Wednesday, September 28, 2005

In case you missed this one......

Director Errol Morris made a tiny, little movie in 1997 that slipped under the radar. I was reminded of my love of naked mole rats recently and then this movie. We are all a little crazy (especially this author) but these guys are really into their passions, so do we call it crazy? Fun and thought provoking. I love and recommend all of his work!

Here's the official synopsis:The film interwoven the stories of four obsessive men, each driven to create eccentric worlds of their dreams, all involving animals: Dave Hoover, a lion tamer who idealizes the late Clyde Beatty, and who shares his odd theories on the mental processes of wild animals; George Mendonça, a topiary gardener who has devoted a lifetime to painstakingly shaping bears and giraffes out of hedges and trees; Ray Mendez, who is fascinated with hairless mole-rats, tiny buck-toothed mammals who behave like insects; and Rodney Brooks, an M.I.T. scientist who has designed complex, autonomous robots that can crawl like bugs without specific instructions from a human controller. As the film proceeds, thematic connections between the four protagonists begin to emerge: the lion tamer and the topiary gardener look back at ways of life which are fading from the scene; the mole-rat specialist and the robot scientist eye the future, envisioning creatures that may someday replace the human race.

Happy Birthday to Charlie Parker (our African Grey parrot) and to my sister in OR!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Simple Living Network

This is the home of it all! Unclutter, get your relationship to money in order and live in s sustainable way. And it's simple. Visit Simple Living Network for lots of tips, support, resources and study groups. I just signed up for the one called "Your Money or Your Life". I'll let you know how it goes. I think simplicity is the antidote to the culture that keeps pulling us away from our deepest values for quick rewards and pleasures. I am doing an experiment and turning off the TV and radio for a month and just listening to jazz. I feel calmer already after only a couple of days and will gradually focus on what I can give back with my new found time and energy. Stay tuned!