The View Up Here

In many Eastern religions and philosophies exists the concept of living "in the present" or "in the now." If you say it out loud, you risk sounding like a Hippie or a New Ager or (God forbid) an artist. But I've come to the very clear understanding that this idea of living right in the moment isn't just for gurus and Vegans. While I strived for many years as a Buddhist to attain this moment-by-moment lifestyle, more often than not, I failed miserably at it. However, as a Catholic newly reintegrated back into the Church, I have found this to be an essential part of living fully in the light of God, attaining God's peace, and understanding what is truly important. Of course, it's not something the Catholic or most Christian Churches explicitly teach, per se, although plenty of Christian Mystics experienced and wrote at length about this aspect of prayer and spiritual life. But I believe it is part of what Yeshua the Messiah taught: not worrying about...

It's been a momentous month, August has. Here are the highlights: I am now the Assistant to the Director at Ithaca College's L.A. Program , as of this week. This came out of the blue; a couple weeks ago I received a call from the ICLA program's Chair (a good friend of mine through teaching screenwriting at I.C.). They needed a long-term temporary Assistant to start ASAP, as theirs had accepted a job teaching first grade and would be leaving just as classes start up this semester. I jumped at the opportunity, because:   a) I know everyone there b) the work isn't tough but it also isn't boring c) I get to be around students and assist them in various ways d) it's 10 minutes from my apartment, and I don't even need to think about a freeway, e) I feel like I'm still part of the Ithaca College family. And there are bounteous perks to this job, which make it even more lovely. They will have to open a formal search to fill the position permanently, which I ...

 Yup. 

I have experienced my first SoCal earthquake. There have been quite a few since I moved here, but I've slept through them all. Last night there was a 4.4 and an aftershock, and I missed them both because I was sitting on the floor at the time. But this morning around 9:30, I was lying on the bed reading, and the bed started swaying. I thought to myself "Either this is a quake or I'm about to levitate off the floor."  Sure 'nuff, it was a 4.1. USGS There have been two more since this morning, but on the first floor of the building, I haven't felt them. I would rather a number of small quakes let off some tension than have one big mega destruct-o-quake. But as my roommate put it, let's hope these are "buffet quakes" and not "appetizers."  :s