PERSONAL NEWS #230

On March 1^st, I hosted the first annual retreat for BFP A&C committee at my humble abode.  It was a productive retreat with much accomplished.  That evening I went to see “Hobo Grunt Cycle” again, and stayed afterwards to hear the speaker panel.  This panel consisted of three speakers from “Veterans for Peace” organization, plus a terrific Q&A.  Got a ride home afterwards from Charlotte and Oliver.

March 2^nd, I had a much needed acupuncture treatment appt with Dr Tan.

March 3^rd, I had a private yoga session with Fabrice and Shiva.

March 4^th, I participated in an urgent BFP board member conf call regarding the Ukraine crisis.

March 5^th, I had a much needed chiropractor treatment appt.

March 6^th, I attended the monthly BFP board members meeting at The Commons.  I also finished reading a terrific book by Juliet Nicolson called “The Great Silence”.  The book is about England after the shadow of the First World War to the dawn of the Jazz Age.  I highly recommend it.

March 8^th, after a productive morning of errands and chores, I went to get a much needed manicure / pedicure.  That evening I went to Dixon Place [lower Eastside] to hear Capt Paul Chappell speak after the “Hobo Grunt Cycle” performance.  His talk was regarding racism, peace, women’s movement, war and his thoughts on the evening’s performance.  Before and after Capt Paul’s “talk” I was able to chat with him on a few topics.  He remembered me from BFPs Peace Fair in 2012 and my fascination with WW1.  Afterwards, Veronica and I hung out at the Dixon Place bar to chat with a few people who’d seen the show / talk.

March 9^th, I had a private yoga session with Fabrice and Shiva.

March 10^th, I had a private yoga session with Fabrice and Shiva.

March 11^th, I attended the productive monthly BFP Fund / PF committee meeting at Ken’s home.

March 13^th, I attended the lecture … Why Peace is Possible: Exploring the Anatomy of Violence and War by Paul K. Chappell [Peace Leadership Director, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation] at Soka Gakkai Buddhist temple down in Union Square.

On March 14^th, after work, I went to Dixon Place on lower Eastside to hear a Buddhist monk [Claude AnShin Thomas] speak with honesty from his experiences about how to live a life of peace after the Hobo Grunt Cycle show

On March 15^th, after Dana did cleaning of my apt in the morning, I took car service down to Crown Heights in Brooklyn to visit with a friend.  Jackie was showing me how to utilize PowerPoint 2010, plus we had lunch and caught up on news.

On March 16^th, after doing laundry, I headed into Manhattan and the office to meet up with an acquaintance that helped me with more PowerPoint training.  All this training is for an exam on March 28^th, which I have to pass to keep my job.  In the evening, I had a private yoga class with Fabrice and Shiva.

On March 17^th, I had an appt with my lung doctor, and the wait was 2 hours.  I didn’t get out of there until after 8pm.  UGH!!

March 18^th, I participated in a productive, informative BFP A&C committee conference call.

March 21^st, I had a private yoga class with Fabrice and Shiva.

March 23^rd, at 5am, I was at NY Methodist hospital ER regarding my lung and bronchial tube situation, which started on Saturday.  At least my lung condition has been stable for 2.3 years, which is a huge relief, but the bronchial tubes are an issue.  On meds and took it easy all weekend, which meant I had to miss participating in TRD  L

March 24^th, I took a sick day from work, and had an appt with my lung specialist.  We had a lengthy discussion regarding my lungs and bronchial tubes.  Situation may arise were I’ll need surgery on the Bronchial Tubes to address the rupturing of blood.  Will also discuss with my acupuncturist, and get a second opinion from another lung specialist.

March 28^th, I had to retake the PPT exam at work.  That evening I had a private yoga class with Fabrice and Shiva.

March 29^th, I traveled via MetroNorth up to Brewster with Carol and Kevin to attend the NydoPeace reunion at Karen’s home.  Those in attendance were Karen, Liz, Joe, Kevin, Carol, me and Marianne joined us via Skype [photo below].  It was a delightful afternoon  J

On March 30^th, I hung out with my friend Margaret, and went to see the film “The Grand Budapest Hotel”.  It was a fun, entertaining film by Wes Anderson.  Afterwards, I had a private yoga class with Fabrice and Shiva.

March 31^st, I attended a forum in Ft Greene area of Brooklyn on "What's at Stake in the Middle East". The speakers were Zachary Lockman, Maya Mikdashi and David Wildman. The discussion centered on women's rights, religious tolerance, refugees, politics, history, human rights and threats of nuclear war.