New Photos

Dublin, Ireland

New York, NY

New York, NY

Some Misc. Photos

On top of wanting to write more, I've also been taking some more photos here and there...here are a few of them, in no particular order. Some are from Ireland, some from Spain and some from lovely Woodside, Queens...

Venice, Italy

Pienza, Italy

Central Park

Woodside, Queens

Spain, La Finca

Woodside, Queens

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin, Ireland

Anything, Everything and Nothing

So again, I do the same thing. I write for a few days and abandon it.

It's not that I don't WANT to write, it's that I don't know WHAT to write. This, of course, was the main idea behind starting the blog in the first place, to write about anything, everything and nothing.

As a matter of fact, I've always wanted to write. Whether it would be a book, short story or even comic book, I truly have no idea and the only thing I can think to write about is basically nothing. I hesitate to do this because it was obviously been done before. I call this predicament the "Seinfeld". So when I find the itch to write and have nothing to write about, do I write about anything in particular or nothing?

Perhaps the most important question is "just because it's been done before, why can't I do it again?" This, to me, is a very good and honest question and the answer is, obviously, that of course you can do it again. But then it's not original and that drives me crazy. I keep thinking that I have to come up with something interesting and original to write about. But why?

At this point, I'm finding more and more that there are very few original ideas out there. Just look at the movie industry for example. How many sequels and remakes are we going to see? I also look at Architecture. I have spent countless hours (and dollars) studying architecture in order to create new, interesting surroundings for everyone to enjoy. This is all fantastic in theory, but frankly, it's bullshit. Every graduate of architecture school believes they are going to get into the real world and change it. That's a great thought, but more often than not, just that. A thought. It's not that I don't think things can be changed. In fact, I hope that it can. But it feels like everything has been done before. But again I hit that nagging question...so what?

This seems like a negative entry I would imagine, but I don't see it that way. It almost feels like a sense of freedom. I'm trying to not pressure myself into coming up with this "almighty solution" to every problem. Now I'm trying to look at things in a way that I'm not going to try to create a new idea, but simply improve on existing ones. In a way that I can educate myself on things to the point where I understand them better than those around me. Who knows, at some point, maybe something original will come out of it....but honestly, who cares?

I seem to go through these phases in my mind of weeks where I feel like nothing is going right and then there are those where nothing can go wrong. I get through the bad weeks knowing that the good weeks have to be around the corner. This works the other way too. When things are going all to well, I suddenly realize what "state" I'm in and it occurs to me that the bad weeks are coming up soon...and of course, at that moment, the good weeks begin to disappear. It's not that I don't enjoy the good weeks. I do. To put these feelings in perspective, imagine a typical 9-5 work week. The good has the same feeling as Friday and Saturday night. You know you don't have work the next day, so you just relax. Then Sunday comes and starts raining on your parade with a big sign that says, "MONDAY'S COMING". The worst thing about this parade is that nothing, not even weather, can stop it.

I've found the absolute best time is the time in between the good and bad, call it "The Wednesday". I'm generally in a good mood because I know the weekend is coming up and that the worst part of the week is behind me.

It's all perspective. At the end of the day, you just have to do what makes you happy. Try to find something that when you do it or think of it, it makes you proud, it makes you smile, makes you laugh. It's the only way to survive.

Hey, I think I just wrote something....

The perfect medium...

I have a few of these "one a day" calendars and I've always just ripped the previous date off and stacked them in a pile to use for notes later. Turns out, I like to make lists. But then my lists were too long to fit onto one sheet, so I'd have to use another to finish the list only to find that I'd have to add a task of looking at the first page of the list to the second page of the list. And of course, when you need it, you can only find page 2 when of course you need page 1.

So I gave up.

These things were piling up on my desk. I had a client call and ask some stupid little question and when I needed something to write on I looked around and grabbed one, doodling on it a few diagrams. When I hung up the phone I realized what a perfect little medium these sheets were for doodles.

So I started drawing up these little cartoons based on a few of the stupid, random thoughts that pop into my head throughout the day. Most of these situations involve people. I hate drawing people. I thought a circle was too bland so I went with an oval. Tad-a (is the the right way to write it?).

Enjoy

I know it's not "piece" of mind...

...but that version works so much better with my cartoon...

Oh that's right, I was starting a blog...

I'm really going to try to do this more often, at least more than once every 6 months, but like i mentioned before, there won't be a filter. A lot of this may be stupid little sayings that either fit together or don't. Maybe it will become something at some point, but I'm not counting on it.

I'm also going to try to draw more, probably based on some of these stupid comments...I'll post stuff when I can.

You know it's a bad economy when you can't even volunteer.

Arial and Times New Roman suck.

Tim Burton is weird, but a genius...Imagine if he didn't have that creative outlet...yikes.

Regina Spektor is great.

People watching is very entertaining...until you realize you are being watched as well.

Bean Stew is a HORRIBLE choice for lunch during the work week...

Money may not buy happiness, but it certainly buys piece of mind.

Fuck(tax) the rich.

At what point do you stop saying Happy New Year?

Happy New Year...

2

Optimism is hard.

I walk into the office today after a week's vacation feeling pretty good when I get smacked over the head with the 'reality hammer'...I'm back at the office. Whatever, not a big deal, I enjoy what I do, I enjoy the people I work with (most) and it's Thursday, I have a short week....what's that you say? We have no money? No prospective clients? No hope...? I'll tell you what, let me sit down and check my voice mails before you make me want to jump out the window and abandon all hope.

Like I said, optimism is hard...and it sucks. How the hell am I supposed to be optimistic when the first thing I hear when I walk into the office is "welcome back, we're fucked..."? It is so much easier to complain, more fun too. To summarize (steal) a quote from a great man (film character), "complaining (the quote actually starts with 'worrying', but we'll ignore that) is a lot like a rocking chair...it gives you something to do, but it never gets you anywhere." Strong words. But true. I could sit back and complain all day long about how crappy my job is (it's really not that bad) and ponder what the hell I'm going to do if/when we go under...but the bottom line is, I actually HAVE a job right now, one that I enjoy, and for the time being, I need to continue to work as if I will have one for a long time coming.

Optimism is hard because it's so easy to recognize the sad and crappy parts of life, the times where time seems to stand still and fear or grief gets the best of you. It's so easy to notice that it's raining outside and I forgot my umbrella...and even easier to recognize that the bottom third of my jeans are soaked (just about the WORST feeling in the world). It's so difficult to catch those moments of optimism because they are few and far between (at least they feel that way), but you just have to know where to look for them. Now, I'm not claiming to be any kind of an expert on the matter, just ask Amy, but I have learned a few tricks to at least divert my attention from my sock that is now soaked through (why do I even have a damn umbrella? Seems a large hat would suffice...).

Laugh.

It's very hard to fake a laugh, harder that it is to be optimistic, in fact, but everyone loves to laugh. Take note of the little things and laugh at the stupid funny (or not so funny) things. Enjoy the little things. Walking into a humid, 80 degree apartment sucks, but turning on the AC and walking barefoot across a chilly wood floor after changing out of the socks and jeans that are now wet halfway up the leg and sitting on a futon after a long day of work...priceless.

Chances are, you're not going to win the lottery...ever. So take stock in the little things, like the feeling of an itch that you just scratched or that smell from the bag of freshly opening kettle chips...

Optimism is hard. Faking a laugh is harder...

So laugh, it's easier.