Surfer Dog

Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

So, as long as no dogs are harmed, I think this is way cool: a pretty cool pup is participating in the small dog category of a surfer dog competition in Del Mar, California.

Blessing of the Taxis

Today, the annual blessing of the Taxi Cabs took place in San Francisco. Given the traffic in the City, I wish the friars would also hold an annual blessing of pedestrians!

Gracie's Most Recent Hunting Trip

So from at least one comment I've received, it sounds like there is interest in seeing more Gracie-videos. I guess my opining about world events doesn't hold the same attraction as my Gracie. Don't worry; I'm not offended....I agree. So to satisfy you, my readers, here is another video of Gracie...this time, on a hunt, probably for a rabbit (or maybe the pest of a cat who lives across the street):

Gracie's Birthday Hamburger

Once a year I give Gracie, my beagle, a hamburger for her birthday, which I celebrate around the day she walked into my life, August 9. This year she's probably about 15 years old. We've spent 12 years together, and I can say that every day of those 12 years she has made me laugh!

Each year, I've enjoyed watching her wolf down the celebratory meal. In the past, she would eat the patty and then eat one side of the bun, while she then buried the other half either in the yard or the couch. This year there were a couple of surprises! The celebration took a whole 2'45" (not counting the post-consumption search for more). Here's the video.

Airport Chaplaincy

Photo: Jonathan Cohen for The New York Times

I've always been intrigued with the ministry of airport chaplaincy, but truth be told, I have never actually seen a chaplain when I've gone into airport chapels. I have only seen airport chaplains during times of catastrophic emergencies. But, now that more travelers are having to bunk down in the airport rather than being put up at a hotel during long delays, I suspect that the importance of airport chaplaincy will rise. After all, as people are forced to spend more time in the airport itself, for long, extended periods of times during delays, it would be swell if chaplains in those airports offered some meditation sessions or conversation to calm the frazzled traveler.

El Dorados

So just one of the many reasons I love my husband is that he takes me to things like Surf Sunday at the Hotel Utah in San Francisco where I get to discover new (to me) surf bands. My new fav. is the El Dorados:

The Spirituality of Coaching Sports

Perhaps at no other time have two different spiritual ideas come to the fore in the coaching strategies of a professional sports event as in this year's NBA Finals. The Lakers have been coached by Phil Jackson, who has long been known for his Buddhist approach to training, in which the emphasis is on meditative focus for each player to enter "the zone."

The Celtics's coach, Doc Rivers, has been promoting a motto/mantra for awhile now. But since the team is in the finals, the mantra/motto has been getting more press again. That mantra is "Ubuntu," which means roughly, 'I am what I am because of who we all are."

BTW: the concept got some press a few years ago when former President Bill Clinton encouraged western leaders to consider adopting it in their approach to leadership. Maybe the concept will get more play if the Celtics win...but I bet we'll just see it on t-shirts and caps.