Awake.In:::DreamSpace:::

photo by EVY MAGES

Way back in 1985 my Mom and I read "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

It blew our minds and we still discuss that novel as the decades passed, realizing just how something so horrible could happen, here, in the United States... even back in 1985.

2016... The outcome of the the presidential election shocked us and everyday since, barbarity, brutality, and evil radiate out of Washington... 

Atrocities against women and children are occurring throughout the world in countries rich and poor... we see the images, we watch the videos, we listen to eye witness accounts.

The reality of "The Handmaid's Tale" is closer than any of us want to believe.  Wealthy men controlling Governments... making laws that control a woman's body... it's happening... 

I just finished watching both seasons of "The Handmaid's Tale" TV Series... every episode is filled with horror... The extent of heinous acts that are done by people with the best of intentions and praising their actions in the name of religion is a RED flag to us all.  

We need to wake up.

#resist

It’s pouring, it’s grey, it’s Tuesday, I arrive at the bus shelter and there is a group of fellow commuters waiting... but wait, did I miss something?  Is there now priority seating for wet umbrellas?... because, gee, why should one have to hold such a wet and yucky thing until the bus arrives.  I’m sure someone who needs to sit would be hard pressed to ask a wet umbrella that they really need to sit, and then there is the weighing of whether such an argument is worth it as a wet behind is a miserable trade off to achieve priority seating.

That person who really needs to sit might as well as have a chat with an inanimate object as a conversation with the owner of the umbrella is risky... after all, who the heck would put a wet umbrella on a seat?... 

I took the photo, and the owner of the umbrella saw me, didn’t say or do anything... I’m worn down from sad news that a fellow colleague at work suddenly lost their 8 year old son.  A wet umbrella on a seat was trivial at the moment, yet, I know that if someone standing there needed to sit, I would have provided negative specific feedback to umbrella owner and I had napkins to dry the seat off.

Folks, we all do things that affect others, let’s be mindful and think of others.  #compassion will save the world.

Namaste

I don't know much about my family tree... my parents fled Cuba right before I was born.  I didn't have extended family around me as they were in Cuba.  I've always been interested in where did I come from?  Yeah, my parents are Cuban, but other than knowing that Dad's side of the family is from Spain, I know nothing.  I've been curious, for a long time.  

Well, I finally decided, time to find out!  My 23andMe kit arrived today.  Tomorrow I spit into the tube and send it out.  In a few weeks, I'll get a report.  Cool.  

Interested for yourself... check it out 23andme

I had to register and I had no idea how many screens one has to read to get to agree to do this.  A bit daunting.  Especially the health stuff...  And well, now my genetic information will be on some database and my vivid imagination after years of sci-fi movie and tv watching had my mind running wild for a bit.

Decided to go for it...

Looking forward to finding out the story about my DNA...

Stay tuned!

On 01.31.18, after getting home from work and walking Koda, I felt congestion from the cold I was fighting pour from my sinuses to inside both middle ears causing a clogged and very painful situation.  It kept me up all night and I toyed with the idea of taking an Uber to the local emergency room but the fear of sitting there surrounded by people with the flu kept me home and counting the hours until First Med opened.

I called out and headed to First Med at 8am when they opened on 02.01.18.  After a not so great examination and treatment for my double ear infection, I found an Ear, Nose, Throat doctor that happened to be literally around the corner from my apartment.  Very lucky.  Turned out I had a sinus infection, double ear infection, and conjunctivitis.  A triple play.  Went home with antibiotics, steroids, and eye drops... and out on a short medical leave... paperwork fun with Sedgwick... 

Flash forward two followup visits and yesterday, a referral to an ENT in NYC to perform a myringotomy on Valentine's Day!... what the heck is a myringotomy?... it's a fancy word for surgical incision into the eardrum, to relieve pressure or drain fluid.  It's also a common procedure on young children with chronic ear infections causing hearing problems and speech issues.  I suppose it's also for old hens like me.

Easy peasy they said, done in the office they said, no big deal they said...

Well, you ever see those alien abduction films?  The one's where the abductee sees instruments that get stuck into them, yup, that was what a myringotomy is like.

Wide awake, doc puts some local anesthetic in first, you still feel the cut, then they suck out the fluid... and today I learned, it is only 2-3 drops of fluid in there... WTF, 2-3 DROPS?!  It has felt like a gallon of fluid between my ears for the past 2 weeks causing me to feel like I'm under water and can't hear well.  Lucky me had both ears done... and since its in your ears, everything sounds loud, creepy, and unnerving!  Grateful it is a quick procedure.

Another fun fact, sometimes they put plugs in the eardrums to help with drainage... WTF, pierce and plug, my eardrums?!  How Thug sounding... I escaped the plug insertion luckily... I was reading they stay in there for about 6 months and then they fall out... and what?... the aliens come back to check in?!

I'm now home and savoring chocolate goodies from a Valentine's Day heart I bought for myself... Always remember, Love Yourself!  Hopefully back to work on Monday.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

And so begins another year...  The last several have brought interesting times to my life...  curious to see what is down the path... yet... it's all about the journey...  My thoughts on this day are...

create.capture.compose

...that should keep me busy this year.

On my walk to work and when I return home, I pass a very special shop named "Himalayan Crafts".  

The door is usually open and the scent of incense entices your mind to pause and breathe deep.

I stop and gaze into the window front and in my mind I ask the Buddhas for blessings and help in keeping a peaceful and happy mind...  

The shop is located between 68th and 69th Street on Broadway...  The lovely couple who work there are a delight.  Please visit them.

When out and about in NYC, one stumbles on stuff you never expect to see.  This storefront display at John Varvatos, Madison Avenue, NYC, caught my eye when I was in a car with some friends.  I went back this evening to take the photos.  Congratulations KISS for your induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014!

Kiss storefront on Madison Avenue, NYC

John Varvatos storefront on Madison Ave., NYC

Ace Freyley Mannequin

Gene Simmons mannequin

Paul Stanley mannequin

Peter Criss mannequin

Yesterday I posted a link to 30 things to stop doing to yourself... It really resonated in me as I read each of the things... today, I started work on #4.  "Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now."  Here is the link, check it out, it will inspire you!  30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself  

My friend Helen Destroy (Helen M. Buttolph) is the drummer in Jon & The Jones.  They played at the Mercury Lounge on 12.13.13 and they were kind to let me shoot some pics.  My first time shooting a band.  I had a lot of fun.  BTW... their music is EXCELLENT.  Check them out!

Check out the pics I shot on my Flickr photostream... 

It's that time of year again when evergreens sprout from NYC concrete and asphalt.  I brushed up against this one walking down Broadway on my way to work early this morning.  Breathe in the peaceful pine forest scent as these mini forests appear... their presence is fleeting, like the holiday season... and life.