Brag about your art therapy school

The Art Therapy Blog has added an art therapy schools and art therapy education section. They’re asking people to add testimonials or suggestions in the comments. I’ve mentioned this before, but they’re a great site if you’re interested in art therapy. And now’s your chance to promote your alma mater. They’re also tweeting art therapy news & info on twitter and facebook.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

Love him or hate him, he did a lot in his little time on this earth. RIP Michael.

A recent tribute that is continuing to be updated: www.michaeljacksondead2009.org

It’s a Wrap for McCain

The best debate McCain has had to date, and he blew it. At this point, Barack Obama would have to really blow it. Regardless, you still need to vote!

Jimmy Kimmel’s Response to Sarah Silverman & Matt Damon: I’m F*cking Ben Affleck

If you haven’t seen the latest video in the Jimmy Kimmel, Matt Damon, Sarah Silverman saga, then you gotta check this out. Talk about responding with a bang, he’s got a whole slew of people joining him in his video including: Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Robin Williams, Joan Jett, Don Cheadle, Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Huey Luis, Josh Groban, Rebecca Romijn, Christina Applegate, and about half of Hollywood.

Not quite as funny as Sarah Silverman’s video in my opinion, but still worth watching. First, Sarah Silverman said she’s f*cking Matt Damon, so what does Jimmy Kimmel do? He says he’s f*cking Ben Affleck!

some videos worth sharing

Been watching some online videos lately…So, thought I’d share some of my favorites. VideoSundry is someone’s personal collection of videos, and while it doesn’t always update with new videos as often as I’d like, there are definitely some gems there. Anyhow, I thought share some of my favorite videos I’ve found courtesy of the site:

• Everyday Normal Guy song I (includes lyrics) – A great song from Jon Lajoie.
• Everyday Normal Guy song II (includes lyrics) – Another great song from Jon Lajoie.
• Yes We Can Song - Inspired by a speech Barack Obama gave…pretty cool video from will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.
• “I’m F*cking Matt Damon” music video (includes lyrics) – Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon team up and make a hilarious music video for Jimmy Kimmel.
• Funny Animal Clips - standard video clips of animals being cute and funny.

There’s some other good ones on VideoSundry, but my computer is being ridiculously slow right now, so I’m going to stop here…I might add some more later…

Enjoy!

cool new art therapy blog

**Update: Learn about art therapy education, recommend a school in your state and catch up with art therapy news on twitter & facebook.

Came across a pretty cool blog on BlogCatalog. Thought I’d share it with you…Art therapy is an idea that’s been gaining some steam over the last few years. It’s been proven to be a valuable therapy for many things including but not limited to depression, cancer, post traumatic stress disorders, regular ‘ol stress, and even a new way to self-discovery. Read more about what art therapy is and who uses it.

The author describes the blog as an “online brainstorm” for art therapy. There’s some great posts on different art therapy activities and art therapy ideas, including information on how to do various collages, such as animal collage art or a jungle animal collage, using art therapy for self-exploration, and various self-portrait activities.

Anyhow, I was pretty excited because I can live a pretty stressful life at times and I like doing art, whether it be writing, photography, or other forms. Anyhow, now I have a great excuse to do it and hopefull a site that might provide some inspiration! If only it had some more pictures….hopefully they’ll add some soon! Still worth checking out if you like art or need to release some stress through creativity…which I think many of us could benefit from

thrown back to sea

aaahh fuckit, nevermind.
the situation is Cyndi Lauper
time after time
i’m forced to retreat
because you’ve bonded with another
and turned up the heat;
but if given a chance
i’ll prance and dance
all night in your dreams…
a sweet and succulent sleep
that will slip you into
eternal peace.

culture and elegance

I’m very excited to begin sharing the wisdom of Baltasar Gracian. His words and philosophy have influenced me deeply. So begins a series of his infinite wisdom…

“We are born barbarians and only raise ourselves above the beast by culture. Culture therefore makes the person; the greater a person the more culture…Ignorance is very raw – nothing contributes so much to culture as knowledge. But even knowledge is coarse if without elegance. Not alone must our intelligence be elegant, but also our desires, and above all our conservation. Some people are naturally elegant in internal and external qualities, in their thoughts, in their words, in their dress, which is the rind of the soul as their talents are its fruit. There are others, on the other hand, so gauche that everything about them, even their most excellent quality, is tarnished by an intolerable and barbaric want of neatness.”

- from The Art of Worldly Wisdom

grounded flight

“Why, young bird with broken wings
do i hear you sing sought songs of sorrow?”

“But tomorrow,” the bird replies
“may you realize the why
you soulfully search, my
wings not broken and tears
not choking; perched with pride–
i am simply just shy.”

(to which you reply)

“i don’t understand,
the sky is so grand…”

“Yet i am more comfortable
on this lackluster land.”

“Do you not dream
of being amongst peers?”

“It’s not what it seems,
i’ve tried for years.”

“So you don’t regret
your lack of flight?”

“i simply accept
my reality of Life.”

“Why don’t you try
and change reality?”

“i would soon dye
a different fatality.”

“On this lifeline
you will never reach…”

“The concept of time
has buried you deep…”

“…for that which burns
is your accepted niche.”

“…time is larger than life,
and that’s what makes it rich.”

Pledge of Resonance

Pledge of Resonance – from “As If We Existed” by Sol.iLLaquists of Sound

I am a listener.

Well before there was something to be said, I was here.

Many have argued whether or not sound exists without me, but what is often overlooked in the midst of these debates is the true importance of the relationship between sound and those who perceive it.

Sound can be defined as something heard…but in essence is a cycle of vibrations that move through matter.

As the listener I vow to maintain the ability to define these vibrations…And therefore amplify them with my actions.

It is in my hands to allow what I hear to fade to silence, or to be given meaning.

As these actions remain, I become the echo that prolongs the life of a sound. And as sound is essentially a movement, ultimately, the fate of a movement lies within me…

The Listener.

quote of the day

In my youth I stressed freedom, and in my old age I stress order. I have made the great discovery that liberty is a product of order. – Will Durant

How Kids Learn Prejudices & Stereotypes

Q&A: How Kids Learn Prejudices, Stereotypes

How do children respond to stereotypes about race, religion and gender? A child-development expert looks at contradictions in kids’ behavior.

Newsweek WEB EXCLUSIVE

By Anna Kuchment

Updated: 11:05 a.m. MT Feb 26, 2007

Feb. 26, 2007 – Child-development experts have spent years studying geekdom: what it is that makes one child more likely to be rejected by another. But University of Maryland professor Melanie Killen took a different approach. Instead of focusing on social deficits, Killen, associate director of the Center for Children, Relationships and Culture, focused on another category of rejection—when children are excluded because of gender, race or ethnicity rather than their behavior. Killen calls it “group membership.” Her study, “Children’s Social and Moral Reasoning About Exclusion,” published in this month’s issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, shows that kids become aware of group membership from at least the time they’re in preschool. But, while kids universally feel that it’s unfair to reject someone based exclusively on their gender, race or religion, there are some situations in which they do so anyway. Killen spoke to NEWSWEEK’s Anna Kuchment about why that’s the case. Excerpts:

Toilet Talk

I made my usual trip to the bathroom a little after lunch today and noticed something that tends to bring me displeasure whenever I enter a public bathroom….pubic hair. That’s right, a few strands of hair from someone else’s privates. I puffed some air at the hairs so they would go into the actual toilet, then proceeded to sit down on the toilet to begin my business. As usual, I expected the seat to be a little chilly, just enough to make it uncomfortable for a split second…after which, it’s no longer a concern.

But then I was overwhelmed! For that split second of time when my brain was supposed to be registering unpleasantness due to a cold and recently-laced-with-pubic-hair toilet seat, it was actually registering pleasure! That’s when it occurred to me that there’s just something about a warm toilet seat that can really make a difference in a person’s life.

We need more warm toilet seats.

quote of the day

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
- Thomas Jefferson

pineapple and solitude haikus

Happened to come across a contest over at the Gnarls Barkley website. Rules are simple: Write a haiku with a theme of Solitude or Pineapples. Or, if you can manage it, both. Thought it was a fun little exercise, so here are my entries…

Untitled
Pineapple you tramp-
led over my heart and left
me in Solitude.

Untitled
What is Solitude?
Solitude is asking who
you’ll sleep with tonight.

Powerless
Crunchy, sweet, sour, your
powerful deception brings
stings from your spikes back…

Anticipation
Pineapple waiting
Smiley Faces debating
driving her Crazy…

Looking so Delicious
the flirt in you pro-
jecting the hurt in you pro-
tecting you from you.

Crying over Spilled Pineapple
spill a Pineapple
i dabble in solitude
still longing for you.

Untitled
solitude behold
my heart breaking while my knees
shaking, solitude.

Untitled
solitude spinning
my sensuous resistance,
shocking succulence.

Untitled
spiky and alone
the distance is killing me
spikes gone, reveal me.