• Yesterday the awards were announced for the Independent Publishers Book Festival. Saving Erasmus won a Gold Medal in the category of Religious Fiction. Since I work at Omega Institute which was started by “hippies” in the late 70’s one of my co-workers commented that it was an “Ippy for a Hippie”. The link is: http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1231
• I will be interviewed on July 8th on the radio talk show, Spiritually Speaking, which airs out of Vassar College. Spiritually Speaking examines the intersections between engagement with the world and living a life of meaning. It airs live from Vassar College on WVKR, 91.3, Tuesdays from 5-6pm (new time starting 5/20). You can listen to previous shows by clicking on the link Spiritually Speaking on www.uucckingston.org. I’ll keep you posted as to when the interview will air. (one would think it would be on the 8th)
• On June 9th, I will be part of the main bill at the Colony Café in Woodstock, NY.
I’ll be reading poetry from as unyet published compilation, Dear God, or Whatever Your Name is Now, from One of Your Carbon Units.
• I continue to facilitate a weekend workshop at Omega for Rest and Relaxation participants. It is called Spiritual Humor. It’s been quite a blessing to be part of the discussions.
• The Laundarette Contest continues. I might have been confusing, but the goal is to name where the picture was taken. So far no one has been correct….
• I have joined AuthorsDen. Check out their website and you can read a little more of my writings on that site (www.authorsden.com).
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
If greater happiness comes from giving money than spending it on ourselves, then how can I help you to be happy?
In an article dated March 20, 2008, a group of researchers from the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School suggests that greater happiness is achieved in giving money than in getting. Hmmm.
Seems when people were given money to spend on others, they experienced greater happiness than when they were given it to spend on themselves. This brings up a few points.
1) If giving money begats happiness, I am willing to make as many people happy as possible. $5 or $10 sent my way would certainly increase your perception of the world. Don’t be cheap when it comes to your own well being. Remember-you are important. GIVE. GIVE like there’s no tomorrow and then there will be one ..a happy one.
2) If giving money begats happiness, then what does receiving it do? If Bill Gates gives me a cool million, does that make me a cool million down in my feelings? “I don’t want your stanking money, Gates” . Ah…on second thought. Bill. You owe me big time for all those upgrades and changes that just seem to cost me. Vista Premuim, eh? That’s one window that needs cleaning.
So, Please, Please, don’t cheat yourself when it comes to your happiness. Checks, money, orders and cash are all willingly accepted in order for you to be the happiest darn person in the world. Please contact me at savingerasmus@gmail.com to make a donation.
Seems when people were given money to spend on others, they experienced greater happiness than when they were given it to spend on themselves. This brings up a few points.
1) If giving money begats happiness, I am willing to make as many people happy as possible. $5 or $10 sent my way would certainly increase your perception of the world. Don’t be cheap when it comes to your own well being. Remember-you are important. GIVE. GIVE like there’s no tomorrow and then there will be one ..a happy one.
2) If giving money begats happiness, then what does receiving it do? If Bill Gates gives me a cool million, does that make me a cool million down in my feelings? “I don’t want your stanking money, Gates” . Ah…on second thought. Bill. You owe me big time for all those upgrades and changes that just seem to cost me. Vista Premuim, eh? That’s one window that needs cleaning.
So, Please, Please, don’t cheat yourself when it comes to your happiness. Checks, money, orders and cash are all willingly accepted in order for you to be the happiest darn person in the world. Please contact me at savingerasmus@gmail.com to make a donation.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
On Movies, blackberries and the relevance of being relevant
On Movies
1) I received an email the other day from a producer in Hollywood,
well, somewhere in California and that says Hollywood to me. His name
is Stephen Storer (which quite frankly is pretty close to Stephen
Spielberg-which means my affirmations are just a bit off-which also
explains the million collars that I also got sent). Actually, from
what I read on IMDB he has been a Production Designer –The Ultimate
Gift –Meet the Deedles-Yes, Meet the Deedles) but is set to be the
Co-Producer of The Alchemist-according to Wikipedia).
He said he was interested in reading Saving Erasmus to see if it would
make a good movie. I emailed him the manuscript and he read it and he
replied that he didn't resonate with the book as a movie. And of
course that's important, as one can see in the difference between,
say, Lord of the Rings and The Golden Compass. Of course, I wanted to
tell him that he was overlooking a gem and thought of sending him the
old comment about Fred Astaire, "can't sing, can't act, balding, can
dance a little" -but resisted) So, on to the next one, I guess.
Spielberg, you still have a chance.
On Blackberries
The odd part, I found, was not just that most of the communication
from him was sent by Blackberry, but the funny statement, which I have
seen before, at the bottom of a Blackberry message which states that
the message was sent "via Blackberry". I know it probably has
something to do with sending a reply, but I think from now on my
emails will say "sent from my trusty ole Sony Vaio" or "sent via Al
Gore's internet". In the old days they just attached a note to a rock
and threw it through your window-perhaps with a bit that said "sent
via rock" although no doubt that was pretty obvious based on the
broken window and the lump on the head..- I think it's probably
grammatically correct to say those old messages WERE sent via rocks,
while the new ones are really sent via the internet and FROM a
Blackberry.
*Can someone send a message from a Blackberry to an Apple computer? I
know that you're not supposed to mix apples and oranges, but how about
Apples and Blackberries?
On Relevance
2) I recorded the first two chapters of Saving Erasmus last night and
I will be putting them on my website as soon as I update the website.
Yes, I realize that with such up to date event and news listings as
"Wheel Invented-Now what do we do with it? and "Ice Age-Is it here to
stay?", that my website has become somewhat irrelevant. At least from
an event perspective since the last event listed is in August 2007.
So, I'm counting on having a new version up and ready by January 31st.
That's it for now. I hope the new year has been great.
Steve
Sent via some crazy amorphous web thing with the hopes that it
bypasses your spam and you read it.
1) I received an email the other day from a producer in Hollywood,
well, somewhere in California and that says Hollywood to me. His name
is Stephen Storer (which quite frankly is pretty close to Stephen
Spielberg-which means my affirmations are just a bit off-which also
explains the million collars that I also got sent). Actually, from
what I read on IMDB he has been a Production Designer –The Ultimate
Gift –Meet the Deedles-Yes, Meet the Deedles) but is set to be the
Co-Producer of The Alchemist-according to Wikipedia).
He said he was interested in reading Saving Erasmus to see if it would
make a good movie. I emailed him the manuscript and he read it and he
replied that he didn't resonate with the book as a movie. And of
course that's important, as one can see in the difference between,
say, Lord of the Rings and The Golden Compass. Of course, I wanted to
tell him that he was overlooking a gem and thought of sending him the
old comment about Fred Astaire, "can't sing, can't act, balding, can
dance a little" -but resisted) So, on to the next one, I guess.
Spielberg, you still have a chance.
On Blackberries
The odd part, I found, was not just that most of the communication
from him was sent by Blackberry, but the funny statement, which I have
seen before, at the bottom of a Blackberry message which states that
the message was sent "via Blackberry". I know it probably has
something to do with sending a reply, but I think from now on my
emails will say "sent from my trusty ole Sony Vaio" or "sent via Al
Gore's internet". In the old days they just attached a note to a rock
and threw it through your window-perhaps with a bit that said "sent
via rock" although no doubt that was pretty obvious based on the
broken window and the lump on the head..- I think it's probably
grammatically correct to say those old messages WERE sent via rocks,
while the new ones are really sent via the internet and FROM a
Blackberry.
*Can someone send a message from a Blackberry to an Apple computer? I
know that you're not supposed to mix apples and oranges, but how about
Apples and Blackberries?
On Relevance
2) I recorded the first two chapters of Saving Erasmus last night and
I will be putting them on my website as soon as I update the website.
Yes, I realize that with such up to date event and news listings as
"Wheel Invented-Now what do we do with it? and "Ice Age-Is it here to
stay?", that my website has become somewhat irrelevant. At least from
an event perspective since the last event listed is in August 2007.
So, I'm counting on having a new version up and ready by January 31st.
That's it for now. I hope the new year has been great.
Steve
Sent via some crazy amorphous web thing with the hopes that it
bypasses your spam and you read it.
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