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Vacation mojo

So here I am, days after completing our second family vacation, and after the initial shock of re-entry, I’m happy to report – two weeks away with loved ones will change your life – or at least buy you time. Time to figure out your life. I walked for a long time this morning with Heidi and Loca and ran into the same friend who is having job woes – we talked about it and…

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Another first

Tin was potty trained before we left for Spain and Ruby taught him how to climb up on the seat by himself and hold on for dear life. But he was still sleeping with a diaper and only doing ca ca when he was in bed. Today he climbed on up to that potty and said he was going to do ca ca – this was facilitated by his having a bare bottom – there…

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Thoughts by Rachel

There are some weird things that are true no matter where you go. Take for example why is it that all of us have a handful if not more of pretty women friends who can’t find a boyfriend and yet know of no handsome men who want for companionship (no matter what their character)? Also, I came home to a good friend accosting me about his job woes and in a quandry over what to…

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Morning walks on the beach

Since we moved our apartment down the beach closer to where we hang out, we both had access to the beach while the other one stayed with Tin who was sleeping late due to the time change. I walked. Tanja swam. One morning, on a particularly inspirational walk where I felt entirely present in the dawn, “I’m hot, sticky sweet, from my head to my feet” played over and over again in my head. Why?

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Dejarse llevar

A friend had recommended Ram Dass to me as she knew I was off center, and although I downloaded Dass for my trip, I left my iPod behind. But leaving the house I was sent a book from a friend who had just visited us – The Power of Now – a book that had I not been in the state of mind I was in, I might have dismissed because of its new age…

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Virgins, saints and marching bands

We arrived in Zahara the day of the virgen just as we did last year, and of course the virgen was out in the streets with an entourage that was formidable. Her name is Carmen – and how appropriate that Tin’s summer love was Carmen as well. Meanwhile, we took an excursion to Cadiz and arrived the day before Spain was celebrating its patron saint, Santiago. We hit upon a reenactment of the saint procession…

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Book Review – A Woman In Berlin

If you have not read A Woman In Berlin by Anonymous then drop what you are doing right this minute and order it and read it. The author is believed to be the investigative reporter, Marta Hiller, and her capture of the plight of German women left to deal with the Russian soldiers as they invaded Berlin is gripping, insightful, and unflinching.  

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Summer Love

Tin’s horoscope said as a pisces he would encounter a profound love interest and not to let himself get too stuck. Well then there was Carmen – or rather Carrrrrrr mennnnn, the vixen – the first of his cougar girlfriends to actually rebuff him, that is up until he met the trio of blonde, brunette and redhead girlies of a similar age (6) on the same day he thought Carmen was headed to Italy so…

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Survey says …

The survey that I put up before I left for Spain sent me results that were interesting. Here is a sample – I will collect the rest later: 30 people started the survey, 22 completed it. 48.3% said that life was better than they had expected, 37.9% said it was more challenging. 51.7% put love over anything, while 41.4% said health mattered most. 41.4% were somewhat close to living their dream, while 27.6% hit nirvana…

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