I lead a charmed life. Unless you live on a floor below me I doubt if your commute to your polling spot was shorter than mine. My polling station is the lobby of my apartment building. Over the years I have voted with wet hair or in sweatpants or whatever I wore to bed the night before. Today I voted wearing my polar bear slippers.

Yes, I received some strange looks. But I didn’t care. We’re not allowed to wear any campaign paraphernalia — no t-shirts promoting a candidate, no buttons which have been all the fashion rage of late. I get that. But no one said you can’t wear fuzzy slippers in the voting booth — fuzzy slippers with stuffed animals atop them — stuffed animals depicting the great arctic bears whose environment is visibly disappearing — bears recently placed on the Endangered Species list because of global warming. Hmmm… Isn’t there a candidate on the ballot stating that polar bears shouldn’t be considered endangered and that global warming shouldn’t be attributed to “man-made” actions? Funny. My slipper-wearing was just a coincidence. Really it was!

Aside from my subtle political statement, there was something very special about this particular voting day. In line in front of me was a woman with 2-month old twins — teaching by example from the start! Directly behind me was an octogenarian on her mobility scooter, connected to an oxygen tank, eagerly reading up on the one proposition to decide in NY. Later I learned through a Facebook status update that my 18-year old cousin voted in his first ever election. I’m telling you, everyone was out there today, flipping switches and checking boxes. I like that. I like that a lot. It almost made me want to sing “God Bless America.” I said almost! And I almost agree with the person who said that today felt like Christmas. Again, I said almost! I’m just not sure what God or Christ or Buddha or Muhammad or Allah or Xenu has anything to do with the election. But that’s me.

As I sipped my free Starbucks coffee (yeah, yeah, I know. I sold myself out going there. I ain’t perfect.) I realized the vibe on the streets of my Manhattan neighborhood was a positive one. People were happy, polite and considerate, more so than usual. (Contrary to popular opinion, NYers are generally and sometimes overwhelmingly decent folks.) I sensed a feeling of hope in the air. I wonder if the folks in the middle of the country or in Alaska feel the same thing.

As an aside — I stood in line in my lobby for about 10 minutes — it would have been quicker if there weren’t such an imbalance in last name initials in this country. No exaggeration, there were over a dozen people waiting in the L-Z line and ONE person waiting in the A-K line! I guess there must really be a lot of Smiths out there! (Why this hasn’t prompted a change in the voter check-in process, I have no idea.)

Half the planet would say I’m old. Usually I fall into that half myself. Every now and then I see something that not only makes me chuckle but makes me realize I’m not so old after all, relatively speaking.

I live in a co-op with a board of directors and the whole shebang. I recently received a newsletter from my co-op board. One of the articles in that newsletter noted a change in our board of directors since one person voluntarily stepped down from her position. In that article there was a plea for new blood for the board. Some of our board members have held a role for over 20 years and are well into their 60s. The writer of the article stated the need for representation by our building’s younger tenants which have been growing in number in recent years.

Later in the same newsletter there appeared an article about neighbor disputes and what steps to take in the case there is a conflict among tenants. The article attempted to distinguish among various problems and that most issues are a one-time occurrence which are usually remedied by a one-on-one discussion between the neighbors in question. Examples of an easily rectifiable problem are an alarm clock not being shut off or a record player playing too loudly. Yes, you read that right: a record player being too loud! Unless I’ve got Snoop Dogg or the guys from Dead or Alive living next door, I seriously doubt that any excessive volume coming from anyone’s apartment is due to a RECORD PLAYER!

Yes, I think we need some new blood on the board for sure!

Yes, there was that little tournament of champions going on in Arizona. (Helmets off to you, NY Giants!) Meanwhile, back in the victorious team’s hometown, I spent the evening with friends in a game-related event as well, but our games were more of the living room based variety, namely Cranium, Boggle and “Pin the Democratic Hopeful Tail on the (Democrat) Donkey.” (For the record, the results of our game predicted that Hillary will win the nomination on Super Tuesday.) In the midst of all this excitement, the really BIG game of the day was held in Animal Planet’s studios. I’m talking about Puppy Bowl IV!!

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Or maybe these furballs are symbols of divinity.

Apparently, there is a temple in Northeast India at which dozens of stray dogs visit for evening prayer every day and have been doing so for 40 years. They bark *NSync (I still heart Lance!) with the beats of the drums and the blowing of the conch shell. During the service, the dogs presumably become calm and stand in Pranam mudra by raising their front legs to offer prayer.

You skeptics out there are probably assuming that the canines gather at the Temple everyday to receive prasad, a gift from God, this time in the form of a sort of holy Milk Bone. You more devout blogreaders may believe that the mutts, er, mixed breeds, appear as a symbol of Kal Bhairav. Lord Kal Bhairav is an important deity for Hindus and Buddhists. He is a manifestation of Shiva (or Siva), Lord of destruction (and renewal, I believe), and who oversees the march of time. Kal Bhairav’s divine vehicle is a dog and it is believed that feeding and taking care of dogs is a means of showing devotion to the god. Kal Bhairav is also the guardian of travellers. Suffice it so say, my interest is piqued!

Well, whatever the reason for these dogs’ appearance, Kali Temple is now on my list of places to go during my RTW trip. Doggies + a diety looking out for me and my backpack + the sights, sounds and smells of India = my kind of place!

Nah… not your parachute. What color is your… University? your… Country?

A buddy of mine pointed me to this on-line quiz site designed, in a fun way, to tell me something about myself, I suppose. Some of the quizzes were right on, I think! Try ‘em yourself. Go to: Blue Pyramid.

I’ve posted my favorite results below…

You’re UC - Berkeley!
A true hippy, you really wish you could spend the rest of your life in the 1960’s. It’s not that you haven’t been able to settle down and be quite successful, but you yearn for the days of agitation and revolution. You’re fond of the old comic Bloom County, as well as the more recent Outland. The rest of your life looks like a struggle between your prestige and your radical nature. You really like those cheap Sathers candies.
Take the University Quiz

With the country quiz I was torn between Pyramids and Cathedrals being more interesting, hence the two different responses below, both of which are very applicable to me!

You’re Mexico!
While some people think you’re poor and maybe a little corrupt, you know where it’s at, enjoying good food and nice beaches. You like to take things a little slower than those around you, and you really wish the air were cleaner, but sometimes compromises must be made. For some reason, Chevrolet keeps trying to sell you Novas as well, even though they don’t really go.

You’re Spain!
You like rain on the plain, as well as interesting architecture and a diverse number of races and religions. You like to explore a lot, but sailing, especially in large groups, never really seems to work out for you. Beware of pirates and dictators bearing bombs. And for heavens’ sake, stop running around bulls! It’s just not safe!
Take the Country Quiz

I did! Today, for the first time, I was in the presence of Amma, a humble servant, a humanitarian, a healer, a spiritual teacher –– she who is known to thousands as the “Hugging Saint.” It was a memorable experience for sure –– surreal, meditative, soothing, comfortable, odd, trippy and above all, generously loving.

For those who don’t know who Amma is, I suggest checking out her website . Yes, spiritual gurus in this day and age have websites, too! To summarize, she is many things to many people. She plays all the roles I’’ve listed, and to many she is primarily known as the woman who travels the world, giving each member of her audience individual blessings in the form of an actual motherly embrace, an expression of compassion and empathy. She visits several North American cities each summer for a few days in each to connect with EVERY person who awaits her blessing. She has been known to sit for 20 hours at a time in order to connect with each person in line. Over the course of 35 years, she has supposedly hugged 26 million people! Although she hails from India and apparently follows the traditions of her homeland, she subscribes to no formal religion, but rather says that her religion is Love.

I had known of Amma for years, thanks at first to my funky northern California ties. I have met many who have been hugged by Amma and know a couple who are followers of hers who have worked in her California base of operations as well as her Ashram in India. I have wanted to be in Amma’’s presence since I learned of her but I never seemed to be at the right place at the right time. But this year, our schedules coincided with her visit to NYC. This would be the year to meet her. I sent an email to a couple of friends in the area I thought might be interested in attending the event as well, and the plans of our Amma day began to form.

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Happy Birthday to (the) US! It’s days like this — holidays or other significant dates — that make me think back to the years past and what I was doing on this day then. Humor me, blogreader, while I go down memory lane and relive some memorable moments from various Independence Days past…

1976 – a biggie! Our nation’s bicentennial! My family and I went to some local fireworks show on Long Island, NY, as usual, and then went to the movies to see Murder by Death.

1984 – my parents and I had just started our month-long European sojourn. On this day we were in London which was jam-packed due to Wimbledon. Our hotel room was smaller than our unfolded map of the city. We took a dinner cruise on The Thames. A group of ugly Americans sang American patriotic songs at the tops of their lungs. My parents and I cringed in embarrassment.

1986 – my sister, brother-in-law to be, and I attended a concert at Rich Stadium in Buffalo, NY. Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and The Grateful Dead took the stage and jammed for hours and hours while we snaked out in the audience. It would be the first and last time I’d be in Jerry Garcia’s presence.

1989 – although I attended college in Boston, I was rarely there during the summers. But this year I was one of the thousands of spectators on Boston’s Esplanade experiencing the Boston Pops concert underneath a sky of lit rockets.

1993 – I traveled to Rochester, NY to see my family and meet my first-born nephew for the first time. We attended a local fireworks display and we were amazed how our 3-week old bundle slept through the ear-splitting noise.

2001 – I scored a hot ticket to the highly coveted bleacher seats for the famous Macy’s Fireworks extravaganza along New York City’s East River. The day itself was even hotter. We received goodie bags filled with tchokies including a light-up lucite star necklace which I still have but which needs a new battery. Later we crashed a party at a nearby yacht club.

2005 – I completed my descent of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I received my gold certificate for having reached the summit the day before. I took a shower for the first time in a week. I partied with my fellow climbers and porters with good food and local beer. I befriended a cute South African guy with whom I’m still in touch.

2006 – I attended a festive yet unrelated-to-Independence-Day party in Northern California. The party was held in the backyard of my friends’ family in honor of friendship with their fellow pals from Puerto Rico. It was a rollicking good time with plenty of good food and music and dancing. I made cupcakes with white frosting topped with strawberries and blueberries.

2007 – I’m here in NYC for the first time in years. The weather is rather overcast and thunderstorms threaten to put a damper on any firework displays tonight. I don’t think this year’s celebration will make it into future moments to reminisce. But I’m content and FREE — and I’ve got lemon ice in the freezer!

May the gods and goddesses bless America and the whole world. No exceptions!

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. - Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Well put, wouldn’t you say? I liked this quote — it hit home for me. I pondered it a great deal. For better or worse, this statement is quite true. Everything we do or witness shapes us forever, whether we’re aware of it or not. They create our life while we’re busy making other plans.

As for me, I hope for parallel plane experiences. Heck, a tesseract experience would be even better! M5-brane experiences would be sublime! Bring ‘em on! The more dimensions the better!

I love all animals, by I must admit hyenas are not my favorites. But, like most creatures, when they’re little they’re oh so cute! Check her out, snoozing in Ngorongoro Crater.