Looking Back

Looking back over the entries for the last couple of weeks, I noticed that it has been a while since I had written anything personal. I seemed to have been focused quite a bit on work.  Art is definitely imitating life there, since work has been my focus as we’ve gone through the transitional phase here at The Evil Corporation.  So, I thought I would take a few moments and make some personal updates, in no particular order.

No San Diego Comic Con 2012: The great tragedy of my summer.  Due to the high demand we were unable to get tickets to Comic Con San Diego this year.  It was definitely a bit of a heartbreaker, since that is usually the “Geek High Point” of my summer.  I do have the time off and I may still head down to San Diego on Comic Con weekend.  There are a lot of events that surround the convention that are not official events, but are still very fun, and of course, San Diego is a beautiful city. 

We Discover Haruki Murakami: T.R. made a brilliant discovery earlier this year that has colored the entire year, literature wise. She found and let me to the author Haruki Murakami, whose works I have quoted several times in the last couple of weeks.  He is a prolific and brilliant author and I am currently consuming two of his books at the same time – IQ84 and The Elephant Vanishes. Reading wise, this is shaping up to be the year of Murakami.

Adventures in an IPO Boot: I had a callus removed from my right foot a March and it healed up nicely.  When I went back for a follow-up, the podiatrist did not like the way it had healed, so he removed it again and put me back up on the IPO boot. I’ve been limping around on it for the last three weeks. On my last appointment, the removal site had completely healed, but he wanted me to stay off it for another week, to make sure it did not get irritated.  It has been an inconvenience that has influenced and shaped the last couple of weeks, since it takes my habit of pointless wandering and walking and puts it on the back burner, just as the spring is unfolding around us.

I Write:  I continue to write, working on my novel, though it seems to be continually transforming itself into something else. I would, at this point, call the act of creation a slippery one.

I Simplify: I am poised for another round of simplification, probably this weekend.  I’ve got more stuff that needs to go. It’s good stuff. It is interesting stuff. But, in the end, it is just stuff. I would say it is about five or six boxes worth, mostly odds and ends and knick-knacks.  I keep joking that I am going to end up living in my apartment, wearing a robe, with one blue bowl and my big screen TV.  I continue to enjoy the journey.

I Contemplate: I have been focused on contemplation.  I am reading a pretty good book right now, called “The Buddha Walks Into A Bar”, which is a basic and simple introduction to the concepts of Tibetan Buddhism, without all the religious overtones. I’ve learned some good things. I’ve also been listening to Tolle and Adyashanti. T.R. and I are both in a year of spiritual exploration and growth.