To think you can't change at will is a delusion.
--- Paramahansa Yogananda

Dichotomy: Embrace it

I've been thinking about how people judge others dichotomy as unauthentic and realized at least for my self being comfortable with ones own dichotomy is as authentic as it gets.. We are stuck in a world of black and white when reality is all grey.. Off the top of my head I can come up with the following:
I'm pro choice but would never get an abortion
Half of me wants to build an empire while the other half is built for the peace corp
I think materialism has ruined our focus and I drive a range rover
I'm a democrat because there's only 2 real choices
I was raised a catholic, live like a Buddhist but believe religion in general is a scam
Shit I have a site called The Phuckery that talks a lot about spirituality!!
I could go on and on and I'm sure most people could as well.. The irony is that to me being comfortable with that is what authentic is.. Its not sticking to a black or white ideology without allowing experience or life to throw some loopholes in the whole thing.. We need to learn to let go and see the beauty in that.. That's the middle... that's the grey and its exactly what those on either side fight against as if it doesn't exist...

hmmm

I have a friend who once a year goes deep into the mountains of Indonesia to hang with monks for a month. Whats interesting is his phone has full service there yet i have a black hole in my home in Los Angeles, the second largest city in America.. Can someone explain this to me?

I need to meditate.

Great Story... (thanks to Brian Washington)

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"Then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty or twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral is: Know where you're going in life ... you may already be there.

Holy Shit! Obamas human!

I find it fascinating how much everyone is focusing on Obamas "Special Olympics" slip up... Im going say what I assume most aware people are thinking "WHO GIVES A SHIT!!" - Its called being human.. Is Obama the type of guy who goofs on people with disabilities? I highly doubt it. In fact he fought to include a substantial amount of money in the stimulus bill for special education. The irony is that Sarah Palin who is "shocked" at Obama's slip up has rejected that additional money for Alaska while accepting other parts of the package.. I would argue that falls into the "shocking" range. Lets be clear, Obama is human and under ridiculous pressure. I've probably said 14 things in the last 48 hours that would seem out of line.. Sure Im not the President but Im human too.. comes with the territory.. Leave this type of banter to Fox News..

Hot Enough to make me cheat on Nike..

Adidas Diamond Anniversary... hot

The Knux... Good Shit

THIS IS THE POLAR OPPOSITE TO THE RAY J VIDEO.. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS TRACK AND VIDEO MAKES ME HAPPY.. ENJOY

The Knux - New Music - More Music Videos

THIS IS DORA THE EXPLORER

There is nothing on this planet more important (myself included) to my daughter that this young lady right here.. If you could only see the smile on her face when my wife breaks out the Dora blanket.. or toothbrush... or backpack... or doll... or dvd... or or or or or.... its pretty damn cute.

Ladies and Gentlemen: the end of the record business

THIS IS NOT A COMEDY SKIT FROM SNL.. THIS IS AN ACTUAL ARTIST SIGNED TO A MAJOR LABEL. SOMEONE OK'D THIS IN A MARKETING AND BUDGET MEETING.

seriously im not even sure where to start with this one... although nothing i can write can do justice to just how bad this is.. Wack would be a huge compliment.. this is Brandys brother and he has his own reality TV show on VH1... Pls watch this all the way through and tell me you have seen a worse display of cliche paper thin wackness.. i dare you... i not a hating type of guy but i have my limits.. and this crashed through every one of them..

SERIOUSLY

DID YOU JUST WATCH THAT VIDEO?!! WOW... I STILL CANT GET OVER THAT MESS...

just a thought

If homosexuality was as important an issue to God as the church would have us think, dontcha think Jesus would of mentioned it at least 1 time? Not one word in the new testament... only reference is in the old testament where they also recommend death by stone for eating shrimp.. (not a joke) Why wouldnt of it been mentioned in the 10 commandments? seems like an easy way to make a blanket statement...

Big Love

Im not a huge tv drama guy.. in fact most of what i watch is no brainer reality tv (lame but true) which the exception of Sober House which is just plain good tv.. Big Love is about as good as tv gets.. just might be the craziest storyline ive ever followed.. it takes a few episodes to lock you in because its so deep but trust me... theres only 1 episode left this season and they will be showing the season all week.. do not sleep...

Undefeated x Eminem = Good Look

Loyalty

Im nothing if Im not brand loyal.. Ive always been fascinated by brands and once they resonate im locked. I drive escalades, raise golden retrievers, rock nike sneakers, brush with Aqua Fresh extreme clean, wear AAA white t's one time and scream Undefeated every chance i get.. Im missing a few but you get the point... Well one of the old standards days are numbered.. After 4 Escalades in a row Im moving on... i have mixed feelings about it but its definitely time... With all the changes in my life i felt like i needed a drastic change on the auto front.. a symbolic shift... 3 days

Bobby Jindal is AWESOME!

Do the Republicans that are pushing to thrust Bobby Jindal into prominence know that less than 10 years ago he claimed he preformed an "exorcism?" no joke..
oh yeah.. he also doesnt believe in evolution... again no joke....

shouldnt there be some type of system that weeds out those running for office that dont believe in fact.. seems like that could become an issue.. The exorcism thing to me is the equivalent of him saying he believes in Jack and the Beanstalk (stole that from Bill Maher)....

Bodhi sees the snow...

I find it less important to understand the how and the why of things and more important to languish in the wonder of it all.
-Breck Costin

Bummer

I cant even tell you how bummed i am the Sober House ended last night.. this was by far the best hour of reality television ive ever seen.. makes me wanna drink.. (sorry for the crap pic)

the diamond in the dirt

ever since ive left the office enviorment things feel a lot different.. even in the midst of the worst economic disaster of my life it feels like opportunity is everywhere. No matter what world you live in there is a paradigm shift going on.. we are in a transition that is weeding out old dated models that are being exposed and eventually rebuilt for the coming generations.. Record labels, ad agencies, new media, the auto industry, government.. you name it. the economic situation is pulling back the covers out of necessity and allowing people for the first time to question the old mechanics. Evolution will take us into the next phase of all business.. those who are authentic, intelligent and financially capable of riding the storm have an incredible opportunity to define whats next.. those who arent will slowly die when the money runs out.. its already happened in many ways from Obama to Under Armor..in the end all businesses will be slimmer and more effective.. and most wont look like they did a few years back.. for alot of people this is scary.. for me its exciting.. in my world labels left behind the consumer years ago, chasing the short quick money and ultimately thats what ate me up.. this story is the same in most areas.. now with technology and the huge expansion of revenue streams available it a great time to be independent.

Shane Powers: Dear Rihanna +++ BULLSEYE

a thought

I wonder if conservatives would be better off embracing the concept of evolution.. not just the whole "science" thing but as a general rule of life... i have zero interest in their ideology but its fairly obvious its evolution is where the problem lies... Those who believe there are a set of principles that can never be questioned regardless of reality (usually the same people who believe in talking snakes and a story about a guy who lived in a fish for 3 days) vs those who understand the concept of evolution applies to everything. Im starting to almost feel sorry for them as they look for someone who is authentic and refreshing to lead them..
(kinda)

Undefeated x Masterpiece = Yes Please

Amsterdam

Amsterdam was above and beyond what i was expecting.. Its a beautiful city with a super seedy element that I originally thought was confined to one small area.. Nope.. Imagine a city of Europes equivalent of frat boys falling over drunk and surrounded by women in red lit windows..
Now on the other hand the "coffee" shops are AMAZING.. the funny thing is that they look exactly like a typical corner bar except theres no fighting, crying, loud noises, problems etc... America needs to figure this out. Its insane that weed got the bad rap and alcohol is king.. need proof.. take a trip to amsterdam.

Brian Dawkins a Bronco.. WTF!!

I cant even begin to process the fact that the Eagles let Brian Dawkins go.. Your talking about my favorite player for the last 13 years.. One day they are saying how much room they have in the salary cap and the next they are letting go the most inspirational and emotional leader that team has ever seen.. speechless.. the above will never be seen again... enjoy

Berlin

Your looking at the most positive thing I found in Berlin.. Currywurst and french fries... The rest of that city was grey, cold and gloomy and im not even talking about the weather.. theres the feeling it could get real militant real quick if need be. People are cautious not to have too much fun.. and theres definitely some residual energy there.. No disrespect whatsover to those from Germany.. My narrow perspective is simply that...
I most likely wont be back...off to amsterdam

Shane Powers

if you havent been to Shanepowers.com you need to at least go once.. i have no doubt you will be offended at some point and you will return daily.. its the guilty pleasure site for everyone who doesnt have the balls to truly say what they feel. Sure hes completely out of his mind but its authentic and that in itself is refreshing.. Enjoy.. you may not admit it but you will..

Paris

Paris is fucking amazing.. Beyond my expectations and I expected a lot. Seems like the verdict on this place is split 50/50 which i find strange walking around since finding any obvious faults is difficult.. Most of the complaints are about the people and how they will spit directly in your face if given the opportunity.. that may be the case although i havent run into any of those people.. the ambience of this place is RIDICULOUS. I MUST come back with my family.. what you feel the most is the history.. thats what i love about europe.. the history is inescapable and you feel it.. for a brief moment you walk like you have a masters degree in literature and only listen to obscure jazz.. Even tho its all bullshit, its feels nice for a moment.. The attention to detail is so in your face out here.. i think that where America went left.. details has been exchanged for immediate profit.. here, whether its architecture, food, service, art etc.. you can feel the extra effort that wasnt based on anything impure.. in short I love Paris

Eminem

Those of you who know me well know where I stand on the last few years of hip hop (outside of a few exceptions.) Its become hip hop's version of the hair metal meltdown in the early 90's.. Im talking when it was Winger, White Lion and that all-chic metal group Vixen! It all became a cliche to everyone except the artists.. All the good stuff watered down and dictated by record companies and radio. in other words.. horseshit.. Hip hop is in the same spot. 9000 songs by T-Pain and some guy named Young Berg in Ed Hardy gear.. Good news is a breath of fresh air is coming.. wait.. fuck that.. that sounds too soft.. A real kick in the fucking ass is coming.. Eminem is one of 3 rappers (Wanye, Jay) that make you hang on to every lyric.. its so far and above anything else currently out there that it feels like another genre in itself.. Lyrically (to me at least) Em is in a space by himself. When was the last time you wanted to sit through an entire album to hear what an artist had to say and the way he says it. I would bet its been a minute.. Well finally we can feel that way for a minute or two. after that who the hell knows.. but for now ima enjoy it.

Life is Good.

Seems like most discussions about marriage/family are cynical and the positive is somehow lost in translation.. Well for me, I've only been gone for a few days and I truly miss my wife and daughter.. (and my dog..) Ive somehow stumbled upon a rariety that Im truly grateful for.. an incredible marraige, and i suppose more importantly, a best friend that truly understands the complexity of me (not that im any more complex than anyone reading this, we're all a mess) .. this is where most people roll their eyes but it is what it is.. Now that being a father has been added into the mix, ive officially become what i once thought would never be possible.. My daughter has opened up a level of gratitude that drowns out all the old mental tapes. Lookin back a few years even, when i couldnt even say the word marriage without heartburn i can only laugh.. Life just keeps coming and the moment you think you know something you realize you dont.. at all.. it only takes one person, one experience, sometimes one thought, to pull the tablecloth out from underneath it all.
Having my own family to go through the craziness of life is beyond description and has changed my entire perception of life and also my definition of success and happiness. With all the doom and gloom and touch in cheek jokes about marriage i thought it was time to show the other side.. its not so bad, i gotta tell ya..

London

Been in London for a day and now have some time to kill because the crew i came with was up till 6 drinking and my lame old ass was dead asleep by 11pm. My blackberry has been dead since Ive been here and as much as i hate to say it, its causing me too much anxiety.. the only way i can be reached is through my computer email and thats a bit of a drag when your here on somewhat of a schedule with 5 different people coordinating... All in all I like London.. little cold but the overall vibe is nice.. great shopping (which is the last thing i need, bought my 167th black jacket yesterday...) Todays gonna be a long one once everyone gets up.. followed by a night of watching these guys drink.. Sometimes i wish i had that gene, i was given the "pot"gene instead.. Less problems overall i suppose but would be nice to grab a few beers here and there without feeling like shit... Gonna go walk around for awhile to kill some.. might as well soak it in...