A Really Bad Day

A man walks in a bar, obviously unhappy, orders a drink and huddles over it when a burly bully comes over, grabs the drink and downs it.  At which point the customer bursts into tears and the bully suddenly besieged by guilt says, "Don't cry little fellow, I can't stand seeing a grown man cry.  I'm sorry I took your drink. "  The sniffling customer said, "You don't understand, this has been the worst day of my life. I lost my job, somebody stole, my car, I took a cab and left my wallet in it, my wife has left me, my children won't talk to me. Finally I came into this bar and just when I'm ready to put an end to it, you drink my poison!"

Procrastination

  Procrastination, boy is that a universal problem. How many people do you know that can get  everything done in the order of their importance. I mean thats what all the books tell you to do. You know, make a list, prioritize them into A, B, C, etc.  You can spend an hour a day just reading and imputing into your electronic organizer. I'm lucky. I have a Michelle to keep me in line to get stuff done. But there is always that one project that you never can get finished. We have pills for everything these days. But whoever invents a procrastination pill will have it made. I bet someone is working on one now, if they haven't it put off.... 

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso:

  My mother said to me, "If you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if you become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope." Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.

Getting Fit

    Why is the determination to lose some weight greatest right after you eat? This is one of life's great secrets.

If Life Was A Baseball Player

If life was a baseball player, I think it would a curveball pitcher.  The one constant in life is change and you can't fight it.  Most of us humans are creatures of habit.  We like predictability in most things because we have come to know what to expect. It makes most days less dramatic if we don't have to jump through hoops and think our way through daily events.

Of course that is not reality and there comes a point when you have to make life changing decisions for one reason or another.  A lot of people would rather suffer with the known rather then move on to what makes sense and get really stuck hanging on to a changed life situation. Look at an old photograph of yourself. Are you really the same person?  We are all changing a tiny bit every second as old cells die and new ones take their place.  It's been said you can't swim in the same river twice.  The river looks the same but every second new water flows on by.  Learn to embrace change as something natural.  Either that or get used to being thrown curves.  If you are only waiting for only straight pitches from life, chances are you going to get called out at the plate.

Quote of the Day

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

What Make a Portrait

  I am often asked what the difference is between a photograph and a portrait. You look at a portrait with your eyes. However you sense the essence of the person or the relationship between the people with your heart.  So you can say there is an unseen energy that is captured by the photographer and received by the viewer.  The energy is comprised of the elements in the portrait. It's part composition, tone and color, light and shadow, balance and expression. The artist uses their innate ability to combine these elements to make a photograph into a work of art. A picture shows what somebody looks like. A portrait shows what somebody is like.  The difference then is like day is different then night.  

Where Does The Day Go?

   I remember as a kid, each day was an eternity. It was amazing how much stuff it seemed I could do in a day.  I couldn't wait to be a teenager when I was nine, couldn't wait until I was eighteen when I was fifteen, couldn't wait until I was nineteen.  After twenty-one, that was the big one, I guess I stopped wishing anymore. Then the days speeded up after and twenty-five came about much sooner, thirty turned into forty, well you get the idea. 

   The theory someone passed on to me was that when your young, your brain isn't full so it took  a number of years to fill it up, hence the longer feeling days. Once your brain is full, the years go by so much more quickly.  I personally think there is more to attend to now.  Maybe when people retire, their days will slow down again with less to run around and do.  I would welcome that when I get to the Autumn of my life. I surely enjoy waking up everyday and the chance to see the sky, the trees, and all that life offers as a daily gift. One thing for sure...I won't be wishing for time to pass quickly. 

Heat!

Were getting the heat now in DC. Golfers today were melting away under high temperatures and humidity. After nine holes today I was soaked and drained after eighteen, and I rode in a cart! What a storm last week!  We lost power in our studio, as I am sure many of you did, and we had to reschedule all our appointments.  This is life in the Summertime here. It seems like it's coming earlier though. Global warming anyone?  

We had Neptune Night Under the Stars on Friday night, an annual event at the Country Club of Fairfax. It was a great time (some of the images are posted on my website).  I had a great time covering the event for the club. As you can see, everyone enjoyed being by our beautiful pool to enjoy the great food and drinks. Tomorrow will be another hot one so find a way to stay cool if your can.  

Baseball in DC

I love going out to Nationals Park. The Nats are having a rough season having lost a lot of key players to injuries. No matter because this ballpark is a gem. Sparkling new with great places to eat, fun stuff between innings and a drink holder for every seat. It has the perfect atmosphere to take your family for a relaxing afternoon or evening of pro baseball. I especially like the heart healthy food at Five Guys (grin), a delicious burger with some of the best fries you will ever eat. You can take the Metro right to the park or pay to park if you register in advance.  Even if they lose, which is more often then not, it's still a great time.

A New Earth by Eckart Tolle

If your the type of person who likes philosophy, I suggest you download Oprah's seminar with Eckart Tolle. It is a free download from Itunes both as a podcast or in a video format. Eckart is a modern day philosopher and author.  His life work is about raising conscience in the world. He feels that most of humanity is locked in repetitive thinking and man's ego prevents him from living in the moment, thus missing life.  All of it makes sense and none of it is particularly easy to achieve.  None the less, I found it to be enlightening listening and interesting to think about. The primer of his lecture is from his book, A New Earth that Oprah has endorsed in her book club. Oprah and Eckart spend each podcast reviewing a different chapter.  People call in from around the world on Skype with questions and reflections.  This great listening on your ipod while on your treadmill or eliptical machine. It is also downloadable in video format.  The basic premise of the book is that life is always now so if your in your head about the past or fretting about the future, you miss the present moment of which all of life is continually made of.  Give it a listen. My bet is it will get you thinking.