Tag: energy

Cloud Cult

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Cloud Cult was formed in Duluth, MN in 1995 by Craig Minowa while pursuing a degree in Environmental Science, shining shoes and driving an ice cream truck. The band’s early work earned Cloud Cult several offers from record labels, but all were rejected in favor of self-publishing. In 1997, Minowa formed Earthology Records on his organic farm, powered by geothermal energy and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic. This nonprofit label uses only recycled materials and donates all profits to environmental charities. The band also tours in a biodiesel van. The band’s merchandise is 100% postconsumer recycled or made of certified organic materials. Cloud Cult has planted several thousand trees to absorb the band’s CO2 output. They also donate heavily to projects that build wind turbines as revenue generators on Native American Reservations.

In the year 2002, shortly after the unexpected death of his two year old son Kaidin, Minowa wrote over a hundred songs to deal with the loss. They Live on the Sun was finished in 2003 and went to #1 on college radio station charts across the country. Since that album, Cloud Cult’s music has been strongly inspired by the loss of Kaidin and the “big picture” issues of life:  “who are we, why are we here, where did we come from, where do we go”. Minowa seems in constant pursuit of the light at the end of the tunnel.

Find this song on iTunes on the album “Light Chasers.”  Find their official website here: Cloudcult.com

 

Driving. With my alcohol.

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breathe-steam-portrait

4:40 am.
I’m rumbling down I-95.
Dave Matthews is blaring through the speakers. And has been joining me on the morning ride all week.

You’ve been off. Haven’t found your rhythm. It’s back. You’re burning it from both ends.  The adrenaline – – it’s pumpin’.

I look down at the gas gauge. And then to the estimate of the mileage remaining. Annoyed at the interruption. Need to stop. Better stop. I pull over to the Mobile station.

I’m listening to the clicks on the pump.  And find myself drifting off.  There’s mist coming from my nose, rising up, and then disappearing into the darkness. I breathe in deeply. Exhale through the nose. And watch the show again. Magic. A Miracle. My morning moment of meditation.  And like the wisp of air, Pessoa’s disquiet rushes to fill the stillness.

You’re more comfortable moving. You find peace in motion.  Yet, you know it ain’t peace.

It’s hanging on my bulletin board in the office: “business is the art of getting people to where they need to be faster than they would get there without you.”  A Hugh McLeod illustration.  A Big red hand with index finger pointing up – #1.  There it is. Your strength. Your core competence. The transference of your disquiet to others.  Pushing the pace.  Injecting your adrenaline. More. Better. FASTER.
Continue reading “Driving. With my alcohol.” →

You really believe that? Good Lord, why?

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painting,art,woman,red

This much is irrefutable: How you direct your gaze, where you place your energy and your conviction, how you tune your perception and with what integrity and attitude you offer yourself to the world means, well, everything. Why can’t this basic truth be broadened out to humanity as a whole?…

Maybe that’s a little much. Maybe it’s better to test it all out yourself, every day, on micro scale, to feel into what you really believe, what you know to be true at core level, versus what you’ve been fed, and by whom, and for what spurious purpose…

Who the hell told you you’re broken? Who told you you’re an addict, a loser, a Type-A, a manic depressive? Who said you’re too weak to quit smoking, to start exercising, to eat better, to find love or to quit being an overbearing jerk with zero redeeming qualities? Who told you humanity must operate a certain way? Who told you you’re full of trauma and rage? Who dared tell you you’re not already God? You really believe that? Good lord, why?

~ Mark Morford, Believe this and live forever

Painting by Malcolm T. Liepke via Hungarian Soul.

We doing this?

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Focus, important,efficiency,productive,

More insight here: 99U.

Nap Time!

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napping,sleeping,chart

  • 34% of adults in the U.S. say they take a nap on a typical day.
  • A person who dreams during a short nap is likely sleep deprived.
  • As we age there is a tendency to take and be satisfied with shorter naps.
  • Ideal nap time: 1pm – 4pm.  Napping later in the day can interfere with falling asleep at night.
  • A 10-20 minute nap packs the most punch. You can feel groggy after 20-30 minute naps. A 60 minute nap may do more harm than good.
  • To avoid a deep sleep, it’s best to sleep slightly upright

Read more @ wsj.com: The Perfect Nap: Sleeping is a Mix of Art and Science