My two favorite youtube entries from “out there”

The alien abduction in Dynasty 2 (The Colbys)

Contact - Bridgit Bardot

Dead birds and cosmic stones (at the National Museum - Prague)

“The mineralogical department (of the national museum) with its over 60,000 exhibits, is among the most complete in the world. It contained the collections of the French scientist, F.J.Barrande; over 600 meteorites, among them a specimen with diamonds formed in cosmic space”

"There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time"

Yesterday by noon, I found myself at the old town center (as I do every other noon since the day I arrived in Prague) and I sat on a bench by the municipal clock, practicing my daily exercise which consists of observing the tourists and guessing their nationalities before hearing them speak. An old lady came and sat next to me on the bench, and without inquiring first whether I speak Greek she started telling me her beautiful story… She comes from Komotini and she found it very natural that I replied in Greek. I only realised later that she speaks Greek to everybody and she always makes some sense out of their reply (and eventually the answer that she desires). She tried to convince me that the Tirolo dancers who were performing on the stage in the center of the square, were Cypriot . For her it didn't matter at all that I come from this little part of the world and that that I have valid knowledge regarding what the Cypriot national dance(r)s should look like. She said that she had heard the woman who introduced the groups on stage mentioning Cyprus and talking about the Island (only later did I realize that her understanding of every foreign word was achieved by attaching it to the phonetically closest greek word). In a blink of an eye and just after the clock statuettes came out for there parade of 7 o'clock, the sky got covered with black menacing clouds and the rain came pouring down…The old lady and I said goodbye and started running off in different directions, she run to get the bus and I run to the nearest refuge, i.e., a tourist bookshop on the other side of the square. Wet as I was, I stood by the window and looked at the empty square and at the remaining few running people; they were the dancers from the folk festival who had heroically neglected the rain (at least for as long as they could). The costumed dancers of all ages were now running in all directions, contributing thus, to a perfect re-enactment of what we all want to live in that preserved complex of buildings… some sort of (impossible) experience of the past. Nothing to watch after five minutes… everybody was safe under a roof and the square was freed from the avid tourists and the colorful dancers. Bored I took the first book I found in front of me: Milan Kuntera – Immortality. I started reading the first chapter which gives sense to time via a beautiful observation and which describes beautifully this dilated moment of (es)sence. I haven't read Immortality but I remember my friend Lia telling me about this chapter in one of our rehearsals…







“The woman might have been sixty or sixty-five. I was watching her from a deck-chair by the pool of my health club, on the top floor of a high-rise that provided a panoramic view of all Paris. I was waiting for professor Avenarius whom I’d occasionally met here of a chat. But Professor Avenarius was late and I kept watching the woman; she was alone in the pool, standing waist-deep in the water, and she kept looking up at the young lifeguard in sweatpants who was teaching her to swim. He was giving her orders: she was to hold on to the edge of the pool and breathe deeply in and out. She proceeded to do this earnestly, seriously, and it was as if an old steam engine was wheezing from the depths of the water (that idyllic sound, now long forgotten, which to those who never knew it can be described in no better way than the wheezing of an old woman breathing in and out by the edge of a pool). I watched her in fascination. She captivated me by her touchingly comic manner (which the lifeguard also noticed, for the corner of his mouth twitched slightly). Then an acquaintance started talking to me and diverted my attention. When I was ready to observer her once again, the lesson was over. She walked around the pool towards the exit. She passed the lifeguard, and after she had gone some three or four steps beyond him she turned her head, smiled, and waved to him. At that instant I felt a pang in my heart! That smile and that gesture belonged to a twenty-year-old girl! Her arm rose with bewitching ease. It was as if she were playfully tossing a bright colored ball to her lover. That smile and that gesture had charm and elegance, while the face and the body no longer had any charm. It was the charm of a gesture drawing in the charmlessness of the body. But the woman, though she must of course have realized that she was no longer beautiful, forgot that for the moment. There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time. Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments ans most of the time we are ageless. In any case, the instant she turned, smiled and waved to the young lifeguard (who couldn’t control himself and burst our laughing), she was unaware of her age. The essence of her charm, independent of time, revealed itself for a second in that gesture and dazzled me. I was strangely moved. And then the word Agnes entered my mind. Agnes. I had never known a woman by that name.” […] Chapter 1, Immortality, Milan Kundera

Flowers at the Church of The Virgin Mary Of The Snow

Confessions at the Church of the Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague

Touching and whishing / yesterday night at Charles Bridge - Prague

In Prague

I am in Prague for the production of my new work. I am staying in the beautiful house of Mrs. Vladimira, that my friend Honza (a dancer we use to go around Europe together during the everlasting touring of Evergreen), arranged for me. In a big room with a nice piano and big trees out of the window… I walk all day and speak rarely… I am melting into the irresistible weigh of the city…

Leaving…

…Copenhagen with an undefined mixture of emotions, memories and plans! I will be back very soon for everything/body I like and for all I am willing to like!

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Diamonds… LifeGem is turning the ashes of your dead beloved into diamonds

"Like the memory of a loved one, a diamond lasts forever.

What is a LifeGem?
The LifeGem is a certified, high-quality diamond created from the
carbon of your loved one...
as a memorial to their unique life.
as a symbol of your personal and precious bond.
Whether you've lost a loved one or simply want to celebrate your love, the LifeGem diamond provides a way to embrace your loved one’s memory day by day. The LifeGem is the most unique and timeless tribute available for creating a testimony to their unique life.
Your LifeGem memorial will offer comfort and support when and where you need it, and provide a lasting memory that endures just as a diamond does. Forever.

"If you desire an everlasting connection to the one you have lost, the LifeGem is right for you. Each LifeGem, as a celebration of life, tells a unique story and represents a new beginning. With the closeness offered only by a LifeGem, you will have your loved one with you and in your life at all times. And of course, as the LifeGem is a one-of-a-kind diamond, it will be a treasured heirloom in your family for generations to come.
With a LifeGem, rest assured that you have the most exquisite memorial available.

Created Individually For You
High-quality created diamonds have been present for many years. These diamonds are created by placing carbon, the primary element of all diamonds, in conditions that recreate the forces of nature. The LifeGem process differs by using an exact carbon source to create a beautiful and meaningful diamond tribute for you and your family.
In summary, here is how we create your LifeGem diamond...

Step 1. Carbon Capture - Now, after extensive research and development, we have discovered how to extract the carbon from a lock of hair. This advanced and delicate procedure has been specifically designed to capture almost all of the available carbon in a lock of hair. Our technology works only in a special high-nitrogen, low-oxygen atmosphere. We have refined this process to ensure the maximum available carbon for your LifeGem diamond(s).
Originally, we began the LifeGem creation process by capturing carbon from existing remains of your loved one's standard cremation. While we can, and still do, use this process for those who have previously lost a loved one, capturing carbon from a lock of hair means a LifeGem diamond is now available for anyone choosing cremation or burial... or if you purely want to create a symbol of your precious bond with someone you love.
Step 2. Purification - Once captured, this carbon is heated to extremely high temperatures under special conditions. While removing the existing ash, this process converts your loved one’s carbon to graphite with unique characteristics and elements that will create your one-of-a-kind LifeGem diamond like no other in this world.
Step 3. Creation - To create your LifeGem, we now place this graphite in one of our unique diamond presses, which replicate the awesome forces deep within the earth - heat and pressure. The more time in the press, the larger the rough diamond crystal that results.
Step 4. Certification - Finally, our skilled diamond cutters facet your LifeGem diamond(s) according to your wishes, laser etch your unique identifier on the girdle, and certify it for authenticity. All LifeGem diamonds are individually inspected, graded, and identified by world-renowned gemologists trained by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The world’s finest jewelers use this same certification process.
A diamond that takes millions of years to occur naturally can now be created from the carbon of your loved one in about twenty-four weeks. (Blue LifeGem diamonds may take longer.)"


“Hi Rusty

I just got the diamond!

It is beautiful and I am so happy! I will definitely write a story about Arf and include a picture ... I have the setting for my ring at the jewelers, so I'm going to go there today!!

Thanks, to all of you ... so much!! I love having this bit of Arf to keep with me always!

Thanks, again.

Anne Tell”

“Thank-you! Thank-you!

They are wonderful. What a great service.

I love you all for giving us all the effort and care. Our mom and dad forever!

God bless to all.

Lore Coultrap (Daughter)”


“The decision to choose a LifeGem was made a couple of years before my husband died. We made it together whilst watch a report on ITV meridian about LifeGem. After my husband died, I remembered my promise. I now have a fabulous yellow diamond set in a ring. The diamond appears to change colour with the light, it sparkles and glistens at me- it provided comfort immediately.

My Funeral Director was wonderful and explained everything fully. I asked her if she knew anything about LifeGem, she’d seen adverts and she got the information for me. I’ve been back to show her the diamond so she can tell other people of this marvellous opportunity to have a tribute nearby and not in a remote crematorium which I have no link with other than my husband was cremated there.

LifeGem UK were attentive throughout the whole process, they came and collected the Ashes and then kept me up to date with the progress. They also advised me about colour and cut.

It was definitely the right thing to do.

Janette Clay (wife)”

“Yesterday, I received the two LifeGems that you sent. They look beautiful!!!

Thank you very much for all you've done for us.

The timing was good, as my younger son, Marcus, was asked to bring some things to his grief support group in one week. He previously brought the yellow diamond, and now he can bring the blue ones.”

Bless you, and all who contributed to the 'LifeGem' dream!!"

James Hatfield (Husband)

website

Dido's lament (Dido and Aeneas - Purcell)

Sleep in drapes

Funeral arrangements

Funeral invitations