Collective Conscious

The world is a worrying. I hear comments from friends fretting about the value of their IRA, potential of job loss, etc. If you can visualize and feel your own reality and not that of the collective worry, you shall soon FLY like the reptile that came upon land, you shall rise from the ashes around you like the phoenix, you shall BE better than everyone else imagined; yet not better than YOU imagined... because YOU always imagined better. See your own reality. Be your own reality. Believe in your own potential; not the fear of the collective conscious. Namaste.

SNL

Gotta admit this is hilarious!

Snow Lake Hike

Hike, originally uploaded by lmpicard.

My dear friend from Connecticut and I went for a little jaunt up to Snow Lake yesterday. It was a magical day. I have not been up to the alpine lakes in a while. Although everyone an their mother seemed to be up at Snow lake... Deb and I had great fun with my new camera.

Greenspan = Deadpan?

Former FED Chairman Alan Greenspan argues (according to Businessweek) "that the price of eliminating giant speculative losses is a lower standard of living."

Short hand? If we don't let wall street bet big, they don't get to live high on the hog. Duh?

So...
Alan buddy, are you saying that... IF we regulate banks and/or investors FROM being able to engage in Las Vegas style investing (shall we say speculative losses) THIS regulation of the FREE MARKET precludes Wall Street CEO's from having an adequate standard of living (say like having a G4 aircraft for weekend trips at the Hamptons?). I guess with the masterminding of the BIG BAILOUT, they (you) get to keep a high standard of living while the rest of america pays for it.

Bravo buddy.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
So Free Market economics is really only some of the time. Got it.

5D arrived

So I finally got my high end dig. Here are my first actuations. Jett wasn't so happy. Diggin' my super wide lens. Needless to say there will be much better shots on my blog... once I figure out how to use it.

We Own AIG

Congrats to us all, we now own another financial institution. As I sit here this early Wednesday morning on September 17th, I ponder the obvious; the single fact that our entire society, culture, imprint, economy - call it our collective DNA mindset is completely focused on the need to grow. Growth, growth, growth. The obsession of every company and thus its entire value in the market is its ability to grow. The faster, the bigger, the more we can line the pockets of its management with obscene quantities of money and experience real (or fabricated) profits the more we value that company. Is it necessary? What ever happened to our expectation that a normal market return is 7%? Can't we be happy at something that just holds our standard of living? Must we thirst to grab 20, 30 or 50% growth? Beyond that need, don't we see it just robs us of our future?

We learn yet again...
Such growth is not sustainable.

We learn yet again...
This growth only steals from the future;
a bit like charging up your credit cards only to pay later.

We learn yet again...
that truth continues to teach; however painful and despite our listening.

We own, fannie, freddie and AIG now. Maybe to diversify our portfolio we now need a major thirft? WaMu anyone? They are certainly begging for deposits with cheap CD's - which is their begging for mo' money (to cover bad loans and shrinking deposits).

Ford with 65 miles to gallon

Just read in business week that Ford has a vehicle that can easily go 65 miles to the gallon. It won't sell it in the US. Whaaaaaaaat? They say because its diesel they will not have enough demand because prices are too high. They also say it will take it $350M to build a diesel plant in Mexico to offer in the US.

Wait a minute.
Ford is getting its clock cleaned by Toyota and Honda in this country because those auto companies are selling high efficiency vehicles in the US (albeit hybrids). Oh, oh, oh....
AND they want the feds (the US tax payer) to give it "bailout" money to help it because it continued to make BIG ASS vehicles that now are no longer in favor? Let's do the math...

Ford looses $1.0 Billion (yes that is Billion not Million) in cash EVERY month for its expense laden company YET it will not spend a fraction of that monthly loss to build a factory in Mexico to save its ass in the BIGGEST auto market in the world?

Well...
Maybe if you proposed to build the plant in the US then you'd be justified to ask for Fed $'s.

Good night Ford. With decisions like that... you deserve to die on the vine like Lehman.

A spin with da boys

I did a spin with the boys this morning. Good fun. Here is the route and details (if you care):


View BIG Map

Saturday's Ride

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It was a great early spin for the TPR women; starting at 8am and finishing around noon. It was Sile, me, Cathy and Cindi. Phenomenal weather with that crisp little bit of fall in the air. Yes, its coming... Suck it up (the sunshine that is). The ride details are here.

Love Your Soul

Those were the words printed on my Lemon Ginger tea tag bestowed by Yogi Teas (best teas in the land as far as I'm concerned). The mug of tea was just a tad sweet with my manuka honey (from New Zealand) and it warmed my loved soul.

Vitamin D

A good friend of mine had a gnarly crash in Whistler on her mountain bike. Woah... I brought by a care package last night and she looked like a train wreck (broken collarbone, elbow and a head that would win her the part in Elephant Man). Well...
I was reminded that Vitamin D is important for three reasons:

1) We live in the pacific north west and don't get enough natural D (no matter how much time we spend outdoors - even the gardner;
2) Our bones can't construct themselves without masterful D.
3) Overlaying the cancer rates in the US has a perfect correlation (statistically speaking) with the lack of sunshine.

My doc says I need to be taking 5,000 mg a day! Mind you the common multivitamin has about 100mg. I recommend the brand Pure Encapsulations as it has no fillers and uses all natural materials to hold the nutrients. Mind you I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist... just someone passionate about this crap.

Today's Ride

Vashon

Yesterday was a long ride. I needed it. Total was nearly 70miles and 4K of climbing. Commencing from my house around 7:45am, I hit the Vashon ferry with three (3) other TPR gals. We lapped the island, taking in the farms, rolling hills (some not so rolling) water views and the warm poke of the sun through the subtle september marine layer. Magical. Arriving home at 2pm, needing my super recovery smoothie (coconut water, blue green algae banana mango), I'm now ALIVE!

4th Night!

Its 1am and now Friday morning. 4th night in a row. I'm stopping it now. Over, done. Really. Oh, but the weather is so lovely it may dictate play in the day and work in the night. Hmmmm.

Oh my 3rd night I've seen 1am!

Its gotta stop. Am I too busy? or inefficient? Curious that I must search one more idea? Gotta shut it down (the mind, thoughts, thinking, buzzing, spinning) as it keeps me going strong into the am hours. Bad, bad, bad. So... what am I doing at 1:10am.... blogging of course. G night.

Oh...
Gotta plan the mountain bike ride for this weekend. Gonna take some newbies as my Ventana Ciclone is Beggin' for some play time. Out.

fishing

I've been busy. Yes...had a yoga friend from SF visit. In 48 hours we walked the medicine wheel at earth sanctuary, ate sushi, 2 hour yoga private, ate sushi, walked olympic sculpture park, scootered to the aquarium, ate sushi, walked SAM, strolled the book store, drank wine... oh and I got in a 3 hour bike ride. So much for a relaxing weekend.

Well, Leo ( a commerical retouch artist) did manage to manipulate the Manet at SAM to carry the image of me and him by the stream "fishing." You'll need to examine it closely.