Barcelona

At the end of our trip, we spent 3 days in Barcelona. This city is known for it's art, architecture, and Catalan style food. It has a unique population of poets, writers, artists, and it exudes an all around bohemian atmosphere. This was the city I was most looking forward to.

In retrospect, we all felt that we should have done this city first. By the time that we got to the city of dreams, we were all pretty exhausted and broke. I was tired, but had a boost from the prednisone shot that I acquired in Valencia. More than that I was pumped up on the excitement of finally being there. So the first night in the city was of course, an epic disaster.

We had the idea of going out dancing but didn't know where. I called my friend who knew the city well, and got a recommendation from him. Knowing that the nightlife begins in the wee hours of the morning, we got some alcohol to bring back to the hotel to drink while we waited for the proper hour to go out. We thought this was smart, since we were saving money this way. After polishing off a bottle of whiskey between the 3 of us, we set out in a cab for some club on the waterfront that was supposedly the place to be on a Thursday night to hear some drum n' bass.

We got to the bar around 3 am, and what we found was not dance music, but "Anti Karaoke"- which was basically a bunch of punk rock kids, singing karaoke to famous American rock songs on stage. To one side of the stage was a large naked man wearing a leash around his neck, sitting by a doggie bowl. He then got onto the stage, and acted...um, dog like....

Shea and I got onstage and did a hideously drunk rendition of Queen's "We Are the Champions"...and then I think Katrina sang something too. There were videos. They were destroyed.

The rest of that night is kind of a blur. We ran around the city looking for someplace to go and dance. I made a friend from California. I couldn't remember his name, and so I called him California.

California asked us all over to his house the next night. The girls were way too hung over to accept his offer so I went by myself. He was having a Catalan style dinner party, with every sort of shell fish known to man  (and some snails), wine, bread, and a bunch of other natives- as well as a few nice lads from France. I ate snails, drank, talked, sang with my new friends, and then California called me a cab to get back to the hotel. This by far was my favorite night.

Here are the snails that I tried!                                                    Here is a Lladro piece I saw, it's fine                                                                                                         porcelain. This one only costs two grand!                                                         

                   This was my point of reference on my solo journey to California's dinner party. Apparently they call it the "dildo of Barcelona". It's hard not to giggle the first time you see it.

 This was a Dali piece that we passed by in Montserrat:

This is the church of La Sagrada Familia. It has been work a work in progress since 1882. Many architects have worked on it through the years, including the famous Gaudi, who also designed the building below;

Parallel Universes

There are at least five major frequencies or probable futures to choose from. If you do nothing, your present frequency will be your future. However if you are able to perceive all of your major options (frequencies); you can then choose your most ideal future and can be programmed for your choice. This ideal frequency will then become your reality...(i.e. your future has now changed from the frequency you were on to this more positive choice.) The other frequencies are the equivalent of parallel universes.

The above paragraph is from an old journal of mine. I didn't record the source...and I don't think I wrote it entirely- but it made me reflect on my own choices- and where they have been taking me lately. As of recently:

- I got a promotion at work, so I'm moving from traveler support to the air department. I am currently learning how to use Amadeus which is the system that all of the airlines use to book flights. This means that if I ever want to leave Grand Circle, I can look for jobs at any airline as a flight booking specialist.

- I booked a trip to Thailand with the company in April. I will be traveling with other GCT employees and a few of my best friends. Spain was amazing, and the itinerary for Thailand looks even better!

- I've been working out just about every day, and so far I've lost 15 lbs! I have also been taking my vitamins, eating better, flossing, ect. It feels so good to take care of yourself. Once you get into the routine of it- you can't stop! I'm hoping to really keep this going.

Sometimes I wonder what frequency I would be on if I just took the path of least resistance. Just gave up and gave in, My future would surely be pretty bleak. The life I was handed was not one that was ever easy. My capacity to glue the pieces back together when it all falls apart still astounds me. Especially since I happen to be someone who struggles under the constant weight of impending bouts of depression.


In any case, alternate universes be damned. I'm going to ride this wave for as long as I can!

The Secret

I was recently asked; why I don't like The Secret. This being the book, and or the movie.

At the time I could not put my abhorrence to the phenomenon into words. It ate at me and I thought about it for weeks. This post is my response to that question.

The Secret. 

The Secret is based on the 'law of attraction,' which is a belief in the ability to bring anything you want into your life, just by focusing on that thing every day.

The book, written by Rhonda Byrne was a bestseller in 2006, popularized by Oprah's Book Club, and then made into a movie by the same name. 

My abhorrence came first- from the fact that it was so popular, due to its promotion through Oprah's Book Club. To me, the people who read books recommended by Oprah were never the type of people that I would choose to associate with. These are the day-time t.v. watchers. The same type of assholes who watch Fox News. 

Second, to the source of its fame, was it's obvious idiocy. I get that calling it a secret and then revealing how simple it actually is, was the whole premise for the tongue-in-cheek title. I get it. 

I find it dumb and deductive. 

The first chapter that I read in the book talked about a man who wanted a million dollars, and then after taping a dollar to his ceiling, and focusing on his wish every day, he eventually got it.  

It is exactly the type of thing that the people who watch Oprah, eat right up. The 'rags to riches' tale, told from a 'get rich quick' perspective, made with little to no real effort. This kind of writing plays on the sad state of the 'American Dream' and all of its impossibilities. Selling a book on the promise of offering hope to the masses is so evil, in a way, don't you think?

That being said, obviously, if you focus on a goal, day-in, and day-out, and then regularly ponder the ways in which you can reach 'said' goal...then YES, you are bound to make some headway toward the goal. There is no secret about the natural progression of things when you set out to accomplish something and then slowly work toward achieving it. 

Believing you might have a chance to do so in the first place is so difficult for most people that being given permission to do so, feels like fucking magick...and that, actually, is really, very sad. 

Where most of the sad-sack followers of The Secret get hung up, and this whole system fails them, is within the scope of reality in which they live. If, for example, you want to be an Olympic gold medalist, and you are already 75 years old and have never trained in any sport a day in your life...then likely, this is not going to happen, no matter how hard you might "focus" on it. Sorry. Not going to happen. You need to strike some kind of balance, between your own idealism, and reality.

In addition to this, you have to understand yourself to know what you truly want. Once you have that, you will come to find that you can work very hard in a thorough and practical manner in order to actualize your ideas. Working within the structure of what is true for you, is key. Finding out what that means is necessary and a guiding force to gaining the capacity for creative organization to flow.

It's not that I do not believe in the power of manifestations. In my life, I have seen the universal law of attraction at work. I hoped the other day to see a rainbow, and a few hours after saying so out loud, one appeared in the sky. I tested my theory and asked for a swan to appear in the bay outside my window, and sure enough, after a few days, a swan was floating happily around outside my house for a few hours. 

What does it take for manifestations to work? Being present, happy, not too attached to the outcome, and asking for things that are not impossible, are all components. 

The reason is this; when you are truly happy- you are awake. You are paying attention. You are present. Things happen regardless of your desires all the time- but when you are present... they seem to be a purposeful gift from God, or what may be called THE UNIVERSE, or, whatever it is you believe to be the higher power in your world.

Not being present, but still in a state of wanting, hoping, praying will not bring you the same result.

Otherwise, you can hope and pray, to whatever God that you think will listen, and still get squat in return. That's because you are God. You are the Universe. Your prayers are being answered by the everything or nothingness that exists inside you. 

When was the last time that you were present? Do you know what it means to be present? Do you live in the future or in the past?

Living in the now is the key to enlightenment. Yet most people don't know what it is to let go of their constant state of forethought or reminiscence. With this general state of being there is no room for manifestations- which only happen in the present.

Recently I was given the opportunity to make many of my dreams come true. It started with a move to Salem Mass...and at first I was put off by how easy things were compared to how hard they were normally. I manifested this reality...and I didn't know why I kept getting what I asked for.

The answer is so simple that it is difficult to understand. When you know what you want and you take the steps to get there, everything else follows naturally. Live in the now. Be here now...the rest will follow.