The Integratron

I just got back from five days in Palm Springs and fell in love with the place. There is something about being in the desert that recharges me.  It’s likely the combination of scenery and purity that transport me to a much quieter headspace.   Here’s an account of one of the side trips I took.

The town of Landers lies roughly an hour or so outside of Palm Springs.  After drifting through the mountains and taking a few turns you are greeted by a domed structure that looks like a small observatory.  The man who built it, George Van Tassel, asserted that his design was based in part on the directions of extraterrestrials. He claimed to have been taken aboard a ship that arrived to Landers from the planet Venus in 1953. While onboard, Van Tassel learned the various theories of time travel and rejuvenation that shaped his knowledge.  According to the website, the Integratron’s physical location is a key component of its magic. More details are here.

These days, the easiest way for the public to experience the Integratron is to partake in a sound bath. Once everyone is lying down comfortably on the floor, a guided meditation takes place for grounding purposes. Next, a series of quartz bowls are played which emanate sounds and vibrations that are enhanced by the acoustically optimized building. I recall thinking that the sounds were coming not from the woman playing the bowls but from within my skull. After a few minutes I felt myself slipping into a different state of awareness. It was a spiritual Elvis-has-left-the-building moment.


The best way I can describe my state is that it was in-between being awake and being asleep. I was aware of being inside my body but I was not fully conscious. At first I experienced audio hallucinations where the sounds began to form words (I only wish I could recall what those words were). The next thing I remember is the feeling of opening my eyes and seeing a vase of yellow flowers on a white mantle against a white wall. Later, I thought I saw the sections of the Integratron wall folding in on each other.

For the first 30 minutes or so of the drive back to Palm Springs I felt a tingling sensation all over. I also experienced the sensation of floating within my own body. I hadn’t felt so calm in a long time and chose to drive in silence, enjoying the scenery and serenity.

Check out the Integratron site for full details on how to visit.  Reservations are essential as there is a limited amount of space.

http:www.integratron.com

Battling Motion Sickness With Carnival Cruise Lines

     

     I have battled motion sickness for as long as I can recall, even in seemingly harmless places like taxi cabs and surfboards.  The last time I attempted a boat excursion was roughly 8 years ago.  My apprehensions about the trip were batted away by the saleswoman at the activities desk in Cairns who assured me in her Aussie accent that the waters of the Great Barrier Reef were “like glass”.  A few hours (and one Bonine) later, I was lying face-down in the boat for the two-hour trip back to Cairns.  As I moaned in agony, I made a pact with myself that I would never ever subject myself to an experience like that again. 

     Recently, I was invited to a most-expenses-paid cruise trip that served as a family reunion.  The thought of being trapped for five days on a cruise ship didn’t exactly fill me with tons of excitement.  However, as I looked over the details of the trip and the abundance of options for onboard and offshore fun, I decided to take the chance knowing that three members of our party were nurses.  (After all, no one has ever died from motion sickness as far as I know.) Armed with a supply of Transderm Scop patches to stick behind my ear once every three days, here's how it all went down.

The Night Before

    

     I decided to put on my first patch the evening before getting onto the ship as I wanted to ensure that whatever magic was inside these little dots had plenty of time to enter my bloodstream.  I followed the directions to the letter and applied a patch behind my right ear.  Several minutes later, I noticed that my vision was slightly blurry.  At first, I thought it was a side-effect of the day's journey from NYC to Miami but then later recalled that this was to be expected.  As I was ready for bed, I figured I'd defer any panic until the next morning.

Day 1

      I woke up with a headache that seemed to affect me for most of the day but did not return for the rest of the trip.  Cross another side effect off the list.  The blurry vision I experienced the previous evening was gone and I was ready to get to the ship.  As there were 15 of us, we rented a passenger van to take us from the hotel to the Port of Miami, a trip of approximately 25 minutes.  This was to be the first test of the patches.  As I sat in the back of the van, I realized that I was perfectly at ease despite being accosted by a six-year-old boy who found it amusing to pinch my nose for much of the journey.  The good news was that I didn't feel a single twinge of motion sickness.  Typically, I would’ve been woozy not only for the car ride but for an hour or so afterwards.  This small victory bolstered my confidence for the adventure at sea that lay ahead.

     As we were getting situated in our stateroom in the late afternoon, I continued to feel fine and became very eager to check out the ship.  The fact that our stateroom was in the middle of the ship was a huge benefit as I felt much less movement there than anywhere else we visited on the ship.  I wouldn’t say I felt *zero* movement at all times while in the middle, but there was a notable difference.  I noticed in a stateroom located in the rear of the ship that I could feel motion and also as I sat in the ship's library.  As a little experiment, I tried looking out the window once we set off. Sure enough, I was good for a few seconds before the queasiness set in.  If you are prone to motion sickness, it's imperative that you prepare adequately because no matter what anyone tells you, it's possible to feel the movement of the ship even in the middle, regardless of what you’ve heard about the so-called stabilizers that are supposed to steady the ride.

Day 2

      For our first full day at sea and my headache from the previous day all gone, I decided to do a whole lot of nothing.  After breakfast and a morning full of sun, I went back to our stateroom for a nap.  While walking down the corridor, I started to feel extremely dizzy.  A quick check behind my ear indicated that the patch had fallen off so I immediately applied another one.  Thankfully, I had extras with me to last for more than once every three days for the duration of a five-day cruise.  A word of caution- make sure you have plenty of extra patches just to be on the safe side. 

         In addition to using the patches, I made sure to keep myself hydrated and well-fed for the duration of the cruise.  Drinking plenty of water is beneficial not only because of the sun.  In regards to keeping your stomach full, it’s darn near impossible to avoid food while on board a cruise ship. 

Day 3

      We disembarked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and joined a zipline tour where you’re strapped into a harness that supports your body as you fly through the treetops. In order to get to the starting point, we had to drive in a van for about 15-20 minutes through hilly and curvy terrain.  After we arrived at our destination, we were schlepped into the back of a pickup truck with seats and traveled across roads that were so bumpy we thought we were going to fall out at several points during our 10-minute ride.  Without the patch, I think I’d still be lying by the side of the road in the fetal position.  Fortunately, by looking forward at all times, I was able to make it through with flying colors. And speaking of flying, the zipline adventure went off without a hitch.

Day 4

      As 72 hours had expired since the last patch, I made sure to swap out for a replacement.  Sure enough, my vision started to blur slightly.  My previous experiences kept me from panicking.  Again, it’s best to apply the patches before going to bed so that the blurriness will have minimal impact.  Also, by applying the patch at night, you will allow ample time for the medication to enter your bloodstream overnight.

Day 5/6

      I kept the patch on as I wanted to take advantage of its magic for our trip home the following day.  We had to wake up early as they were kicking us off the ship by 8AM.  After leaving the boat, we checked into a hotel on South Beach and went for a swim. After our swim, I lost another patch.  Next time, I’ll either be very cautious or I will research a brand of patch that will withstand a dunk in the pool.  Sure enough, the flight home the next day made me feel queasier than I felt for the duration of the cruise. 

     Despite the ups and downs, I can say whole-heartedly that the patch was a success. A whole new world of travel has opened up for me.  Bring on the next boat trip!

Chapel Hill

I've been home for about 5 hours and I'm still tired and woozy from my trip home from North Carolina. I've found that the easy, short trips are more taxing than traveling to the other side of the world. Perhaps that's because the smaller planes used for these 1-1 ½ hour flights are way too rocky for my hyper-sensitive motion sickness. Despite my fatigue, I had a most relaxing time out of town. All of the NYC tension I've been feeling for the last few months disappeared until I touched down at Newark Airport. In contrast to the quiet half-empty corridors of RDU that I strolled this morning was the cattle-call turmoil of the security lines that I glanced at as I made my way through Newark Airport on my way back to the city. That night-and-day difference pretty much sums up my long weekend.

We spent 3 days in Chapel Hill visiting family. We've been down there several times between the two of us and have always loved it. As trite as it sounds, the people in North Carolina are effusive in their kindness wherever you go. The disorientation I felt on my first day there was the effect of uncoiling the over-wound state of mind I have when I'm going about my business here in the city. It's easy to become oblivious to the concept that there are different ways of living that are probably healthier in the long run. For the longest time, I always believed that if you were interested in interesting films, music, and bookstores you had to live in either New York, LA, or San Francisco. Social media and entities like YouTube have pretty much obliterated the barriers to entry as we're all pretty much experiencing the same things no matter where we are sitting. In fact, I saw more flyers for a wider diversity of music in Chapel Hill than I see in the East Village. On top of that is the fact that one of my favorite all-time used bookstores is located just over the border in Carrboro NC. While New York still has things you'll never see outside of the city (like Philip Seymour Hoffman's powerful performance in “Death Of A Salesman”), there's enough going on in different pockets of the country to keep one satisfied- and for a much lower cost of living.

We've been contemplating the end of our New York residency for the last two years. The list of reasons to stay is becoming shorter as we remain here. I'm not sure we're ready to bolt just yet but we're beginning to think there's more to gain and less to lose by living elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of http://www.cardcow.com

Viva La Vinyl With The Vinyl District GPS Record Store App

As the music world gets deeper into technology and further away from the old school, The Vinyl District has brought things back around with its free GPS-based Record Store Locator App for iPhone or Android. As the site claims, it's the only GPS-based record store locator app in the US. It's as simple as pressing the All Stores button in the app and waiting for a list of stores to appear along with addresses and mapped locations.

I've been testing it a little bit and I have to say that so far, it's working rather well. The app was able to find the two record stores on my block as well as all of the shops located nearby around the LES, East Village, and West Village. I'm pretty sure there's nothing missing in the listings for my hood. I've walked around a little bit and whenever I've given the app a spin, it comes up with a reasonable list of results. I'm eager to try this out when I travel and see where it takes me.

I wonder how this app was put together- did someone manually enter every record store into a database? I'd love to know. As I understand it, they'll be adding the UK at some point in time. Eventually, it would be incredible if you could use this app anywhere you happen to be to help you go a'hunting for vinyl. One addition I'd like to see is the ability to enter a zip code, city name, or neighborhood (i.e. Silver Lake) and bring up results. I realize that's not exactly GPS but I think it would be a great enhancement.

As much as I love how technology has changed the way we create and consume music (as written about here and here), I'm really struck by the idea of using current technology to help sustain old school record shopping. As all of these stores are locally owned, this app is a wonderful way to help out our independent record store owners as they try to stay alive in today's music market.

Check it all out here!

Xmas Tree Crew

For the past few weeks, there was a black, beat-up Nissan van parked in the empty spot in the photo above. A handwritten sign in red ink read “Xmas Tree Van”. Around the corner, in front of the Rite Aid was a Christmas tree stand with trees of various sizes for sale along with a tiny office (maybe 4 feet by 4 feet at most) made of wood planks and thick plastic walls. The van had California license plates so I assume that the owners of the van were in town for a few weeks to sell some trees and make enough money for the next adventure.

There seemed to be about 3 guys and 1 or two women working the stand. All of them appeared to be in their mid to late 20s. The one guy that I saw regularly had a pierced septum and wore the same brown Carhartt one-piece coveralls and knit every time I encountered him. I'd say “good morning” to him whenever I passed him during my daily morning dog walk. One time, I gave him a copy of Wired magazine that I was done reading as I figured he might appreciate having an interesting diversion from the van and the stand. While I don't know how these tree sellers passed their time, I walked past the van one morning around 6:30AM to see it rocking from side to side. As the van was a'rockin, I didn't bother knocking as I assumed that even Christmas tree sellers need some loving like the rest of us.

I'm really not sure what the stories were behind the Christmas tree crew but as I passed them one day, one of the guys was talking about moving to Minneapolis for a while as one of the options he rattled off. I found myself fascinated by these folks and really wish I had found out more about them. For one thing, how did they get all of the trees out of the woods and into New York City? I never saw a truck pull up with a bunch of trees. Also, did they have families waiting for them? Were they college students working over their break? Were they all from Portland?

As I've written about previously, I envy those who don't feel tied down to people, places, or things. While the gutterpunks in Tompkins Square Park can be annoying at times, I'm drawn to the way they can carry their entire lives on their backs and live out in the world. Sure, as I type this in a nice and relatively warm apartment, I wouldn't want to be sleeping on the streets right now. Still, there's a part of me that wants to abandon everything – a job I don't really like, financial responsibility- and just float on out of here and experience life.


On Christmas morning, the van was gone. I guess that after midnight on Christmas eve, there's no point in hanging out on the corner selling trees. The crew is probably still on the road if they're making their way back to California. Perhaps they have a different adventure in store. I regret not talking to them a little bit more as I want to fill in all the missing pieces about them. If things work out, I may get my chance next winter. For now, I wish them well on their travels and hope that they were able to enjoy some of the holiday while they were helping others do the same.

Bucharest

The imposing structure in this picture, built by Romania’s communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu in the early 80s, is second in size only to the Pentagon. Apparently, a visit to Pyongyang gave Ceaușescu the inspiration to build this. In doing so he razed the historic district, destroying churches and displacing thousands of people in the process all in the quest to build this towering monument to, perhaps, himself. Over two decades later, the building sits mostly empty and is still not complete.

The Palace of the Parliament is situated at the end of a Bucharest boulevard meant to resemble the Champs-Élysées in Paris. There are tree-lined paths on each side of the boulevard leading up to the building. Looking down the roadway leading up to this monstrous edifice feels like gazing upon the Communist version of the Yellow Brick Road with a concrete Oz at the end of the line. Sadly, both sides of the streets are filled with empty storefronts. I went to see this building while spending a few days in Bucharest as part of my new job. As my time was very limited, I figured I’d visit the One Thing You Must Do in this city.

Bucharest is still in transition from the struggles it freed itself from with the revolution of 1989 with lots of road construction taking place. Parts of the city look rather drab, with large concrete apartment blocks whose plain boxy exteriors seem consistent with the Communist ethic of sameness. Other parts of the city attempt to be modern, shoving glass-façade buildings in among the older architecture wherever they can fit them. A few places, like the Lipscani old town area, fit in with the idea of Charming Old Europe with winding cobblestone lanes dotted with restaurants, cafes, and bars. The whole city looks like it could use a good scrubbing.

As part of my work time here, I had to interview a few people for a job opening we have in Bucharest. At one point, I was talking to a kid about Biohazard and the NYHC scene when I found myself drifting from the conversation. In that moment, I was struck by the idea that I was sitting in Eastern Europe conducting a job interview, something that I never dreamed that I would be doing. I’m not saying, “Wow, I’ve always wanted to do it and now I have”. The point I’m making is that it never occurred to me that my life would somehow take a path where I would be in a job that required me to be in Romania. All I knew about Romania a few weeks ago was that both Dracula and Olympic gymnast Nadia Comeneci were from there. As the plane was landing in Bucharest, I looked out the window imagining that I’d see forests, large imposing Gothic castles, and flying gargoyles.

When I’m aware that the unexpected is taking place in my life, it allows me to reflect on how things can open up for you if you are open to new experiences. I almost didn’t accept the job that has brought me to Bucharest. If I hadn’t, I never would’ve come on my own. Perhaps this experience is a lesson for me to allow myself to be pulled in directions I hadn’t ever intended. Even if those destinations (or any destination, for that matter) don’t become rewarding in and of themselves, the pit stops along the way makes for a much more interesting journey.

Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right

I was looking at some pictures last night of a trip I made to Thailand 2 years ago when this particular shot caught my attention. At the time I took it, I suppose I was humored by the awkward grammar that dictates the refund policy of the store I was perusing. It's likely that the store management wanted to inform us farang shoppers that you can't return an item after purchase that has been altered or opened in any way. Last night, I was exhausted and slightly depressed after 3 days spent moving, unpacking, and settling into a new place. In my somewhat hazy state, I made a connection that I hadn't made during any previous viewing of this picture.

That's the thing about enlightenment- it'll sneak up on you sometimes when you least expect it. I'm currently in the process of making a lot of big changes: brand-new living situation; brand-new job starting soon; taking a class in a classroom for the first time in close to 20 years. I didn't exactly want a new job as things were rather cushy where I was but I had reached a plateau maybe a year or so before my employer was forced to shut down. I had hoped that there would be an opportunity for change in the workplace but alas, that was not to happen. In hindsight, my previous employer's woes shook me out of an all-too-comfortable complacency against my will. In a few days, I start a new job in a new industry doing a larger version of the type of work I've been doing for a very long time. There will be the challenges of being the new guy and I will have to figure out how to balance what I want to do in my life with the demands of my employer. In my last job, the work load dropped dramatically and I got soft as there wasn't much to do. This new job will be a whole new world. In regards to the other new things, my new living situation is the first time I've lived with another person in a long time. There's a whole new chapter opening on that alone. As a big upside, I have a much bigger place now and need to get into a routine of where to find things as I have actual rooms to choose from.

As chaotic as the last few months have been, I asked for all of this. I wanted change because I know that experiencing the discomfort of change is the only way to grow. I haven't really been uncomfortable in my life in years and as a result, I haven't experienced personal growth and have become resentful of those who have cast aside fear and doubt in the pursuit of new experiences. The idea of taking a class was as much about learning things as it was about feeling awkward about not knowing everything. I wanted to learn how to accept criticism without wanting to tear someone's head off. I'm doing my best to participate even if it means that no one agrees with what I have to say or if what I say is absolutely wrong. I've been raising my hand when I don't understand something and have been trying to sit with the sensation of asking what is possibly a stupid question. The bottom line is that I haven't really failed at anything lately and the reason is that I haven't traveled outside of my very small comfort zone. I've known for a while that this strategy for living does not allow for personal growth or true fulfillment as we tend to learn many of the big lessons of life through failure and discomfort.

One of the most profound sentences I have ever read is this:

If you want to change your life, change what you do and your life will change as a result.

I don't recall who said it and while there are tons of variations on this, I can't find the origin of this particular quote. The idea makes perfect sense: if you walk the same path over and over, it seems reasonable that you will always get to the same destination. It's by choosing left instead of right for a once that things inevitably look different. You may not get exactly what you want or you may fail disastrously at what you try to do. But in the same way that a piece of toast can't become bread again, if you make a change in your life you will be at a different vantage point than if you don't. You will never go back to the person you were before the change was made. In most cases, your life becomes bigger when you acknowledge fear and walk through it anyway, regardless of the results. I base this on my own experiences as well as on those of people I know.

Whether I like it or not, I will not be the same person at the end of 2011 as I was at the start. It's just not possible with all of the things that are in play right now. I have no idea if I will be better off or not. Hell, I'm not sure what “better off” means other than to hopefully be at peace with where and who I am when I am finally able to take a step back and look at everything that's happening to me right now. But tonight, I have faith that I will be taken care of no matter what. If I envision the worst case scenarios for the situations I will soon encounter, none of them include death or anything irreparable. Sure, there may be psychic pain but one thing about pain is that it's a clear warning sign that you've gone too far. The only way to know what one's real limits are is by going beyond the realm of comfort. If you extend yourself reasonably and feel the pain, you now know your true limits and can reassess the real edge of the envelope. I've never done this.

So here's to jumping off cliffs with the hope that there will be plenty more cliffs down the road.