Stabat Mater

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The choirs of All Saints’ Episcopal Church will once again be joined by select members of the Phoenix Symphony and Phoenix Chorale for their annual Good Friday offering to the community, a musical devotional under the direction of Scott Youngs. This special presentation begins at All Saints’ Episcopal Church at 12:40 PM, following the Stations of the Cross which starts at 12 noon.

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In past performances we have presented J.S. Bach’s Passions according to St. John and St. Matthew. This year looks outside Western European tradition for inspiration and freshness, featuring modes from the Middle East and Holy Land. Stabat Mater is a powerful text dating from the 13th century that meditates on the suffering of Mary, Jesus Christ’s mother, during his crucifixion.

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Forgiveness Plans

When Bank of America announced this week that it would be selectively forgiving up to 30% of the principal on mortgages to help borrowers, I checked in to find out the details because my mortgage is with Bank of America.  Because of the fact that in my 18 years and 11 months of building personal credit history I have never been late on any payments, I don’t qualify.  I would need to be at least 60 days overdue to get considered for a benefit.  So what message does this convey to those who have played by the rules and acted “dutifully”… especially those who perhaps had foregone excesses to make sure that they lived within their means?  The 4-year-old’s conversation that erupts in our adult mouths spits out, “It’s just not fair!”

Changing Hands Bookstore

Spring cleaning has brought about a windfall in the form of great condition, practically new books.  Discovered dormant, packed in storage boxes, I’ve revived these prizes of written knowledge to share out in the world with others through Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe.  Despite all my best intentions that I might actually re-read them again in the future (as in someday, maybe… yeah, right) giving them the freedom to be loved and experienced by someone else in the meanwhile feels much more rewarding than allowing them to collect dust any longer.

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle… To Optimize Your Business

In an economy where businesses of all sizes are actively looking at where within their internal operations they can “trim the fat” of process inefficiencies, I have been repeatedly asked if switching data systems to a different CRM package or program toolset will aid with improvements and what ROI can be expected.

To some clients’ dismay, the fact that there is no stock answer or silver bullet to fix all wrongs for immediate gratification and instant results is frustrating.  Not to worry, underlying any comprehensive assessment of a company’s data management, tracking and reporting capabilities is the basic question and answer to… How well are you actually using what you’ve already got?

Being Unabashed and Extravagant Love

In our standard paradigm of Corporate America, we don’t often associate work productivity or business results with being in a loving or connected space. Nonetheless when office communications and teams are not built on this foundation, then the unspoken disconnect between leadership, management and staff can generate rifts in hand-offs, deliverables completion and employee retention. Many human resources studies would attest to higher employee loyalty ratings at companies where the team members express feelings of appreciation, satisfaction and alignment with their personal values.

My executive business coach asked me, “When do you feel loved?” I mused over various descriptions such as when:

Chandler Townhouse Rental with Coolest Landlady EVER ;)~

Do you know an Intel Chandler, Kyrene de la Mirada, Sunrise Assisted Living or Qualcomm employee who is sick and tired of an awful commute? I still have a master bedroom for rent in Pueblo Santa Fe, literally right next door and walking distance to either facility. If you look west from CH-6, Pueblo Santa Fe is what you see directly in front of the Intel parking structure. Townhouse would be shared with a quiet, mature male…

The location is fantastic! I have enjoyed many afternoons working on my laptop outside, under a ramada or on the grass lakeside at Gila Springs. There is a wonderful greenbelt jog path through the neighborhood, and lots of restaurants and shops less than a mile away… Teakwoods, Starbucks, Fresh & Easy, McCool’s, Regal Beagle, and even the infamous Heart Attack Grill.

Please have anyone you know contact me directly for more information! Namaste

Super Dragon Chinese Cuisine

They say that a good measure for the quality of a Chinese restaurant is to find out where Chinese families go to eat out.  One of my family’s all-time favorites is nearby my parents’ house – Super Dragon at 12th Street and Northern.  I read some lukewarm reviews on Yelp with regards to service, but can’t say that in the 100+ times we’ve frequented the restaurant we’ve had many bad service nights unless they were crazy busy with a special party banquet or Chinese New Year.

A hard working family-run business, they feel like family to us.  The owner Kam-Ti greets us warmly when we arrive and knows that our family likes to sit at one of the tables that can open a leaf or two.  We love to order a variety of dishes that won’t fit on the table otherwise, and then take the extra home for tomorrow’s lunch!  Manuel brings our hot tea out with a smile and a cheery “Como esta?”  He remembers that my mom doesn’t drink tea and will bring her pot of hot water separately. That’s so key… they genuinely remember us and sincerely welcome us back. You don’t get that level of familiarity at big chain restaurants which suffer from personnel turnover.

Discount Tire

Did you know that America’s largest independent tire dealer has had its corporate headquarters in Scottsdale since 1987 and the man who originally founded the company way back in 1960 lives in our AZ ‘hood? Over the years I’ve consistently received amiable, quality service from Discount Tire locations across the state.

Today I needed a full replacement set. Billy reviewed the various options with me in detail. I was very pleased to get some money back from my original tire warranty covering them for another 10K miles. At 115K miles, my Gypsy Blue has been begging me for some brand new shoes to wear. The last time she got a fresh pair was at Discount Tire in Tucson, a long 4 years ago!

Golf Pain Free AZ – Thai Yoga Massage

If you sign up for Google Alerts on sports performance and golf stretching, a ton of articles recommend techniques to improve range of motion.  Allowing the body to warm and stretch can prevent injury and increase your capabilities. 

As an avid yogini, I’ve experienced dramatic changes in my flexibility through the Rolf method of structural integration as well as with Thai massage. An example is being able to keep both shoulders down when doing a cross body twist, or raising my arms from next to my body to stretched above my head without lifting my upper back off the floor.

Dubbed “yoga for lazy people,” a Thai-yoga massage practitioner stretches and breathes with you, helping to open up your body and to invigorate pressure points along meridian lines. On Sunday afternoon I received some wonderful work by a student taking a continuing education course in Thai massage training at Golf Pain Free AZ.

TeHaru Sushi

Whenever we’re starving and want to sit and eat immediately, we’ll head over to TeHaru Sushi. Three miles from the house, it takes zero time to get there and all the raw fishies are already prepared and waiting for us to arrive! Lately, however, we’ve been feeling like we told too many people what a great find this revolving plate feast is… because they’ve been totally packed now when we show up and we’ve had to WAIT!

Despite that, we’re happy for them that business is going well. We want them to flourish and stay in the neighborhood for a long time! My light lunch of dumplings didn’t tide me over to quiet my rumbling tumbly, so I was pleased when a number of tables decided to leave all at the same time, which cut down the seating delay considerably.