The speaker at a conference I was at recently said that “massaging” your spine with one of those “massage” shower heads will stimulate your creativity. This same speaker gave us the assignment to spend at least 15 minutes A WEEK thinking. I thought he mispoke and meant 15 minutes a DAY - but he reiterated it several times: 15 minutes A WEEK! He suggested that the reason one has such great ideas in the shower is because of the massaging of the spine by the water. I don’t suppose the fact that you actually THINK has anything to do with it.

What I like to do is “massage” my scalp. I have heard that you have all sorts of nerve endings in your scalp and that scalp massages are very beneficial and relaxing for that reason. For sure, you have lots of blood vessels running to your scalp - which is why head wounds bleed so much. I think it has something to do with cooling the brain - but I could be wrong there. I’ve heard the same thing about feet and reflexology points - every major organ of the body is represented on the soles of your feet - and in the palms of your hands too!

This thing about massaging your spine reminded me that, I used to suffer these chronic kinks in my neck. A friend recommended a chiropractor. He was the old fashioned kind that really beats you up. It turns out it was just tension brought on by stress and tension (surprise!). But to make sure it wasn’t anything else, he x-rayed my neck. When he put it up on the light. I was stunned at the absolutely beautiful symmetry of the vertebrae. I vividly remember thinking, “Wow! That’s MY neck!?”

Underneath most things is a structure and an order that we may not even know exists. As with the scalp and soles of our feet, the macro is mirrored in the micro. As in the “science” of palm reading, people have their palms read to “learn about” themselves. Which is possible (if you believe in such things) because the palm is a reflection of the whole.

In deference to Deepak Chopra, who reminds us that we are Human BEINGS, not Human DOINGS, at the end of the day, the only true way to know about yourself is to just do. For it is in the DOING that you discover you who you are - what you enjoy , what you don’t. That is, as long as you take time out to think 15 minutes every week.

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

My brilliant, adult son loaned me this book recently A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel. I’ve been dutifully plowing through it (though truth be told, I find it fascinating). I haven’t reached the part that tells you what you SHOULD do to invest intelligently in the stock market. So far, all I’ve read is how everything I’ve learned about technical trading and fundamental analysis these past 3 years is utterly meaningless. (Thank you very much!) The first part of the book describes the Dot Bomb phenomenon. Note that I said “describes”, not ”explains how to avoid getting caught in that trap again!” I’m only about 2/3  of the way through the book (page 250 of a 400 page book). Hopefully, by the time I’m done, the author will reward me with new found wisdom and clarity. (“News at 11.”)

Actually, I can’t help but wonder as to why my son would loan me this book. I suppose growing up with a mother that has a motto  “All Things With Exuberance” has caused him to rebel against his upbringing and be somewhat conservative in his approach to life . As a conservative young fellow, he may have some serious concern about his old mom. Like the Dot Bomb disaster, perhaps he fears that I suffer from Irrational Exuberance. Being the brilliant young man that he is, may be he’s right. Perhaps he is hoping against hope that (at least when it comes to investing in the stock market) I will learn to rein in my natural exuberance.

I am at a point in the book where the author (good ole buddy Burt) discusses a new science called “Behavioral Finance”. Apparently, a couple of psychologists got together and did some experimentation to prove that not only are people irrational in how they make financial decisions, they deviate in a systematic manner from rational behavior! Now this I can relate to. It sounds exactly like what I’ve experienced in the real estate market over the past 25 or so years. For instance, it never fails that when interest rates are falling, buyers will sit on the fence waiting to see how low they go before jumping in to buy. But when do they jump into buy? When interest rates start rising! I know when interest rates tick up, the phones will start ringing and I’m going to have a busy week. “Who turned on the faucet?! Did interest rates go up again?”

Another example is like the market we’re enjoying right now - a buyer’s market. Any rational buyer would realize that this is the best time to buy that we’ve had in over 5 years! Prices are soft, sellers are motivated and there is a glut of inventory on the market - meaning that buyers have more and better choices then ever. But what are buyers doing? Are they buying? Nope - they’re sitting on the proverbial fence wondering how much lower prices will drop - just like the interest rates! And if they DO make an offer, a great buy isn’t good enough. Nope. They have to pommel the seller so hard that the seller refuses to deal with them anymore. I had one seller say to me recently, “I would rather burn the house down then sell it to these people!” Whaddya gonna do?

But then, this is out of the mouth of one that just may suffer from terminal exuberance.

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary!

I looked at the juggler again last night - Chris Bliss. If you click on the link, there’s another video of a juggler imitating him with a more complicated routine. But he doesn’t have Chris Bliss’ mastery - he even dropped a ball a couple of times (pun intended?). I think that’s what makes Chris’ performance so compelling - it’s his mastery. He and his balls are “one”. He’s the Yo-Yo Ma (my hero!) of juggling.

Did you know that in Chinese, repeating the first name like that (Yo-Yo) is a term of endearment? I have a good friend that calls me “Mare-sy” (as in “Mares eat oats and so do goats and little lambs eat ivy. A kid’ll eat ivy too, wouldn’t you?”) and I call him “Mikey”. Or my good friend “Johnny” Byrne. I’m the only one in the world that calls him Johnny, I think. Sometimes, he calls himself “Little Johnny”. Other people have asked me, “Why do you call him Johnny?” Well I’ve known him for nearly 30 years and he taught me all I know about real estate - and his middle initial is E. So he is, literally “John E.”  Of course, then there’s my husband Bobby - which I’m the only one allowed to call him that. Then there’s the pianist Lang-Lang. Same deal. I don’t know of any other Chinese examples. Just imagine, if he weren’t “Yo-Yo”, he would sound like Sylvester Stallone calling for his mother: “Yo! Ma!”

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

I’ve been getting some inquiries about the juggler I posted back in April. I dug a little further and discovered that the artist is Chris Bliss. The website that he was posted on where I discovered him is some builder - the apparent reason they have his performance on their website is “this is just like building!” Well, I won’t deny that there are a lot of pieces that have to fit together when you build, but come on. That’s just silly.

In case you missed his act, here it is again:

And here’s the real skinny on the guy from Wikipedia… Enjoy!!

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

Chris Bliss

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chris Bliss is an American stand up comedian and juggler. He majored in comparative literature at Northwestern University and the University of Oregon before dropping out to pursue a career in juggling [1].

Bliss decided not to pursue the conventional route of circus style juggling. Instead he chose to blend popular music with tightly choreographed fast paced moves. Where other jugglers seek to juggle more and more objects, Bliss chose to juggle only three balls. It is this combination of a simple juggling style and his choice of popular music that made Bliss a big hit, culminating in him being chosen as the sole opening act for Michael Jackson on his 1984 Victory tour.

Following on from this big success, Bliss expanded his brief juggling act to include stand up comedy. His act now comprises both stand-up elements and juggling.

In 2006 Bliss enjoyed widespread fame when an online video of his juggling finale became a viral internet sensation. The five minute video shows his energetic finale where he juggles 3 balls to Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End by the Beatles. The video was widely circulated via email and blogs with an estimated 20 million viewings within 40 days [2].

The video caused quite a stir in the juggling world, with Bliss appearing as a guest on Penn Jillette’s radio show [3], Penn was himself a juggler and is associated with the World Juggling Federation. Many jugglers were surprised and confused by the success that Bliss had found with such a simple juggling routine. In response to this, Jason Garfield, a highly accomplished technical juggler, recorded a self-described “parody” video of Bliss’ finale using much more technical tricks with 5 balls. In reality, this video is simply a more technically demanding performance set to the same music, with nothing else in common with Bliss’ performance. This video also went viral, further boosting the fame of the original.

Following the success of his ‘Grand Finale’ video, the UK musician Fatboy Slim ran an online competition on MySpace asking for fans to submit juggling videos for the single release That Old Pair of Jeans [4]. The competition asked whether you can “Juggle to music like Chris Bliss” and featured a video of Bliss juggling three balls in his unique style to the single.

Aside from his performance career, Bliss has also started a project known as My Bill of Rights. The goal of the project is to erect monuments to the United States Bill of Rights in every state capitol, and in any public location where a monument to the Ten Commandments is located. A monument has been approved in Phoenix, Arizona, and Bliss cites Austin, Texas as the project’s next goal. The organization is funded by donations, and has applied for 501(c)(3) status.

We were at an organ concert at a church in Park Ridge, IL last night. When we got home, we were curious about the congregation and logged onto their website. What to our wondering eyes did appear but a link to their “bottle band”. What’s a bottle band? Well, check it out. It’s absolutely fabulous!! They’ve actually appeared on David Letterman not once but twice!

 http://www.stlukespr.org/stlukesbottleband.html

 All Things With Exuberance!

mary!

Chicago is a funny town! Having once upon a time eschewed having anything as disruptive as The Olympics come to our sunny, albeit windy, shores, we are now all excited that the USOC chose us over L.A. It’s a matter of civic pride that the world love us as much as we ourselves love our town. We’re like insecure children asking Mommy and Daddy, “Am I really as good as people say?” Or that infamous scene when Sally Field accepted her Oscar, “You like me! You really like me!” It’s as if we share this “collective unconscious” that maybe we’re NOT quite good enough - expressed in the phrase “The Second City”. We, like Avis, “try harder.” And, actually, we’re ”The Third City” now - behind not only NYC but LA too. (Gasp!) 

It always seems to come as a surprise to native Chicagoans that tourists come here and actually LIKE our city. We seem to feel as if we ourselves have somehow been given a personal compliment. “You like Chicago?! OH! Thank you very much!” We carry this “Like me - like my city”  chip on our shoulders. But Chicago IS the City of Big Shoulders. Sure, we may be a little insecure about our likeability. You have to ask yourself how, with a climate such as ours, anyone can stand to live here. And, of course, that’s another point of civic pride - the fact that we’re “tough enough” to withstand such a whimsical and ridiculous climate. Anyways, how macho is it to really care whether we’re liked or not. We’re way too tough to make an assertion such as Sally Field’s. Whaddya take us for anyways? Sissies?

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

I have no idea who this guy is. (John Brooks?) A friend sent me this and it is AMAZING! For a little magical entertainment, check it out: http://www.johnbrooks.com/juggle/

 “All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

I was visiting the bloodsuckers over at LifeSource this morning. (That’s my euphemism for donating blood.) There isn’t much you can do during that time except watch TV - which I am notorious for getting “sucked” into. “Co-o-o-me here! Si-i-i-t down! Wa-a-a-tch me!” I swear -  it takes me 10 sec to get involved in a program - and then I’m gone. Consequently, I have learned not to turn the darn thing on - so I’m pretty well removed from the cultural milieu of our society. I know it’s hard to believe, but wildly popular series have come and gone and I don’t know a thing about them. I hear people discussing them - but in terms of firsthand knowledge? - I have none.

I learned this morning while sitting with the vampires that there’s a morning talk show following Oprah called “The View” hosted by Rosie O’Donnell. I’ve seen snippets of Oprah - but I’ve never watched a whole show - and anyways I can’t help but know about Oprah because I drive by Harpo Studios almost on a daily basis. I know about Rosie mainly because of someone I know is best friends with her life partner - it’s a “one degree of separation” thing. And I bet Rosie doesn’t even realize that she’s only one degree of separation from knowing me!

Anyways, Rosie and this actress, who currently is performing on Broadway, were embroiled in the whole “our society doesn’t value art” discussion. The Broadway actress told this story whereby she took her (apparently one lone) TV set and dumped it in the parking lot of her bank. The point of taking it to the bank’s parking lot escaped me. Or exactly how dumping her TV only goes to prove that our society does not value art - I missed that one too. I guess I also missed “The Rest of the Story”. But now watch how this works: here these 2 people are discussing the evils of TV - and where was this discussion being held? Then let’s examine, for just a moment, where either one of them would be without the fame and fortune that TV has brought them. You have to ask yourself: how wise is it, anyway, to bite the hand that feeds you? Should the time ever come, I trust the bloodsuckers will be more generous than Rosie and her pal. 

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

A friend called me out of the blue the other day and said he was writing a book on “The Seven Deadly Mistakes Realtors Make”. He asked if he could interview me. My reply was “Oh! I have a PhD in that subject!” He proceeded to ask me a series of questions and was apparently very intent on writing down what I was saying. I wasn’t prepared to be “interviewed” and so I babbled a bit. I nervously made a few jokes to which he didn’t respond - which only added to my nervousness. Later, I attributed that to the fact that he was furiously writing down what I was saying, but at the time I wondered if I had offended him. In fact, I asked, “You know that I’m kidding, right?” After a few minutes, he says, “OK, Mary Nack! Thanks a lot! You’re very quotable. We’re going to make you a star!” - Click. “Uh - Joe? Are you there? OK, bye!” My first reaction was, “Wow! That was trippy!” - Like the scene in “Pulp Fiction” where John Travolta drives the hypodermic needle of adrenaline into Uma Thurman’s chest. 

I saw Joe this afternoon and chastised him (in a good natured way, of course) for not giving me a little advance notice so I could collect my thoughts a bit. He again reiterated that I was very quotable and repeated back to me some of the things I had said. “I said that!?”  Maybe not being prepared was the best thing that could have happened - otherwise I might have gotten nervous and not been so “quotable”.  When the book comes out next year, I’ll let you know. But it was, indeed, a little trippy!

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

“Let the good times roll!” I don’t know, this expression strikes me as ersatz French - kindred to this example of ersatz Greek: a tombstone in Graceland Cemetery has Greek lettering on it which says, ”One foot in fairyland”. It’s not Greek at all, of course, just confounding to the uneducated - on many different levels. Apparently the occupant of this particular grave wore a ring during his lifetime with the inscription, making it a suitable epitaph for when he finally arrived at that destination. I know just enough Spanish to know that you rarely say things the same way you do in English. You turn nouns and verbs around and so forth. I know an even smaller smattering of Greek - and I am quite certain that it would be altogether different. As for Ground Hog’s Day, when, in Chicago, has Spring ever arrived on Feb 2? We have actual real live ground hogs living under the deck of our cottage in Door County. I didn’t know what they were at first. Being a Big City kid, I was quite certain they weren’t rats, since they don’t have long hairless tails. Ground hog is synonymous with woodchuck. Like bears, they hibernate for the winter. They emerge in the Spring with voracious appetites - if they don’t starve to death in the meantime. When they go into hibernation, they truly are “one foot in fairyland.” Not unlike us humanoids plunging into the deep, dark days of winter. “L’aissez les bon temps roulez!”

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!