birthday present." He wouldn't

My Best Birthday Present - Timothy Leary My Best Birthday Present I haven't celebratedmy birthday in decades. Sure, when you're a kid it's exciting to add ayear to your age, have your parents gather your friends, blow out the candles,and get presents, but today I turn 49 and the last thing on earth I feellike doing is celebrating, much less blowing out a fire. Nothing very specialabout November 10th other than it is the day that Stanley found Livingston.Okay, I wouldn't mind a present or two, but that's more a matter of actuallyneeding stuff than thinking I deserve any sort of reward just for havingsurvived another year. I've always felt it was a wee bit egomaniacal tothrow yourself a big birthday party. Nothing wrong with celebrating others,but when it comes to celebrating yourself, it shouldn't be in public. Fifteen years ago todayit was also my birthday and, as normal, I was doing what I always do, whatI still do, what I'm doing right now, writing at my computer, with absolutelyno plans for the day. When you don't have a plan, there's nothing to deviatefrom. You can do whatever you want without fear of failure because howcan you fail when you don't have any goal in mind? Whatever happens, happens,and it's good or bad on its own terms. The higher you get your hopes up,the further you have to fall, so I never count on anything. If somethingbad happens, too bad. If something good happens, it's a gift. There was a knock atthe door. I opened it and there was Timothy Leary who said "Hi, I'm yourbirthday present." He wouldn't explain how or why this came to be, or whoin particular was bestowing him upon me. He was simply there, and he wouldhang out for at least an hour. All he would tell me was that he was toldI was someone he should meet. Whenever you meet someonefamous in a personal situation, it's hard to know how to behave, particularlyif they're enormous media stars. After all, you've spent hours gazing atthem, thinking about them, perhaps days or weeks staring at their image.Imagine the hundreds of hours you've spent with certain stars broadcastregularly into your living room. They feel like a friend, like you actuallyknow them. They're not and you don't, but it's a hard feeling to shakewhen they're standing right in front of you, coming into your house, sittingon your sofa, checking the place out while waiting for you to bring thema drink. No matter how many memories you have of them, they have none ofyou. To them, you are a total stranger. Treat them like a fan would andyou risk becoming part of their teeming crowd of lookie loos. Treat themlike you don't know who they are and they could get insulted. No way tomake a friend. Friendships deserve an even playing field, so it's hardto think of yourself as the friend of a celebrity until they know as muchabout you as you know about them. Which is why celebrities are SO interestedwhen you interrupt them somewhere in public and tell them about your uncleSid's gall bladder operation. I wanted to be friendswith Timothy Leary so he had a hell of a lot of catching up to do becausehe knew nothing about me and I knew a lot about him, or at least I thoughtI did. I shifted into show-and-tell mode, whipping out a book of Polaroidsfor him to peruse. He enjoyed my madness immensely and I proceeded to tellhim something I'm sure he heard a million times. My life was profoundlychanged by his research into psychedelia, combined with reading Tom Wolfe's"The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," the Beatles, and meeting a guy namedMario in 1970 who claimed to be the husband of the actual Alice that ArloGuthrie sang about but who supported his acting habit by selling acid atLee Strasberg's studio where I happened to be studying at the time. But I digress. Thefirst and foremost influence that Timothy Leary had upon me was my art,which simply didn't exist. Before my first acid trip, I wasn't an artist.I had never played guitar, had certainly never created any impressionism,and hadn't written a single word other than school assignments. Maybe Iwould have discovered these talents on my own, but if my Polaroids remindyou of acid flashbacks, welcome to the club. On acid, what I do to my Polaroids,you can do to reality. Move it around a little. Make big things look small,small things look big, marvel at the infinite depths you're capable ofperceiving, as though reality were a 3D comic book and for the first timeyou were looking at it with the red-and-blue glasses. Pre-acid, I was onlyinterested in being an actor, moving to New York to study with Lee Strasberg,and getting in a Broadway play. On acid, I actually attempted to give aperformance from Spoon River Anthology in front of the man himself, a performancehe declared "interesting," a performance that convinced me that actingwas a very strange profession. While personally communicating with theinfinite miracles of the universe, I had a very hard time convincing myselfthat the most important thing I could be doing was pretending to be a fictionalcharacter while reciting dialogue written by a writer I'd never met. Post-acidI walked home from the Village to my boarding house at 39th and Park, pickedup my roommate's guitar and started playing. It wasn't long before I wasa better guitar player than actor, and I ended up composing music for severaloff-Broadway shows. Way off Broadway. The Company Theater at La Cienegaand Pico in Los Angeles to be precise. Other acid trips wereless eventful and I stopped taking it, but not before playing with my firstSX-70 Polaroid camera and discovering I didn't need acid to change realityto my own specifications. We talked and talked.He wasn't a drug addled guru and I wasn't an acid burnout. He was extremelyintelligent. My vision of Leary had been fogged by his media image, andI had forgotten that he was a Harvard professor. Luckily, some others forgottoo and that's how he escaped from prison. The most amazing story he toldme was this one... When he was bustedby the Feds for possession of one single joint of pot and sentenced to20 years in a Federal penitentiary, the prison officials did what theyalways did with new prisoners, they gave him a psychological test to determinewhether he would go to a minimum or maximum security prison. He passedthe test with flying colors and was sent to minimum security where he promptlyescaped. What the officials didn't know was that Leary himself wrote thepsychological test for the Federal prison system when still at Harvard,so he knew exactly what answers to give. After a couple hours,my birthday present had to leave, but in his new life as Hollywood gadflyI kept running into him over the years at video shows and art galleries.I'm glad he lived long enough to experience the Internet, and if you haven'tseen his site, it's still up at http://leary.com/ and well worth a peek. Excuse me, there'sthe door. Emulsional Problems

College Gift

Somerville College - Gift aid and deed of covenant for UK Tax Payers Somerville College Skip to Content The College | Prospective Students | Current Students | Former Students | Conferences | Notices | Contacts Home | Alumni and Friends Events | Degree Day | The Association of Senior Members | Missing Members | Development | Contact Us | Site Map Gift aid and deed of covenant for UK Tax Payers Deeds of Covenant have been superseded by the new Gift Aid scheme. However, if you have a covenanted gift to the College which was set up before 6 April 2000, you need take no action. Your donation will continue as before and will be tax effective under the Gift Aid scheme until the deed expires. If you set up a deed of covenant on or after the 6 April 2000, you will need to make a Gift Aid declaration to ensure that your gifts remain tax effective. Gift Aid is a scheme by which you can give a sum of money to charity and the charity can reclaim from the Inland Revenue the basic rate tax (currently 22%) on your gift, at no extra cost to you. That increases the value of the gift you make to the charity. Under current regulations for example, if you give £10 using Gift Aid, your gift would be worth £12.82 to Somerville. If you are a higher rate tax payer, you can claim relief on the difference between the basic rate and higher rate of tax on your annual tax return. Please note:You must pay at least as much tax as Somerville will reclaim on your gift(s) in the tax year in which you make them (tax credits on dividend income will count towards the tax paid). The tax year runs from 6 April in one year to 5 April in the next. If you have any queries about Gift Aid, please speak to the Development Office. You can make payments by cash, cheque, postal order, direct debit, standing order, debit or credit card or even in a foreign currency (including the euro). Subject to a few rules, you can give any amount, large or small, regular or one-off, and Somerville can reclaim the tax. In order for Somerville to claim Gift Aid on your gift, you need to make a declaration confirming that you want your gifts to be treated as Gift Aid donation. Please click here to access a Gift Aid declaration form or contact the Development Office. Accessibility Statement © Somerville College 2003. Last Modified: 2:27pm on the 28th of January 2005

gifts for men <<

Romantic Advice: Valentine gifts for men Romantic Advice: Valentine gifts for men Valentine's Day gift giving can be easier if you give gifts any man can use. Here's a list of common ideas that will help you choose what is right for your love. Gift giving can sometimes get tricky, especially when the gift you purchase is not well received. Of course, you can eliminate gift giving by giving cash. However, with a little creative you can express appreciation and love on Valentine's Day by opting for a gift any man could use. 1. Tickets. Does your valentine have a favorite sports team or recording artist? If so, consider buying a front row seat to an upcoming game or performance. 2. Footwear. Whether dressy or sporty, shoes, sandals and/or athletic footwear can simultaneously fulfill a need and a want if you select a pair from your valentine's favorite designer. 3. Food. Be it breakfast, lunch or dinner, your valentine is likely to enjoy a meal if you opt for his favorite restaurant, or his favorite dish. 4. Clothes. Clothing is as personal as an individual gets, so eliminate gift rejection by either taking your valentine or a shopping spree, or wrap up a gift card or gift certificate from his favorite store. Even if you choose to stick to underwear, get creative and buy something he would love but is too shy or too cheap to buy himself. 5. Jewelry. From watches to chains to tie pins to rings, there are many great things you can buy your valentine from the jewelry department. Here, however, proceed with caution. Buy something that either can be used daily or something for a special occasion. Anything in between might just sit in a drawer until next year. 6. Hobby helps. Whatever your beau's interest, consider buying something that can be used to further enjoy his hobby. Again, since such things as golf clubs, mitts and certain balls must feel right to the user, you may want to offer a gift certificate to his favorite hobby shop. Then, too, since your reading interests may be in sharp contrast to his, consider offering a gift certificate to an online or traditional bookstore where he can choose what he likes. 7. Write stuff. Investing in your valentine by giving gifts like designer (not always expensive) pens and pencils, or other home office supplies will keep you on his mind as he uses these great instruments daily. Written by Lisa Crayton - © 2002 Pagewise You are here: Essortment Home >> People & Culture >> Holidays:Gifts >> Romantic Advice: Valentine gifts for men << Giving personalized gifts to friends Gift Advice: Second-hand gifts >>

Gift Ideas A gift

Thrifty Living - Gifts from the Kitchen Gifts from the Kitchen A gift from the kitchen is twice blessed; it gives pleasure to the giver as well as to the receiver. Many holidays are so commercialized that much of the true meaning of the holiday has been lost. While it is nice to give money or fancy gifts, no gift is more appreciated than those that are homemade or handmade. Those are the special gifts that come from the heart and take extra time and thought. Gifts created in your kitchen are a special way to share a little of yourself. Food Gift Ideas A gift from the kitchen does not need to be elaborate or be made of costly ingredients. It should be a bit out of the ordinary and something the receiver is not likely to make. Try to match the gift of food to the food likes of the person who will receive it. When thinking about what you might give as a gift, think about something You enjoy making; You and your children or grandchildren could make together; The recipient would not make for themselves; or That is your specialty. Presenting the Gift The way the gift is presented can be almost as important as the food itself. In some cases it is nice to use a container that will be used after the food in or on it has disappeared. Flea markets and yard sales are great places to shop for these kinds of giveaway containers. Here are a few suggestions: A loaf of bread tied to a cutting board accompanied by a bread knife. Tea or coffee blend in a bright canister or in a tea or coffee cup. - Jams, jellies, and other spreads in a reusable container with a spoon or spreader attached. Anything wrapped in a tea towel. Cookies in a flowerpot lined with plastic wrap instead of a cookie jar. Unusually shaped cookies packed with their cutters. Recipes Turkey Noodle Soup Mix A welcome gift during the holiday season, when there is usually plenty of leftover turkey meat on hand. 1/4 cup red lentils 2 Tablespoons dried onion 1-1/2 Tablespoons chicken-flavored bouillon granules 1-1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed 1/8 teaspoon ground celery 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1 small bay leaf 1 cup uncooked medium egg noodles Layer ingredients in the order given in a glass jar. Pretty Packaging: Cover the lid with a round or square of fabric that is cut 2-1/2" larger in diameter than the top of the jar. Fasten with a rubber band; tie with ribbon to cover rubber band. Gift Tag Greeting: "This makes about 10 cups of good, hot soup perfect for a cold night. Here's how to make it:" Turkey Noodle Soup 8 cups water 1 jar Turkey-Noodle Soup mix 1 package (10 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables 2 cups cooked, diced turkey or chicken Bring water to boil in large saucepan over high heat; stir in soup mix. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Stir in frozen mixed vegetables and cooked turkey. Cook 5 minutes longer or until noodles and vegetables are tender. Prepared by Barbara Farner , Extension Educator, Nutrition and Wellness. New Features | Home Care | Wellness | Consumer Economics | Foods & Nutrition Home | Contact Us

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