Chai, Soy, Rye, Almonds & Fruit Spread

Chai:
We find the best chai ever found by us for our home-made hot drink is the green label liquid chai made by the Masala Chai Co. (www.masalachaico.com). Ingredients are Water, Honey, Assam Tea, Spice Blend and Citric Acid. Good job Masala Chai Co.!

Soy:
We find the best soymilk ever found by us for our home use is the green refrigerated package Silk Unsweetened Organic Soymilk (www.silkissoy.com). Ingredients are Filtered Water, Whole Organic Soybeans, Calcium Carbonate, Sea Salt, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B12. Good job Silk & White Wave!

Rye:
We find the best rye flatbread for us is the red dry packaged FINN CRISP Delicately Thin Rye Crispbread. Ingredients are Whole Grain Rye Flour, Yeast and Salt. Good job FINN CRISP & Vaasan & Vaasan (www.vaasan.com).

Almonds:
We find the best almond butter for us is Zinke Orchards Natural Almond Butter (no web site). Ingredients are Dry Roasted Almond, grown without insecticides or miticides. Good job Zinke!

Fruit Spread:
We find the best fruit spread for us is St. Dalfour France Four Fruits (www.stdalfour.com). Ingredients are Strawberries, Red Raspberries, Black Raspberries, Cherries, Concentrated Grape Juice, Fruit Pectin and Lemon Juice. No preservatives, no artificial flavors or colors. Good job St. Dalfour!

Movie Recommendations:
"Zelary" (2003) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Discipline, Money, Time, Love

Discipline:
I have been getting "input", messages, comments and vibes that it is time for me to increase the discipline with which I maintain the healthiest possible lifestyle for me. I am naturally an early riser and feel lumpy and irritable when I get my day started much after 5 am. When I get going by 5 am good things happen and I feel that I am doing my best to participate in the life I have been given this time around. I have noticed that when I get to bed after 9 pm then I need to spend a large amount of my will power to get going by 5 am. I am choosing to follow a more natural course and have chosen a goal of getting to bed by 9 pm. I know it seems obvious but I haven't been doing it and am not feeling the way I want to about myself *:-(

Money:
I need more of it coming in right now. I had plenty coming in for the last 25 years but right now I need more. I am working on it *:-)

Time:
I like this saying:
"The only decision I need to make is what to do with the time I am given this lifetime" (I don't know who said it yet and will find out).

Love:
For me love is the river that I allow to run through everything I am, do, say, think and live for. It works for me and is making me a better person the longer I work at it *:-)

Media Recommendations:
Movies:
"Ned Kelly" (2004) - Yes, see it. OC+
"Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason" (2005) - No, don't see it. OC-
"Prime Suspect 1" (1991) - No, don't see it. OC-

Music:
"The Very Best Of ZZ Top: Rancho Texicano" (2004) - Yes, listen to it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Yard Sale Success & Crutch Loaner

Yard Sale:
The non-profit organization which we supported through donations and service work had a successful yard sale this weekend *:-) Nice to see all the hard work pay off.

Crutches:
Our son-in-law bashed up his knee again and since the physical therapy shops were closed today since it is Sunday he was driven up to our house and we loaned him our adjustable crutches. We hope he gets better soon.

Movie Recommendations:
"Prime Suspect 4" (1995) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

New Mac Software

iWork '05 is very nice so far. I loaded the just-purchased new application today because my wife has a presentation to give on Wednesday and we just got started on the slide show today. I am impressed so far with how the Keynote 2 application works and am looking forward to trying out Page. With iWork I can also appreciate how nice the 17" Powerbook is because of the multiple windows I can keep open as I jog back and forth between apps to size the images and create the slides. Thanks Apple *:-)

Movie Recommendations:
"Tom Brown's School Days" (1971) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Webcams & the Tungsten T5 are cool IMHO

Logitech Webcam -
Installed a Logitech webcam and got it working a couple days ago and am having fun with it logging in to other computers we have here and watching me watching myself watching myself *:-) I did not get the one with motorized controls because I don't understand what that would be for and the guy at Circuit City said I wouldn't need it. The image quality is very good and I find it quite good at balancing the light sources at different times of daylight illumination and artificial illumination.

PalmOne Tungsten T5 -
I purchased the T5 just when they first came out and have been using it regularly and absolutely love it. I was using a Tungsten C and appreciated the power of the C but found it inconvenient to use. The T5 is fabulous and I am happy *:-)

Movie Recommendations:
"Millions" (2005) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

And Just As I Clicked "Publish"...

Hoo Boy.
I created a long blog entry late last night about "Comcast, Canada, Sabrina And Connectivity" which detail our getting through the latest broadband outage, or so we thought. Just as I completed the blog entry and hit publish I was informed by the system that the page on which I had created the blog entry was really just a cached page of the blogging site and that nothing had happened and that I was still without access to the internet and that all my text was gone forever. I went to bed.

Movie Recommendations:
"Awakening" (1997) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

The Shadow Knows

Hadda lotta fun the last two days *:-) I was surprised yesterday to have been elected "Person Of The Month" at the state facility where I am working and I was not expecting that at all nor had I heard any rumors. It's cool because I get pictures taken of me, stories written about me and I get teased by everybody else until the next person gets it. On the day I was chosen I was asked to come to the front of the organizational meeting we were having and that is when the award was presented and because I was dressed all in black I was nicknamed "The Shadow" and so for the rest of the month people will be referring to me in that way when they want to tease me.
Today a special workshop session just for those of us who are certified trainers was held and of course the two poor guys who had to present to us got heckled mercilessly which was a lot of fun especially since the workshop was on Powerpoint and the Epson projection and Dell laptop equipment that is necessary to make it happen. Because the state owns the equipment there are lots of rules about how to use it that make it a little funny but the funniest was the remote IR Mouse that was totally limp and took forever to get the changes to happen in the presentation. After 2 hours it had gotten beyond funny and we were making wise cracks every time the presenters would explain what they were going to show us and then the little arrow from the mouse would very slowly wander around the screen landing and executing commands that were not what the presenters wanted. Hilarious and hopeless *:-)

Movie Recommendations:
"Sideways" (2004 widescreen DVD) - Yes, see it. OC+
"Prime Suspect 5" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Cat Fan Of Fiber Arts

Our cat is a big fan of the fiber arts. She has found a very cool new spot to snooze after rejecting the two nice towels we put on the back of the sofa when she decided to start sleeping on top of the back rest cushions. My wife is a weaver, spinner, dyer, knitter, felter, dress maker and teacher of sewing so our home is full of wonderfully colorful dyed wool in both finished and unfinished forms. Our cat found a spot in which she is very nearly invisible to us and yet she can still easily observe everything we do. Under the Great Wheel that is just over the stair railing there is a small pile of wool which is made up of one finished knit hat and some not yet spun dyed wool. It is just her size and she can either stretch out full length on it or curl up as her mood dictates. She is very content with her new place and when I finally noticed her and approached her to give her head a stroke she lazily extended her neck slightly so I could reach her and then closed her eyes again and curled back up and is quite oblivious to all the things we think are so important going on in our home. Cool Cat.

Movie Recommendations:
"Festival Express" (2004) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Yellowjacket Defense Perimeter

The last two days have been mighty fine weather and that motivated me to remove the tarps covering the summer deck furniture and accessories. The earliest of the yellowjackets that will eventually swarm over the fruit that drops from our several fruit trees are already out and flying fast and hard around the yard. My wife tells me that this is the time that the queens of the yellowjacket tribe are out and about and that if we can trap the queens then the population of yellowjackets will be greatly reduced. We purchased the hanging traps that have a compound in them that is supposed to be irresistable to the yellowjackets and today we got the metal hanging posts to place some of the traps in a perimeter around the deck so the population that actually reaches us and our guests will be reduced. Our arborist tolds us that when the full yellowjacket season is on (which will be later in the summer) he has seen 2 or 3 of the yellowjackets wait just outside the entrance to a honey bee hive and when one of the pollen collectors arrives to enter the hive two of the yellowjackets hold it and the third one tears its head off. We don't have honey bee hives and I have witnessed the ferocity of the yellowjackets just in competing for a piece of fruit that they want. Pretty vicious characters and we hope to keep the population under better control this year.

Movie Recommendations:
"I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (2004) - No, don't see it. OC-
"Alfie" (2004) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

I Didn't Know My Brother Died

My sister says she tried to leave me a voice mail on my mobile phone when he died last Saturday and I never got the message. I check my messages every day so either the number was wrong or something else happened. My brother M. had been sick with cancer for a very long time and his health degenerated fairly quickly in the last few weeks and I was not surprised that he died. I had been leaving messages with his son and I now understand why I did not get a response because the family was so busy with all the arrangements and "things to do" related to my brother's death. I loved my brother and he loved me and I am told that he said goodbye to me when he left his body. He maintained a strong belief in his spiritual practices throughout his life and so does his family and so at the end there was peace available for which I am grateful. I have begun living my grief for his departure and will pay attention to the meaning of his departure. May his spirit make its journey in peace and may he rest in peace. He was a good man and is remembered lovingly by everyone that I know that knew him.

Movie Recommendations:
"Into The Woods" (1990) - No, don't see it. OC-
"All That Jazz" (1979) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Smoothies

I will live forever or at least another day or two. My wife makes protein smoothies that upon consumption have the immediate effect of making my body feel immortal. I love them and they make me feel good and they are actually good for me and I am grateful for them. Also, they remind me of the smoothies that Tommy Chong makes in the movies, and with Cheech, which reminds me of "Up In Smoke". The last time I saw "Up In Smoke" I was walking along a street in Los Angeles doing nothing special and not going anywhere in a hurry and was suddenly grabbed by the image in a department store window that was playing "Up In Smoke" on several of their demo TVs and I had the same reaction I always have to that movie which is that I laugh uncontrollably, loudly, and without stopping, and with tears flowing in my eyes until someone helps me move out of sight of the movie which in this case took a while because the people I was in Los Angeles with were behind me quite a way having stopped at a different store to get something and they finally arrived and helped me move on to the hotel.

Movie Recommendations:
"All About Eve" (1950) (DVD) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Group Learning

I belong to a group... an internet group... a Yahoo internet group that is a tool for professional communication for two departments of a state funded networking organization and one department is Marketing and one is Training. I became a better navigator of the group electronic resources today through some demos and practical applications. I was impressed at how sophisticated the free public groups have become and how much can be accomplished without spending big $$ on application software for my individual computer. I was humbled by how much I do not know because back in '82 I was a Unix guy and was way way way ahead of most other people and it is humbling to re-enter the net as a semi-novice and it is also exciting *:-)

Movie Recommendations:
"Vera Drake" (2005) - Yes, see it. OC+
"Diva" (1981) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Solenoid-Code PO770 and Two Trips To Toyota

Ok, I am more relaxed now because our blue pickup is back in the driveway and the check engine icon is no longer lit. Mr. T. says that when the service department called the factory they said that before the (under warranty) solenoid needs to be changed out for sure that the local service guys need to rack the pickup and totally flush the tranny and replace all the fluid to find out if that will keep the light out. If the light comes on again, and if the computer spits out exactly the same code then we get a new solenoid at no cost to us. During the phone call from the service department to me about this approach I began to hallucinate about me driving down the freeway at 70mph and having the transmission solenoid freeze which would send me into a total instant stop and that would result in an end-over-end flip of the pickup which would cause me to flip over 7 or 8 semi-trucks and end up in the ocean. Wow, when I communicated my fearful fantasy to the service guy he chuckled and promised me that I am no danger of that happening and if the light comes on again all I have to do is drive back to the dealership and leave the truck for a day and I get the new solenoid. Well, ok then *:-)

Movie Recommendations:
"Around The Fire" (2003) - Yes, see it. OC+
"Closer" (2004) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

My First Time

Today was hammer and tong day at my distant dentist and I was in the chair for 1 hour and 45 minutes of sweat inducing effort on the part of the dental surgeon as he completed the root canal that I needed. Multiple x-rays and his expert opinion say that the operation was a success. I am not in terrible pain and I definitely know that someone was walking around in my mouth today.
On the long drive back home from the dentist (I took today off) as I got within about 10 miles of our home something happened to me that has never happened before. I drive a 2002 pickup which my wife and I like very much and which is reliable however today, for the first time in my life, 10 miles from home, driving at speed, I was presented with the dreaded lighted orange "check engine" icon in the form of an outline of an auto engine. I checked all the other indicators on the dash and could not see anything signalling a problem and then I called the service department of the dealership where just 1500 miles ago the truck had completed the 30,000 mile check. The service guy was nice and said that the check engine icon really just means that nobody has any idea what could be wrong and it could be one or many of several hundred things and the only way to find out is for me to get the truck to the service department for a full diagnostic which I will do tomorrow. I wonder what it is?

Media Recommendation:
"My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison - Yes, listen to it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

"Voluptuous? Who, me? Well, maybe Statuesque."

Several recent comments by others have helped get someone very close to my heart to begin to accept the description "Voluptuous" as being applicable to her. I don't know why she doesn't like it and most of us feel it is very accurate and also a compliment. "Statuesque" did not offend her quite so much so maybe I can say that without retort.
Nice potluck gathering today at our son's house with nice relaxed people and a couple cats not so relaxed. We brought kichari, waxed paper and flowers as our contribution to the potluck. We did not eat the waxed paper or flowers and the kichari was very good.

Movie Recommendations:
"The Sound Of Music: Special Edition" (1965) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Classic Rock, Cathedral Bundt & Classic Video

My son works at Yahoo and he has been 'suggesting' that I switch from Google search to Yahoo search to show family loyalty. Its a good thing none of my kids works at Google because then I would have to search every other one every other time *:-( Anyway, I tried Yahoo search for the first time a couple weeks ago and it works pretty good, and I did not know that Yahoo had the application that allows searching of video clips as well so that is new and I'll check it out to find material to support the workshops that I facilitate. Cool! I don't know how to find out if Yahoo is better than Google so I'll ask him today at our Easter get together if there is a rating service or a performance scorecard that I can check. A side benefit of spending time on Yahoo is that a friend of mine in Australia is on Yahoo Messenger which I had never used so I figured since I am spending time on Yahoo I might as well try that too so he accepted my request for seeing when he is online and now we can do internet telephony. The best part though is that along with Messenger I found the Launchcast application and am now, yes right now, high volume rocking out with the classic rock selections from Yahoo *:-) I love ZZ Top and hadn't had the opportunity to listen to them for a while. Cool!
My wife was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to make a classic Cathedral bundt cake for me for Easter and that turned out great, thanks sweetie! At about 4 pm yesterday I was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to get some corduroy fabric for my wife to make herself some new dresses because she looks really cute and sexy in corduroy and she never buys stuff for herself and because she is a master dressmaker and even teaches it I wanted to get her some new fabric so she can create some new stuff. She went along with it and we raced to the fabric store just before closing because they aren't open today on Easter Sunday and we found four good colors for her and got plenty of fabric and while we were in there this young lady and her mom came in and were all confused about how to make this dress that the young lady had designed and so my wife hooked up with them and helped them and then the young lady signed up for my wife's next class session to actually make it. Cool!
I was crying about an hour ago because I finally watched the DVD video "Up From Zero" put out by the U.S. Dept. Of Labor about the twin towers disaster of 2001. Follow the link above to get a free copy.

Movie Recommendations:
"Up From Zero" (2003) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Happy Birthday & Cool Dinner Party

Happy Birthday today to our daughter, H.
Also, a friend put together a very cool dinner party last night to which lots of interesting people were invited. Lots of stuff having to do with "Mom" as defined by each of us individually. The stories were intimate, heartfelt, revealing and historically educational and significant. I discovered that one of the guests went to the same high school that I did and this is the first time in my many years out of high school that I have met anyone who even knew of the school and that was great fun being the only two people at the party who could share stories about the little "heres and theres" of the town and school. Thanks to the hostess for a successful, unique and fulfilling evening.

Movie Recommendations:
"Prime Suspect 2: Discs 1 & 2 (1992) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Too Much Chocolate And Not Enough Protein

I made a mistake today and did not eat in the way my body needs me to. I don't feel very well at the moment *:-( Which of course is exactly how it is when I make a mistake with food. Because of doing taxes I also spent too much time sitting still and working on the computer. I got lots of computer work done and was successful and paid the price. When the sun broke through the clouds I had a great chance to get out and take a walk and didn't do it. I tossed the cat out when the weather got nice and didn't do the same to myself! I'll do better next time *:-).

Movie Recommendations:
"The Lost Prince" (2003) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

The Acceptance Of Spring

It is unstoppable; heroic in size and scope and riveting to watch. Spring infuses every thought, movement and breath with inevitable destiny and with innumerable forms and outcomes. God, it is exciting! Far too easy for me to lose all else in the rushing flow of Spring. I have a body, fortunately, and so I become tired as the light fades and so do not exhaust myself beyond recovery. The big orange trucks, graders and scoops took control of our mountain highway today as they removed the boulders, sand and trees from both lanes and lines of us both north and south waited our turn when at the simple rotation of a small round sign we were permitted to pursue our dreams once again.

Movie Recommendations:
"I {heart} Huckabees" (2004) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Finding DentistLand

Blinding rain, howling wind, flooded roads, wipers madly thumping, tires loudly splashing, headlights gamely shining and on I went to the dentist far far away. I am not sure why my wife and I have chosen our dental resources at such a great distance from where we live and I believe it must have something to do with the fact that they are the best in northern California. This dentist, one of three that we have, each for different purposes, is a (wait for it) r o o t c a n a l s p e c i a l i s t *:-( Today was the preliminary exam and xray session and next Monday is the tong and hammer session. I shall bravely sally forth and take what comes in the hope that when I draw my last breath it shall be across attractive and healthy teeth *:-)
The city in which the r.c.s. has his office is undergoing major reconstruction and I became lost (again) both going into the city and out of it. The new light support poles are in place and the city has not had the time to hang the street names on them yet *:-( Also, many of the streets are blocked off from traffic and all normal and logical patterns are now chaotic causing me to visit places I would not ordinarily go into in order to ask directions. The School District's Administrator's Office was especially helpful and was not accustomed to helping lost out of towners so I appeared to offer some unexpected entertainment to the staff.

Movie Recommendations:
"Finding Neverland" (new) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Income Tax: A Vision Of The Recent Past

2004 is spread before me in all its detail. I know how many times I purchased books of stamps at the Post (7); I know how many times I purchased office supplies from Office Max (also 7); I know how many times I purchased wine as business gifts from Cost Plus World Market (5); I know how much the champagne and wine cost for my daughter's wedding (both were very good); I know how much we spent with Apple Computer for new Powerbooks (they love us); I know how much we spent with Dell for a new Latitude; I know how much the Department of Motor Vehicles demanded; I know how much the property assessor demanded; I know how much we spent on web hosting and related expenses to keep our internet access at the level we want; etc. Soon I will know how much the State and Federal governments demand after our tax preparer completes her work. I am resolved to manage our expenses more closely during 2005 *:-)

Movie Recommendations:
"Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" (1982) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Starbucks Exists And No T-Mobile

My wife and I visited the newest Starbucks in the neighboring town today. Nice place, quite clean, no tattoos visible on the staff, not very busy either. They had the chocolate and tea I was after and also had a maple-iced baked scone that my wife enjoyed. I showed the staff my tattoo and then they loosened up a bit and showed me theirs which was a lot of fun and didn't matter because no one else was in the place *:-) I need wireless access when I visit Starbucks during the week and was surprised to hear that it takes about 1.5 years for each new Starbucks to get authorization and installation for the T-mobile wireless service. However, I was told that a neighboring tax service staff member had come over and offered to allow Starbucks patrons to login through the tax service open wireless connection if they wanted to, which the Starbucks management agreed to. I haven't tried it and it sounds functional and quite a nice gesture from one business to another. Maybe the tax service staff get free coffee or something.
We also went on to the largest town in our area and lightly shopped at the newest Trader Joe's which is a place I usually don't go in to. However, since my wife usually doesn't go into Starbucks and had done so happily and with pleasure, then I went ahead into Trader Joe's and had a good time shopping with her and also saw a friend or two. One of my wife's good friends and fellow artists painted a large wall mural on the Trader Joe's highest wall and got it done just prior to the grand opening a few months ago so we have a reason to drop in once in awhile. As a matter of fact my wife's friend had issued a call for help late one night so that he could be sure to get the mural done and both my wife and I used our art skills to help him get it finished before the deadline.

Movie Recommendations:

"Island At War: Discs 1, 2 & 3" (2004) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Carly II

Based on what I learned from hanging out with friends who are still locked into a local corporation that I am familiar with there seems to be more than one Carly F. type individual on the loose. Perhaps there was a breeding pool established by the government at about the time Carly F. was conceived and some of the breeders snuck out and fertilized more than their share of corporate blossoms.
Real humans sharing real stuff is wonderfully healing and I'll take as much of that as I can, keeping in mind that the experience is different for everyone and might be too much for people I am with or who are present as partners.

Media Recommendations:

"Page-A- Day Zen Calendar" (2005) - Yes, read it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Our Kids Are Right

"The Incredibles" is a very good movie. We got it on DVD and watched it tonight and just loved it. I had a lot of assumptions about what it would be and it was much better than I anticipated. My wife and I did not see it in the theatre (which is still ok with us) and it was just fine on DVD with our wide cinema screen monitor.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! I wore lots of green and the best display I saw was at the bank where the tellers were all in green shamrock boingy antenna hats and the counters were all done up for the day.

Several hours at our dentist today for both my wife and I. I came out a little better than she did and she will be returning for a little more work in about 2 months.

I am sorting through all the schwag I picked up at the business fair yesterday and there is some cool stuff and some that I will toss after getting the contact info into my PDA. I am glad I was there.

Movie Recommendations:

"The Incredibles" (2005) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Business Fair: Wine, Ads, Government, Dogs & Technology

Today's Business Fair for local businesses was pretty cool. Half the exhibitors were a little casual for my preference and there were many who were very professional as well. All however were truly at the fair for business purposes and I had a good time visiting the other booths and working my shift at ours. I saw several colleagues I knew, some with whom I have worked before and some who are vendors to me and so it made a good event. I haven't talked so much in quite a while and although I would have liked to, I passed up the free root beer floats and passed up the wine tastings as well. When my wife and I can do the tastings together, probably at the wineries, then I can have fun. The Yellow Pages had the biggest booth which I did not expect. They also had the fewest visitors *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"Stripes" (1981) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Spring Equinox 2005

All hands on deck!
Change is in the air!
The earth is turning!
Be ready or be peanut butter!

The Vernal (Spring) Equinox shall occur on Sunday, March 20th, 2005, at 0434 PST.
This will also be Palm Sunday. Cool!
Enjoy, and click the link if you wish more detail.

Book Recommendations:

"Still Here" (Ram Dass) (2000) - Yes, read it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High healing and/or educational potential for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low healing and/or educational potential for people with OCD tendencies.

Spring, Patience & My Practice of Letting Go

Under and throughout the budding exuberance of Spring time, easily seen now because the ant, bird, bee, moth and butterfly members of my community show up for daily duty helping the no-legged partners shout the message of flowering, leafing, shooting, growing and feeding, there remains a powerful river of patience, stillness and peace. I have not before felt this and yet I know it has always been. I am happy to have noticed and will celebrate the occaision.

Book Recommendations:

"Anatomy Of The Spirit" (Caroline Myss) (1996) - Yes, read it. OC+
"The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior" (Dan Millman) (2000) - Yes, read it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High healing and/or educational potential for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low healing and/or educational potential for people with OCD tendencies.

QuickBooks Pro

Our Tax Preparer (the official name) was burdened with several phone calls from me today as I went through the process of setting up QuickBooks Pro so that our returns for 2005 will be much better. I found that I am to late to use QuickBooks 2005 edition to do our return for 2004. I believe a flat tax is a better idea and I understand it is too difficult to administer which is too bad. I chose mostly the default selections during the setup, but only after conferring with Tax Preparer via phone conference. Some of the settings I decided to customize and not very many of them. So far I am not going to use the QuickBooks Checking program. I'll think about that and decide later.

Book Recommendations:

"Transitions" (1997 by William Bridges) - Yes, read it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Tax Time A'comin'

I spent all Sunday (today) preparing the 2004 documentation for the beginning of our tax season. I expect another three 8 hour sessions will be required plus the meeting with our tax preparer. We did purchase Quick Books last week, and for the 2005 tax season I will be better prepared so that all we need to hand over is a CD with everything on it. My wife is far better prepared with the documentation for her business and sets a good example for me.
The sounds of spring are all around us up here with the distant cyclical hum of gasoline powered lawn mowers in the distance, the hacking sound of someone fairly close by cutting down last years growth of Scotch Broom (some say the proper name is French Broom) and our own yard full of the prunings from our fruit trees which have yet to be chipped into mulch. Our cat chooses the mown part of the yard to walk through whenever possible and gets only her paws wet when doing so while when she travels through the high grass she gets wet tummy to eartips.

Movie Recommendations:

"Edward & Mrs. Simpson" (all volumns) (1978) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Mexican Food: YES

Our favorite large Mexican Food restaurant (a real sit-down restaurant in an historic building) finally re-opened after a minor remodel and refresh. Everything we tried is just as good as it always was, and since the ownership has not changed, we felt very comfortable with the service and environment. We were blessed with the company of our youngest son J. who is currently an intern at the NUMMI plant nearby and also his very very good female friend K. who we have not seen in quite a while. We had a good time and because I was in an outgoing and sociable mood I paid the wandering Mariachi band to come to our table and play a couple tunes which we liked (the Mariachi's are the same group as before also, and are good).

Movie Recommendations:

"A Murder Of Quality" (1991) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High healing and/or educational potential for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low healing and/or educational potential for people with OCD tendencies.

Grass, Holes & A Wagon

The recent dry weather and the recent extended light of day has given me a rare chance to mow a portion of our mountain foothill yard closest to the house. How easy it is for me to forget all the gopher holes, dog-dug holes and left over children's hidey-holes that lie beneath the seeming smooth grassy surface. I am up and down at unplanned moments and the mower isn't always well syncronized with my movements causing groans and strains on the electric motor when too much grass is bitten off to chew. At the moment my wife's four wheeled laundry wagon sits precisely aligned with the flat smooth ground path I created last year for her to use in going to and fro the clothesline. I put the wagon there as a pathway guide so that my wife would not injure her ankle again when she cannot resist hanging the clothes out in the fresh sun and air.

Movie Recommendations:

"Oliver's Travels: Discs 1 & 2" (1997) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Short Sleeves

Lovely weather here on the California Coast *:-) Saves me building a fire in the wood stove each night too, which leaves more time to enjoy the evening meal and a DVD when possible. The light is beginning to stay with us longer too and that relaxes me a bit. I got a surprise call from Germany via one of the free internet telephony services and it was a fellow who had just gotten broadband for the first time and he made his first ever internet phone call to me and had picked my user name completely at random. He was very nice and I talked with him at length although I rarely respond to those calls unless the person is on my contact list. He and his family have never been to the USA and his questions were refreshingly naive and honest. It was quite a nice chat actually and I am glad I loosened my rules.

Movie Recommendations:

"Inspector Alleyn Mysteries: Disc 4" (1990) - Yes, see it. OC+
"What About Bob?" (1991) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

It's Party Time!

Last evening found us on our way to friends for a double 60th birthday party. Our spirits were high and prior to actually arriving at the party we decided to drive past all the movie houses in town thinking perhaps there would be a great movie or two that we could go to at the late showing. That didn't turn out to be the case, but the drive-by did give me a chance to offend the parents of our daughter in law *:-( They are too nice to say anything about being offended, and here is the story so you can decide if I am to be banished to the boorish outlands:
At the last theatre we were checking out, my wife got out of the car to speak to the ticket taker to find out details and I waited in the loading zone with flashers blinking. As my wife was turning away from the ticket booth I saw J & L (parents of our daughter in law) walking toward the ticket booth and noticed that my wife had turned away too soon to see them. Because I was exuberant about going to the party, and because we had not seen J & L in quite awhile and because they live out of town and we hardly ever see them in the area where we live, my excitement caused me to honk the horn loudly, long and repeatedly until J (the father) finally turned my way. I waved to him and got out of the car quickly and jogged over to him and greeted him enthusiastically which he returned as best he could. Meantime my wife had figured out what was going on and she in turn greeted both J & L and then I greeted L.
Well, as we separated and my wife and I got back in our car and as J & L re-formed their own group, I noticed that they were escorting a couple whom we did not know and who looked rather official and sophisticated (uh-oh). So I am hoping that the "request for forgiveness" card that I will be sending to J & L will be accepted since I acted loudly and inappropriately in a public place in front of people that we did not know.
The party was a smash success and we had a ball and met lots of very cool people *:-)

Some Parts Of Town Seem Healthier Than Others

My wife and I were in several different parts of the largest town near us today. We each were affected quite differently in some parts and affected the same way in others. I seemed less immediately physically made ill in some of the over-developed, limited natural environment parts and my wife immediately felt ill. In my experience my reaction time is about two days slower than hers. She helps me by being a bit like a canary in a mine shaft by giving early warning signs that we aren't where we should be. Both of us were glad to get back in the trees where we live after visiting the town.

Movie Recommendations:

"Anna Karenina" (2000) - No, don't see it. OC-
"Inspector Alleyn Mysteries-Discs 1&2" (1990) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educatonal message for people with OCD tendencies.

Position Acquisition

Position Acquisition sounds a lot fancier than "job search" and both are what I am learning to become expert at. Transitioning from 25 years at corporate headquarters as an international marketing guy is quite a bit of fun once I adjusted the emotional entanglements that had built up over the years and re-aligned them into part of my network for success. Many of my professional colleagues were in town recently and invited my wife and I to a very nice dinner and we all had a great time. If it weren't for the elapsed time in commercial aircraft coach seating (which is a lot smaller than when I started flying internationally 25 years ago) I would love to offer my value to a broader geographic client base. I recommend that some of the government subsidies now offered for our agricultural sector be redirected to enhance the business class section of commercial aircraft so that our business persons could arrive more refreshed and ready to go, and also be able to get some work done on the plane. The criteria would be that only business people representing a company paying taxes in the USA could get the preferred seating discounts and would be given first preference for the seating. The times that I used either my frequent flyer miles or my own money (when I wasn't feeling well) to upgrade myself to business class showed me the benefits to the company for traveling in the appropriate way. My $0.02.

Movie Recommendations:

"Deadwood-The Complete First Season" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

The McIntosh is dead and down

One of our oldest trees (planted long before we purchased our home) and probably at least 50 years old was felled yesterday by our arborist because it was diseased in the trunk core. Someone long ago had improperly trimmed it, and caused a great deal of water to be directed into the trunk due to pooling and that caused the wood to rot and become diseased. The squirrels are in total shock because the McIntosh apple tree was their primary ingress and egress from our yard because it interfaced directly to the power lines that run parallel to our property line and offered the best escape route from the paint balls as well. I'm smiling about that *:-) and I should have a better shot at them all year long *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"Bertie & Elizabeth" (1997) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

I like T-Mobile

My new T-Mobile account for my laptop is working very well. I have used it in coffee shops around town and in Borders Books and it has been great. Strong signal, consistent behaviour and fast downloads. Because I have high wireless security protection on my laptop I must use the special logout site they have set up and that is not a problem although it is less convenient. I have yet to try it at an airport since my international and domestic air travel has stopped for awhile. I have heard there are some problems at terminals and I will find out when I try it.

Movie Recommendations:

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (1987) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Hot or Not?

And the answer is: HOT!
I got a mobile phone call from my wife letting me know that my son had completed cutting up the tree he recently downed in his front yard and he offered me the wood for our heating needs if I would come pick it up quickly. I was already dressed for outdoor work and was on the road having completed taking our refuse to the transfer facility (the dump).
I drove to my son's place asap for two reasons: First, I wanted the wood although I had doubts that it would be burnable this season having so recently been taken down. Second, the tree is right in the front yard of my son's home and many cars and bicyclists pass by every day and it made a messy looking place and I live in the mountains where wood-mess in the winter is normal and acceptable and I wanted to help him tidy up his place which is small, cute and easily overwhelmed by untidiness.
Wow, am I impressed! I started our nightly fire in the usual way, and then when it came time to add the medium weight wood, I mixed the wood from my son's place with my usual aged bay wood and was happy to see the new wood take flame. When it came time to add the serious logs, I mixed the heavy, dense and unaged rounds from my son's place and was amazed to feel the heat they produced after igniting. I added lots more as the evening continued and we are happy to report that we had a very warm home last night due to the HOT burning wood from my son's place. Thanks P & J *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"The Score" (2001) - No, don't see it. OC-
"The Three Amigos" (1986) - No, don't see it. OC-
"He Knew He Was Right" (2004) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Tree Awareness

Now that the work we have been doing with our arborist is sinking in and becoming part of our routine I am seeing the trees we are responsible for in different ways. We had the courage to terminate one of our old apple trees, and it will be removed in another week or two. This opens a big hole in our protective visual screen and we will be choosing something to replace it but we don't know if it should be a tree or some other screening device. I am seeing all the growing things here differently and am motivated to pay attention and work hard at aligning our growing things with the use plan we have for our property. I love doing it and it feels very much like right livlihood to be caring for the natural gifts we have been given. I will post some pictures soon.

Movie Recommendations:

"TipToes" (2003) - Yes, see it for the many messages and don't get lost in triggers. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Plum Blossoms On The Table

Our home is filled with the gentle and sweet smell of the plum blossoms that we brought in and placed in a vase on our dining room table. The delicacy and beauty of the blossoms is exceptional, unique and ephemeral and not easy to describe in words and I am not motivated to try. We believe that the blossoms come from our Old English Greengage plum tree, and our arborist has promised to stop by when the fruit is on so he can confirm the variety. This is exciting stuff for us and we are really into it *:-) Thanks for the trees, Mother Nature *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"The Notebook" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Youthful vigor and appearance return

We are very happy with our arborist, who completed the first pruning season on our fruit trees today. He brings his dog along to keep him company, which irritates our cat for a little while and now everyone has settled into their natural routines. The trees are now open to the sun and breeze and although it will take another 2.5 years to complete the orchard renovation, including the removal of one diseased and very old apple tree I can see and feel the effect of the arborists touch already. A walk around the yard is now completely different, with shadows and breezes appearing and leaving from different quadrants and in different amounts now that the air flow has been corrected. I did not know that air flow was so important and I appreciate the arborist taking the time to explain and show that to me today. I believe he will return next week to remove the diseased tree and to "chipper" the downed limbs and twigs.

Movie Recommendations:

"50 First Dates" - No, don't see it. OC-
"Spy Game" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Live Jazz Tonight

It's cool to show up at a local restaurant/jazz venue and have a great crowd already there, all ages, enjoying the free come-one come-all jazz performances. We had a great time and many people were glad to see us because we haven't been able to make it for a while. The food was ok, the beer was very good and the jazz was real. Thanks everybody *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"The Bourne Supremacy" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

PG&E and the phone poles

The squirrels are pissed.
For two weeks now the PG&E crews have been on our road replacing phone poles that aren't up to code.
They sent notices to all of us humans that we would be inconvenienced and occaisonally without power, broadband, etc., and PG&E didn't say a word to the squirrels.
For the last two days two squirrels have been trying to retake territory from me. I have been fortunate that I have been able to be home (an extended weekend) and so have bravely fought them off with 'ol Tippmann 98 Custom paint baller which sends 62 caliber rounds after any squirrel that trespasses.
The squirrels got the message and are digging in outside our territory, and also away from where the PG&E teams are messing up their homes. They may attack at dawn.

Movie Recommendations:

"Shark Tale" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Salinas

Nice town, spread over a wide area and containing diversity. At this time of year the open field and foothills drive from where I live to Salinas was beautiful because the rain stopped last night and during the sunny part of the day everything was clean, fresh and beginning to "spring". The fields were all very tidy and prepared for the growing season, with their plastic blankets tucked in at the corners and stretched taut across the acreage. The roads are not yet clustered with fruit transport trucks and farm implements and were enjoyable to travel. I considered stopping by the Steinbeck Center because my daughter-in-law's father is part of the governing board and we've been invited a couple times but haven't made it. I had appointments in the state government offices however so the Steinbeck priority did not get moved high enough to get done, plus I got lost on the way out of Salinas and ended up at the very remote UPS night transfer facility asking directions of the desk staff (which they couldn't provide, which I thought was strange since it was UPS).

Movie Recommendations:

"Mystic Pizza" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

(1) CD Prices & (2) Shanghai Hello

Today I had a quick lesson in retail pricing. I needed to purchase 20 copies of a jazz CD to use as business gifts.
I priced them at a shop in a well-known tourist area and each CD sold for $19.95 total. With a quantity purchase of 20, the price is reduced by 10% to $17.95.
I priced the identical CD at the local discount CD store and each CD sold for $9.98 total. With a quantity purchase of 20, the price is reduced by 10% to $8.98 total.
So I can pay either $359.00 for 20 identical CDs or I can pay $179.60. I happily paid the lower amount *:-)
Today I had a quick lesson in global good will. I had responded to a blog entry from someone who's blog I have been following for a little over one year. The blogger does not know me, and I have never posted a reply to his blog before. The blog originates from Shanghai, PRC.
I was surprised when just one day after I posted a reply I received a very nice and thoughtful reply from the blogger! This is not a small, unknown blog, but an internationally recognized blog.
I think that is very cool and it makes me feel good *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"The Motorcycle Diaries" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Maybe I shouldn't have watched "Troy"

All five of the computers in the downtown branch office of the company I am doing contract work for are fully infected with what they believe is one of the Trojan varieties.
It has been two days that IT has tried to clean the machines and IT has decided that they will just replace the hard drives with new ones since they can't get rid of the infection.
That means all data will be gone and it is a relief to me that I don't keep much stuff on the office machines (they are shared).
At our home office for my wife and I we have two systems for protection and we hope that is enough although we recently upgraded to full broadband which I understand is far more highly vulnerable. Good luck to us.

Movie Recommendations:

"That Touch Of Mink" (1962) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Ugly, but they sold!

I watched with trepidation as the person in charge of the bake sale made a small "tent card" that described the baked goods that I donated.
If you recall from yesterday's blog entry my stuff did not have a very professional or polished appearance.
As the day wore on, and as I kept passing the person who was watching the money and the baked goods, I kept feeding him tidbits about my stuff, such as "they have butter cream frosting", and "all organic flour" and "marbled cake". He dutifully annotated the tent cards with each additional piece of information, and by noon the cake sold! I breathed a sigh of relief and held my head a little higher.
As I was getting ready to leave, about 4:15 in the afternoon, I got to watch one of our workshop trainers looking over the remaining baked goods, which included the cupcakes I made. He bought the cupcakes! *:-) I told my wife right away and we high-fived ourselves for being real contributors to the fund-raiser.
Thanks for the help, everybody *:-)

Homemade, and ugly *:-(

I just finished icing the homemade St. Valentine cake I made and am donating to the office fund raiser tomorrow. The cake is heart-shaped, sort of, and the icing is almost red, but more on the raspberry side of the color wheel. I tried to compensate for the lumpy surface by sprinkling those little rods of colored hard sugar but it didn't work too well. The icing is still running down the sides of the cake onto the supporting plate and I hope that stops as the house cools off tonight. I will be slightly embarrassed when I put it on the bake sale table and my name is not on it so if I enter and leave the room with alacrity perhaps I won't be seen. I will be much more embarrassed if when I leave work at 5 pm my cake is still on the bake sale table unpurchased *:-

Movie Recommendations:

"Late Marriage" (2001) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Tunnel Of Fudge Bundt Tasting Results

Mmmmm *:-) Just the way I like it because it is almost cake-brownie like, and with lots more sophistication, visual beauty, a reserved and pleasant aroma, and it is strong yet subtle enough to let accompanyment such as chai or champagne still have their own voice. The sophisticated and very high quality chocolate is reserved yet makes a clear statement without overpowering the other ingredients. I'd say it is a great success, and I had a great tasting *:-)
The classic recipe comes from the book "Bundt Classics" published by Nordic Ware and available at the website linked above. Enjoy!

Movie Recommendations:

"Stand and Deliver" (1988) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Hearts, Cakes, Cookies But Not Pie

Today is the last of several pastry preparation days in our home before the St. Valentine's Day celebrations. My wife is brilliant with food and pies, and this year has added cakes to her repertoire. Of course I am the taste tester and will have had quite a few palate pleasers behind me before her baking is done. Today my objective is to provide a culinary review with tasting the "747" of Bundt cakes, the Tunnel Of Fudge Bundt *:- o .
Yesterday we delivered custom loaves and baby-bundts to family members and it will be fun to get reports from them on their tastings.

Movie Recommendations:

"Fahrenheit 451" (1966) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

3 Cats

Two blacks and one orange. Our new deck seating area is attracting a lot of attention from our neighbor's two black cats and causing our orange cat to cautiously supervise how the two blacks use the area, because the heightened and wide railing is perfect for getting a 360 degree overview of the yard, and also provides a position of territorial strength and defensibility. All three were frozen in place for a moment this morning, as they each noticed the other tactically positioning for a potential strike. I opened the upstairs window and had a brief discussion with each of them which temporarily resolved the issue and cleared the area.

Movie Recommendations:

"Gallipoli" (1981) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Global Gathering

Professional associates from my recent corporate past are gathering here locally soon. My favorite ones have been contacting me and because of the work I have been doing on myself with the state workshops for career centering I am fully prepared and actually excited about seeing the former teammates. Of course there are one or two of them that I hope don't show up [ *:-) ] but that is the way life is.
Winter is letting go of our valley here, and a few miles away down in the lowlands the blossoms have fully engaged their bud sheathes and are beginning to burst. Ours are holding back because we can get very cold at night until another month or so because we are higher and more vulnerable to temperature shift.

Movie Recommendations:

"The Manchurian Candidate" (1962) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Jazz *:-)

I hit on a very cool jazz cd that I did not know about...been listening all day every chance I get. My wife will get to hear it shortly when she gets home from her class. It is raw, down and un-managed. Very gritty by some very cool cats *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"Troy" (2004) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Flaky Chocolate Croissant

I forgot to take a lunch with me yesterday, Monday, which is the day of the week when my schedule allows only 19 minutes of lunch time between the end of one meeting and the beginning of the next. I was "forced" to run (literally) to the Starbucks nearby and get a small orange juice and a chocolate croissant. I had to eat the croissant quickly on the way back to the building because it is a state facility and only beverage not food is allowed inside. It was good enough and got me through the next meeting, and I don't want to know what the ingredients of the croissant are *:-) I will do better next time.

Movie Recommendations:

"The Little Shop Of Horrors" (1986) - No, don't see it. OC-
"Clue" (1985) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Early Bumble

In the afternoon of yesterday, while the last warm rays of the pre-spring sun warmed patches of planter and deck I was stopped still by the heavy rumble of the bumblebee behind me. A small wash of mild adrenaline flowed through me for a half-second or so and then my brain identified the sound and I relaxed, smiled and waited for the Bombus Terrestris to catch up and pass me on its way to an early flower. The sight of its clumsy and delightfully heavy flight signalled the beginning of our spring dance.

Movie Recommendations:

"Vanity Fair" (2004) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

In the hallway twixt & between

As awareness dawns about who and where I am in my period of perceptional transition between USAs, tidbits of clear knowledge arrive. The most recent visualization is that I am in a silent misty hallway of twilight doors and floors, not numbered yet infinite in number. My instructions are to remain calm and silent and choose no direction to move in but to constantly move in the right direction. No one else is here and everyone is here. As a friend put it, time to yell "WooHoo" and gleefully get on with nothing while doing everything *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"The Stranger" (1946) - No, don't see it. OC-
"The Killers" (1964) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Chai Variables, Variable Chais

In my travels globally and locally I suffer from severe chai inconsistency (follow the link to find out what "chai" is if you don't already know). Coffee is way too strong for me unless I need to remain awake and alert for several days without sleep, and soy chai is just the right combo to feed my desire for a stimulant without wiring me into an array of neon body spasms and mental twists and shouts. The best chai in the world is made by my wife and when we are together that is what I get, which then makes all others less than best. However, the variables of the ingredients that go into chai and the preparation methods are so variable that I am not able to rely on it from place to place, vendor to vendor. When I get the time, I am going to make my own chai recipe and take it with me for preparation on the spot *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"Ray" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential for healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential for healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Now I get it!...re-discovering America

I am out of my home office today so that my wife's fiber friends can do their thing freely and un-interrupted. This puts me on the street *:-) Actually, at Borders using my T-mobile account to get the web mail and other business done, plus synchronistically running into people I haven't seen in a while, having great conversations, AND...after walking to and fro on the Pacific Avenue Pedestrian Outdoor Shopping Promonade (PAPOSP), burdened with two heavy shoulder bags, I had a flash-realization that the experience I am currently in the middle of, which is a job transition after 25 continuous years of high-intensity USA global corporate management, puts me in a parallel universe to Tom Hanks character in "The Terminal". Because I am not confined to a corporate cubicle, and because I am no longer a citizen of corporate America, I am being given insights into the reality of America that I did not notice because of my limited corporate-specific vision prior to entering my "terminal". Carrying the heavy bags back and forth, I am having spontaneous experiences that could not have happened within the corporate cubicle environment. I am patiently waiting for the entrance doors into my "new America" to happen, and in the meantime, will continue to learn, live and be.

Root canal

I spent with day with my wife at our (excellent) Dentist. 4.5 hours in the chair for her for a long over-due root canal. The travel time to and from our Dentist totals 3 hours, so we were dentaling all day. She is still not comfortable today. My turn in 3 weeks.

Movie Recommendations:

"The Killers" (1946) - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Yes, he is the right guy

The gifted orchardist actually showed up a little early, which is promising, and also turned out to be a very nice person. He is intelligent, immediately understood what the trees needed, and got excited about working with fully mature, natural (non-dwarf) varieties that are older than he is *:-) He reminds us of our youngest son, who is currently interning at the Toyota manufacturing facility near San Francisco. He is fully protected with liability insurance and is providing a disclaimer statement to cover unforseen circumstances during his time on our property. We plan to work with him for several years to bring the trees to their best possible state.

Movie Recommendations:

"Carolina" - No, don't see it. OC-
"13 Moons" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Apples, Pears, Plums, Prunes

Hooray Hooray!
If all goes well, tomorrow evening a truly gifted orchardist will begin bringing our 12 fruit trees back to their natural healthy state of growth, after several years of neglect because I was too busy. He and I will do a walk-around, chat with the trees, and find out if we are all compatible. I will not be inviting the deer or the squirrels for the walk-around because I don't want them to know that this fall's crop will be especially tasty after the trees are cared for properly. The word will probably get out anyway because a bird or owl or bobcat or racoon or mountain lion or opossum or wild turkey or horse or dog or gopher or snake will let the cat out of the bag.

Movie Recommendations:

"What A Girl Wants" - Sure, see it if you want to. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Carpentry, Math, Angles & Angels

The contractor who recently finished the bench seat on our deck extension admitted that Math is difficult for him, and he just can't see how the numbers go together to figure out angles. He is a good carpenter however, so except for the fact that it is rare, exensive Redwood that he is working with, his trial and error carpentry does get the job done. My wife noticed that the bottom angles on the verticle two-by-twos around the railing were all cut backward, and the nails have an exposed space between the cut angle and the base wood that he was nailing into. The railing is overbuilt, so there is no worry about collapse, but gee whiz, that should have been obvious. I will add in an extra backing board here and there to compensate because to force a re-do would cost more Redwood. We can live with it and I doubt that anyone will notice *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"Napoleon Dynamite" - Yes, see it. OC+
"Paparazzi" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

A man called Jim passes on...

Bye Jim. You left your body, passing-on 1 hour and 10 minutes ago, at the age of 92. I really like you, and will continue to remember you as you were when I last was with you. I'd say you had a really good and full life, and that you never stopped living it *:-) Thanks for sharing yourself with us *:-) Have a safe and peaceful journey.

Movie Recommendations:

"Head In The Clouds" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Diamond mirrors

The diamonds that I am close to catch me by surprise. Without any special effort on my part to polish or care for them, occaisonal brilliant flashes of light emanate delightfully and help brighten my day, very much like the people I meet *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"Before Sunset" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Healing, Grieving and Peace

Natural processes have brought some suffering into our family and we are all listening for guidance on how to help and how to be part of the healing that will be needed. May a power greater than ourselves guide us through grief to healing and peace.

Movie Recommendations:

"Touch Of Pink" - No, don't see it. OC-
"Arrested Development" (from TV) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Turkeys on the loose

Another visit this morning of a flock of 14 American Wild Turkeys {Meleagris Gallopavo}. They paraded up and down our front property line pecking at something on the ground. There is a two lane road along this property line which has a few cars in the morning on their way to work. During the "rush hour", just as a car was beginning to pass our front gate, the turkeys decided to cross the road. Why did the wild turkey cross the road? They didn't know the answer either, because they took their time, and wandered about a bit in the middle of the road, while first one, then two and finally three cars had to creep between the meandering turkeys *:-) When the turkeys finished delaying traffic, they headed up the brush covered and forested hill across from us and off to some other play place. We loved the show *:-)
Feel free to check out the link above for more turkey info.

Movie Recommendations:

"The Story of the Weeping Camel" - Yes, see it. OC+
"Rosenstrasse" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Natural talent

A berry is a berry, a tree is a tree.
I want to know what God has made of me.

Movie Recommendations:

"Victor/Victoria" (1982) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

BSA, Baden-Powell & the learning tree

Many many memories of my experiences as a Boy Scout, a Boy Scout Leader and a Woodbadge member have occupied my thoughts in the last 24 hours. Because I love nature and the learning process I believe the original concept of the Boy Scouts as developed by Baden-Powell was the perfect way for a city boy like me to get a safe and appropriate introduction to the real world as defined by nature. I count the hours that I spent in nature within the Boy Scout system as the most truly educational of my life. Facing big hikes, big meals, big animals, big fears, big fatigue, big darkness, big water, big ice, big traditions, big camps and big trees helped me see outside my inside world and de-isolate to become a better person. Thanks to all who help me within the Scouting system *:-)

Movie Recommendations:

"Broken Wings" - No, don't see it. OC-
"Autumn In New York" (2000) - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Green Mint Chips

Cool Mint...Smooth Texture...Superior Meltability...The Perfect Chip...or so the package says. We wanted to make something special for our family as a dessert, and visited 6 different grocery stores in 3 different cities today (2 per city) and finally found what we needed to create the dessert the way we know it needs to be done. A few days from now, I plan to blog the tasting results *:-) Let me know if you are interested in the brand name.

Movie Recommendations:

"The Human Stain" - No, don't see it. The actors are way pro, but the budget isn't big enough to make the story as heavy as it needs to be for balance. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Peaceful Saturday morning

Although I find the arrival of peace pretty unpredictable and inconsistent, I really appreciate it when we get a quiet, still and naturally peaceful morning. For me, it sets my favorite tone for the rest of the day, and makes it easier for me to be the person I want to be. I am grateful for all the peaceful moments I am given, thanks.
The deck-building dude mis-calculated some small elements, so we didn't get it done yesterday after all. He says he will be back on Sunday to finish it up (and also says he will have to charge more!). We really like what he has done, so we'll go along and hope the finished product is just what we want. My wife has a friend coming up today to try the deck out for some craft activities, and the weather is cooperating, so it will be good to hear what someone else thinks about what we have done.

Movie Recommendations:

"Rough Magic" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Doing the Deck Dance

California...Sunshine...Deck...makes sense to us.
We have had our small home since 1987, and are finally getting to finish the deck, which will make the outside of the home as usable and pleasant as the inside. We hope this will free us up to have more people over and more family gatherings, especially if our children present us with grandchildren anytime soon *:-) It seems that our married life got lived a little backwards because our family was large during the early money earning years, when it was very hard to pay for anything extra, and now that we have a small amount to use for expansion, nobody lives here but us (and the cat). We are not planning to put in a hot tub however, sorry.

Movie Recommendations:

"Salon Kitty" - No, don't see it. Don't even put it in the player. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Dogs Bite, Don't They?

Our neighbor's dog is a powerful, mixed breed, black & tan female. She can be quite a normal dog and will accept treats from my wife happily, and not fight with the other dog they have when treats are given. She is very protective of our neighbor's home and property, and barks continuously and loudly if any perceived threat is around, which of course helps us too. She is very capable of jumping over the fencing they have, and sometimes when I am getting out of my truck after getting home after dark, I will find her nose suddenly right at the calf of my leg, which scares the hell out of me, since she has a record of biting people there. Our neighbors are suffering now because they know that if any serious injury occurs to a tradesman or child, they are liable financially, and they need to think about how to control or put down the dog. We wish them good vibes in making that tough decision.

Movie Recommendations:

"Red Heat" - No, don't see it. OC-
"Manchurian Candidate" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

All day 30,000 mile check up

I will be without my truck all day on Friday. The 30,000 mile check on the truck takes all day, from 7:45 am until 5:30 pm [over 9 hours]...when I go in for a complete physical it takes 3 hours max...what is wrong here?...also, nobody gives me a wash and wax when my physical is finished before I am sent home *:-(

Movie Recommendations:

"Good Bye, Lenin!" - Yes, see it. OC+
"Marooned In Iraq" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

What's important in a job?

I am playing professionally prescribed words-with-meaning mind games to further clarify what my ideal job is. I have a chance right now, for as long as it takes, to remain completely open to drawing to me the best job for me now. I have been continuously employed for wages since the age of 12, and it is time for me to make a choice of employment that will give me the opportunity to complete my life as close to right livelihood as possible. For today, the following 12 words describe what I believe is always important in my work:
Honesty
Self Respect
Integrity
Creative
Helping
Public Contact
Trust
Teamwork
Open Communication
Benefits
Learning
Personal Safety

Movie Recommendations:

"Iron Jawed Angels" - Yes, see it. OC+
"A Home At The End Of The World" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

A Bit Of Mother

"I never look at the masses as my responsibility; I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time - just one, one, one. So you begin. I began - I picked up one person. Maybe if I didn't pick up that one person, I wouldn't have picked up forty-two thousand.... The same thing goes for you, the same thing in your family, the same thing in your church, your community. Just begin - one, one, one." - Mother Theresa

Movie recommendations:

"Aria" - No, don't see it. OC-
"Ten" - Yes, see it, both parts. OC+

Lee's OC Index:

OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Pawpy likes the fire

Our cat is happy that winter is here because we use wood heat as much as possible, and she has calibrated the floor in front of the wood stove for the various temperatures that she wants to be at different times. When the fire is just started, and has not yet heated the metal of the wood stove, she lays 1 foot in front of the stove. As the stove heats up (it gets very hot after an hour or so) she gradually moves further and further across the floor away from the stove, but always exactly in front of it, and lays horizontally parallel to the front of the stove. In the morning, I find her back at the one foot distance, because the stove is nearly cold by then. Smart cat.

Movie recommendations:

"The Wedding Gift" - Yes, see it. OC+
"Owning Mahowney" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Squirrel chatter...

Just after breakfast I sat down to work at this laptop and heard a squirrel somewhere close by chattering loudly and constantly. I looked around and hidden behind the bare limbs of the closest apple tree was a medium-size red squirrel sitting up on its hind legs and "yelling" at the black cat that was trying to sneak up on it from the ground below *:-) I got out my trusty paint ball gun, opened the window and sent a few rounds toward the squirrel which then scrambled up to the top of a telephone pole, while the black cat took off for parts unknown. There is no end to the free entertainment around here since we live in the mountains and nature still shares the space with us.

Movie recommendations:

"Super Size Me" - Yes, see it. OC's make sure to check out the DVD bonus feature. OC+

Lee's OC Index:

OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Keep the lights on...

Our holiday lights (all white) are still on both inside and outside our home. They really cheer the area up during the wet, cold and dreary days. We'll take them down little by little over the next few weeks, and by February...gone! In the small mountain communities around where we live there are some families that leave their multi-colored lights up on the outside of their homes all year long. It does make for a cheerful spot here and there.

Movie recommendation:

"Hum Aapke Hain Koun" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC index:

OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Myers-Briggs in my brain

Last week I completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator analysis. They've improved it since the last time I took it several years ago, and this time I was able to complete it at home and determine the Type results myself. I then had a meeting with a professional, who clarified the meaning of the results, and provided good insight into how to use the information. It is amazingly accurate and interesting, and my wife and I had a good time reading over the interpretations. The professional interpreter has become saddened in recent years because too many people are using the Types as cocktail party intro lines instead of taking them a bit more seriously and using them to create better work and life situations. Since I won't be going to too many cocktail parties soon, I am a safe subject *:-) If you know your type, you can use the link I provided to get some info.

Movie recommendations:

"Matchstick Men" - Yes, see it. OC+
"A Touch Of Frost, Season 1" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

bang swoosh bang

Lots of wind and rain, with various items outside banging against the house and the wind causing swooshes as it races itself between and around trees. At least the squirrels are staying away from the fruit trees today *:-)

Movie recommendation:

"Like Water For Chocolate" - No, don't see it. OC-

Lee's OC Index:

OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

I hope PalmOne comes through...(sigh)

I got a new Tungsten T5, with the WI-FI card. The software won't sync onto the PDA. Many calls to PalmOne support (India of course), and today I finally got a case ID. I guess that is a step forward. I really want to use the T5 for everything, and I am still confident that we can work it out (sigh).

I had to complain to Comcast today, our broadband provider. Our connectivity has been really excellent, but over the last month, connectivity has been getting worse and worse, both in up-time and in signal strength. I hope they reply to my e-mail and agree to set the signal strength on the pole connection higher (sigh).

KGO radio says a big time storm is on the way, with probable electrical outages again, etc. (sigh).

Movie recommendation:

"Brief Encounter" - Yes, see it (1945-46 version, B&W). OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

I am motivated to light candles.

The small candles that I light from time to time and keep close to where I am give off a vibe that I feel is friendly and help balance the lack of sunlight and lack of warmth at this time of year here in California.

No electricity again, this time for 12 hours the day before yesterday, but everything is ok.

Lee's OC Index:

"Dodgeball" - No, don't see it. OC-
"Kedma" - Yes, see it for the truth and the history. OC+
"Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle" - Yes, see it. OC+
"Hopscotch" - Yes, see it. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

If a tree falls in the forest...

Collected brilliant beauty in crystal water drops on deodar needle tips because of rain for days and days.

Deodar (Sanskrit devadaru - divine wood): A tall cedar tree (Cedrus deodara) native to the Himalaya Mountains and having drooping branches and dark bluish-green leaves, often with white, light green or yellow new growth in cultivars. It is an important timber tree in India.

We have 3 mature ones here with us, and we have purchased a new one to plant. We find them unusual, magnificent and the squirrels love to sit on their branches *:-(

Lee's OC Index [(c) 2005] of movie recommendations:

"Liquid Bridge" - No, don't see it. OC-
"Wimbledon" - Yes, see it, for the story, the history, the love, the inspiration. OC+

Lee's OC Index:
OC+ = High potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.
OC- = Low potential healing and/or educational message for people with OCD tendencies.

Lee in pencil sketch 

It's a good day to make a list

Lots of rain, some wind, and the power stayed on *:-)

Our neighborhood contingent of squirrels continues to challenge the fruit that remains on the trees in our yard, and I continue to chase them, so our relationship continues into 2005 *:-)

2004 is the first full year that we have succeeded in keeping the deer out of the yard...that is a big deal, and we are happy about it! We suspect that the deer in our region have used the same pathways for many many generations, and it took 5 long years of gently persuading them to change their pattern, through the use of strategically placed wood fencing 10' high. The deer are astonishing in their ability to jump, and to maneuver. We still see them elsewhere occaisionally, and we wave *:-)

Lee's OC Index [(c) 2005]:

"Open Water" - Yes, see it. OC+
"King Arthur, Director's Cut" - Yes, see it. OC+