Apartment for rent?

Went hunting for apartments check outs, 700-900 range. There were various 1bdrm+1rm with kitchen n bath. Most had coin operated laundry and okay looks. We found one we liked best, with three rooms, all in a row, a large kitchen and spacious bathroom. Next step is filling out the application and letting mi madre look at it first. All in all, successful trip in much-much snow. We were doing 10mph but it didn't matter because NOBODY was on the road, except clean crews. Fun non the less.

Enjoyed veal kidneys for the first time at Ralph n Riches in Bridgeport over lunch during apartments look. Even took home some house made butter with honey and roasted garlic. Good!


I showed her "Get Him To The Greek", and she showed me "In Bruges". Mine was hilarious, and hers was unpredictable. Also watched "The Book if Eli", quite a great movie especially watching it the second time.

Pats vs Ravens game was fun. I was all about Ravens, and Michelle is a die-hard Pats fan. Two intersects within seconds might have been really excited if we didn't step out the room for few seconds (w). Non the less, excited to watch the Superbowl in few weeks.

Jan 22 Reflection
First week of living with my GF I already notice certain behaviors and thought processes appearing. I have expectations and ideas about what's and hows. I do try and will do so even more, to communicate my desires and reasons for my behavior. It is something new, and something i have to get adjusted to.
On the flip side, spending every day with her fills me up and lifts me above average, allowing me to be fully self without judgement. I want to be more creative and produce more, with her encouragement behind. her excitement spills over into my presence. We show each other new things, such as movies the other haven't seen. I think frequent contact with another person is imperative, especially if you have deep feelings for that other person.

Books:

curated by Daniel H. Pink, from his book "Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us"

• Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility by James P. Carse
• Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin
• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation by Edward L. Deci with Richard Flaste
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
• Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
• Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet by Howard Gardener, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and William Damon
• Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (READ)
• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• The Amateurs: The Story of Four Young Men and Their Quest for an Olympic Gold Medal by David Halberstam
• Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn
• Once a Runner by John L. Parker, Jr.
• The War of Art: Break through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
• Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace by Ricardo Semler
• The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of Learning Organization by Peter M. Senge
• (another interesting one)  Simon Reynolds' "Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past," 

Cell Phone notes:

Ask more: "how would you describe it?"

What is on my daily agenda? I must question and seek fulfillment, search for purpose, and use fear as a guide to learning.

pattern recognition is the most basic human skill, from the very beginning.

Aw Friendship: the great fragile volunteer necessity of our lives.

It takes courage and hard work to become the person you really are.




Video was posted on Jan 10th.

Only 16 MILLION views (as of Jan 23rd)

CT in her new home now

As she's unpacking and reorganizing some of space in my room, I'm casually reminding her to take vitamins and any other daily things she may have lost the track off. Now, we're living together, and short few weeks we'll be moving in together. Excitement and challenge awaits!


Yesterday was my mother's birthday (and my aunts, they're twins), with dances and food, and drinks. It was fun, my mom was down on the floor, showing everybody how to dance. She's a riot, and a firecracker. Obviously, she is my mom. 


Finished reading "The Belief Instinct" and started reading "Looks: Why they matter more than you ever imagined." Since I have made myself a resolution to read 10 new books in 2012, I am 10% accomplished, and it's just mid-January.  I will also be done with Free Culture (via DailyLit) in just few days, and "Getting More: How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the Real World" (an audio book), which was so good, I should shave it to my comp for later grabs :)


I think my phone had seized to exist to serve me. It's only been over 4years. oh EnV, how i adore thee :)

Last week's Reflection:
(Jan 8th) excitement with life coaching: I am taking on two people and life coaching them on separate days (Mon, and Wed) and even got some cash for it. I'm  getting paid for doing a hobby. What's even better is that people are responding very positively and are encouraging me and even asking if I could coach them. Even if i stop with the three people i have worked/working with, that's already a success. Even if i just coach couple more of my friends and improve their lives a little that's a success. All of this is just a very rewarding and fun activity I am doing, and some $$ is always handy.

I have cut myself (my ring finger) - didn't know potato peelers could cut until today. It was a good reminder on how often we use our fingertips, and how sensitive they are to touch. Good lesson, I also have to be more careful with cutting things now. 

Last weekend Maya had some get together in NY. I had some Four Loko and get myself quite drunk. Drinking is tricky,  - always think of the next day. because it affects it. 100%. Though i didn't have a strong hangover, I didn't have much appetite or attitude to do anything. Sundays are for that anyway. 

On Monday, I explored how people reshape the musical instruments by playing differently - music evolution. Some people play instruments (really good) and are changing the way the instrument is used. I imagined with several people who play their instruments quite odd got together and made a band. Wouldn't the sound of that be refreshing?

3/100 poems (100 poems for year 2012 resolution)
                                  1/9/12
The excitement pulsates
In my veins. I can say:
Enriching another
Is nothing I'd rather
Do with my time,
Than passing the knowledge,
To those who acknowledge,
This costs me no dime.

Couple of Poems in couple of days

1/3/12

On my list of things to do
With my life (thoughtout it too):
Spots in which I've never been,
People I have never seen.
But with guidance and advice,
Have no doubt, it's no surprise
I'll do more that I expect,
Friends and mentors won't forget.



1/6/12

Values know no boundaries,
Crossing air and skipping seas.
The reaction to "What is"
Filtered through our Moral Miss:
Take the info from around,
Add it to internal sounds
(Clouded with suggests of clowns)
Answer comes by action - bound.

Readings and Discoveries

"Our social environments are blanketed by a think vocational wilderness in which one's job title serves, often sadly, to identify the essential purpose of that individual". ("The Belief Instinct") - Current book I'm reading. There is also "Getting More" the audio book and 'The science of getting rich".

I have also discovered (w) the mind-sound. I can actually focus on the background noise of my present time. That is, ultimately a meditation trick, allowing me to stop doing and thinking of everything besides the noise. I make it up in my mind (because realistically the sounds are still there, but they are not registering as of importance), and receive  perceive the information as "sound". This is quite fascinating. I can not wait to try this focus during meditation.

Some days are others

Weekend Reflection:
Stew Leonards - Michelle and I went to the store, and had a major blast. Spent about $30 each and enjoyed some cheeses and decorations.
The Girl With Dragon Tattoo was a really good movie. I had various feelings during various moments and it did not feel too long (which often happens to movies over 2hrs long). Can't wait for a release of the other two movies. I do not feel like reading the book, at least not now.
New Years Party potluck and extravaganza was fun (Hulk shots, fun stories, catching up with people) I helped Michelle to make her favorite roasted wine garlic potatoes. Everyone really liked it.

January 1st, we went to a park to take pictures of little dudes:

They're great stressed out pieces of clay, with eyes. Once I establish myself, I will enroll in a ceramics studio and produce many more of these.

What's on my mind: Crop Circles documentary. I am typically skeptical about things, but the weather has been at certain odds with us: earthquakes and tsunami's and snow in Oct, but not in Dec, or Jan? I just don't know what to think. If there is Earthquake in May and solar eclipse (19th) then there is definitely something fishy about CLIMATE!!!!

This is just a cool hobby to have: Geocaching

I Bet Michelle would be excited to try it with me: