A Great Organization

I know that right now, our minds are on Haiti. I've donated, and I hope that if you can, you have, too.

An organization in the U.S. that is doing good work for people here, and needs your help, is below.

http://www.truecolorsfund.org/

Check it out, and give when you can.

Namaste,
Brian

A Near Miss, and Tim Burton Inspires Me!

I was walking home from lunch two days ago, and not paying much attention to anything, really, kind of lost in thought, and heard a crash immediately behind me and to my right. My friend and I turned around to see what had happened, and noticed that the Pizzeria Uno we just passed had a big hole with a giant spiderweb crack around it in the window. My first thought was a bullet-it looked exactly like a bullet hole. As the employees from Pizzeria Uno ran out to see what happened, we saw what had hit the window--it was the heavy plastic end of a big screwdriver. We had no idea where it came from; maybe it had been lying in the street and been run over, somehow flying up and into the window, or maybe someone had thrown it, but there it was, and it had missed my head, or my friend's head, by a matter of a few inches! It's pretty easy to forget how we walk around everyday, and nothing but luck separates us from an accident that could change everything about our lives in an instant. It makes you remember to be grateful when something like that happens. I'm a lucky person, in general. I haven't won the lottery yet, but I am healthy, strong, and happy. I have a circle of amazing people in my life, and a job that I really love. I think it's important to remind yourself of the good things and people in your life every day. It's too easy to forget them in the middle of everything else. Take a second to remind yourself of something good in your life.

On a separate note, if you're in Manhattan, go check out the Tim Burton exhibit at MOMA. I've always loved his movies, but to walk through this exhibit is to get a real feeling for the power of imagination. It was overwhelming to be privy to all of the art Burton has created, and to see sketches and films he made as a teenager, and to see how certain characters and themes have repeated themselves in his art through the years. Also, it's just really fun. If you go, make sure to sit down and watch the Hansel and Gretel movie--it's really creepy, and funny, and you can see the evolution of an artist's aesthetic through this and the many other films, sketches, sculptures and installations on display. I was blown away, and fired up to create more.