Oh. Wow.

THIS place is a dream come true. 5,000 people of like-minded values coming together not only to interact with each other, but also to have a positive impact on the society they will be living near with as little impact on the Earth as possible. I have been digging through the site for the past few days and am just overflowing with excitement, possibility, inspiration and so much information that I just don't know what to share here! A quick overview: become a "Tribe Member" at one of three levels and get from one week to three weeks on an island in Fiji that includes all food and lodging. Not only that, but the entire community (the 5000 tribe members) will decide the infrastructure, the layout, etc. People will come together to share talents, stories, ideas and lives while at the same time building a community that is ecologically minded.

I've checked prices for airfare from LAX to Fiji and it is right around 900-1200 during July (peak season), but you can go anytime once you are a tribe member. Must. Sign. Up.

Earth Day

Earth Day is this Saturday!! I sent out an Evite to a number of folks around here to see if they wanted to do a beach cleanup and I think we'll have about a dozen people, which is great! The nice thing about it is that all I supply are the garbage bags and plastic gloves. Should be a couple of hours cleaning up the beach and then I was thinking I might see if the local ice cream parlor wanted to give us half-priced ice cream... There is ALWAYS an occasion for ice cream! I was thinking about making shirts, too, since I have this new Speedball silkscreen unit, but I haven't ever used it. Wish I had a Gocco... Anyone else doing anything for Earth Day? If you are looking for something, check out EarthDay.org!

Anyway, I'll post pics from the event next week! I'll have a better/more thorough post later. Right now I'm catching up from being away for a while!

Whistlin' Dixie

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to introduce the newest member of our family, Dixie! We adopted Dixie over the weekend and she is an amazing dog! We know she is part bulldog, although we get mixed reports of whether it is English or American Bulldog. The rest of her is all mutt - a little of this, a little of that. What I can say for sure is that she has already taken over 100% of our hearts. Even the cats are getting used to her! In a little bit she's going to see the ocean for the first time, which I'm sure will be an adventure.

If any of you are considering adding an animal member to your family, I highly recomend going through a rescue group. Yes, this means not going to the breeders. There are so many animals out there already and available through these groups that you are guaranteed to find the perfect companion. Not to mention what you'll save on the hefty price tag of breeded animals versus a rescue. My hat goes off to the incredible people who run rescue operations. They don't usually make a ton of money, but boy do they save lives, including the lives of the lucky folks who adopt one of their animals. I could never do it - I'd end up with 20 cats and 36 dogs. For a glimpse at some of the amazing critters available now, check out 1-800-Save-A-Pet or Petfinder.org . You can search by breed, size, color, gender, location, etc.

Happy Tails to you!

P.S. Dixie is named after the Hubby's favorite food - Dixie Chili!

Tuneage Tune-Up

I love music. Specifically, I love dancing/jumping/wiggling to music in my office as a nice little brain break. It can sometimes be a great way to turn up the creative juice! What's a milk shake without the shake, you know?

But even I can only listen to the 500+ songs on my iTunes so many times. I'm always on the lookout for new music and was thrilled to stumble on Lisa's fabulous idea for a CD swap! I'm all signed up and putting together the music list for my partner (um, is it just ONE CD? I may have to cull some...), but a girl can hardly live with just one CD, can she? So I figured I'll tell you some of my faves on repeat right now and then you can share your faves! Better hurry before iTunes upgrades their cost...

Top 20 Songs (note that there is a wide variety of genres here; some rock, some alternative, some easy, even a bit of country and good songs that are just a bit funky that I don't know how to label, etc.)

Catch My Disease - Ben Lee
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
You Make My Dreams Come True - Hall & Oates
Sister Kate - The Ditty Bops
The World Ain't Slowin' Down - Ellis Paul
Six Packs and Big Macs - The Getaway People
Jezebel - Iron & Wine
Everybody Got Their Something - Nikka Costa
Don't Wait Too Long - Madeleine Peyroux
Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne
Ruby Blue - Roisin Murphey
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Coconut - Harry Nilsson
It's My Life - Bon Jovi
Life Under the Mango Tree - Imua
Step Outside - Left Hand Smoke
You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
Take A Chance On Me - ABBA
Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw
Switch - Will Smith

Wink! Wink!

Did you ever notice that some people are winkers? In the midst of conversation there can be a random flick of the eyelid, a quick little batter, but only from one eye. It can signify a quick lite flirt or a "you know what I mean" or who knows what else. This weekend hubby and I met a guy who was a winker. First he winked at me and I thought, "Whoa, doesn't he know the guy I'm with is my husband?" But then a bit later he winked at my husband and I realized that he is just A Winker. I myself am not A Winker. I've even practiced in the mirror, just to see if I could be one of those select few who can pull it off, but somehow I just wind up looking more like a sleezy pirate. Argh!