I recently watched "Sleepwalk with Me", a film by Mike Birbiglia, http://birbigs.com/. This film is based on his stand up special of the same name. It's a hilarious account of his life and trouble with sleepwalking. Ira Glass helped bring the film to fruition as well, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Every bit as enjoyable as the stand up. I recommend this film. He's one of my favorite comedians, too, and I love all his CDs. Check out some youtube of his stand up here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYl9BSiV-P4.
"The Yoga of Jesus" by Paramahansa Yogananda has been on my shelf for a while, and I finally got to it recently. Yogananda is best known for his divinely inspiring Autobiography of a Yogi. He has a unique and interesting view of Jesus, and his idea of Christ-Consciousness. I always seem to learn great insights about the teachings of Jesus from other religions. A lot in this book spoke to me, as I believe that we all are creatures with the Divine soul within, and looking at Jesus' teaching through the lens of spirituality and the Bhagavad Gita provided many insights.
"Chant and Be Happy" is a little collection about the Hare Krishna movement, featuring interesting interviews with George Harrison and some stories from the Vedas. The power of the mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Hare Hare Krishna Krishna Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare is well documented. I have noticed an improvement in my own happiness since chanting this mantra a few times a day. It's worth a try, and any spiritual practice involving singing and dancing is pretty a-ok with me.
"Stride Toward Freedom" by Dr. King is his account of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. King's insight and understanding of nonviolence is always inspiring. I have read and continue to reread all of Dr Kings writings as we can learn so much from his brilliance, and what he accomplished. We can all keep up the fight to create a peaceful and just society.
Got a good chanting CD by the Radha Temple Singers, which was produced by George Harrison, and features the Hare Krishna Mantra, which actually topped the British charts in the early 70s.
As I'm typing this, I'm listening to Augustana's first record and Owl City's latest release All Things Bright and Beautiful. The latter is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's so bubbly and happy. Sometimes you just need effervescence. And there's some clever writing there as well. As for Augustana, their latest release is one of my favorite records of the last decade, and I haven't had a chance to get into their earlier records til now.
Speaking of guilty pleasures, I've been helping my gramma move into an assisted living place and helping my mom as well; hence my mom has had the TV on a lot, and I have been watching it as I spend time with her. She loves these two shows, which have now rubbed off on me - The Mentalist and Castle. Both are crime drama shows with a very light bent to them. I think there's some clever writing in them, and they are both in repeat on some cable channel. I need to pry myself away from the television, as it just renders me useless for awhile, and I have far too much to do. That's my confession for you.
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