So, by now the big news story of the day is Anna Nicole Smith's passing. It is rather sad, in the sense that it's sad when anyone young dies before their time. And what a crazy ass legacy to leave behind. It's some strange sort of American gothic tale that has spun from her life. Some people I know are feeling really bad about it, which I don't mock. I must ponder it, and I wonder if there is some form of unconscious guilt that lies beneath it. I mean, here is someone that we all snickered at for so many years. Who most never really took seriously. And now she's dead from an apparent suicide brought on by the very demons that caused her laughable actions. The sadness comes from how the celebrity-obsessed media really plays a role in this.

It's shocking to us that someone we imagined would always be on the gossip sites as daily fodder is dead. It blunts us to our reality. I obviosuly never met Anna Nicole Smith, and I really just know the bare bones of her story. But I imagine her story will go down as a new Hollywood legend.

And the gossip bloggers will just have to focus all of their energy on demonizing poor Britney now.

xo xo xo

Did anyone see Oprah today? OK, amazing. I actually tuned in like twenty minutes in, but she had these people on talking about The Secret, a "make your life better" book and dvd. And the Reverend Michael Beckwith from Agape, where I have been known to go on rare occasion, was on.

Anyhow, the gist was ASK - BELIEVE - RECEIVE.

That is the secret.

It's like, really? That's a secret?

But this one woman spoke of how it is the believing that really gets in our way. Because we get in the way of ourselves. We base our belief in getting what we want out of fear - we ask for things because we're afraid that if we don't get them, our lives will end. "Please let me get that money, or else I just won't make it this month." And then we don't because our belief system has already put our lives into repeat mode. So instead, we must ask from the necessity of our greater good. That the money or the boyfriend or the shiny new car will help us be better versions of ourselves, and therefore be better contributors to society. And then we must believe that what we ask for is ours already. Done. Leave it alone.

Now does a video Ipod fit into this equation at all? I don't know.

But I do know something clicked for me with it all. It's focusing our energy and where we focus it to that matters and creates our life. Really, my explanation up above is not as good as the show presented it. I mean, it's Oprah. She can explain it all better. If you got it on Tivo or know someone who does, watch it.

I just know that when one lady spoke of how she wrote down long ago that she would one day be on Oprah, sharing her words, and now there she was doing just that, I lost my shit.

I live for shit like that. Dreams coming true makes me happy.

xo xo xo

Finally, the new Bloc Party cd, A Weekend In The City, just came out this week. Though I don't love it right off the bat like I did Silent Alarm, I am still finding it pretty remarkable. There are some truly beautiful songs on it that really resonate for me, especially now that the lead singer is an out gay man. Please download "On" right away for proof of their loveliness.

OK. I'm out for today.

What do you think?