Category: Thoughts

Weekly Rundown

by MAÔ, posted in Social, Writing

I’ve not been wholly satisfied with the Weekly Rundowns, so I may be changing them a bit here in the near future. Still playing with form, so we’ll see how it lands. But for now, here’s some stuff for you:

Reading: Locke & Key Vol. 1 from IDW Comics, written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez. And there he was again, this Joe Hill. Son of Stephen King, and prominent storyteller himself, has created a lot of buzz with Netflix’s adaptation of Locke  & Key. I think I became familiar with the series while reading the recent Hill House collaboration with DC Comics: Basketful of Heads, Daphne Byrne, et al. NOS4A2 was on AMC last year, and now Netflix has Locke. I watched it, I enjoyed it, and I wanted to see how close it got to the source material. I read Volume 1, and it’s close enough to be familiar, but different enough that I enjoy reading the comics even after watching the series.

Listening: Honestly, nothing with any repetition. No new music this week, though Flora Cash’s Somebody Else and Fun.’s 2012 album Some Nights have been in my head this past week.

Doing: Packing. With my months away quickly approaching, it’s been important to put as much as I can in storage, free up space around the house. I wanted to have a yard sale before leaving, but it’ll have to wait until I get back.

Sharing:

Taking it slow

by MAÔ, posted in Advice

Some things are meant to be fast. Races, for one. Even given the wisdom of “slow and steady…”, one must have the speed to win a race.

Manufacturing relies on the fastest possible systems to create the best possible good. When speed increases result in a decrease in quality, they know they’ve gone too far.

But other things are better, even only enjoyed, if done slowly. I’m reminded of the Japanese tea ceremony, which can clock in at about four hours.

Speeding it up would ruin the ceremonial aspect of it. It would be sipping a Lipton Brisk purchased at the Circle K. It wouldn’t be the same.

So when pushing through to the finish, be sure to ask yourself whether this would be better served by taking it just a little slower.

News cycles

by MAÔ, posted in News

The 24-hour news cycle is constantly updating, altering, and becoming more like a social media feed than a traditional news source.

That’s because the way we consume our news has changed, partially because the way we live our lives has changed. Morning routines don’t regularly include the newspaper, but almost consistently involves the mobile device.

What constant streaming of coverage provides is not up-to-date information (though occasionally it is), but rather an addiction to instant gratification. We feel we know, because we keep tuning in, or scrolling down.

It misses the connective processes that traditional news coverage would allow for. The coverage, interpretation, and conversation surrounding events. Now in its immediacy, the conversation is over almost as soon as it’s begun. And the interpretation doesn’t get a very long gestation period.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: slowing down allows for a more informed population.

First steps

by MAÔ, posted in Inspiration

The first step, my son, which one makes in the world, is the one on which depends the rest of our days. – Voltaire

There are many first steps we take. Every day is a first step, if we let it be. Don’t hold yourself back. Don’t be the only block to your success, your future, or your happiness.

The rest of your days depend upon that first step.

Carpe Diem

by MAÔ, posted in Inspiration

Some people wake each morning ready to face whatever the day may hold. Others dread even getting out of bed in the morning.

It all comes down to outlook.

“In India, there’s an old parable about a wise king who sent two of his court officers away to explore faraway lands. One of the courtiers, the king had observed, was arrogant and self-absorbed; the other was generous and open-minded. After many months of travel and exploration, both men returned home to report their findings. When the king questioned the men about the cities they visited, the generous courtier said that he found the people of foreign lands to be hospitable, generally kindhearted, and not much different from the people one met at home. On hearing this, the arrogant officer scoffed with envy, because the cities he’d visited were full of scheming liars, cheats, and wicked barbarians. Listening to these reports, the king laughed to himself – for he had sent both men to the same places.”

Weekly Rundown

by MAÔ, posted in Social

A Valentine’s Day rundown. Mostly worked this week. But, some things:

Reading: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. This had been on my to-read list for a couple of years, and I couldn’t remember why I originally put it on. What started as a novella on a Harlem street-hustler (in a moderately magic-filled world) spiraled into Lovecraftian horror. I enjoyed it – a fun, quick read – though I still can’t recall what was it that made me jot it down originally…

Listening: Bach’s Cello Suites. My favorite is 1, which is a ubiquitous piece, but all of them are lovely. I’ve always enjoyed cello music. I’ve been told it’s because the cello makes a sound closest to the human voice of all the instruments. I don’t know if that’s true, but I wanted to revisit some cello music, particularly Bach.

Learning: About Alaska. Currently looking over some information regarding the 1899 Harriman Expedition. Apparently, Teddy Roosevelt was an admirer of the reports of flora and fauna being assembled by the team of the expedition, but it didn’t stop Roosevelt from dismantling Harriman’s railroad company in 1904 in antitrust litigation.

And more on personal libraries, following up from the earlier post:

The challenges will come

by MAÔ, posted in Advice

When facing inevitable challenges, you are entirely in control of how you act. We often feel powerless to make decisions, but the decisions are entirely ours to control.

I’ve left several jobs – some better than others, but all poorly-fitting – and had no plan in place other than leaving. Most would call that foolish. But I believed that something better waited around the corner, and rather than sticking it out hoping, I made the decision to go and find it.

When you feel stuck, look again. You may have more control than you realize. At the very least, you have a choice that you can make, whether you believe it is possible or not.

One of the lists

by MAÔ, posted in Social

There are many things I’m interested in. A bunch of them come across here on the blog. The vast majority of them in fact.

In trying to sort through the stuff I’ve accumulated, and my finances vs. my debts, and my time management obligations, and my work and gig schedule, and everything else that I do or plan to do – mostly it ends up in my pocket Moleskine at some point.

So what am I interested in? My list is partially in response to this article on building your own personal library.

I recall having a conversation with someone who at the time was helping me through a very rough patch of life. I was looking at a book, Akashic Records for Dummies, and of course, I didn’t need it. But I told her I’d planned on leaving a library of books after me. When I died. She said that any meaningful library left behind probably wouldn’t have a collection of For Dummies books. She tended to say smart things like that.

So here are my interests, more or less, of topics which may or may not appear on the blog, and which are listed here in no particular order:

  • Travel
  • Metaphysics
  • Philosophy
  • Esoteric Studies
  • Work (How to work better, smarter, and for more money)
  • Finance & Investing
  • History
  • Japan, and to a lesser degree other Asian countries (focus on history, philosophy, language, and culture)
  • Art (Theatre, Visual Arts, Other Performing Arts)
  • Arts Management
  • Self-Help
  • Fiction (Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Action, Literary)
  • Writing Studies
  • Videography and Photography
  • Memoirs, Biographies, and Autobiographies
  • Mythology

In looking at this, I realized how broad it all seemed. There are so many facets that can fit into each topic; some that overlap topics. I write this out now as I work on honing in onto what this blog will look like.

Anyway, I’ll keep posting. And maybe someone will read it. And that’s about all anyone can do.

Missed opportunity

by MAÔ, posted in Inspiration

How many opportunities do we squander? How do we recognize an opportunity when it comes along? How many chances do you think we get?

Being ready for an opportunity means to have everything in place. “Success is 90% preparation, 10% perspiration.”

When opportunity knocks, you have to be ready to answer. You can second guess yourself, but it’s better to do it approaching opportunity than running from it.