How to Care for Introverts
Found this scan over at Austin Kleon. Many of the important people in my life are introverts and I’m an extra-extrovert (mostly). I need to remind myself of these things.
(via AUSTIN KLEON : TUMBLELOG).
Lady Gaga is Exactly What Creative Kids Need
This quote gives me hope that creative kids won’t be forced to be spoon fed Britney and N-Sync cookie cutter blech. 
“My fashion is about the urban woman in the year 3000, when there is a ton of pollution and we all need to protect our bodies and cover up, because the air outside will acidize our skin,” the singer (shopping in London in April) has said of her eccentric ensembles. “I think about obscure, weird …
via Photos – Lady Gaga’s Wacky Wardrobe – Futuristic Fashionista – UsMagazine.com.
TV Kills Your Dreams
From 2000 to 2007 I lived without a television. Over the last two years, however, I’ve lived in houses that have included a TV. In my current house, the TV is the centerpiece of the living area. It’s wall sized and massive. Suffice to say, I watch a lot of TV now.
Shows I religiously watch include True Blood, Entourage, Real Housewives, Lost, SNL and a few others. Thanks to DVR, I can watch these shows whenever, but I still watch about 8 hours of TV a week. The story telling in these shows is good, so I don’t mind the hours lost. What bothers me, however, is the way that TV makes you feel like you have free will and opportunity, when you really don’t.
A lot of people never fulfill their personal goals. Or for those without entrepreneurial aspirations, they never get a chance to work in a place that satisfies them. They want to make changes in their lives, but it just never seems to happen. I have a strong feeling that TV pacifies their passions and keeps them from living their dreams.
Here’s how it works: I go home and click on Entourage. Vinnie Chase and the boys go live the Hollywood life. I feel like I’m a part of that life. I feel satisfied. I know that if I push myself, I might be able to have that as my life. BUT I DON’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!
It presents opportunities and possibilities to you, but it also leaves you satisfied. It’s the feeling of contentment coupled with the fake sense of choice that make TV so dangerous. Instead of doing things, we leave others to do them–in a fake or highly edited world.
I think I’m gonna start switching off the TV again. It doesn’t feed my head the things I need to move forward, and it takes 8 hours of my time a week.
What are your thoughts about Television? Does it kill dreams?
Outtake: The Squirrel Lady of Town Lake
Chris chats it up with the Squirrel Lady of Town Lake
The Reverend Julie Gallagher, aka the Squirrel Lady of Town Lake, was one of the most interesting people we’ve encountered on South Congress. Her art, fun photos of squirrels, promotes peace. We couldn’t include all of our interview in August’s First Thursday video, so I’ve posted the full, unedited version here.
In the video, she explains the peace banner, talks a little about Mayan cosmology, and tells us about her favorite squirrel (a refugee from Hurricane Katrina).
Check it out!
Outtake: Mambo Berry Owners Talk About Austin’s Healthiest Frozen Yogurt
At Republic of Austin, I meet so many great artists, musicians and business owners, but not all the footage makes the final cut. I like to post some of the out takes on here so that readers can see some of the raw footage.
This video [Click here to see the final post and video about First Thursday on Republic of Austin] features Erin and Jacob Boone, newlyweds and owners of my favorite food trailer on South Congress, Mambo Berry. Jasmine and I have also dubbed them one of the hottest couples in Austin. Their both super sweet and smart, too. They also both make some kick-a frozen yogurt.
In the video, Erin and Jacob explain why their Frozen Yogurt is different than the other shops around the city. Since they use local yogurt and add probiotics, it’snot only healthier, but it’s better for the environment and our local economy. Oh, and it tastes like yogurt, not ice cream!
Revisited: “This Is How We Walk on the Moon” by Arthur Russell
Here’s an excerpt from an email I sent to a friend in Berlin describing my reaction to Arthur Russel’s “This is how we walk on the moon.” It’s a little more lucid than my previous post on the song.
Heard this song a few nights ago and started crying. It’s about taking small steps until you finally get to the moon. The instruments (a cello, some horns), his voice and the lyrics are so powerful. By the time the song was over, I was sobbing.
When I got home, I looked him up. Found out the song is from the 80s. He wrote it after he discovered he was HIV positive. You know I’m a big softie, so of course I started crying again.
There is something sad yet inspirational about the song. It’s haunting. I downloaded more music from his discography and it’s set me on this creative, insomniac spin.
It also made me realize that true art–that is, art that is an authentic and real expression of the human condition–can affect, influence and inspire people. It’s a reminder that you don’t have to follow the rules to have an impact; no matter how avant garde or unknown you are, if you are real, you’ll always connect with someone.
And here’s the song, again:
Email to Mom: Reconciliation and Healing
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been doing some Buddhist meditation exercises to penetrate deeper into my subconscious and discover the source of things interfering with my happiness, health and personal growth. I’ll save a description of the process for another post, but it’s kind of like reverse engineering unhealthy thought patterns and self-destructive habits. In this post, I just want to briefly touch on the healing process and also share tonight’s breakthrough.
Fears and complexes can lead to problems like difficulties in relationships (with family, friends or partners); an inability to allow ourselves to achieve or feel success; and even manifest into some health problems. Our quick-fix society thinks we can take a pill to solve everything, but medicine alone can’t cure the source of the suffering. For that, I feel that psychoanalysis, meditation, etc., are the only real ways to grow into healthy human beings.
"Reconciliation" by Josefina de Vasconcellos at Coventary Cathedral
Part of the process, for me, is writing. Words are powerful: They change our perceptions and therefore also modify our thinking and habits. By writing, we can get our thoughts out, manifest them into the world, and settle our minds.
Tonight I couldn’t sleep well. Instead of the usual drift-into-sleep meditation I normally do in this situation, I ended up continuing deep-meditation exercises I’d been working on earlier in the day. After I’d gotten into a certain state, I started writing out and acknowledging some of my fear-based actions. Then I followed the threads of those fears backwards until I’d discovered their source.
One part of the breakthrough involved my relationship with my mother. The message, below, was typed out in a text message on my cell phone. It was spontaneous and somewhat subconscious, and the emotional release was so strong that I was crying while writing it. Thanks to the new copy/paste feature on the iPhone, I’m able to share it with you guys as is.
Mom: I love u so much. I acknowledge that in the past your actions hurt me. I also acknowlede that u r human, and like the rest of us, aren’t perfect. With all my heart, I forgive you and allow you to be imperfect. I allow anything that happened in the past to happen. By so doing, I let go of any pain and suffering it has caused me. I do this to heal myself and allow you to heal. I love u so much, mom. Thank you for bringing me into this world. Love, chris.
I’m so thankful for this epiphany. I hope it really does help us both heal. I KNOW it will help us both heal.
Will I be able to write the same sort of message to the person whose abuse has affected me the most? He has blocked it from his memory. Maybe doing the exercise without contacting him is sufficient to start my side of the healing process. I know the Lord will help me find the answer.
“We hold these truths to be self evident…”
It’s the Fourth of July, Independence Day in America. On this date 233 years ago, our forefathers declared to the world their intent to fight for a new form of government, one instituted by its citizens to secure equality and liberty for all.
Before you get caught up in the blind patriotism of red, white and booze, take a second and reflect on two sentences from the Declaration of Independence [Read the full text here]:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
Over the last 6 months, our government has denied equal rights to gays, instituted measures to spy on its own citizens, decided to hold suspects at Guantanamo indefinitely, and withheld photos that reveal evidence of torture.
Our country was founded on the idea that ALL men are created equal, not just white heterosexual men. It also says the government gets its powers from the CONSENT of the governed: you and me, not big corporations or lobbyists.
We can’t become complacent. We can’t sit idly by as our freedoms slowly disappear. We can’t allow inequality for any member of society. We also can’t expect someone to save us.
No matter how much you may love a politician, don’t just listen to words, watch their actions. Stay independent this Independence Day.
“This Is How We Walk on the Moon” by Arthur Russell
Heard this song last night by Arthur Russell (wikipedia) and it completely moved me to tears. The music, the lyrics and his voice are all so understated and delicate, while at the same time optimistically powerful. By the end of the song, I was sobbing.
When we first start reaching for our dreams, they can seem so far away. But each step brings you closer and closer. That’s how you do it: little step after little step until you jump over.
Listen to the song and follow the lyrics (they aren’t accurate, but they’ll give you a good idea). Hopefully it moves you the same way it moved me.
You can find his full discography on Amazon here
[UPDATE: I wrote a better description of my reaction here.]
Lyrics to “This is How We Walk on the Moon” by Arthur Russel
Arthur Russell with Cello
Each step is moving, it’s moving me up
moving, it’s moving me up
Every step is moving me up
moving me up, moving, moving me up
Every step is
moving me up
One tiny, tiny,
tiny move
It’s all I need
And I jump over
Every step is moving me up
This is how we walk on the moon
This is how we walk on the moon
Every step is moving me up
I’m so far away
One moment there
Moving me up
Every step is moving me up
One moment there
One tiny, tiny move
It’s all I need and I jump over
Become Nothing
Stumbled across this poem by the 13th Century Sufi poet Rumi and instantly fell in love:
Knock,
And He’ll open the door.
Vanish,
And He’ll make you shine like the sun.
Fall,
And He’ll raise you to the heavens.
Become nothing,
And He’ll turn you into everything!
In this country, sometimes happiness feels like it’s defined by what you have: the car you drive, the house you live in, how much money you make, and the clothes you wear. With my move to Austin, I gave up a lot of that to pursue a lifestyle and a career that brings me happiness instead of glory. It was rough at first–it still is–but I feel like my potential for happiness and a different kind of success is endless.
