A weekend in New York

Posted on May 26th, 2008 by george.
Categories: travel, life, friends, fun, video, youtube.

Shout outs to my family in the Big Apple.  Nas, Greg, thank you so much for hosting me.  Naseem, congratulations on graduating law school!  You know I wish you all the best in your bright future.  Word to ‘toosa, Temi, Balazs, and all the cool kids I met on this beautiful weekend full of friends, food, fun and games.  Toufan, Mike, sorry I missed you guys.  Next time I might know I’m coming sooner than four days before arriving.  To everyone else, thanks again for another amazing time in the City of the Covenant.  Here’s a clip of pedestrians on the Brooklyn Bridge.  This weekend marks my first time to make that fabled crossing.

2 comments.

Why did the gator cross the road?

Posted on May 20th, 2008 by george.
Categories: environment, video, animals, youtube.

You tell me.  Shot today on the commute home.

10 comments.

Breathe

Posted on May 18th, 2008 by george.
Categories: poetry, space, life, love.

a soft night descends on a day haply spent
each redolent breath being heavenly sent
yet minds will conspire to question the love
mistaking for ravens the snowy white doves

the illusion of distance is seemingly vast
from ocean to sea, between future and past
but let go your worries; relinquish your frets
give up on your wagers, forsake all your bets

remember your smallness, recall well your place
a blue marble rider in limitless space
a warm, sunbathed planet upon which to roll
release your concerns for you’re not in control

6 comments.

Spin

Posted on May 15th, 2008 by george.
Categories: poetry, society, numbers.

ten thousand headlines
every day
the same sad song
sung seventy ways
lose your head
for looking up
plastic coffee
from a paper cup
racing the rats
buying the hype
untold power
out an idling pipe
quarter projections
short selling stock
biting the hands
of the ticking clock
a trillion white rabbits
in every direction
a worrisome bulge
at your own midsection
feeding on hearsay
drinking down lies
a rumble of thunder
from menacing skies

see through the smoke
tear down the veil
walk through the fire
break out of jail

challenge the system
jump out of line
swim up the river
dare to be kind

you may own seven cars
but you can only
drive one
at a time

3 comments.

All I Need

Posted on May 14th, 2008 by george.
Categories: travel, synthesis, life, music, society, serendipity, coincidence.

It would take a novel to tell the tale of our recent trip south of the equator. I could wax poetic about the natural beauty of Peru and Bolivia, and indeed, Lake Titicaca is everything the Animaniacs crack it up to be, and Machu Picchu is most deserving of its spot among the New Seven Wonders of the World. What keeps emerging as I tell the stories to friends, however, is an aspect of that same modern world that we as Baha’is are working to eradicate: extremes of wealth and poverty.

Coming home to my first Radiohead concert, after waiting more than a decade to see one of my all-time favorite bands live, only threw the contrast between the United States and Peru and Bolivia into starker relief. While the experience was underwhelming (most likely due to the poor sound quality at Ford Ampitheater in Tampa, the lazy crowd and the mellow setlist), it was still worthwhile. There’s no comparing it to Peru, but I couldn’t get Radiohead’s songs out of my head for days. Indeed I still can’t. In Rainbows defies my knack for hyperbole. I think Vince, who joined us at the concert, said it best.

IN RAINBOWS - choose 1:

a) Great Radiohead Album, or

b) Greatest Radiohead Album

Leave it to a band who defines my generation to say what I wanted to say about South America (and indeed all countries not as privileged as the G8) with a powerful music video, released while we were in Peru.

4 comments.