Mimi and Polly's bike trip

Check out Mimi and Polly's bike trip blog 

These wonder-women are riding 90 to 150 miles per day

on their bikes and after a fourteen hour day,

that includes meals and prep for the next day, 

they are maintaining this awesome blog.  

Go Mimi and Polly!

Quotes from Aleph, Paulo Coelho

We will always need to be humble enough to accept that our hearts know why we are here.  Yes, it's difficult to talk toy our heart, and perhaps it isn't even necessary.  We simply have to trust and follow the signs and live our Personal Legend; sooner or later, we will realize that we are all part of something, even if we can't understand rationally what that something is.  They say that in the second before our death, each of us understands the real reason for our existence, and out of that moment, Heaven or Hell is born.

Hell is when we look back during that fraction of a second and know that we wasted an opportunity to dignify the miracle of life.  Paradise is being able to say at that moment: "I made some mistakes, but I wasn't a coward.  I lived my life and did what I had to do."

Even those who didn't do all they could have done have already been forgiven; they had their punishment while they were alive by being unhappy when they could have been living in peace and harmony.

That is what marks out the warrior: the knowledge that willpower and courage are not the same thing.  Courage can attract fear and adulation, but willpower requires patience and commitment.  Men and women with immense willpower are generally solitary types and give off a kind of coolness.  Many people mistakenly think that (they) are cold (people) when nothing could be further from the truth.  

When faced by any loss, there's no point in trying to recover what has been; it's best to take advantage of the large space that opens up before us and fill it with something new.

Bless and you will be blessed.

 

we always try to interpret things in accordance with what we want and not as they are

Do you know anything about Chinese bamboo?  It apparently spends five years as a little shoot, using that time to develop its root system.  
And then, from one moment to the next, 
it puts on a spurt and grows up to twenty-five meters high.

If I believe I will win, then victory will believe in me.  

No life is complete without a touch of madness

I know only that a life without cause is a life without effect.

Words are tears that have been written down.  Tears are words that need to be shed.  Without them, joy loses all its brilliance and sadness has no end.  
Thank you, then, for your tears.

People never leave; we are always here in our past and future lives.  
It appears in the Bible, too

What can't be cured must be endured.

Inhale deeply and ask for all the blessings in the air to enter your body and fill every cell.  Then exhale slowly, projecting happiness and peace around you.  Repeat this ten times.  You'll be helping to heal yourself and contributing to healing the world as well.

There's no point explaining that all we achieve by exacting revenge is to make ourselves the equals of our enemies, whereas by forgiving we show wisdom and intelligence.

Expend your energies and you will remain young.

But it's a sunny day, and if the world seems to be at peace, that's because it is.

No one ever loses anyone.  
We are all one soul that needs to continue growing and developing in order for the world to carry on and  for us all to meet once again.  
Sadness really doesn't help.

On the other hand, I know very few people capable of receiving, even when the gift is given with love and generosity.  It's as if the act of receiving made them feel interior, as if depending on someone else was undignified.  They think, if someone is giving us something, that's because we're incapable of getting it for ourselves.  Or else, The person giving me this now will one day ask for it back with interest.  Or, even worse, I don't deserve to be treated well.

love is the only thing that will save us, independent of any mistakes we may make. 
Love is always stronger.

Each new experience of love has nothing whatsoever to do with past experiences.  
It's always new.

We are not the person other people wish we were.  
We are who we decide to be.  It's always easy to blame other.  
You can spend your entire life blaming the world, 
but your success of failures are entirely your own responsibility.

You can try to stop time, but it's a complete waste of energy.

Love always triumphs over what we call death.  
That's why there's no need to grieve for our loved ones, 
because they continue to be loved and remain by our side.  
It's hard for us to accept that. 

That is what the harmony of the Universe is: a man and a woman becoming a single energy.

The Path of Peace appears to be a fight, but it isn't.  
It's the art of filling up what is missing and emptying out what is superfluous.

He beat me every time, but there are no marks on my body; to injure yourself.  
Controlling your aggression in order not to harm the other in the Path of Peace.

Life is on long training session in preparation for what will come.  
Life and death lose their meaning; there are only challenges to be met with joy and overcome with tranquility.

I free myself from hatred through forgiveness and love.  I understand that suffering, when it cannot be avoided, is here to help me on my way to glory.  I understand that everything is connected, that all roads meet, and that all rivers flow into the same sea.  
That is why I am, at this moment, an instrument of forgiveness

Let us concentrate all our efforts on achieving Perfection 
through the imperfect gestures of everyday life.

True wisdom means respecting the simple things we do, 
for they can take us where we need to go.

The same thing happened with the church I belong to.  We killed in God's name, we tortured in Jesus' name, we decided that women were a threat to society and so suppressed all displays of female ingenuity, we practiced usury, murdered the innocent, and made pacts with the Devil.  and yet, two thousand years later, we're still here.

Is it possible to deviate from the path God has made?  
Yes but it's always a mistake.  Is it possible to avoid pain?  
Yes, but you'll never learn anything.  
Is it possible to know something without ever having experienced it?  
yes, but it will never truly be part of you.

sometimes you have to travel a long way to find what is near

at any moment of his life he could be confronted by an opponent.  
Not an enemy, an opponent.  
When an opponent is sure of his power, as he was, you have to confront them or be undermined by your failure to exercise your own power.

Unknown Drummer...did he answer the letter?

Oct 17, 12:30 PM EDT

Early Paul McCartney letter offers drummer tryout

By GREGORY KATZ 
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) -- Somewhere, an aging drummer (identity unknown) is probably still kicking himself.

A newly discovered letter found folded in a book at a Liverpool yard sale has shed new light on the Beatles' early days, revealing that Paul McCartney offered an audition to a mystery drummer in 1960, just a few days before the band left for a formative two-month gig in Hamburg, Germany.

The letter, to be auctioned next month by Christie's, has surprised Beatles scholars. It was written two years before the band bounced drummer Pete Best in favor of Ringo Starr, who arrived just in time to help the Beatles' conquer first England and then the world, earning untold millions along the way.

The Aug. 12, 1960 letter handwritten by McCartney offers an audition to someone who had advertised their availability in the Liverpool Echo newspaper four days earlier. The unsigned ad said simply: "Drummer-Young-Free."

McCartney, who was then playing guitar in the band while the late Stuart Sutcliffe handled bass guitar, offered the drummer an audition with the caveat that if he joins the band he must be ready to travel almost immediately to Hamburg. The Beatles honed their musical chops playing at low-rent clubs in the German's city's famed red-light district.

"Expenses paid 18 pounds per week (approx) for two months," McCartney writes. "If interested ring Jacaranda club."

The letter is signed, "Yours sincerely, Paul McCartney of the BEATLES."

It is not known if the drummer came for an audition, and failed to impress McCartney and the others, or if he simply didn't follow up. McCartney addressed the letter "Dear Sir," assuming the drummer was a young man, as there were very few female drummers on the Liverpool rock scene at the time.

Bruce Spizer, author of "Beatles For Sale" and other books about the band, said the Beatles were desperately looking for a drummer to take to Hamburg and eventually chose Best, in part because Best "had a drum kit" and because his mother ran a nightclub where the group had played.

"This shows that Pete wasn't the only person they were interested in," Spizer said. "They needed a drummer and Pete was convenient. It makes sense that they would have responded to some drummer in Liverpool looking for work. My speculation is that two months in Hamburg intimidated him, maybe he didn't want to go and never replied. If he had responded, and if he was good, it might have changed everything."

Christie's spokeswoman Leonie Pitts said the auction house's Beatles experts are certain that the letter was not an early feeler to Starr, who was a successful drummer with a rival Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, before he joined the Beatles.

She said auctioneers had not contacted McCartney to ask if he knew anything about the drummer who had placed the ad.

"We think he's on his honeymoon," she said. McCartney married U.S. heiress Nancy Shevell eight days ago. His representatives did not immediately return a request for comment.

Christie's auction house said Monday the letter would likely draw more than 7,000 pounds ($11,000) when it is sold Nov. 15 along with other pop memorabilia.

The letter was discovered by a man from Liverpool who has asked to remain anonymous. The auction house said he is a devoted collector of antique coins who regularly checks yard sales.

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Book Review: Endless tips & a shot of Go-Get-It from Maria Menounos

The EveryGirl's Guide to Life

Maria Menounos

Maria Menounos is an "everygirl" in many ways and she brings that to this refreshing book.  She is a daughter of Greek immigrants who grew up doing janitorial work along side her Mom and Dad and went on to realize her dreams through persistence, a solid education and her attitude.  Menounos has a strong sense of practicality that is evident throughout her writing as she conveys so many ideas about saving, spending less and being resourceful.  Her Hollywood life however, is evident and perhaps even she is not aware of how it comes through when she calls Everygirls' with household staff "advanced" or talks about "gifts that don't cost that much" being under fifty dollars (Five O!).  Still when one reads about Maria being the youngest reporter on Entertainment Tonight at the age of 22 and later simultaneously reporting and acting plus balancing all of the things she talks about in her book, one keeps it in perspective and admires her tremendously for her attitude and tenacity.  Early in the book Maria quotes a good friend who once said "minds must remain in possibility" and what a smart thought for anyone to be reminded of in life!  Now that is an advanced Everygirl!

The book starts off very strong in my opinion (being a neat freak as I am!) because the first chapters are about the Everygirls' Foundation, i.e. getting organized, one's office, decor' and maintenance of all of the above.  To me, these pages are genius!  

Maria takes the reader through every item in her closet, bathroom, office and more, all the while describing how one can create bins, labels, systems, files, etc.  (a Virgo's wet dream!) Everyone will surely get something different from Maria's ideas since you may already be doing things that work for you in this area or you may be doing similar things and can enhance them, or you could be starting from scratch.  Regardless this section of the book is my favorite and I will probably find myself returning to it for ideas again and again. 

Lots of things that Maria writes of here are things you could find out about at Ikea, on line or from watching HGTV but she takes the time to put it all together and tell you what has worked best for her.  It's like having a girlfriend's advice, and that of a pal who is an all star success in every aspect of her life!  

One of my favorite lines in the book is in this section when Maria says "the key to happiness is being organized" and there is so much truth to that.  Order creates peace and harmony!  The things that Maria reminds the reader over and over in all areas of this book is that one doesn't need a high IQ, wealthy parents, the best looks or a college diploma to accomplish these things...in the case of being organized one just needs to put in the time and effort, as is the case in so many of the areas that Maria writes about.  Maria puts a positive spin on life - "Yes, you can do it!"- and it's wonderful!

Being the aforementioned neat freak and lover of organization I forgot to mention the many other "foundation" related topics.  Maria also talks about your PDA, having a tool box and so much more.  Something as simple as making a photo copy of everything in your wallet and storing it in your home just in case you lose your purse or having a black book with all of your account statements and pertinent industry, personal and vendor data in one place.  

Time is also spent talking about household decor and maintenance and again Maria hits the nail on the head and tells us what we mostly know but need to be reminded or need to apply to our lives.  These are just some of the things Maria writes of and I can't say enough about how helpful Part 1 of the Everygirls' Guide to Life is.

Next up on Maria's guide list is style and just as I admit to being a lover of organization, I also admit to not caring much about my make up or the latest trends.  Therefore I won't be the most thorough on this area of the book because I honestly had to skip over the skin and make up portions.  They were just too lengthily and detailed for a person who is lucky to get make up on while she is at stopped a red light or gets to bed early enough to wash her face much less apply products.  

That being said, Maria's experience with make up and wardrobe is extensive and she brings many details of what products and techniques she has learned of to the reader.  I am sure this section would be a dream to some Everygirls but it was a bit much for me.  I started off strong making notes about cleansing products and by the time Maria was talking Topper (what?!?) and facials I was seriously lost.

It did inspire me to move my facial scrub product into the shower and have a DIY facial that night and these are the types of affects that this book can have on any reader.  Also helpful were Menounos' lists of basic essentials in Everygirls' wardrobe along with affordable, high quality brand suggestions.  Maria truly brings a wide array of topics to the table and inspires you to improve on them.  I am buffing my nails and I will keep all of my spare buttons from new garments in one place now!

Part III in Menounos' book is about Everygirls' emotional foundation and what a smart area to cover!  So many women struggle with long term friendships that are energy drainers or family members who are undermining; it's a hard choice to make between your heart and your mind and Maria puts much of this into plain thoughts with the help of experts as she does some of the more difficult topics in her book.  Such a simple thing as a list that reads "A Good Friend to Me Is" is a heart warming and simple reminder to Evergirls about what is important and how to take care of themselves.

Also talked about is love and marriage and Maria is warm and straightforward, telling the reader what everyone wishes they had taped to their bathroom mirror since they were eighteen.  Again, simple and obvious but refreshing!

Having lost about forty pounds while working and traveling like a fiend, Maria is an excellent resource for her next section which is dedicated to the Everygirl and health.  She goes into detail about how she lost the weight sensibly and reasonably and continues on with healthy habits, recipes, workout  ideas and life skills that helped her keep them off. 

Advice like writing down everything you eat in a day or drinking a cup of hot water to quell your hunger are some of Maria's golden tips. 

She even goes so far as to include a copy of her workout routine in the appendix along with other references that she writes of in the book.  There are some delicious recipes and again Maria reminds the Everygirl that effort and commitment are ingredients to success, not some of the qualities society focuses on and that many feel they fall short on.  Regarding health and fitness, the reader comes away with "I can do this" like in so many areas of this book.  All of these areas make up a successful life and much of the steps are realistic for anyone's lifestyle.

The last portion of Everygirls' Guide to Life is about business and it is chuck full of information about how to dress for an interview and pack for business travel but it left me wanting more as it related to real business.  It does not talk resumes, salary negotiations, starting your own LLC, account or client management, how to stay ahead of tax season, what to look for in an employer, etc.  It is strong in Maria's experiences, much like her make up and wardrobe chapters, because those are the topics she has had wide-ranging exposure to in her line of work.  It does include an idea to write a list of your career goals and what you are doing to achieve them.  Again, another really simple and obvious idea but so useful and productive like much of Menounos' book!  

The book finishes up with the idea that life is more about giving that anything else. Giving to family and also to charitable organizations and groups.  Hardly any person can really say they spend enough time and effort giving and Maria reminds us of this selfless topic, tying in both volunteering and holiday gift giving self help items.  Menounos' flare for systems in every area of life are admirable and each reader will take different things from them... all good!

Something that I should mention: I bought this book on my kindle so I missed out on the full color layout and many of the side bar boxes and photos.  The photos that I did have on my kindle were in black and white and there were a lot of them!  Maria is her own brand and she is beautiful so there is nothing wrong with that but you will see a lot of Maria in the illustrations.  That and her beautiful dogs that she adores and speaks of often in the book as well.  

You can read this book in a day or two depending how much time you have to sit and read.

This book will spark your imagination, get you thinking and maybe get you started on some healthier habits, smarter approaches and more orderly living.

Thank you Maria Menounos for your courage and for sharing!