Day 240: Steps Toward Balance, A Sinking Economy & The Year of the Rat’s Ominous Predictions for 2008

Tuesday, May 13

Today was one of those days that seemed like there’s just not enough hours in the day to get everything done that I wished to accomplish.  I’ve been juggling a lot of time-sensitive projects at work, and then had a lunch date with a couple of ladies of the press.  We met up at Tina’s in Dundee and had a lovely lunch.  It is invaluable to develop relationships and get to know friends of the media - local, national, syndiated or not.

I signed up for a Scandinavian-style sauna-steam for this Saturday morning at Loyly, which I intend to write about for my next blog post on theantitourist.com.  I’m psyched to check this minimalist Euro styled spa.

After work, I spent my evening doing some yoga and abs strength training.  Due to my recent health issues, I’ve been committed to trying to get back into practicing yoga and meditation.  I would like to attend yoga classes, but I really need to get my finances in order. 

I’m spending money on different things for my writing - blog upgrades, writing contests (yup, most require $10-$15 fees to enter work), etc.  I would like to attend a few summer workshops, as well, either at Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology or Fishtrap.  I have limited funds for that, too.  With the gas prices soaring, it makes it even difficult to figure in when I can sign up for a tour and occassional daily usage of a writing room at Writer’s Dojo in Portland - it’s about a 30-40 minute drive from  my home.

I decided to set up advertising on my blog - it’s another way to make money.  I am aggressively looking into other means of marketing my blog and getting it out to more readers.  I’ve even added the subscribe button - keep scrolling!  It’s after the Archives…after the Blogroll, Recent Comments, and Stats - and yup, there it is!

I learned on ABC’s Nightline last night that a stay-at-home mom, who’s blog Dooce is a huge success, makes a good deal of money from advertisers.  I’m slowly dipping into this opportunity.  Sidenote - I love this blog.  I think it’s funny, honest - and not limited to mommies.  As a single woman I appreciate and enjoy Dooce blogger Heather Armstrong’s candid posts.

After working on these opportunities I tuned in to what’s going on in the world.  For one, I am happy that Hillary took West Virginia, but I am disappointed in our nation’s women, the leading gender in our population, for denying this incredible opportunity.  Statistics show that single women support HIllary - it’s the married women who are backing Obama.  I find that to be really, really weird.

What is making me even more sick right now is the devastation in the Far East.  As if Myanmar’s cyclone wasn’t bad enough, followed by a ridiculous government that would rather see its people suffer than allow global aid - because, God forbid that would show their people how kind, generous and effective the rest of the world is.  The leadership there wants to keep its people ignorant of that kind of aid. 

And then there’s China.  I don’t even know what to say about that earthquake.  The 7.9 scale is unimaginable!  I have decided to emulate the Tibetan Buddhists and pray for peace and the end of suffering.  It is my hope that lives will continue to be saved, that medical care, food and water will be available, that shelter will be available and that rebuilding will soon take place.  I will meditate on this and pray.  I hope the global response for aid will reach the Chinese people as soon as possible.

In February, with the coming of the Chinese New Year, the year of the rat, I remember reading an article about the possibility for natural disasters.  I remember thinking about Katrina, the Tsunami in the East (Dec. 04), and I just couldn’t imagine any more distruction.  But, the prediction for disaster was beyond ominous:

The start of the new lunar year, the most important national holiday for China’s 1.3 billion people, followed three weeks of ice and snow storms that crippled transport and power supplies in many cities.

But even though power has been restored to 162 or the 170 worst-hit counties, millions are still without electricity or heating and the China Meteorological Administration warned that the warmer temperatures and melting snow could bring natural disasters, including landslides, in their wake.

And fortune-tellers say that caution will be the watchword for the Year of the Rat, for which they predict financial and political rumblings, tsunamis and epidemics. The reason, they say, is that water and earth – two of the five elements Chinese mystics believe are at the root of all things – are in conflict in 2008.

Text from: ‘China Welcomes Year of the Rat’ by Philippe Naughton, TimesOnline, Feb. 7, 2008.