Interconnectedness

It is when we are trapped

in incessant streams of compulsive thinking

that the universe really disintegrates for us,

and we lose the ability to sense the interconnectedness

of all that exists.

Eckhart Tolle

October

Yes, seriously, it's OCTOBER.  Time to buy pumpkins, contemplate costumes, and usher in the last few months of the year. 

Breaking Bad Hysteria

My second home in the desert has always been without television.  Ironic, perhaps, given my profession, but something I never contemplated installing.  I favor evenings spent around the dinner table or fire pit, interacting instead of watching.  If alone I'm just as happy with a book, the endless entertainment online, or a movie at the local theater.  In nine years, I've never missed it, until tonight.  I knew I'd have no access to the much anticipated Breaking Bad finale when I needed to stay overnight, but I thought I could handle the suspense for another 24 hours.  However, as the countdown neared, and the collective excitement heated up online, I desperately wanted to partake.

 Friends on fb recommended various sites to download, and so my quest began.   Some sites were questionable, others had unapproved Apple applications.  I figured out how to open them, but then hit other unexplainable road blocks.  At midnight the download was available at AMC.com, so I waited up, but without cable affiliation in my current zip code I couldn't open it. At 1am it popped up on itunes, BUT my very SLOW internet connection the download wouldn't be complete for another five hours.  I admit it, I screamed.  I seriously contemplated driving to a Starbucks or hotel lobby in search of a fast connection.  Put the computer down.  I did, rationalizing I could wake up at 6am, refreshed,  and watch Walter White's demise.  It took an hour for my mind to settle, let go of the frustration, and drift off.  My subconscious did not fully participate, Walt and Jesse populated my dreams.  At daylight, I awoke as if I had been in battle, but excited nonetheless.  Yet somehow, in the middle of the night, with 78 minutes to go, the download paused.    My Breaking Bad odyssey wasn't over, but I needed a break from my obsession.  I continued the download, went to a yoga class, and returned, clear-headed, to watch Felina.

Wow.  Even watching on my laptop on a glorious sunny morning I was transported, and easily  absorbed in the unraveling of this story, and the criminal actions of Walter White.  I was surprised by the emotion, and respected the calm in which so many scenes were executed.  For the most part, the fighting and violence were in the past.  The lies certainly were.  This episode was finally about the truth, and righting wrongs.

PS in Black and White

After the sun slid behind the mountains, I strolled around my neighborhood, camera in hand. 

Inspiration

I've been trying to train myself to sleep on my back.  For years, I've slept on my stomach and a severely tweaked neck is the result.  Trying to break this habit has not been easy.  I resort to positions on my side, tossing and turning between my left and right.  Most nights I can find comfort, yet I know it would be even more beneficial if I could sleep on my back.  Perhaps Harry Rosen is just the inspiration I need.

Amber Light

I go through cycles of waking up early, pre-dawn, night sky outside my window.   I could roll over and go back to sleep, but I don't since it's one of my favorite times to read -- the book by my side, the script on my ipad, The New York Times, my favorite blogs -- absorb the silence, and watch the inky sky turn various shades of blue.  In early fall, the light on the hills glows, especially after a strong windy day.  The canyon has been cleansed, and the ocean  stretches across my view.  I am in temporary possession of this view.  My house has stood on this site for 86 years, and I've only inhabited it for the past 16.  I wonder whose eyes rested on this vista before me, and who will stir in the morning hours when I'm gone.

Full Moon Festival

I made good on my intention this summer to partake in the many outdoor activities happening in Los Angeles.  This past Saturday, I took the red line, to the gold line to the Full Moon Festival in Chinatown.  Bands, a DJ, food carts, galleries, and excellent people watching.  Technically, no longer summer.  The first evening of autumn had a chill in the air. Ushering in a new season, aware of time's persistent march.