And you are here! Hey there!

Marie,
Hope your finding your new surroundings quite cozy. How is your first couple of nights in your new villa? How was the travel their? It must have been a nightmare. Have you started your yogi training just yet? Take it all in because when you come out the other side, you are not going to be the same person.
You’re not missing much on the corporate side. They just made this major shift in the company, coining the phrase "evolutionary business restructuring". The pricks basically did away with the local marketing department and decided to consolidate under the parent brand. Which means a promotion for the director of business development, while everyone under gets axed. Funny how those things work.
Things on my end are just the same. Same mundane work tasks that just seem pointless. The skills thay are good for no one except making some old guy rich as our company share holder goes up. But whatever, I’m trying to stay positive with the stuff I got going on outside of work.
No real news on the start up. I'll meet with them tomorrow to see what the status is on our prototype. At this point we're just trying to get some people to open their wallets. The other night my roommate and I managed to go to an entrepenuer mixer. Didnt realize until now I’ve never really networked before. I think I would have a hard time getting out of my comfort zone and putting myself out there. But I’m grown up now and I kicked myself to get into the unkown. Results were a lot more pleasant than I imagined. People seemed genuinely interested on what you have to offer.
Creatively, I have some works in the pipelines (as well as some ideas that have yet to be transformed to paper) and hopefully I’ll have something for you to read on your journey and perhaps give me some eastern mysticism that you are undoubtedly being exposed to.
Hope all is well and look forward to hearing from you.
Julian

A Provocation

That little fucker bit me!
The thought crossed my mind as I examined my thumb for broken skin. Only seeing the small indentation of teeth marks embedded on the flesh. No harm done....physically.
I was enjoying a peaceful Sunday afternoon with the soon to be Mrs., listening to Miles Davis on Pandora and enjoying a glass of red on the couch. In my jovial --yet admittedly mischievous nature --I decided to interact with our small white Terrier/Multese mix who was sitting in his own peace on the space of couch next to me, cradle warmly underneath the leg fold of my fiance's knee. 
For whatever reason, I'd thought I would give a few quick pops to the dogs rear --just for entertainment value --to see if he'd engage in some harmless play fighting. It would be all to my surprise that it was not so for the little fuzzy canine. He quickly lunged at my hand with all the ferocity of a rabid raccoon and found a mouthful that was my right thumb, digging his sharp mandibles into the small meat of the knuckle.
It wasn't so much the physical pain to my hand that began the boil of my tempermant, but that an animal that I thought to have a better acquaintance with would defend itself against me as if i was some unknown stranger. "All the walks and dinners I've provided for you at our expense! Surely, what is this world coming to??"
But what came next was, if not, more surprising. I lunged a hand at the poor dog's small lower mandible, aggressively challenging the animal in the most primitive combat known to any species. The wager that his bark was way to large for his bite and that my willingness to plunge my hand into his mouth, daring him to bite down with all his might and witness what sort of consequence would befall as a result.
But just as the confrontation began to escalate to epic proportions, his "mother" mercifully stepped in and squelched any further possible bloodshed. The tiny white dog was safe, and I, shamed and slightly betrayed, was left wiping the silva of my now sore fingers.
What has become of me?
To challenge my power against a lifeform that is obviously no match, or if anything, much in need of my graces. But why the sudden anger? No one on earth was questioning my manhood or social status --all having willingly admitted that I hold status over my relative domain and that this small, though shortsighted action by this occupying subject, is by no means any challenge to my seat.
So what the fuck gives?
If anything, I got hounded on by my fiance --explaining how the little dog didn't like to be bothered and that I was in the wrong for playing so rough. I argued my position but quickly realized that I was going to lose this argument. So I decided to be the bigger man and return to my studies. But after a moment of silence, the following words from my much beloved finance only added salt to the wound, "he probably doesn't like you anymore because you don't pet him enough."
What sort of tragedy has become of such a peaceful and tranquil Sunday afternoon? It was not as if I was pressing the matter, forcing all of my subjects into submission like some authoritarian. I had waved the white flagged and swallowed the rancid acid substance that was my pride. I had lost the battle. But this was a reckless provocation of continuing tension. Hasn't enough blood been spilt? I suppose the forces that be didn't have enough.
But I wasn't about to stoop to the expected low. I quietly picked up my book and went upstairs to continue reading, alone. After about 20 minutes, I was surprised to feel that the sting did not subside and that I just simply couldn't let it go. And so, I grabbed my keys and wallet, threw on a hooded sweatshirt and sandals, and left the apartment without so much as a word. "You will have to figure out their own dinners tonight. A man must reflect on his failure and come to grips upon is fallibility."
Over the years I've grappled with a much too explosive compulsion that always resorts to angered. In my 30s, I've been Fortunate to gain some wisdom and witness it happening before it can get to any sort of destruction. But it still doesn't make it any easier. If anything, the fear is much more pronounced, believing that every momentary confrontation can lead to certain doom.
My only course, when certain instances arrive, is to seek isolation and whether the storm as it passes by, without bystanders becoming unnecessary casualties. It is as if I devolve into some sort of a primitive state, only looking for immediate satisfaction such as food or entertainment --anything really that does not require any social responsibilities of being a "human."
Whatever the reason, I just need a break and a cold plate of pollo loco, consisting of two shrimp tacos and a side of rice and beans.
My fiancé will most likely wonder where I headed off two --probably an unanswered text message and a phone call that goes straight to voicemail because I set my mobile to airplane mode. She will probably ask about dinner when I get home and I will answer with a shrug and want to turn in early for the night. As I see it, it was a sacrifice on my part, to keep the peace and let sleeping dogs lie.

The Alternative Fact Syndrome

Instead of watching the much anticipated match up of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in their third and final debate, I ended up watching the Dodgers take on the Cubs in the NLCS. Just after the sixth when the Cubs were up 10 – 2, I decided to turn off the TV all together. I just needed a much needed break –just a little time to unwind and say enough is enough. Local sports have been a bit of a slump (although the NFL was finally back in LA), rent and gas prices were up, and the presidential race was devolving into a horrible episode of trash daytime television just before the early news.

What the hell is going on with this thing called the human race?

It’s almost becoming a bit of a clichĂ© of itself, having to walk through a supermarket with a small basket of discounted items because you have some sort of geo-targeted online add pulled up on your iPhone – just remember to show your cashier so they can scan your QSR code. We’re more and more becoming the guinea pigs to some social experiment that we didn’t even realize we consented for. From the fast food dining room, to the social media celebrities we follow, to the polarizing twitter hashtag defining who’s life actually matters for something, this place called civilization has amounted to nothing more than a catch phrase – a way for a bombastic loudmouth billionaire to cash in his chips and decide to inspire the masses armed with nothing more than a catchy slogan and a little misguided hatred towards the other. I’d almost say that I was dissatisfied that WWE star Stone Cold Steve Austin hasn’t just appeared at one of his rallies, giving him the ominous finger and body slamming him on a pile of dog shit. I guess that is why I can’t have good things in life.

            As long as ratings stay up, then business is ah-booming.Most of the time, I find myself just in awe of it all. Why watch your daytime soaps when you can just park yourself on a bench and watch the absurdity of everyday people. I sometimes find myself curious, if there was some sort of extraterrestrial civilization observing our every waking moment. I often just dismiss these as just random thoughts and discard them just as fast. But the more I rationalize the tripe that comes out of most of these media outlets and so-called “expert analyst,” the idea of a scripted reality for the amusement of these other worldly beings becomes more and more plausible.Could they be watching us at this very moment? Seeing us struggle and fall –waging war? Curing disease? Making love? This condition would seem something of a rarity –the only consciousness on our planet that can produce such questions. Are we to die and become no more or is there some sort of everlasting circle? Maybe we are to live on through the blood and body of our offspring. Just a passing thought in the maelstrom of on-demand streaming television.Just give me a couple more likes on my latest online tweet, just to let me know that it was all worth something.

December 31, 2016 came and went like a flash and I took a good look at the remains of wadded-up confetti flakes mixed in with wet beer soaked napkins on the floor. A brand new year and we’re getting ready for our celebrity savior Donald Trump to take office. The people have spoken so lets not waste a single breath trying to dispute it. My own energy is spent on trying to figure out what is going on in my own head –I had a hard enough time trying to dispute weather or not I should wear a pair off boxer-briefs out the package without washing it. Who has the time to fret over social-economic tragedies such as the American system when we have the ability to eat non-GMO burrito bowls, or binge watch on our tablets and iPhones?Last night, while drinking a couple of IPAs and playing jenga, I tried to count how many times I saw someone staring into their phones, making sure they “stayed connected.” The count got up to 22 before I had to take a piss, forgetting what my point was. Does it seem that they’re some grey filter between people now-a-days, even when I’m in mid conversation with them? I’ve become obsessed by the idea of being heard without having to compete with the sudden ping of a message notification.            

I’ve decided though that I will stay optimistic at the turn of this new year. The market is up and the states have an opportunity to build new forged relationships with foreign powers, because business is all about the “win-win.” As long as we leave it better than how we saw it, for our kids sake; our eternal lives depend on it. It’s the new frame of mind that I’ve managed to adopt, removing the all Supreme Being that runs my reality and focusing on man instead –because in the day of big data and big brother, it seems that there is only one thing guaranteed and that is the here and now –with only each other to keep us sane, no one else. Wars, politics, religious zealots, Donald Trump: it all seems senseless when placed in the context that we could very well be all alone in this whole great thing called the universe.

2017 puts a new perspective that we might actually need one another to survive what’s in store for us. Earth will not last forever, but will humanity rise up –and live past this modern age and into the stars? It may very well be in the dealing, but only if the chips fall in our favor. But lets at least make each other comfortable in the meantime. Forty-five days into this guys Presidency and I already want to hang ‘em up and say “maybe the next guy (or gal) will figure it out.” I know it’s a gross statement to speculate upon the legacy of Mr. Donald J. Trump, but what about the children? While the adults are having way too much fun playing politics, the next generation is already planting their foreheads upon their tiny little palms wondering if they’re already expected to come up with the solution. After all, we’re only borrowing this plot of land and sea from their gracious hearts.It’s not so bad, as long as we have The Bachelor on ABC Monday nights to keep us warm and secure, there’s no need to be weary on the foreign powers that are at this moment mobilizing against our weakness. Just take a moment and take in the bliss of selective notifications –if something bothers you that much, just unfriend them and if you can’t think of anything nice to say, find a twitter chain and blast some poor sap anonymously with a violent tirade in just under 127 characters or less.Remember, we are the world’s example of sophistication and social enlightenment, just as long as nobody cares too much about the alternative facts.