Moats and boats and Waterfalls, Alleyways and payphone calls

happy 2 weeks and 2 days in europe, thus far the experience has been that of living in a hotel and driving around a rented fiat panda.  a month from now i’ll be livin’ in downtown driving a vw, yet still feel dis-integrated.  until i can communicate in a polite manner, i’m going to feel uncomfortable, so immersion in the language will be critical once settled.

words and ideas in the head are still being arranged and organized as the work becomes clearer.  the military industrial complex is something else, all the rules, all the obedience, little artistry, little imagination, hence things like wikileaks spring up.  i suppose many things are kept behind curtains for the safety of humans and to stop paranoia, but I’d suggest, as with anything, the mind imagines worse than the actual reality of events.  leakage is inevitable, even with the appropriate guidelines and malleability in place, therefore it becomes more essential to ‘socialize’ what’s going on and not leave critical decisions in the hands of the few.  it happens weather the grand poobah’s want it to or not, for as David Weinberger says best, ‘hyperlinks subvert hierarchy.’

i’m still gauging the attitudes here, and i think they’ve changed over the last 10 years by a decent clip.  the intangibles are played both ways when it comes to hegemony, when you’re hot your hot, when you’re not you’re not.  i can just imagine the mutiny if there was an italian army base on us soil, it probably wouldn’t fly well — history dictates how the pieces land when the world gets shaken, its all part of some cosmic balance i suppose.

being an ant in all of this is exciting, i want to contribute ying to the yang.

I had a chance for a better life but all that i’ve known is to run run run from a devil in disguise

something most of the press 2 for english crowd would never appreciate, being in a foreign country, not knowing the language, wanting to have conversations with people, but to no avail.

busting out a concentric ring at a time in exploration, week two has brought a strange sort of lonesome.  i have a bit of a routine, i have some buddies, i have purpose in a job, i have healthy eating, sleeping and exercising routines.

what’s not there is difficult to explain, but i can wrap it up in the world ‘values.’  meeting people with great values is an eye opener, it makes me think i don’t have them…i don’t have bad ones, just not good ones either.  what’s missing is someone to mold me, b/c i’d like to think i’m a nice piece of bronze that just needs a little attention.  i’m molding myself, but golly i’m just a little flabby around the edges.

i feel as if the world is at my fingertips, but it doesn’t really matter that much, its too much to take in.  taking a drive this evening i began to re-realize how big the world actually is.  i have thought over the years that i’m a subject matter expert on ‘x’ or ‘y’ because i’ve checked up on it, but that holds no depth compared to meeting unique, creative and intuitive personalities around the world.  twitter, facebook and skype can’t bring that home for you, and that’s been a very liberating feeling, there still is mystery and enchantment in the world.

i’ve begun to realize the success in life i have is partially due to understanding tradeoffs very well, one of the big tradeoff’s, technology gives us things, but it also takes things away.  those pesky markets and their ‘growth rates’ and numbers and percentages lust over technology at the price of culture.  mom and pop are alive and well in europe, as far as i’ve seen, and something in my inclination tells me i need to help them stay alive rather than watching the stock market numbers.  perhaps i can say that because i feel i’ve succeeded beyond some pretty tough expectations, but i’m feeling something much more personal than i have in many many years.

plans make the world go round, as far as i see, left to my own devices i work for the military industrial complex till i have enough degrees to live out the rest of my days in switzerland or somewhere equivalent.  so many options for everyone, so little imagination.

From Dallas to Austin to Houston No one noticed what we were doing

Interesting little social media poem, I still like the other side of the equation in Neil Postman’s writings as well — Technology and social media hasn’t fundamentally changed the human condition, its given people opportunity, but I see very few who rise above the minutia.

—-
When I understood Social Networking I…(taken from The Little Book of Sical Media Marketing)

Understood myself and who I was
I learned what my value was
I learned my unique value

I looked outwards
I understood others and who they were
I became open with my thoughts, my actions and my heart
I became random with my ideas and connections

I became supportive in my intentions to others
I shared my thoughts, dreams and plans openly
I shared my knowledge widely
I supported other people’s dreams

I liked meeting new people
I loved meeting new people who weren’t ‘like me’
I stopped judging and started listening

I allowed my world to be bigger
I felt I was no longer alone
I cared for others and others cared for me

I found new opportunities because I learned to
read better and listen with intent
I woke up with purpose and intention
I felt people at the end of my keyboard as I typed

I realized I could write
I realized I could inspire others
I learned to teach
I found my voice and I liked what I heard

I really, deeply understood what it meant to be connected
I understood that I could feed others as well as myself
I found that when I fed others I could feed myself
I experienced serendipity the more people I knew and the more knew me

I learned to trust again
I learned my strengths
I stopped worrying about my weaknesses
I learned how to adapt, survive and grow as a person

I learned to slow down and notice my life and other people around me
I learned how to love my business life

I learned how to master technology so it served me and others
I could serve and support others in real time, on demand, globally
I changed my attitude to people and became their friend
I changed my thoughts, I felt positive

I became stronger through my network
Self esteem became social esteem
Self worth became social worth, everyone gained not just me
I became stronger because I could see and feel my value to others

I became intuitive, I learned to listen with my heart
I realized being me is enough, I like myself in fact
I am learning to love myself because others ‘like me’
I built my brand and I learned how to take care of it

I discovered my legacy
I realized that friendship is the most powerful force on the earth
I cherished my network
I became happier

I felt a sense of freedom and relief
I became known, Liked and followed

I became humane

I was richer in more ways than one

a bar with a jukebox and you on my arm heaven and earth are pretty much the same

the night brought some great rain to the area, wiping out the haze, to reveal a beautiful mountain range and a cool gentle breeze.

spent the day color coding different aspects of things to stay organized while destroying, to rebuild stronger.  the job is awesome, i’ll have plenty of flex room to do some cool things, and learn.

found a car, a 1994 vw golf convertible, red with black interior, purrs like a kitten, has a radio that i can shove a usb stick in, and i’m promised gets 35 mpg.

eating a couple times a week at awesome places, gravitating more to seafood than pasta.

beginning conversational learning with a few locals.

my government boss, of french heritage, will see my wrath on the racquetball court once i recall the angles, for now, i’m toast.

the espresso is to die for –

this week i’m heading to florence for a day trip, the last preserved Renaissance city in the world.

in the tiny tiny hours, between the evening and the day, we have placed our final bets, we have come out to play

a buddy of mine turned me on to design thinking about a year ago, since then i haven’t been able to get it off my mind, and i’ve been doing self neuro linguistic programming almost every free second of brainwaves.  it’s hyper game theory with an emphasis on yen and yang.

want to get to the true heart of the matter?  want to get as close as you can?  put yourself in the other persons shoes and live there for a while, now back in yours, now back in theirs, now back in yours, now back in theirs, now back in yours and craft your truths.  it is not debate or public discourse you’re looking for, its true empathy.  just imagine if politicos used these methods, much more common knowledge decision making would take place.

everywhere around we see successful cogs in the wheel, all working on their strategies to get ahead, mostly framed around, ‘how much does this pay?,’ while these disciplines are important, what happens when you have a room full of experts talking with a room full of experts, all of whom are right with their piece of the pie?  you have stalemate.

the water has led me down a path in life, lets call it ‘ying’, and i bring to the table ‘yang.’  my office environment, mission and intangibles are YING off the deep end, a little bit of yang creates awesome results with minimal effort, maximum effort yields some really cool things.

its not about individuals, its about the sum of the whole, and that is reconcilable with more design thinking, especially the empathy part.

it’s taken a great struggle to ‘get it’ and ‘apply it’

Luna understands
———————-

in the tiny tiny hours
(be) tween the evening and the day
we have placed our final bets
we have come out to play

fancy drinks a lucky toasts
i like this time the most

you’re out all night
chasin’ girlies
you’re late to work
and you go home earlies

lookin’ lost in chinatown
why are we hidin’ from our friends
rushing ’round in taxi cabs
is it time to make amends

you’ll get yours and i’ll get mine
you can’t be lucky all the time

you’re out all night
chasin’ girlies
you’re late to work
and you go home earlies

If miracles last forever, forever died yesterday, still you tell my soul i know i know

memory lane of david garza’s ‘this euphoria’ album, one of my all time favorite ‘pop’ albums, jammin’ that in college changed my life.

i’d say there’s a ton of things you can see from a different perspective, an american living somewhere other than america — but many opt out of the world view — doesn’t matter if its living overseas, or tackling a wiki page with a keen interest.  lots of things i see make the habitual ritual over the pond make my skin crawl.

the coffee is the thing, coffee here, amazing, i think of the gas station stuff, or the starbucks black, doesn’t compare.  a basic commodity, but done so differently, something perhaps of a passion to make a great brew, something that settles the stomach, gives you the boost after meals, gives you the energy for the afternoon, something social.

dinners last a long time here, lots of time to socialize, which is often tough for me, a VERY fast eater to throttle down, but its awesome.

the dialogue is totally different, the weather is HOT, just as hot as texas, this valley, something else — but at night its nice, and i’m assured the winter is cold and wet.

the hotel i’m staying, full of european tourists, i hear the italians go north to germany for holiday and vice versa.

tackling some big things personally and professionally, hopefully gracefully, and the results come out magnificently!

and when it’s over and the clover has left the mountainside, you’ll be the king of what survive

first post from Vicenza, Italy, the next chapter in the saga — natural beauty abounds, it’s hot, reminds me of the San Fernando Vally, good breeze…not bad.

Venice’s Marco Polo airport, is small and convenient.  I didn’t know Marco was from Venice, but you learn something new everyday, boy what an awesome traveller he was.

rolling around in a Fiat, some of the cool things you can do in Europe, head down an alley you don’t think you really belong in, only pull up very near a little roadside cafe, and no one looks with any bewilderment.  can’t do that in an excursion –

several things I’m trying to wrap my head around here, nothing that can really make the blog yet.

tomorrow i’m going to get up and run, then perhaps drive to fair Verona, the town where the Romeo and Juliet plot unfolded.  also hitting rosetta stone Italiano lesson one, trying to find permanent lodging too.

you got a heart you got a mind, but you can’t keep them in time

hanging out in dc, took a stroll down embassy row, the vp’s house, saw things like cato center and Carnegie Institute for international peace, etc — even did an extra roundabout around dupont circle.

heading out to baltimore, the ‘dingle berries of capitalism’ start to appear, McDonalds, KFC, Wendy’s, you name it. i have a splitting headache, I’m glad to see a Walgreens to pull in, to buy a predictably cheap bottle of aspirin.

I’m curious as to see if things in Europe will be as easy as convenient, making it possible for anyone to feel at home in a huge nation, weather you’re in Houston or DC.  Easy traveling….or will it be harder work and an inconsistent experience.

Consistency is awesome in the states, I like that part, but sometimes it gets old.  Sometimes I’d like to cruise somewhere and not see a Cracker Barrel, Best Buy, Buffalo Wild Wings, Target, Wal Mart, McDonalds, etc –

Makes me think about the EU, as their growth model (along with bringing prosperity to certain regions) is trying to keep up with Asia and America, at the expense of homogenization of their culture.

I personally don’t want to see a homogenized Europe, hence the aesthetic, sustainability and growth model I intend to invent and defend over the next 10 years or so.

the drying of the lawns i want to leave out there

the tallest man on earth sings a tune with a lyric, ‘leaving because you can’t feel what you’re dreaming of,’ which could potentially sum of the life of an expat, or someone with a restless heart.

i recall a gas station in Texas near my uncle’s house, about 70 miles away from my hometown, when i was 10 and went for a visit, i thought, wow, we are a long way from home, and it’s going to take a while to get back.  having a few 16 hour plus flights to the middle east will cure you of impatience, and put the big world in perspective.

i’m taking my patience and feeling dreaming heart overseas in a few days, and the course that’s led me to the point is remarkable…at least for me, the boy with little perspective other than that of 80 miles around my hometown to that of a vagabond on the road to everywhere, churning a ton of brain cells, hoping to channel into the solution of ‘x’ sooner than later.

bob dylan said you can go back, but not all the way, i totally understand this feeling — it has pro’s and con’s, but just like the story

Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers, I just had to hop on the ship.

To this day, from what I can boil down, humans are motivated by two major things, fear and love.  Love is only thing that by doing more and more, it actually makes you better and better.  Fear prohibits artistry, creativity and ambition, and life’s been a struggle to overcome fear.

I think about next week this time, I’ll be sitting in an Italian Cafe, probably pointing to something at the menu not being able to communicate effectively in the native tongue  and feeling firsthand what it feels like to be a visitor / guest living in a different local and the humility that goes along with this.

i’m anxious to see what’s behind door #2, i know its not going to be the trickeroo of ‘nothing,’ I know it’s going to be enriching, I know its the most permanent / comfortable feeling i’ve felt in ages, I know it’s going to change and enrich my life, I know I’ll have more time to get a book together.

I haven’t had a day in about 5 weeks where I’ve felt that I’ve just got out of the ring of a 15 round digital prize fight, I look forward to having a few of those a week.

It’s very difficult to leave family, it’s very difficult to only have the time budget for best friends of 2 hours or so. the weight is a gift and a liberation at the same time.  it amazing when you start looking at words and situations and flipping them, flipping them back, flipping them again, then flipping back to square one…you get closer to special things when you put yourself in other situations and other people’s shoes and eyes.

an amazing memory i have of italy, hanging out in the alps with a bunch of germans writing postcards to the folks back home, having a few beers, retiring in an exhausted state to under siege, I didn’t know Segal could speak Italian so well.  If he can do it, I think I can manage.

inside my suitcase an orchestra plays, the sun is still sunny, the lawn is still green

This Thanksgiving I’ll probably spend my 4 day weekend in Sarajevo.  I’m pretty sure there won’t be a turkey dinner involved, and more than likely I’ll have the same yearning.  While in Shiner I yearn for global perspective, the smell, taste, feel kind — while out an about I long to hear the tree in the front yard swaying in the wind. 

I’m curious to see things like the Latin Bridge, where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, places where the world has been turned upside down.

It amazes me, the ability to travel…throughout history people have been victims of geography, a Roman didn’t know Texas existed, in the modern world all things are possible that weren’t options in the past.

Postman was right when he said all of our technological glory hasn’t fundamentally changed the path of man, still the same challanges and threats, still the same attitudes and the constraints that bind them. 

Mother always said ‘wherever you go, there you are.’  Life has been great to me and I want to pay it back by being the best I can be.  Everywhere there is challange and opportunity, I’m happy to be seeing it at the macro level.

If he were my friend, Thoreau would ask me what the hell I’m doing in Europe, but I’m getting closer to a deep yet concise answer for him.  A simple answer, filled with nuance, maybe I know the 5 or so pieces that are part of the equation, now I’m trying to fit them all together. 

It will take a few more years, but right now life has truly become the journey and not the destination.