peace tip #32

PEACE TIP #32
Know when to share the good news.



"The century council recently awarded our team a $75,000 grant to do a full scale implementation of the campaign on the University of Alabama campus."

This is old news, but it is nice to know. In all honesty, one would think an academic with a focus in communications would have at least have shed light upon this fact for the worker bees.

I'm smiling, surely.

peace tip #31

PEACE TIP #31
Make friends.


A man with white hair told me this. Perhaps there is something to be said about white hair and wisdom as I heard it in stories I read as a child. There are few two word statements I have ever head to be so profound.

Until my junior-senior year, college was a bust for my social well-being. I can gripe about it, or I can be thankful for the fruitful end which introduced me to wonderful people whose last names that sound like "torrents," "myth," "savory," "pot," and "love joy." Those who are miles away are severely missed.

*

Adult life brings dilemmas like politics. I abhor them. I hate having to agree with another's so-called "philosophies" in order to gain approval. Yet, I am also learning that professionalism is riddled with such acts. So it is, so it may not always be.

On Monday begins a new adventure for me!

*

Justin his almost sure he tore his ACL, and now we have pictures of his knee. Our hopes gear towards a steady recovery so the joint may heal and my love joy can enjoy the blossoming life that surrounds us without being hobble-y!

peace tip #30

PEACE TIP #30
Have good humor.



Being a Seafood Expert isn't easy. It certainly isn't rocket science, though, according to one guest I served last night who cursed when I interrupted his salad with a hot meal. Apparently, the gravitational pull of table 41 kept me from giving superb attention to our Mister Anger and his wife.

I start at Hudson Valley Magazine next week, and I'm psyched. Publications have been my life for a while, and it's good to be back. Hello, Interactive Advertising Sales position. Welcome cubicle!

It's almost Easter, and Justin's mom has sent us a nice package in the mail full of wholesome goodness (Reese's included!). Martina also sent Ritter Sport our way. Candy is sweet. Family and friends are sweeter.

peace tip #29

PEACE TIP #29
Understand that some people cannot be reconciled.


Live and work in downtown Poughkeepsie, NY for a little while. If you've ever had a glossy view of life, it will change. Oh, it will change. If you can find the beauty in it, you're golden.

peace tip #28

PEACE TIP #28
Breathe.


If that doesn't work, breathe again.

peace tip #26

PEACE TIP #26
Don't take people's cookies without asking.


R. showed up in my dream last night, but she wasn't shrouded in the hazy gray cloud that bogged us down on Grace Street that year. Instead, she was hugging me and being very supportive of the fictionalized situation. I was looking for work at an unfamiliar institution, and we were roommates again. I explained to her that I was very sorry for raiding her pantry without her knowing, and she cooly said, "It's fine, it's fine, it's all fine now..."

peace tip #25

PEACE TIP #25
Look forward.


Sometimes I let things bother for longer than they should. There once was a person I called "boy wonder." He was trumped over six months ago. I can't even use the word "replaced." Sparkles shines more than he is a wonder.

Yesterday, I had an interview in a fancy Sheraton in Mahwah, NJ. Maybe that's what led to the dream of being lost in an 800 story hotel last night; one that had trams and sideways elevators and dumbwaiters.

The situation also harped to another former scenario. in my sleep, I felt the same fright the Mother Hen gave me after I was late to a congregation of competitors. I begged in my own words for consideration that I had been told to be down thirty minutes later than actuality demanded, and that no one relayed the message as I requested. I felt alone and completely disoriented months ago and also in the nightmare. Another person from my past was there, and I felt confronted and exposed as a frail body and a lost soul.

I woke up and Justin was sound asleep behind me. Feelings of safety and love fell over with dawn's light. I was safe in consciousness.

Time passes, and it's hard not to think back; however, it's so much more soothing to look forward.

peace tip #24

PEACE TIP #24
Stay healthy.


Justin and I have been sick and miserable to the point that the mucus in our head is clouding our thoughts and giving us bad dreams. We don't feel good now, but we will get better. Two days in bed are two days wasted.

The cold--the one outside and probably the one in my body--is getting to me. I feel ughhhh at the thought dodging the elements (snow, ice, and slush are foreign to this Southern girl!), but I did manage to conquer 5 miles of bridge today. I've been craggy because the clothes I retrieved from my dad's house have gotten a bit snug. Thank you, beer and lethargy. I've resolved to quit the brew and the chocolate for a while. Meanwhile, I'm still working on the employment thing while listening to stats on the "climbing joblessness rate" on NPR. Hope, ga, hope! It'll come...

Before departing for the holidays, I did work for Will, Justin's friend who is also an architect who works on "green" buildings. I made a magazine ad and Christmas cards for him, and I'm craving to redesign his website: http://www.willbuilders.com.

Like Will, we have a rock climbing wall in our residence now. Justin built it with plywood and 2 x 4's. We've been adding holds, some of which we built ourselves, a few pieces at a time. I must get strong by this spring, or at least get fit by February to go to Jamaica, mon.

Murry (belated) Christmus!

peace tip #23

PEACE TIP #23
Spot a scam.



And avoid it like a plague.

I'm gullible, I admit. I just spent an acknowledgeable chunk of my day writing an article for pennies. I never once had a face-to-face conversation with an editor or representative--I wrote about walnut hardwood floors after an E-mail promised to pay me a few dollars for my written words.

"You must be able to sense these scams," Justin said. "People will take advantage of you. The world will take advantage of you."

Thank you, RedZone International. Thank you, The Content Authority. Thank you, Citi Financial. Thank you for teaching me that I am easily duped by my hope of earning a non-discretionary income.

Desperation kills judgment, that's for sure.

peace tip #22

PEACE TIP #22
Denounce consumerism.





A bad economy is an environmentalist's and a pacifist's dream come true. People are buying less and manufacturing is on the decline. With optimistic reasoning, war isn't so likely to be waged in defense or claim of resources.

In July, Mrs. Boehler, co-owner of Hotel Boehler and partner to Mr. Boehler, spoke of Americans like consumerism was their national religion. She told me that many of her guests from the United States were awestruck to find that all shops in Boeblingen were closed on Sundays.

"It's the day you go to church and spend time with family!" she exclaimed. Justin and I spent our weekend day of rest together under the sun, soaking its rays into our skin. At that time and even now, basking was far more fulfilling than acquiring.

I remember receiving my first paycheck after being hired at a restaurant as a happy-come-lucky 16 year-old. I spent most of it on several pairs of shoes bought at a discount store. I then proudly took a picture of my mountain of footwear.

A guess is that self-expression is what compelled me into follow-up excursions to the mall. That and the freedom from responsibility and any meaningful art form or hobby likely brought about the contents of the boxes and boxes of clothing, DVDs, CDs, books, and trinkets packed away and the houses of my parents.

The prognosis of prodigaphobia* and the global perspective upper-level education provided have brought shame for my collection, which will be willfully lessened later this month. Where will the STUFF go? Into the hands of another proud owner who may take a picture of the loot? Perhaps not, but that destiny for inanimate objects seems like a better alternative than toxic disintegration. My only other hope is that some sisterly or brotherly or (un)friendly pair will not dispute over whose is whose is whose shoes for whose as my sibling and I once did.

We are older now and maybe even wiser, right sunshine?

Mr. Sparkles is a minimalist, so clutter on the counter is shoved out of mind, out of sight. "Sometimes I feel smothered by things," he says before I smile.

*fear of waste

peace tip #21

PEACE TIP #21
Look on the bright side.


The sky isn't exactly gray today, but there are splotches of dark in the clouds.

I received feedback about the job of my dreams, and hiring is on hold until January. I'll take my own advice and remember to have patience. In the meantime, the holidays will continue to be especially restful as they were while Justin and I visited Michigan.

Keep yo' head up...

peace tip #20

PEACE TIP #20
Remember good times.




In loving memory of Layla Yousefi-Smith
1986-2008

peace tip #19

PEACE TIP #19
Avoid being inconsistent.


I remember a frank discussion about how meat is an energy intensive product, and how reducing the consumption of it would alleviate pollutants and promote health among humans and ecosystems. Frank it was and frank it became; I found myself standing beside a few from the crowd lined up to trade money for hot dogs. I felt a little bird of hypocrisy squawking inside of my body while taking note of the scene, yet I did not implode. Silly to me it was to see people who swallowed their own words and processed meats so easily.

There was mentioning of a buffet and the satisfaction of all-you-can-eat choice. Lappé would not approve, but being argumentative won't get you anywhere, according to the contradictory honcho with the creepy laugh.

"'Tis better to be uncouth than aloof to the big picture!" is what the bird was saying.

peace tip #18

PEACE TIP #18
Try new things.


Be wary of enchiladas, but relish the taste of foreign cuisine.

Justin and I hung out with Sanjay and another IBMer who are staying in Danbury, CT, for work purposes. Both gents are from India, so they're a long way from home and from good masala. We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant last night and gorged on spicy goodness. I don't think either Sanjay or his friend enjoyed the taste too much, but they grinned and swallowed.

Adaptability, I hear, is a necessity for the working folk. Any world traveler would have a rough time if he or she spit out something on which a chance was taken.

I remember taking the best chance of my life in July:

"Andrea, should I go with Justin to Germany?"

"Um, YES."

I'm still smiling because of the decision.

peace tip #17

PEACE TIP #17
Appreciate everything.


It's the night before Halloween, and Justin is busy sewing a Max costume. Mr. Sparkles' impeccable patience persists with each and every stitch! I will be a Wild Thing clothed in a cut and tied sheet.

Once upon a time, everything was handmade.

peace tip #16

PEACE TIP #16
Learn.


A few admirable universities, including MIT and UCLA, have been making videos of classes freely available to anyone with an Internet connection. Justin and I are watching coursework on biological engineering and environmental law. It's hard to miss the classroom when the living room doubles as a lecture hall.

I am proud of my generation and those that have helped raise it. We are a world of people working together to achieve good. We learn of evils, of course, but we use hindsight and current situations to push them out of their place.

Justin caught a string of consciousness the other night and came to a conclusion that I've heard once before--there is an elusive balance of good and bad. Both of us had the yin yang on our minds, with its contrasting parts pushing against each other. Less we spend our entire life trying to define what is right and what is wrong, let us help others protect themselves from anything that could override them. Make information known. Don't create divisions. Don't assume positions, but don't limit what goes into your head. Consider it. Process it. Evaluate it. Accept or dismiss what people like Kant had to say, and remember that there are other people breathing your air, others aspiring for their definitions of happiness. Help them, and they'll help you.

peace tip #15

PEACE TIP #15.
Sleep.


College introduced me to constantly expanding thoughts and the inability to sleep. Restlessness is not conducive to an inner calm, that's for sure.

I found out recently that the blood spatter from my fall face-first down the stairs in February may have had something to do with the medication I take to bring slumber. The phrase "MAY CAUSE SEIZURES" was printed right beside a bullet on a prescription information write-up.

I think of Layla Yousefi, whose smiling face remains on my ankle. She is survived by Chris and Lily.

At a friend's advice, I am trying to squelch my belief that I can't sleep without a tablet. With a warm body beside me coaching on deep breathing techniques and beginning the lucidity of dreaming, my mind goes blank, my eyes grow heavy, and my consciousness eventually turns to peaceful black on its own.

peace tip #14

PEACE TIP #14:
Don't sell out on ideals.


Had I not read an unpublished post by Justin, I would likely be remnants of an explosion created from self-induced pressure to strive for a perceived American dream: employment. I lasted one day as sales representative for a marketing business that reduces credit card fees by making pitches and gathering signatures door to door. I tried to rationalize with the idea of helping local businesses save money and that an hour and a half commute was worth the commission. I claim the label of temporarily irrational.

I am likely exaggerating on atrocities involved and understanding that beggars can't be choosers, but I refuse to be surrounded by aspirations summed up by the phrase of "make mo' money." Helping people is good, but I quickly understood that it wasn't necessarily the drive behind the suited people involved. Plus, if I ever become convinced again that driving for three hours per day is acceptable, I beg you, dear reader, to take my foot out of my brain.

My mother mentioned that she'll hope for the day I am successful career wise in such a way that was measured by a salary higher than her own. Me dreaming of such seems salacious considering that my scope is a bit worldly, acknowledged lofty and idealistic, but more perceivably realistic. I know love, and I know it could be daunted by greed and submitting to financial motivations and its slavery.

Thank you, Justin, for what you wrote. Thank you for finding me. Thank you for showing me what it feels like to have someone care and for discouraging me to pursue something akin to soulful torture. Thank you for your positivity and your willingness to help. Thank you for enabling me with love and granting me confidence. Thank you for not letting me let myself get sucked in a world I despise. Thank you for existing.

peace tip #13

PEACE TIP #13:
Travel.


It's catching up--all the magnificence of the past several months. All the people I met. All the stories I heard. I take all the roaming to this place of settlement along water and clouds, and realize that the world is huge and I am small, but I can be one among it.

I can offer love. I can offer empathy. I can offer my own experiences. Singlehandedly, I can not break the traditions of bloodshed caused by separation in ideals, but I can seek to understand it and embrace a hope of an earthly utopia.


Ask any eco-system
Harm here is harm there
And there and there
And aggression begets aggression
It's a very simple lesson
That long preceded any king of heaven
And there's this brutal imperial power
That my passport says I represent
But it will never represent where my heart lives
Only vaguely where it went

'Cuz I know when you grow up surrounded
By willful ignorance
You learn that mercy has its own country
And that it's round and borderless
And then you just grow wings
And rise above it all

-- ani difranco

peace tip #12

PEACE TIP #12:
Build bridges.


Connect to people, walk with them, and never burn what's behind you even if it gets rough.

*

Yesterday, the Walkway over the Hudson opened. City planners turned a mile and a half of an old burned rail bridge into a trek with a beautiful view. I witnessed an eclectic crowd including clowns on stilts, unicyclists, and magicians, revel in celebration of something deemed to be part of the Hudson River Valley's heritage. I heard strange accents and loved the bits of enthusiastic conversations I gathered as I ran across the concrete and steel structure with the masses. I never thought I would be writing this, but I think I love New York.