tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-244272932010-02-04T21:45:22.448-07:00karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.comBlogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-65126831217270017402010-02-03T20:30:00.001-07:002010-02-04T21:45:22.456-07:00

just found out blogger is discontinuing the service that allowed me to host my blog at karenalonge.com.  so as of ten minutes ago, postcards from nowhere has a new home:  http://www.postcards-from-nowhere.com/.  come by and say hello!  all of my previous entries are there.  this url here will remain active for another month or so, and then it should automatically redirect you to the new place

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-78103165349378241252010-02-01T11:21:00.002-07:002010-02-01T11:31:33.122-07:00

Counter protesters carried randomly absurd signs, including I Have A Sign, I'm Tired, and I Was Promised Donuts, in response to a hate campaign mounted by a small group of traveling rabble rousers who were picketing the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco. I love this story on so many levels that I can't even express myself coherently. I just can't stop grinning.http://www.dailykos.com/

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-79736282377217477842010-02-01T08:39:00.005-07:002010-02-01T09:03:11.022-07:00

I got sick this week, for the first time in a couple years. Nothing major -- a sore throat followed by some sinusy stuff. It took me a couple days to notice that I wasn't terribly annoyed by it. I just blew my nose when it needed blowing and moved on with my life. This is a nice contrast to past illnesses, which often pissed me off. I wonder if I'm finally starting to experience the

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-66971666887531334852010-01-31T21:45:00.003-07:002010-01-31T21:47:19.154-07:00

here's the happy outcome:http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_14287558?source=most_viewed

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-28296964640115485122010-01-29T13:27:00.004-07:002010-01-29T14:28:39.086-07:00

I'm reading a ragged, coffeestained paperback edition of The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts, courtesy of the Boulder Public Library. Gosh this guy has a way with words!After a very clear and convincing argument that we simply cannot identify an experiencer who is separate from the experience itself, he goes on to say:The real reason why human life can be so utterly exasperating and

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-63242868269070325872010-01-27T09:53:00.003-07:002010-01-27T09:57:45.203-07:00

Somehow I missed their first performance -- of Thriller, apparently. Not sure how great it is for morale to have a bunch of inmates singing they don't really care about us in their heads constantly, but still, this is a pretty cool vid.

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-16424526194068575392010-01-26T17:06:00.003-07:002010-01-26T17:16:24.503-07:00

I found this to be an interesting approach to a complex issue: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec09/mexico_12-29.htmlHere's an excerpt:Started 12 years ago by the Mexican government, the program, called Oportunidades -- or Opportunities -- gives a small subsidy every other month to poor mothers, like Santo Domingo resident Sixta Orcasita.But there is a catch, one that separates

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-70662178850767217112010-01-24T12:11:00.005-07:002010-01-25T11:08:08.340-07:00

My daughter and I spent the day at the Museum of Nature and Science yesterday. I have trouble conceptualizing time and space, and really big amounts of either usually just send my brain into tilt. So I was happy that the museum exhibits did a nice job of breaking things down to my level of understanding.For example, I learned that scientists estimate the age of the earth at 4.5 billion years, and

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-63299365046833705872010-01-21T20:54:00.006-07:002010-01-21T21:07:42.871-07:00

Starting with my feet, I focus my attention on a particular body part and keep it there until I feel that part starting to tingle, buzz, or pulsate. Then I move upward, focusing on one part at a time, until my whole body feels gently activated and energized.And by that time, I've forgotten whatever I had been obsessing about.

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-5367084703685431782010-01-21T10:50:00.006-07:002010-01-21T11:02:15.745-07:00

I bet I've heard this Beatles song a thousand times.And this morning, I suddenly understand it at a completely different level.In honor of that which is unperturbable within us all:Words are flying out likeendless rain into a paper cupThey slither while they passThey slip away across the universePools of sorrow waves of joyare drifting thorough my open mindPossessing and caressing meJai guru deva

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-60582145818036723012010-01-19T17:38:00.006-07:002010-01-19T17:48:51.562-07:00

just heard about this site in an email newsletter: http://www.angelaperegoff.blogspot.com/Check out this simple and beautiful blessing for moving awareness out of the mind into the heart. It's from her post on Friday January 15th:Place the palm of one hand on the forehead over the 3rd eye.Affirm 3 times, "I am clear."Take a deep breath in and let it out with a sigh.Now move your hand and place it

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-76504812874173529972010-01-19T14:36:00.003-07:002010-01-19T15:51:26.835-07:00

There's a certain stretch of road on my way home from Costco that always makes me wax poetic. Maybe it's some kind of energetic vortex or something? Anyway, today as I drove home with my trunk full of good things in mass quantities and my belly full of one of those famous Costco hot dogs, I found myself feeling deeply grateful for the divorce that was oh so traumatic for me so many years ago.

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-69531541212179482702010-01-19T11:36:00.003-07:002010-01-19T12:18:28.296-07:00

I learned the song that is playing in my head today at the Dances of Universal Peace. Their version uses the word God, but the voice in my head automatically substitutes Love:Go sweep out the chambers of your heart.Make it ready to be the dwelling of the Beloved.When you depart, Love will enter.In you, void of yourself, Love will display her beauties.Some googling revealed that these lyrics are

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-45710223204670027062010-01-18T15:23:00.007-07:002010-01-18T16:28:30.628-07:00

Wanted to report that some results are trickling in on my latest hare-brained experiment in non-thought. To refresh your memory, since lord knows I have a lot of Experiment Irons in the fire at any given moment, this is the one where I don't allow my mind to contemplate, ruminate, or cogitate on anything that is not right in front of me at the moment.My mental tendencies really come out of the

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-54506615251466810052010-01-17T11:04:00.006-07:002010-01-17T11:20:31.829-07:00

I took the path less traveled on my hike this morning. And I learned that sometimes, such as when the trails are icy and snowpacked, taking the road less traveled means you have to work a lot harder, you progress more slowly but get tired faster, and you end up backtracking and looking for a more traveled route.Which as the revered Mr. Frost mentioned, does indeed make all the difference, but not

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-27535269543358284672010-01-16T22:15:00.004-07:002010-01-17T11:03:23.846-07:00

Here's the post I mentioned about William Glasser's book, Staying Together. It seems to be out of print, but from what I can gather, it's been updated and morphed into sort of a newer edition, called Getting Together and Staying Together: Solving the Mystery of Marriage. As always, this post is about my interpretation of his work, so please read his book for a completely accurate representation

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-71280468759407324822010-01-14T14:07:00.006-07:002010-01-14T14:55:39.671-07:00

my library card hasn't gotten much time to cool down between uses ...Perfect Love, Imperfect Relationships: Healing the Wound of the Heart I'm typically a fan of John Welwood's work, so it's no surprise that this book is currently chock full of post-it arrows pointing to quotes I wanted to remember. Like this one:Our birthright as human beings is to have direct access to perfect love, and our

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-37341350340653960142010-01-10T14:38:00.004-07:002010-01-10T15:19:23.203-07:00

I love that whenever I talk to clients or friends, I always end up saying what I myself most need to hear:The part of you that is calling for a BIG decision, whether it be about career, relationship, housing, or whatever, is the Mind, not the Heart. It is the mind that creates urgency and desperation. It truly believes it cannot go one minute longer without a resolution. It hates ambiguity.

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-79526725815648266552010-01-06T09:32:00.009-07:002010-01-06T16:05:40.170-07:00

My mind has been taking the rest of me on some wild and uncomfortable rides during our downtime lately. It stays nicely on track during work or interactions with others -- it's the unstructured time that has been unpleasant. I think perhaps both me and it need to go back to basic training to restore some sense of supportive order and structure.Here's what I will be experimenting with for the next

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-1905282119267196392010-01-02T19:01:00.002-07:002010-01-02T19:04:15.027-07:00

a quote from Abraham-Hicks, 10/6/96: The intense intertwining of two people provides valuable contrast and motion forward that could not erupt without the powerful dynamics of two powerful creators coming together.Your relationship literally provides a springboard for ideas that are born out of the intertwining of thoughts. The intense coupling of thinkers speeds and intensifies the decision

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-55827097856125152632010-01-02T11:53:00.007-07:002010-01-02T16:58:55.710-07:00

I'm actually revisiting this Advaita/NonDuality stuff by reading John Wheeler's The Light Behind Consciousness. Years ago I attended satsang with Gangaji and various other teachers as they visited Boulder. I borrowed and purchased many books, by Ramesh Balsekar and others. My copy of Wayne Liquorman's book No Way: A Guide for the Spiritually "Advanced" (which he authored as Ram Tzu) is dog eared

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-1121226196398206132010-01-01T23:15:00.005-07:002010-01-01T23:30:23.082-07:00

Had a great time on our trip to visit my mom in AZ. This pic was taken in Sedona on our New Year's Eve hike. (My son is now the proud owner of my dad's black cowboy hat with the red snakeskin band.) I finished Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict while I was there, and eagerly tried the visualization exercises with fascinating results. More to come on that another

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-48569299714585216652009-12-27T14:30:00.007-07:002009-12-27T15:17:27.172-07:00

Out of the Canyon: A True Story of Loss and Love About the healing journey of a man who lost his wife and children when a huge boulder crushed their car as he drove through Glenwood Canyon, leaving him untouched. He found love again, with the blessing of his family from the other side. A lovely story. Have kleenex handy.Outliers: The Story of Success Fascinating perspective on the root causes of

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-7408127514560782162009-12-16T21:06:00.007-07:002009-12-16T21:40:37.068-07:00

My daughter baked the most beautiful cookies tonight. She intended to take them to school to share with friends, but eventually gave in to my begging and let me have just one. I chomped into it with glee, freezing mid-munch when I suddenly noticed that it tasted strange.A few minutes of sleuthing and sniffing in the kitchen revealed our culprit: the cinnamon bottle.See, I buy spices in bulk, and

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24427293.post-69126627582589334922009-12-15T09:03:00.004-07:002009-12-15T09:54:41.440-07:00

Even when a car has that little warning printed on the side mirror that says, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear," accidents still happen due to blind spots.I've been reading this super cool book called Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why, which illuminates the inherently human perceptual and cognitive distortions that can actually kill us. It explains why smart people make

karen alongehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625934728189813155karen@karenalonge.com5