Raise your hand if you've had a crazy last few days. I know I have. And now I sit at my computer, feeling as though I am coming to the end of a chapter that could well be titled: "Meditations on a Full Moon or Madness and all of its Friends".

I have a wonderful life- and not without madness, mind you. But the madness that started Thursday evening and ended just a few hours ago was not of the garden variety. Yes, the last few days brought me a mysterious plumbing catastrophe in my home, crazy, feuding neighbors, an almost tribal night of dancing at a friend's going away party and today a children's birthday party that would make the Mad Hatter's tea gathering look tame.

And I had to wonder, did any of this have to do with Friday's incredible full moon?

When the madness began to happen Thursday evening, I started to resist it but I found it much easier to let go of the paddles and just enjoy the experience like a wild and colorful dream.

So to end it on a peaceful note, I am staying in tonight, cuddling up with a new book (that will remain nameless as I am going to review it shortly) and am just going to appreciate a quiet evening at home.

Did you survive the madness of the full moon?

Lately I have noticed a lot of articles written on the subject of happiness: what it is, how to get it and why so many people don’t have it. Yes, happiness seems to be the Holy Grail of emotions for many people right now, so in honor of that certain esprit or joie de vivre that we would all like to have more of, I have decided to list a few things that keep me happy on a daily basis.

- My dog, Gatsby (pictured, as a puppy, above). He is the ultimate companion and best friend. It doesn’t matter if I’ve left the house for two hours or ten minutes, when I step through the front door he is completely overjoyed to see me. His excitement and happiness is palpable and contagious. Any trace of a bad mood is instantly erased when I see that wagging tail.

- Exercise. I’m really enjoying the current combination of yoga, walking and qi gong. I’ve never been much of a gym person and these exercises just seem to boost my mood and keep me happy.

- Reading. As most of you know, I LOVE to read. (Which I why I am always so grateful when I get fab book recommendations from you). I usually read about one to two books a week- its just such a fantastic way to escape and to broaden the mind. What’s on my nightstand right now? Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn.

- And lastly, finding humor in everyday life. You can imagine my reaction when I came across this carrot at the grocery store the other day... Sometimes spontaneous laughter is an instant portal to happiness.

I would love to know… what makes you happy?

In my on-going quest to be fully in the present moment I do several “exercises” throughout the day involving the five senses. My favorite sense (if there can be one) is smell. I love to pause during my day and smell things. It may sound odd, but it is a sensory experience that I believe is very powerful. I’ll smell the ground coffee before I put it in the pot. I’ll smell the beautiful rose that I see on my way to work. I’ll smell my shampoo before I wash my hair. I love taking in scents! After all, I don’t want my nose to think I take it for granted!

When it comes to personal scent- it’s a very personal thing. Up until now, I happened to be very loyal, using the only perfume that worked for me: “Stella”, by Stella McCartney. I LOVE this scent! It is evocative of roses and works so well with the chemistry of my skin. I would try samples of other perfumes when I went to Sephora or a department store but nothing ever got me like Stella did.

I was, however, fascinated by those women who seem to have several perfume bottles displayed on their vanity. Did they wear each and every one? My question was answered the other day when speaking with a co-worker of mine. We greeted each other and she mentioned that I smelled delightful. I told her it was “Stella”, the only perfume I wear. She was in shock. “How could you only wear one perfume?” she asked me in earnest, “What about the changing of the seasons? Or going from day to night?”

These were things I had never though of before with regard to scent. I guess Stella, if it were to be classified into seasons, would be a spring/ summer fragrance. I have worn it year round for the last four years! Even in England in the dead of winter! My co-worker, who happens to be fashionable, fabulous and European, went on to tell me she is addicted to perfume and collects it. She changes perfume depending on the occasion and feels like a different person with each scent.

This really got me thinking. Well it wasn’t as if I hadn’t tried new perfumes. I had. Actually a few months ago I bought Sarah Jessica Parker’s “Lovely” because I had smelled it in a magazine and was impressed. I never thought I’d buy a perfume by a celebrity but alas, I had. I only wear SJP’s scent about once a month. It is, in fact, lovely, but it isn’t the type of scent that moves me profoundly. And as a daily connoisseur, I need to be moved profoundly.

Then, a few days ago I finished reading a book on beauty that I HIGHLY recommend. It is called “Beauty Confidential” by Nadine Haobsh. She is a former beauty editor, turned beauty blogger and I loved everything she had to say as well as her style of writing. In fact, I realized that she and I had a lot in common when it came to products. Some of her personal favorites are also mine! So when we got to the chapter on perfume, I was interested to see what she had to say. She gives a thorough and comprehensive list of modern classics as well as classic classics. She also goes on to list the qualities that these perfumes have (woodsy, vanilla, floral, musk).

Her all time favorite perfume is Narciso Rodriguez, “For Her”. So seeing as how I tended to agree with her other beauty choices, I went to Sephora yesterday to try it out. I knew I couldn’t just buy it online because scent is such a personal thing. For example, so many people rave about how they love Chanel No. 5. I’ve tried it so many times wondering if I’m crazy but I can’t stand it! So I knew I couldn’t go on recommendation alone. I sprayed my wrist and then walked around the shop for a half an hour (which wasn’t hard. I LOVE Sephora). I kept smelling my wrist and it was amazing how this scent evolved. Needless to say, I bought it and smelled my wrist for the rest of the day. It is my new favorite! This doesn’t mean I’m kicking “Stella” to the curb! I’m going to find room for both in my scent library.

I would be interested to hear what perfumes you daily connoisseurs wear. Let me know!

Spiritual Practice: Smell! Smell! Smell! Smell things throughout your day. It will calm your nervous system and bring you into the present moment.

Exercise is a tricky topic for me. I'm not the type to go to the gym everyday for two hours. I prefer to spread my movement throughout the day- like the French do! When I lived in France in 2001 I became the ultimate lifestyle detective. I noticed that French women preferred to walk to the market or work- or up 9 flights of stairs in lieu of hitting the gym. And I never saw a French woman in sneakers. Quelle Horreur! I took what inspiration I could from them and ran.

Here is what a typical day for me is like- exercise wise:

When I first wake up, I do yoga for a minimum of 10 minutes. This is more for my peace of mind than anything else. I love stretching and breathing deeply. This really starts me off on the right foot. This is usually followed by 5 - 10 minutes of meditation- which is more exercise for my brain in how to quiet down! Then later in the day I usually take my dog, Gatsby for a 40 minute power walk. Good for me, good for the dog! Lastly, my husband and I live in a three story town house so usually late at night, right before I go to bed, if it strikes my fancy, I usually walk up and down all three flights of stairs 10- 15 times. You get the idea.

This was all great but I became concerned that I wasn't toning my upper body and using weights. Well, as you can imagine, all of these mini exercises that I fit into my day leave room for little else, so I've developed a plan. On weeknights my husband and I watch between one and two hours of TV- a girl's got to keep up with her shows! So I now do reps while watching our favorite shows or during commercials (if I'm not watching our dvr). I'm starting out small- 20 reps of each arm move with 5lb weights. I am loving the results and don't feel guilty just collapsing on the couch!

We'll see how long this goes. I do tend to get bored doing the same thing all the time. I would be interested to find other ways to incorporate exercise into my day...

Spiritual Practice- Incorporate movement and exercise into as many parts of your day as you can. It will help you stay present and remind you to breathe!

Last night my husband and I went to see Woody Allen’s latest film, Vicky Christina Barcelona at the Loews theatre on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Firstly, I must say I am not very fond of this theatre- it never feels clean and there is not very much legroom. I must prefer the Landmark at Westside Pavilion. It is a beautiful, brand new complex with stadium seating in its larger arenas and leather love seats in its smaller venues. The best thing about the Landmark is that you can pick your seat! No waiting in line or guessing where you’ll end up sitting! Love that!

Now back to Vicky Christina Barcelona. I love this film. I knew I would. I am a big fan of Woody Allen and I think that he is highly underrated. I’m not sure what people expect from this man but he has written and directed over 40 films in his career and has produced some of the most humorous scenarios and witty dialogues I have seen on the big screen (2005’s Match Point directed by Allen is one of my favorite films of all time).

Love, lust and intrigue against the sun-drenched backdrop of Barcelona. Who wouldn’t love that? The casting was spot on, the actors were pitch perfect and the directing was polished. My only complaint with the film was with the clothes. I wasn’t sure why Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall, two beautiful women, were traipsing around Barcelona in frumpy, wrinkled linen pants and baggy button down shirts. I know that was a choice but am unclear as to what it was meant to convey.

Let’s move on to movie etiquette. There is an on going joke amongst my friends and me that I have a curse when it comes to the cinema. I only go to the movies if it is a movie that I am dying to see (otherwise why waste my time). And whenever I go, I always sit next to “that person” that talks throughout the film. The movie going experience for me is a sacred one. I love getting there early and securing my seat. (Unless, of course, I am at the Landmark and it has been selected beforehand). I love popcorn, the previews and totally submerging myself in the world of the film. If I am sitting next to someone who talks periodically, I am taken out of the world of the film. I usually try to implement my spiritual practice during these moments, and rather than stressing out and getting testy, I take a deep breath and accept the moment as it is.

There was a period of time, however, where I was sitting next to the “groaner”. This man, who loves to frequent movie theatres in Santa Monica, and groan loudly during the best parts of the film. Lucky for me, other patrons of the theatre yelled at him to “shut up or die”, and I didn’t have to.

I hadn’t seen the groaner for a long time… until last night. My husband and I had ideal seats in the middle of the theatre. It was slowly filling up, when a very disheveled man with a baseball cap and earphones in his ears, sauntered up to the front of the theatre and leaped into an available seat. The whole way, he was talking to himself. Loudly. Not like on an earphone headset- but to himself. Then he proceeded to take off his shoes and splay his feet on the seat before him. Not groomed feet.

Oh no, I thought, this for sure was the groaner. And why, was he in my viewing of Vicky Christina Barcelona? I had been waiting to see this film for 6 months! Concerned moviegoers looked around at each other. Was this a homeless man that had found his way into the theatre? Was he going to talk the whole way through? I started to panic. What did I do to deserve this curse?

At that point, my husband reminded me to be in the moment and accept the circumstances as they were. I took a deep, cleansing breath and even started laughing. The previews came. The opening credits rolled. And sure enough, Mr. Bad Movie Etiquette got up and left the theatre! It was a miracle! And I was left to thoroughly enjoy, the love, lust, mayhem and intrigue that was Vicky Christina Barcelona.

Spiritual Practice: Pause when agitated. Take deep cleansing breaths and accept the moment as it is. Things just might turn in your favor!