More than Meets the Eye

Scientists discover Invisible Galaxy...

Tulips

One of the few things that keeps me "grounded" is gardening. You, as the Gardner, are required to create an environment for life to flourish. You are required to exhibit patience and sometimes you must water bare soil for weeks. Madness defined. But then you see the first emerald peeking through the dark earth. You are once again invigorated and renewed in your love for the process. It's the process of life.

I find the planting of the seed to be rather a mundane job, for it seems the bees have the most fun in this reproductive cycle...or is it really the flower having fun? Not mine to know nor guess. The seed needs a place to sink it's teeth and this happens away from the prying human eye. I have seen documentary footage of seeds and bulbs doing their work beneath the soil and the images are enough to keep me interested in caring for my bare soil...no matter what.

Watching your plants grow becomes the grease for your wheel. You see the efforts resulting in something living. Your hand was instrumental in completing the lifecycle of the plant. This is not to say that the plant couldn't do this on it's own, I am merely glad to have a " hand " in it.

I find the most pleasure in the maintenance of my plants. Clipping the dead limbs and turning the soil. Feeding them with water and food. Having my hands on them as I learn more and more about life. Their life is like our life. For you see...we both share a common goal to survive but cannot do it alone. Along our life's journey we are required to somehow provide a path for the next generation to follow with as many of the questions answered as possible. Each plant of mine is fighting the same battle to provide enough beauty in this generation to forge ahead for the next of it's kind. It is a process. It is life.

I recently viewed an episode of The Victory Garden (pbs.org) dedicated to tulips and found the motivation for this homage to gardening. A tulip bulb farmer demonstrated the simple process of cross pollination and then a tulip historian showed a bed with the natural cycle of flower mutation up through six generations. Each successive flower was more complicated in structure and color pattern. Fighting for survival requires new clothes sometimes. The changes are called mutations but could be better descibed as indisciminate love. The bee has a taste for nectar and cares little about the flower from whence it came. Seems some flowers might get a little chocolate in their peanut butter from time to time. It might just result in a more attractive flower as demonstrated by a series of tulip beds in Holland.

I highly recommend getting wrist deep in some freshly turned soil. Or, if not so inclined to dirt, get a little plant from somewhere and take care of it. They will take care of you in return.

Stunning...Absolutely STUNNING!!! Halle Berry...Yummy!

Halle and a new convertible Cadillac. Proud to be an American!!
www.cadillacunder5.com/presentation/siteindex.html

Beach Life

This is for the Men in the group...and any women interested as well.

I must admit that there are certain advantages to living at the beach. For example, a very voluptuous blonde just moved in across the street. The sunny, warm weather that we enjoy most everyday of the year causes wonderful things to happen to clothing. It disappears. Picture Jessica Simpson's body falling out of an extra small white tank top and one of those mini-mini skirts showing off the rest.

So besides the sunshine, beach, waves, and laid-back lifestyle, we have nearly naked, twenty-something hotties running around all day. I am certain that this is heaven! Yay...I made it!!

The man that has me beat, my Uncle, can be found here: www.jeffsherratt.blogspot.com/ Newport Beach rocks!! Huntington still holds my heart though!!

Surf Trip of Dreams

My good friend Eddie has left on his year long surf trip around the world. Check out the journey here:

www.travelingsurfers.com

As for me, I am trying to figure out where and when to meet up with him!

Hello all... Wanted everyone to have an idea of the Man behind the lunacy. 

Hee Hee Hee!!! 

Did I Miss Something?

The Gates in New York's Central Park is WHAT again? $23 million for some cheap hotel curtains out in an otherwise beautiful landscape. No wonder everyone hates us. Burt Ruttan created Private Space Flight for less money...SPACE FLIGHT!!

Someone should remind Christo, if that really is his name, that "Art" is a quadriplegic hanging on a wall.

Tahoe...Smahoe

We have out snowed Tahoe this year. I believe we have a base in excess of 12' (144"+) and more on the way. Mt. Baldy has opened the entire mountain and they have removed ALL trail restrictions. They are allowing you to ride everywhere because there is so much snow. Big Bear and Mountain High are predicting late spring snow that will rival past years entire winters.

Lake Arrowhead is "overflowing" its banks and Big Bear Lake has risen some 20 feet. This is before any of the snow has melted.

And as I thought, the new sandbars along Huntington are amazing. Normally the strong winter swells line up and break along a "wall". This is very bad. Now these same swells are sectioning off into about 10-15 separate peaks that each breaks solidly right and left. Super hollow. It is as if reefs grew over the weekend. This is VERY GOOD!! It could be some tropical island reef break if the water didn't look like the toilet after a bout with Montezuma's Revenge. (If you have to ask what I mean by that...think diarrhea)

One really good sign though was all the dolphin pods right offshore today. They were hanging out just beyond the grime line and avoiding their usual playing in the surf with surfers, but they are hanging around. Haven't seen them for weeks. I guess after all the close experiences I have had with wild dolphins at very close range, I can understand why people would pay money to swim with them. Something much more enriching in sharing a wave with a dolphin though! Kinda scares the crap out of you for a moment, but then you just drift off into your ride and do what the dolphin does...have fun!!

Peace Out

Tony the Tiger...Dead in Hollywood.

A tragic day in Hollywood as Tony the Tiger's version of The Fugitive comes to a dramatic ending with Police. A couple of weeks ago Tony apparently jumped a fence to escape from his Studio ordered drug rehab facility. Tracks were found indicating the Hollywood Icon had begun using again and was roaming the Valley looking for a fix. Police finally located the rampaging sugar fiend and Tony didn't stand a chance. Witnesses heard the gunfire followed by a last impassioned "They're Great" before Tony finally succumbed to the gunshot wounds. Hollywood is mourning the loss of a true icon. For more details follow the link attached to the Title.

In other news from the crazy town, Officials in Santa Barbara have made a groundbreaking decision in the Michael Jackson case. In an effort to save the California Taxpayers millions of dollars, Officials have allowed Mr. Jackson to become a Catholic Priest, thus removing the stigma of his child molestation. Church Officials have only said that Mr. Jackson will be utilized to raise money for the corrupt organization and be allowed to continue to rape little boys, with their parents consent of course. Mr Jackson has released a statement indicating that he is excited about all the "Jesus Juice" he will have access to and is thrilled at the prospect of fresh "Boy Butt". The Pope has issued a statement as well: "Uuuurrrgggghhhh..hrnph...cough..cough"

Enjoy your day and stay tuned for breaking news.

CLICK ME

The AIDS epidemic in Africa is frightening. I just felt that this subject is important and the folks at the website you can find by clicking the title have a very effective means of educating the children in these devastated countries. Knowledge IS everything.

Anyway, just hope you appreciate the knowledge.

Snakes...why'd it have to be snakes??

I remember seeing JAWS and thinking that I might worry a little more when in the Ocean. That fear went away with the first good swell I experienced in HB. Recently I was witness to a waterspout/tornado right on the beach. Very cool in a scary way!

Now I truly have reason to worry. Seems that there is more washing out to sea than just trash and trees and tuberculosis. Seems that poisonous snakes are turning up on our beaches. They are obviously cold and stunned, so they hide in the piles of debris on the beach. The most dangerous are rattlers. Yeah...Rattlers hanging out on the beach. The problem is worse further south toward Laguna, but I am going to step carefully for the next few days!!

The Ocean is chocolate brown soup from all the runoff, but the sandbars are huge. In a couple of days and hopefully until summer, we could see some of the best formed surf in decades!!! A-framed peaks throwing top to bottom, inside and outside. There are seven new sandbars between the Pier and Goldenwest Street. Shaweeeet!

Aloha from the Island of Huntington Beach.

NASCAR

All is right in the world again!! Thank you NASCAR for coming back!! 190 mph in traffic...and it's legal!!

WoooooooooooHooooooooooooooo!!!

I'll get you my Pretty!

Hmmmm! I just had a tornado roll onshore. YES!!! A TORNADO!! Missed me and my car... Update: This morning I was driving up PCH from 9th St (heading north). The rain was coming down so hard that everyone just stopped on PCH because we couldn't see anything. I was rolling slowly past 12th St. on PCH when the waterspout came ashore at 14th St. and cruised into town. I had my wipers on FULL and it was like I was underwater. Uuuhhhhh...Fricken COOL!! Needless to say, I was safely in and out of Mickey D's for breakfast and home in time for NASCAR. So I came as close to a Tornado as I could and luckily not a scratch!! 2 tiny blocks faster and I would have been nailed by it!! I took a walk on the beach this afternoon and saw the path on the beach where the thing came ashore. I think the only damage was a light pole down and some trees shaken apart. This is great fun Mother Nature...Thank you!!

Woo Hoo!! The ark is built and I am now heeding the "Tornado Warnings" on TV. This is fricken cool. I think I saw that old lady on her bike flying by!! Wow... Now I just need a hurricane to round off the disaster cycle. Has any city ever hit for the cycle? Earthquake, Flood, Tornado, Fire, and Hurricane? I am only a hurricane away now!!

Remember that saying, "whatever floats your boat"...well everything out here now floats...crazy man, like totally wacked out dude.

Gurgle gurgle...gulp!

Happy Wednesday!!

Thanks Tim for the candy! Sometimes it just feels good to wish the exact opposite of everyone else. Fun is in the eye of the beholder and I beheld fun!

I would like to warn everyone about a pretty nasty Flu bug I just spent a week and half fighting. I hope ya'll can avoid it!

Good news is I've lost about 10 pounds. That is always good heading into the spring!

One last note. This years Grammy's was the best I have ever seen, with the exception of the terrible rendition of that Beatles song. Good for the Tsunami victims and I guess good for all the people that have downloaded it for they now can share in some of the pain. U2 was good. Now they are just like microsoft and sony, too big for their own egos. They've turned into the thing they were fighting all along. Ahhhh money!!

Ciao

Blah Bla Blaa

Bla blah bla blaa blah, blah blaaaa blahh! Blah bla Dr. Phil blah bla blaaa. Blah bla blaaa blah blah bla blahblabla. Blibbity blib blah blabity blah. Blappity blap blipi bla bla bla, bla ba blah ba. Blaoppi blah blah blaaaaa bla bla, bla blappity bla bla; blahhh bla blipptiy blip blah. Blo blopopity blah blip blippty blah blah.

Blah bla bla blah blah! "Blaugh blaugh blah bla"!!!

Uncle Harry

Dreams have meaning and purpose. I could say I believe that, however, it would be more precise to say I simply know it. I have had very few vivid dreams. So few a number that I have deep memories of these dreams. I have experienced a couple of these dreams more times than I care to count. One very vivid dream needs to be shared, if only for me to learn from the experience. I only had this dream ONCE. This I will venture to explain later.

The dream was easily recognizable as a city like Downey. I felt like it was a city like Downey. I was in the front seat of a non-descript car and Uncle Harry was driving. He said he needed to make one stop before he took me home. (I have no recollection of ever being in a car alone with Uncle Harry in my life, at least not like this.)

We pulled into an apartment parking lot and he immediately parked. As he got out of the car he asked me to wait, but I was already following him toward the apartment door. It was a downstairs apartment and seemed to be connected to others like it. When we reached the door the feeling in the dream was like a detective thriller. We were breaking in the door and rushing into the apartment. There was a man in the downstairs room to the left of a staircase leading to a second floor. He was quickly gone out the back door and I was left watching Uncle Harry run after him. I ran along behind him trying to catch him. I was unable to. He and the man he was chasing were moving faster than possible away from me. I was still in the street in the Downey-like town frantically yelling for passing motorists to stop and give me a ride to catch my Uncle Harry. I felt I needed to help him. I wanted more than anything to follow him.

I was told by each motorist that I could not have a ride and to go home. This happened for a period of time in which I became more and more frustrated that I was being denied a ride by all these people. I was being denied the opportunity to follow my Uncle Harry and I woke up very disturbed, angry with all those people. I was angry that I woke up to find it was not real. I woke and realized I had been dreaming.

I have had this dream once and it plays in my memory like a movie. The part that I am questioning is this. I had this dream after Harry died. I remember thinking that in the dream. How can you be here with me in a car when I know you are dead? My consciousness in this dream was real, as if I were awake. Very literally awake!

The exploration into these memories and their meaning is slowly becoming clearer. I feel that if I do not accept the thought patterns I am experiencing that I will go crazy, instead of just feeling like I'm crazy.

I am beginning to believe that I somehow shared Uncle Harry's journey into the afterlife. It is the only explanation that makes sense when I review all the details of the dream. I have not had a dream of Uncle Harry since then. In fact, I have no memories of ever dreaming about my family members. Can any of Harry's siblings share with me why he would come to me in a dream such as this? Is there something about Harry as a person that would make him wait around after death for a guide? Would he have needed direction? Answers...I really need answers.

I just need to share this, but your comments and insights, your thoughts and feelings about this are important to me. I have compiled many thoughts on this newly discovered topic and I feel like I am beginning to understand more than ever before. The feeling is one of overwhelming freedom to explore. Explore without the constraints of human judgment to attempt to set things right. I need to complete this exploration, this is my path.

Your Attention Please!

Couple of things to clarify. I am not writing these things for my benefit. Having these realizations is enough for me. Trust me, they are so beautiful that I am compelled to share. I wrote these things to begin a dialogue of healing for all of you. This is not for me! I cannot explain the feeling of completeness that has taken over everyday of my life. I am understanding and translating for all of you a message about your lives. It's about all of us and there are many many words still to come.

I am asking you to have faith in me and the things I will say. I do not know why this is all happening to me right now, but imagine if you had wondered what the afterlife was like all your life and suddenly the answers started coming in dreams. What if you had the realization that you have memories, if they can be called that, of places that are the afterlife? That's the only way I can describe it today, but I am now focused on this path like never before.

Something to chew on. The human descriptions of purgatory, I believe are skewed. You are living there now. Purgatory, as Man envisions it, is life. Considering this, what choices would you now make in life? Does death seem like such a terrible thing when you consider where you are right now? For me the answer is questioning everything and as I do, the answers are being found right inside my head.

My Godmother

I have been doing research into NDE's or Near Death Experiences. Mainly because I have been dead and now am alive. Thanks Dad for encouraging me back into my body. I have heard many interesting theories about what may have transpired when my little human form straight-lined at the bottom of Magee's pool. Some seem theoretically sound and some quite amazing. I wanted to share some things with my readers because I think it's time to tell. Some of it, not all.

I do not have a memory of dying or of falling into the water. The only experience that has always stuck with me, a very vivid memory and tangible feeling, is of floating on my back underwater about 30 feet down. The water was extremely peaceful and I never wanted to leave it. It's warmth was permeating and the feeling was like nothing I have found again. The feeling of calm, lying there looking up through the water at the light, the very warm light. It reminds me today of the sun in the summer, when it reaches high noon. If I lay in the sun on days like that and close my eyes, I can almost feel that sensation. I do not have any memory other than this...as of yet.

To this day one of my favorite things to do is dive down in the ocean and lay on my back on the bottom, looking up into the light. It works in a pool but, the experience isn't vast enough. The ocean is almost big enough. Almost.

Anyway, my research is leading me down paths that scare me and excite me at the same time. Most of you reading this will never understand some of the things I am going to speak about, but never worry about me. One of the things common to all NDE's is the remnant feeling of solace with all around you and the understanding that things are so much bigger than all of us that few things really need be worried about. I cannot begin to explain, although I will attempt to, how this feeling of being unplugged from all the rest of you is so wonderful.

I have wondered all my conscious life why I didn't feel like I belonged here. Something has felt out of place since I can remember. It wasn't until an experience with death taught me a lesson. In the 8th grade, I was asked by Sister Brid to come to the back door with my backpack. I was leaving with my tear-soaked mother and going to see first hand what death really was. For the second time, I realize now.

I remember not feeling sad myself but feeling sad for all of you. I didn't feel like Magee was in trouble, more that she was causing you all so much pain and she knew it. She wanted that to stop, I think, at least I believe she wanted that. I cannot figure out why she waited though. Did she wait for me? It is very possible based on some of the research I have done. Each of us has a guide to the other side and sometimes people need their living human guide to show them the way. I keep coming to this answer and I find it remarkable that she would choose me. What I do remember was walking into the hospital room. Through the huge door and into a circular wall of my elders. This part probably due to my Catholic education but I remember thinking that when you all moved, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. I remember thinking that Magee was already gone, mostly because I was told not to expect anything. She was highly medicated and very ill.

Yet, she grasped my hand and sat up in bed. She said my name and told me how much she loved me. I already knew that and I remember thinking that she was ready now, to move on. I felt it in her hand, as hard as that is to believe. I have been looking for an explanation since that day and I feel that the guide scenario is the best fit so far. I actually need to ask her before I'll know for sure.

I must continue with the stories. The day my brother Michael died, I held him in my arms and looked deeply into his rolled back eyes for any sign of life. Odd that I should be there to see him off! I touched his blue lips and knew that he had gone. I have struggled with so much guilt since that day, guilt that I didn't do my part to save him as my father had done for me. Yet I cannot feel guilty anymore. I am beginning to understand the strong sensation that I could do nothing, the overwhelming feeling that I could not bring him back, was not an excuse. It was a very honest truth that my guilt ridden consciousness would not accept. I now am beginning to understand that I simply knew. I knew he was gone. I knew like you know your nose is on fire. I was sad because I wanted my brother, but I was more sad for my family and especially my parents. The sadness was for them and not for Michael. I was sad that they, my parents, would not understand that it was okay that he died and that you should be happy because of what he now experiences. Trust me, it is a feeling beyond earthly compare. Crazy, I know, but this is coming out of my mind and I am trying to piece it together. This is what I have so far and I now realize what needs to be done to continue my learning and understanding.

My Mom once asked me if I had ever considered suicide. My answer was yes, but that I had considered it a non-choice. As though, even if I tried and succeeded, that it wouldn't matter. I would be sent back and have to deal with the trouble and suffering I had caused. Quite selfish reasons for not doing it, but good reasons. Better than most.

The inspiration for this piece was a comment from my Godmother, Marie. I began to consider the fear and the panic she must have felt as she struggled with cancer. She now, I am sure, has a slightly different outlook on her remaining years, but I wanted to say a few things to her and the rest of my family. I love you all very much but you must know that this particuliar segment of the journey is fraught with struggles. These are here to help each of us to grow in understanding.

Marie, if you had been chosen to make the next leg of your personal journey, if you had been chosen to die, you would not have been sad nor hurt again. In fact, all the pain you have endured in your entire lifetime would seem as miniscule as a gentle breeze. Understanding would replace anguish. You must know that your mother will be there waiting as she has already come to you in dreams. We are all super glad your time on Earth is not finished, but you must ask yourself why? What have you not yet accomplished? There is something or many things left for you to learn before you go. These things are for the betterment of you and are not mandated by anyone else. The things you must do are very personally yours to achieve. I am glad I can finally share some of this without fear of judgement.

Mom, you need not worry about your future. I am asking Magee to give you some direction in this open forum of the internet. I hope she hears me. I guess you'll know if she does.

Please remember that I feel things differently than I believe most of you do. I can tell you with honesty that this Earth seems much too small to me. Too constricting for my taste, but it is not a choice. I must complete this lifetime in order to progress. As my exploration inside me and the world around us continues, I will try to keep ya'll in the loop.

One last note: I have always been severley sensitive to the emotional states of others. So much so, I often feel what they do and it is very aggravating. I feel it and to me the feeling causes anger. So much pain in the world and I feel it all. Sucks, but I am coming to realize that this may be the lesson I am supposed to learn. This may be the path for me and I am frightened at the prospect.

Did Uncle Tim Name These Things?

Sometimes stories you heard as a child about your Family stick with you. Well, I will forever remember a story I heard about my Uncle Tim and who cares if the details are a little fuzzy. Fuzzy can be good.

Anyway, here's the very short version. Tim had a gas card to fill his ride when he was young. Apparently he used to sign the receipt with odd names. Remember they used to actually stand there and run your card through that new-fangled credit card imprinter and then they handed you that old school plastic board with the receipt, card, and a pen. You almost wanted to tip the guy.

I hope Tim can fill us in on some of the names he used.

I was inclined at a younger age to ask why and now at an older age I think I finally understand. It is not to ask why but to ask why not!

The title bar is a tribute to this naming fun! CLICK THE TITLE! I know Tim will appreciate this.

Tsunami Baby Custody Battle

In a groundbreaking decision, Officials in Kalumani, Sri Lanka have decided to let the Bible decide the fate of Baby 81. After 9 separate women claimed to be the Mother, it was determined that the baby should be cut in 9 pieces and distributed proportionately.

JUST KIDDING!! They decided to go the science route and test his DNA. Let's all thank God for the insight and Thank Man for the solution!

Thanks Mom...For the Joke!

You gotta love a guy like this. Humor in the face of defeat.

A Marine was deployed in Iraq. While he was there he received a letter from his girlfriend. In the letter she explained that she had slept with two guys while he had been gone. She wanted to break up with him and she wanted pictures of herself returned.

So the Marine did what any squared-away Marine would do. He went around to his buddies and collected all of the unwanted photos of women he could find. He then mailed about 25 pictures of women (with and without clothing) to his former girlfriend with the following note:

"I don't remember which one you are. Please remove your picture and send the rest back."

************
Thank you Mom for the laugh! To quote a famous hero of mine, Jerry Mouse's Nephew sums it all up with,"Touche Pussycat".