Help out!! Please--it's good for your Karma bank!!

My lovely sister, Jama,(pictured above) has been preparing a beautiful benefit concert for Women for Women International for two years--the concert will be held next month in Manhattan at Carneige Hall.

Sadly, with the downturn of the financial world many people have held back with giving to charities and attending benefits.

The concert, appropriately entitled, "Baroque Heart" will still go on; however, Jama has kindly asked me to reach out to others who, although unable to attend the concert in person, would like to donate to the benefit: Women For Women.

ANY donation helps--seriously, $1, $5, $10---obviously the more the better--but this organization needs your help. All donations benefit the Women for Women International organization and are tax deductible! But c'mon...you have $5 to spare, right? To help out the cause? I know you do....just skip the Starbucks today..besides, you'll get it back next year after you file your taxes!

Women for Women International provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies. Since 1993, Women for Women International has directly assisted more than 93,000 women and has distributed nearly $32 million in direct aid and microcredit loans. It currently operates in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and Sudan. www.womenforwomen.org

Anyway, if you can find it in your heart to give to this benefit...thank you! You can donate securely and on-line by going to the link below.

Thank you! Oh, and for more information about the concert itself, I have left the description of it after the link.


Unable to attend the concert but would like to make a tax deductible donation? Making a contribution is easy and secure just click on the following link to donate by credit card https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/contribute/donate/2099.


~ Please join us for an elegant evening of Baroque music
to benefit women survivors of war around the world ~



Baroque Heart
Music of Purcell and Handel
Proceeds benefit Women for Women International

Jāma Jandroković, Soprano
Jory Vinikour, Harpsichord

March 10, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
154 West 57th Street, New York, NY


Soprano Jāma Jandroković, recently heard at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in a "revolutionary" performance in the contemporary stage work Five Lovers, brings her "pearly tone" to the early music repertoire at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall for an evening of passionate Baroque songs and arias entitled Baroque Heart. Ms. Jandroković will be joined by Jory Vinikour, "an authentic poet of the harpsichord" whose "immaculate virtuosity" has partnered opera stars Cecilia Bartoli, David Daniels and Anne-Sophie von Otter. Couturier Mika Inatome, celebrated for her sumptuous haute-couture gowns, and jewelry designer Donna Distefano known for her exquisite hand-wrought, classical and medieval inspired gold works will create couture for Ms. Jandroković. Proceeds from the concert will benefit Women for Women International.

Tickets are $30 -$100 with student and senior discounts available.


To purchase tickets click here http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/events/evt_12380.html, or call the Carnegie Hall box office at (212) 247-7800 .

Unable to attend the concert but would like to make a tax deductible donation? Making a contribution is easy and secure just click on the following link to donate by credit card https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/contribute/donate/2099.

The Baroque Heart Benefit Concert is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. We are grateful for the services of Fractured Atlas which allow us to receive online donations and distribute tax receipts for contributions to the Baroque Heart Benefit Concert. Contributions on behalf of the Baroque Heart Benefit Concert may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the

Thank you for supporting the arts and Women survivors of war and their families around the globe.

Soprano Jāma Jandroković has charmed audiences and critics with her clear, pure soprano and engaging stage presence. A versatile interpreter of song, she is equally at ease in early music, new music, Lieder, and Broadway. Native to the wind-swept plains of Wyoming, she has appeared in major international concert halls including Konzerthaus Berlin, The Croatian National Theater, Munich's Gasteig für Kultur, as well as New York City's Steinway Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Critics and audiences have thrilled to her artistry, delighting in her "lovely lyric soprano and gift for poetry" [New York Newsday] and praising her "appealingly sweet" [Opera News] and "clear and beautiful voice" [Glamour Magazine Germany]. www.jamajandrokovic.com

Jory Vinikour is recognized as one of the outstanding harpsichordists of his generation. Born in Chicago, Jory came to Paris in 1990 on a scholarship from the Fulbright Foundation to study with Huguette Dreyfus and Kenneth Gilbert. First Prizes in the International Harpsichord Competitions of Warsaw (1993) and the Prague Spring Festival (1994) brought him to the public's attention, and he has since appeared with leading orchestras and in festivals and concert series throughout much of the world. Increasingly known as an accompanist, he has appeared extensively in recital with artists including David Daniels and Anne Sofie von Otter, with whom he recorded Music for a While for Deutsche Grammophon. www.joryvinikour.com

Women for Women International provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies. Since 1993, Women for Women International has directly assisted more than 93,000 women and has distributed nearly $32 million in direct aid and microcredit loans. It currently operates in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and Sudan. www.womenforwomen.org

Spinsterhood...?? Not yet.

This has been on my mind a lot lately and I figured I should might as well get it out there. Besides, it seems to be "the elephant in the room" whenever I am around certain people and I might as well address it.

This topic was sparked by a conversation from my "paramour" or as I refer to him among friends, "Pseudo Boyfriend" and now just "Pseudo Steve". Anyway, I get this call from him this morning while at work and he declares that I have to visit to Utah. Whhhaaat? I am a bit perplexed. A part of me is thinking, okay, he is based out of Salt Lake (he is a pilot for Delta--he flies from Denver to his "base" as he prefers to live here) so maybe he wants me to go visit some of his pilot buddies in Park City? Of course I was WAY wrong.

No, no, he thinks I will have to marry a Mormon therefore to find a Mormon one must visit Utah. That's all there is to it and I won't be happy otherwise. In retrospect this is funny, but at the moment I was offended. He knows I love my Mormon family and friends, but I'm afraid that I would never be happy married to one. ---I know, I know, many of you think otherwise, but trust me on this one, k? But this is not what I really want to blog about---it's the fact that my own "pseudo bf" thinks my "clock is ticking" and I need to hurry up and jump on the wedding train.

I'm really tired of this. I mean, I'm 28, not 48 and I have plenty of time to have kids and have a happily married life. What is more annoying is that Steve actually told me he would marry me "in a second" if I didn't want kids. But, I do and he doesn't so we have this bizarre situation where we are best friends with some extras and know that eventually we will part ways romantically. Fair enough. But it sucks that we have this disconnect. However, that's life.

So because of this understanding he and I have, he is "looking" out for me---wanting me to be happy and comes up with stupid ideas like this. Now, some of you are thinking, "well, if he really loved you he would...blah blah blah." Listen. Our relationship is far too complicated to explain here, but let's just say I have no doubt about his feelings for me, but realize he is aware of too many practical differences between us to ever make it work in a marital way--and I agree.

Anyway, I would be lying if I said, "I don't care about getting married" of COURSE I care. I so want that someday--a great, successful and loving husband, maybe a couple kids and a beautiful home--however, I am NOT in husband-hunting mode nor will I jump on the "clock-ticking bandwagon" so many near-thirty women hop onto out here. (yes, and it is only in certain parts of the country--in NYC or L.A. for example---TOTALLY different... WOMEN are closer to 40 when they marry there).

The thing is, I'm sorting out some stuff in my life--I'm back in school to FINALLY finish my degree, I'm starting to feel more comfortable in my spirituality and I'm finally learning who Nancy is. Not Nancy the Mormon or Nancy the youngest daughter or Nancy the black-sheep. Just me, just Nancy--and I like what I'm discovering. As I have explained to many, I am in a "cocoon" phase to reemerge a butterfly when I am good and ready. That may be 1 year or 3, but when I do I think I will be in the position to attract the perfect partner--soul mate and helpmate and husband. So, that's my story. That's why I am NOT pursuing dating or "getting out there" or joining match.com...I'm just doing my own thing.

And that suits me for now.

On a funnier note--my bf texted me a hilarious incident that occurred to her while she went inside her office building. While entering the door she came across a very handsome young man and smiled, however, as the door opened a huge gust of wind assaulted her and managed to blow open her wrap dress to reveal her semi-nakedness to aforementioned hot guy. Awesome. Embarrassing, but hilarious.

Have a happy day.

Training Day

This past weekend I had a trainer come in to help Bo-Bo become more "balanced" and therefore more happy (=I'm happier,too). The trainer is Tracy and she has trained under Cesar Milan's direct protege's and knows her stuff! She also owns a great Doggie Daycare in the Denver area--you can learn more about her and her training HERE.

Anyway, she came to my apartment last Saturday and despite Bo-Bo flipping out and barking at her she got him in-line in less than a minute. I was very impressed. From there she told me he was *not* aggressive by nature, but fearful. If he was an aggressive dog he would never have let her enter the threshold of my apartment in the first place. That was great to hear.

She went on to explain that dogs only have four options when it comes to facing a "challenge" (i.e. training they don't want, an adversary, etc):

1. Fight

2. Flight

3. Avoidance (like cowering away, covering eyes with paws)

4 Submission

Ideally, you want your dog to submit, but oftentimes they will put up a front with one of the other above options--Bo-Bo tends to choose fighting when it comes to other dogs. So, my challenge is to train him to submit rather than fight.

Tracy and I went to a local dog park to be around other dogs---he go aggressive, but after time and many corrections, he submitted and just ignored them. I was thrilled! However, it is a work in progress and I have to keep socializing him and correcting him when he misbehaves until it becomes a habit.

In the meantime, though, barking has gone down significantly and he is easier to control. We're not all the way there yet, but will be with enough practice of daily exercise (minimum of 45 minutes), discipline and then affection.

I love my little guy so I'm in it for the long haul.

Next step? Buying a cheapie treadmill off of craigslist and putting Bo-Bo on it for 30 minutes a day on top of our regular walks. Hopefully that will burn some of his energy so he'll be more tired and therefore more submissive in training.

We shall see. To be continued...and now for your viewing pleasure, one of my favorite clips of the dog whisper! Have fun! (sorry about the commercial beforehand, but you can skip it when the option pops up)

Dog Whisperer - The Dog Whisperer - Pinky and the Brain | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

So Tired---

.

I'm sleepy. Always sleepy--and I'm sick of it!

I am NOT a morning person nor have I ever been. To make matter worse-- since I've moved I have to wake up even *earlier* to get to work at a reasonable hour. Part of the problem is that I require much more sleep than the average adult--it takes 9 to 10 hours makes me happy. However, that never really happens on weeknights--as I am sure we are all to aware.

Even assuming that I *could* get that much sleep there is still another problem I run into: I am consistently woken up by my alarm in the middle of a dream. Why is this a problem? Well, for those who are not aware, when were are actively dreaming we are in the middle of a REM cycle--the deepest part of it--and when we are roused during a dream we are forced out of that deep dreamy world--hence we are more drowsy than if we were awakened during lighter parts of our sleep cycle. Make sense?

Good news is that modern science has found a cure of sorts by designing some alarm clocks that actually monitor your sleep pattern (through wrist bands) and wake you when you are NOT in a deep slumber--therefore you wake up more refreshed. Pretty cool idea. You can check out the websites to these little devices by clicking HERE & HERE




So why don't I buy the clock and then problem solved, right? Um, no. Did you take a look at the price tags on these beauties? The cheapest is $150! That is like 3.5 mani/pedi's, 4 meals out or 2 massages with tip! Alas, it will just have to go on my wish list and when I get tired enough I will buy the silly thing.

Oh well. Till next time...

Nighty night! (not really---the day is just starting but it seemed like a cool way to end the post...tee hee.)

Moved In---ish

Yesterday was the big day---and thanks to my brothers, some nephews and my folks' help---I was able to get everything moved in---even the animals (how I fondly refer to my cat, Aria, and dog, Bo-Bo). Needless to say--it was not fun, but it was done in time for me to spend a few hours unpacking...


Aria, understandably, was freaked out most of the day and hid in closets and behind other various items. Finally, though, around 7 PM I coaxed her out of her hiding space (er...well, picked her up and took her out of the space) and she has been acting normal ever since.

Bo-bo has been fine---loving all the extra space and growling at people walking by the door. Lovely. Thankfully, the dog-whisperer of Denver (aka Tracy) is coming next Saturday to help with that. I asked my nephews if they wanted to come over to be the guinea pigs--since Bo-Bo seems to like to bark at them soo much. Sorry, guys! He really is sweet deep down somewhere.

As if he knew I was writing about him..Bo-Bo just started barking at the neighbors and their screaming child, went into their apartment next door. So much for making a good impression...sigh.

Anyway, so far so good with the unpacking---starting to find places for most things and found some stuff I haven't seen in YEARS. I am going to donate some clothes and chuck some other unwanted crap I've been hauling around for years--so good work for me!

Tomorrow will be the first day taking the lightrail to work. That will be interesting---I just hope I can get up in time to arrive at the office at a reasonable hour---seeing as I am usually 20 minutes late to work every day as is (don't worry, I stay late to make up the time....;-)) the definition of "on-time" is debatable---but I'm going to aim for being to work no later than 8:10--- what? I'm just so NOT a morning person.

Lastly, I'm SOOOO happy to have more room! Yay!

Here's to a great start to the new year....

Moving on

Yep, the day is approaching--technically I am in two leases right now--one with my old apartment until January 31st and one with my new apartment as of January 17th. Now, its just a matter of moving all my stuff from my old apartment into my new one.

Moved about 10 boxes yesterday--but really, that was NOTHING. I can't believe how much crap I've accumulated. I will let out a long sigh of relief once this move is over.

It's been stressful with starting DU AND the moving thing, but DU is going pretty well! Lucky for me I am not the only math clueless woman in my two math classes and think I might actually come out of this class with a B. Good times.

Now back to the moving. With all this changing of location I have come to realize what I will miss about my old apartment/neighborhood.

1. The nail salon across the street with the nice, but slightly overly-personal Vietnamese nail technicians---they do a great job, but oftentimes like to point out my foot-flaws: "Oh, nail too short--why nail so short? You bite?"

No, I DON'T bite my toenails, eew.

2. The proximity to work and downtown. 25 minutes WALKING to work or 10 minutes by bus/car. Can't beat that

3. The random dog biscuits consistently left on the bus bench for the delight of dog-walker's pooches as they pass by. Classic.

4. The neighborhood pet store boutique/Metaphysical store. Seriously, what an odd combination---but it WORKS---love that store---love that I can buy some Reiki-charged candles to meditate with and a box of kibble. Classic.

5. The proximity to Cheeseman Park--like 6 blocks away! It is wonderful in summer to take Bo-Bo on a short walk to such a beautiful area.

Now, for the reality check---What I WON'T miss about my apartment/neighborhood:

1. The fact that I can hear people peeing and or showering as I walk down the hallway.

2. The fact that I have to turn off certain lights in my apartment when running the microwave in order to prevent shorting a fuse. Seriously!

3. I'm all for historical aspects---but these 1930s dated sinks in the bathroom are a pain in the you know what. They have separate hot and cold water faucets---total hassle to wash your face with.

4. The constantly leaking bathtub faucet

5. The fact that it's a freaking studio! Enough! I need space to breathe!!!!

So--looking forward to Saturday when the folks are coming down (and a couple of my brothers) to move all the BIG stuff so I can get the heck out of this darn apartment and into my new one-bedroom. Yay!

Two Words:

Watch this!