Holidays and Laziness (in Writing) Make For Very Long Periods In Between Posts

No excuses anymore! This isn't funny! At the very least I should have posted all the pages that I wrote in my travel diary that I took on my recent vacations to New York and Hawaii. (Note to self: figure out how to add the pdf images to this site).

Interesting things I've seen in the last few weeks:

• Sea Turtles!
• 30 Rockefeller Bldg. ( I kept hoping for Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan and Alec Baldwin to walk out randomly.)
  
• Two Waterfalls. (Tamar, Jim and I umped off of the rocks near one.)
  
• A Small Superman sign glowing in a 7th floor window as the only confirmed indication that those were in fact DC Comics' corporate offices.
• A bulldog making his great escape from his poor owner who turned into a track star in order to get said bulldog back.
• Adults rolling around stage in fish costumes and wheelies singing 'Under The Sea' (Surreal!).
• Conga line at a wedding!
  
• The Winnie The Pooh toys of the real Christopher Robin.
  
• Samoan man spinning and tossing a massive stick of fire.
• Schools of tropical fish. (Think Finding Nemo but waaayyyy better!)
• Lauren Graham singing in scantily-clad lingerie.
• Black squirrel!!!! ( I haven't seen one in about 9 years or so!)
• Drum circle. (Sarah and I walked into an ongoing session with about a dozen interchanging players. The beat went on and on and on.....)
• Aquamarine seas and cobalt blue drop off points.
• Hundreds of people crossing the street whilst cars were coming toward them and the 'Do Not Walk' sign was in amber glowing.
  
• No crazy incidents on the subways.
• Queens in the pouring rain.
• Dunkin Donuts on every other corner.
• A box of 3 lbs of flower petals. Said petals strewn all over a honeymoon suite.
• Antique luggage of immigrants past on Ellis Island.
• A bldg devoted to pineapple memorabilia at the Dole Plantation.
• Tiny lizards and escaping crabs on pumice stone rocks.
• Another beautiful sunset at Paradise Cove Resort on the west side of Oahu.
• Pam and Jeremy lighting their Unity candle at their wedding!
  

I know there was even more stuff but these are the things that stood out most in my mind.

Comic-Con is in less than three weeks so I'll have more to post then! I promise!

P.S. Dear God, please let there be a True Blood panel! And let Alexander Skarsgard be in attendance! Eric Northman in HOT!!!

The Not-So-Impossible Dream/Doing Things For Yourself

For a long time now I've sought out inspiring articles written by people who encourage others to live their lives better; to be loyal to their essence. I do this not because I seek to change who I am. I believe that the core of who I am cannot be changed no matter how hard I try. I think this is 95% true of all human beings. A person can, over time and with hard work, change their habits but they cannot change their intrinsic nature. For better or for worse.

I recognize patterns in my life that have pushed me to become the adult that I am today. But there are lifestyle changes that I am in the process of making to become a happier, healthier me.

Several weeks ago I was wandering around HuffingtonPost.com and I found the Living section of the site. I read through numerous posts and liked what I found. I now check the Living section several times a day. For me it is calming to find so many viewpoints and suggestions on how to live a life that matters to you.

I love that so many blog authors pointed out that the way for you to best serve your fellow human beings is to take care of yourself first by making yourself as healthy (emotionally, physically and spiritually) as possible. Not narcissism but selfishness to a small degree.

One columnist that I like a lot is Judith Rich. She regularly posts on HuffPo. Last month she started posting a series in the key of 'The Impossible Dream'.

What she proposed is this: Although the economy is muddled and in duress, there has never been a better time to follow your dreams. The economy cannot be sustained long term by workers who make themselves drones, shuffling in out of work they hate or are uninspired to do. We each have a gift that we can contribute to this world. The best way to do that is to follow through with a dream that you had hereto thought impossible to bring to reality. Ms. Rich urges her readers to start creating a visual aid (collage, prayer place, etc) to encourage them to lay the groundwork to get started making your 'impossible' dream possible. She doesn't advocate rash decisions. She is merely pointing out that too many people end up leading lives they despise because they either couldn't or wouldn't go against the grain (or others' opinions) to accomplish their goals. It doesn't matter if your dream seems silly to others. It is your dream and yours alone and she encourages everyone to get started bringing it to fruition.

Here are links to Part 1-4:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-judith-rich/what-would-you-do-if-you_b_166896.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-judith-rich/living-the-impossible-dre_b_170934.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-judith-rich/what-makes-a-life-worth-l_b_172054.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-judith-rich/follow-your-bliss-the-hol_b_174538.html


These posts have made me feel more at ease and encouraged about seeing my impossible dream come true. Here is my impossible dream: I want to travel more. More specifically, I want to spend at least a couple of years traveling the world to certain locations and engage in activities that I've always longed to do. I want to use these experiences to write and complete an epic novel. I also want to have these experiences for personal growth and great memories.

Here are just a few things that I will pick and choose to do in my travel plan. I want to work on a horse or cattle ranch near Yellowstone National Park. I want to spend time exploring the music of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Brazil. I want to see the desserts and the glaciers of Chile. I want to spend time in Italy eating delicious food and speaking Italian. I want to work on an animal/nature preserve in Tanzania, Kenya or Botswanna. I want to see St. Petersburg and Mongolia I want to travel to Northern India to visit the Dalai Lama's residence, backpack around the country and party in Goa for a week. After this I want to make my way to either Australia, Canada, England, Ireland New Zealand with a work visa for a year.

When and if I get back to the United States I want to live somewhere new. Somewhere where there are lots of trees, blue sky and a slower pace of life. I want to be content where I live.

To make this a reality I know it will require a lot of sacrifices on my part. It will take about two years to make it happen. I will either have to forgo going back to school for a couple of years or take a leave of absence mid-program and complete it upon my return. I will have to get a part-time job on top of my regular job to save money for both the trip and my student loans while I'm gone. I will have to arrange my schedule so that I'm not exhausted all the time or can't work out regularly. This will require me to limit time with my friends and cut vacations short. I have to get my driver's license. I may have to give up cable. What, no True Blood, Rescue Me or Entourage? The horror!

But I know that ultimately, none of these are real deterrents. I will gladly make these sacrifices if it means that I will be making the transition to be a happier healthy person. I'm tired of hating the world and resenting the cards I've been dealt in life. I wouldn't be who I am today without these experiences. I wouldn't have the courage to recognize and act on what I really want to do with my life. I'm ready to change directions and live my best life!

I want to feel free dammit! Kris Kristofferson said it best: "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose". I don't fear the future. I don't fear losing or giving up things. I know that regardless off what happens to me, I'll be ok!

I didn't think this day would ever come.....

As I laid my head down to sleep last night, as my breath grew shallow and my eyelashes batted themselves into stargazing dreams, I knew I'd sleep peacefully tonight because of one thing and one thing only.

In a few short minutes Mr. George 'Numnuts, Stra-teg-ery, Mission Accomplished, Heckuva Job Brownie, Waterboarding Is Not Torture' Bush will no longer be President of the United States of America. Mr. Bush will have to turn in his keys to the White House and will no longer play the role of 'The Decider' for any domestic or international incidents.

And we will all be better for it. These past 8 years represent a failure in every level of government that was hereforeto unimaginable. Did anyone ever think we would ever live to see a Presidency that surpassed Nixon's in the scope of pure criminality?

And the mistakes can be measured! In body count (over 4,000 American soldiers dead, est. over 1 million Iraqis dead, Katrina; let's not even get into the amount of civilians killed in the mountains and tribal lands of Afghanistan). In civil rights and legislation (suspension of habeas corpus, extraordinary rendition and detention, warantless wiretapping, abstinence-only sex education, ). In public policy ("There's no such thing as global warming", trying to veto a children's healthcare bill, massive EPA and NOAA inaction and political ). In judicial and executive appointments (Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, John Bolton, John Roberts; the list goes on). The list of what George W. Bush has failed to do or has completely wrecked goes on and on and on.....

Need another mistake of Bush's? CHENEY! This may be his smallest trespass but it warrants mention: How do you shoot someone in the face and get away with it? Not only that, the person you shot apologized to you for getting shot in the first place!

I'm going to leave it to my man Jon Stewart to describe just how delusional and sad our departing president is when he looks back on the 'work' he's done over the last eight years (including all his 77 (that's right, 77!!!!) vacations):

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=215905&title=six-days-seven-nights

I could go on all day but I don't need to. History won't be the only one who judges George W. Bush. Every living person on this planet will! Good riddance and so long sucker!

Obama! Obama! Obama! Yes! Yes! Yes!

I can't believe it! I don't even really have the words to describe how powerful it felt to know that my own country, a country I had been so disgusted/disappointed/not proud of for so many years, had a majority of its citizens stand up and vote Barack Obama into the 44th President of the United States! It was proud night and I cried seeing all the images of people in this country and all over the world exploding with cheers and joy because the day had finally come when Americans did the right thing! Bravo and love to everyone who campaigned for both candidates, (yes, even for John McCain), reported and blogged about this two year race to the White House, and for all those who went to the polls yesterday and voted! I've never been prouder! So for today, let everyone bask in the glory of this monumental election and the promise of Obama's presidency. But when we wake up tomorrow, I hope everyone understands that it's time to roll up our sleeves again and get cracking with executing of plans and ideas because we've got a lot of work to do to correct the wrongs of the last eight years (even if it takes the next few decades to do that)!

Go Obama! You deserve it!

P.S. Even though I'm happy about the results of the presidential race last night, I am deeply disappointed that half of the registered voters in California chose to pass Prop. 8, chose to discriminate against LGBT individuals and their right to marry whomever they please, whenever they choose. But I'm not discouraged because it means that those of us who support civil rights for all will have to fight that much harder to make civil rights, including the right to marry, secure for everyone! Don't give up!

I think I have OCD when it comes to cleaning...

This might sound kinda sick... but there may be nothing better in this world than the joy that comes from having a clean home! I spent the entire day washing dishes in the kitchen, scrubbing counters, mopping floors, scrubbing the bathtub, vacuuming the floors and tiding up my bedroom.... it was EXHILARATING. It calmed me down and I was able to focus on just relaxing tonight. Watched some chick flicks and everything feels right with the world! Ahhhhhhhh!!!

Highlight of cleaning: Balancing on the edge of the bathtub while installing a new shower curtain with Creedence Clearwater Revival playing in background.

I will sleep peacefully tonight. Tomorrow I'm volunteering at the Folsom Street Fair so I'll have a full report of all the leather and ass-less chaps I see tomorrow!

Current Obsessions

Entertainment Weekly posts a weekly 'Must' list of tv shows, music and cultural events that they think people should check out. Here are some of my favorites from the past couple of months:

True Blood (HBO) - I have to admit, I've always been a sucker for all things VAMPIRE (well, except for the actual biting and draining of blood)! Buffy and Angel have been off the air for years and Moonlight was recently canceled (By those bastards at CBS!), so the past few months have been devoid of the living dead on my screen. I loved Alan Ball's last series, Six Feet Under. (Think I'm a bit morbid much?). And I was not disappointed by this show's premiere on Sunday. In a nutshell? FUNNY! Sookie Stackhouse and co. (particularly Tara, Lafayette and Arlene!) kept me thoroughly entertained. Mixed in with enough scares and romance to leave me twitching for the next episode. Sundays at 9pm Folks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd5E-pHzXGI

P.S. I know everyone's gaga over the Twilight series but I'll watch the movie first!

Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman - Seriously, what the hell happened to CoreFire!? Imagine a graphic novel/comic book but without any pictures. Well developed superheroes with their flaws (and technological organs) laid out in detail; Mr. Grossman's world is so fleshed out, pictures aren't needed. Proof that imagination is a terrible thing to waste!

Becoming Jane - I never new much about Jane Austen's life other than the usual biography. Although this film is a interprative portrait of the going-ons that lead her to write several of the world's most beloved novels, it struck a chord with me. A version of life imitating art. Although I think James MacAvoy is more handsome in person than in a book!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD6sN3rP0Q8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9AqpwsclfI

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty- I remember watching the miniseries as a child and being captivated by a time in history that has long since passed. But reading the main book in Larry McMurty's Lonesome Dove Saga reminded me why some novels have the ability to capture the spirit of the Old West and make it resonate today. A book worthy of its Pulitzer!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Sometimes you just need a dozen cookies to put you right again ;)

Alternet.org - I get several newsletter from this site a day (Health and Wellness, War in Iraq, Media Headlines, Water and Environment) and I am never at a loss for new things to learn. Intellectually stimulating journalism that's extremely honest to boot! Why can't the national daily (hello, NYT and San Francisco Chronicle!) newspapers learn from their example?

NIN LIVE - I just saw Mr. Reznor and co.'s "Lights in the Sky" show last week in Oakland and it will permanently remain in my top five shows ever (well, at least until their next tour!)! I'd been waiting my whole life to see them live and I wasn't disappointed! The lights, the video screens were absolutely PHENOMENAL!!! Fuck CGI! Lucasfilm could learn a thing or to about showmanship from Nine Inch Nails! Nothing I love more than to hear thousands of people singing on key, "Bow down before the one you serve. You're going to get what you deserve"! Here is a compilation of the visual effects during the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwV5cWLFM9U

Hugh Jackman singing 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning' from the musical 'Oklahoma' - Oh what a beautiful morning indeed when I get the chance to hear Wolverine belt it out Broadway style! Lately, if I'm in a bad mood, all I have to do is hum this tune and I want to climb on top of a windmill and sing to the heavens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyaAZKwYXxg

March by Geraldine Brooks - I seem to be on a kick with historical novels but this one warrants attention. (It won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize). I finally got around to reading this study of a fictional character that is the father of another fictional character in a book that is high school required reading: Josephine March of Louisa May Alcott's 'Little Women'. This novel follows Mr. March through his perilous journeys as a Yankee chaplain in the American Civil War. Mainly its about the things left unsaid between loved ones, even those so dear to our hearts.


I hope you all enjoy this list! Take some time to check some of this stuff out, hopefully all of it! Special thanks to youtube.com for all the clips!

Jesus, I haven't posted in a long time!

Haha! I was posting on my friend Kathryn's page, when I decided to check my own. 6 months is a long time to not detail my musings on life or random encounters. (Especially since everyday I encounter a scenario that leaves me in either a state of giggles or a state of befuddlement). The pressure of it all, my desire to be minutely detailed and project novel gravitas... oh fuck it.

No amount of big words is going to change the fact that I lack discipline when it comes to posting. Don't get me wrong. I write everyday. But I spend so much time brooding on a certain state of affairs that I convince myself that my blogging is a trifle best left un-indulged?

I have a reoccurring debate in my head. Its fierceness mirrors my moods:

In the back of my mind, I always ask aren't brilliant people supposed to be tortured? Hasn't their inability to rise from the depths of despair given the world great art forms over the recent millennium? Isn't the realization that one will never be satisfied, enough to make one stop bullshitting and convey to the masses the truth of human emotion, no matter how dark a place the artist had to go to in order to create their masterpiece?

The front of my brain counterattacks. It questions whether great sadness is simply too easy from which to drawn inspiration? It ponders if optimism is a road better traveled but if it too is a road rife with potholes?Why Sunshine and Inspiration do not give their gifts freely? Are the pursuits of these rare gifts a tacit agreement that when an artist is finally rewarded with them, the greater affect of the final art product will be the universality that will allow the artist to connect with audiences living or yet to be born?

Again, I digress! Anyways, my problem is my lack of discipline. And my persistent thinking that only life-changing events are worthy of chronicling. Yes, they are worthy. But it is the in-between written observations that fill in the sides of the turkey platter we call 'life' and make for a better meal/story.

Oh wait! What was I gonna write about? I've forgotten in my 'musings'. But I will begin again tomorrow with any trifle that warrants my attention to blog about! Happy trails!