And The Nominees Are...

I always enjoy watching the Oscars. Quickly before they begin, I thought I would give my picks (maybe not predictions, tho)...

Best Picture: "The Social Network"
Actor in leading role: Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
Actor in supporting role: Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Actress in leading role: Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Actress in supporting role: Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3
Directing: The Cohen Brothers "True Grit"
Cinematography: "The Social Network"
Documentary: "Exit through the Gift Shop"
Foreign Language Film: "Biutiful"
Music: "The Social Network"
Visual Effects: "Inception"
Adapted Screenplay: "True Grit"
Original Screenplay: "The Kids Are All Right"


Let the fun begin!!

Antihero: Banksy

     Street art is one of my new favorite things. I've always had a rebel spirit, so I'm naturally drawn to the unlawful, revolutionary nature of street art. Secondly, I'm a fan of art in general, and I find the concepts presented by many street artists to be downright delightful. 
     For those who are unfamiliar with "street art" versus "graffiti," here's the scoop...
     Street art can include all of the following: traditional graffiti artwork, stencil graffiti, sticker art, wheatpasting and street poster art, video projection, art intervention, guerrilla art, flash mobbing and street installations. Street art is also commonly called "post-graffiti," as it is contemporary public space artwork as opposed to territorial graffiti, also known as vandalism. 
     The freewheeling nature of street art is another aspect I adore. Street artists are talented individuals challenging art by situating it in non-art contexts. They attempt to have their work communicate with everyday people about socially relevant themes in ways that are informed by aesthetic values without being imprisoned by them. Many street artists are passionate activists using their medium to speak to the masses. Others, in my opinion, are just putting the fun back into art observation. 
     Here are a few examples from my favorite street artist, Banksy:

"Interview" with the elusive Banksy...

     I truly believe that art cannot (and should not) be contained. Street artists are heroic as they risk their own freedom to keep art free and meaningful. 
     There is even a documentary about Banksy! It has the usual Banksy twist. Check it out...

     

Art is everywhere. Look for it.    

     

Immortal? Shame On Me.

     Today at my practicum, I met with a woman who just received her doctors dreaded prognosis. She has approximately nine to twelve months to live. The woman is not married, she has no children...only her treasured cat. Her mother is still alive as is her sister, both living in Nebraska. The woman is in her upper fifties, recently retired after working as a licensed clinical social worker in a high security mental health prison for 20+ years. 
     She has multiple myeloma. When she came to my office, she wanted to process her thoughts about this end of life business. Her first words were, "I don't feel like I'm dying." That isn't a phrase most people hear on a regular basis. "I don't feel like I'm dying." Unfortunately, my job requires that I do a lot of talking about impending death, but for whatever reason, this little phrase struck me personally today. 
     I don't feel like I'm dying either, but I am. Each day we all inch closer and closer to whenever the time will be that we will indeed die. As I sat and talked with the woman, she told me her experience of purchasing her own cremation. She listed all of the tasks she needs to accomplish to make the transition easiest for those who love her...adding her sister's name to her car title and bank account, giving her sister a key to her safety deposit box, deciding who will take her cat, completing her will, finishing her advance directive, etc. Then she starting listing all the things she wants to do before she's gone. 
     She wants to visit New York. She's planning a trip in May with her sister. She would like to see New Orleans. She wants to go to Italy. As she listed these things, all I could think was, "Time is so limited." We hear this phrase often, but I don't think we always appreciate it. Time really is limited. We never know when our days are up. 
     So today, my challenge is this. Live every day to the fullest. No, I mean really live each day to the fullest. Make a bucket list. Write down all the things you truly love and want to accomplish in this short lifetime. Don't wait. Start doing it today, nay yesterday! Because once you're sitting in front of that physician, receiving that dreaded prognosis, chances are it'll already be too late. Stop living in denial... 

...We all died a little today... 

Be Mine, Valentine.

Valentine's Day is so much more than a consumer's excuse to spend money. At the heart of the holiday (pun intended) is love, romance, creativity, mystery, and sensuality. Which has me thinking...

What are valentines I would like to send/receive?

1. I do secretly admire someone in my life, currently. I would adore sending a sweet note their way! I'm certain that 3/4 of the excitement comes from the secret. So alas, I highly doubt the possibility of this ever happening (now or otherwise). Nonetheless, what's a life without fantasy?! 
2. I would love to send someone a singing telegram. I think they're just delightful and hilarious!
3. I would love to receive a valentine surprise trip to Venice. Italy is by far the most romantic place I've been, Venice especially. Now THAT would be amore!

There are so many variations of romantic/spontaneous possibilities. As a feminist, it's somewhat conflicting to say that I miss the chivalry men once possessed. However, I'm willing to admit if all men were as eloquent and debonaire as Don Draper (reference Mad Men) I would simply melt ... 

That's it!!! I'd like Donald Draper on my doorstep. Can anyone deliver? 

Happy Valentine's Day.

Regina

One of the great loves of my life is Regina Spektor. I think she is absolutely amazing, her style, lyrics, and musical sense. 

One of my top three ladies...

Musical Picks of The Week 2/9/11

Music is one of my favorite therapies.

 Here are a few of my favorites this week....

Living Passionately

     I talked to a very interesting woman today, the type of person I term a "giver." I have a theory that there are two main types of people in the world, givers and takers. I feel that essentially everyone I meet falls into one of these two categories. A person either gives joy, energy, and excitement or takes it from you. The woman I met today told me the story of how she found passion in her life and realigned her goals to help her work toward this meaningful purpose.
     She was a traveling nurse for twenty years. She was a married woman, moving around often, and living a very stressful life. The pay was good, but the anxiety overwhelming. She suddenly began suffering from panic attacks, a new development. When she saw her doctor, he wanted to prescribe Xanax. This was her wake up call. She knew a pill wasn't going to fix the problem she had created for herself.
     As she began a personal journey toward wellness, practicing mindfulness, relaxation, studying nutrition, etc. she decided to become a certified holistic nurse. She also became certified in administering what she calls the "Passion Test."
     This is where I really became intrigued. As a social worker, I'm interested in what we call the strengths-based approach, drawing on a client's inherent strengths and forming a treatment plan around them. According to my acquaintance, the passion test is designed to help people identify their true passions. The tool is then used to help individuals realign their priorities to start living a life based on their passions. This is what led the nurse to quit her high paying job and become a consultant teaching others the way to live passionate lives.
     After hearing this story, I just had to make a list of my top 5 passions. In order to do so, I had to clear my mind and freely write a list of things I feel passionate about. Once I had a rough list, I went through and prioritized the five things I do not want to live without. This is what I discovered...

1. Family & Friends
    I'm sure this would be the first choice for most. I cannot live without my loved ones. I love being surrounded by the people I love, entertaining, and socializing. I cannot live without it. 

2. Travel
    I've been fortunate to have traveled far and wide in my limited days. Travel has been such an enlightening experience for me. From Buddhist temples, The Great Wall, St. Peter's Basilica, and Auschwitz to sandy shores, there is so much to be learned from history left behind. In addition, there is nothing quite as freeing as the reminder that there are so many places in the world I could just become lost and start completely anew. 
    
3. Living peacefully
    My life has not always been as peaceful as it is today. Mind you, it certainly isn't the picture of perfect serenity, either! However, the more I practice meditation, relaxation, boundary setting, etc. the more I seek the peace I continue to find. 

4. Making the world a better place
    My profession is my primary facet for carrying out this passion. I truly believe there are so many ways people can make the world a better place, the simplest being a smile. If people spent as much effort improving the world and complimenting it as they do criticizing and condemning it, the world would most certainly be a better place. 

5. Being true to myself
    Judging by my history, there is no doubt I've been strongly dedicated to this concept. Though I've faced ridicule and resistance, if I have nothing else at the end, at least I can say I've been true to myself. 


     Hopefully others will be inspired, as I was, by this interesting concept of living according to your passions. 

Go forth and live passionately!

How The Web May Help Save Your Life

     I'm currently working as an MSW Intern at Missouri Cancer Associates, and I'm learning all kinds of fabulous things I didn't know before! I'm especially excited by the idea of social networking sites to promote healing. Many cancer patients struggle to manage the overwhelming amount of social support they receive from friends and family. 
     For those who aren't familiar with chemotherapy and radiation, these aggressive therapies most often leave patients tired or exhausted. Rest is a key element of healing, and many patients feel guilty "ignoring" the calls of friends and family. 
     Sites like Caring Bridge, Care Pages, and My Life Line allow patients and their families to keep everyone up to date at the same time. The sites are essentially blog/facebook/planner. Friends and family can follow patients on the site, and they'll receive e-mail notifications each time a post has been added. Social supporters can leave caring messages of hope and encouragement for the patient to read at their leisure. My Life Line even has a calendar where friends and family can coordinate efforts to drive the patient to treatments, make them dinner, take them out, etc. Just one more way technology is making life better.

Hold My Heart

One of my favorite songs as of late...

I never meant to be the one to let you down
If anything, I thought I saw myself going first
I didn't know how to stick around
How to see anybody but me be getting hurt

I keep remembering the summer night
And the conversation breaking up the mood
I didn't want to tell you you were right
Like the season changing, oh, I felt it too

Does anybody know how to hold my heart
How to hold my heart?
'Cause I don't want to let go, let go, let go too soon

I want to tell you so before the sun goes dark
How to hold my heart
'Cause I don't want to let go, let go, let go of you

I'm not the kind to try to tell you lies
But the truth is you've been hiding from it too
I see the end sneaking in behind your eyes
Saying everything no words could ever do

Does anybody know how to hold my heart
How to hold my heart?
'Cause I don't want to let go, let go, let go too soon

I want to tell you so before the sun goes dark
How to hold my heart
'Cause I don't want to let go, let go, let go of you

Is anybody listening?
'Cause I'm crying
Is anybody listening?

Does anybody know how to hold my heart
How to hold my heart?
'Cause I don't want to let go, let go, let go too soon

I want to tell you so before the sun goes dark
How to hold my heart
'Cause I don't want to let go, let go, let go of you

Things I Will Never Own

But Would Adore...

1. Lamborghini (a.k.a. "Lemon Lam")
2. Olympic size pool
3. Yacht
4. Private bowling ally
5. Velcro Wall
6. Manhattan flat
7. A Camel
8. Vertical Wind Tunnel 
9. Lear Jet
10. A Crown

Shut In

     As I sit in my apartment, buried by snow on all sides, I begin to contemplate humanities inability to appreciate SLOW. In a day and age when we're completely connected by "the grid," if you will, one would imagine physical isolation to be a breeze. Not true. 
     I'm writing this on my third day of solitary confinement, if being shut in with your husband is considered solitary confinement. I have framed this as the perfect opportunity to practice mindfulness and solace as I enjoy reading, conversing, listening to music, blogging, etc. My husband, on the other hand, is about to go mad. Mind you, this is only his second day of being home (i.e. 36th hour). I'm perplexed by how challenging it is for him to relax and enjoy life. This happens when we go on vacations, as well. The build up is so exciting, but once we arrive to our destination, he tires of frivolities so quickly. 


What are we running toward so quickly?

     The irony of it all is that there is nothing on the other end. I often find myself falling into the same restless trap. I just have to get out and do something, but once I'm out, there's nothing exciting in sight. 
     We're so focused on hypothetical destinations, we forget to appreciate all the pleasurable elements that surround us. All of this "connection" we make is fabricated, useless, and hollow. Not to mention, the added stress and anxiety of moving at the speed of light is also killing us.
     Alas, I'm not alone in my thoughts. The Slow Movement has the right idea. They believe time is the most precious commodity we have. With each passing moment, we're gaining experience and enjoyment that cannot otherwise be replicated. Perhaps we should all start connecting in new ways, with ourselves, our loved ones, and those we have yet to meet. There are so many simple methods for bringing more depth to our existence that do not require searching outward and upward. 


Observe... Process... Appreciate. 

The Invisibles

I remember years ago when I used to ride the bus to school. I once thought about the bus driver and his role in my life. All I knew about him was his first name. However, he sat at the front of the bus five days a week listening to everyone else's stories. He knew so much about us, while we knew nothing about him. How often we forget about the "invisible" people in our lives (i.e. janitors, secretaries, drivers, nurses, retail workers, etc).

To whom am I Invisible?

Inspiration

Poet. Actress. Canadian. Fellow Gemini. Bohemian. Soul Mate. Alanis has been my musical companion since I can't remember. I love her, and if we ever met, we'd surely be the best of friends.

The following song was inspiration for my blog title...

Incomplete

One day I'll find relief
I'll be arrived
And I'll be friend to my friends who know how to be friends
One day I'll be at peace
I'll be enlightened and I'll be married with children and maybe adopt
One day I will be healed
I will gather my wounds forge the end of tragic comedy

I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete

One day my mind will retreat
And I'll know God
And I'll be constantly one with her night dusk and day
One day I'll be secure
Like the women I see on their thirtieth anniversaries

I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete

Ever unfolding
Ever expanding
Ever adventurous
And torturous
But never done

One day I will speak freely
I'll be less afraid
And measured outside of my poems and lyrics and art
One day I will be faith-filled
I'll be trusting and spacious authentic and grounded and home

I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete