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Emelin Cruz was a student of mine last year, and she routinely visits my room during lunch to hang out with the rest of us crazies who are in there. She is an avid reader, a huge Twilight and Vampire Diaries fan, a good student, and a good person. She was always a little round in the middle, but she joined Volleyball last year and has since been ( Read more... )

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Last night, I got the call that Lama Gyatso had passed away. I am so glad for him and for all of us who knew him. I know that with every last breath, every last moment, he was in meditation and dedicating whatever merit might come from his life AND death to all of us. I know he knew what he was doing, and he died in the presence of his most ( Read more... )

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I finished this book today, and the ending was unbelievable!!! I loved it so much.  The protagonist goes through so much to regain her daughter.  In the end, she is at her own parents' house about to sleep.  Her mind momentarily races with the thoughts of everything that could go wrong.  Then the narrator observes:

Con esas mismas manos detiene los ( Read more... )

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My best friend on campus, Ariel, is being terminated.  She's not even being displaced; she's being terminated... because her intern status isn't up until the summer.  Her last paycheck is July 5 and she just found out today.  She was going to help me run the academy next year; she volunteered to do LINK.  I guess that's done.  The best science ( Read more... )

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and it's been a tough one.  i'm so underslept i can't be bothered to punctuate or capitalize. i've been at some work-related thing pretty late every night of this week. but i've also this carrot to look forward to every evening: miami vice!  for some reason that's been a greater source of joy than it really should be.

i spent yesterday afternoon ( Read more... )

Last night, just as I was leaving from a fantastic, relaxing day in Joshua Tree, I got an e-mail from my brother wondering why I haven't removed the pictures of his kids from the "Kids" section of my website yet.  It made my stomach turn just to see his name in my inbox, and I now feel like I have one more cloud hanging over my head... in addition ( Read more... )

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Nothing has been the same since Costa Rica and Ojai.  I feel like 2009 was the dawn of the next new era in my life.  Here are the facts:

1. I have been working out at least 3-4 times a week.
2. I have been sleeping 7-8 hrs. a night.
3. I have been meditating daily (even if it's only for 5 minutes)
4. I have been more relaxed, even when things are stressful.
5. I am ( Read more... )

I've been waking up at 4:30am to exercise (yoga or Slim in 6) every day this week.  I've been getting lots of sleep.  And I've been meditating.  Still riding the crest of the Ojai weekend wave ( Read more... )

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I spent my weekend sleeping in a yurt on Ojai Foundation land.  I could see stars from my bed, and everything about the place whispered peace.  It was amazing.  The closest thing to Big Sur that Southern California has to offer, in my opinion.  I can't wait to go back.

Here's a Taste

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Several people have recently engaged in veiled posts about a certain situation that is apparently resulting in a lot of frustration and schism.  To be honest, I don't get it.  I don't get how people can take sides, ask anyone they love to take sides, or even feel like being on "a side" is somehow real.

The deepest truth I keep coming back to in all ( Read more... )