Every week we pick a word and both write about that word. The word this week is Focus.

For the past decade, every time I really need to focus on something I listen to either the Amelie Soundtrack or Mum.

Both of these albums have become such a part of me, and my mind is conditioned to focus on my given intention as soon as either comes on. These are two of my favorite songs:

Amelie Soundtrack – La Valse D’ Amelie

Mum – We Have A Map Of The Piano

Another album that I have recently started to listen to a lot when I’m focusing on cleaning, moving, writing, thinking and sleeping is Monster Rally, Coral II Remixes.

I also have to add that this word, focus, has made me realize that sometimes I also like being out of focus.

The concept of having a singular focus has always been one which evades me.  I have never had the mind of say an academic who is endlessly interested in a particular matter, continuously stimulated to examine and re-examine one subject.  The world has always made more sense to me when looked at with a broad focus.

I have been thinking about the relationship between a person’s focus and perspective.  The ways in which one focuses the mind is completely intertwined with the ways in which one views and experiences everything else.  Yoga teaches us how to focus the mind on the current moment by controlling the breath.  Total concentration on the inhale, followed by total concentration on the exhale.  This is quite a difficult thing to achieve.  And what does it say about the value between taking a broad vs. narrow focus?

Then I remember another of yoga’s teachings: be where you are, it is right where you should be. Don’t force anything. Show up and breath and sharpen your focus, whatever its nature.  It’s time for me to get back to this.  Less focusing on what I should do and more just doing it.

(Click images above for source info)

“A Work of Art
… is not a living thing …
that walks or runs.
But the making of a life.
That which gives you a reaction.
To some it is the wonder of Man’s Fingers.
To some it is the wonder of the Mind.
To some it is the wonder of Technique.
And to some it is how Real it is.
To some, how Transcendent it is.

Like the 5th Symphony
it presents itself with a feeling
that you know it, if you have heard it once.
And you look for it,
and though you know it you must hear it again.
Though you know it you must see it again.

Truly a work of Art is one that tells us,
that Nature cannot make what man can make.”

-Louis Kahn

Top Image: Louis Kahn’s unbuilt Hurva Synagogue.  Bottom Image: Louis Kahn’s Philip Exeter Library

Ever since I was little, my grandparents have had season tickets to the Cleveland Orchestra.  I remember my grandfather would sit in his chair and listen to classical music all day long. He would act as if he were the conductor and simply drift with the music. I always loved to watch him; not because I liked the music but because he seemed so peaceful. After my grandfather passed away, my grandmother continued to go to the symphony. I have been her guest on many occasions and I see how my interest in classical music increases the more I go.  Recently, I have been listening to a contemporary composer by the name of Philip Glass. Though he has written many symphonies,  my favorite is a solo piece of his. It is somewhat haunting yet also somewhat beautiful. Please listen.

There’s so much joy in finding things that strike you as funny and bring amusement to your life.  I always keep the latest New Yorker magazine in my purse for my commute to and from work.  Of course every issue is dense with interesting articles, stories and reviews but the cartoons are not to be overlooked and often really crack me up.  This one, from the most recent issue, made me laugh out loud.

Also, having been once fondly described by a slightly over-served friend as “awkward but awesome”, it’s no wonder that I have a real soft spot for awkward humor.  Along that vein, conceptual artist Steve Lambert had what he called the “kind of idea that only comes to you at 12:30am.” and made the most awkward “404 not found” page on the internet.

I strongly encourage you to head over, check it out and experience amusement in the discomfort!

Where do I possibly start to tell you about Cedar Point? Located in Sandusky, Ohio (15 miles from my grandma’s beach house), Cedar Point is home to over 17 roller coasters. There is also a water park, parasailing, jet skiing and the fact that is in the middle of Lake Erie. Did I mention that it is also rated America’s Best Amusement Park.  I have honestly never been to a better one in all of my life. Every summer growing up, my cousins, siblings and I would go to Cedar Point.  I will never forget the feeling when you finally see the park itself. I still get a magical feeling inside when I approach it.

There is just something special about Cedar Point. It is not trying to wow you with fake thrills and still has an old fashioned feel to it. Don’t let the unassuming mystique fool you. All of the roller coasters are bad ass. My favorite is Disaster Transport. This is Cedar Point’s only indoor roller coaster and I make sure to head straight for it.

The Millennium Force is one of the most popular roller coasters at Cedar Point. It goes up to 93 mph and has the steepest hill I have ever experienced; you feel like you are falling straight into the water. It is an amazing experience!

I HAVE to mention the Magnum. The Magnum holds a special place in all Cedar Point lovers hearts. When we were little, it was the highest roller coaster in the world. According to Wikipedia, the Magnum is considered to have started the roller coaster wars, in which amusement parks competed to build the highest and fastest roller coasters. It has won amusement park awards since it was debuted in 1989.

Cedar Point holds a special place in my heart. I hope you too can enjoy it someday!

Every week we pick a word and both write about that word. The word this week is Fresh.

The first week of a New Year certainly promises opportunity to make a fresh start in any aspect of your life.  Though I didn’t really make any solid resolutions this year, there are a few places I would like to start anew.  Among them is a return to greens and to juicing.

My mother gave me a juicer for Christmas a few years back and I really got into the habit.  I was committed to eating greens most days of the week and felt great.  The boost that fresh juice has on your body is instantaneous.  The nutrients hit your bloodstream immediately, in the same way that alcohol does.

Below is the loose recipe for one of my favorite fresh juices.  It is a little on the sweet side given the sugar in beets, carrots and apples but it tastes great.  You can play around with the proportions based on your own preferences but I usually go with something along these lines:

2 whole Beets
3-4 Carrots
1 Green Apple
3 leafs of Swiss Chard (Kale, Spinach or other dark greens also suffice)
A knob of peeled Ginger

To fresh beginnings!

If you live in New York and haven’t yet been to “Sleep No More” do yourself a favor and purchase a ticket immediately.  Without giving too much away, “Sleep No More” is an interactive theater experience inspired by Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Hitchcock’s “Rebecca”.  Audience members receive masks at the onset and are then given free range of a massive, multi-story building; you are able to riffle through drawers, lounge on the furniture and maybe even sample some treats.  The only unmasked persons are the actors, who move from space to space leading a trail of onlookers throughout the narrative.  “Sleep No More” felt a little like snorkeling to me; you know the friends you came with are all around you having a similar while totally personal and unique experience.

There are so many amazing aspects of “Sleep No More” but high among them is its music.  While the track below is actually entirely different than the rest of the music in “Sleep No More”, it sets the tone for the most amazingly intense live performance piece I have ever seen.  I’m not usually one for this kind of heavy electronic house music but I can’t deny how much I love to blast this track as loud as possible.

Urban Dictionary: LOUD

Asymmetric •\ˌā-sə-ˈme-trik\ • adjective:  characterized by imbalance in the spatial arrangement or placement of parts or components

I am generally not one for asymmetrical things, as I am a complete organizational neat freak. I need balance in all things. Equal parts distance and same height is where I am most comfortable. I thought I would share with you some asymmetrical things that don’t make me want to scream.

I really love the asymmetric look of jackets. This one in particular is so lovely and so out of my price range 😉

Nail art has blown up. Some of it is horrific and some of it is really extraordinary. This is one of my favorites that I have seen so far.

I have this dress in black from American Apparel. I think every woman should own this because its comfortable, hip, sexy and can be dressed down and up. Click the image to be taken to the site.

Every week, we pick a word and each make that word the subject of our post.  The word this week is:

Plethora: An excess of. 

This clip from “The Three Amigos” is exactly how I feel about the word plethora at this moment.

Plethora of Piñatas from Dirk Roth on Vimeo.

And then here is that same scene reenacted dramatically. It’s ridiculous and makes you feel weird.

Plethora from Jason R. Johnston on Vimeo.

Also, here is a lovely picture of a plethora of lights 🙂 Happy Saturday!

I enjoy the passion behind this writing on the misuse of the words ‘myriad’ and ‘plethora’. I was not aware of their distinction but won’t forget it now.

(photo here)

“Myriad has company in its misuse, for we also commonly abuse the force and poetry of the word ‘plethora.’ Both words suggest huge numbers, but they are opposites in that myriad has positive connotations and plethora has negative ones.

Plethora implies superfluity and waste. It is the grasshopper blight. It’s too much of something, resulting in crisis. So it should be used to describe only items you wish to be recognized as exceedingly negative.

There may be a plethora of insects, social diseases, threats to wellbeing; but you’d be unwise to refer to a plethora of new styles or a plethora of benefits for your clientele.

Unlike myriad, ‘plethora’ is followed by ‘of:’ a plethora of damaging storms, a plethora of enemy attacks. Listen to the contrasting sounds of the words ‘plethora of’ and ‘myriad.’ The former sounds like a pest, the latter like a miracle.

The poetics of language are myriad; let us not defeat their beauty with a plethora of careless writers.”

(via Business Darlings)

Each week we take one word and each do a post based off that word. This week we’ve chosen the word vivid. Enjoy!

*Scroll over images for location information and click through for source info. Most images via Plenty of Colour.

Researchers Trace Roots of Vivid Memories

Researchers have found that calling up vivid memories—the face of a loved one or the chords of a favorite song—activates regions of the brain responsible for processing sensory experiences. When a person recalls a vivid memory, some of the sensory regions of the brain responsible for etching the original memory are reactivated.

In an article published in the September 26, 2000,Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Randy L. Buckner, Mark E. Wheeler and Steven E. Petersen at Washington University in St. Louis describe how they used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to probe the roots of a longstanding hypothesis in the field of memory research. According to the reactivation hypothesis, brain regions that are activated when a person has a sensory-specific experience are reactivated whenever the person remembers that experience.

(Click here to continue reading article)

Every week, we pick a word and each do a post on that word. This weeks word is impression.

After reading the Kite Runner, my impression of Afghanistan changed. I saw a different perspective and point of view. In some ways, my interest of it intensified as I realized I did not know enough about this country. This video shows a different perspective of this beautiful country and its people.

I love Bill Hader. His impressions are hilarious and he always has me laughing out loud. I love this impression he does of Rick Perry, its just too much.

“Arguably, the core of our yoga practice is the work that we do to purify, reforge, and replace the inner patterns that in Sanskrit are called samskaras. Samskaras are the accumulated impressions—in scientific terms, the neuronal patterns—that create our character, our ways of thinking and acting, and our perspective on life.

The word samskara can be translated just the way it sounds in English: as “some scars.” Samskaras are energy patterns in our consciousness. I always picture them as mental grooves, like the rivulets in sand that let water run in certain patterns. Samskaras create our mental, emotional, and physical default settings.

(photo found here)

The tendency to think “I can’t do this” when you’re faced with a new challenge is a samskara, and so is the confidence that develops once you’ve mastered something that was hard for you. The tension lump that shows up in your right shoulder when you feel stressed is a samskara, and so are the song lyrics that pop into your mind unexpectedly and—in my case at least—often reveal themselves to be the perfect comment on the situation that you’re in at the time.

Neurophysiologists mapping neural pathways in the brain report that each time we react in a certain way—getting angry, for instance, or procrastinating yet one more time—we strengthen the power of that pathway. The yogic texts make the same point. The bottom line in each case is that the way we feel, the way we react, and the behavior we manifest at any given moment are the result of samskaras, or neural connections, operating under the surface.

Once the samskaric pathways have been set, most people just keep running down them, like rats in a maze, reacting with the same old patterns and feelings every time they find themselves in a situation that seems to mirror whatever the original trigger might have been…

…The brain is so fluid and malleable, so prone to take and hold impressions, that when we keep leading it into new pathways, the accumulation of new insights, practices, and experiences will eventually overwhelm the old ones and, given the right circumstances, even eliminate them entirely.”

(via Yoga Journal by By Sally Kempton)

Every week we pick a word and each do a post on that word.  This week our word is Wondrous.

What an amazing experience to capture on video! I love the girl’s reaction at the end.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

I recently watched Into The Universe with Stephen Hawking, a new series on the Discovery Channel (you can also watch it on NetFlix watch instantly). The ideas presented and the way in which Stephen unravels the possibilities of the Universe is WONDROUS! I can not stop thinking about the ideas presented in this series.

Check out the whole series on Discovery Channel.