Where We Come From

This is a picture of my dad, standing in front of the house he was born in. In fact, him and all his siblings were born there as I recall. Egypt, Georgia. The sticks. Obviously, in a Zen kinda way, I was born there too.

Here's some of the latest from your bobJuan:

if you can't be happy with the money you have
why would you want more?

all my troubles end as soon as i love everything exactly as it is

i get tired when i forget that nothing is happening to me

the drink moves wildly within it's own boundaries
-or-
the drink moves wildly within very tight limits.

we are all peeling the same onion.

And a little funny:

I ate an entire bag of one of the earliest bags of dorito chips ever made
not long afterwards i was into entire packages of oreo cookies
lately it's ruffles with ridges original or cheetos, face first
You never forget your first bag of chips
i don't think i even knew i was eating chips until the possibility of running out occurred to me
not long after that i heard the police cars
with cheetos, a napkin or a finger-lick is not enough. of all the non-foods, they're my favorites.

And from some real people now:

before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available. - jim beggs

We must agree on what matters: kissing in public places,
bacon sandwiches, disagreement, cutting-edge fusion,
literature, generosity, water, a more equitable distribution of
the world's resources, movies, music, freedom of thought,
beauty, love. - Salman Rushdie

Until next time. your bobJuan.

The Show Is On!

Click on this picture of the beautiful, lovely Michelle to see the Nascar Angels Reveal Show!

It's easier than you think

First, some Rumi.
The Silk Worm.
I stood before a silk worm one day. And that night my heart said to me, "I can do things like that, I can spin skies, I can be woven into love that can bring warmth to people; I can be soft against a crying face, I can be wings that lift, and I can travel on my thousand feet throughout the earth, my sacs filled with the sacred." And I replied to my heart, "Dear, can you really do all those things?" And it just nodded "Yes" in silence. So we began and will never cease.

And, now some John Tarrant.
Meditation is a willingness to do nothing,
to not flinch from what is happening,
to not think what you have always been thinking
and to not give the answers you've rehearsed
but that are already becoming inert.

In this very breath that we take now lies the secret that all great teachers try to tell us.
Peter Matthiessen

And, now some bobJuan.

Why does anyone ever use the word
little?

your resistance is the problem
when this makes you cry, call me
and we'll talk about freedom

it's not that big of a deal
that's the hard part.

You don't need to wait for the good life
look around, life is good.

[Image stolen from here.]

The World According To Garp

Just finished this 688 page novel this afternoon. My instructor Jed from Phoenix College spoke highly of the book. Of course I listen to just about anyone these days when it comes to literature, even college professors. I'm so lucky to be the new kid on the block, and like a kid in the candy isle. There's so much good stuff most of ya'll already know about, and I'm the luckiest late comer I know. I will not take English 101 or 102 ever again. I also will not chew gum in class.

I've been asking Cathy to hold off on watching the movie (again). It's been a while since I've seen it, which means it will be new to me again. There's no way that movie has this book covered unless it is 8 hours long. Tonite, popcorn and a movie. I can't wait to see Helen and Ellen. I remember Roberta, and just a little of Garp, and a bit more of Jenny.

John is so full of stories he has Garp writing them for him. Maybe one of the reasons the book is so big! I'd like to get even one story out in the open, this guy can get 4 or more told in one spin cycle. It's a long book, and I was happy to finish the last "other" story and come to the end of the Garp story. Only because it had to end, not because I wanted it to. I still feel each of those characters in my mind and heart this evening. John nailed um for me. Can I write like that someday? Hope so.

There's a bunch of sex here. Not raw, and for me, only barely explicit. I'd like to write about sex, beats talking about it. After all these years of reading Zen Buddhism it's a nice treat to remember we're human and like to get it on now and again, and again in this story! If we were all to tell what we did in our 20s, 30s, hmmm, or is that yummmm. We'd have to change the names though huh.

I will not compare John to anything else I've read. I will say that for easily most of the time he had me. His style and stories are so good that even the tangents are wonderful. I'm not in a hurry, and enjoy any story told well. My goodness, my friend Ken says there's better John Irving waiting for me.

I'm again blessed by another storyteller. Convinced that I will join the circle of goofballs that live to write! Or is that wingnuts?

We're All In This Together

First some bobJuan stuff.

i don't need a period at the end of every sentence

when she called me a main-frame programmer, i knew our chances for romance were dashed.

IT Management Quiz: When was the last time you spent a day doing what you had planned?

sometimes i really do think i'm the last one to get here, to wake up. everyone else is always right here as soon as I get back.

Can I enjoy something beautiful without having to have it

My clarity is precarious, and most likely unnecessarious.

And now, more than one line:

The muffin man rides a harley.
he is generous to a fault.
he lives next door all nite long.
his left nipple is pierced forever.
he knows the blueberry twins
they are the game changers.
they are here with me now. shall we begin?
lets begin with remembering that it's all a story.
i'll wait for you to catch up.
Until the story sets you free, I'll wait.

And from some real people:

I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk. --Tony Robbins

If I had my way, I would introduce everyone in the whole world to each other. --Jim Haynes

Friday I tasted life. It was a vast morsel. A Circus passed the house - still I feel the red in my mind though the drums are out. The Lawn is full of south and the odors tangle, and I hear today for the first time the river in the tree. Emily Dickinson

You know, your bobJuan loves you.

pic stolen from here.

Sometimes, all I got left...

Some blogJuan stuff that's ready to get out there.

the only thing left for me is art

i'm running out of time for you to get good enough for me

remind me again, what am i waiting for?

When there's no longer a you to have problems,
they stop.

Turns out, it's no more special than this.

Why do I ever leave now?

people often ask, are we there yet,
I’m thinking, hell, we’re not even here most of the time. -or-
I’m thinking, hell, we’re not even here yet.

And now, a more-than-one liner:

What we call
Yesterday and Tomorrow
Future and Past
are here on earth right now, 'round the globe 2nite
Tomorrow comes from the east.
The past travelled west, even though it's earlier
The future is in New Mexico
How many ways can we mix up what we call
Now

All my best, your bobJuan.

Image stolen from here. Check it out. pretty cool stuff.

Singleton Moms 2nd Annual 5K Walk

Dear friends and family, the Singleton Moms Lean on Me, 2nd Annual 5k Walk is coming up on February 21st. For those of you who were there last year you know it's a mighty fine thing! This year we are raising money through firstgiving.com Cathy and I have a donation page where you can contribute large sums of money even if you can't make it to the walk! How nice is that? Our goal is $1,000. We are hoping each of you can give even just a little this year. For those of you in the Phoenix area, why don't you register for the walk and come on out?

Check out the latest news from Singleton Moms here. You can see there's lots great stuff going on, and opportunities to get involved.

Also, you may remember that Andy got her car done up right by Nascar Angels back in October. The show is scheduled to air on the Hallmark Channel on Sunday February 1st at 8:00AM. Tune in...

As always we send you all our best, wishing you a great 2009. warmest regards, bobJuan & Catalina.

Let's Fly

Click on pic to go flying!

Image found here: http://lbeeeze.vox.com/library/posts/tags/spring/

First And Last

We did over 50 climbs in 2008. Started in the middle of August. My last in 08 and my first in 09 were with Bobby, both above. I've written plenty about the mountain on this blog. And if you've kept up, you know how that mountain is. There's something about dark, cold-sweat, sunrises, rugged-quiet, desert-beauty on a regular basis that brings a certain amount of redemption. I still toss and turn a bit with excitement the night before, wake up a few times checking the clock.

Though I'm happy to go alone, I'm happiest when I'm with my girl Bobby. The smiles on the way down Cholla trail are not made up.

Here's some bobJuan notes from the Kitchen:

I prefer to eat meals I've cooked myself,

or by another great chef.

The most wonderful thing in the physical world is liquid. Most nites.

Once I believed happiness was mine to control, I got happy.

How can you get up every day and go back to the same place, just to make money? What the hell are you thinking?

It don’t take an expert to create an excerpt.

I’m an expert at excerpts

Creating is inevitable, it's what we do.

Don't resist it, in any of its flavors.

And from a real person:

The time will come when, with elation, you will greet yourself arriving at your own door...You will love again the stranger who was your self. --Derek Walcott

[found here: http://www.kirasalak.com/Darkness.html]

Happy New Year my friends.