A Master’s Degree in Pictures (Day 14:678)

Congratulations on two weeks of this blog! The weather has been amazing this week, as I believe I mentioned in a few of my other posts; today, however, seemed to have a bit more stillness distilled in it. I could feel it in the air, and this morning was a different routine from the others. Started work as usual, but over my lunch break I had very nice talk with Kylie – on of the comrades at The Root – about life coincidences, the beautiful struggle of understanding what life is teaching us both from choices we make and those we can say yes/no to, and the importance of having a home inside you as well as out. I really love when life gives nice little glimpses into the lives of others like that.

I am preparing for a large party over my mother-in-law’s place, a yearly tradition of fireworks and festivities that sees a healthy 30-50 people attend (by report only, this will be my first witness). I am happy that we are getting the chance to see it before we move down to North Carolina.

And so I sit and enjoy a nice frozen mug of icy Virgil’s natural root beer, and find there are enough happy little bubbles to count each of my 1 year, 10 months, 8 days to go!

Today’s Note: I’d like to remember…

- that I really would like Lebron James to sign with another team, not because I don’t appreciate his energy and draw for Cleveland, but more so because of just that…. Cleveland. I was appalled to hear on the commentaries today people angry over Lebron’s “inability” to secure a championship title; shame on you, people, who seem to forget that players don’t come with guarantees. The fact that our team has a lot riding on Lebron is understandable, but not so much to legitimize bashing a team player that loves his home town. To think that the same place he cares about would trash-talk him – even as a challenge to stay this draft season – is the very reason why he should leave. Let the nay-sayers remember again how things were before King James, and perhaps they will be a bit more grateful that the past seasons have gotten us closer to a championship than any of my remembered history. My two cents… “See the world, Lebron. We will be here, as we always have.”

- fortune and glory, Dr. Jones. Fortune and glory.

A Master’s Degree in Pictures (Day 12:680)

The day itself has been amazing. A clean mid-70′s, sunny, and a slight breeze. Lakewood itself is a wonderful place to walk around, and on days like this, it almost feels obligatory. Personally, I was looking forward to a nice relaxing night, but between research, groceries, and troubleshooting Mary’s emerging UTI, the night has been a bit more planned out than I had… well, planned.

I did run into a meditation comrade, Mike, at The Root during lunch hour an had a good time catching up. It’s nice to spend time discussing personal growth and philosophy in a coffee shop, rather than do work in one… the aroma’s energizing effect makes it the perfect conductor of spontaneous debate and off-the-collar wisdom.

During such conversations, it is hard to imagine that I have a mere 1 year, 10 months, 10 days to go!

Today’s Note: I’d like to remember…

- the surge of excitement upon leaving the workplace.

- how ambitious I am at the start of a project, and how neat the switch from burst energy to a consistent energy feed as the day moves forward.

A Master’s Degree in Pictures (Day 11:681)

Just finished making an awesome vegetarian dish taken from my new favorite cooking website: Chef in You . The beauty of this website (in all senses of the word) lay in the step-by-step recipes submitted by a couple with a cute background story. I can relate to it much along the lines of Mary & I’s relationship, where we have had many a good time in the kitchen discovering both each others tastes and the flavors of the amazing world of food available to us. Most recently has been a move to more local, fresh produce, and hence the vegetarian dish mentioned at the beginning.

Only 15 days further until I am finished with my post at the county health department – a fact that leaves me both exhilarated (one step closer to the start of the degree!) and lonesome (leaving some wonderful people behind by moving to NC).

Going to relax a bit, further the story on Kingdom Hearts 2, and check out some stars… contemplating the reality that there is only 1 year, 10 months, 11 days to go!

Today’s Note: I’d like to remember…

- that a gift’s meaning is built from the time invested in it from the moment of conception to the moment just before delivery. What makes a gift worth giving is the recipient’s transmutation of all those moments spent on the simple material into something beautifully ephemeral: the solid memory of, and the validation of the belief, that there is a person facing them who was willing to invest part of their life for them.

- that time is a purely human conception built on the faculty of conscious memory, and any argument for the importance of past or future lay in the human, biological desire to reduce fear, pain, and increase the perception of control. And, in a world where all things die, perhaps the meaning of life is not in what the past tells or the future promises, but in what our perception/concept of the present reflects back to us. To be able to sit with emotion and look through it to observe the murky waters of the unconscious – and the driftwood of human intentions that bubble up to its surface – is to take the furthest step we can in human consciousness towards the disassociation of the concept of I and the mental maturity of being present in this moment as we really are.  To reside in that place of origin is to finally return home.