I fell asleep listening to the radio, and was awakened at 2 am by birdies screeching outside my window. It's so strange to have birdies noises at that hour. Maybe they've always been outside my window at my new place talking up a storm, but this is the first night I heard them.

Noisy birdies. Usually they start to chatter right before the sun comes up, but at 2 am in the morning, what gives? When I woke up at 6:15 am, I didn't hear any birdie conversations. There must have been something happening in the birdie world early this morning.

I do feel intuitively that something is about to happen, but not to me specifically. It feels more like to the earth, although who knows what that might me. They say animals can always predict earth changes. I hope it's nothing too serious, and the birdies just had some kind of incident happening in their world in the wee hours of the morning that they just had to chatter very loudly about.

I'm listening to the soundtrack from the movie "The Pianist". The music is so beautiful!

I went for a walk in Golden Gate Park since it was such a warm day. It's nice to live only three blocks away from such a beautiful place. The Rose Garden was in full bloom and I tried to smell all the roses. Not all roses have a smell, but when you find one it's so heavenly. One rose smelled very peppery.

My legs hurt now. My pedometer says I walked about 5 miles or a little over 11,000 steps. Now I'm hungry for some salad. I love when it's hot because I tend to eat healthier and crave only fruits, veggies and salads.

A friend sent me the following via email ... it's very amusing.

A little Zen for you

Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect health or a life without problems. What would you talk about?

Let go of pride, ego, and opinions. Admit your errors and forgive those of others. Relinquishment will lead to calm and healing in your relationships. If that doesn't work, try small-claims court.

The Torah says, "Love thy neighbour as thyself." The Buddha says there is no "self." So maybe you're off the hook.

There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?

Though only your skin, sinews, and bones remain, though your blood and flesh dry up and wither away, yet shall you meditate and not stir until you have attained full Enlightenment. But first, a little nosh.

Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?

If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story.

-- A wise person once said "what good is a smart bomb if you have a dumb president?" -