Shamash Says...

Waking Up with a Bindi

___The Goddess Lakshmi arose from the Ocean of Milk, during the great churning of the oceans.

Last night I donned one of my saris and headed out to celebrate the Festival of Lights, Indian Devali.

Image via shedrums

Water, Wires, and the Power of a Pen

Charlie, my kitten-turned-cat, is still all legs and all ears; we shall see if her body catches up with her appendages. I have no doubt I will be blamed in her cat therapy sessions for an identity crisis for my recent mistake in thinking she was male. In reality, she’s a dog-cat, drinking water out of the toilet and my bathtub, a sociable licker, and an eager greeter-at-the-doorer.

Read on for surprising, historical photos from this week.

Yes, It's True

 

It rained a lot

the past few days.
What we see
on the surface
is only
a
percentage
of what
might be.

Brave, Fearless Drawing Machines

What do a labor arbitrator, a radio personality, a teacher, an epidemiologist, a registered nurse, an education specialist, a bat expert, a physiology professor, and a defense lawyer for the Dept of Justice all have in common?

This past week, I found out. And, in the process, realized that much of that which unites us as human beings has little to do with our professions, and much to do with what we long to do after-hours.

The Kindness of Strangers

  This is a picture I took of the State Capital of Minnesota through the window of a bus I never planned to take, in a part of town I never planned to visit.

Some of my most profound life lessons have come from my solitary travel and sometimes, the greatest travel adventures happen when nothing goes as planned. Despite what you see and read in the news (violent crime, kidnappings, and murder) America is a not the big, scary place we see on the news.

There is a warm web of community among strangers who meet at bus stops, and for every crime reported in the media, there are thousands of untold stories and numerous unsung heroes who lend  helping hands to a frantic traveler like me who would be unable to make it to her destination without the kindness of strangers. 

The Mall of America: Bigger? Better? Best?

  I realize that I’ve entered this place with the eye of a stranger in a strange land. An American expatriate who has lived in a developing nations for over ten years and who is coming from a lands with power outages, lack of medical care and extreme poverty, my perception of this mall is quite different to those who have made a visit to this place part of their summer vacation.

(images by shamash)

Why Do People STILL Go to Museums?

"Art offers something else--depth, involvement, a new way of looking at the world that we live in, a fresh approach to what we take for granted, a chance to experience freedom of the imagination."
-Meredith Monk, composer, singer, director, choreographer

(image by René Magritte via artchive)

I regularly visit online museums all over the world. I take virtual tours of The Louvre.  (click here.)  The Metropolitan Museum of Art (click here) The Art Institute of Chicago. (click here.)

But the computer screen cannot replace the experience of visiting an art gallery or museum. Here’s why.

The Big Apple Store, Fifth Avenue, NY

We’ve shopped for antiques in Rangoon, silverware in Bangkok, silk in Saigon, but nothing compares to our adventures in the Big Apple.

(photos by shamash)

You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

Part tragedy, part comedy, check out The Blotter. Here are a few of the complaints called in to the police in Taos, NM, my favorite town on earth.

3:09 p.m., Shoplifting, 200 block Paseo del Pueblo Sur – Complaint that a woman with long blond hair, sunglasses on her head, and wearing all black took of organic items and frozen items and left without paying. She was seen heading onto Los Pandos, driving a bright orange car.

Read on for a few more of my favorites!

5 Blogs That Make Me Think

  Terry of I See Invisible People bequeathed upon me a Thinking Blogger Award. Thanks, Terry!

Besides Terry, (whose blog I read daily) here are five more awards of my own given out to those people whose provocative insights have deeply affected my perspective and challenged my thinking. They’re worth a read, and truly deserve a Thinking Blog Award.