Anna commented on what Guam is doing for the Haitians. Thanks Anna. I pulled the below information off of the net today for those of you that want to help too.  The people in Haiti really need our support.

I noticed this morning that the below article that I posted was ‘retweeted’ 1230 times – wonderful. Again, I love the power of the internet but I am hoping that wherever this article is being ‘retweeted’, that people are not only reading but they are actually responding and doing something with this information, such as donating provisions, or at the very least a few bucks.

Haiti Earthquake Relief: How You Can Help

Huffington Post Impact is working to collect a comprehensive list of links and ways to get involved in relief efforts, detailed below.

The U.S. State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747

NOTE: We will continually be updating this page. The best way for you to help right now is to give through one of the organizations below.

•The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.

•UNICEF has issued a statement that “Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them.” UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF.

•Donate through Wyclef Jean’s foundation, Yele Haiti. Text “Yele” to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through the organization.

•Operation USA is appealing for donations of funds from the public and corporate donations in bulk of health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles. Donate online at www.opusa.org, by phone at1-800-678-7255 or, by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.

•Save The Children has launched an emergency relief effort for Haiti. Donate to their fund to provide medical attention and clean water to children and families.

•International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. The IMC previously helped recovery efforts after September 2009′s earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, and the massive 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Donate to the International Medical Corps through their 24-hour hotline at 800-481-4462

•Ben Stiller’s Stillerstrong campaign will be temporarily diverting all donations to support the Haiti relief effort.

•Partners In Health reports its Port-au-Prince clinical director , Louise Ivers, has appealed for assistance: “Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS… Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us.” Donate to their Haiti earthquake fund.

•As a UN Special Envoy to Haiti, Bill Clinton appeared on CNN on Wednesday to ask for further assistance in bringing relief to populations on the ground. You can donate through the Clinton Foundation or text HAITI to 20222 to donate $10.

•Mercy Corps is sending a team of emergency responders to assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors. The agency aided families after earthquakes in Peru in 2007, China and Pakistan in 2008, and Indonesia last year. Donate online, call 1-888-256-1900 or send checks to Mercy Corps Haiti Earthquake Fund; Dept NR; PO Box 2669; Portland, OR 97208.

•Doctors Without Borders is on the ground and has set up clinics to treat injured in Haiti. Donate any amount so they can keep their efforts going.

•Direct Relief is committing up to $1 million in aid for the response and is coordinating with its other in-country partners and colleague organizations. Their partners in Haiti include Partners in Health, St. Damien Children’s Hospital, and the Visitation Hospital, which are particularly active in emergency response. Donate to Direct Relief online.

•Oxfam is rushing in teams from around the region to respond to the situation to provide clean water, shelter, sanitation and help people recover. Donate to Oxfam America online.

•The UN World Food Programme is gathering all available resources to deliver food to the recently homeless and impoverished in Haiti. Donate now to help bring food to those affected as quickly and efficiently as possible.

•The Baptist Haiti Mission is operating an 82-bed hospital that is “overflowing with injured.” Donate online to BHM and 100% of your donation will go to the relief effort.

•International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. Donate online.

•Following the earthquake, Catholic Relief Services made an immediate commitment of $5 million for emergency supplies. They are distributing food and relief supplies, and importing plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and water purification tablets from the Domincan Republic. Donate toCatholic Relief Services to assist in these efforts.

•Give to the American Jewish World Service’s Earthquake Relief Fund.

•CARE is deploying emergency team members to Port-au-Prince today to assist in recovery efforts. They’re focusing their efforts on rescuing children who may still be trapped in schools that collapsed. Donate to CARE.

•Orphans International America reports that they have been able to make contact with their program director in the town of Jacmel, a city about 20 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince that houses OI’s hospitals and schools. Orphans International America is attempting to gather food, clean water and emergency medical supplies to Jacmel. You can contribute to them throughPayPal.

•The International Rescue Committee is deploying an emergency response team to Haiti to deliver urgent assistance to earthquake survivors and to help overwhelmed local aid groups struggling to meet the immense emergency needs. They will focus on critical medical, water and sanitation assistance. Donate to the IRC Haiti Crisis Fund.

•NetHope is coordinating its response with its NGO member agencies and with the UN’s Emergency Telecom Cluster to establish connectivity in Haiti. Seventeen of NetHope’s members are already providing aid and deploying resources on the ground. .

•The Haitian Health Foundation is still assessing the situation of their full-time facilities and staff in Haiti. They regularly provide health care, development and relief to rural mountain villages in Haiti. Donate to the Haitian Health Foundation.

•World Vision has more 370 staff in the country. Staff members from less-affected regions of Haiti are mobilizing, and World Vision’s global experts are expected to arrive in the disaster zone as soon as possible. Donate to World Vision.

•The Jewish Federations of North America is partnering with the American Jewish Joint Distribution committee and have created a dedicated Haiti Relief page for online donations.

•United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is the UN’s humanitarian fund responding to emergencies like the earthquake in Haiti. Donate online.

•Friends of the Orphans will use donations to meet the needs of first responders such as first aid supplies, shipping of necessary materials to assist in efforts, and treating the injured. Those interested in helping the relief effort can visit www.friendsoftheorphans.org, or call 888-201-8880 to make a donation.

•World Concern‘s staff is almost entirely composed of Haitian nationals and will be tapping into private as well as U.S. government supplies to help in the relief effort it hopes will soon be supplemented by cargo ships. Donate to World Concern.

•Merlin USA is sending an emergency response team out to the region and have subsequently launched an emergency appeal to bring urgent medical aid and assistance to those affected. Donate to Merlin USA.

HuffPost Impact is following relief organizations in Haiti and will be updating with their latest messages from the ground.

Readers: I know that I ask a lot of you, but can you help in some small way? There are many choices and one is as simple as texting a few numbers and you instantly donate 5 bucks. Can you do that? Thank you.

Janet: Thanks for sharing your story. I think there are many women who finally decide to take their lives in their own hands when it comes to family finances. Good for you for doing the same and turing your family’s life around financially. As far as your husband cheating…from all of the stories that I read here, it appears that many men cheat. I guess the question is: How much will you or anyone, put up with? Is the goodness of the every day life worth his infidelities?

Anon: I have never heard of this. And it is not okay. How about men carrying more than 3 condoms in these declared “Prostitution Free Zones” ? Doesn’t that say they are either looking for prostitutes or even prostituting themselves? Why is it always put upon the woman? This is just another way to keep women under the control of men.

Mike: Again thanks for your very informative post.

Marsha: I saw Avatar too. I’ve been meaning to write about it but just haven’t gotten around to it. I cried too. And yes, as beautifully made and as much as it was a visual feast, the message was loud and clear. I too saw the similarities between this film and the genocide of the American Indian. Not to mention the direction that our planet is going in now, with greed running rampant, the destruction of our beloved Earth, and the continual genocide around the world. Being an animal lover, the connection that the Indigenous people not only had with their environment, but with the animals that fed and clothed them, was especially moving to me. I will reserve the rest of my comments as I may want to say more in a later blog write.

Peace out everyone….

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

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Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

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Good morning. It’s saturday and I woke up out of my meditation to a dish breaking. At least it wasn’t me; I’m usually the one breaking the dishes in this household.

I walked upstairs and caught Doug deep into it – cooking that is. He decided it was a day for pancakes. No Bisquick in this place…oh no – we’re going for fresh-from-scratch organic. Cool. Add in an eggnog latte to wake-up, and my sauteed organic pears to sweeten the deal,  and this breakfast is starting to sound real good. Hence the reason for the late post.

I know it’s the weekend and I wanted to lighten it up a bit. My write that it. Not the pancakes. :) They were so delicious, I thought, “Hmmm, maybe my readers would enjoy the recipe too.”

Here it is just in case you were thinking you’d like to have some pancakes too:

Organic Whole Wheat Pancakes with Sautéed Pears

1 1/2 Cups Flour – we used organic wheat flour from *Trader Joes – love this flour

3 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbls sugar – we used organic cane sugar also from *Trader Joes

1 1/4 cups milk  - we used local organic 2%

1 egg – we used local cage free

3 Tbls Butter, melted – we used local organic unsalted

1 Bosc –  for pancake topping

Maple syrup – we used Organic Agave Maple Syrup blend from *Trader Joes

*Any brand of wheat flour, cane sugar, and maple syrup will suffice if you don’t have Trader Joes in your area.

Mix all the dry ingredients and then add the milk, egg, and melted butter.  Mix well with a mixer till smooth. Spoon out onto a buttered skillet whatever size you like your pancakes.

While those are cooking chop the Bosc pear into bit size pieces – we used organic Bosc Pears. Sauté them in butter and a little cinnamon till soft.

Don’t forget those pancakes. When they start to bubble on top make sure to flip ‘em. When cooked through, serve them hot with butter and Maple syrup – heated of course, and topped off with the sautéed pear. :) Serves 4 peeps.

Delicious!! Enjoy!!

Given with love and sweetness…

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Remember when I spoke about sleeping the other day, and how I had to get back to my routine 6:00 am wake-up? Well I mentioned that I was going to start Tuesday morning, but guess what? I didn’t. The alarm went off at 6:30 – I just didn’t have the heart to set it any earlier. –  I’m all into ‘easing’ myself back into my routine – you know what I mean? Anyway, no matter, I slammed it down and slept till 8…again.  I had a glorious 10 hours of sleep.

Now, I don’t really think that I need 10 hours every day but it sure felt fab. 8 or 9 hours is usually good for me, but I guess I needed the extra. And if you’re thinking, “Michelle, you’ve got to be kidding – you sleep that much?”. Yep, and I’m grateful that I can. Turns out, according to the article below, I may be getting just what I need.

Women readers: You girls especially need to read.

Sleep Challenge 2010: Women, It’s Time to Sleep Our Way to the Top. Literally.

As women, we make a lot of New Year’s resolutions — “lose 10 pounds” and “finally write that novel” and “lose 10 pounds — seriously.” But this year, the two of us (that’s HuffPost‘s Arianna Huffington and Glamour‘s Cindi Leive) are suggesting you make a New Year’s resolution that could improve the status of all women in this country, starting with you. No, we’re not talkng about universal child care or even banning Tiger Woods from ever texting again. If you ask us, the next feminist issue is sleep. And in order for women to get ahead in this country, we’re all going to have to lie down and take a nap.

Stay with us here for a minute. Americans are increasingly sleep-deprived, and the sleepiest people are, you guessed it, women. Single working women and working moms with young kids are especially drowsy: They tend to clock in an hour and a half shy of the roughly 7.5-hour minimum the human body needs to function happily and healthfully. Cindi admits that between her work, her two young children and her wicked TV addiction, she averages only five and a bit; as for Arianna, she had a rude (and painful) awakening two years ago when she passed out from exhaustion, broke her cheekbone and got five stitches over her eye. Ever since then, she’s been working on bringing more balance, and more sleep, into her life  with varying degrees of success.

“Women are significantly more sleep-deprived than men,” confirms Michael Breus, Ph.D., author of Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight, and Feel Great Through Better Sleep. “They have so many commitments, and sleep starts to get low on the totem pole. They may know that sleep should be a priority, but then, you know, they’ve just got to get that last thing done. And that’s when it starts to get bad.”

Does it ever! You probably already know about the health consequences of sleep deprivation, how cheating your body out of the R&R it needs can make you more prone to illness, stress, traffic accidents and even weight gain. (Dr. Breus swears that sleeping will actually do more to take off weight than exercise! Love that.)

But there’s more to it than simple physical problems. Rob yourself of sleep, ladies, and you’ll find you never function at your personal best. Work decisions, relationship challenges, any life situation that requires you to know your own mind — they all require the judgment, problem-solving and creativity that only a rested brain is capable of and are all handled best when you bring to them the creativity and judgment that are enhanced by sleep. “Everything you do, you’ll do better with a good night’s sleep,” says Dr. Breus. Yet women who constantly push themselves to get by on less never know what that “peak performance” feels like.

A nation of sleepy women is even less capable of greatness. Consider the fact that sleep deprivation is a strategy many cults are fond of: They force prospective members to stay awake for extended periods, up for all hours because doing so physically alters their subjects’ decision-making ability and makes them more open to persuasion. Ladies, the choice is ours. Do we want to be empowered women taking charge of our lives — or do we want to be cult members, dragging ourselves around like zombies and going along with everyone else’s crummy ideas?

We’re saying no to the zombie side of things and, as of January 4, resolving to get a full night’s sleep every night for a month. Cindi’s going for seven and a half hours (that’s Dr. Breus’ recommended minimum, since it allows for a healthy round of five 90-minute sleep cycles); Arianna’s choosing eight (arrived through trial and error as the number of hours it takes for her to be at her most creative and effective and have the most fun while being creative and effective).

Getting a good night’s sleep, of course, is easier said than done. You have to tune out a host of temptations, from Letterman to the PTA to your e-mail inbox — and most of all, to ignore the workaholic wisdom that says you’re lazy for not living up to the example set by Madonna, Martha Stewart and other notorious self-professed never-sleepers. Of course, the truth is the opposite: You’ll be much more likely to be a professional powerhouse if you’re not asleep at the wheel. (Even Bill Clinton, who used to famously get only five hours of sleep, later admitted, “Every important mistake I’ve made in my life, I’ve made because I was too tired.” Huh! ) The problem is that women often feel that they still don’t “belong” in the boys-club atmosphere that still dominates many workplaces. So they often attempt to compensate by working harder and longer than the next guy. Hard work helps women fit in and gain a measure of security. And because it works, they begin to do more and more and more of it until they can’t stop. But it’s a Pyrrhic victory: The workaholism leads to lack of sleep, which in turn leads to never being able to do your best. In fact, many women do this on purpose, fueled by the mistaken idea that getting enough sleep means you must be lazy or less than passionate about your work and your life.

In fact, we may be surprised to find out that if we sleep more, we become more powerful. After all, we’ve already broken glass ceilings in Congress, space travel, sports, business and the media — just imagine what we can do when we’re fully awake.

Inspired? Then join our one-month sleep challenge. We’ll be blogging on glamour.com and theHuffington Post every Monday and Thursday about how our quest for more sleep is going. You’ll get tips from health experts like Dr. Michael Breus and answers to some of your own personal questions about how to work more sleep into your life. But most of all, you’ll have a New Year’s resolution that’s fun and fulfilling to stick to — and a built-in answer to anyone who says, “You’re going to sleep now?” Sure you are – Glamour and the Huffington Post told you to! G’night, ladies. Sweet dreams.

HuffPo – 1.4.2010

**********

If that write doesn’t inspire you to sleep a little bit more, I don’t know what will. I have always been a good sleeper and I’m actually quite proud of the fact that I allow myself my 8-10 hours, considering that I am a pretty active person with a lot on my plate, as we all have. But when it comes to my sleep, it is the one thing that I honor for my body. I am well aware that I just don’t function well when I am tired, not to mention it makes me a bit cranky. Lots of Sleep time: It is the one luxury that I love…and of course good sheets and a fluffy duvet help too.

Hey Zen Lill: Ugh…bowling at Columbine – that is so not  a good visual. Too bad. Hey maybe you can get Lilly’s school onto the program, and then you can get your 15 minutes. I see you as that pinned up teacher who lets it all loose and goes wild – oh yeah. But I like your idea better…hmm…yes…Let me know when you get that motivational podcast going, and when you do will you give me a cameo part? – I am pretty famous ya know. :)

Hi Al: Let’s plan for the new year to be grand for all of us – ok?

In regards to controlling the flow…Believe me, I know exactly who’s controlling the flow – It’s who’s got their finger on it, that I’m not sure about. Probably the same person sitting in a 4×4 cubicle who clicked on my ads over and over again and got me banned from Google. My new phrase: ‘Deal with it.’ A friendly alien once said that to me. He didn’t didn’t have any idea why he said it, but it stuck. Now every time I get a little pissy over something, I tell myself to deal with it. :)

Oh…Dear Readers…a newbie to the blog made a comment on my Fave Links page. If you’re just itching to get in and say something, you might want to try and post a comment there. Let’s have some fun – go for it and see if your post gets in. To go to Michelle’s Fave Links page click above this post or click here. Good luck!

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

I have a few mantras, or affirmations if you will, that I say to myself every morning. One of them is: “It’s easy to be happy”. I just love the way it rolls off my tongue. I say this because happiness really is ‘a state of mind’. I know…I know…not exactly what you want to hear, but it is true. One ‘chooses’ to be happy…But hey, whatever helps to get one there is always welcome.

While perusing the net this morning, I came across this article written by best selling author Gretchen Rubin, whose most recent book is called The Happiness Project. Hmm…a project to attain happiness. So, I checked it out. I’m all about creating more happiness in my life. Who isn’t?

In this article Gretchen talks about her book and 7 surprising truths about what makes us happy:

In my new book The Happiness Project I describe the year I spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, the current scientific studies, and the lessons from popular culture about how to be happier — from Aristotle to Thoreau to Seligman to Oprah. Here on the Huffington Post, I’ve recounted some of my adventures and conclusions in pursuit of happiness.

I’m describing my happiness project, but of course, the point of The Happiness Project is to encourage you to start your own happiness project. I’ve heard from many readers who have tried my suggestions themselves — such as keeping a daily one-sentence journal, making their bed, or joining a group — to happy effect.

To take just one small example, I’ve written about my idea of the abstainer/moderator split: when it comes to resisting temptation, some people find it much easier to abstain altogether, while others do better exercising moderation. (Here’s a quiz to tell you which camp you’re in.) Abstainers and moderators judge each other harshly; abstainers think moderators constantly cheat, and moderators think abstainers have a rigid, unhealthy attitude.

Neither way is the right way to resist temptation. As with many aspects of happiness, it’s a matter of knowing the right approach for you. I myself am an abstainer — like Samuel Johnson, who observed, “Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.” When you recognize your own nature, you’re better able to devise a happiness project that works for you.

One woman commented:

Learning that I am an abstainer … has been a great boon to my happiness. Knowing myself better helped me make the choice to give up sugar and flour all together. I have found it much easier to stick to my resolution when abstaining totally. Plus, I have lost 45 unwanted pounds over the last several months. And that is a certainly a happiness booster!

Before I started my happiness project, I certainly didn’t realize I was an abstainer, and it surprised me to discover that it was far easier for to give up things altogether than to indulge every once in a while.

In fact, as I used myself as guinea pig to test various theories about how to be happier, I discovered several things that surprised me. The most effective ways to pursue happiness were sometimes counter-intuitive.

1. Do buy happiness.
Well, maybe money can’t buy happiness, but spent wisely, it can buy things that contribute mightily to happiness. Some of the best things in life aren’t free. To be happy, we need to feel loved, secure, good at what we do, and have a sense of control. Money doesn’t automatically fill these requirements, of course, but it sure can help.

2. Don’t get organized.
When I faced tackling the intimidating piles of clutter in my apartment and office, my first impulse was to run to a supply store to buy lots of organizing gizmos. Then I realized — no! My first task was to get rid of things that I didn’t need or didn’t work. The most important tool in my clutter-clearing arsenal turned out to be trash-bags. (Here are 27 bonus tips for keeping your house in order.)

In many cases, after sorting through a pile, I found myself left with nothing to organize. Conquering clutter is a happiness booster because for most people, outer order contributes to inner calm.

3. Do let the sun go down on my anger.
In the past, I’d always conscientiously aired every complaint before bedtime. Studies show, however, that the notion of “anger catharsis” is nonsense. Venting anger related to minor, fleeting annoyances just amplifies bad feelings; not expressing anger often allows them to dissipate.

4. Don’t insist on “the best.”
There are two types of decision makers: satisficers seek to satisfy certain criteria; maximizers seek to make the best possible decision. Once satisficers find a tent or a watch that meets their requirements, they buy it; maximizers want to find the best tent or the best watch. Maximizers tend to be less happy than satisficers, because they agonize over their choices. I often remind myself of one of my favorite Secrets of Adulthood (cribbed from Voltaire): Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

5. Do embrace the fun of failure.
Positive psychologists tell us that challenge and novelty are key elements of happiness. Studies show that people who do new things — learn a game, travel to unfamiliar places — are happier than people who stick to the familiar. When I tested this proposition, I figured it wouldn’t be true for unadventurous, routine-loving me, but to test it, I launched a blog. True, the novelty and challenge of my blog initially often brought me frustration and anxiety, as I had to face failing at multiple tasks until I figured them out, but mastering those tasks made me extremely happy.

6. Don’t practice “random acts of kindness.”
We’ve all been urged to practice random acts of kindness — pay the toll for the next car in line, feed a parking meter, buy a stranger a cup of coffee. And studies do show that if you commit a random act of kindness, you’ll feel happier. However, the person who is the beneficiary of your random act probably won’t feel happier.

Research indicates that many people reacted to receiving a random act of kindness with — suspicion! It’s not the kindness of the act that’s the problem; it’s the randomness. We’re on guard when we don’t understand a person’s actions. Of course, it’s always nice to be nice, but if you want to boost other people’s happiness as well as your own, practice non-random kindness. Help a co-worker who has a tight deadline. Let someone with a few items cut in front of you in the check-out line. If you look, you can probably find enough opportunity for non-random kindnesses to keep you busy.

7. Do “fake it till you feel it.”
Although we assume that we act because of the way we feel, we often feel because of the way we act. An almost uncannily effective way to change my emotions, I discovered, was to act the way I wanted to feel. If I feel resentful, I act thoughtful. If I feel lethargic, I act energetic. If I smile, I feel happier. One experiment showed that people who used Botox may feel less angry, because they aren’t able to make angry, frowning faces! Although it may seem insincere at first, controlling your actions is an effective way to change your feelings.

Have you been surprised by something that did – or didn’t make you happy, contrary to your expectation?

Gretchen Rubin is the author of The Happiness Project–an account of the year she spent test-driving every conceivable principle about how to be happy.

Readers: Does any of the above resonate with you? I can say one thing…an abstainer, I am not. I am definitely into moderation. The only time I abstain is when there is a time limit. For instance I have done many cleanses in the past 10 or so years. If it requires that I not eat sugar for a month or two – no problem. No sugar for the rest of my life – no way.

Also, number 3 was a bit surprising, but true in some ways for me. Recently I have let some things go that I thought were more major and they did dissipate leaving me feeling no charge at all.

I could say more but I’d rather hear from you. Blog me.

Zen Lill: I knew you would enjoy the Rune that I pulled. It is perfect isn’t it? How lovely that you were out at the cliffs taking in the sun and sending it out into the world. There was none here to speak of but I envisioned it nontheless. I miss watching the whales and dolphins migrate at this time of year. Doug and I haven’t done that on new year’s day in a long time.

Peace & Love & Happiness: “Live it, Give it, Create it”

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

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For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

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So again, I was out late last night, and yes again, I slept in this morning. But really, I was all ready to post at 9:00 am but my computer was just not behaving. Hence the late post (again:)

I’m all over this article and the video is brill. (Thanks Doug) If you are not big on making a resolution for the new year, I, for one am not; this may just be the year for you to start.

Move Your Money: A New Year’s Resolution

Last week, over a pre-Christmas dinner, the two of us, along with political strategist Alexis McGill, filmmaker/author Eugene Jarecki, and Nick Penniman of the HuffPost Investigative Fund, began talking about the huge, growing chasm between the fortunes of Wall Street banks and Main Street banks, and started discussing what concrete steps individuals could take to help create a better financial system. Before long, the conversation turned practical, and with some help from friends in the world of bank analysis, a video and website were produced devoted to a simple idea: Move Your Money.

The big banks on Wall Street, propped up by taxpayer money and government guarantees, have had a record year, making record profits while returning to the highly leveraged activities that brought our economy to the brink of disaster. In a slap in the face to taxpayers, they have also cut back on the money they are lending, even though the need to get credit flowing again was one of the main points used in selling the public the bank bailout. But since April, the Big Four banks — JP Morgan/Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo — all of which took billions in taxpayer money, have cut lending to businesses by $100 billion.

Meanwhile, America’s Main Street community banks — the vast majority of which avoided the banquet of greed and corruption that created the toxic economic swamp we are still fighting to get ourselves out of — are struggling. Many of them have closed down (or been taken over by the FDIC) over the last 12 months. The government policy of protecting the Too Big and Politically Connected to Fail is badly hurting the small banks, which are having a much harder time competing in the financial marketplace. As a result, a system which was already dangerously concentrated at the top has only become more so.

We talked about the outrage of big, bailed-out banks turning around and spending millions of dollars on lobbying to gut or kill financial reform — including “too big to fail” legislation and regulation of the derivatives that played such a huge part in the meltdown. And as we contrasted that with the efforts of local banks to show that you can both be profitable and have a positive impact on the community, an idea took hold: why don’t we take our money out of these big banks and put them into community banks? And what, we asked ourselves, would happen if lots of people around America decided to do the same thing? Our money has been used to make the system worse — what ifwe used it to make the system better?

Everyone around the table quickly got excited (granted we are an excitable group), and began tossing out suggestions for how to get this idea circulating.

Eugene, the filmmaker among us, remarked that the contrast between the big banks and the community banks we were talking about was very much like the story in the classic Frank Capra filmIt’s a Wonderful Life, where community banker George Bailey helps the people of Bedford Falls escape the grip of the rapacious and predatory banker Mr. Potter.

It was a lightbulb moment. And, unlike the vast majority of dinner conversations, the excitement over this idea didn’t end with dessert. It actually led to something — thanks in great part to Eugene and his remarkable team, who got to work and, in record time, created a brilliant, powerful, and inspiring video playing off the It’s a Wonderful Life concept. Watch it below.

Within a few days, the rest of the pieces fell into place, including an agreement with top financial analysts Chris Whalen and Dennis Santiago, who gave us access to their IRA (Institutional Risk Analytics) database. Using this tool, everyone will be able to plug in their zip code and quickly get a list of the small, solvent Main Street banks operating in their community.

The idea is simple: If enough people who have money in one of the big four banks move it into smaller, more local, more traditional community banks, then collectively we, the people, will have taken a big step toward re-rigging the financial system so it becomes again the productive, stable engine for growth it’s meant to be. It’s neither Left nor Right — it’s populism at its best. Consider it a withdrawal tax on the big banks for the negative service they provide by consistently ignoring the public interest. It’s time for Americans to move their money out of these reckless behemoths. And you don’t have to worry, there is zero risk: deposit insurance is just as good at small banks — and unlike the big banks they don’t provide the toxic dividend of derivatives trading in a heads-they-win, tails-we-lose fashion.

Think of the message it will send to Wall Street — and to the White House. That we have had enough of the high-flying, no-limits-casino banking culture that continues to dominate Wall Street and Capitol Hill. That we won’t wait on Washington to act, because we know that Washington has, in fact, been a part of the problem from the start. We simply can’t count on Congress to fix things. We have to do it ourselves — and the big banks are the core of the problem. We need to return to the stable, reliable, people-oriented approach of America’s community banks.

So watch Eugene’s amazing video, then go to www.moveyourmoney.info to learn more about how easy it is to move your money. And pass the idea on to your friends (help make this video — and this idea — go viral!).

JP Morgan/Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America may be “too big to fail” — but they are not too big to feel the impact of hundreds of thousands of people taking action to change a broken financial and political system. Let them gamble with their own money, not yours. Let’s turn big banks into smaller banks. We’ll all be better off — and safer — as a result.

Make it your New Year’s resolution to move your money. We can’t think of a better way to start 2010.

WATCH:

UPDATE — Credit Unions: Some commenters have written us suggesting that we also include credit unions. Like the FDIC for banks and thrifts, the National Credit Union Administrationinsures the deposits of credit unions and is a good resource for financial data on specific institutions. Credit unions do not disclose financial data in the same way as FDIC-insured banks. As a result, credit unions are not presently included in the IRA ratings database, which covers over 8,000 federally insured banks and thrifts. IRA is developing a method to rate credit unions in a way that is comparable to the IRA bank stress ratings. We’ll be updating users of “Move Your Money” on this issue early in 2010.
For more info, go to: www.moveyourmoney.info

(Coming soon: How to get your municipal and state governments to take their money out of the big banks too.)

~Arianna Huffington/Rob Johnson – Huff Po

Readers: Not much has changed since the Bailey/Potter days. What do you think? Time to move your money? I’m on it – you?

I know some of you addressed me but time has run out for me this morning. Got to run. I’ll catch you tomorrow.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

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