Graphical Depiction of Life

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I found this graphical depiction a few years ago, it still has application, and more than anything it makes me smile.

Random, People

One reason why I love people.

A Tribute to Action

I love people.  I love meeting new people, talking to them, hearing about what they are doing in life and why.  I especially love people who find something they love, are passionate about it, and then go do it.  Even when it's unconventional or as some might even say "irresponsible."  I've discovered if you love it, if it makes you happy, then you should be doing it because by doing it you will not only find joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in your own life but it puts you in the best position to help others do the same.

There are three people I've met/seen recently, two are new friends, the third is an old friend.  They are unconventional.  They are amazing.  Sharaya and Ally both quit their jobs to take a gamble on doing something unique that would allow them both to do what they love.  Their gamble is a 50 state road-trip where Sharaya get to spend time writing music and playing in various venues across the country while Ally blogs about their experiences and writes a book on their adventure.  You can read Ally's writings and follow their adventure at http://sharayamikael.wordpress.com/ and listen to Sharaya's music at Amazon or on her Facebook page.  She gave a short house show at our place tonight and she is amazing.

I ran into my third friend, Joey, at a Real Salt Lake soccer game a little over a week ago.  I hesitantly approached not sure it was him foremost because I was in the U.S.  It would surprise me less running into him in Cairo, Istanbul, Rome, or any other random city in the world.  We use to go on adventurous weekend expeditions when we were both living in Jordan studying Arabic and would find ourselves in the most random places.  Drinking tea with Bedouins in an ruinous Roman city on the Syrian boarder, or talking to Jordanian military guards on patrol overlooking the Golan Heights, or hitchhiking back from the Dead Sea after a grueling hike through the desert (on multiple occasions).  The difference is after all of that he just kept going and doing what he loves; traveling, meeting new people, studying languages and cultures all while writing about and photographing the world he sees.

I'm envious of those who are doing what they love, they inspire me.  Partly because I really don't know what I love enough to do it, and partly because they have the strength to do the unconventional.

Aeroplanes & Parachutes

Although the first recorded successful parachutist occurred in 1797, skydiving didn't become an international sport until 1951.  Many a people have said, "I don't see the point in jumping out of a perfectly good airplane." Its funny because the chances of dying in an airplane crash are 1 in 1.6 million, chances of dying in a skydiving accident are 1 in 100,000 (significant difference); however, comparatively the chances of dying in an automobile accident are 1 in 6,000 (wow) and those same people don't think twice about getting into their car every day.  Basically you'd have to jump out of a plane 17 times in a year to equal the same odds as driving your car.

As you might guess I recently jumped out of "a perfectly good airplane."  Although, perfectly good is questionable considering we didn't really have seats and there wasn't a real door on it...so I guess its relative.  However, the experience of free falling from 13,000 for 60 seconds was incredible.  The best part was stepping out the door and watching the plane fly away (or watching me fall away depending on your perspective).  The weightlessness, the wind blowing in my face, the confusion at the fact that it didn't cause an unnecessarily crazy adrenaline rush, the experience as a whole was incredible.  In fact, my thought was I was falling, besides, "this is incredibly awesome," was something akin to, "how does this compare to other things I love to do."  As many know, the thing I love doing the most is Alpine skiing in powder.  In comparison, I'd take a day of skiing in 24" of fresh powder at Snowbird in a fraction of a second over jumping from a plane.  Not because I'm worried about safety, but the enjoyment factor, the marginal benefit I receive from skiing in powder is significantly higher than the benefit I receive from jumping from a plane.  Will I jump again?  Absolutely, will I jump enough to get my United States Parachute Association certification, probably; but given the opportunity to spend a weekend jumping out of planes or dropping into the Bookends or Great Scott will have me donning my helmet and skis every time.

So here's a tribute to what I love most:

Standing Still...

I recently moved.  I've had a lot of people ask me why I moved.  I have a dozen reasons why, but in thinking about it I realized it mostly has to do with the fact that I just need change.  If anything stays too constant in my life for too long I go stir crazy.  The last 12 months has been the longest I've lived in a single location in the last 10 years.  I've averaged a new place every 6 months for the last 10 years.  Right now I want to travel, I want to go explore the world and visit new places, new people, and learn and understand more.  I've been feeling this for awhile but recently was reading my cousin's blog about her experiences (http://brooklynday.blogspot.com) and couldn't help but feel jealous for her adventures.  Perhaps I'll have the chance to travel again soon, and hopefully manage the growing frustration that comes with staying in the same place.

Classical Music: A radio epiphany

Part of the new market segment?
Source: http://www.watchmojo.com/blogs/
images/woman-rock-climbing.jpg

I found myself listening to a classical radio station while driving home the other night from the climbing gym. I enjoy classical music, but am limited in my experience and exposure. The DJ (if classical radio station hosts can be called DJs) was speaking in the typical soft, cathartic voice that causes you to only want to sleep rather than engage in what she is saying. It occurred to me that classical stations are failing to engage huge market segments. There are probably hundreds if not thousands of young men and women who would enjoy listening to classical music more, if the context of the delivery was tweaked. I thought classical stations need a segment—maybe on the late-late weekend hour so as not to upset their very rigid, traditional base—where the DJ is excited about the music and makes classical music rock. It seems a contradiction of term, classical rock music, but really it’s there, it’s interesting, and it’s fun, but I feel that its wasted on those few individuals who are tapped into classical music while the rest of us don’t even have the chance to know what we are missing since the cost of understanding what we are missing is so high we’ll never be able to breach the gap. So I’m requesting that classical music stations take time to find a DJ who will make classical music rock for the rest of us and maybe you’ll find a whole new market-segment you never knew existed.

Ignorance

I hate ignorant people. I don't hate many things, but I just discovered how much I hate ignorant people. I never understood the depth of my feelings until recently. Many of you know how I feel about jealousy and about my "No Tolerance" policy. I feel stronger about this. Two things provided the catalyst for this new discovery. The first was partly as a result of my recent trip to Yemen where two specific images stand out in my mind.

The first is an eight-year old boy standing daily at the intersection trying to survive by selling packets of tissues to people waiting in their cars; despite his hardship, lack of real shoes and tattered clothing, he has a smile that lights up your life. The second is seeing two boys, brothers I believe, watching traffic on a busy street waiting to cross. They were there hand-in-hand, the older boy probably five or six, the younger one only four and nobody else was around to help them, but their confidence, determination, and independence was phenomenal.

Having these experiences and then coming back to the States and talking to a relatively new friend describe how difficult her life was when comparatively it wasn't, made me think she needed to get out into the world to gain some perspective. The second catalyst is a book I'm reading, "the sewing circles of Herat: a memoir of Afghanistan," that describes firsthand accounts of the people and places in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban rule and the results of their ignorance, the destruction of history and culture, and the violent submission of a people in the name of a religion most members of the Taliban aren't even educated enough to understand.

Ignorance of other people makes us forget our problems are small, ignorance of the world makes us think we have the only correct principles on which to shape our lives. I hate ignorance.

Destruction Derby...Almost

Recently I had one of the best driving experiences of my life.  As a boy I use to love to go to the arcade and sit in the auto racers, California Speed (or whatever it was called), and drive without rules and without fear of what obstacles were there.  I just did that in real life--except there were still obstacles.  All driving rules that had been ingrained in me since I was young were forgotten, actually only about 70%, but having to only follow about 30% of the rules makes driving such an adventure.  Of course there is the added difficulty of everybody else only following about 30% of the rules and constantly having to guess which 30% will be followed.  Additionally, there is the pedestrian factor; at any given moment in time a man, woman, donkey, or six year old child will step into the road to cross the street.  One particular road was just like driving a video game, especially on Friday mornings (nobody is out because it is their weekly sabbath).  We called it "the ditch," the Arabic transliteration is As-Salia, but it is basically a 1400 year old aqueduct that runs through the old city just below ground built entirely out of stone with various tunnels and bridges and dips and drops and twists and turns and perfect for enjoying a leisurely adventure drive.

As I was driving, weaving in and out of traffic, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, or otherwise just getting where I needed to go I thought of all the people I knew and realized there were those who would thrive driving without the rules and others who would go crazy and not be able to function without too much stress.  If the non-functioning stressed out individual was driving, I'd want to be anywhere but in that vehicle.  I realized it takes someone who has a more aggressive attitude toward life (and driving) and yet can enjoy the laid back lack of structure.  Because sometimes the rules matter and you have to stop at the intersection, other times you slow down long enough to see if there is traffic then drive straight through the red light passed the policeman standing in the middle of the intersection and its perfectly normal.  I love it.  Of course the down side is now that I'm back in America, my desire to do those things has to be held constantly in check by the thought of anal policemen and expensive ticket taxes as a result of a few little things called rules.  Jon and Rich, drive in Yemen, you'd love it, at least the times that aren't bumper to bumper traffic.  Mom, I'm sorry but don't even think about it, I'm not even sure I'd want you in the car because you might be freaking out a bit.


Its a lot less fun to watch, but a lot of fun to do, so here's to driving in 'the ditch,' cheers.

A Few of Many

Below are a few photos from my most recent adventure.  Its too bad they don't really do justice to it all.

Dictionary.com FAIL

In a recent search of dictionary.com I was told they couldn't find my word and suggested I had spelled it wrong. See captioned screenshot below:

Now you have to wonder if their suggestion seems just a little pointless...turns out I must have spelled it wrong because when I clicked on blue highlighted weblink of "deficit" as opposed to my original entry of "deficit" (see the difference?) it provided the real results.  Made me smile.

Lingua Franca

Lingua Franca is a language used by two people to communicate with each other, typically by use of a second or third language that is not the native language of either.  In the past French filled this role.  In todays world it is English.  Despite English being the current Lingua Franca I still feel like a 'lazy American' who can only speak English whenever I am traveling abroad.  In the last few years my passable Arabic has enabled me to travel and at least somewhat communicate with the locals in their native tounge.  Now, I'm once again traveling in a country where English is not people's second language, but their third or fourth or fifth so fewer people speak it.  Here French is the dominate language and try as I might, I can't seem to remember anything from my 8th grade French class--so much for public education.  Luckily, enough people speak Arabic that I can get by with that, but the dialect here is just different enough, that it's difficult to follow.  So alas, once again I'm traveling and find myself desperately wishing I could speak the dominate local language if only so I'm not pegged as not belonging and also because I want to know what people are saying...plus, I don't like fitting into the European stereotype of Americans being ignorant of other people's language and culture.  Alas, I don't think I can help it this time when the only French I know is 'bonjor' and 'oui' and 'merci'.  Guess I don't hate the stereotype enough to change it.  All those people out there who are fluent in two or more languages (emphasis on the more), I want to be you.

the shoe thief

Like many of you who have traveled I've learned to always pack enough clothing and such in my carry-on to survive an n number of days, if my checked luggage gets misdirected. This time I only had to last 4 days thanks to the generous people in the Cairo airport. I knew from the moment I got off the plane for my transfer flight that my checked bag wouldn't make the flight. What tipped me off? The large inefficiencies, the lack of a help desk, the confused employees, and finally the man that wrote my baggage claim number down so he could put it on my flight, yet didn't write down any flight info. My baggage became just one of a dozen numbers on his sheet with no destination. Four days though, no problem, as far as clothing goes. However, I only had the shoes on my feet since I packed my running and dress shoes in my checked bag. Minor annoyance since I had to work, and wanted to run during that time but my Sanak (*sandals not a shoe) managed to cloth my feet just fine.

This morning as I rushed out the door, looking business stylish except for my footware, I find my bag made it from Cairo. Excited to no longer feel self conscious about casual footware in a business setting I grab my bag open the zippered compartment to find nothing. A thief decided to co-opt my shoes into their wardrobe. At what point did they pull their fast stunt? In Cairo? In Sana'a? Somewhere in between? Only they know. I just laughed out loud and still smile as I think of the 3+ year old pair of shoes with holes in the soles that only looked good because I polished them right before my trip. I've been meaning to buy new shoes and throw the old ones out for 6 months...fate (and my friend) dictated the time is now. I hope my shoe thief is the most stylish man on his Cairo or Sana'a block and gets some mad props as a result of his newly aquired footware.

الشرق الاوسط و اللغة العربية: كيف أحبه

I wouldn't have guessed I'd be back in the Middle East again enjoying all the excitement and flavors of the Arab world. The food, the taxi drivers, the suqs (markets), the history, the pride, the differences from American culture. I love it. Especially the little moments, like when I was finishing eating dinner the other night in a cafe above a great little bookstore where the power went out...unfortunately the power went out for that entire area of the city, fortunately I had finished, paid, and was on my way out helped by the handy little led flashlight built into my Jordanian cell phone (I still wonder why that idea hasn't caught on in the states, considering half the time people end up trying to use their phone as a flashlight just by having a lit screen, why not throw in a tiny led into the top that can be turned on with the push of a button, so much better than the screen).
Pictures pending my return.
مع السلامة

The G40 Summit: An Epic Exhibit

There is something about art that bring power an emotion to the surface.  It amazes me how art has the ability to create such vivid and lasting emotions in an instant.  Anger, fear, frustration, awe, wonder, a sense of hopelessness, a sense of minuteness, excitement, lust.  A good artist in a single shot or exhibit can elicit some or all of these where just prior none of those emotions existed.  That is power.


The G40 Summit is an art exhibition in Crystal City in Arlington, VA that runs throughout the month of March.  If you are anywhere in the area you need to see it.  I loved it.  It is not the type of art you typically find in most art galleries or art museums, which is why I liked it so much.  It felt real.  The emotions, the depiction of life, the messages all resonated to a greater degree than any other gallery or museum I've visited, including such museums as the British National Gallery, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, any of the Smithsonian museums in DC and another half-dozen throughout Europe.  Overall, I would have to define the style as modern.  More specifically I think "Street Art" is the best way to define it, but even that feels limiting.  The exhibit is a combination of styles, from artists around the world with the focus being on Washington, D.C. metro area; New York City metro area; and California artists. 


Its sad these pictures can't compare to the real thing, but here are some of my favorites:
(unfortunately, these are poor quality shots from my phone)





And here are just a few of the artists websites:


www.artderailed.com
www.sharingthestoke.com
www.menobodyknows.com
www.novietrump.com

The Passage

For most people there’s a narrow corridor between wakefulness and sleep that they drift through quickly. For me it’s a cavern. A place where I am neither awake nor asleep, a quasi-dream state where only nightmares are a reality and peace of mind is fleeting. This place where corridors expand through time and space, and which changes with each experience such that finding the right path to blissful rest is a journey. Some nights as I lay there searching for the path it appears quickly, unexpectedly and I think maybe I’ve found the answer; maybe I’ll be able to follow this path again and be satisfied. It doesn’t take long for reality to set in when my next journey takes days, although in reality it is merely a matter of hours. However, in the dark of night hours stretch on endlessly, for only blackness exists in its natural form. We ignore that blackness through human ingenuity: fire, electricity, and light, sight at a moment’s notice regardless of the hour or depth of night. Our senses are no longer limited by the natural order of things. During this time I find there are moments of clarity, which I imagine are similar to the addict who meets the climax, the epitome of contentment, right after satisfying his cravings; where everything is right with the world. More often things are clouded, obscure. Images flash before my eyes, thoughts and ideas come into my mind only to be torn away the moment their brilliance is realized. Patience means nothing; exhaustion means nothing, because it leads nowhere. Not until days pass and the fatigue compounds until the physical limits of my body are reached and the natural order of things must be satisfied through rest, albeit not always peaceful. In the end it all leads to one thing, an expanding cavern containing an endless nightmare which I am forced experience night after night…insomnia.

¿Valentines Day?

I use to be a hopeless romantic. I wrote this poem and thought I would wait to give it to the girl of my dreams....as of 02/14/2010 I decided what's the point in waiting.

My Valentine
Through all these years I’m still amazed
I look to you on those dark days.
To see that smile upon your face,
And hope and wish for your embrace.

When things go bad, when life goes wrong,
I think of you, and now I'm strong.
When dust kicks up and rains pour down.
I can't but smile, where once I frowned.

I can't but laugh, where once I cried.
I can't give up, I only try.
I have in me a hope of life,
Of life with you, my one true bride.

My thoughts they turn me back in time,
Of actions made, of words sublime,
Of things I wished that I had said.
Of happy times, a good life led.

The future lies mid hopes and dreams,
Of life with you, my eyes now gleam.
Of hope that maybe you'll be mine,
In life and death, my valentine.

What does a snow storm cost?

What do you think a snow storm should cost? If you wanted to order one. Lets say you wanted to order one snowstorm of about 30". Does $450 million sound about right? Personally I think that's a little excessive for 30" but that's just a small ballpark figure looking up information for the Virgina-DC area. Virginia's already gone through its $79 million snow-removal budget plus an additional $25. DC quickly burned through its $6 million and the Federal Government has been forced to close for 3.5 days as of today at an estimated cost of over $100 million per day in lost productivity. I can't even begin to estimate all the cost to state and local governments, the lost productivity in dozens of industries, and the individual cost for an increase in accidents, power outages, downed power lines, weather worn roads, etc. I'm going to leave that up to my economist friends like Rich to figure out. All I know is I get three plus days of snow white bliss to enjoy while the world falls apart around me. This is all rather fun coming from a state where this much snow in a single storm is a lot, but not unheard of, and certainly not enough to shut everything down. Total cost for this snowstorm, probably a billion dollars once it's all said and done. But don't worry lets just say that we end up with 50" of snow, that's only $20 million per inch. I'm guessing we should look to Utah, Colorado, Alaska, New York and a few of those other states that deal with this on a regular basis. I'm guessing their cost for snowstorms per inch is a lot less.

Welcome to the east coast.



Oh and the best part during all of this, President Obama commissioned a new federal office to study Global Warming...maybe they should change the name to something less specific like "Climate Change." Then record breaking winter snowstorms won't make "global temperatures rise" sound questionable. Just a thought.

References:
http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=11949683
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/02/federal_government_closed_on_m_1.html
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/09/new-federal-office-would-study-global-warming/

30 Year Record?

The weather shows keep touting this as the biggest storm in 30 years. Is it? Perhaps. I am surprised by how much snow has managed to fall in the DC area. I didn't think this was possible, but it is and I'm loving it. The best part is the entertainment value I get from the people who all panic at the first mention of being stuck in their homes for a weekend. What happens? The grocery stores sell out of toilet paper, eggs, milk, and meat...seriously? Have you never gone 3-4 days without shopping for milk and eggs? You have. Or Thursday night when Costco was selling out of these things and the line to check out extended to the meat section, yes across the entire length of the store; at least that is what a friend who was there buying lots of food told me. Me, I'll be content without any severe panicking and with the food that already is in my cupboards and fridge.

Historic Multi-Blogging

Frankfurt Christmas Markets - Dec. 2009:
Since moving away from home in 2001 Christmas always sneaks up on me and I never feel like I'm given the chance to properly prepare for the holiday season. I've spent too much time with school or work to get out and see all of the Christmas prep which brings in the Christmas season. Frankfurt is incredible about making sure everybody experiences all the fluff leading up to Christmas regardless of how busy you are. They have their Christmas Markets which involve a carnival-like atmosphere filled with booths along the main market street serving all sorts of bratwurst, gluhwein, chocolate, candy, and traditional German Christmas ornaments. It was awesome. I've never felt so much in the spirit of Christmas as I did this year.

Obamanologues - Sept. 2009:
A series of monologues written to reflect the changing social perceptions of people in the hindsight of Obama's election to the U.S. Presidency. My initial thought was it would be skewed to a liberal ideology and by the third monologue I was convinced the rest of my evening would result in ideological badgering. I was surprised, there ended up being a good mix of liberal, conservative, and middle-of-the-road common sense monologues about what people expect. If you get the chance to go, do it. It was entertaining, informative, and the talent of many of the performers left me astounded and glad I took the time and paid the money to see. http://www.obamanologues.com/about.html