Saturday, July 28, 2012

Entering The Fray Again

The Fray
Sleep Train Pavilion
Concord, CA
July 25, 2012





























Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Family Photos from My Niece's Quince

All Photos by Jose Morales of Moe's Photography

Photo by Jose Morales of Moe's Originals

Photo by Jose Morales of Moe's Originals




Fragile


Life is fragile.  I learned this lesson again recently.  A year and a half ago when, after being in an intense, intimate relationship with a man I thought I’d marry, I had my heart broken into a million little pieces.  The events that took place at the end of our relationship coincided with the end of a contract job I was working and a months-long medical mystery which sent me into a downward spiral of emotion.  I went into a severe emotional black hole like nothing I’d ever experienced before.  There wasn’t a day that I could hold back the flood of tears.  They’d appear at any given moment, whether an appropriate time or not.  I could be having lunch with a friend, standing in the cereal aisle at the grocery store, or in the middle of Ustrasana camel pose in Bikram yoga class when the dam would break and the tears would flow incessantly.

The last year and a half has been the single most challenging and strenuous battle of my life.  Becoming aware that I was in a full-blown depression didn’t ease the pain and it wasn’t life changing like you might imagine.  Instead of the recognition motivating me to live life, I found myself wallowing, sleeping, crying, alienating myself from friends and family and cocooning myself in the comfort of my room.

At a much slower pace than I care to admit, I began taking baby steps to pull myself out of the darkness, at first having breakfast with a girl friend and eventually branching out to dinners and concerts.

Just a couple of months ago, I was having dinner with my family to celebrate my nephew’s 12th birthday when I happened to glance at my email on my handy dandy iPhone.  I was stunned to see a Facebook message notification from a familiar name.  My heart stopped momentarily.  The message, from a past long-distance love, which I’d spent a year and a half of my life trying to maintain a relationship with until it eventually fell apart in a dramatic, anger-filled blowup, was an attempt to reconnect.  I had no idea what to think so I put my phone away and continued on with the celebration.

That evening when I got home, I prepared myself for bed and went right to sleep, never giving the message another thought… until the next day when I was at work checking email.  I suddenly knew exactly what I needed to do.  I opened the message on Facebook and re-read it.  His words were genuine and kind, as I remember him to be when we first met.  He wasn’t forceful or intrusive, simply wanting to say hello and see how I’d been doing.

I began typing and the words just came.  It was short but to the point.  I was hesitant to go into too much detail and uncertain of what I should say but he had made the effort to reach out and I needed to respond.  Our relationship had ended surrounded by so much anger and I spent years filled with animosity toward him.  I felt betrayed and had a huge sense of loss when he left, a big gaping hole in my life.  I could feel myself letting go of it all as my fingers tapped away at the keyboard.

We feverishly exchanged messages.  He admitted his cowardice and apologized for all the pain and hurt he had caused me.  It was a tremendous relief on my psyche.  I felt the burden of weight being lifted as I typed the words… “I forgave you a long time ago.”  My heart was free. 

We finally exchanged phone numbers.  My text message dinged immediately.   Many words of guilt, sadness, happiness, love and regret passed between us and as they did, the man I knew was being welcomed back into my life with open arms.




Growing up.  Timing.  Divine intervention.  Whatever you call it, my heart is smiling.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Hometown Kid DeAndre Stuns with Voice

Looks like our hometown kid is coming up strong on Idol.  I went to high school with DeAndre's parents so everyday I see posts on Facebook from friends of them saying, "Vote for DeAndre!"

A couple of years ago, when Idol revamped the whole show by ousting some judges, watching Simon Cowell leave to produce his own show and hiring new, more updated judges such as J Lo and Steven Tyler, I stopped watching.  Only in the last two weeks have I watched a couple of episodes - only to see DeAndre perform and to see what all the ruckus was about.  I discovered that, "The boy can sing!!!!"

The episode I watched pitted guys against girls, with the judges making the final decision as to who in the bottom two would be eliminated.  After a session with Mary J. Blige and Interscope Records exec Jimmy Iovine, DeAndre performed Stevie Wonder's Master Blaster with such fervor.  I had no idea the kid was so good.  He's got a great vibe, a sultry voice and model looks (can't forget those gorgeous blue eyes).

America (and especially the Bay Area) must keep DeAndre in the running for 2012's American Idol.  Don't forget to vote each week.  DeAndre needs your votes!

DeAndre's American Idol Page



Become a fan of DeAndre on his Facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/BrackensickAI11.

Coming Soon... Just A Girl Looking for Love

New Blog - Just A Girl Looking for Love

Thursday, March 8, 2012

X Factor Auditions in San Francisco


Season 2 X Factor auditions are coming to San Francisco!

If you live in the Bay Area, you've got that special talent and you want to audition for the X Factor, you must register April 18 - 19.  Looks like open call auditions will be taking place in SF on April 20 or elsewhere in the country.  See the list of locations and dates below or you can submit an online audition by going to the X Factor website.  Good luck to all!

 
DO YOU HAVE
THE X FACTOR?
Dear Patricia Passaretti,

THE WORLD’S ONLY $5 MILLION AUDITION IS BACK!

THE X FACTOR is searching for America's best undiscovered talent.

If you are a solo artist or vocal group and are ages 12 and up, you can audition for THE X FACTOR Season 2 as follows:

*Open Call Auditions in:
  • Kansas City, MO – Registration: March 12-13
    Audition: March 14
  • Austin, TX – Registration: March 20-21
    Audition: March 22
  • San Francisco, CA – Registration: April 18-19
    Audition: April 20
  • Greensboro, NC – Registration: April 29-30
    Audition: May 1
  • Providence, RI – Registration: May 9
    Audition: May 10
*Online Auditions

*MyStudio HD Recording Studios across America

This year we have opened THE X FACTOR auditions up to artists who already have representation.

If you, or any of your friends have THE X FACTOR go to www.thexfactorusa.com to sign-up and get audition details and eligibility requirements NOW!

THE X FACTOR Season 1 discovered such diverse recording artists as winner Melanie Amaro, and finalists Astro, Chris Rene, Josh Krajcik, Marcus Canty and Rachel Crow, who have all signed major deals with
Sony Music.

GOOD LUCK!


Facebook  Twitter
THEXFACTORUSA.COM
 


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Quotes to Live By

Following are some of my favorite quotes and stories:


  • You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough. ~ Frank Crane

  • Life isn’t about finding yourself.  Life is about creating yourself. ~ Unknown

  • When the pain of where you are becomes greater than the fear of where you’re going, you’ll move.

  • When people show you who they are, believe them. ~ Maya Angelou


Don't give up.....

One day I decided to quit...
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
"God", I asked, "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"
His answer surprised me...
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"
"Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light.
I gave them water.
The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.
Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I would not quit.
In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would
not quit." He said.
"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6
months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."
He asked me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots".
"I would not quit on the bamboo.
I will never quit on you."
"Don't compare yourself to others."
He said.
"The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful."
"Your time will come", God said to me.
"You will rise high"
"How high should I rise?"
I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I questioned.
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never, Never, Never Give up.
For the Christian Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,
tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

  • Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts.  It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all.
  • Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. ~ Malcolm S. Forbes
  • Don't talk about yourself; it will be done when you leave. ~ Wilson Mizner

  • It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.  ~ Unknown

  • Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity. ~ Frank Leahy, Look, 10 January 1955
  •  In all that surrounds him the egotist sees only the frame of his own portrait. ~ J. Petit-Senn

  • None are so empty as those who are full of themselves. ~ Benjamin Whichcote

  • Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
  • The man who thinks he can live without others is mistaken; the one who thinks others can't live without him is even more deluded. ~ Hasidic Saying

  • Modesty:  The art of encouraging people to find out for themselves how wonderful you are.  ~Source Unknown

  • Conveying truth in your actions is never a mistake.

  • Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different.

  • “Whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this moment, are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment. There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving your own evolution." ~ Deepak Chopra

  • "You can accept or reject the way you are treated by other people, but until you heal the wounds of your past, you will continue to bleed. You can bandage the bleeding with food, with alcohol, with drugs, with work, with cigarettes, with sex, but eventually, it will all ooze through and stain your life. You must find the strength to open the wounds, stick your hands inside, pull out the core of the pain that is holding you in your past, the memories, and make peace with them." ~ Iyanla Vanzant                                                                                                                             

  • It is worth remembering that the time of greatest gain in terms of wisdom and inner strength is often that of greatest difficulty. ~Dalai Lama

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