111 years ago today, the universe gave birth to an angel i called gram.
i love, miss and think about you every day gram. happy birthday! xo
“We should all have one person who knows how to bless us despite the evidence.”
~ Phyllis Theroux
Posted in amazing people, God, good to know, humor, inspiring, life, Love, prayer, Spirit, the art of manifesting
Tagged eckhart tolle, jacob glass, matt kahn, spirituality, videos, wayne dyer
straight from the birmingham alabama new york city news comes a red hot story of theft in the city. we should all remain vigilant and be on the look out.
A woman was caught on video swiping a lucky horseshoe from an Upper East Side barbershop after walking around the shop taking photos with a cellphone.
The culprit was standing outside the shop when Rebzovic caught up to her, he said. Rebzovic demanded she return the item and when she obliged, he let her walk away, he said.
The horseshoe has since been returned to its original place.
if you see this woman, please be aware she is armed with a horseshoe and potentially very lucky. (click on picture below for more details!)
“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.”
~ Buddha
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Posted in amazing people, humor, law & order, manhattan, ny city life
Tagged 164 e. 88th street, alabama, birmingham, Buddha, dna info, horseshoe, lucky!, New York City, NYC, quality barbers
if you have a heartbeat, you’ll be truly inspired by this 8 year old angel. if you watch this video until the end, your heart will be beating beams of love for alissa sizemore – wow!
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Take your make-up off
Let your hair down
Take a breath
Look into the mirror, at yourself
Don’t you like you?
‘Cause I like you
~ Colbie Caillat
Posted in amazing people, happiness, inspiring, Love
Tagged alissa sizemore, beauty, colbie caillat, dance, happiness, inspiring, love, perfection, talent
Posted in amazing people, big apple, happiness, holiday, humor, life, manhattan, ny city life
Tagged #easterparadenyc, 5th avenue, colorful people, easter, fun, holiday, NYC, parade
during my recent quest for free tires, and before manifesting the tires in a completely bizarre and unexpected way (which you may read here), i began my search on craigslist. sure that i would find someone in nyc looking to unload 3 tires – i did not. what i did find, was a salon in soho looking for a haircut model and i was in need of a free haircut!
it’s been years since i was in the industry, but back in a previous life, i was the manager for a high end hair care line. i spent 4+ years travelling around the country visiting the top salons, selling hair products and getting to know stylists in the best of the best salons in the united states. occasionally, some of the country’s top talent would offer me a complimentary cut or color. a pretty awesome perk, i know. . . .
back to craigslist. the salon was sam brocato, located at 42 wooster street, in the heart of soho. in the last stretch of her two year apprenticeship, a beautiful young woman named christina was in need of hair model for a short cut, and along with 3 tires, i also wanted a new short haircut.
i felt like i won the lottery when christina responded to my e-mail letting me know i had been chosen for the free haircut. not powerball or anything, but at the very least a good scratch-off ticket.
by the time she was done, it was apparent that her talent was as large as her heart. if it’s what she aspires to, one day i’m sure i’ll see her name in the style magazines along with the likes of frederick fekkai, oribe & christophe – at least i hope so. i can do my small part by introducing christina to you today. you can do your part by booking an appointment with her – you wont be disappointed – and . . . you’ll have an amazing new style!
to christina, i thank you – for your time, for your talent & for picking me! may success follow you always.
sam brocato salon ~ christina ~ (212) 334.3777
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“Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.”
~ Alan Cohen
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Posted in amazing people, career, fashion, nyc, style, the art of manifesting
Tagged 42 wooster st., christina morris, christophe, frederick fekkai, gratitude, hair, new york, NYC, oribe, sam brocato salon, soho, stylist, top stylist
it’s been on my bucket list for years – i have to meet warren buffett.
At 84, and with $72.8 billion and counting, Warren Buffett stirs interest when asked that age-young question. How do you do it?
The answer: Eat like a 6-year-old.
“I’m one-quarter Coca-Cola,” the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, told Fortune magazine, of the beverage giant in which he owns $16 billion in stock.
“If I eat 2,700 calories a day, a quarter of that is Coca-Cola. I drink at least five 12-ounce servings. I do it every day.”
The Oracle of Omaha says his diet is high-sugar and high-salt and he said he changed his eating to mirror a boy that age.
“I checked the actuarial tables, and the lowest death rate is among 6-year-olds. So I decided to eat like [one],” he told the magazine.
“It’s the safest course I can take.”
(ny post article)
Be as you wish to seem.
~ Socrates
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Posted in amazing people, happiness, humor, success, thoughts
Tagged coke, death rate, diet, high-sugar, loving what is, make me laugh, socrates, warren buffett
years ago my friend ellice and i were wandering around soho and saw a ‘tire table‘ on display in an art gallery for a ridiculous sum of money – at least we thought so at the time. the table consisted of a round piece of glass set upon two stacked tires. freshly sprung from college, i suspect any amount of money for a piece of furniture may have seemed ridiculous back then, but we both really loved that table. right away, ellice and i set out on a mission to acquire free tires and made our own tire tables for the cost of a piece of glass.
recently, i was in need of a table with a large working space. as luck would have it, someone left a giant round glass table top downstairs in the basement. i put the word out for a table base and my mother suggested another tire table, which i thought was a perfect idea. i immediately put an order out to the universe for 3 tires so that i could make a new, larger version of my old beloved tire table. i was so excited, that i forgot to include any details with the request . . . .
shortly after i placed the order, on my way home from nj, my car fell into an enormous black hole in the middle of route 78 and blew out the right front tire. after 2 1/2 hours of waiting for roadside assistance, my brother thomas, a state trooper and a flatbed tow truck showed up all at about the same time. my brother and the tow truck driver both told me that my spare tire was leaking and it was not going to make it back to the city – i would have to follow my brother to his house, spend the night there and deal with the tire in the morning – which i did – sort of . . . .
my brother woke me in the morning, asked for my keys and told me he was taking my car to the tire store, where he was meeting my dad who was going to pay for my new tire (thank you, dad!). i asked thomas if he wouldn’t mind asking the guys at the tire store if he could have 3 old tires so that i could make my tire table. he was not looking overly pleased with my request as he walked out the door around 9:00 am on a freezing cold sunday morning, but i knew he would come through. 3 hours later, thomas arrived back home with my sparkling clean car (he had taken to the car wash), sporting 4 brand new tires and my other 3 good tires all wrapped up in plastic bags in the trunk.
my next shout out to the universe is to send me a husband who is a perfect mix of my dad and my brother, thomas – no additional details required.
“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.”
~ Dalai Lama
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Posted in amazing people, family, giving, happiness, inspiring, the art of manifesting
Tagged ellice uffer, gratitude, john cagnassola, manifesting, thomas cagnassola, tire table
my aunt fran, who we always called sis, spent every day making life better for people. she was an accomplished professor who left the world of higher education to assist people who may not have been able to receive a higher education without her help, generosity and kindness. she taught children in the public school system in downtown newark, nj and made lives better for all ‘her’ children. because of her efforts helping kids understand that they mattered, assisting them to learn and sharing her light, there are adults today that have risen out of poverty, gone on to college, and made a better life for themselves – a legacy we should all want leave behind.
sis left this world way too early yet was able to do what may take others many lifetimes to accomplish. she spent her spare time doing things like volunteering for habitats for humanity and helping the poor and underprivileged throughout the world in many ways. it’s hard to believe it’s been seven years without her yet good to know her legacy will live forever.
thanks for all you’ve done here, sis – and a big shout out of gratitude to all the people who helped her along the way.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
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Posted in amazing people, career, family
Tagged dr. cag, educator, frances cagnassola, habitats for humanity, kindness, legacy, love, newark, nj, school, service, sister
i received this new year’s message from a family of beautiful souls. I loved it so much, i want to share it with you.
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Swift like a bullet train, a brand New Year is leaving the station. If you cannot be the engineer, be the most joyful passenger. Look for a place at the window. Enjoy every single landscape time can offer you, with the same enjoyment as if it was your first or your last trip. Do not be scared of the cliffs or the curves and the stones that can prevent you from seeing the road ahead. Try to take pleasure in the trip of life, noticing each bush, creek, edge of the road, and every nuance in the scenery. Unfold the map and plan your journey. Pay attention to all stops and be aware of the whistle announcing departure…and when you decide to get off the station where hope, friendship or love had beckoned, do not hesitate… disembark there, with all your dreams.
I WISH YOUR TRIP THROUGH 2015 IS A FIRST CLASS ONE
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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thank you, ruth, alan & max!
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Posted in amazing people, giving, happiness, holiday, inspiring
Tagged dreams come true, friendship, good life, happy, hope, inspire, love
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May the lights of Hanukkah usher in a better world for all humankind. 
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Posted in amazing people, family, God, holiday, New York, nyc
Tagged celebration, chanukkah, dance, feast of dedication, festival of lights, hanukkah, humankind, jewish holiday, menorah, NYC
lao tzu said, “at the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
today i will practice this advice and keep you posted. wish me luck!
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When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
~ Lao Tzu
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Posted in amazing people, good to know, happiness, inspiring, life, ny city life
Tagged knowing, Lao Tzu, the tao, un-thinking, zen in the city
we all know there are two sides to every story and often it’s only a third party that can see the point of view from both sides. as a third party, i’m really trying here but i’ve come to the conclusion that no one can ever truly understand crazy.
80 year old charles manson is getting married. he’s marrying an attractive 26 year old girl named afton, who calls herself star. i am not even going to try and understand this but that’s not what has me so perplexed. i’m more concerned about star’s mother, melissa burton, who is quoted in today’s ny post:
“I know [Manson] has made lots of bad choices, but I don’t think he’s dangerous. The media has made him into more of a monster than he is,” she said.
“I’m not scared about [Afton’s] safety and I don’t believe my daughter is brainwashed.
When she first came out with it, I was shocked because the media really makes him look crazy,”
here is a picture of the happy couple:
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Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
~ Buddha
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Posted in amazing people, good to know, law & order, life, news
Tagged afton, Buddha, charles manson, crazy, marraige, melissa burton, star, Truth
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Beauty is truth’s smile when she beholds her own face in a perfect mirror.
Rabindranath Tagore
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Posted in amazing people, inspiring, nyc, success, thoughts
Tagged beautiful, iceland, italy, Micaela Blei, teacher, troll village
Ayperi Alekseeva, from Kyrgyzstan, had spent years picking up hair from the carpet and eating it. She also chewed the tips of her hair.
When she finally sought medical help, doctors pulled out a hairball weighing almost 9lb. story
i don’t want to post a picture of the actual hairball on my blog so that i won’t risk seeing it again, but for the curious, you can view it here: 9lb hairball
instead, i offer you a picture of the chia pod i followed through th lincoln tunnel the other day . . . .
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If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
~ Lao Tzu
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Posted in amazing people, good to know, news
Tagged 9lb hair ball, ayperi alekseeva, chia pod, kyrgyzstan, Lao Tzu, lincoln tunnel, NYC
The White House’s new security plan: Lock the front door
every time i see a headline like this i wish i worked at the new york post. it has to be fun . . . . seriously though, if the peeps in dc need some high level security tips, i suggest they just spend the week in nyc during the general assembly – which happens to be this week.
i’ve been out sniper seeking with my zoom lens since saturday and haven’t seen 1 sniper. these guys are good.
i’m not sure what the mission of these people is, but they are scattered about the sidewalks near the united nations building. they look like they have bombs strapped all over themselves and i have to believe this would effectively keep people from trying to break in to the white house.
they do not like having their pictures taken either.
another effective tactic used by the diplomats to keep people away, is extreme noise. i’m sure they do it on purpose so it must have something to do with their country’s security operations. wherever a foreign diplomat decides to go, he is preceded by and followed by, an entourage of black suburbans with lights flashing and very loud sirens. this goes on all day long. entourages en route to the u.n. for morning meetings, entourages at lunchtime, entourages escorting their diplomat back to the hotel after daily sessions, and entourages chauffeuring diplomats all around town for dinner and nightly entertainment – all with excruciatingly loud sirens. i believe the strategy here is simple sleep deprivation. i know because i live just 3 blocks up first avenue from the united nations and i am just too tired to consider jumping the fence and breaking in the front door.
during the week of the general assembly there is no parking either. every street in the neighborhood is lined with signs like this:
if you live between 40th and 55th streets from the east river over to third avenue, you may not be able to go home if there happens to be a diplomat having a meeting, a meal or a cocktail on your street. on each corner are stationed between 6 – 12 very young rookie cops, whose mission it is to question people to death and check i.d.’s before letting them step foot onto their own block to go home after a long day at work. i’ve noticed that if you are 20 something, female and beautiful, the young rookie cops will hold you up for twice the amount of time than they detain others. just an observation that probably has nothing to do with security.
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I am thankful the most important key in history was invented. It’s not the key to your house, your car, your boat, your safety deposit box, your bike lock or your private community. It’s the key to order, sanity, and peace of mind. The key is ‘Delete.’
~ Elayne Boosler
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Posted in amazing people, humor, law & order, life, New York, news, ny city life, nyc
Tagged diplomat, elayne boosler, entourage, General Assembly, heads of state, midtown manhattan, ny post, NYC, safety, security
there is something about 9/11 that can only be known by the people who experienced it in nyc. it’s a bond between new yorkers that did not exist before 2001. it was a day that has lasted for 13 years. it was a day filled with more fear than anyone could have imagined they would survive. god bless the ones who didn’t. god bless their families. god bless all of america’s heroes who rushed in to help. it was a day where the people in this city saw more acts of kindness and heroism than one would expect to see in an entire lifetime.
god bless us all in this world.
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“Lord, take me where you want me to go, let me meet who you want me to meet, tell me what you want me to say, and keep me out of your way.”
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Posted in amazing people, family, God, New York, nyc, prayer
Tagged 9-11, father mychal judge, flag, new york, prayers, thomas cagnassola, twin towers
3 stretch limos waited outside, 2 already occupied by joan’s two assistants and some family members who preceded melisa and cooper. shortly after 10:30 am, melissa & cooper left joan’s home at 1 east 62nd street.
a beautiful display of flowers and tributes covered half of the entrance to the building.
i arrived at temple emanu el before the limos and if it were not for the m-1 city buses interrupting the view from the press camp located all the way across the avenue, i would have been able to show you more pictures. how did they not close 5th avenue?? this was joan rivers’ funeral! of course, the peeps from nbc, cbs, cnn, people magazine, ect… had anticipated this and came armed with ladders. i spent 2 hours looking for tiny spaces in between ladder rungs, tripods and body parts trying to secure spot large enough to fit my lens through. lesson learned.
all of the news media peeps were in crews. there were reporters, camera peeps, videographers and the assistants uploading live feed onto their computers. by now you’ve no doubt already seen the celebrity arrivals in pictures splashed all over the news so i won’t bore you with mine, but i will tell you about the parts of the ceremony that the big outlets didn’t dwell on.
the lane of roadway closest to the temple was reserved for cars and limos dropping off guests – most had drivers. then there was the person who pulled up in a beautiful light green maybach. i couldn’t see who it was as the view was obstructed by a double decker tourist bus filled with people taking pictures of the crowds and people in the press pit. it was pretty comical as they focused on the press camp and never thought to look across the street where all the celebrities were wandering about. back to the maybach. apparently the guest who arrived in the maybach drove himself. he must be used to having a driver as he forgot to take his keys when he exited his car. for the following 30 minutes or so, the maybach blocked the entrance to the to the temple so the following guests had to get out of their cars up the block and walk to the entrance. It took about 8 cops and two tow trucks, further obstructing my view, to jimmy the locks on the maybach and drive it away.
just one hour after the service began, the front doors to the temple opened and out poured well over a dozen bag-pipers. for this, they closed fifth avenue and i was grateful for the unobstructed views – until the bagpipers lined up directly in front to me.
they played as melissa and cooper got into the their limo.
all the other guests followed melissa out of the temple and waited for their drivers to arrive with their car.
then – the second most amazing thing happened. a cop moved the barrier and allowed the press to cross the street. aproximately 3 seconds later, i was standing in the middle of a crowd of people that included whoopie goldberg, matthew broderick, charlie rose, barbara walters, kathy lee, and all the rest. i wasn’t exactly sure what to do so i stood back and thought i would observe the pros from abc, nbc, cbs, ect., and then just do what they did. each ‘team’ sent a reporter to a celeb and asked some questions while the camera person filmed and a third person uploaded the story for ‘live coverage.’ i did not have a crew. should i just walk up to geraldo or kelly osbourne and start asking questions? before i had time to answer my own question, matthew broderick walked by and i concentrated solely on the photo op.
i knew sara jessica parker couldn’t be far behind so i stood still and scanned the crowd until i saw her heading my way. she was just several feet away from me when the first most amazing thing happened – – my camera died! it just stopped. i tried to remain cool while i frantically turned my camera on and off several dozen times; dug through my bag for the spare and changed the battery; dug through my bag again for the second spare and loaded that battery; changed the settings . . . . and everything else i could think of. . . . .
i finally came to understand it was simply my electronic disorder rearing it’s ugly head at the worst possible time, and tried not to cry. then i went home.
here are some of the shots i managed to get prior to the death of my most favorite possession . . . .
whoopie goldberg
judges judy & jerry sheindlin
dr. oz
the donald
diane sawyer
charlie rose
barbara walters
robin quivers
rest easy, joan – i hope the celebration was everything you wished for.
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“I succeeded by saying what everyone else is thinking.”
~ Joan Rivers
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i want to meet the person who created this. i know we could be good friends. . . . .
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When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.
~ Confucius
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Posted in amazing people, happiness, humor, thoughts
Tagged frog, hysterical, outstanding, sun glasses
A 3-year-old girl who was pronounced dead after a fever woke up a day later — in a coffin, during her funeral . . . . the toddler was taken to a local hospital on Friday after suffering a severe fever.
“During that time, the attending clinic personnel and physician confirmed that the young patient had no more pulse and was clinically dead last Saturday morning about 9 a.m.,” Teelan said. The grave error was only discovered when a funeral attendee removed the cover of the girl’s coffin and saw her head move . . . . .
The family is seeking treatment at a better-equipped hospital.
. . . . well now there’s an idea worth investigating.
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“Man cannot live by incompetence alone.”
~ Charlotte Whitton
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Posted in amazing people, family, life, news
Tagged dead girl, death, funeral, life, philipines, weird news, woke up at funeral
