200 Days

Memorial Day weekend and I drop down to 200 days; good timing.

I have nothing profound to say, just wanted to mark the day. But the longer I type the more likely something interesting will emerge.

Nothing yet. ha ha.

I'm not feeling a sense of urgency yet. Situations seem to be aligning themselves so that when I'm through with this career and retired, there will be opportunities for me to live very inexpensively, keep moving, help people improve their lives and lifestyles through fitness, health and magic while documenting and presenting the discoveries I encounter and lessons I will inevitably learn.

This may seem like a jumbled mass of words at the moment, but hopefully I know what I'm talking about.

Miami Living, Christmas on the Beach 2012

First stop is still Miami. second stop looks like it will be California, mostly likely Los Angeles... and working my way back to Singapore and certainly stopping in Malaysia. I wonder how realistic Europe will be from there? Will I be able to get to Spain for the ESL immersion (volunteer) session? Will I be able to get to Ireland for the wedding? Will I even want to leave Asia the next time I'm there? I have to be back in 2018 for a series of milestone birthdays... unless I can get them to where I am. Hmmm...

I'm fantasizing now, more than planning. I have to start getting rid of stuff with verve now. Sign up to Let-it-go and start letting it go.

I was debating on whether to let this go out my some of my closest friends. I'll consider that this week. I don't know if they'll even read it. I have to be brave... write as if no one will read it and then invite everyone to read it. I have some editing and proof reading to do, there are a lot of my typical spelling errors and type-ohs through out.

Okay, I've said too much.. I haven't said enough.

Cheers.

A Nice Text From a Good Friend

From E: 

Well, as I try to put my thoughts together about you moving away, I can be comforted in being able to say I was fortunate enough to have spent time with you, got to know you, laughed with you, cried happy and sad tears around you, learned so much about myself because of you and I can only hope that you won’t forget about me. You are part of my life. You are an inspiration and you have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. I feel very blessed to know someone who is so hard for me to say goodbye.

The Funky Luau, 2015 - The Pisces Dance

I want to remember this. Here seems like a good place…. She may not mind making an appearance here. 

Pisces Wonder Twins

I got to hang out with my 2011 Friend of the Year yesterday and it was exquisite. As I always say, "we meet the people in life we are destined to meet," and we might as well make the most of it.

Our introduction came by way of social media, although we have so many characteristics in common, not the least of which is our sun sign, we may have eventually crossed paths at some point; mutual acquaintance or some such... or maybe, probably I'd say now, social media was the way we were supposed to meet. After many false starts and re-schedules, we finally met as the sun was in the twelfth house, off of Rittenhouse Square over octopus.

Friend of the Year is a distinction I came up with this century to describe people I meet and expect to still be friends with five years later. During times when I was much more social and sociable, I became friendly to quickly with people who turned out not to be the kinds of people I wanted to be friends with, or the other way around. I looked at my core group and realized how long we'd known each other and decided it really takes about five years for people to learn each other, tolerate each other, communicate with each other, feel each other and thus become life-long friends, regardless of distance, life changes, sickness and health.

It's been five years now since Yael and I made that connection. She had to leave Philly, but comes back to visit every so often. We like to make it a point to get together, have a nosh, a drink or two, share philosophies, experiences, life updates and yesterday we shopped.

This piece found me. Magic is everywhere.

Whenever we're together our powers are amplified; the Pisces Magic happens and reality seems to shift in our favor (without taking anything away from anyone else's world). For me, this magic manifested simply in finding a tapestry that called to me in a South Street shop (Eyes Gallery) that I haven't set foot in for a long, long time and running into a work colleague from years ago.

The more I want to recount about yesterday's travels, the more I realize that words cannot capture the memories, the feelings... the power of being with my spiritual twin... dare I say soul mate? (In the most spiritual sense of the term.) I'll just use these words to hold the space so-to-speak, in this farewell to the home town chronicle.

Wrong Living

I spent too much time among the public today. The more I do that the more I realize that we, as a species, are not living right. Some might say I am "waking up" but waking up only means coming around to their way of thinking. Whose way? That's the question. It's a question that I don't have answers to. Besides, I haven't even explained what I mean by not living right; and i don't know if I can do that either.

Went to the doc's today for my annual physical. A physical is not like the physical I got when I was inducted into the Navy. It was more like an interview. The resident, a young be-speckled lady with rainbow socks, asked me if I had any questions. I had some about chiropractic, but she couldn't help me. I had questions about how I could improve my diet to fix or repair something - she couldn't help me there either.

I was trying to get a feel for her as a doctor and a person. She signaled clearly by her presence that she was in the life, but I don't know if I signaled that I picked up on it. There seemed to be a distance, might have been the age difference or maybe I let my facial language and vocals slip that I didn't have much faith in the medical industry. Nonetheless she gave me the options, as if they were the blue-plate specials of the day. They usually recommend and tetanus booster - not interested. She accepted that. I got the lifestyle questions; who I lived with, sex life, smoke, drink, that sort of thing, family history.

BP was what they call high... anything over 120/80 and they want to put a patient on Statins. "Put me on drugs?" I'm thinking... nope. My BP is normal for me for reasons I understand and if I need to lower it, I'll do it without drugs.

I was offered two types of drugs, a shot and a blood screening, (test) for prostate cancer, that may or may not be accurate... which means it's not. I accepted that one - why? Because they were taking blood anyway. But after it was all done, I realized it's just another way to bill my insurance. DUH! Then they decided to order a cholesterol screening because mine has been running towards high... By whose assessment? I told the last doc I'll start worrying when it's over 225. Since I learned cholesterol is the main ingredient of many hormones, including testosterone, I'm not going to sweat it and I'm certainly not taking drugs to lower it. (Which reminds me, when I was interested in lowering it I took Red Yeast Rice and it worked. I documented it.)

Random, meaningless photo; Costa Rica, c. 2009 (mancation)

The physical part was like a guy considering buying a car. He knows a bit about cars, so he walks around it, kicks the tires, listens to the engine run, maybe looks under the hood, and kicks the tires again and turns on the windshield wipers. It may have been a combination of my doc's newness, if she was indeed new - most of whom I've seen are residents - or, to my credit, it could have been that I was clearly, from her perspective, a healthy specimen and she just went through the motions. If that is the case, I am indeed grateful. As a professional, she couldn't just blurt out, "why did you bother to come in?" Which she may have, in a more professional way; I remember telling her, "I come for the numbers."

Sitting in waiting rooms with sick and often lonely people while The View was blaring its incessant perspective to a cheering collection of drones was excruciating. I tried my best to zone out all conversations, but ended up choosing the lesser of the evils... so I tuned out The View.

I came home mentally exhausted which I attributed to the blood letting (and 12 hour fast), but it was probably do to a mild state of depression (oh, yeah that was one of the interview topics as well) from witnessing first hand the morbid state of humanity. It was just a small sampling, but it seems to align with what I've been hearing about the state of medical management (as opposed to care) in the US. (Of course it may have aligned because of my own expectations, as well.)

Group fitness sessions at Temple brought me back. I didn't even realize it was the last day of the Spring Session. I'm off until May 10th. May already!! That's five months gone and seven to go.

Anyway, returning from Temple paradise, I once again realized how poorly "we're" living. The majority of us accept it because we don't know there's anything better. Some of us suspect there's something better, but don't know how to get to it. Others find their way to something better by assimilating into the dominant culture, but are still living against nature (and don't ask me what that means yet, because I cannot explain it intelligently.)

At this point - call it a state of awakening and observing - I am not interested in doing anything about anyone else's situations. I have yet to conjure and execute my own plan for either dealing with the illusion or breaking (or dropping) out of it. Were I to emerge as a leader or guru at this point I might lead my followers into a more dire situation. Were I to find a path to a state of presumed freedom it might be a path that only I could navigate and get through. Don't the mystics tell us we all need to find our own path? Yeah, good excuse.

I don't want to seem as if I am disparaging my doctor. If there was any impression to get, it was that she was just passing through this stage of her career/education. She was reading a script, playing by the rules, as she had someone to which to answer... that 2 - 3 minute guest visit with the "preceptor" who asks if the student asked and answered everything she was supposed to answer and ask. I feel like my doc might move from medicine to something more holistic... or maybe that's just my hope.


These pix are from our Costa Rica "Mancation" of 2009. They have nothing to do with the blog... just thought I'd post them for the heck of it. I'm a rebel. 

Epochs of Life

This is part of an ongoing study of humanity and the different phases of life that we all go through. My theory is that we all going through such changes and ways of viewing the world, based on how many years we've lived. Further, this theory makes use of the notion, or maybe even myth, that we become completely new people, physiologically, ever seven years.

This theory is more anecdotal that scientific. I don't expect to ever prove it, nor to I expect it to ever be confirmed. It's just something I've been thinking about and thought I'd jot down a few notes. These notes, by the way, were originally jotted down in one of my notebook journals in September of 2011. I revise them every so often... here are basics.

0 to 7 is the age of learning. I've read that for the first seven years of a child's life their brain is in a theta rhythm, through which they basically absorb what they see and hear. These are the years of basic learning. (Which, includes the time in the womb.)

Ruby, age 1 - 2

8 to 14 is self awareness, which includes still higher learning. Often times these are the years of indoctrination. Unless idealism, creativity and magic is encouraged, it is in these years that the public, the state's system of rules and expectations cripple, if not destroy creativity.

15 to 21 - optimism and rebellion. Depending on what the example adults encourage the young adult will either look forward to a bright future, or they will rebel. Most people become sexually active during these years.

22 - 28 - and then, Reality sets in. Reality can be a shock if the child is not prepared. Perhaps the optimist discovers (or feels) s/he's been lied to; they played by the rules, so to speak and the rewards didn't come. Perhaps the rebel realizes that rebellion wasn't right for them and they change directions in life. The opposites might be true as well. Reality doesn't have to be ugly.

29 - 35 - Settling, conforming.. whether it's due to peer pressure, parent pressure or a matter of nature, most people in this group are in some kind of a relationship. They have kids, or pets, they are fairly well established in their lifestyles/jobs.

36 - 42 - The age of cynicism. This is my second favorite age. For some reason a lot of people I've talked to revisit their original dreams in this epoch often prompting a so-called midlife crisis, which I actually think is more of a condition for past generations. Often, the average person is, or feels they are in and dead end job/relationship or situation. Everything seems to suck during this age.

Post-Cynicism..40-something in Paris

43 - 49 - Originally I called this Reflection, but now i think this comes later. I've updated it to post-cynicism after 7 years of everything sucking, we stop caring whether it sucks or not. We've attained some wisdom in our experiences. We may have an idea that our plans aren't going to pan out the way we plan, but what the hell, we'll go for it anyway, we've got a back up. 

50 - 56 - It may not have been so in the past, but certainly in this era, and perhaps for the next twenty years, this epoch can be called, Renaissance. With somewhat of a heath and wellness revolution having grown since the 1980s, crossing the half century mark, with our minds and bodies in tact, we can move from a career we may or may not have enjoyed, to something that thoroughly fulfills us. If we've gotten a later start in life, this could still be a time of rebirth and reinvention, especially if we don't have an chronic ailments. If we do, renaissance can mean trying to get some kind of life back. Presuming you've made it this far, that is.

57 - 63 - Sharing Wisdom... the guru. In this era, this age group are grand (or great grand) parents by now and whether they realize it or not, they become teachers; through their memories, the stories they tell about growing up and how the world has changed, they teach those younger than themselves. There seems to be some kind of moral in every story.

64 - 70 - Perspective - this group has the perspective of the years they've lived. They generally have positive attitudes although they can feign cynicism. They've done something right to live this long.

71 - 77 - Indestructible - Those who are still standing, swimming, and even walking the treadmills or riding bikes at this age, cannot be fucked with. They've seen it all, (and I can only base this on the guys at the Y). The guru factor remains and they might tell you the same stories over and over again.

Jacinto Bonilla age 73

78 - 84 - Care takers. Whether in their home or a nursing home (or retirement home), those who are sharp at this age take on the task of caring for grands/great-grands, or friends who aren't doing as well, or, as I've read, pre-schoolers.

85 - 91 - Shadow... because I have no first hand experience with this age group. (Well, kind of). My guess is that they are wondering how much longer they will live. I will have to do more research on this. I'm sure it will come.

92  - 98 - Curios... It may be crass to describe this group as such, but if you're living into your nineties, people want to know your secret. Conversely you might be in a home waiting to die. But what if, as the health/wellness movement extends life into the 120s, what will the 90s be like for people who can still do everyday tasks??

99 - 105 - Comfortably numb. Someone said, and I've adopted this saying, "The first hundred years are the toughest." Could we get some kind of second wind when we cross this border?

Ida Keeling, age 99

105 - 111 - History. Assuming your memory is still sharp and all the selfies you ever took on your cell phone are still accessible, you become living history. Every birthday you will be assured a place in the local newspaper or a shout-out from the Centenarian Club. 

112 - 118 - Elite... you become the aged elite, a curiosity, history, all of the above.

Every age above my own, I can only speculate about. Those ages below mine, I take from my own memories and from the children I've raised and watch grow up and the young adults I've worked with in the fitness industry. I reiterate, this is just a theory, not even scientific, and probably more fantasy than anything serious.

Live long and prosper.

TV Down, and Out

Today I took a major step towards freedom. 

I dismantled this television and put it out for trash.

For me, it's the equivalent of dumping all the alcohol

in my cabinets. Back in 2006 when the television

stations stopped transmitting via the airwaves, I was like,

"phuqqit, I just won't watch." I'd quit being hooked on

TV when X-Files went off the air, but I still used this set

to watch DVD movies - got some great memories too, ha ha. 

It had been sitting on my porch for several years

because I don't like discarding perfectly good

appliances, obsolete or not. No one wanted it

so out it went today. Of course I made a video, which

as always, I may or may not share. 

Another step closer to being out of Philadelphia. 

It's a good day.

Mi Casa, Mi Lifestyle

I like coming home, and into my house. It's dark and sparse. Not sparse enough, however. Not that there's anything in the way, it's just that there's too much stuff in here that's not mine and I find it hard to get rid of. But that's another story.

I come in, the house is dark and quiet. First thing I do is turn on a light and then I turn on music. Third task, today, is writing this... my thoughts. I have a lot of thoughts during my commute and most of the time lose them by the time I sit down to jot them down.

At the moment I'm annoyed with Adele; not her personally, but her song. I don't like it, but it stays in my head. I think it's one of those songs that was arranged to do just that. All I can remember is the chorus - I won't repeat it here. Okay, that's over.

1-25-2016 Maybe? Maybe Not!

I shaved all my maleness off of my face yesterday and now I look more feminine, I think. Not that it's a bad look. Androgyny was a big trend in the 1980s, but I didn't partake. I'm not trying to make any statements now either, I'm just being honest... with myself, at least.

Now, as I look at the image, I may be wrong. Oh well. Not that I want to be female, or even want to look like a lady. I just, looking in the mirror, thought I did.



Well, I'm at a loss now. Something came to mind about wanting to be tougher, although I think I'm pretty tough - not in a tough guy looking for fights way; but a willingness to do without certain comforts so that I will not get soft or lazy. I want to be stronger as well. Comfort doesn't make us strong. I also want more mental toughness.

People might think, at this age I should start slowing down and trying to get more comforts. I'm just not there yet. I'm a late bloomer. I could go another 20 or 30 years before I start thinking about slowing down, and chilling out. That will give me time to check out different parts of the world; different people and traditions. I did almost 30 years at this gig, it would balanced to do at least that much time living as freely as is possible on this planet, or in this society... if I continue within the confines of this society; but again, a subject for another time.

Well, now it's time for the protein shake I usually consume after my Moonday exercise obligations. I think I've gotten most of my thoughts out. This is a good exercise as well. I may indulge more often.

One Month down - 11 To Go

I don't have much to say.

I haven't been counting the days, but it's been about 30, since i started the countdown.

This meme showed up today and it sums up exactly how i feel about Philadelphia, with the exception of "major love".

Philadelphia is like a friend that you can't really trust. s/he may treat you alright at times, but s/he treats others like shit and kisses others' asses. I don't approve, but I don't feel that I have the influence to do anything about this behavior. And, we've been friends long enough that I know changing hes behavior would be an uphill battle that I'd eventually lose.

So, my best option is simply to step off.

I'd planned to do it with little fanfare, yet not simply abandon the friends I've made here. Especially those who have evolved into authentic friends. But no big parties... but who knows.

So maybe 337 more days to go?

Dates for the 2016 world Tour will be released soon.

Archetype

Today there are more generations alive at the same time then ever in the history of the United States. There are still a few GI's (I refuse to refer to them as the "Greatest" generation) around as well as "Silents"; The worst generation ever, in my opinion are "Boomers" (an objective history will not be kind to them if I have anything to do with it) and they're beginning to enter their 70s and about cripple the Ponzi scheme that is the US economy; "Generation X" - arguably the dumbest generation ever; "Millennials" (literally and figuratively created by Boomers) and the post 9/11 cohort, that should have a cooler name that any of those I've seen hung on them so far... personally I like "Indigo", but it would take too long to explain why. They haven't even stopped being born yet.

Mom (Silent Generation) & Great Grandson, Justin (Indigo)

Every generation has its icons and archetypes and most of them come from pop culture; indeed I'd say all of them come from pop culture. Imagine the Soldier/Cowboy archetype... are you thinking John Wayne? Or the Beat(nik) rebel generation of post war America; Marlon Brando on a motorcycle, Ginsberg reading poetry, Kerouac on the road maybe? Where do I even begin with Boomers? Woodstock, hippies, Summer of Love, pet rocks, junk bonds and sell outs. From Hippies to Yuppies. Generation X.. Lost Boys anyone, Red Dawn?? They made us seem so badass in Hollywood, but we grew up to be personified by Sarah Palin, and a generation of miseducated anti'lectuals. Millennials will be forever (or so it seems) identified with the hipster, tekkie, nerd, whiner. It's too early to tell about the Indigos just yet, but you can no doubt get a hint from watching the evil Disney stable on their up-and-coming icons.

It looks like as Reality TV (and television in general) is meeting its demise, it's just in time for this generation to find its archetype(s) in memes, YouTube celebrities, cosplay and emojis.

Pretty decent rant I think, although this was not originally the point of this post. It was, as usual, about me and finding, or creating my archetype.

This photo, to me anyway, seems to encompass what I feel and what I want to share. The wandering philosopher, hippie vagabond, curious guru, seeker archetype very much appeals to me.

It's all very authentic; the grey beard represents the years of experience, the lines on my face represent the challenges I've overcome and in some cases the issues I'm still holding on to. The eyes, if you can make them out, not only see, but observe, interpret and most of all ... remember. The hair - I just like it like this - I haven't studied extensively the significance of long hair. I believe it has spiritual, as well as religious, practical and commercial (but not this mop) significance. I've heard it is an extension of the nervous system and if this is indeed the case it's like antennae that reach out beyond physical grasp. But, there I go again, getting deeper than I'd intended.

This look, which may turn out to be as temporary as any other, I actually enjoy. I see my ancestors looking back at me, especially my Dad, more and more.

My archetypal look is as much a reflection of my mind as my experience(s). It combines that romantic gypsy heart with the cynicism of the military veteran; an incessant observer with his imagination in the cosmos. An indomitable spirit and an infinite heart, that is difficult to reach or enter.  Somewhere within, there's a creative soul... and artist, still searching for its medium.

Once I get out of what seems to be some sort of prison, I will more actively be able to discover and activate what lies within; the entity beyond the archetype.