Absolute favorite Tweet this week

My absolute favorite Tweet this week ... and I've seen a lot!

This Perfect Moment shared .. well, you know, that passes on the perfect nature of it. Compound interest.

Harvey and I strode recklessly into the wilderness today. http://t.co/uvNOh631jv
— Ryan V Lower (@beautyislikeyea) September 19, 2013

Perfect paint colors are in the eye of the contractor

We're starting to think about painting the house.

 

"Somewhere between a healthy Winesap and an unripened Jana."

"You got that, Charlie?"

That's Myrna Loy playing the homeowner with a vivid imagination. She's married to a character played by Cary Grant in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, made in 1948.

This film proves that nothing ever changes. The experience of renovating an old home was the same then as it was for Tom Hands and Shelly Long in The Money Pit in 1986.  As it is today for you and me.

 Mr. Blandings is full of witty dialogue and well worth renting - can't find it streaming anywhere, dang!

I still like the idea of running down to the store for a pound of the best butter to find the perfect sunny, warm shade.

We're still at the stage where we are driving around the neighborhood, seeing what colors and combinations work well on other houses.  Maybe we should head to the grocery store.

  Robin (& Sue), Tempe

Lessons learned sitting creekside in Sedona

I know this is supposed to be a Perfect Moment. Sitting next to the creek in Sedona, Arizona, sipping a coffee with nowhere else I have to be.

We went up to Sedona last week and stayed three nights at a wonderful place.

L'Auberge de Sedona was rustic, woodsy and luxurious all at the same time. It is a high-class spot without being pretentious.... well not too pretentious.

Sue and I were celebrating my birthday. And the end of summer. The final days before school starts. We were taking a few days off before life and work gears up again.

I know we try to blog here primarily about noticing Perfect Moments rather than creating them.

Even though vacations are designed to create Perfect Moments, in my experience they are often full of high expectations that they rarely meet.

But our little mini-vacation in Sedona was just perfect.

My goal was to unplug, not check work e-mail, try to keep off Twitter, have at least one expensive foodie meal, read a book from start to finish, and go for my birthday run.

Every year for the last 20 or so years, at some point during the few days around my birthday, I've gone on a celebration run for as many minutes as years I've been alive. Yes! My birthday run gets longer and slower and more meaningful every year.

This spectacular view is from my birthday run.

I met all my goals for our 3-day vacation. And I've been trying to figure out what made this different from other vacations.

I think it was a bunch of things, an awesome location, fantastic views, linens with a super-high thread count. Suzie by my side.

But what made it different? What made it perfectly relaxing? Maybe setting my expectation beforehand. I had clear goals that were about relaxing, pampering and celebrating.

Yeah. I think that's it. Setting clear goals .. and sticking to them.. helped make this the perfect mini-vacation.

Now back to work tomorrow. First thing in the morning: I'm going to set some clear goals for the week.


Robin, Tempe

Whale of a good time.. yeah, really

I went out on a 4-hour whale watching tour today with the Dolphin Fleet in Provincetown, Mass. What fun.

We had such a successful day that Mike the tour guide/oceanographer on our boat reminded us several times that we were seeing "an obscene" amount of whales. "Remember, it's not always like this," he said. I guess he was afraid of us overselling future trips.



It was wonderful, if not just a little obscene. We saw between 30 and 35 whales all around the boat. And one was a calf hanging out with its mama.

I had seen humpback whales in Hawaii where they mate. In New England, in the spring, humpbacks are summering, eating, feeding, and the behavior is different. They agitate the water, frightening the fish so they gather in a nice snack-like clump. The whales then dive down, turn around and drive up to the surface with mouths open.

Mike taught us to keep an eye on bubbles and birds. The whales blew the bubbles to agitate the fish. The birds zoomed in to pick up fish the whales missed. Birds even sat on the whales' mouths as the giant mammals moved on the surface ... apparently waiting to pick up fish that didn't get swallowed up.


The whales gave us a show that just wouldn't end. In fact, our time was up and we had to return to Provincetown long before they had filled their bellies. Beautiful. It was just a wonderful day... great weather, endangered species trusting us to hang out in their feeding ground. And, as Mike says, remember, it's not always like this.

Photos and video by Robin J Phillips

Robin, Tempe

Grand Canyon from the sky .. thanks, Southwest

Grand Canyon from the sky, originally uploaded by RobinJP.

I am usually a very good flier. I pick up my trash, keep quiet, read my book and listen to music. And, yes, especially this: I turn off my phone and keep it off.

But today, I broke that rule.

During a morning flight from Phoenix to Portland, the pilot said, "You'll be able to see the Grand Canyon out the left window."

The understatement of the day.

As I looked down at this awesome site, I kept thinking about telling people about it. But how could I describe the Grand Canyon from this vantage point?

So old goody-two-shoes .. I dug into my bag, pulled out my new phone (HTC Incredible), cranked it on and shot a few wonderful photos.

Truly incredible. The Canyon, not the phone.

Robin, Tempe

Another Spring to Remember

It's spring 2010 and it's perfect because I am here to see it. I had a health scare late last year that put this in jeopardy, but I am slowly but surely bouncing back, and today is the payoff.

I have to admit there were a few moments when I wondered if I would make it to the spring. If I would be around to once again see an Arizona spring. I have been granted the opportunity once again, and this year it means so much more. I swear the oranges are more orange, and the yellows more yellow. I don't even mind the weeds so much, because it's reinforced the idea that life gives you both challenges and opportunities. You can either look at it as a weed, or as a struggling flower. Either way, they both are equally beautiful, it has to do with how you look at it.

I choose to look at each day as a gift, and today I have received an abundance of gifts!

Sue, Tempe

Shapeshifting on the Tempe 521

On the Express bus home yesterday as I gazed out the window, I got a quick feeling that I was in Europe.

The gray landscape and blur of traffic felt familiar.

But I think it was merely the being whisked away that took me to another place. You know, the whole leaving-the-driving-to-the-driver thing.

But then I got a glimpse of Phoenix.


Something about palm trees in the desert always surprises me.

The Desert Fan Palm is the only palm tree native to to the states west of Texas. It is here to remind us desert dwellers that we live in an oasis in middle of the Sonoran Desert.

Come to think of it an oasis is often an optical illusion too. Like seeing Europe out the window on the Express bus ride home.

Robin, Tempe

Dancer uprising: Legend of extraordinary dancers on its way

I'm intrigued: This is what it says on the YouTube page for the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers:

No Special effects. No Wires. Real People, Real powers.

The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers present their second official trailer. An Epic Online series unlike anything on the web before.

For the past year, my team and I have been locked in a room secretly building a project that combines music, dance, story telling, sport and interactive media.

We call this project THE LXD.

I am inviting you to join me on this epic online adventure and who knows even YOU may be part of the LXD.

ARE YOU EXTRAORDINARY?

Join the Dancer Uprising.

Right on. A perfect moment or two in there, for sure.

Robin, Tempe

tumblr. my current treasure chest of discoveries

Oh, look, over there.

Thanks, Capt-Namy and your sad art gallery... whoever you are.



Loving the clever pages on Tumblr these days.

RobinJP, Tempe

A Day of Hate and Hope

So far this trip has been everything I had hoped for. It has been full of new sights and tastes, and reliving old hurts.

We started the day with a visit to a very difficult place, the apartheid museum. Now, we wanted to go here first because we felt it was important for the students to understand the history of this beautiful country, a history that's anything but beautiful.

When we first approach, you are greeted with some words from Nelson Mandela, talking about the goal for this country, for every man, woman and child. The expectation, and responsibilities. It makes you feel really positive and empowered.

But, then I turn the corner and I feel like I got slapped in the face.

The first thing you look up at is two signs over the entrance. one that says whites only and one for non whites. You're not human if this doesn't literally take your breathe away...


I choose to go through the door that's labelled for non-whites, wanting to know exactly what these people felt when strangled by apartheid. As I walked through the gate, and looked at these large copies of the ID cards they used to have to carry at all times, their faces said so much, words they never felt they could voice. But they didn't need to say a word. You heard each word loud and clear as you walked down the caged corridor.


It took awhile to start breathing normally again, getting over the feeling that I owed them something, like I wanted to cry for all of them. I had to remind myself that apartheid was over, and not to get angry. That's an emotion that will be a waste of energy, and will only dishonor the sacrifices these people have made.

As I travel further into the museum, I continue to be bombarded with pictures from the 40's through the 90's when blacks in this country were denied their rights. But something strange started to happen. instead of the tears and pain, about halfway through the exhibit I started to concentrate on the strength in each picture. I started to focus on the dignity of many of the pictures, the dignity the people tried to show even when they were starving and hurting. And as I passed through the years, I started to see that yes, there was much pain.

But I also recognized that there was also a lot of white South Africans who were hurting. They werre also fighting against the injustices, and they deserved my respect as well. I realized that while looking at some of these pictures, I had fallen into that trap of hating all the whites in South Africa because of what they had done.

I was disappointed in myself because I had let that happen. But then, at the same time I was also proud of myself for not continuing down that road. But, then at the same time, I was also proud of myself for not continuing down that road. There were many south Africans who hated apartheid, and they were also willing to risk their lives in secret meetings to try and push the country forward, away from apartheid, and towards a new country built on respect.

Now this country still has a ways to go. These recent attacks of xenophobia in the townships where people were literally burned alive are horrific. You hear South Africans say repeatedly how embarrassed they are by what the world saw.


Everyone should be reminded that this country will run into roadblocks as it fights to become a new country that everyone can be proud of, South Africans as well as the millions of refugees.

We would all be better people if we remember these words that are on the wall as you leave the museum. Seven simple words, but these seven words are words we all should remember to fight for each and every day, no matter where we live. They are Democracy, Equality, Reconciliation, Diversity, Respect, Freedom. Seven simple words with a very powerful message of hope.

South Africa, Zimbabwe, apartheid and me

So here I am on the second leg of a long ass trip.

You can officially call it long ass when you are traveling for two days on a plane. .. and have to change clothes at least once. Well, that was the situation I was in. I was headed to South Africa for a special project with my students from Arizona State University. these are some very special and talented students who are headed to South Africa as part of a Warren Buffett grant to study the refugee crisis in that country.

Now, to say we were a bit apprehensive is no exaggeration. There had been some very intense, ugly violence during the past month. As a matter of fact, we were close to cancelling the trip, but things calmed down enough for us to keep to our plans.



I have always wanted to travel to South Africa. I was always repulsed by the apartheid movement, and was truly touched by the strong people in that country who fought for their freedom and basic rights, especially the women who put their lives on the line for a moment that would allow everyone to live their lives as free people.

I was excited when I got word that I had been approved to go on the trip as one of the faculty members. After years of waiting and wishing, my moment had come, my chance to actually smell, touch and feel this land that had claimed so many lives. A chance to finally experience the New South Africa.


After stopping over in London for six hours before beginning the next leg to Johannesburg, I have to admit that I was afraid the trip would not live up to all my expectations. But, then more than ten hours into the flight, after my fourth movie, unable to sleep, I took a look out the window, and realized I was being blessed. While most everyone else on the plan was still firmly in the grasp of sleep, I was being treated to a show.

It was that moment when night is not quite ready to give in to day, when you are sort of looking out over the horizon and it curves a little between black, grey, shocking blue and bright hot red orange. It was truly an amazing moment. I felt like this sunrise symbolized everything about South Africa, the darkness of the apartheid years, and the bright hopes people have here for their future. I know, a little hokey, but that's how I feel.

This country right now is going through some challenges, but the millions living in South Africa also are not willing to continue a slide backwards, and relive that dark past.

As this new day was beginning, I realized is was about to finally step onto the blood red dirt of South Africa. I am ready!

So happy we could fly

As I emerged from the forest, drenched in the bi-product of my endeavors to rid my body and spirit of trials and tribulations brought on by the previous year, I felt aglow.

The lessons of the past, the glory of the present and the promise of the future reconciled and in harmony after an early morning run. Now, if I could only catch my breath.

With my heart and lungs questioning the wisdom and/or necessity of sprinting the final 50 meters of the trail; I stretched my arms out to the sides, straightened up and raised my face to facilitate the flow oxygen to my body.

Walking toward me was an elderly Asian man, sporting a fishing hat ...
like the one Chevy Chase wore in “Vacation.” We approached each other and made eye contact. Smiling broadly, he put his arms out to his sides and flapped them up and down, offering a cheery “good morning!” I laughed thinking he was poking good-natured fun at my survival strategy and responded “hello!” We stopped facing one another in the bright morning sun and he recounted a ‘perfect moment’ which I am inspired to share with you.

“When I saw your arms stretched out,” he said, “it reminded me of something I hadn’t thought about in years. I was a young man in love and had invited my girlfriend to the park. We were so happy and full of life, we started running around the grass in circles, laughing and flapping our arms like birds.

It was perfect; just the two of us, the grass and the sunshine. We were so caught up in the moment; we didn’t notice a crowd had gathered around us. We continued to laugh, run, and ‘fly’ like birds. We ‘flew’ toward each other, came together and I picked her up in my arms and spun her around.

We were startled by the sound of cheers and applause and quickly realized we had an audience – it was such a special moment!”
He beamed as he told his story and I felt I had been part of the audience in that park long ago.

I could feel the joy of a young couple in love, hear the sound of their laughter, and share their surprise at the sound of applause. I thanked this gentle stranger for sharing a piece of himself with me. I caught my breath during his story, and his story took it away.
Abbie, Burnaby, British Columbia

My first flight

My 8th grade field trip was to Sacramento. I was so excited because I had never flown on an airplane and was going to get that first time experience with my best friends.

When we arrived at the airport, it was a blustery day ... looked like it would rain at any time, with clouds filling the sky. I was a little nervous and disappointed that I may not get to see much from the plane. Nonetheless, I grabbed a window seat, buckled up, and made sure my camera was ready.

The take off was fairly uneventful, and we were passing through clouds in no time at all. All I could see was misty haze outside my window and was so disappointed that I had no view.

Then, all of a sudden, we passed up over the clouds. It was the most amazing, perfect moment I can remember.

Suddenly, the gloomy world I came from was left behind as I entered a new world. Above me was perfect, beautiful blue sky and below me were billowy white clouds. I could see nothing else at all, and it was like we were the only ones in this perfect world of our own.

It felt like the closest thing to heaven I can imagine. I did take several pictures, but only to prove the beauty to others, because I've never been able to get that awesome sight out of my head.

Denise, Calif.