Blog Blog Woof Woof

He's a great musician and a tough old guy. We wish you the best Milton. Blues legend Little Milton suffered a stroke and had to be place in intensive care. Cards and letters to the 71-year-old singer, songwriter and guitarist can be sent to P.O. Box 2234, Florence, AL 35630. According to concert promoter, Debbie Dixon: "Doctors say it was a big stroke in the back of his head. He's got a long recovery ahead of him, but he's lucky to be alive." the Artist: Little Milton

I saw the highlights and this looked like a lot of fun. Jeff Cunningham scored twice in the final five minutes

As we all know Tennessee has her own version of Barack Obama by the name of Harold Ford, Jr. , although it's not really an accurate analogy. Among other differences, Barack is a first generation politician where Harold is a fourth generation politician. We in Tennessee know the family, even those of us who rarely go to Memphis , we know about Uncle Emmitt being a corrupt politician, we also know of Uncle John being recently caught with his hands in the cookie jar. The article below explores the family history in depth that I had not read before. See how the good ol boy network has worked for one black family in Memphis. The Fords of Memphis

A questioner asked the Buddha: "I would like to know about the state of peace, the state of solitude and of quiet detachment. How does a person become calm, independent, and not wanting to grasp at anything?" "A person does this," replied the Buddha, "by eradicating the delusion of 'I am.' By being alert and attentive, he begins to let go of cravings as they arise. But whatever he begins to accomplish, he should beware of inner pride. He must avoid thinking of himself as better than another, or worse or equal, for that is all comparison and emphasizes the self. "The person should look for peace within and not depend on it in any other place. For when a person is quiet within, the self cannot be found. There are no waves in the depths of the ocean, it is still and unbroken. It is the same with the peaceful person. He is still, without any longing to grasp. He has let go the foundations of self and no longer builds up pride and desire." Sutta Ni

Encourage Happiness and Harmony 1. The Simplest Basic 2. Before You Get Up 3. The Bedroom Sanctuary 4. Take Time for Breakfast 5. Boost Your Day with Positive Thinking 6. The Power of a Time-Out Adapted from Blissful Bathtimes by Margo Valentine Lazzara

As long as you have not realized the great principle that permeates all, it is essential that speech and action should support each other. Do not hold to the intellectual understanding of others; turn the light of awareness back to the root, and it is not there at all. Pao-chih

Thanks to Rope*a*Dope (who've had a little redesign) I found Boombastic. Today I see it has become Etherbeat. We have yet to see if it's as cool as its predecessor. Eitherway, you - ALL of you - need to listen and support! Jeep Jazz Project on Etherbeat Radio

So, after that period of convergence I began to struggle with depression (or so I found out later), although I was convincing myself that I was being zen-like. I had allowed myself to get in a rut of non-active living. I was flowing from day to day with few cares or plans or concerns. I was allowing myself to settle, I had lost drive to accomplish or make changes. This job got supplanted by another but I maintained this lack of interest or energy. At this same time I started to read about Feng Shui , I didn't practice it I just read about it. It interested me but the thing that was difficult for me to grasp was the fact that you had to do things with deliberate action. You couldn't just follow the Ba Gua and be done with it (although that is what my dearly beloved Tara tends to do), you had to believe that when you placed something in a position or you painted something a certain color you were do that to affect a change or to balance the energy of an area. I couldn't do a

[The] defilements are like a cat. If you feed it, it will keep coming around. Stop feeding it, and eventually it will not bother to come around anymore. Ajahn Chah, " Still Forest Pool "

Today was a pretty good day, other than going to the dentist for the 2nd time in as many weeks. Yes, I will admit that I have periodontal disease. The dentist said I have great teeth but bad gums. Basically, I have never been a flosser. I did it sporadically until I met Tara. She is as diligent about cleanliness as they come and this includes her dental hygiene...she actually enjoys going to the dentist... Now the dentist must do some heavy duty "scaling" which is basically extreme cleaning and I have to be more diligent about my flossing. If you want to check out how to floss go here . Anyway, that said. The tile guys came to do the backsplashes in the kitchen, they didn't finish but they are damn close (we are using white ceramic and then centered over the sink and the stove is a row of ceramic tiles we brought back from Granada ). The plumber came to install kitchen sink hardware . After the dentist I found out that the lights are ready to be picked up. Lastly, my ne

As in a pile of rubbish cast by the side of a highway a lotus might grow clean-smelling pleasing the heart, so in the midst of the rubbish-like, people run-of-the-mill & blind, there dazzles with discernment the disciple of the Rightly Self Awakened One. Dhammapada, 4, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

I’ve lived in TN all my life and I love it. The breadth of wildlife and geography is astonishing. The centrality of the state to the 6 surrounding states is wonderful. TN is the home of culture and science, rural and urban. It’s becoming more progressive politically and socially. It’s becoming wonderfully diverse for a landlocked, non-metropolis state. Come visit. See more progress on: Tennessee

I've been planning on this for awhile and I am finally doing it... Tara and I have tried to use local favs for most of our wedding vendors. Below are just a few who made our wedding the best ever! (Sorry you out of town readers, most of this is Nashville only) The Cake : Sweet 16th Bakery 311 N. 16th St. Nashville, TN 615-226-8367 Contact: Ellen & Dan Einstein Wedding rehearsal Dessert : Las Paletas (Mexican Popsicles) 2907 12th Ave. S, Suite 2 Nashville, TN 615-386-2101 Contact: Irma & Norma Paz Wedding rehearsal Dinner : Istanbul Restaurant 2631 Nolensville Rd Nashville, TN 37211 615-248-6888 Contact: Memet Arslan Wedding Reception Food : Bea Frankel Nashville, TN 615-390-4796 (cell) Wedding Reception DJ DJ Geezus aka George Sulmers Nashville & New York 407-221-1985 (cell)

At the heart of Buddhist meditation are concentration and inquiry. When you cultivate these two qualities in meditation, you develop your ability to be quiet and clear, to offer understanding and love. Martine Batchelor, " Meditation for Life "

So, where was I? Oh, Pooh. I got this book from a coworker at my first record store (Turtle's). There were 5 of us and the person closest to my age ended up having a surprisingly - I say "surprisingly" because she was flighty and I was serious and responsible - strong influence on me. She was my age but still in college (5 year plan) and she was the first Deadhead I met. She welcomed me into her circle of friends willingly and quickly, which I needed b/c most of my high school and college friends had scattered. Because of Lee I began to explore the world of music (I was a pretty hardcore Jazzer and Blueshead at that time) and because of Lee I started to really enjoy the world around (and this was pre-pot smoking, that was still a year or so away). She always seemed to have a good time and just exuded this joie de'vivre that I hadn't seen in anyone else I knew. The Tao of Pooh makes an attempt at explaining Buddhism , particularly Zen Buddhism , which I think is

Congrats to the Men for a fantastic win! U.S. Men Advance to Gold Cup Final With Dramatic 2-1 Win Against Honduras

Don't sacrifice your own welfare for that of another, no matter how great. Realizing your own true welfare, be intent on just that. Dhammapada 166, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Abandoning malicious speech, he abstains from malicious speech; he does not repeat elsewhere what he has heard here in order to divide (those people) from these, nor does he repeat to these people what he has heard elsewhere in order to divide (these people) from those; thus he is one who reunites those who are divided, a promoter of friendships, who enjoys concord, rejoices in concord, delights in concord, a speaker of words that promote concord. Majjhima Nikaya

This is the best article on Southern Rock I think I have ever read. It properly puts Lynyrd Skynyrd in it's place and clearly shows what's up with Charlie Daniels . Thanks Buddy. Daniels, though, was the first to switch gears. He pulled a commercially expedient political 180 at the dawn of the Reagan era, becoming a spokesman for just the sort of murderous peckerwoods heÂ’d castigated in song only a few years before. (Dickey) Betts said Daniels is frightening, and I didn'’t even know Doug Gray ( Marshall Tucker Band ) had gotten involved in that stuff. But they don'’t represent all us players from down South. I enjoy playing with '’em, but let'’s just leave it at that. Bob Dylan can take care of the political stuff. Amen Dickey, Amen! This article brings up some issues that I've struggled with for awhile. At some point after having become an Allmans fan in high school I began to wonder why Skynyrd seemed more popular than the Allmans. Too me it was obvi

Abandoning harsh speech, he abstains from harsh speech, he speaks such words as are gentle, pleasing to the ear, and lovable, as go to the heart, are courteous, desired by many and agreeable to many. Majjhima-Nikaya

Pledge to buy your school supplies somewhere other than Wal-Mart this year. WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price Why we hate Wal-Mart...I think South Park hit the nail on the head but hear are some other things: Child Labor - Breaking laws as recent as June Discrimination - They face the largest gender discrimination suit in history Poor Benefits - Benefits are extended to very few Taxpayer Abuse - Those who don't get Wal-Mart benefits get them from the state Poverty level wages - Most retail falls into this category but a company like Wal-Mart has no excuse More details From the horse's mouth

Hold your Senators accountable We don't have any control of GW's pick but we do have a say so in how our Senators vote. There are a myriad of issues that this nominee, and ultimate Justice, can influence. We have to let our legislators know how we feel b/c once they approve somebody we could be waiting a VERY long time to say anything again. Find your legislators here .

" The nonwhite people saw much more shades of gray ," Haupt concluded. "The whites saw it as more clear-cut." It is fascinating and any of us who are "of color" who have gone to our own family reunions knows how true this is. Unfortunately, we also know that the "one drop" rule is still being applied from both the black & the white sides. In my family, my generation is four generations (my great-grandparents were slaves) out of slavery and I have a cousin who looks Sicilian, another who looks Brazilian, and a few who could be anything but Nordic. The hair texture, the skin color, the eye texture and bone structure is so different w/in the lot of us. While we were in Spain, Tara was often mistaken for a Spaniard, or, at least, a spanish speaker. It's all very fascinating, it's just a shame the differences seem to mean more than the similarities.

At some point after I academicized Episcopalianism so much that I couldn't go to weekly service and get anything out of it I started to read more about Buddhism. I took a religion class in college that followed the development of Hinduism and Buddhism but that didn't leave much impression on me. It was a great class, Dr. Smith is one of the most engaging professors I have ever seen but it didn't put me in a "ahhh, this is the meaning of life" space. The Tao of Pooh did that.

Adopting an attitude of universal responsibility is essentially a personal matter. The real test of compassion is not what we say in abstract discussions but how we conduct ourselves in daily life. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, " Imagine All the People "

Hey! I was invited to join my first webring... Buddhist Bloggers . I'm still pending but check out the other folks. Speaking of Buddhism, go see Saving Face . It's the ultimate "lesbian chick flick" (any combo of those words you want to use). It's just a great movie. It's Chinese-American (thus the Buddhist connection) and features Joan Chen and her daughter, Lynn. It's a wonderfully written and acted story about the clash of cultures, the coming to terms with who we are as individuals and making decisions for the right reasons. Not to mention a fiesty little lesbian scene. Mmmmmm.

And what, monks, is Right Thought? The thought of renunciation, the thought of non-ill-will, the thought of harmlessness. This, monks, is called Right Thought. Digha Nikaya

Former diplomat Avon Williams III dies Although I don't know the family his wife was a long time member of Tara's church, apparently they were at our wedding, just 3 weeks ago. The family is extremely important to the history of Nashville and also, the national Civil Rights Movement. His father ...helped file the original Nashville schools desegregation lawsuit in 1955 and led the legal fight to merge the University of Tennessee-Nashville with Tennessee State University. Today, the downtown campus is called the Tennessee State University Avon Williams Campus . His mother, the late Joan Marie Bontemps Williams, was a daughter of the late Arna W. Bontemps , a scholar and prominent author during the Harlem Renaissance. More about Avon III .

Tossa de Mar - Leaving Tossa Originally uploaded by bmitd67 . Jai has now uploaded all of his photos from the Honeymoon & Wedding. Enjoy. Tara & Jai's Wedding Group

How does the South justify its use of imagery related to such a dark part of history? Can it justify, does it need to justify? Is continued use of the Confederate flag in the South the same as use the cross - which was the banner by which the Crusades and New World exploration killed millions? What do we do? University of the South's double edged traditions

OK, One day I will sit down and write something, I've got so much more to tell you about the wedding and honeymoon. In the meantime it's so easy to hit "Blog This".

Yesterday is only a dream and tomorrow is only a vision; but today, well-lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Sanskrit text

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. Carl Jung

This is a pretty interesting list, a little old and a little new; even moreso is how many of these are favorite albums of mine (I've highlighted them). A List (no particular order) compiled by David Schultz at EARVOLUTION : George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (1970) Pete Townshend: White City - A Novel (1985) Big Head Todd & The Monsters: Midnight Radio (1990) - This was the beginning of the jamband movement and Todd has a sound so different, he's got a soulful voice and a great blues guitar that's rarely the focus of his songs. Goo Goo Dolls: Hold Me Up (1991) Stone Roses: Stone Roses (1989) Richard Thompson: Rumor and Sigh (1991) Traveling Wilburys: Volume 1 (1988) Allman Brothers Band: Back Where It All Begins (1994) - The Allmans have been one of my pillar bands since I first heard Jessica. When they hired Warren, Woody & Marc they hit a new stride and this was THE best album of that era. The band was loose but focused and the s

Develop the mind of equilibrium. You will always be getting praise and blame, but do not let either affect the poise of the mind: follow the calmness, the absence of pride. Sutta Nipata

Barcelona - Arc de Triumf Originally uploaded by bmitd67 . We were in Barcelona for barely half a day. This photo was actually taken on our way to Tossa, I had to figure out where the bus station was and got a chance to take this photo. I would like to go back, I want to see all that crazy architecture, FCBarcelona 's stadium and whatever else there is to see. I noticed that Barca is far more English friendly than Granada. I also noticed a lot more Asians (Chinese, Philipino).

Thanks to George for this article. I've been watching soccer for many years - I only played a couple when I was kid - and I have always been interested in the fact that in America, soccer is a predominantly white, surburban, upper/middle class sport, whereas it is the sport of EVERYBODY on the rest of the planet. I have a theory that it's about land use & access but it's a flawed theory, I know. In the States, the urban sport is basketball, the rural sports are football & baseball and the surburban sport is soccer. Basketball takes the least amount of space to play and for some reason, which I don't have a theory about, it became attractive, almost exclusively attractive to Blacks. Football gave the big farmboys something to do and soccer came to the US via Europe and my personal experience is that far fewer Blacks travel abroad than Whites. Therefore, Blacks weren't exposed to soccer for many years and have had no way of knowing that it is THE sport across

DSC01406 Originally uploaded by Mike41 . Here is a photo from Mike and/or Chad...don't know who had the camera at this point. Be sure to check out other photos from the camera of Chad & Mike... Jai

Senor Groom Originally uploaded by chela . My cousin Grace has uploaded some of her bad ass photos...hopefully she has more.

A mother, even at the risk of her own life, protects her child, her only child. In the same way should you cultivate love without measure toward all beings. You should cultivate toward the whole world--above, below, around--a heart of love unstinted, unmixed with any sense of differing or opposing interests. You should maintain this mindfulness all the time you are awake. Such a state of heart is the best in the world. Majjhima Nikaya

All photos from the Granada part of the honeymoon are now posted. For those who don't know, Tara was my excuse to return to Granada, the city I spent 4 months in 1988, a semester abroad kinda thing. I loved the city. It was familiar yet different. It has seriously deep historical roots, it has strong African (Arabic) roots and it is a musical city... flamenco , García Lorca and Manuel de Falla have strong ties. It's grown alot but it is still really familar. It's still a very walkable city albeit an extremely hot/humid one. The food is just as good and the people are just as friendly. If I win the lottery, I will buy a place in or around Granada.

Granada - Street Flamenco 4 Originally uploaded by bmitd67 . All of the pictures from Granada, except a panarama or two, have now been posted. This particular photo comes from Plaza de San Nicolas, the best view of La Alhambra in the city. We got there right b4 the sun went down so we could see La Alhambra lit up. Groups like this are pretty common in Granada and Sevilla, the two towns most commonly connected with flamenco & Gitanos (gypsies). I'm not going to swear that this bunch are Gitano but their darker features do indicate that they probably are.

Slowly this house is coming back together. The window treatments are being installed as I speak and they look G-O-O-D. The drywallers are working on the kitchen and Tara picked up the tile for the downstairs bathroom. Now, I just have to clean up my messy areas!

My wedding day started out as one of the worse days I'd had in quite a long time. I got about 3 hours sleep b/c I had to finish getting the house ready for the contractors who would be coming while I was out of town. I had to be at the reception hall at 9am to meet the DJ, and if you haven't figured out by now, I am not a morning person. Helping the DJ get set up took longer than expected and I had to come back home to shower, get my bags and get back to the meeting place in time to go to lunch and get to the church. I was fuming when I hooked up with everybody. I went to get gas and head on to the restaurant but I went to the wrong Calypso Cafe !! Habit trumps logic when you're frustrated. I sat there only a few minutes before I realized my mistake and headed over... The drive to the other location was the most intense exercise in self control I have had in a long time. Yoga has helped me learn how to refocus when my mind wanders and this 10 minute car ride was all about

Go here for more photos of the wedding and related... Thanks Susie.

Granada - Night View from the Room Originally uploaded by bmitd67 . Honeymoon pictures are rolling in.

We should always remember that meditation is the cultivation and practice of nonattachment. The Buddha taught only the middle way, and mindfulness is nothing but the middle way. It is neither an intense practice, nor can it be done without effort. It must be done with balance. Properly done, it is neither detached pushing away nor egoistic clinging. Be very careful about sitting down with ideas like, "I am sitting, I am watching, I am breathing, I am meditating, I am this, that is mine." Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, " Mindfulness With Breathing "

04 Wedding from the Wellesley Perspective Originally uploaded by bmitd67 . "That's how strong my love is" by Otis Redding ushered Tara and me into our new life as marrieds. I will be posting honeymoon photos soon. In the meantime enjoy what's already been flickrized.

Our first priority should be to prepare a long-term strategy for improving the state of the world that focuses on the coming generations. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, " Imagine All the People "

Living in forests far away from other people is not true seclusion. True seclusion is to be free from the power of likes and dislikes. It is also to be free from the mental attitude that one must be special because one is treading the path. Those who remove themselves to far forests often feel superior to others. They think that because they are solitary they are being guided in a special way and that those who live an ordinary life can never have that experience. But that is conceit and is not help to others. The true recluse is one who is available to others, helping them with affectionate speech and personal example. Prajnaparamita

I am now a married man! Tara and I got back from our 2 weeks in Spain last night. We had a great time in Granada and Tossa de Mar. Almost everything got screwed up on the return home from Barcelona...late flights, changed flights, no luggage and our bodies said we'd been up for 24hrs eventhough the clock only said 12. We get back to a home under construction...the kitchen is destroyed and one of the bathrooms is half destroyed. More later.