and fired up Bill Clinton's speech from last night (view it here). I was really saddened and disappointment by his behavior during the primary season, but last night I thought he really came through. Then, the excitement continued to build, as I came across this NY Times piece, which basically says that some Democrats are concerned that Barack, speaking in front of 75,000 tonight, will look too much like a rock star and not somebody with whom we can relate. Note: Democrats have lost the last two presidential elections and they should have won them both. Therefore: I am so over -- and I presume many of you are with me on this -- what Democratic strategists have to say. They should probably just shut up now and listen to Barack.
In closing, I have been listening to the following OK Go cover of The Zombies all morning, and imagine I'll listen to it all afternoon in anticipation of the big speech tonight. You should do the same.
When you're done listening to that, may I suggest that you mind an anniversary by listening to this? Barack's speech is anticipated, but my god, this thing. I still can't get through it without literally crying and shaking. But they are tears and shakes that are needed.
Man, oh, man. Barack Obama's acceptance speech tonight. I can't remember the last time I was this excited/nervous to hear, you know, a speech by a politician. I think the excitement first started building this morning, when I got into the office and fired up Bill Clinton's speech from last night (view it here). I was really saddened and disappointment by his behavior during the primary season, but last night I thought he really came through. Then, the excitement continued to build, as I came across this NY Times piece, which basically says that some Democrats are concerned that Barack, speaking in front of 75,000 tonight, will look too much like a rock star and not somebody with whom we can relate. Note: Democrats have lost the last two presidential elections and they should have won them both. Therefore: I am so over -- and I presume many of you are with me on this -- what Democratic strategists have to say. They should probably just shut up now and listen to Barack.
In closing, I have been listening to the following OK Go cover of The Zombies all morning, and imagine I'll listen to it all afternoon in anticipation of the big speech tonight. You should do the same.
When you're done listening to that, may I suggest that you mind an anniversary by listening to this? Barack's speech is anticipated, but my god, this thing. I still can't get through it without literally crying and shaking. But they are tears and shakes that are needed.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
(08.27.08) Recommends:
Cinema Tuesdays.
We briefly touched on this in yesterday's post, but wanted to wait until we had some more pictures before we went into fuller detail. Anyway. Cinema Tuesdays. It's put on by Flux. A little more info can be found here. It's a Tuesday movie screening. It's free and open to the public. All you have to do is RSVP ahead of time. Then you show up, they have a free Belvedere open bar, free finger food, music, usually people associated with the film on-hand to chat with the audience and, most impressively, countertops and countertops full of free candy.
Above all else, we are seekers of value, and we're pretty sure you'll be hard-pressed to find better movie-going value in Los Angeles, if not the whole country, than Cinema Tuesdays. Seriously, if you went to the ArcLight -- and we love going to the ArcLight -- and bought two movie tickets, two drinks from the bar, two bags of candy, and popcorn, it would be, what, probably $50-70? At Cinema Tuesdays? Like $4, to tip the open bar tender. Awesome.
Below, some pics.
Another really cool thing about Cinema Tuesdays is that, as mentioned in yesterday's post, it is housed in the Montalban Theater, which for the time being, has been handed over to a bunch of artists, so in the theater foyer there is a bunch of cool, random stuff to view. Our friend said -- and we agreed -- that it reminded her of the Ron Pippin show from last year.
Here is that cool Geoff McFetridge wall paper that lines the upstairs of the theater.
Here it is wearing its party pants.
This week's showing was of Assassination of a High School President, which is set to be released next March. The theme for the evening, fittingly, was prom. Hence the party look. Last week, the theme was Olympics. A slightly different vibe. But fun both times.
Brett Simon, director of the film. We didn't completely love the film, but as the credits rolled, our friend turned to us and said it was like an episode of My So-Called Life. This was a perfect description. It was like watching a season of My So-Called Life and somehow, that realization made us like the film more.
Of course, it wouldn't be a proper post without a random Obey sighting.
We briefly touched on this in yesterday's post, but wanted to wait until we had some more pictures before we went into fuller detail. Anyway. Cinema Tuesdays. It's put on by Flux. A little more info can be found here. It's a Tuesday movie screening. It's free and open to the public. All you have to do is RSVP ahead of time. Then you show up, they have a free Belvedere open bar, free finger food, music, usually people associated with the film on-hand to chat with the audience and, most impressively, countertops and countertops full of free candy.
Above all else, we are seekers of value, and we're pretty sure you'll be hard-pressed to find better movie-going value in Los Angeles, if not the whole country, than Cinema Tuesdays. Seriously, if you went to the ArcLight -- and we love going to the ArcLight -- and bought two movie tickets, two drinks from the bar, two bags of candy, and popcorn, it would be, what, probably $50-70? At Cinema Tuesdays? Like $4, to tip the open bar tender. Awesome.
Below, some pics.
Another really cool thing about Cinema Tuesdays is that, as mentioned in yesterday's post, it is housed in the Montalban Theater, which for the time being, has been handed over to a bunch of artists, so in the theater foyer there is a bunch of cool, random stuff to view. Our friend said -- and we agreed -- that it reminded her of the Ron Pippin show from last year.
Here is that cool Geoff McFetridge wall paper that lines the upstairs of the theater.
Here it is wearing its party pants.
This week's showing was of Assassination of a High School President, which is set to be released next March. The theme for the evening, fittingly, was prom. Hence the party look. Last week, the theme was Olympics. A slightly different vibe. But fun both times.
Brett Simon, director of the film. We didn't completely love the film, but as the credits rolled, our friend turned to us and said it was like an episode of My So-Called Life. This was a perfect description. It was like watching a season of My So-Called Life and somehow, that realization made us like the film more.
Of course, it wouldn't be a proper post without a random Obey sighting.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Graduation Weekend
Here's Ronan showing off his general mood this weekend.
Climbing under the chairs during lunch
Sitting in our book basket at the fabulous Moe's bookstore in Berkeley! There's nothing like a Sunday on Telegraph avenue with the music and street vendors. A little slice of urban hippie heaven. It got me seriously thinking about doing my PhD at UC Berkeley for a year just for the experience of it all.
My Mommy and her grandbaby at the park in Palo Alto.
Watching Star Wars on Nana's computer in the hotel room.
More park time!
Giving my thesis presentation with a nursing baby on my tit! How perfect!
Climbing under the chairs during lunch
Sitting in our book basket at the fabulous Moe's bookstore in Berkeley! There's nothing like a Sunday on Telegraph avenue with the music and street vendors. A little slice of urban hippie heaven. It got me seriously thinking about doing my PhD at UC Berkeley for a year just for the experience of it all.
My Mommy and her grandbaby at the park in Palo Alto.
Watching Star Wars on Nana's computer in the hotel room.
More park time!
Giving my thesis presentation with a nursing baby on my tit! How perfect!
Graduation Weekend
Here's Ronan showing off his general mood this weekend.
Climbing under the chairs during lunch
Sitting in our book basket at the fabulous Moe's bookstore in Berkeley! There's nothing like a Sunday on Telegraph avenue with the music and street vendors. A little slice of urban hippie heaven. It got me seriously thinking about doing my PhD at UC Berkeley for a year just for the experience of it all.
My Mommy and her grandbaby at the park in Palo Alto.
Watching Star Wars on Nana's computer in the hotel room.
More park time!
Giving my thesis presentation with a nursing baby on my tit! How perfect!
Climbing under the chairs during lunch
Sitting in our book basket at the fabulous Moe's bookstore in Berkeley! There's nothing like a Sunday on Telegraph avenue with the music and street vendors. A little slice of urban hippie heaven. It got me seriously thinking about doing my PhD at UC Berkeley for a year just for the experience of it all.
My Mommy and her grandbaby at the park in Palo Alto.
Watching Star Wars on Nana's computer in the hotel room.
More park time!
Giving my thesis presentation with a nursing baby on my tit! How perfect!
(08.26.08) Recommends:
The Artwork of Geoff McFetridge.
McFetridge is an LA-based artist/graphic-designer. We first came across his work while checking out the Nike Sportwear installation store at the Montalban Theater. [1] He has wallpapered the upper floor of the theater in a print that resembles Where's Waldo? meets, say, Marcel Dzama. The cool thing is he has also put up the print on buildings around the theater.
Here's the view looking north from Selma and Vine. This is the building next to the theater:
Here's the building in three sections:
Here's the roof of the theater (unless you sneak on the roof, it's a hard shot to fully capture with a camera):
Here's another shot from Selma and Vine of the two buildings:
Perhaps the scaffolding hints at more art to come?
People and Places Mentioned in this Blog Post:
Geoff McFetridge
Website.
Blog.
Montalban Theater
1615 North Vine Street.
Website.
Cinema Tuesdays at the theater.
Marcel Dzama
Richard Heller Gallery.
Wiki.
Where's Waldo
Amazon.
---
[1]Have you heard about this place? It's a retail shop, but it'll only be
around for three months. It's hard to describe all the cool things going on inside -- a combination ofsportsware and art and cinema and local outreach. If you're in the area, you're strongly recommended to stop in.
McFetridge is an LA-based artist/graphic-designer. We first came across his work while checking out the Nike Sportwear installation store at the Montalban Theater. [1] He has wallpapered the upper floor of the theater in a print that resembles Where's Waldo? meets, say, Marcel Dzama. The cool thing is he has also put up the print on buildings around the theater.
Here's the view looking north from Selma and Vine. This is the building next to the theater:
Here's the building in three sections:
Here's the roof of the theater (unless you sneak on the roof, it's a hard shot to fully capture with a camera):
Here's another shot from Selma and Vine of the two buildings:
Perhaps the scaffolding hints at more art to come?
People and Places Mentioned in this Blog Post:
Geoff McFetridge
Website.
Blog.
Montalban Theater
1615 North Vine Street.
Website.
Cinema Tuesdays at the theater.
Marcel Dzama
Richard Heller Gallery.
Wiki.
Where's Waldo
Amazon.
---
[1]Have you heard about this place? It's a retail shop, but it'll only be
around for three months. It's hard to describe all the cool things going on inside -- a combination ofsportsware and art and cinema and local outreach. If you're in the area, you're strongly recommended to stop in.
August 26, 2008 - The Lion in Winter
Yesterday evening I turned on C-Span, to watch Ted Kennedy’s speech to the Democratic Convention. I was wondering – as was everyone else watching, whether in the convention center or at home – if these ten minutes or so in the national spotlight could be his swan song as a politician.Not if Ted has anything to say about it: “I pledge to you that I will be there next January on the floor of the United States Senate when we begin the great test.” The crowd goes wild. They know the adversary he’s up against. They know he may not be able to keep that promise, but they honor him for making it. They are in awe of his grit and determination.
“For me this is a season of hope,” Ted continues, “new hope for a just and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few – new hope. And this is the cause of my life – new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American – north, south, east, west, young, old – will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.”
“The cause of my life,” he says: health care for all. When the speaker has brain cancer and has been given just months to live, “the cause of my life” takes on a dimension that goes beyond mere rhetoric. Sadly, the Senator’s own health situation will prevent him from seeing the cause through to completion (note the sober realism of “when we begin the great test”). Even if this aging lion is still standing on the floor of the Senate in January, the day will come soon enough when others will step into his leadership role. Maybe he’ll be able to hang on long enough to see, if not outright victory, then at least the inevitability of success.
What do people see, when they look at this man standing before the microphone, and hear him give a speech filled with the typical Kennedy passion, but now at a lower intensity, befitting his medical condition? Do they see an accomplished orator and a leader of his party and nation? Or do they see a guy with cancer? Probably a bit of both. Cancer is an inescapable reality. For better or for worse, it quickly becomes a part of who we are.And so, when the camera pans out to capture the faces of the crowd, we see more than a few tears being wiped away, among the delegates. It’s the party faithful out there in the bleachers, the true believers. They’re passionate about the cause, yes. But they also have personal affection for their leaders. This man’s illness has already become part and parcel of his message.
The other day, I was talking with a woman who’s been diagnosed with follicular, B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the same kind I now have. She has no medical insurance, and she’s too young for Medicare by a few years. She’s had blood tests, but she can’t get a bone marrow biopsy. The out-of-state specialty lab wanted thousands of dollars in cash up front, and she can’t afford it. She could have used a credit card, but she and her retired husband decided that, on their limited income, it was too great a financial risk.
The type of lab analysis her oncologist wants her to have is beyond the expertise of a local hospital. If it were, the hospital could probably have written off part of the expense as charity care. I suppose she could go to a regional cancer center that has its own in-house, advanced lab – one that could perhaps likewise extend an offer of charity care – but that would involve getting new doctors and traveling some distance. I’m not sure this frail woman, leaning on her walker, is up to that.
Here is an example of one of the gaping holes in our healthcare-funding system, one that could have life-threatening implications.
This sort of thing should not happen in a civilized country. If Senator Kennedy has his way, it won’t happen much longer.
For the full, 8-minute text of Kennedy’s address, click below:
Monday, August 25, 2008
WSC In-Depth Description
“Meeting the Holistic Needs of Women and Families in Lake and Mendocino Counties.”
www.womensspiritualitycenter.com
At the WSC we believe that women and families are the Heart of our community. We seek to provide nurturing services through our classes, workshops, consultations, sessions and other local and family focused events. The WSC focuses on our Mendo/Lake tribe’s spiritual needs through fairy card readings, life’s journey consultations, birth doula services, in home mommy and me yoga classes and natural living consultations.
Our center’s physical location is currently situated in rural Upper Lake, CA, however through community and personal partnerships we are working hard to bring our services directly to you. Our fairy card readings, consultations, and yoga classes can take place in your home or at our center depending on your personal needs. We want the community to think of our “center” more as a state of mind, much like the Sioux carry the Sioux Nation around with them as a state of mind. This center is founded and built upon collective, neighborhood fellowship here in Lake and Mendocino counties and therefore the center is everywhere you want or need it to be!
More information on our services:
Fairy Card Readings – Much like other oracle and tarot card decks, the fairy card oracle deck can provide meaningful insight into you life through the direction of the nature spirits that surround all of us everyday – our fairy friends! Each reading is extremely detailed and lasts one full hour. They can be done for an individual or for a group or family. The first reading is $65, each additional reading is $35. The fairy readings are given by Ayla Serenemoon, M.A., Women’s Spirituality. Ayla has studied under the Shaman and Astrologer Vicki Noble who co-created the Mother Peace tarot deck.
Life’s Journey Consultations – Using mixed methodologies in the metaphysical arts and sciences as well as years of experience in local and international support services for personal journeys you will be given an hour and half long consulting session on how you can use art, meditation, astrology, manifestation, spell work, and other methods to improve and guide your life to achieve your personal goals! The first meeting is $70, each additional meeting is $40 and lasts one hour.
Birth Doula Services – A Doula (pronounced doola) is a word used to describe a woman who is experienced in birth and labor. She provides continuous emotional, physical and informed support to the mama before, during, and immediately after childbirth. Many studies have found that having a doula for support in labor reduces the need for
c-section by up to 50%, reduces the length of labor and the need for pain medication, results in decreased rates of postpartum depression and high success rates in breastfeeding.
Throughout your pregnancy we will meet once a month for one to two hours for personal yoga sessions and consultations about any concerns you may have. I will help guide you to resources, which can help improve your pregnancy experience. As your doula I am available for you day or night both, in person or over the phone, to weave together a strong and happy pregnancy.
Around 36-38 weeks we will meet weekly to talk about your birth plans and prepare you for meeting your new family member. During the birth of your child we will work together to produce a beautiful experience and outcome for you, your family and your new babe. I will follow up with you after the birth of your baby to see that breastfeeding and family life are going smoothly.
During Your Monthly Check-Ins We Will:
Help You Create a Birth Plan
Offer Massage
Yoga for relaxation and rejuvenation
Tips for getting the babe into the best position for birth
Nutritional Support
Review “Birth-olution” for tips on pain-free childbirth
Spiritual Counseling
Affirmations
Belly casting
Conscious conception
During Your Labor, I can Provide:
Physical comfort measures
Massage
Labor positions
Fluids and Foods
Optimal fetal positioning
Aromatherapy
Acupressure
Deep relaxation and visualization techniques
Advocacy to implement your birth plan, including; finding community resources and birth services to facilitate your birth.
Postpartum I Can Provide:
Breastfeeding Assistance and Support
Postpartum Check-Ins
Frozen Meals
Family Integration Techniques
Complete doula service for your entire pregnancy and labor is $500. A two weeklong extensive postpartum follow up including regular home visits and meal prep is available for an additional $200.
In Home Mommy and Me Yoga Classes – Enjoy the peace and relaxation of a regular yoga practices, guided by a professional in your own home! Yoga strengthens your mind, body and spirit through the integration of breath and body. Sessions available for individuals or as a family. Kids classes also available! Each hour long session is $20, an additional gas charge of $5 applies to anyone outside of the Upper Lake, Lakeport or Ukiah area.
Natural Living Consultations – Want to improve your eco footprint? How about a greener diet for the health of your family and the planet? Want to learn more about attachment parenting and/or positive discipline and how to apply this to you family’s life? Take advantage of this great service! Consultations can take place in your home or at our center. Consultations can be done for an individual, group or family. Each consultation is one and half-hours long and is followed up by a detailed written Plan of Action you and I create together! Follow up consultations always available! First consultation is $65, follow up is $35.
Multi-faith Full Moon Gatherings – Come enjoy a tea ceremony in community celebration of the full moon. Children welcome and encouraged! Bring a cup and a smile! For meeting location email Ayla aylayoga at gmail dot com This is a Free event.
Work trade and payment plans always available for every service we provide! Please inquire if money is an issue! We want you to benefit from our services and we will work with you at every level to help you succeed!
About the WSC founder, Ayla Serenemoon, M.A.
Ayla holds a Master's degree in Women's Spirituality from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto. She also holds a B.A. in German with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is a Yoga Alliance trained pre and postnatal yoga instructor and has studied, trained and worked as a midwife and birth doula in Nevada, Utah and Northern California. In addition to her direction of the WSC she is currently a columnist for SageWoman Magazine.
Contact Us Today at
aylayoga at gmail dot com
www.womensspiritualitycenter.com
www.womensspiritualitycenter.com
At the WSC we believe that women and families are the Heart of our community. We seek to provide nurturing services through our classes, workshops, consultations, sessions and other local and family focused events. The WSC focuses on our Mendo/Lake tribe’s spiritual needs through fairy card readings, life’s journey consultations, birth doula services, in home mommy and me yoga classes and natural living consultations.
Our center’s physical location is currently situated in rural Upper Lake, CA, however through community and personal partnerships we are working hard to bring our services directly to you. Our fairy card readings, consultations, and yoga classes can take place in your home or at our center depending on your personal needs. We want the community to think of our “center” more as a state of mind, much like the Sioux carry the Sioux Nation around with them as a state of mind. This center is founded and built upon collective, neighborhood fellowship here in Lake and Mendocino counties and therefore the center is everywhere you want or need it to be!
More information on our services:
Fairy Card Readings – Much like other oracle and tarot card decks, the fairy card oracle deck can provide meaningful insight into you life through the direction of the nature spirits that surround all of us everyday – our fairy friends! Each reading is extremely detailed and lasts one full hour. They can be done for an individual or for a group or family. The first reading is $65, each additional reading is $35. The fairy readings are given by Ayla Serenemoon, M.A., Women’s Spirituality. Ayla has studied under the Shaman and Astrologer Vicki Noble who co-created the Mother Peace tarot deck.
Life’s Journey Consultations – Using mixed methodologies in the metaphysical arts and sciences as well as years of experience in local and international support services for personal journeys you will be given an hour and half long consulting session on how you can use art, meditation, astrology, manifestation, spell work, and other methods to improve and guide your life to achieve your personal goals! The first meeting is $70, each additional meeting is $40 and lasts one hour.
Birth Doula Services – A Doula (pronounced doola) is a word used to describe a woman who is experienced in birth and labor. She provides continuous emotional, physical and informed support to the mama before, during, and immediately after childbirth. Many studies have found that having a doula for support in labor reduces the need for
c-section by up to 50%, reduces the length of labor and the need for pain medication, results in decreased rates of postpartum depression and high success rates in breastfeeding.
Throughout your pregnancy we will meet once a month for one to two hours for personal yoga sessions and consultations about any concerns you may have. I will help guide you to resources, which can help improve your pregnancy experience. As your doula I am available for you day or night both, in person or over the phone, to weave together a strong and happy pregnancy.
Around 36-38 weeks we will meet weekly to talk about your birth plans and prepare you for meeting your new family member. During the birth of your child we will work together to produce a beautiful experience and outcome for you, your family and your new babe. I will follow up with you after the birth of your baby to see that breastfeeding and family life are going smoothly.
During Your Monthly Check-Ins We Will:
Help You Create a Birth Plan
Offer Massage
Yoga for relaxation and rejuvenation
Tips for getting the babe into the best position for birth
Nutritional Support
Review “Birth-olution” for tips on pain-free childbirth
Spiritual Counseling
Affirmations
Belly casting
Conscious conception
During Your Labor, I can Provide:
Physical comfort measures
Massage
Labor positions
Fluids and Foods
Optimal fetal positioning
Aromatherapy
Acupressure
Deep relaxation and visualization techniques
Advocacy to implement your birth plan, including; finding community resources and birth services to facilitate your birth.
Postpartum I Can Provide:
Breastfeeding Assistance and Support
Postpartum Check-Ins
Frozen Meals
Family Integration Techniques
Complete doula service for your entire pregnancy and labor is $500. A two weeklong extensive postpartum follow up including regular home visits and meal prep is available for an additional $200.
In Home Mommy and Me Yoga Classes – Enjoy the peace and relaxation of a regular yoga practices, guided by a professional in your own home! Yoga strengthens your mind, body and spirit through the integration of breath and body. Sessions available for individuals or as a family. Kids classes also available! Each hour long session is $20, an additional gas charge of $5 applies to anyone outside of the Upper Lake, Lakeport or Ukiah area.
Natural Living Consultations – Want to improve your eco footprint? How about a greener diet for the health of your family and the planet? Want to learn more about attachment parenting and/or positive discipline and how to apply this to you family’s life? Take advantage of this great service! Consultations can take place in your home or at our center. Consultations can be done for an individual, group or family. Each consultation is one and half-hours long and is followed up by a detailed written Plan of Action you and I create together! Follow up consultations always available! First consultation is $65, follow up is $35.
Multi-faith Full Moon Gatherings – Come enjoy a tea ceremony in community celebration of the full moon. Children welcome and encouraged! Bring a cup and a smile! For meeting location email Ayla aylayoga at gmail dot com This is a Free event.
Work trade and payment plans always available for every service we provide! Please inquire if money is an issue! We want you to benefit from our services and we will work with you at every level to help you succeed!
About the WSC founder, Ayla Serenemoon, M.A.
Ayla holds a Master's degree in Women's Spirituality from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto. She also holds a B.A. in German with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is a Yoga Alliance trained pre and postnatal yoga instructor and has studied, trained and worked as a midwife and birth doula in Nevada, Utah and Northern California. In addition to her direction of the WSC she is currently a columnist for SageWoman Magazine.
Contact Us Today at
aylayoga at gmail dot com
www.womensspiritualitycenter.com
I'm back!
I had a super-duper weekend. I'm organizing photos to get together for a few posts about our great time. I'll be posting more tonight....
WSC In-Depth Description
“Meeting the Holistic Needs of Women and Families in Lake and Mendocino Counties.”
www.womensspiritualitycenter.com
At the WSC we believe that women and families are the Heart of our community. We seek to provide nurturing services through our classes, workshops, consultations, sessions and other local and family focused events. The WSC focuses on our Mendo/Lake tribe’s spiritual needs through fairy card readings, life’s journey consultations, birth doula services, in home mommy and me yoga classes and natural living consultations.
Our center’s physical location is currently situated in rural Upper Lake, CA, however through community and personal partnerships we are working hard to bring our services directly to you. Our fairy card readings, consultations, and yoga classes can take place in your home or at our center depending on your personal needs. We want the community to think of our “center” more as a state of mind, much like the Sioux carry the Sioux Nation around with them as a state of mind. This center is founded and built upon collective, neighborhood fellowship here in Lake and Mendocino counties and therefore the center is everywhere you want or need it to be!
More information on our services:
Fairy Card Readings – Much like other oracle and tarot card decks, the fairy card oracle deck can provide meaningful insight into you life through the direction of the nature spirits that surround all of us everyday – our fairy friends! Each reading is extremely detailed and lasts one full hour. They can be done for an individual or for a group or family. The first reading is $65, each additional reading is $35. The fairy readings are given by Ayla Serenemoon, M.A., Women’s Spirituality. Ayla has studied under the Shaman and Astrologer Vicki Noble who co-created the Mother Peace tarot deck.
Life’s Journey Consultations – Using mixed methodologies in the metaphysical arts and sciences as well as years of experience in local and international support services for personal journeys you will be given an hour and half long consulting session on how you can use art, meditation, astrology, manifestation, spell work, and other methods to improve and guide your life to achieve your personal goals! The first meeting is $70, each additional meeting is $40 and lasts one hour.
Birth Doula Services – A Doula (pronounced doola) is a word used to describe a woman who is experienced in birth and labor. She provides continuous emotional, physical and informed support to the mama before, during, and immediately after childbirth. Many studies have found that having a doula for support in labor reduces the need for
c-section by up to 50%, reduces the length of labor and the need for pain medication, results in decreased rates of postpartum depression and high success rates in breastfeeding.
Throughout your pregnancy we will meet once a month for one to two hours for personal yoga sessions and consultations about any concerns you may have. I will help guide you to resources, which can help improve your pregnancy experience. As your doula I am available for you day or night both, in person or over the phone, to weave together a strong and happy pregnancy.
Around 36-38 weeks we will meet weekly to talk about your birth plans and prepare you for meeting your new family member. During the birth of your child we will work together to produce a beautiful experience and outcome for you, your family and your new babe. I will follow up with you after the birth of your baby to see that breastfeeding and family life are going smoothly.
During Your Monthly Check-Ins We Will:
Help You Create a Birth Plan
Offer Massage
Yoga for relaxation and rejuvenation
Tips for getting the babe into the best position for birth
Nutritional Support
Review “Birth-olution” for tips on pain-free childbirth
Spiritual Counseling
Affirmations
Belly casting
Conscious conception
During Your Labor, I can Provide:
Physical comfort measures
Massage
Labor positions
Fluids and Foods
Optimal fetal positioning
Aromatherapy
Acupressure
Deep relaxation and visualization techniques
Advocacy to implement your birth plan, including; finding community resources and birth services to facilitate your birth.
Postpartum I Can Provide:
Breastfeeding Assistance and Support
Postpartum Check-Ins
Frozen Meals
Family Integration Techniques
Complete doula service for your entire pregnancy and labor is $500. A two weeklong extensive postpartum follow up including regular home visits and meal prep is available for an additional $200.
In Home Mommy and Me Yoga Classes – Enjoy the peace and relaxation of a regular yoga practices, guided by a professional in your own home! Yoga strengthens your mind, body and spirit through the integration of breath and body. Sessions available for individuals or as a family. Kids classes also available! Each hour long session is $20, an additional gas charge of $5 applies to anyone outside of the Upper Lake, Lakeport or Ukiah area.
Natural Living Consultations – Want to improve your eco footprint? How about a greener diet for the health of your family and the planet? Want to learn more about attachment parenting and/or positive discipline and how to apply this to you family’s life? Take advantage of this great service! Consultations can take place in your home or at our center. Consultations can be done for an individual, group or family. Each consultation is one and half-hours long and is followed up by a detailed written Plan of Action you and I create together! Follow up consultations always available! First consultation is $65, follow up is $35.
Multi-faith Full Moon Gatherings – Come enjoy a tea ceremony in community celebration of the full moon. Children welcome and encouraged! Bring a cup and a smile! For meeting location email Ayla aylayoga at gmail dot com This is a Free event.
Work trade and payment plans always available for every service we provide! Please inquire if money is an issue! We want you to benefit from our services and we will work with you at every level to help you succeed!
About the WSC founder, Ayla Serenemoon, M.A.
Ayla holds a Master's degree in Women's Spirituality from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto. She also holds a B.A. in German with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is a Yoga Alliance trained pre and postnatal yoga instructor and has studied, trained and worked as a midwife and birth doula in Nevada, Utah and Northern California. In addition to her direction of the WSC she is currently a columnist for SageWoman Magazine.
Contact Us Today at
aylayoga at gmail dot com
www.womensspiritualitycenter.com
www.womensspiritualitycenter.com
At the WSC we believe that women and families are the Heart of our community. We seek to provide nurturing services through our classes, workshops, consultations, sessions and other local and family focused events. The WSC focuses on our Mendo/Lake tribe’s spiritual needs through fairy card readings, life’s journey consultations, birth doula services, in home mommy and me yoga classes and natural living consultations.
Our center’s physical location is currently situated in rural Upper Lake, CA, however through community and personal partnerships we are working hard to bring our services directly to you. Our fairy card readings, consultations, and yoga classes can take place in your home or at our center depending on your personal needs. We want the community to think of our “center” more as a state of mind, much like the Sioux carry the Sioux Nation around with them as a state of mind. This center is founded and built upon collective, neighborhood fellowship here in Lake and Mendocino counties and therefore the center is everywhere you want or need it to be!
More information on our services:
Fairy Card Readings – Much like other oracle and tarot card decks, the fairy card oracle deck can provide meaningful insight into you life through the direction of the nature spirits that surround all of us everyday – our fairy friends! Each reading is extremely detailed and lasts one full hour. They can be done for an individual or for a group or family. The first reading is $65, each additional reading is $35. The fairy readings are given by Ayla Serenemoon, M.A., Women’s Spirituality. Ayla has studied under the Shaman and Astrologer Vicki Noble who co-created the Mother Peace tarot deck.
Life’s Journey Consultations – Using mixed methodologies in the metaphysical arts and sciences as well as years of experience in local and international support services for personal journeys you will be given an hour and half long consulting session on how you can use art, meditation, astrology, manifestation, spell work, and other methods to improve and guide your life to achieve your personal goals! The first meeting is $70, each additional meeting is $40 and lasts one hour.
Birth Doula Services – A Doula (pronounced doola) is a word used to describe a woman who is experienced in birth and labor. She provides continuous emotional, physical and informed support to the mama before, during, and immediately after childbirth. Many studies have found that having a doula for support in labor reduces the need for
c-section by up to 50%, reduces the length of labor and the need for pain medication, results in decreased rates of postpartum depression and high success rates in breastfeeding.
Throughout your pregnancy we will meet once a month for one to two hours for personal yoga sessions and consultations about any concerns you may have. I will help guide you to resources, which can help improve your pregnancy experience. As your doula I am available for you day or night both, in person or over the phone, to weave together a strong and happy pregnancy.
Around 36-38 weeks we will meet weekly to talk about your birth plans and prepare you for meeting your new family member. During the birth of your child we will work together to produce a beautiful experience and outcome for you, your family and your new babe. I will follow up with you after the birth of your baby to see that breastfeeding and family life are going smoothly.
During Your Monthly Check-Ins We Will:
Help You Create a Birth Plan
Offer Massage
Yoga for relaxation and rejuvenation
Tips for getting the babe into the best position for birth
Nutritional Support
Review “Birth-olution” for tips on pain-free childbirth
Spiritual Counseling
Affirmations
Belly casting
Conscious conception
During Your Labor, I can Provide:
Physical comfort measures
Massage
Labor positions
Fluids and Foods
Optimal fetal positioning
Aromatherapy
Acupressure
Deep relaxation and visualization techniques
Advocacy to implement your birth plan, including; finding community resources and birth services to facilitate your birth.
Postpartum I Can Provide:
Breastfeeding Assistance and Support
Postpartum Check-Ins
Frozen Meals
Family Integration Techniques
Complete doula service for your entire pregnancy and labor is $500. A two weeklong extensive postpartum follow up including regular home visits and meal prep is available for an additional $200.
In Home Mommy and Me Yoga Classes – Enjoy the peace and relaxation of a regular yoga practices, guided by a professional in your own home! Yoga strengthens your mind, body and spirit through the integration of breath and body. Sessions available for individuals or as a family. Kids classes also available! Each hour long session is $20, an additional gas charge of $5 applies to anyone outside of the Upper Lake, Lakeport or Ukiah area.
Natural Living Consultations – Want to improve your eco footprint? How about a greener diet for the health of your family and the planet? Want to learn more about attachment parenting and/or positive discipline and how to apply this to you family’s life? Take advantage of this great service! Consultations can take place in your home or at our center. Consultations can be done for an individual, group or family. Each consultation is one and half-hours long and is followed up by a detailed written Plan of Action you and I create together! Follow up consultations always available! First consultation is $65, follow up is $35.
Multi-faith Full Moon Gatherings – Come enjoy a tea ceremony in community celebration of the full moon. Children welcome and encouraged! Bring a cup and a smile! For meeting location email Ayla aylayoga at gmail dot com This is a Free event.
Work trade and payment plans always available for every service we provide! Please inquire if money is an issue! We want you to benefit from our services and we will work with you at every level to help you succeed!
About the WSC founder, Ayla Serenemoon, M.A.
Ayla holds a Master's degree in Women's Spirituality from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto. She also holds a B.A. in German with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is a Yoga Alliance trained pre and postnatal yoga instructor and has studied, trained and worked as a midwife and birth doula in Nevada, Utah and Northern California. In addition to her direction of the WSC she is currently a columnist for SageWoman Magazine.
Contact Us Today at
aylayoga at gmail dot com
www.womensspiritualitycenter.com
I'm back!
I had a super-duper weekend. I'm organizing photos to get together for a few posts about our great time. I'll be posting more tonight....
August 25, 2008 - Life is Good (no trademark)
Driving around recently, I’ve been noticing an odd slogan on little stickers on the backs of cars. They’re everywhere, it seems. The stickers say, “Life is good®.”What’s all that about, I asked myself? And, who’s got the kahunas to trademark a slogan like “Life is good”?
The trademark seemed to me an oxymoron. If life truly is good, then why trademark it? Is someone going to steal the goodness of life from you, if you don’t assert your proprietary rights over it?
I Googled it. My trusty Firefox browser led me to a website belonging to a clothing company trading under that very name. There, I found a link to “The Life is good story.” I clicked on that, and discovered their corporate saga: how the company was founded by a couple of brothers who were living a hand-to-mouth existence hawking homemade t-shirts, until they happened upon the slogan, after which everything was golden. Now, it appears, they have not only a full line of clothing to offer to the universe, but also “Life is good Festivals, positive products, and a steady dose of ping pong,” along with their “simple message of optimism.”
Along the way, they’ve evidently done quite well for themselves – which makes their slogan a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It seems their company also has a mascot, a crudely-drawn stick-figure guy named Jake, whose image appeared on the first “Life is good” t-shirt, and countless products since then.Who could quarrel with “Life is good”? Is anyone really going to disagree, saying it’s bad to be alive?
Of course not. “Life is good” is a harmless bit of fluff – the 21st century equivalent, I suppose, of the yellow smiley faces of the early 1970s.
The “Life is Good” guys were shrewder than the artist who invented the smiley face. They went out and got them a trademark. According to Wikipedia, the smiley face’s designer was a man named Harold Ball, who drew the first of these faces in 1963 for an insurance company’s employee-morale campaign. The only profit he made was a $45 commission from the insurance company. Neither he nor the company ever trademarked it. It went viral. The annoying yellow face has now passed into the public domain, so it belongs to the ages. (That, and to Wal-Mart®, I suppose.)
An article in Inc. magazine says part of the company’s success has been its slogan’s appeal to survivors:“But ‘Life Is Good’ has also become something of an anthem for survivors. The founders receive thousands of letters from people whose lives are demonstrably not good, because they are sick or have lost a loved one. Where other companies supply their stores with headquarters-authored mission and values statements, Life Is Good provides loose-leaf binders labeled ‘Fuel’ and stuffed with thank-yous from people who have taken solace or inspiration from its message. Michael J. Fox, suffering from Parkinson's disease, has been photographed wearing Life Is Good products. So was Stephen King during his long convalescence after being struck by a van.”
I don’t know how I could have missed noticing this pop-culture phenomenon. Guess I just have my head in the sand or something.
Leigh Buchanan, the Inc. writer, confesses a grudging respect for Ben and John Jacobs, the “Life is good” guys, and all they’ve accomplished:“One reason I initially missed the charm of Life Is Good is that I misinterpreted its message. I sensed a smugness there, as though the wearer were proclaiming, ‘My life is good,’ or else a willful blinkeredness: ‘Life is good if you make enough money and live in a First World democracy.’ But the Jacobses mean neither of those things. Rather, the words are an exhortation to appreciate the here and now. ‘Don’t determine that you’re going to be happy when you get the new car or the big promotion or when you meet that special person,’ explains John. ‘You can decide that you’re going to be happy today.’”
The Jacobs brothers have evidently been doing a decent amount of philanthropy of late. As is only right for the owners of a company whose worth has now topped $100 million. More power to ‘em, I say. When life gives you lemonade, you oughta spread some around.
Anybody who’s been around Cancer World very long has run across another slogan: “Cancer Sucks.” It’s found its way onto t-shirts, headbands and the like. If I had to choose between the two, I’d take “Life is good” any time. I think I’d even have said that in the midst of my chemotherapy. I felt lousy, but I never questioned the proposition that life is good, and worth holding onto.Which, I suppose, is the essence of survivorship.
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