Blog 2006
September 16,2006
YOU CAN BEAT YOUR DEPRESSION
I am writing this for myself as much as for anybody. I've suffered from depression for most of my life. It's a struggle but I know I can beat it and here is how. This list is for me, if it helps you too then that's awesome.
Every Day In Every Way I Am Getting HAPPIER!
Everyday I WILL...
1. Get outside for at least a half an hour if not longer.
2. Exercise for at least a half an hour to get my heart rate up and keep it there, preferably early in the day.
3. Talk to someone I love for at least 15 minutes.
4. Talk to one friend who makes me laugh and/or smile for at least 15 minutes.
= That's one hour just for me
5. Eat 6 servings of raw fresh fruit or veggies if I can't do a full cleanse daily.
6. Make a to do list each morning so I can check off my accomplishments.
7. Reward myself every day with something that I consider as a treat. Treats I like: (hmmm obviously I have a problem here - I can't think of anything - something to work on)
8. Pray three times a day for God to help me to remember that: My life is full of blessings, The universe is waiting to bless me with happiness, There is an abundance of beauty in the world just waiting for me to discover it, I am capable of changing my life to be a happier person, I am not responsible for anyone's happiness but my own and I will not take on anyone else's unhappiness from now on.
9. I will listen music everyday and sing along with one song and dance to one song - even if I am alone.
10. I will visualize myself happy, smiling, laughing, feeling completely content with the world, my family, and my choices.
© 2006 Wanda Hope Carter - InspirationMotivation.com All rights reserved that are not otherwise assigned. No duplication or forwarding without express written permission.
You can help me win!
7/17/06
I have entered a contest sponsored by Vans to create a cover for Surfer Magazine at checkoutmycover.com and vote for my creation. If this isn't the link - ( for some reason it changed a couple of times when I first put it up there) - It keeps moving around in position but probably most easily found by starting on page 1 of top rated and looking back from there. It has moved between the first and fourth top rated pages regularly. To be sure you get to my entry here is what it looks like: My user name there is safariwoman.
THANKS! OR AS WE SAY IN HAWAII MAHALO!!
I really would appreciate the support.
4/22/06
I love a parade!
Recalling last weekend there are several things that stand out. We took the boat to St. Augustine on Saturday night for its first run of the season, stopping in our usual favorite secret spot to anchor on the way. There's something adventurous about traveling on the water at night and via the Intercoastal Waterway with its twists and turns through treacherous shoals and sand bars makes it extra challenging. The nearly full moon did not appear until hours after we anchored but it's brilliant sparkle across the otherwise black water was still a welcome sight. It was a rather late night for us in spite of the fact that there wasn't much to do or look at other than the play of light and darkness. Somehow its magical dance was enough to stay up for.
On Sunday we arrived at the Marina and caught a ride to go spend time with my family. As usual we made our way to the parade route and watched with some amusement the small town affair. There's always something to giggle about in the Easter Parade. This year it was the melted chocolate candy one float was handing out and a rather sassy southern belle wearing a red petticoat on another. One year it was me in a purple bunny suit wearing swim trunks on the back of a boat. But that's another story! After the parade we had dinner at one of our favorite French Restaurants and besides enjoying the fantastic food, I had an incredible appreciation for the fact that I was with my family. I knew there had been a tragedy in the family that owned the restaurant because the person involved had grown up with my son. I could not help but to be humbled and grateful that I have been spared such heartache. I also realized how precious life is and that at any moment my world could change. My prayers of thankfulness included the people at the table and those who weren't but who lived to be at a table somewhere else hopefully thinking of us too. After stuffing ourselves it was time for a well needed walk around an old St. Augustine neighborhood. Such a simple day really and yet it yielded pleasant loving memories that will last for many Easters to come.
Sunday night after a little sunset gathering on the back of the boat, we headed off to town to a place where I thought I might run into a friend and was rewarded with not only getting to see him but also another friend whom I also hadn't seen in over seven years as well. While we had missed Mike Hart's performance earlier in the day, something I had hoped to work into the schedule, it was still great to catch up. I have raved about other musicians here and Mike definitely deserves some raves as besides being a long time friend he is one of the most unique musicians in St. Augustine whom I will never tire of seeing play or listening to his original music. I had a good time that night and even danced to a few tunes presented by various members of the local all-star jam session going on. Dancing is GOOD for the soul!
Monday we headed back through over forty miles an hour wind gusts and against an outgoing tide making for quite a bumpy ride but all in all it was a beautiful day and a beautiful weekend and I came back feeling renewed. Easter is such a great time of hope and faith. I found both.
4/9/06
Jazz Letdown
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4.09.2006
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Jacksonville, FL
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Herbie Hancock featuring:
Terri Lyne Carrington
Lionel Loueke
Marcus Miller
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I was not sure until now that the artist Herbie Hancock was mentoring out of the line up was Lionel Loueke because from where I was sitting, I could not hear the name due to the less than perfect sound presentation. But Herbie Hancock’s appearance was still outstanding if only because Herbie IS da undisputed jazz keyboard man and the addition of Lionel was awe inspiring. It was even worth sitting on the ground to watch and hear! I wish it had lasted longer and the only thing I missed was some of his old tunes that are so ingrained upon my memory that I could hum them line for line.
What didn't get a smile out of me was how lack luster the entire event has become. Note to the City of Jacksonville: Thanks for giving us the jazz festival for so many years now, but please get us back to our roots of a good free day’s event for all. I was disappointed in the lack of crowd, the lack of vendors and the poor sound quality that was set in place to accommodate the second stage’s competing venue as well as the lack of boats out back, the inability to tailgate and come back in and yes, once again the small turnout at least on Sunday– which was due to all of the above and the fact that the event is now spread out for days. There were too many unused VIP tables that took up the entire front stage area it left the rest of us so far away that it was difficult to see and in this case due to the sound not being turned up loud enough, difficult to hear. I was almost embarrassed that I had promoted it so heavily to Cedrick and Lorenzo from Wizegui, and enticed them to come down for the weekend from Virginia to experience the festival. Unless things change, I won't be doing that again! Except for getting to see Herbie, it wasn't worth the ten dollars to get in.
Still – GO HERBIE, & I know he inspired some very important people in the audience and that’s worth a lot.
Etc. Etc. and all that Jazz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4/1/06
Another Exciting Weekend
On Saturday Night, I found my way to the Springing The Blues Festival at Jacksonville Beach where the highlights for me included finding a great hand carved wooden fish and painted duck for the house, eating a huge plate of Gator Tail and listening once again to Grace Potter who gave a much more rousing performance than she did at the Florida Theatre. The most exciting part of the night was listening and dancing to Joe Bonamassa, the already legendary New Blues Crusader who has taken the past, turned it into his present and who I am sure will take his influences upon the style for a long way into the future. It's been a long time since I've heard a musician who generated so much energy while executing his classic yet unique style of guitar playing. You can check him out here: http://www.jbonamassa.com/
Sunday was a perfectly beautiful day that was ripe for putting the boat in for the first time this year. A trip to Nassau Sound was a lovely and relaxing way to spend the day and I was especially blessed that my daughter could join us.
Monday Night carried the weekend forward with a special get together to watch the Florida Gators Basketball team whip UCLA for the finals. We were a small but festive bunch who celebrated their every play towards the incredible victory. You can read about the Gators here: http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/men/
3/31/06
Review
Robert Cray at the Florida Theatre
Summery: Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The Florida Theatre is looming grand as ever
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Grace Potter and the Nocturnals entertained well for openers and I look forward to seeing them again during the blues festival.
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Robert Cray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Sigh...
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To quote Sade:
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"Smooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooth
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Operator"
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Crisp
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Clean
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Clear
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Classic
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Cut like knife
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Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
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I wish I could have danced!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I wish he was right next door!
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Did you ever notice how long his fingers are???
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They move like lightening on the neck of his guitar when they need to and his rhythm is outside of the box no matter how in the groove it feels.
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His passion shines through.
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I felt honored just to be in the room.
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I could have stayed and listened all night !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The keyboardist was also awesome.
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PS
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Did I say SSSMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTHHH?!
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Recomendation: Check out the official Robert Cray Website, go buy as many of his records as you can afford and if you get a chance to see him live some day - JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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3/24/06
Highlights of three months in Hawaii:
It was great to see my son again and get back on the North Shore of Oahu, where Christmas came quickly and was full of fun and surprises. I bought a little tree from the renewable tree source of Norfolk pines that continue to grow after they are cut, which made me feel better about having one. Hawaii delivered a bright sunny day that was spent with my son and friends. It was a memorable occasion featuring my world famous vegetarian Lasagne for dinner. And the Christmas tree was done up in my son's own whatever's laying around the house surfer style. It was - uuuummmmmmm - quite humorously festive!
After Christmas, I redecorated a room at his house where I began by painting a wave effect throughout the room. Appropriate for a surfer's domain I thought. This was a fun creative project for me.
Time flew by and all too soon it was New Years Eve. If you have never experienced a rural Hawaiian New Years Eve, put it on your list of things to do. It is mind boggling. People must save all year to afford the hundreds of items that are exploded per family and to be on a street full of established enthusiasts is a real treat. Of course everyone in Hawaii loves the festivities but some neighborhoods are more enthusiastic than others. We were lucky to be in the heart of it and after literally thousands of fireworks were set off within just a few feet of where we were partying, we got to see a nearby aerial display that was presented by an even more dedicated fan of the occasion to the tune of over 50,000 dollars I heard! It was great fun with very nice people. Due to all of the smoke and pollution in the air at exactly 12:30 the rains came to clear it out and all was new again. To understand the impact of the night, you must multiply our experience by about 500,000 locations island wide and realize that the show starts at sundown.
After New Years Eve, I tried to work on my other career related projects but I was continually smitten with a number of computer problems that were not only baffling to me but also to every tech support person I spoke with. Let's just start with the fact that my lap top would not start unless it was turned up on its front side! This happened about one week after my extended service contract ran out of course. I missed renewing it due to my travels and the holidays. Finally, some how some way, I was able to fix my own computer after about a month of trying. (Don't ask how I did it; as it was a combination of too many things to even remember!)
Next, came a visit from Cedrick, the singer from Wizegui, who came out on his first visit to Hawaii. We had a great time hanging out and seeing some of the sights around the island. The biggest surprise came on the first night, when he handed me a video that Wizegui had made of the ABC song! Wow! It was awesome and the kids that participated in it were so cute and talented that it won my heart right away. It was a good chance for us to get to know each other better, to discuss future plans and for Cedrick to get a glimpse of what makes up a very important part of my life, that being my love of nature, Hawaiian nature especially, as well as living and spreading the spirit of aloha.
After Cedrick left, I worked on my projects as best as I could considering a whole new computer problem sprung up. This time my curser would just float at its own will around the screen before disappearing forever off one side or another. (Talk about a ghost in the machine!) After a couple of weeks of trying various things, I once again fixed the problem myself. By now, so much time had gone by that I hadn't worked on my projects I felt I was nearly starting all over with some of them. I had some fun during this time though especially while watching my son rebuild his 1967 Chevy SS and surf the winter waves. Superbowl Sunday brought us the Superbowl of Surfing when the biggest swell of the winter came in. Unlike most years when if the swells are over 25 feet only the World Champions get to surf Waimea which is the only place near the shoreline that breaks under the right conditions for surfing. This year, they failed to call "The Eddie" contest and who ever was brave enough got a chance at it. I was very relieved that my son did not go out on the almost 30 foot sets! A bike ride to the bay to watch those who dared was way better than sitting in front of a TV set.
The following photos from Waimea Surferbowl Sunday 2006 -
1. Surfer's get up the nerve - (or not!). 2. The tiny speck with a water trail behind it is a surfer on the 30' wave. 3. The wave closes out.
Another highlight of February was the closing of Kammies Market at Sunset beach. Kammies, a 35 year old landmark, was so famous a surf break had been named for it long ago. QuickSilver bought the property. Everyone fears commercial overload will move in. Some would call this progress. (?) An impromptu party was called on the last night of business and while everyone had fun, it was a very sad occasion for the community. Two bands played and cake was served while those who just happened by danced in the parking lot.
I wish Carl and his family the BEST of luck!
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Soon I was supposed to leave Hawaii. But then, I realized that for the sake of staying just a few more days, I could be there for my son's birthday too. I agonized over the decision for a couple of weeks as I was already far behind on my project schedule but decided to put family first even though I was not able to get another flight until almost three weeks after I was originally supposed to depart. It really was great to be with my son on his special day and I hope that it was fun for him too.
After this, I worked off my list of fun things I still had not done while I was there and tried to get back into the project mode. I had some great hikes and mountain bike rides and did an especially wonderful hike up the mountain behind the airport on Kaena Point.
Of course, taking pictures was a main objective and I shot dozens of rolls and was rewarded with some outstanding photos. I also visited with friends and did as many outdoor activities as I could.
But then the rains came and flash flooding became the number one phrase heard on the news each night and day for the last ten days I was there. Mostly I hunkered down with the rest of the island residents. On the first really bad day of it as I made my way from Kahaluu to Sunset Beach via the windward trek on Kamehameha Hwy, I drove through over a dozen streams that had come up across the road and through thick puddles that sprayed over the car like an eight foot set at Pipeline. But when I saw a waterfall coming down next to the road and ending right on the roadway in a place where no waterfall had ever been before, my jaw dropped and stayed that way until I finally made it through what I would call, the worst drive of my life! After 4-wheeling in the rainforest on the side of a steep mountain for several years during all sorts of rain and through thick slippery mud in hair raising conditions, this drive still left me white knuckled. Now, as I write this there has been a total of five weeks of floods. Kauai had a dam burst and houses with people in them were swept away. As rain is still in the immediate forecast, I continue to pray for everyone there. Flash floods are a very real and dangerous phenomenon that plague the otherwise mostly paradise.
Now that I have been back a short time, I am almost caught up with all the business that awaited me. I have unpacked, reorganized and except for preparing taxes I am ready to start towards the future that includes finishing my projects and making lots of dreams come true! It was good to get back to my Florida home this time. I very much missed my mom, husband, daughter and my best friend ever -Tara- my cute little Schipperkee :-)
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