Monday
"If you pour a cup of tea, you are aware of extending your arm and touching the teapot, lifting it and pouring the water. Finally the water touches your teacup and fills it, and you stop pouring, and put the teapot down, precisely as in the Japanese tea ceremony. You become aware that each precise movement has dignity. We have long forgotten that activities can be simple and precise. Every act in our lives can contain simplicity and precision and thus can have tremendous beauty and dignity."

- Chogyam Trungpa 
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Posted by PunkAss at 1:07 PM

  Friday
" In an archery contest, when the stakes are earthware tiles, a contestant shoots with skill. When the stakes are belt buckles, he becomes hesitant, and if the stakes are pure gold he becomes nervous and confused. There is no difference as to his skill but, here is something he prizes, he allows outward consideration to weigh on his mind. All those who consider external things important, become stupid within."


- Chang Tzu 
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Posted by PunkAss at 8:20 AM

  Thursday
" The trouble is that you think you have time" - Zen Mondo 
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Posted by PunkAss at 3:09 PM

  Wednesday
" I do not seek, I find" -Pablo Picasso 
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Posted by PunkAss at 1:01 PM

  Tuesday
"Take in to account that great love and great achievements involve great risk"



- The Dalai Lama 
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Posted by PunkAss at 12:45 PM

  Overheard
This is one of the best things I've accidentally overheard in a while:

Dude#1: " Convert to Christianity while you still can!"

Dude#2: " What's wrong with Metric?" 
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Posted by PunkAss at 2:03 PM

  Monday - Grrrrrrrrrr
Today is VERY Monday. Took me 2 1/2 hours to get to work because of the snow, I now am going to be required to file a weekly status report at work every Monday ( I F'ing hate micro-managing), It's gonna take me close to 2 hrs to get home because of the snow, then I have to shovel. BLAH!

 
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Posted by PunkAss at 1:53 PM

  Wednesday
"Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might. When you laugh, laugh like hell and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough"

- William Saroyan 
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Posted by PunkAss at 11:18 AM

  The Power of Radio
So there I was in bed Saturday morning half asleep, just thinking about life and whatever and an interesting thing occurred to me; a sort of mental connect the dots that had never come into focus before (ok, a lame metaphor, but just go with me here). Three of the most prominent, life changing events, happened to me as a result of listening to the radio.

1.) April 1980. At 14, I often spent time with my big 'ol head phones on listening to the radio. I always made sure I had a cassette tape ready to go so I'd be ready to record a song I liked as soon as it came on. I know this seems kind of primitive in this age of iPods and mp3's, but hey, it was how things we done then. So, one night, I was flipping through the stations and I heard a song I had never heard before. Not only had I never heard it before, but I'd never heard anything like it before. It was Rush's "Spirit of Radio" and it changed EVERYTHING. I was so awe struck I went out the next day and bought the album (which I consequentially wore completely out and had to buy another copy). It was because of that moment, hearing that song that I decided to become a musician. I had always loved music, this brought it into focus for me (damn! Again with the focus thing).

2.) January 1993. I was in my fifth year of working a crappy warehouse job. One of the only things that kept me sane during the day was listing to the radio ( in this case, WBCN). One afternoon I heard an ad for North East Broadcasting School. The ad talked about getting your degree in music recording. I remember thinking to myself "Holy Crap! You can do that?!" Three weeks later I was signed up for September classes. This led to a multitude of things, one of which was becoming computer savvy which led to my career in IT. (no focus thing this time)

3.) January 2002. While sitting in traffic on the Gilmore bridge one morning on the way to work, an ad came on (this time WFNX)for the Northeast AIDS Ride. 4 Days, 350 miles, New York to Boston. I don't honestly know why but I instantly said " I have to do this". I really hadn't done much riding to speak of for years, didn't own a bike capable of making the voyage, had never done fund raising before, but I HAD to do it. 6 Months later I was rolling into Government Center in Boston, after 4 days on the road, a forever changed man. I was now addicted to my bike.

So, in closing just let me say, " Keep you antennas up"(hehe) you never know what's out there....


 
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Posted by PunkAss at 10:59 AM

  A Little Brimstone Anyone?
The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Second Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Extreme
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Extreme
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test 
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Posted by PunkAss at 4:28 PM

  Wednesday
"are you lost or incomplete
do you feel like a puzzle you can't find your missing piece
tell me how you feel
well i feel like they're talking in a language i don't speak
and they're talking it to me"



- Chris Martin 
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Posted by PunkAss at 6:22 PM

  My Sister
I did something last night that I very rarely if ever do; go out to dinner with my sister Laurie. She's nine years older than me and when we were kids, she took me everywhere with her. I dare say she helped raise me as much as my Mom did. I can remember her pulling me through the snow on a sled to her friends house. One Christmas eve, she nearly froze her hand off holding it out the window to shake sleigh bells so I could "hear" Santa coming. She was always doing stuff like that for me. Of course, the down side to being her "favorite toy" was having her and her friends dress me up like a little girl and go dance for my mother ( but I looked FAH-bulous , I was an ACTION transvestite!).

Years past, she got married, move out, started a family (now 23,19, 15). She didn't move far but we each got caught up in our own lives and really didn't hang out much any more. Not to mention the fact that in my 20's I was a complete ass and had issues with anything "family". To spite that, and through everything, I've always felt that bond we forged as kids was still there. Now that her kids are grown ( and I've grown up><) we've started to hang out again. Over the past five years or so, I've been able to help her family with all of their computer issues. It feels nice to be able to do something for her for a change.

I still belive that just because someone is related to you by blood, it doesn't mean they're family. But, I've also learned that it can also mean that they are.......

Thx Lau:)

 
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Posted by PunkAss at 12:16 PM

  Monday
"The moment between before and after is called Truth" - Katagiri Roshi 
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Posted by PunkAss at 10:05 AM

  James Brown
I feel good at this moment. I just started my spring training...well training in order to be in shape for spring riding. I have a plan all layed out ( 3 days on 1 day off , 2 days on 1 off). I got myself a couple of the Spinervals DVDs to help structure my workouts. Now comes the hard part...Sticking to it....

and now here it is, you moment of Zen:


"It's not what you think it is. And neither is it otherwise" 
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Posted by PunkAss at 1:13 PM

  Wednesday

"You are never too old to be what you might have been. " 
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Posted by PunkAss at 4:42 PM

  Tuesday
"If you never want to see the face of Hell, when you come home from work every night, dance with your kitchen towel, and if your worried about waking up your family, take off your shoes."


- Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav
 
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Posted by PunkAss at 4:03 PM