I'm big on background.

My 160 cal dinner - roasted sweet potato and cauliflower with a TON of spices and no oil

Nerves plucked like steel strings.  Driving all the way to the end of the flesh, deeper and deeper.. now every layer consumed, piercing to the bone, the base.

The answer in my opinion is to make it "cool" to love and respect people somehow. And to not think of people as things you can manipulate for personal gain.

Be confident with what you want to say.  Say what you mean.  Don't be afraid of using simple and clear phrases.  Our inner desire to be heard is being thwarted by the way we choose to phrase things?!  Sounds dramatic but I think there is some truth to it.

My first art project as an adult.  Assignment: create an image of a hand using only tape, and use two different colors of tape.

At first I just enjoyed looking at the beautiful bodies.  Then the titillation fell away and I was inspired by how free these women look and feel.  I admire that.  We all want to be free.

"The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there." - Shunryu Suzuki-roshi

this is just sad though, and a defense mechanism. bet you anything the same people that say this have spent more than their fair share crying that no one loves them. so obviously they care about people. it's unnatural not to, we're social animals. have faith.. there are people who are awesome out there. if it's because your town or group of towns is small as fuck.. move somewhere as soon as you can. life is WAY too short to go through thinking youre better than people (also a defense mechanism), putting them down, saying you don't need them. trust and believe we all need comforting human contact, and it's out there if you open your heart and mind to it.

Not hiding from the world because there's scary women, or fill in the blank out there.

These are the first songs I ever loved. Mind you I was bound to my mother's CD collection for about 95% of it. This is some of little Louise's favorites when she was about 7 or 8. Some notes: *I LOVED that Bette Midler tape. Yes, tape. I sang it to myself before I went to bed. *I loved ALL Paul Simon, but Homeless was by far my favorite, so that's the only one that made the cut. *Grooveshark for some reason does not have ANY of the Beatles songs I loved the most, because they're less listened to albums (Rubber Soul and Beatles for Sale.) 8 Days a Week and I'm a Loser were my favorite at this age range. I found this one by a Beatles cover band that sounds impressively similar for the playlist. *I still listen to that Bryan Adams song regularly. lol. *I liked that song I picked by the Rugburns, but the song I REALLY loved is called Dick's Automotive. It is the longest most fucked up song ever. (At least I remember thinking at the time.) If you have 9 random minutes to kill and want to hear a 90's rock story that's pretty funny, it's on youtube. *I would say the most-listened to album out of all of them was Sweeney Todd Original Broadway Cast. I would sit there with the RECORD, yes record, and read all the lyrics and sing the entire thing. Some effed up material. May explain some things. :)

It's perhaps equally as difficult to walk through life fully attached and committed to everything. Take it from me. This is why balance is the only way to feel psychically "okay." I have never gotten there, but when I've had glimmers it has been the definition of "peace of mind" and has been beautiful.

Yes. Many Buddhists remark on this as well. We are born equal, we are born caring for the well being of others and the earth we stand on. This is good to remember, because we do not have to accept that we are being habituated so strongly to the hate and the fear and the ignorance. We must fight against it, that's how strong it is. But it is the most peaceful fight of all.