Occupy Wall Street: Organized Confusion

Well, it's that time American people seem to have enough, well at least some of them.  I've spent a decent portion of the last month trying to figure out what exactly 'Occupy Wall Street' is, what's their agenda, and what do they want to change?  I, of course, see that a good portion of the organization efforts have been conducted by a democratically owned website whom shall stay anonymous.  Not that I have anything against grassroots campaign of either the left or the right, but the Tea Party movement started off with good intentions, yet got quickly perverted once the Mainstream Media found out how to high jack their cause.  Which leads me to think the same thing will happen with the Occupy Wall Street movement, of course you never know how the 4th branch of the government can flip a movement like this to serve their own nefarious purposes.

On the surface, it looks like another misguided, dualistic, attempt to demonize one side of the government, while proclaiming the other side is just.  Something I will never be a part of, whether it's religion, politics, nationality, etc, I pride myself in not being able to be put inside a box.  Which is exactly why as each day passes I am supporting the movement more and more.  Sure there has to be clear cut, realistic demands of the movement, I.E, getting rid of the Federal Reserve, taking the lobbies of the money out of gov't, etc. But, the STRENGTH of this movement as I see it, is that there are very few clear cut objectives.  This movement is very hard to put inside a box, some think it's a bunch of hippies with no job, others think it's white collar college kids not reaping benefits of their education, some think it's only a movement for young people.  The strength of Occupy Wall Street movement is that they, whether knowingly or not, employ "Organized Confusion" to spread their word.  Their "word" is actually many words, most should agree that the money needs to get out of politics, lobbies buying candidates is clearly the biggest problem, along with the Federal Reserve creating currency with interest out of thin air.  The amazing thing, to me, is the range of topics that are being protested upon; some want to end the war, some want to get the money out of politics, some want Corporations to pay higher taxes, some want to end corporate bailouts, as long as the arguments being made are common to the overwhelming majority of the population this movement has the power to be transformational. 

Anyone that knows me knows I take the middle ground in almost everything, but even I am impressed by the population joining together in a just cause, even if nobody is exactly sure what that cause is.  I still think as a species we have a long way to go, it is easy for people to stand up and cry foul when the bullshit hits you in the face, but fucked up shit happens every day and a lot of people stay quiet.  The American mentality, as a whole, is ridiculous.  We have more cars than people with licenses, the average person is so caught up in materialism that it makes me wonder if many are protesting because they can't afford the new edition Jordan sneaks, as opposed to not being able to pay their student loans. America has been spoiled rotten that even the poorest people live like kings compared to other Countries.

So while I applaud your strategy, and praise your commitment, I still stand neutral.  I hope that a day comes when we don't need a reason to stand up for our rights, that people don't have to be pushed against a wall to rebel, that being stripped of your safe cocoon around yourself and your family doesn't set off an alarm.  What every American needs to understand is, they allowed their government to do corrupt things, allowed lobbies to run wild, allowed unjust wars to go on, allowed our government to deflate the currency by giving corporations huge bailouts, all while we sat at home and watched TV.  We allowed this because we bought into the idea that this country is infallible, that our government wouldn't do us dirty, that it was our given right to have what people in other countries would only dream of.  We as a collective people allowed the rug to be pulled out from under us.  So as I praise the commitment to all the people "Occupying" in this country, I stand firm on one thing, It should have never got to this, American's should have never taken for granted what they had, and for a big majority, until you make  your own sacrifices, this is a fight that can't be won...

Welcome to the New World...

Time for Reflection...

June has always been my favorite month, maybe it's that my birthday lies in this month, maybe it's the blooming weather, or maybe the nostalgia in me remembers June as the last month of school.  Either way, it's still to this day one of my favorite months.  So far this June has been great, I was excited to see the Dallas Mavericks win the NBA finals.  Although I am a hater of Lebron and the Heat, I really enjoyed the brand of basketball the Mavericks exhibited through out these playoffs, basketball is an art form and Dirk and his boys painted a masterpiece.  Now that the NBA finals are over I will be able to do more things; Sunday night salsa dancing social, and Thursday night Kundalini Yoga class are the most notable.

The excitement of this month has me thinking about the future, with June being the month of the Summer Solstice, the Sun begins it's slow but steady descent into shorter days and cooler airs.  That thought alone puts into perspective the beauty of this time, it's the apex of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the epic climax of the year if you will.  Ironic that this month marks a landmark of sorts in my life, I am finally turning 29 years old.  Most would not think that 29 is significant, but it is to me. I can't explain how many people in my  life always told me that the age of 29 always symbolizes significant life-changing events in one's life.  The idea of this most likely stems from the astrological landmark "Saturn Returns" which symbolizes the return of Saturn to the degrees occupied at the time of your birth, as this happen the person crosses into a new phase of their life, as the story goes.  I've battled with the rationale mind, and the feeling heart my whole life.  I can't explain why I feel this year to be different, but I do. 

This transition phase has already started.  On April 18th, my life changed drastically in the form of the Government halting the ability of it's citizens to play online poker on the three major websites.  This changed my life drastically, a source of income was wiped out, and a hobby was gone.  Poker has been such a huge part of my life since the time I learned the game in Spring 2003.  The interesting thing is I haven't missed the game at all, I almost forgot about the life I used to live.  I don't know if I will ever play poker with the regularity that i have over the past 8 years, but I don't think so.  The truth is poker will always be a part of my life, just not in the form of viewing cards and slinging chips.  The patience, humility, the understanding of variance, odds, expected value, and risk/reward that I have learned through the game of poker will inevitably help me in my next  venture.  Probably the most important thing I have learned is that life is a gamble.  We gamble with love, money, career, and happiness.  I think the common person does not know they are gambling because they are afraid to take risks.  I am sure in my life I have been to higher highs, and lower lows than what I perceive from the average person.  The crazy thing is I know they can go higher, and I know it can go lower.  The understanding that at my age there is still uncharted territory in my life, brings me a strong sense of anxiety.  It is an anxiety that is not something I believe to be bad or evil, but something that is helping me understand the challenge that lies before me.

Five days after the infamous black Friday of online poker my temp position came to an end.  I found myself without a job, without a hobby, and way too much time on my hands.  That three week span soon showed to be very important in my life.  Upon researching the "Twin Flame" phenomenon, I encountered an electric group of spiritual-truth seekers to network with.  I have been able to gather a lot of information from this group, and use it to increase my chi, balance my chakras, and keep my energy in a high state.  I am hoping, with diligence and hard work, the teaching of this network can help move my energy into a new place, a place that will help me move past the mental, spiritual, intellectual, and financial prison I found myself in the past few years.  Of course, change is a choice, at this time it's a choice I will gladly make.

"Go beyond everything. Don't collect anything. A king does not need to go shopping in his own kingdom. Nor does he beg. Remember, you are the Inner reality~pure awareness only. All that arises are appearances in consciousness. Don't bother with all that. Rest only as the awareness. This is the secret."  ~Mooji

The most peaceful thing...

I found recently one of the most peaceful, relaxing things I do is preparing my own food.  I try hard to eat healthy, natural foods that keep my body functioning at a high level.  The last dish I prepared was quinoa, with yellow peppers, zucchini squash, mushrooms and onions. I seasoned the vegetables and steamed them in a pan, then mixed with olive oil and lightly sauteed.  I mixed this with the quinoa to make a good dish that I packed for my work lunch this week.

A healthy alternative

As a very common axiom states "breakfast is the most important meal of the day."  This is, of course, debatable.  I personally think lunch is the most important.  My point of this is not to debate the merits of each meal time, but to break down a healthy alternative.  Breakfast seems to be the most robotic meal of the day, most people either grab a breakfast bar, eat a bagel/donut, or have a bowl of cereal.  It's important to eat healthy, as well as break the monotony of the regular breakfast routine. 

My favorite breakfast well known to almost anyone, it is oatmeal.  However, I am always sure to add in some extras.  Typically, I make oatmeal and mix in Grade B maple syrup along with fruit, either a banana, apple, blueberries, or strawberries.  I also have been adding in my favorite supplement, Maca Powder, a highly-nutrient dense whole food. I have also started mixing in Goji Powder, Goji Berries are a nutrient dense fruit that is known to have the highest ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) amongst fruits.  The higher a specific food's ORAC value, the better its ability to fight free radicals and help stop the aging process. 

This is a simple meal that takes less than 5 minutes to put together, it is tasty, convenient, and healthy.  Enjoy.

The NBA is turning into the WWF...

I mean, let's be honest the story lines are way bigger than the game, everyone is trying to create coalitions, and there are actually no rules enforced at all.  Do I need to continue? 

No, but I will.  David Stern, the NBA commissioner, has done his best to market the individual over the game in an effort to up popularity.  What he got was a more visible game, and a crappier product to people that actually understand the intricacies of basketball.  It's a tragedy that the best players, and the most popular are completely different.  I'm not into name dropping, so I won't but to be specific only two individual "superstars" have won a championship in the last ten years, the real success has been reaped by team playing, defensive minded teams.  With respect to the Lakers and the triangle offense, that team has a system that works and keeps opposing defenses honest.  It is completely fathomable that if Phil Jackson never came back and coached that team, or if they didn't get handed an elite big man for nothing, they wouldn't have two of the past three championships.  It's clear in my eyes the best teams of this past decade, Spurs, Celtics, Pistons, Lakers, Mavericks, Suns play a team style of play that is more effective than a superstar holding the ball.  Jersey sales amongst these teams are probably average or below that.

The daily hype about this player going there, and that player going here is exhausting.  It really is incredible to me how large-market franchises get spoon-fed  marquee players for next to nothing.  It seems, in some circumstances, that these franchises don't care about assembling a winner as long as they have a marketable face in their franchise.  It's funny how a lot of these players can only function properly when they are handed the ball and are allowed to do what they please.  Well, in their defense, the NBA has tried to take away team play and benefit the one-on-one player since the Jordan era.  It won't be long until the NBA mutates into five guys slashing to the rim, no more point guards and centers, just big slashers and small slashers.  In the words of Kevin Mchale, "The post player in the NBA has gone the way of the Buffalo."  Well Kevin, the true point guard is going the way of the Whooping Crane, the perimeter player that can actually move without the ball is going the way of the Komodo Dragon and the concept of team defense and rotation has disappeared like the Velociraptor.

 I guess the game might be better to watch.  Me personally I think a lot of these players are better off on the And-1 mix-tape tour with the other side show acts.  I would rather see the game played the way it should be, the way the teams that win play it.  Let's be honest though, most fans of the NBA are more concerned about what comes out of a player's twitter account, or what tattoo he has, than how the guy defends the pick and roll...

2-6-2011. Where have I been?

As predicted, I completely forgot I even had a blog.  Work, work, reading, gym, poker, TV, all of that has taken precedence over me writing anything.  For starters, this year has started out ok.  I got a new poker backer, and although it's not a dream situation it is getting me started.  Due to my demanding job I now have at Paychex, I don't have a lot of time to grind on the weekdays.  Luckily, I have been able to find a decent amount of success in the Full Tilt Poker 'Rush' tourneys.  These tournaments are great because they are turbo tournaments, so the blinds go up quicker thus making the tournament a lot faster, yet I can see probably 4x as many hands as I would in a regular tournament.  Seeing more hands is significant because it negates the turbo structure and gives you more play, thus increasing my advantage over the less fortunate.  I have done very well in these tournaments in January, and hope to continue this stretch.  Although I've had a lot of success in Rush tourneys, I need to set aside one or two weekdays to playing regular tourneys, although I run the risk of getting very little sleep, I need to make money fast.

Aside from poker, I have been active looking for a new job.  Although I like Paychex a lot, I want to find a job that is more fulfilling for me.  There has been a void left in my life since my time working for Spirituality for Kids ended, luckily I found a great website, Idealist.org, that has a lot of postings for jobs in non-profit organizations.  I have applied for a few jobs in NYC, and will apply for jobs in LA, and Las Vegas soon.  I've came to the conclusion that this year won't be better for me unless I make it.

As you can see it's been business as usual for me so far this year. However, I am open to a lot of things that can change my monotony.  I think I need to stay strong to one of my goals I set for 2011, to learn spanish.  So far I have come across a lot of job listings that stated "bilingual preferred." This seems like such in up hill battle to me at this time, because I don't have the time to take away from poker.  I think it's necessary to try and schedule a few nights a week to rigorous study.  I also need to spend time studying the healing modalities. Alternative, preventative healing has always been an interest of mine.  I need to invest more time studying, practicing, and meditating.  It would be great to one day have a successful healing practice using Reiki, Yoga,  sound nutrition, and any other healing practices I come across.  Healing needs to be more than a hobby, the world needs more healers, it could be my calling.  :)

Hopefully, the best, most balanced version of myself will emerge in 2011.  Off to bed, tomorrow is Monday. Work Work Work...