astounded by thinking

i have not written much in the last month. but certainly, as the holidays have come upon us, and with so much on the mind, i have spent time thinking and perhaps in some way, preparing. and so i move forward. tis' the season could not come at a better time, for thankfulness and praise are two of the greatest gifts we can give. should it lift another, it is good.

there is something to be said about fascination. defined by the dictionary: to be fascinated is be drawn, attracted to, held attentively to a unique power. it arouses curiosity and allures. i do not believe that it is something that we ourselves can create, but rather, something "out there" that demands our attention...and as such, we are blown away.

mystical does not begin to describe the object of fascination and would it not be plausible that what draws a human being is something more than what the physical senses can experience?

this christmas, i am overwhelmed by what i see around me and how it draws me outside myself. it is as if i am peering beyond the flesh and blood that covers the earth, it as if i can see the inside of all that exists and it is beautiful, for it was made to glorify that which Created it.

i am grateful for that which allures me, demands my pause, and focuses my contemplation.

This Week

While I realize my commentary for the month of November has been short, there are a few articles I want to direct you attention to....more to come soon.

**Lou Dobbs, the last of the original CNN anchors has resigned his position with the Network.

**Carrie Prejean is in the news again, and this time with a book. And she completely made a fool of herself on Larry King Live. Seriously, Larry, inappropriate?! Someone drag her out of the spotlight please.

**One Third of the homeless in the United States are veterans. This is an outrageous reflection on the Militray's post-treatment of it's men and women who've served tirelessly.

**Vangaurd Journalism on Current TV produced an interesting piece on the porn industry and it's web development ideas in a slumping economy. While I am not a fan of pornographic content, I thought that the outlook of this piece, focusing on the business and techonolgy was very well done.

**Rolling Stone did an interesting article on the new Lady Gaga video release. According to the talented, creative and shocking star: her inspiration had many inspirations including Alfred Hitchcock and she took time to work with Frances Lawrence from I Am Legend.

**And while Pluto still might not be a planet, it's back in the game as Wired Magazine talks about scientists love for it.

Happy 40th Birthday!

In honor of the Sesame Street's 40th Anniversary (and as a proud American), I thought I would share one on my favorite characters. Certainly, as a child, I thought he was the funniest, and now, so many other reasons to love...Oscar the Grouch. Wink.



*Little known fact: as I've just recently learned it, myself, Aerosmith covered Oscar's song...how much COOLER does that make Oscar?!

November 1st

Given that today is "All Saints Day" I thought it might be appropriate to note something of worth that happened on this day in history.

For starters; "All Saints," while established in 609 or 610~ was not officiated as November 1st until over 200 years later under Charlemagne. The history of this day was designated by the Pope to celebrate the saints and those of Godly character. How ironic and fantastic the celebration comes after a night that was meant to ward off evil. In tune with such recognition, I would venture to say that one the saints that I have great respect for would be Saint Patrick. Yes, it's true, I am Irish, but Patrick was not....however, he was held captive by the Celtic peoples in Ireland. After he escaped, he attended seminary, traveled and became a Catholic clergy. But it did not stop there: he returned to the people who had enslaved him and offered them a new perspective and beauty to life. How wondrous is this story?

In 1512; Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel was revealed for the public to see. Not only is it considered one of the greatest works (if not THE greatest) of the Renaissance period, but it was created under great frustrations. Not only is he have thought to have stood for most of the work on a scaffold, but he painted by method of "fresco"...the paint was applied to a damp canvas of sorts and the color would often dry quickly as a result, re-mixing the colors each day could be a challenge because should it the mix of color not be exact, Michelangelo would have to tear the layer and re-apply. The work took almost 5 years to complete.

...and these, friends, are events to celebrate and start this month, this winter, with a positive note....