Lately I’ve been noticing an abundance of adorable tchotchkes online, which I think would be great presents this holiday season. I’m already coveting the Kitty Kisslock Bag from Modcloth, which is unfortunately out of stock right now. I’m hoping they’ll get more before Christmas. Modcloth also has precious panda salt and pepper shakers, which would be perfect for my friend Mia.
Then there’s DietDetective’s Food Tees, which feature vegetables with funny sayings. You can purchase them in organic cotton, which is cool, although I look terrible in white shirts, so they may not be right for me. The celery one would be cute on my husband though…
And finally we have uglydolls, which feature an assortment of plush creatures and associated merchandise. My favorite is Ice Bat (I love bats), which comes both as a keychain and a fuzzy journal.
Okay, I know that Britney has been a mess ever since her divorce. I remember the collective sound of hope when she went on David Letterman with her cute bob and announced the split. And then she started hanging out with Paris Hilton, went to rehab, shaved her head, was called a habitual drug user, lost custody of her kids, and keeps hitting things with her car. Her extensions are a mess, she has no stylist or management, and even her mom quit talking to her for awhile.
But I’m still holding out hope for Britney. I think she’s probably a good person who got famous too young and doesn’t know how to handle it. Plus, her music makes me happy. Whenever I need motivation to work out, I can count her tunes to pump me up. So I’ve been waiting for a new album for ages. And now it’s here.
And you know what? It’s good. Her VMA performance was so lackluster that it totally overshadowed the catchy lead single “Gimme More.” But with the exception of the boring “Why Should I Be Sad” the whole album is upbeat and catchy. For me, the standout tracks are “Toy Soldier,” “Ooh Ooh Baby,” “Radar,” and “Hot as Ice.”
Also her hair looked pretty on Halloween (above), and she was wearing makeup, so maybe we’re on the way back to this Britney. Yay.
My mom is a big believer in mantras and chanting. Every day she gets out her mala and chants for whatever we need (lately it’s been the removal of obstacles–I hope she’s chanting to Ganesha!). Anyway, in order to facilitate her knowledge, she purchased a really cool audiobook about the power of chanting. It’s called Mantra: Sacred Words of Power, by Thomas Ashley-Farrand (he usually has a small chant featured each month in Yoga Journal). She sent me a copy of the discs, which I’m now listening to for the second time around. His premise is that sound is extraordinarily powerful, and that it was the spoken word that created the universe. Although I’m not a regular chanter, I do enjoy mantras, especially before a yoga class. In the spirit of that, I thought I’d share the one that Nancy always used (and maybe still does) in her class.
Asato ma sad gamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya
I think it’s spelled correctly, although my Sanskrit spelling isn’t stellar. Here’s the (loose) English translation:
Lead me from the unreal to the real
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to that which is immortal