Jai Bhakti™ (Bhakti Brophy): September 2007

Hello everyone. It's been awhile..but I'm back with a vengeance. I ordered a Steve Vai CD via the Internet, and when I received it in the mail I noticed that there was a free "Meet and Greet" backstage-pass in the CD case. Just the day before, I had written this message on the dry erase board that's in my immediate view upon waking up in the morning: EXPECT GOOD THINGS. LIFE IS GOOD. The "expect good things" was just something that I wrote because...well, I want good things in my life. "Remember: life is good" is what Steve Vai says at the end of one of my favorite Vai songs titled Warm Regards (it's the last song on the Fire Garden CD. If you don't already have this CD, please do your ears--and heart--a favor and bookmark this blog, put your computer on standby, run to the closest CD store and buy it. Your ears will thank you later. Trust me. I'm a professional Vai-ist. In fact, I've been listening to his guitar playing for so long that I wasn't even aware of it!! [?] Yes--that's a fact! I used to listen to Public Image Limited--aka P.I.L.--while in high school. And, of course, who can forget that I loved putting Zappa's vinyl "Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch" on the turn-table while enrolled in the same aforementioned high school?) Oh yeah...back to my story: I wrote the message "Expect Good Things" on my wall, and the next day I get the Steve Vai Meet and Greet backstage pass. I figured there was no way in hell that I'd be able to stand through a concert--I can't even stand in the shower! (That's not really true...it's late and I just thought that was a funny visual.) Therefore, I logged on to Steve's website (http://www.vai.com/) and discovered that he's playing in Atlantic City, and it's a place with actual SEATS! My mom and dad agreed not only to pay for my ticket--but they upgraded my ticket to an EVO UPGRADE PACKAGE---which means that I'll be able to sit through Steve's sound check and then sit in an question and answer type of thingy. It just sounds so cool.

Click on the title of this post to watch a video I just created!

People, I'm here to tell you that I am going to the show...even though riding in the car the 10 minutes it takes to get to the doctor upsets the nerves in my neck so much that I have to lie down for a couple of hours when I get home; yes, I am going to be driven 2 1/2 hours down to Atlantic City to spend about four hours before the show with Steve and the band (including the great Dave Weiner. Check out http://www.daveweiner.com/ for great guitar info. He's terrific. Full of wisdom and willing to share. That's an enlightened guy. Young, talented, with his ego checked at the door. I love it.)

You probably all know by now that I have very cool parents who have always been supportive of every endeavor I've ever endeavored to endeavor. They happen to LOVE Atlantic City. They're not high rollers by any means, they just enjoy the slot machines. My Uncle Bob agreed to let us stay in his condo--which is a mere 10 minutes from Atlantic City--for two nights. That way, we can drive down on Friday--I can sleep all night and ice my neck, arm, and hands. Then, I can sleep in until right before the EVO package events begin--and I'm good to go!

I'm very happy that I decided to 'expect good things'. As a lifelong student of spirituality and meditation, I know that the mind is a very powerful thing and that our thoughts do, in fact, shape our reality. However, there is something extra special about making an intention; or, in my case, stating exactly what I want to happen. Thinking is extremely powerful. We must always be aware of the thoughts that are playing like a broken record in our minds.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that yes, I do remember that life IS good.

As you know, you all bring so much incredible joy to my life. Carmi leaves me these incredibly thoughtful, humbling comments. I am so gracious that my offerings affect you in such an inspirational way, Carmi. I love when you visit. And to the ZombieSlayer--who is an avid music lover, I thank you for visiting often. And to my beloved Gyrobo (little metal guy), you know I am forever grateful for the lovely avatar you have created for me. I am on fire (literally!). And Jinn, I got the virtual chocolate truffles you telepathically sent to me. They tasted fabulous, and even though they were virtual chocolates, I still gained twenty pounds from them. I hate when that happens.

Lest I digress,. I've created a video letter to Steve telling him how incredibly excited I am to be meeting him. I created the video on Monday and Tuesday and have been 100% 'unabled' ever since: i.e.
disabled. Oh well, I know my pain will subside a bit in a few days (as you know, it never fully goes away--thank GOD I learned to meditate at a very young age. If you still don't know how to practice meditation--put that on your list of things to do right after you get back from the record store!) I'd rather be creative for an hour and then spend four days immobilized, rather than succumb to my disabilities and give up and be a blob of a person lying in bed dreaming of being creative again. You know what I mean? This is the hand I've been dealt. My doctors are amazed that I can do anything. But then again, they're not really---because they know me. Nothing can break my spirit (although I must admit that the withdrawal from lowering the Oxycontin by 40 mg almost threw me over the edge. It actually did break my spirit--but, as Adi Shankaracharya says--"Nothing is ever lost". In other words, you can't lose what you've always had in the first place! More on that later.)

For now, won't you please watch the video I created for Master Vai and perhaps leave a comment on Youtube? If you don't have an account with them, it's real easy to create one; and remember I'M WORTH IT!!! :)

Big smile--big hugs,
Warm Regards,
Bhakti

Click Here to watch the video!!!

(Update: It's now September 13, and I am still unable to play the guitar due to the fact that when I created this video for Steve Vai, I just fell into an artistic zone and couldn't feel any pain: My mind was focused 110% on what I was trying to achieve in that moment. Unfortunately for me--once I came out of the zone, there's physical hell to pay. That's what I deal with: that's the cards I've been dealt. If I choose to type on the computer today, I know that I will have to ice my arm, neck, and hands before bed in order to get some relief in order to sleep. That's just the way the cookie crumbles for now. It just 'is'. As long as I know that, I can deal with it in stride--well, okay, sometimes I get quite bitchy, but what's a woman to do?)