I've been having one of those weeks, technology-wise. First, my desktop motherboard blew in a loud FZZZZT! So that set me back a day of work as I scrambled to buy equipment to pull out my hard drives and access them from my laptop. I figured, I might as well use my laptop, since it normally just sits there unless I'm out and about.

Not a week goes by and the laptop crashes! A few days of fiddling confirm the worst: It's not a bad hard drive (which could at least be replaced). No, it's some sort of motherboard/hardware issue that will probably cost as much as a new laptop to fix.

Rather than getting frustrated, I'm just going to trust that "the universe" has some sort of plan for me. Maybe I'll end up with a nicer computer or maybe this downtime is important.

As a woman, I have been absolutely shocked and dismayed at how Democrats have been responding to Sarah Palin. Hammer her on her pro-life stance if you will, but to go on and on about Palin's newborn child and insinuate that it was her daughter's is beyond tabloid - it's absolutely crazy!

I guess it's true that we often become that which we hate.

What really got me yesterday was when I read a comment in an article mocking the idea that Bristol Palin could have been out of school five months with mono.

I got mono when I was 17, Bristol Palin's age. The mono is what triggereed my chronic fatigue syndrome. I had to drop out of band camp when the mono hit. Then, it ruined my senior year of high school. I dropped out of the high school musical, I didn't perform in my yearly saxophone competition, and I had health problems my entire senior year.

I am finally "officially" back from a long vacation and I'm now following up with tons of backlogged emails.

Most people are pretty respectful when you are a solopreneur and on your vacation - but I had one potential customer who got angry that I was not around. She explained that she expects to hear back from people within a few hours. I told her that I cannot promise what I cannot deliver. (You know, some of us need to sleep, and many of my clients are in other countries and in different time zones!)

Well, apparently that's not good enough. This woman has a Blackberry, and a laptop, and no matter where she is, she apparently always responds to email within 24 hours, "even hurricanes or otherwise." (I guess she lives in the Gulf area.)

I used to look at things like elections in black or white terms based on dualistic thinking and "what side" the candidate was on. This election, I have learned to go beyond the simplistic thinking of Republican vs. Democrat and look at the whole person.

I'll be voting this year primarily on energy, which is a California "woo-woo" way of saying, I'm voting on which team is the most spiritually clear and appears to have the best interests of America at heart.

As I've said in past posts here, McCain has already beat Obama in the energy game: McCain's chakras are strong and healthy, with a wide open heart chakra. Obama's energy can only be described in one word: Ick. Remember: Hitler gave good speeches too; charisma does not necessarily indicate a good soul.

I'll be away on vacation until the end of August...if you have sent me an email, I may not be able to get back to you until the beginning of September. It's going to be nice to not be at the computer daily.

As I mentioned early in this blog, for the first leg of my trip, I am going to my 20-Year High School Reunion. While I've been worrying about being single with no children, my friend (who is married with a kid) is worrying about her weight. It's all relative. I'm sure we'll all be fine and accepting...but isn't it funny how the grass is always greener?

Have a great end of summer and I'll catch you in September...

We're in the middle of two eclipses (August 1 - August 16, 2008). In astrology lore, that generally spells trouble. I can't say for sure that astrology actually works, but I do notice a strange correlation between eclipses and drama.

This week I've felt like I've been minding my own business, and WHAM! someone comes at me with some drama. It just happened to a friend too - she sent an email to another friend as a joke, who took it very seriously. My friend, who was simply trying to share some joy, got slammed with a nasty response that vented all the hidden resentments and issues that her friend had with her. Ahh! Eclipse drama!

I'm a Recovering Drama Addict. I can't say I've fully kicked the habit but I try. There's something compelling about life drama - hey, it's at least interesting, and if you are otherwise bored or unhappy with your life, a little bit of drama can be a "nice" distraction.

I sometimes read The Housing Bubble Blog to keep up with what's been going on with the housing market. I am continually amazed at how often the "tale of woe" shared by people going into foreclosure is often due to greed rather than need. Consider the following story:

“In 2005, Jenni and Ryan Kroon traded the 1,100-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath home in Boise they shared with their two children for a 3,500-square-foot, seven-bedroom, four-bath home in Nampa that cost $200,000*. Although financed with a 30-year, fixed-rate loan, the move still tripled their monthly mortgage payment to about $2,100.”

Every once in a while a commercial transcends its own advertising to become something touching and spiritual. Discovery Channel's "The World is Just Awesome" campaign is beyond brilliant - it's an extremely high vibration, positive HUG to everyone on the planet. If you haven't seen this spot yet, go get a tissue before you watch it:

P.S. Gotta love that Mike Rowe...I have to confess I have a bit of a crush on him, dirty old man that he is... ;-)

This is ridiculously cute and I must share: