A Hazy, Lazy Sunday in Brooklyn
I love the video. A video short but sweet. That’s how I like my videos on a Sunday afternoon.
It’s been one of those lethargic days in which I do not have the energy to leave Brooklyn. As far as venturing out to Manhattan or any other borough, there is no point. I briefly ventured into Manhattan to go to a Hatha Yoga class with Michelle. What did I learn from that experience?
- I’ve lost the flexibility of my youth.
- I do not feel comfortable looking at myself in a mirror for an hour and a half.
- I need more balance in my life
I promised Michelle that I would go to another class on Monday, but I fear that my body may protest and revolt against me.
At the moment, Michelle is in Greenpoint being productive and painting in her studio. I sit here in front of this screen searching for the words to describe the day. I’ve been a hermit this past weekend. I spent the week mentally preparing myself for a snowstorm that never came. I did not find myself in the middle of any Superbowl Party (more of a fan of futbol than football), so my TV is off. There will be not game, halftime show, or commercials to fill this evening. I sit here hunting for the right words for the day, for the novel, for the headspace – too many blank lines – too few filled lines-as I listen to ‘White Lines’.
KO
Time to Choose Your Own Adventure
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As a child, I was a bit of a handful and – 2/3 cups of hyperactivity, 3 tablespoons of mischievousness, a dash of curiosity, salt, pepper, and some lemon zest (of course). Whenever I became too much to handle, my parents would drive me to the library to ‘decompress’. On most occasions, I had no intention of going to the library; but, of as the case for all children, your parents have full and absolute authority. Whenever my parents would drop me off, they left me under the condition that I leave with at least 5 books to take home. This was to ensure that I was actually productive during my library stay.
As I meandered my way through aisles and bookshelves, I discovered works of Greek mythology, Asimov, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien to name a few. I also came across the underrated and under-appreciated ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ series. When I came to the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series, it was the typical case of moth to light. If you have not come across this series in you youth, here is the wikipedia breakdown the series.
Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children’s gamebooks first published by Bantam Books from 1979-1998 and currently being re-published by Chooseco. Each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character’s actions in response to the plot and its outcome. Choose Your Own Adventure was one of the most popular children’s series during the 1980s and 1990s, selling over 250 million copies between 1979 and 1998,[1][2] and translated into at least 38 languages.[1]
After an introduction to the story, the reader is asked to determine the protagonist’s next course of action. For instance, the first decision offered in The Cave of Time is:
If you decide to start back home, turn to page 4.
If you decide to wait, turn to page 5.After the reader makes a choice, the plot branches out and unfolds, leading to more decisions and eventually multiple possible endings.
The types of endings that the books featured include:
At least one, but often several, endings depicting a highly desired resolution, often involving uncovering a handsome monetary reward.
Endings that result in the death of the protagonist, companions of the main character or both, or other very negative endings, because of a fatal choice of the reader.
Other endings that may be either satisfactory (but not the most desired ending) or unsatisfactory (but not totally bad).
Occasionally a particular set of choices will throw the reader into a loop where they repeatedly reach the same page (often with a reference to the situation being familiar). At this point the reader’s only option is to restart the adventure.
One book, Inside UFO 54-40, revolved around the search for a paradise that no one can actively reach; one of the pages in the book describes the player finding the paradise and living happily ever after, although none of the choices in the book led to that page. The ending could only be found by disregarding the rules and going through the book at random. Upon finding the ending, the reader is congratulated for realizing how to find paradise. Although it appears that this ending is not actually mistake but was actually designed that way, and thus makes the book into a Moral Story stating that if you think outside the box, and do not blindly follow the rules then you’ll achieve Paradise.Early books occasionally allowed the player to decide things about the universe, such as whether the unknown person knocking at the door would be funny or scary, but later books only allowed the player to choose his or her own actions.
With each book in the series, I could be a ninja, an adventurer, a detective, anyone. I enjoyed the fact that books existed where more than one outcome was possible. I relished reading these books as a child because destiny did not play a factor as much as free will. As all other books ended with one outcome, I could choose many outcomes based upon my own decisions. Just this morning, I came across these doctored covers from the series, and I had to laugh to myself.
Yet, as the day progressed, my thoughts began to ponder the idea of choices and free will. At times, I feel like I am caught in a vise when I think of work. I wish to come in contact with the world, different cultures, creative people, humanitarians, individuals living out their passions and life’s work. I did not realize till now that I have been surrounded by individuals that always wish to remind me that the options are few and far between because of constraints, rules, regulations, practicality or simply because that is how “things have alway been and they are not going to change”. That revelation frightened to me the core. Those types of beliefs can be toxic to one that has always held on to particular dreams. I like to believe that all of us have the capacity of free will to change not only ourselves but the world around us.
I think it’s imperative to feel that we have free will in our lives. Once many of us reach adulthood, we feel stifled by the current conditions in or lives. We’ve become cynical of the human condition. Some of us may feel trapped by our past decisions whether that be decisions made regarding our occupations, relationships, education, and simply life. I understand that some choices are irreversible, but one must choose a new path and not let the decisions of the past bind you. How did we reach a point where we moved from freedom to constraint, the infinite to the limited, positive to negative? What disconnect occurs in our lives to bring us to this point. In my time in New York, I have come across many people my age and older that have become cynical about the possibilities of life. They ‘live’ a life without hope. They ‘live’ a life without vision. My parents always told me that sometimes that you “must suffer to gain”. It may take an effort of pure will to pull yourself out of the quicksand of mediocrity and stagnation, but it is possible. Sometimes you need support, but there are times in which are the strength you need remains hidden from within.
Some of the workspaces that we find ourselves today are not conducive to a healthy spirit. We sit or stand several hours at a time when we should be in motion. We exist within the walls of a cubicle when there should be no walls. Our minds stagnate. Our spirits falter. We’ve become a culture that lives for the weekend. We sleepwalk through Monday and Friday in order to find a quick respite in those two days at the end of the week only to start the process again on Monday. We live paycheck to paycheck not only in spirit but in vision. We do not find fulfillment in the work that we do only in the paycheck that we receive. I know that there are many out there that are searching for a job – any job. I’ve been in that precarious position myself years ago when I first moved to New York. Before moving here, I applied for numerous positions in New York while I remained in Texas. It soon became apparent that employers overlooked me because of the fact that I wasn’t a local candidate. So, I made the conscious decision to move to New York a day after my brother’s birthday in 2005. I decided that I would crash with an old college buddy in New Jersey until I was able to put my feet to the cement. In my search for work, I worked a number of odd jobs. I worked at a Manhattan Bistro, a Graphic Design, The Columbia Bookstore, and a Temp for the NYC government. In position that I found, I was thank for work but still discontent. Yes, it was a mean but was it towards the proper end. Work should bring more into your life than a living wage; it should nourish the spirit.
In my time in Broooklyn, I’ve come across individuals that have been out of work for quite some time. They’ve grown tired of the cover letters and resumes that garner no response. Without anyone or anything to fall back on, you only have yourself. After some time, I’ve noticed these individuals focusing of aspects in their lives that would bring fulfillment into their lives. Yes, the bills have to be paid; but, If you were in that situation, what projects would you immerse yourself into if left to your own devices? Would you start a band? Write a novel? Write that screenplay that you have been talking about for years. Open a online store from home? Start your own non-profit? What would you do? What adventure would you begin? One should not settle for a ‘job’. One should strive for their life’s work – place where one’s passions line the way. You may say to yourself that I always wanted to be a writer, an artist, a producer, a whatever…but I will be bad at it. You have to try. You have to learn. If the mastery of such skills will bring you fulfillment, this is the path you must follow. Most adventures are not easily charted out. The most entertaining adventures are not only the obstacles but the means in which these obstacles or overcome. Do not feel stifled by the obstacles that lay before you, you have to sometimes fight for the life that you wish to lead. You must come to this life on your own two feet. You have a choice.
LOST: I just realized how lost I’ll be without you.
‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Damn it, Lost! You are doing it to me again. When I watched the one hour recap and the two hour season opener, all the old feelings came back to me like a flashback/flash forward/jump in time/???. I realized why we have been together so long despite the wasteland that is reality tv, weak sitcoms, tabloid television, and Howie Mandel. We stood by each other despite the infighting, the polar bears, the black smoke, the Others, and Richard’s eyeliner (maybe it’s Maybelline).
I admit that I was not always true to you. After the 3rd Season, I could not take the unanswered questions, the suspense, the commercial breaks, the hiatus between seasons. All this was too much for my fragile heart. So, I abandoned you for Seasons 4 & 5. I’m not proud about what I did, but I felt my actions necessary at the time. It was a difficult time for me, yes. Yet, I took comfort in the fact that you were still out there. I took comfort in the fact that the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 were still searching for a means to get off that island. Now, you already have one foot out the door for good. This is your last season with me.
During the period in which I refused to watch you, I had to duck and rickroll my way out of conversations with friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and family members whenever I heard your name followed by either “Spoiler Alert” or “Did you see last night’s episode…”.
After some time, I broke down and gave into you once again. I netflixed (is that a word?) both Seasons 4 & 5 and subjected myself to marathon viewing sessions (Bad Robot!) much to the annoyance of my girlfriend (sorry, Michelle). I was back on my fix, and you were better than ever, Lost.
Back when The Wire came to an end, I used to wake up in a cold sweats like Bubbles in the middle of the night. I was suffering a major cause of B-more withdrawal. You know how I was able to go back to sleep, Lost? I would say the following to myself like a mantra:
“ ‘The Wire’ may not be around, but I’ll always have you Lost. You’ll never leave me either to go into syndication or disappear altogether. I may not get you, or even understand what the hell is going on with you sometimes, but you will always be there for me. B-More is no more, but I’ll always have the island. I’ll always have the island….the island..the island….”
Now, you are leaving me for good. You know that I have more seperation anxiety than a shih tzu and a little boy clutching his mom enroute to his first day of Kindergarten. You know this, but you keep on doing this to me!
Lost, you have left me with so many unanswered questions. Why did the island demand so many lives? Why did the island have to take Mr.Eko/Adebisi? How come Hurley weighs the same after all this time? I would think being on the island would be a combination of both “Survivor” and “The Biggest Loser”, so how come Hurley does not have that jungle body already? Why did you leave me with the impression that Juliet was dead then she is not dead then she is dead again. WHY?
I am writing you this ‘Dear John Locke letter’ before you do at the end of the series finale. Be good to me this season. Let there be no more secrets between us anymore. I’ve been forthright with you. Now, it’s your turn. I’ll be seeing you in another life, brother. Even though this life will only be found in a boxed set dvd (with exclusive commentary of course!)
Screw going to back to Pandora. I want to stay on the Island.
Love,
Kojo
What New York has taught me.
My 5 year anniversary in New York City is just around the corner. I was born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas. I do not consider myself to be a true New Yorker, but I do feel better adapted to this environment. Here is a shortlist of all things that I have learned.
- Be wary of subway service changes on the weekend. The MTA likes to do maintenance work on some subway lines during those times, so you may need to figure out a Plan B to get to your Point B.
- The best way to learn about a neighborhood is to read neighborhood blogs.
- If you hate crowds, avoid walking through Times Square, Herald Square, Chinatown, Grand Central Station, and sometimes – your own block.
- If you are lost, be sure to ask more than one person for directions.
- Do not give eye contact to the guy talking to himself while you wait on the subway platform. For that matter, do not engage the guy fondling himself too.
- Do not relegate yourself to only Manhattan. Some of the best food in the city can be found in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.
- If a guy on craigslist wants to sell you an iPhone and asks that you meet him in East New York (that’s in Brooklyn for the non-natives) at night, don’t go.
- Don’t always go to Central Park. Prospect Park is just as great.
- Be sure to check the expiration dates on all food items that you buy at bodegas.
- If you are sitting on a train and you suspect that the woman you are sitting next to is a man, he/she probably is.
- Always keep hand sanitizer on you.
- If the homeless man asks if you can give him some money for food; yet, he refuses your offer to buy something at the local store. He was probably going to buy booze anyway.
- If you thought you heard firecrackers in the middle of the night, they probably were gunshots.
- Find your local Farmer’s market. They’re great.
- If you arrive home from the airport and decide to take the subway home, you might be accosted by random guy asking to help carry your luggage for you for a dollar as you exit the subway. It is probably in your best interest not to do so.
- Do not buy deli meats from your corner bodega. In most cases, those meats aren’t fresh, but the owners will probably feed it to the bodega cat anyway.
- If you ever have to get to NJ by bus via the Port Authority, avoid going there in the middle of the night. The freaks come out at night.
- Eat at Grimaldi’s once in your life.
- If someone persists in asking you for spare change, just say you are living off your credit cards.
- If you can, live very close to a park or subway.
- New Yorkers can be very flaky when it comes to plans, so do not be easily offended.
- If you happen to go to a new restaurant, carry cash on you just in case. Some places do not accept credit cards.
- If you happen to be on a subway car with a bunch of rowdy kids (in the middle of the night), move to the next car for your own safety.
KO
Syn Emergence
KO
