The amygdala is the danger center.

I’m mildly ashamed to admit that I have been so silent because of my unhealthy preoccupation with Breaking Bad. If you haven’t seen it, then I don't want to know you. And if you have then HIGH FIVE my friend. I’ve made my way through the first four seasons and will jump on the current fifth and final season once it has all aired. In doing so, I can watch it all uninterrupted. Social life you have been warned. You will be shelved until further notice.

I’m already dreading the emptiness I’ll feel once Jesse Pinkman will no longer be a part of my daily life. Oh hell, I’ll even miss Saul Goodman! And Marie's weird purple obsession. The mere thought makes me feel all down in the dumps.

There is actually a point to all of this…the fourth season ended with the most perfect song choice. Truly, THE MOST PERFECT. Sinister yet upbeat, haunting and addicting. Just like the show itself. I had to pass it along. It was too good to keep to myself.

And one more thing…Did any of you inhale the July issue of Wired magazine as I had? There was an interview with the great Peter Diamandis. It's a great article and I highly recommend the read but if you only have 2 minutes then skip to the last question and answer...


Greenwald: How do you maintain your optimism amid the deadening barrage of bad news from around the globe?

Diamandis: Our brains are wired to look for negative information. The amygdala is the danger center. Our senses are routed through it before they get to the cortex. When we heard a rustle in the branches, we thought tiger, not wind. That’s why, in the news, if it bleeds it leads. But the facts are absolutely clear. The world is getting better at an extraordinary rate. The technologies available for solving problems are becoming more powerful and empowering more people. Will there be problems? Disasters? Pandemics? Terrorist attacks? Of course. But humanity picks up and keeps moving. In this country, lifespans nearly doubled in the last century. Per capita income more than tripled, and the cost of food, energy, transportation, and communications have dropped exponentially. That’s my source of optimism. That and a realization I made early on that if there’s a problem, I’m going to solve it. Once you see the world that way, it’s a different place.


So satisfying and pacifying. Happy Day!

Simple surprises

What an exciting day today was! My inner nerd that is not so hidden, as many of you my dear friends can attest to, was doing twirls and somersaults. Today my boss-man gave me the latest edition of the Steel Design Manual. I was so excited to get this (mainly because it was completely unexpected) that as he handed it to me, I hugged tightly to my chest and swayed back and forth with it. I opened its hard cover and it creaked so beautiful. I'm sure you know that sweet sound. What music to my ears! I then fanned through the pages and let the new paper smell envelop me. I have such a strong desire to dive into this book like Scrooge McDuck does into his money vault. Okay, I know you're all eye rolling so to reward you for perusing the above sentences here is a small reward in the form of musical bliss. Happy Wednesday amigos!

Musical uplift

Yesterday was just one of those days. The whole day I was trudging around with an emotional slump. I couldn't understand where the low mood originated from. I was just inexplicably down. I tried to dig deep and figure out what important negative event spurred this emotion. I wanted to pinpoint it, tackle it and move on. But all I kept coming up with were a bunch of minute and unimportant occurrences that seemed to have fused together and tricked me into thinking of them as one big and important issue. As I was shuffling my feet home after too long of a work day, this song came on my phone shuffle. Ah, music. What a gift! What a difference it suddenly makes. The lyrics weren't particularly fitting, but the tune was just right to kick my butt out of my funk. I regained the skip in my step and the goofy smile I sport when good music is spilling into my ears.

Then when I walked into my building lobby, I saw one of my neighbors eying the "free" pile someone had put out. This neighbor of mine is probably the world's oldest man with the largest humpback I have ever seen. He walks always tilted slightly to the left and his mouth is fixed in a permanent smirk. As I was passing him, he turned around to me and said, "It's like Christmas!" He then laughed and waddled off.

So, Merry Christmas in May friends!

And before I wrap up...in case you wanted a song that is both lyrically and rhythmically appropriate in lifting a sour mood, go here.

I wish I wasn't tone deaf

I stopped watching American Idol a few seasons back when Paula Abdul’s critique to a contestant was something to the effect of, “I just didn’t like this song as much as your first song.” The kicker being that this was the first song and the contestant had not yet sang their second song. That was my last straw and so I jumped off the talent competition bandwagon and got onto a bigger and better bandwagon known as The Real Housewives of (any city except Atlanta and Orange County). My favorite, and I’m sure I’m with the majority on this one, is The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Oh Lisa. Sweet, sweet Lisa. Her killer wit, her infectious charm and her perfect derriere. And this news of her possibly getting her own show will most definitely cause me to start paying for cable again. 

But I digress….

I bring up American Idol because a few weeks ago as I was surfing through the four channels I get when I balance my antenna just so on my window sill, I came across the new season of the show. The judging panel is still all silly talk but there were two contestants who absolutely blew me away. They brought me back to the show. Not completely so since I keep the show on mute until they come on to sing and then I blare the volume and stand transfixed at their powerhouse voices. Please see exhibit A and exhibit B. Insaaaaane! Am I right or am I right?! It doesn’t even seem natural for the little Jessica Sanchez to be belting out such strong notes. Her voice is butter. And Joshua Ledet! His obvious love of singing is contagious. His performances are mesmerizing. And his voice I can’t even ascribe a proper adjective to because none will be adequate. No doubt in my mind that they’ll be in the top 5. I’d go so far as to claim them to possibly be the top 2, but that’s just too binding of a statement.

The only thing that would make this show better is to throw Juliet Simms from The Voice into the mix. She is so phenomenal. No doubt she’ll claim the grand prize at The Voice. Her performance on this week’s show was outrageous. I found myself rising from the couch to give her a standing ovation, thereby spilling all the matzah crumbs on my lap onto the floor. (Quick aside: Happy Passover to the J’s!). I love to watch and listen to Sanchez and Ledet, but I want TO BE Juliet Simms.

Hope you enjoyed these performances as much as I did. Hope you’re having a nice week. Hope wherever you are, the weather is seasonally appropriate (45 degrees in April ... really New York?!? Really?!).

Creative desert

Since my last post I have started and stopped approximately 4 posts. For some reason this whole blog-land business is really getting into my head and I feel that nothing that I write is worth a public viewing. But then I came across this video. It was the exact boost of confidence I needed. I’m more content with the fact that not everything I write will be funny or touching or relatable. But it will all be honest words that will eventually, after many many many posts, start to string themselves together with ease and convey onto paper that which is swimming in my head. Thank you Mr. Glass.

And so, with that said…expect more frequent posts but know that you have been forewarned.

Keep on keepin’ on friends.

The big move

 

I’ve been chatting away here about my travels as though everything else in my life has been dull and unimportant. That could not be further from the truth. Shortly before my trip to Cartagena, I accepted a new job in New York City and quit my current one in New Orleans. It was a change that I have long since been working toward, but as soon as it came to fruition I began to doubt whether this was something that I actually wanted. Did I work toward it just to reach a goal? Or did I sincerely feel that this was a necessary move for my professional life? What about my personal life? After almost three years in New Orleans, I finally felt like I had carved out my niche. Was I ready to give all that up, move again and start over?

Fortunately I didn’t struggle with this dilemma too long. After careful deliberation I was certain that this was most definitely an imperative move when it came to my career. Professionally the new job was exactly what I needed. It promised to promote my design capacities within an area of structural engineering that I have not yet explored. There was no doubt that the professional move was most definitely a correct one. But I would be lying if I said that I was positive that New York was the exact right place I wanted to live in next.

New Orleans prides itself on its laissez-faire attitude. Deadlines are an unheard of concept and talking to strangers is encouraged. I don’t think any of you need any explaining as to how different this is from New York living. New York is loud and New York is fast. I dreaded that I would never be able to keep up.

And so now here I am, fitting in better than I expected. I’m walking faster and talking faster. I am so eager and nervous for what’s to come. And most of all, I am excited up to my ears for this new chapter.

Here we go.

P.S.

My beloved camera was a casualty of my last night in the Big Easy and so it'll be phone camera photos on here for a bit. 

Lasting thoughts on Colombia

I expected Colombia to be a tropical wilderness. I was anticipating run-ins with a few guerrillas and many gorillas. I thought we would fear for our safety. I imagined that we would be roughing it in the third world. Now, while this might be an accurate description of other cities within the country, Cartagena happened to be a gem immune to the aforementioned descriptions. The city is all charm. 

Narrow cobbled streets that without fail lead you to a square more intricately decorated than the last. The streets are all tightly hugged by tall row houses all of which are painted bright, vibrant and contrasting colors. Their balconies are all adorned with a plethora of potted plants that spill their long vines into the city street causing a very welcome sun curtain along the sidewalk. Each corner turn brought with it a visual overload more dramatic than the last.

My love affair with the city intensified after my first meal. “Love” is most definitely an ingredient listed on all recipes. It was that magical component that resonated with every spoonful of coconut pie, every sip of the Lulo juice and every bite of the arepas. I already posted about my favorite foods and I don’t want to bore you with redundancy so lets move on to my next favorite thing about the city…the people. 

Oh, those folks. All so friendly. And not creepy friendly, truly friendly. Sure I could do without the up and down from every male vendor, but this was overshadowed by their genuine friendliness. The impromptu dance sessions to caliente music during every cab ride ended up becoming some of my best memories from the city. Constant laughter and lots of hugs.

Cartagena, I can’t wait to see you again.