Egads! Is it really mine?!!

Well, it'll never hold a portable massage table, but Thursday, one month after my father's death, I drove home in my first brand spankin' new car! It is without a doubt, the nicest thing I've ever driven. 2005 redfire Ford Mustang V6 coupe. Ahhh....yeah! Takes me back to my first car... a candy apple red 68 Mustang. This thing feels like the older car, just with wonderful modern touches. Well, it's going to be a lesson in discipline and restraint, because it is a powerful vehicle. I couldn't even imagine the V8 with 300 horsepower. The V6 with 210 hp is more than plenty.

Just a week or two before my dad went into the hospital we were talking about buying a classic Mustang convertible and going on a road trip. He was excited about it and wanted to go down and find one that afternoon. I had a couple massage clients scheduled that afternoon and couldn't go. I know he knew he wasn't going to live much longer and just wanted to pass it on to me. Thanks Dad.

So, I'm in a bit of surreal whirl... it's just lovely, sitting there in the driveway. And, yes... when I have an outcall, Bhaktirose and I will have to swap cars for the day. I can let it go..um...sure I can...uh huh uh huh.

I have a couple massage sessions this morning... can't wait for the drive!

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Hamid LMT - Massage therapist in Portland, Oregon

Well, it may have been short-lived, but for a short time, I was ranked on google at #1. I believe this is what is referred to as the google sandbox. No worries. I'm still working on building reciprocal links and other search optimization techniques. In Yahoo and Msn, I still rank right on up there... #1 or 2 for most of my keywords.

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Hamid LMT - Massage therapist in Portland, Oregon

High rankings on Google!

Though caught in the Google Dance, after a bit over six months, my massage site has top 40 on all of my major keywords on Google, if only for a bit. MSN, Yahoo and all the other major search engines have had me listed right up there at the top for months. It seems all of my search engine optimization research has truly paid off. Well, I'll have to get to work on my fourth article in the Internet Marketing for Massage Therapists on a Budget series. And, wait until all of google's servers are updated to reflect the change. I tell ya, Google is the most frustrating search engine out there when it comes to reliable, relevant SERPs (search engine results pages).

Oh, to expand on the Google Dance. For several days, Google will shuffle about their search engine results, updating their index of web pages. They store this huge amount of information on several different servers. It takes time to index and update them all.

I'm really not up to my full massage schedule yet. Taking things slow. During last week's ice storm I came down with a bit of illness. Nothing serious, but it lasted a good 36 hours, and leaving me feeling pretty run down for the rest of the week. Ice storm...illness... seems the universe really wanted me to get some rest! I know a lot of this has to do with my grieving process. So, I'm opening up to these reminders and being gentle with myself.

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Hamid LMT - Massage therapist in Portland, Oregon

The thought of giving a massage after about a three week break was, at first, a bit daunting. I'm nearing the end of my first week back and everything is feeling pretty good. My clients are simply amazing... generous and warm in their compassion. And, life moves onwards. Trod fearlessly in the direction of your dreams...

Plus, it's been a client-filled week. Juggling massage clients and taking care of my parent's affairs is no easy task. There's a part of me that just wants things done. But, I keep hearing lovely reminders... slow down. Take it easy. Yeah, yeah... so I did a little work on the house tonight and then Bhaktirose and I watched a flic on the new widescreen.

I was really missing my dad last night. As I type, I'm really missing him now. A shy smile sneaking under tears. Thanks dad... thanks mom... thank you for this life... thank you for everything...

I went to drum circle last night. Lottsa fun! There was a tremendously wonderful player there. Very inspiring! First time I used the new djembe in a group. Doesn't quite have the distinctive crack of the old Remo synthetic head, but it still feels good to play. It has a real musical quality... kept hearing notes in the circle and realized it was coming from my drum! Wicked nifty!

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Hamid LMT - Massage therapist in Portland, Oregon

Now taking appointments again...

Dear friends,

We had the funeral for my father last week. It was a beautiful ceremony with full military honors. I was struck by the sincerity of the honor guard; they did not simply go through the motions, but were truly honoring one of their own. The bugle playing Taps was incredibly powerful and moving. The honor guard left me with three empty bullet shells and a folded flag.

Bhaktirose and I have moved into my childhood home out in Gresham and are slowly making it our own. Much of her family flew in from the east coast to assist with all of this change. They were such a tremendous support.

Our landlord at our old apartment is willing to break our lease. We agreed to help find them a new tenant. So, if you’re looking for a great two-bedroom townhome style apartment in Westmoreland, please let me know! It’s a few blocks from Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge and very quiet. We were paying $695 per month. I don't know if they'll still charge that or not.

I’m really looking forward to getting back to work. So, I’m going to start taking massage appointments again this week.

I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for all of your support and kind wishes. You are a gift to this world.

Blessings and love to you... may you soar beyond dreams...
Hamid : )


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Hamid LMT - Massage therapist in Portland, Oregon