When attending a speaking engagement:
1. Bring a notebook and a pen
2. Do not hold anything that makes noise when you handle it.
3. If you need glasses, don't forget to wear them.

I'm sure I can expand on this list, but rule number one is an especially hard lesson. I attended my first lecture at the Commonwealth Club today: ELLEN BURSTYN who is touring her book Lessons in Becoming Myself. It was wonderful, a quick walk around the corner from work (unbelievably close!) and I was there. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring paper and pen, nor did I remember my glasses. It did allow me to concentrate on the words, which I hoped I would remember, but I don't have a photographic memory, so I'll have to wait for the podcast or the re-broadcast on PBS radio.
Her talk resonated with me though, she is on a spiritual quest as a Sufi ("seeker of truth") and I feel like I've somewhat spent my life on a sort of spiritual quest too. It was nice that the first mind-expanding "Ann Arbor Lifestyle" thing I did was focused around this topic.
There were quite a few things I wanted to remember, but only managed to write one thing down before it all drifted away. (Paraphrased!)

To change the people you attract, change your own vibrations - we resonate on a frequency - we attract those who resonate to the same frequency. If you are attracting the same types of people and you don't want to repeat the patterns, look back at yourself and ask "Why am I attracting this? - what about me do I need to change so I attract the types of people I need and want in my life?" And she asked her Sufi mentor how she was supposed to change her vibration - He said, you
change your vibration frequency through meditation, therapy, learning, and growing spiritually.

I'm drifting away here from tiredness. How did it get to be 1 in the morning? Ah well, more tomorrow.