Zen and the Art of Disassembling a Bike

A year or two ago I read Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". Overall, I enjoyed the book but admit that it was REALLY confusing at times. Rather than dismiss the dude as a whack-job, I left the book thinking that I might've been missing some of the points he was trying to make. Maybe our brains were just on different wavelengths, or maybe I just needed to go through experiences more similiar to his in order to better grasp his ideas. This weekend...just a little part of that mission accomplished.

On Saturday, I woke up around noon with what wasn't really a hangover but more of a "sluggish feeling" from drinking into the wee hours of the previous night. Despite this, I was focused on getting up and making it to Workshop Houston (http://www.workshophouston.org/), where I had committed to an hour of volunteering in their bike shop. Slowly but surely, I bathed, got dressed, ate brunch, and made my way (with Jennifer, poor thing) over to the shop.

Ok, after telling them I'd be there at 1 PM, I didn't actually show up until 3 PM. But at least I made it, right?

Anyways, after brief introductions, I started off by disassembling one of their donated bikes under the guidance of a more experienced volunteer. Slowly but surely, I completely stripped the old, raggedy bike down to its core. Off came the gears, handlebars, brakes, tires, everything! We threw ALL of the parts into a bucket and then arranged them into their rightful spots around the workshop so that they can be used to build new bikes in the future.

Seriously awesome experience that provided me with a deeper appreciation for the art of bike-design and only furthered my interest in getting more involved in the "bike-world". If this does develop into a full-fledged passion, I already have visions of being a bike advocate in Houston, both educating citizens on the benefits of biking and pushing for city government to make the city more bike-friendly. I might even want to open my own bike shop down the road. Dreamin' again...I like it!

Last, but surely not least, there was a moment in the workshop, when I was simply loosening a screw of all things, that I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. I was just really thrilled with the idea of learning about bikes, an engineering marvel, so up close and personal. And no joke, I thought back to "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and what I perceived to be part of Pirsig's message. Rather than just consuming "final products", take time to play around with the very tools and machinery that produce that product. Get right into the middle of a bike or motorcycle, meddle around a little, and you just might find your mind settling into a peaceful, meditative state. Aha!

A Seamlessly Drunk Transition

2:48 A.M. I admit, I'm drunk. Shoot me. It's the easiest time to sit down and write, especially when you know the whole world is going to read your thoughts. Fine, in my case, maybe 5 people at most. But still, this is life beyatch! Damn, maybe I'm succumbing to the pressures of being a blog writer and throwing in the towel right now. I don't know.

Anyways, I'm the first to admit that I've done a lousy job keeping up with this blog. In all honesty, I'm barely writing at all these days. Even my personal, leather-bound journal (yes, I just said that) has been collecting dust during the last few weeks, and I think I know why. Quite simply, life is a lot easier in Htown, Texas than in Brooklyn, NY. Down here, I got my family (love you Mom!), my woman (hi Jenn!), my boys (wat up OKG!), and no rent (holy toledo!).

Less stress = less need for escape = less writing. I just don't have as much stress to release anymore. Ok, there are other things too. For one, it was much easier writing on the subway (NYC) versus writing while driving (Htown). Also, per my recent Facebook update, I'm taking my future seriously again. Thus, a reallocation of time to job search, grad school apps, and networking.

I'd like to sit here and say I'm somewhat perplexed about the situation, act like I'm a little down about being in a more "comfortable", less creative state. But honestly, for now at least, I'm not. I feel like I spent a good chunk of my four years in New York City running away from stability and, through that, learned a lot of great life lessons. In a strange way, I wanted chaos, though I admit I could only handle so much (freakin' pus*y!). However, eventually I reached a point where it felt like I was just running in place. Same way I felt at the end of my five years in Austin. Knew it was time to bounce.

Not sure this makes any sense to anyone besides me, but I don't really give a sh*t. Ok, ok, I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't be writing this blog. Either way, I am really happy in Houston, Texas. In a weird way, I feel more liberated here than I did at the end of my time in New York City, which is really strange for me to grasp at times. Doubt I would've felt like this had I never left Texas in the first place, so hallelujah for NYC! Love that damn city and still haven't gotten over it completely, but I've definitely moved on much quicker than I thought I would. I'm a born-again H-towner looking forward to continuing to move forward here. Holla!

Mickey Rourke - Interesting Dude

Just finished watching one of my favorite programs, The Tavis Smiley Show, on PBS. Tonight's guest was Mickey Rourke. Great interview and very interesting dude.

In all honesty, I was fairly ignorant of Rourke's story before tonight. Other than remembering a short clip about him in a movie, Tupac: Resurrection, I don't remember watching any of his movies or knowing much about his history. After watching the interview tonight, I was intrigued in learning more about him and his recent, highly-acclaimed movie, The Wrestler.

Sooo, after a little Wikipedia researching and Youtube perusing, I came to learn that the talented actor left show business in 1991 after declining several major roles, rubbing certain directors the wrong way, and hoping to feel better about himself by switching from acting to boxing (his childhood sport). 39 years old and starting a boxing career - wow.

During his hiatus from acting, Rourke lost his wife, career, and money. Even after trying to return to acting in 1995, it wasn't until 2008, with The Wrestler, that he really returned to the glory days of yesteryear. THIRTEEN YEARS to get back on top. In the interview with Tavis, Rourke talks about always believing he'd get his life back but never realizing it'd take so long.

In the end, Rourke is just an actor returning to the top of a glamorous world. Nonetheless, I'm intrigued, as I usually am with people like him. Besides loving his story of redemption, I'm fascinated by people who run away from their "God-given talent" in the first place. In so many ways, I admire the human spirit that becomes so petrified of "stable life" that it does everything in its power to avoid it. Bumps, bruises, and emotional pitfalls take the stage, just so that person can continue experiencing the thrill of jumping off cliffs and having no clue how his or her story may end.

Having said all of this, there is a potentially depressing reality of running from talent - the chance one never regains it and simply fades into oblivion. But maybe that's just life.

PS - You can catch interview here - http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200903/20090302.html

Close Call

This past Friday, before my trip to Austin, I witnessed a pretty scary car accident in Houston...

I was on the very inside, left lane at a red light waiting to turn left. On my right, there was a truck also waiting to turn left (both lanes could turn left).

So, I'm looking down at my radio when I notice the truck moving in the corner of my eye (he's beginning to turn left from the outer lane). This causes me to look up and realize the protected left green arrow has come on. So, I take my foot off the brake and begin turning as well (in the inner left lane).

Next thing I see, right in front of me, is a white sedan slamming into the truck. The truck flies into the air, crashes into the road, and then flips onto its driver side. So, the driver is pinned on the ground, with the driver-side door the only thing between him and the concrete. My brain is absolutely racing right now - what the fu*k just happened?!?

A few of us ran out of our cars, called 9-1-1, and did our best to get the situation under control (comfort the truck driver through his windshield, direct traffic, etc) as we waited for police and rescue crews to come. After arriving, firefighters cut through the truck's windshield to pull the driver out and luckily, other than being in shock and trying to make sense of what had just happened to him, the guy seemed to be okay for the most part. We then provided eyewitness testimonies to police that we definitely had a protected left, which meant the white sedan had probably driven through a red light...and then went on our way.

Anyways, just wanted to share this to remind people to be very careful driving. Even when a light turns green, please take a second to make sure no cars are racing through the intersection, and more importantly, please don't try to beat yellow lights - it's just not worth it.

So relieved that I was looking down at my radio for a split second when our light turned green and hope the truck driver is doing okay wherever he is.

At Peace in Austin, TX

I'm in Austin this weekend for a very chill weekend with Jennifer and her siblings. I love coming back here, a place where I learned so much about life, especially the art of striving to be free as a bird :)

Despite my love for Austin, I must admit that I've been a little over-cynical during post-college trips back here. Sure, I still love this city inside-out, but I also tend to overanalyze and be critical of how much the city has changed from when I lived here. This time around, I'm finally being a good sport and just accepting the fact that this city has moved on without me (sniff, sniff). Quite simply, Austin has a new (and bigger) flock of Austinites and will continue to grow and reinvent itself with each passing day, just as it did while I was here.

Tomorrow, we're planning to run at Town Lake, waste an hour or two at one of my favorite coffee spots (Jo's), and then grab a simple dinner somewhere in north Austin. After all is said and done, we'll probably be home for the night an hour or two before midnight. So, just as Austin has evolved, so have I, and I'm coming to realize I should be happy that neither of us remained too stagnant over the years.

Ahh, at peace in Austin, Texas - just the way I remember this place...

• Peeing next to dumpsters behind Sixth Street bars
• Puking next to aforementioned dumpsters so that I could return to bars and drink more
• Taking a dump inside the women's bathroom at Aquarium. Wait. What? Huh? Nevermind.
• Running out of gas and trying to jump in an Accord while pushing it down a hill with three of my closest and dumbest friends

Hmm, maybe I was one of the people bringing Austin down. Thus, time to sit back, shut my mouth, and just enjoy this city for all of its natural and man-made beauty.

Long live Austin, Texas & Hook 'Em!

Obama's Economic Stimulus Package

Just watched Obama's video on Economic Recovery plan - http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/recoveryvid

How impressive has this guy been? Coming into our living rooms via internet to keep us updated on what's going on in our nation's capital?!! Truly incredible.

Furthermore, he says there will be a site, http://www.recovery.gov, that goes live as soon as the bill is passed.

Contrary to what my previous blog post may have suggested, I am for the stimulus package. Just hope our country focuses on "smart growth", in which fair labor, fair trade, and environmental standards take precedence over big corporations controlling everything.

Speaking of environmental friendliness, I visited Discovery Green for the first time this weekend. Very exciting to see Houston moving in such a positive direction. I hope to explore the park and maybe even write about it more in the future.

Is more growth really the answer?

I know the U.S. economy has gone through some ups and downs, but I don't remember it ever being as bad as it is right now. When a recession hits, conventional thought tells us that righting the ship involves getting our economy back to a "growth phase".

Maybe I'm being a little naive here, but I tend to question how much more growth is really possible in both our country and certain parts of the world (remote, third-world areas excluded).

Breaking it down in real-life, practical terms, I'll provide a small glimpse into some of the things I see when roaming around the concrete slab we like to call Houston:

1. Strip mall
2. Megafreeway
3. Infinite number of street lights
4. Megamall
5. Gigantic houses
6. Strip mall next to megamall
7. Countless number of bars and restaurants
8. Endless array of cars and gas stations pumping them up
9. Coffee shop dwellers and their laptops
10. List goes on and on....

Creating and sustaining these different entities already takes up a lot of energy and manpower. At some point, it was only natural to think we'd reach a saturation point where there would be less need/consumption of them.

For starters, we'll look at megamalls. Current news and consumer spending reports show that malls are empty right now. Quite simply, consumers aren't buying anything. Hasn't this retail slowdown been long overdue? How long could our nation's kids continue buying designer-name clothing in the name of "back-to-school" shopping? Aren't there already enough clothes in circulation that our closets have reached their tipping points?

Ok, ok, obviously I'm a big mall hater, but let's move the argument against malls and "growth" even further. Who does a mall really serve? Land developer - check. Fast food owners in food court - check. Donald Trump (selling his line of clothes inside department stores) - check. Owner of Visible Changes - check.

Why is it so important for us to re-grow our retail sector so that the aforementioned parties make more money and build more megamalls on our precious land?

Ok, ok, now you're thinking I'm completely oblivious to all of the people losing jobs when a mall or corporation shuts down. Believe me, I care about people losing their jobs, but I also wonder if we've been living one way for so long that we have trouble seeing the long-term benefits of letting these companies fail and replacing them with "alternative" models that benefit more people (including those losing their jobs).

Just imagine that mall being one big and juicy organic farm that feeds a whole community of people fresh fruits and vegetables, both making us healthier and eliminating the waste of fuel that occurs everytime foods are shipped cross-country or store-to-store. With self-sustaining communities, maybe our whole idea of "jobs" and "employment" gets thrown out the window. Instead, we stop caring about designer clothes, start eating healthier, and build closer-knit communities in the process.

Maybe I'm a dreamer...maybe I'm a socialist...maybe I'm just way over my head in trying to figure out this economy. In the end, I'm just not convinced that "growth", in the conventional sense, is the answer to our country's current economic dilemma. A shift to conservative, self-sustaining communities that better utilize and distribute resources might be a better long-term solution for all of us.

For now, that's all I got. Wrapping one's head around the U.S. economy is no easy task. I just know I prefer organic tomatoes over kung pao chicken. Well, sometimes.