I’ve been reading about meditation on the net recently, and decided that this would be a good time to try it. I found a nice shady tree, and sat underneath it with my back and head against the trunk, and found a convenient item to contemplete: in my case, a yellow tent a few campsites down.

Almost immediately, I became aware of a few things- I could feel movement in the tree! It never occurred to me that one could feel movement in the trunk as the tree swayed gently in the breeze, but it was there, tiny, but perceptible, against my back. I listened to the breeze rustling through the leaves and trees, and then felt the movements as the tree reacted. I started to concentrate on the movements, reaching out with my senses to see if i could extend that feeling upwards, into the limbs.

I don’t know if I really succeeded, but an amazing thing happened….I felt a peaceful feeling, a calmness, that I haven’t felt…. in like ever. A clarity of thought that was startling to one as mired as I in everyday minutiae and concerns. I opened my eyes, not remembering when I had closed them, startled at the sudden greenness of the park, feeling in tune with the Earth and the breeze.

I hadn’t looked at my watch; a person in the group I was with said I had been under the tree for almost an hour. They were in fact, thinking of coming over and seeing if I was still breathing!

It’s amazing to me to have an experience so new at my age. I plan on meditiating a lot more.

I saw a new XM Roady2 at Best Buy, and was immediately attracted by the price. It’s very inexpensive, and I’ve read about XM for the last year or so, so I bit the bullet and bought one.

I am *all about* XM radio now. Listening to complete programs of classical music for hours, with no fade or losing reception in the hills.

I wish I had done this a year ago. If you drive a lot, you want this.

Recommended.

If you haven’t seen this movie, you should. Most movies about musicians or composers are banal or cliched in some manner. This movie has an incredible richness and depth, beautiful photography (all done in natural light!), and an overriding theme that literally is a vicious battle between God and one man.

Milos Forman made, in 1984, a truly timeless film- one that stands the test of time without a single flaw or anachronism to date it. Twenty-plus years later, it’s still a visual and aural feast, completely satiating to the senses. F. Murray Abraham’s performance as Salieri might be the most powerful single performance ever put on film. It’s simply astonishing.

No movie review or simple recommendation can do this film justice. I can’t write any better review that the hundreds that have already been written, and I refuse to even try. Just see it, and be treated to an extraordinary experience.