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July 2016

03
July
2016
Tags: Delusional Grandeur Tour
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The DG Tour: Samsara Healing Water ~ Part 4

“All beings have lived and died and been reborn countless times. Over and over again they have experienced the indescribable Clear Light. But because they are obscured by the darkness of ignorance, they wander endlessly in a limitless samsara.”~ Padmasambhava

Samsara is essentially not any fixed place or realm – for it is any state of mind filled with attachment, aversion and delusion. As the enlightened have no attachment, aversion and delusion, they are forever free of the samsaric, and are never really ‘in’ Samsara, even as they ‘enter’ Samsara to aid beings truly ‘in’ Samsara to be free of attachment, aversion and delusion. It is thus an error to imagine that the enlightened suffer in Samsara when they remain or return to Samsara to help relieve suffering – for, once again, Samsara is not a place. Being enlightened is also to be free of all suffering – wherever one is. ~ Shian

Most people feel cozy enough in samsara. They do not really have the genuine aspiration to go beyond samsara; they just want samsara to be a little bit better. The underlying motivation to go beyond samsara is very rare… There are many people who learn to meditate and so forth, but with the underlying motive that they hope to make themselves feel better… We are always looking to make ourselves comfortable in the prison house. We might think that if we get the cell wall painted a pretty shade of pale green, and put in a few pictures, it won’t be a prison anymore.” ~ Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

Or, Samsara: it’s more than just a perfume.

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03
July
2016
Tags: Delusional Grandeur Tour
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The DG Tour: Samsara Healing Water ~ Part 3

“I would advise you to be happy rather than well-dressed.

It’s better to be happy.” ~ Iris Apfel

It’s a strange position for me to support, yet somehow it’s always been that way. No one I ever tried to impress with my sartorial choices was ever really won over. They looked and gawked and reluctantly gave up a few compliments, but dressing well doesn’t win lasting or real affection. Often, it doesn’t even get you in the door.

At this critical junction of The Delusional Grandeur Tour: Last Stand of a Rock Star, we look into what constitutes true grandeur, and what happens when the delusions are removed.

We don’t usually realize how important and vital our delusions are, how deeply embedded and impossibly ingrained they become after years of practice and abuse. They are not necessarily bad things, our delusions, so long as we understand them to be no more than what they are. To attribute any authentic power or substance to them – therein lies the danger.

If we are wise, we reconcile them to the fanciful phantoms they mostly are, an offset of our illusions, a playground of confusion, mere wisps of aspiration.

If we can get our heads around that concept, then let them be grand. Let them be greater than grand. Let our delusions be divine…

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02
July
2016
Tags: General, Madonna
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True Blue for Three Decades

This summer Madonna’s ‘True Blue’ album turned 30 years old. Released at one of the many peaks of her fame, this was a pivotal album in her career. Having deftly avoided the sophomore curse with her ‘Like A Virgin‘ album, for many people ‘True Blue’ was like her second album. Far more difficult than a comeback is maintaining the level of success that an album such as ‘Like A Virgin’ sets up, yet Madonna miraculously succeeded.

The lead single ‘Live to Tell’ smartly steps miles away from the bubblegum pop of classics like ‘Dress You Up‘ and ‘Material Girl’ and it remains one of her greatest ballads. It set a somber tone, but more serious work was on her mind, as evidenced by album-opener ‘Papa Don’t Preach.’ Defiant, catchy, dramatic and urgent, it was a new Madonna. With her bright blonde pixie cut and toned body, it was one of her most remarkable transformations, and became the benchmark for reinvention.

White-hot pop art was found in another #1 single, ‘Open Your Heart‘ and its darkly gorgeous video. While its exploration of sexuality was clinically-cool, Madonna strutted her stuff in a passionate plea for connection. That kind of passion was in full-effect in a palate of blues found in the title track. ‘True Blue‘ echoed the girl group ear-candy of the 50’s and 60’s, as well as the saccharine belief in true love that was a hallmark of the first blush of marriage.

Lasting longer than the title track and her first marriage (and second, for that matter) ‘La Isla Bonita‘ appears to be one of Madonna’s favorite songs, given her penchant for performing it every chance she gets. In its original incarnation, it is warm and sensuous, the personification of The Beautiful Island, and the religious imagery of the video is an unheralded harbinger of her ‘Like A Prayer‘ days.

Deeper cuts may not fare as well thirty years later, but they carry the hope and inspiration of Madonna’s career and life at the time. ‘Love Makes the World Go Round‘ and ‘Where’s the Party‘ were more than just filler – they provided the backdrop to a decade in which some of us grew up. It’s hard to imagine that there was ever a time when she was all that innocent, but ‘True Blue’ may have been Madonna’s last album of unadulterated, wistful hope.

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02
July
2016
Tags: Cologne
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Spring/Summer Trio

This precious triumvirate, hailing from the Houses of Tom Ford, Hermés and Diana Vreeland, forms the perfect three-pronged attack on the question of what to wear, scent-wise, for the crux of spring and summer. Ford’s classic ‘Neroli Portofino’ is his decadent homage to all things neroli, while Hermes, under the watchful nose of Jean-Claude Ellena, offers one of their sweet garden fragrances – ‘Un Jardin Sur le Nil.’

That bright green bottle, which comes with an effervescent perfume to match, is Diana Vreeland’s ‘Vivaciously Bold.’ Her posthumous perfume line takes its various whimsical names from phrases the woman herself was known for, and this one fits the bill with a bright bergamot backbone.

Each of these carries a heart of citrus – not always the most-lasting of fragrance builders, but one that is perfect for the lighter touch required in the warmer months.

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02
July
2016
Tags: Flowers, Gardening
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Center of Sun, Halo of Moon

With its bright yellow center and pure white petals, this little daisy plant is the sun and the moon all in one. I think it’s actually a variety of chrysanthemum, or maybe feverfew (or possibly they’re one and them same). However they are scientifically known, the blooms are enchanting in their purity and simplicity. While past endeavors saw me seeking out the most rare and exotic plants for the garden, recent years, and a slow maturation, has me realizing that the key to making a pleasant landscape is less in finding the most strange and exotic specimens, and more about finding decent plants and growing them to their utmost health. That brings about a handsome result more than scarcity or cost of a plant itself.

In other words, if you can take proper care of a classic peony – removing last year’s fallen leaves, mulching the area around the perimeter, amending the soil with a healthy dose of manure, taking care not to wet the leaves when watering, and providing circulation in the heat and humidity of a northeast summer – it can look more beautiful than the most expensive and elite orchid that barely manages to survive a few weeks because it wasn’t designed for such a climate.

Apologies for that lengthy example. My sentences run on when I get excited talking about plants and gardening. The point is that even the simple daisy-like flowers seen here have the power to cast a spell, and we’d be fools to overlook the beauty in such austerity.

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01
July
2016
Tags: Boston
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On the Banks of the BPG

Though small by some standards, the Boston Public Garden has secrets and scenes that open up anew every season. No matter how many times I have visited the Garden, I always manage to find something I’ve never seen before: a different tree at a different stage of development or bloom, a different set of ducks or geese, or a different group of squirrels. In addition, there are different angles and vistas that change with the seasons and the hour and the weather – and you could be standing in the same exact spot every day for a year and never see the same exact thing twice.

These views of the pond banks are proof of that. While everyone gets the classic footbridge shot, they often miss shifting to the left or the right of the centerpiece. That’s the magical frame that makes the bridge so glorious.

While I don’t believe in looking back very often, sometimes I get lost in looking unflinchingly ahead. It’s good to pause and look from side to side, to take in a larger picture, to broaden one’s perspective. Beauty is all around us.

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01
July
2016
Tags: Family
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Kiddie Pool

For Father’s Day, the family gathered in our backyard, where my niece and nephew enjoyed their favorite pool. The day was practically perfect – sunny, warm, but with a nice breeze – necessary for these shade-free times. Andy barbecued some chicken thighs, Elaine brought her delicious potato salad, and Mom had made a couple of strawberry-rhubarb pies. We also had the twins’ birthday gifts from many moons ago for them to open. It was a day of many celebrations.

First and foremost was the arrival of summer, to which the twins splashed in jovial fashion. By the grace of God I managed to not throw my back out when tossing them over my head, but it wasn’t easy. Uncle Al is too old to play these strenuous games.

As my brother is also a father, we celebrated him as well.

In the end, the twins expelled all their energy for the ride home and an early bedtime. Sometimes that’s the best gift you can give any father: tiring their children out. You are very welcome.

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01
July
2016
Tags: General
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Brazen July

July is bold.

July is blazing.

July is bodacious.

Like the hot hues of its flowers or the unsubtle soaring of its temps, July makes no apologies for its brazen attitude. I like that kind of bearing.

For this site, July means a gentler zone, for the most part. There’s enough heat outside to accompany the hunky parade of guy candy we offer here. This is a time to get out of the kitchen and into the yard. A time for grilling and basking in the sun. Swimming and waving a watering wand. Being the kid that summer brings out in everyone.

To that end, let’s fire up this July like the best barbecue you’ve ever tasted.

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