Leaving Facebook

I am leaving facebook. It’s not really about the social network itself, in fact, I think online social networks are a wonderfully valuable tool in so many ways. However, this is a personal statement about how I feel about what is happening in my life right now and how facebook has become an epicenter of resembling all of those qualities which I am trying to overcome.

First of all, the meaning of relationships in my life is very important to me. I value the physical presence of people and I value the effort that it takes to stay in touch with those you choose to connect with. I value the present moment and how it means more than any facebook picture can replicate. I feel that because I have spent so much of the last several years (almost half?) of my life exploring online socialization, I have lost a lot of these values that I hold dear to being human. And it’s gotten worse over the years! It’s not as though facebook takes away from personal relationships that I've already cultivated, but it does take a lot of energy and place it into a medium that is about expressing myself in images and snapshots of time, and blasting it out to several hundred people, many of whom probably wouldn't make the reciprical effort to be a part of my life.

My other intention is to take that energy out of capturing life in snapshots, and place it into capturing life in real time. Deepening the meaning of truly being in an experience rather than how it can be told as a story of ‘who you are’

I suppose you could look at Facebook as a form of art…an art in expressing yourself to the public, an art in engaging followers, an art of collecting connections; however you want to look at it, it’s an expression of a person. And I am all for self-expression and art. That's probably one reason why I Love it and have let it get this deep. I also think you could say facebook is an experience in itself. However, my feeling is that it has become a very shallow experience which I am adapting to, more and more, rather than seeking more fulfilling depth.

The art form I am looking to express is the art of living in the present moment, expressing my true essence through each handshake, each conversation, and each manifestation of the universe that I am personally interacting with. I want these experiences to cultivate as they are in the present, so that I can learn to trust my intuition, tap into knowing that the present will only manifest into what it can possibly become through experience. It’s an effort that is about acting and reacting to what is now, to flow into what is reflected and projected into what is to become. This is in contrast to the intention of planning how I 'wish' to 'portray' myself...or trying to judge what 'appears' to be rather than what is present.

This is not me placing a value judgment on facebook or those who utilize it. Just about everyone I know is on there, and believe me, I truly understand the social utility that I will be missing out on! This is about what facebook has become to me. In fact, given that I do all of my work from a computer, and I work in social media, it has probably become more entrenched for me than for others. It's become so close to home that I feel it has slowly crept into my social DNA and blood. This blood has begun to feel uncomfortable, as though it’s effecting my motivation, my space, and my time in ways that don’t feel healthy , natural, and in essence, feed only my ego. So I’d like to extricate myself from this experience for some time, to see how I might grow without it.

That's all :)

I'm in Berkeley California

It's been quite a while since I last visited this blog...I think I decided to stop blogging because I didn't want to share so much of myself with the world at large. I have once again come to that realization, but now it's in relation to Facebook.

I just went back and re-read my blog posts from the stage of life when I was living in Austin, TX - and I find it fascinating how my way of thinking has matured so much since I wrote all of those blog posts. I'm stil totally in line with a lot of the underarching themes of those blog posts...but I can hear my younger voice and it's cool to notice the growth. I even think the same when I look at the headline quote I chose "if you don't know where you are going..." I still like the quote, so I will keep it. But I definitely am a bit more clear on where I am going, and have every intention of choosing roads more deliberately.

Now that I have moved to Berkeley, CA, my biggest focus is to try to live in the moment, to see things as they are according to the clarity of communication between my heart and mind, and to eliminate the influence that my ego has over the decisions I make and the way I project myself to the world. Yes, a tall order! But I've been fascinated by the idea of Ohm (symbol above)...arriving upon a state of conciousness that eliminates the barrier of the ego and emerges as 'truyia' or your true self. This fascination began in the 24 hour Starbucks in Old Town, Chicago, when a random friend I met there explained the meaning of the symbol to me on the back of a napkin. It just so happened this was at that time of my life I was preparing to go to India for the summer, and also months before the big move to Austin was going to take place.

Now, here I am preparing to go abroad for my first trip to Europe in a few weeks, and thinking about states of consciousness again.

I love traveling because it's always going to wake you up to a new state of consciousness when you are placed in a foreign enviornment, outside of what you experience day to day. So I would like to go into this trip, fully aware that I have every intention to experience it moment by moment, fully present. I think I can do that.

I also just moved to Berkeley and just turned 25. So, I'm consciously entering into a stage of life filled with strong intention. To understand why I take each action I take, and how it relates as an expression of what I want to manifest.

I'm about to make a radical decision to help with this awarenss process...which I will share in the coming days.

Halley's Comet

My friend Alberto shared this with me. Pictures are worth a thousand words. What it makes me think about is the vastness of the universe, how small we are when placed in the context of ions and ions of existence, and most importantly - how fast life can pass us by. So embrace every moment you have, you've only got one life...make the most of it!

I've been Austinized

Yes, I must admit - I am falling in love with this city. But people...do NOT move here!! (we want to keep it this way forever!) Yup - that's the love of the local attitude here, and it works. Check out one of the reasons why below...and also see some friends in their rockin Chili cook-off!!

My life mission

I'm taking this marketing plan class @ NYU this summer, and last week we talked about mission statements. Our assignment this week was to write up a life mission statement. I'm sure it will change over time, but here is what I came up with today!


My mission for life is to continually keep an open and optimistic mind, learn something from each new life experience, always try my best, try to leave an impression on each person I meet, respect mankind, strive for a sense of balance, give back to those who have given to me, avoid mediocrity, seek new and exciting challenges, continually grow and expand my network, find a person to spend the rest of my life with, find a place where I want to settle down, own a profitable business or have a successful career which will finance my life endeavors, experience and understand true happiness from my perspective, and help others when I can.


That's one long run-on sentence.

Conquering the Big Apple

It’s only so often that I am inspired to write something worthwhile on this blog. Life is always a trip – but not always worth writing about. In fact, this past week has been one long crappy trip. I had a bunch of my possessions stolen from my storage locker, I broke a sideview mirror on my car by backing into a pole, and I injured a muscle in my leg during Yoga. My mom always told me bad things happen in threes, and then there’s also another one of her life proverb: “the sky is always darkest before the dawn.” I love that quote because it’s a physical truth - and you can’t really deny it. Plus it never fails to apply to my life. Before I left for Austin – we had a bedbug problem in the Chicago apartment, and I couldn’t stand one more night sleeping there with the psychological pain that I was itching every night I laid down for bed. When I arrived in Austin, sure enough a stream of wonderful happenings occurred in my life. And once again, The Sky is always darkest before the dawn is re-occuring. I arrived here in the East Village of New York City just yesterday, after one of the worst weeks of my life, and I fell in love with this town.

(Below: My street, entrance to my apartment)

I haven’t felt such a passion for a long time. Austin is filled with simple joys in life - sunny days, beautiful trails, smiling people, and a sense of contentment that is very difficult to find in many other places in this world. Yet, New York City fills me up with a different sense of joy. A joy which I find from the crowded streets of wonder. I wonder where each person I see comes from and where they are going? I wonder if their ancestors traveled thousands of miles across seas hundreds of years ago to settle here in the land of freedom. I wonder if that child zooming by on his tiny sized neon bike has parents at home worried about if he is getting lost in the streets of New York City. I wonder if that that old lady struggling to cross the street with her cane has lived to see this city transform through generations of evolution? I wonder how many of these strangers are having a meeting today which will impact the rest of their lives? And then I also wonder where the nearest yoga studio is so I can take shelter from the craziness that the bustling streets of this city bring to the world that is now mine.

(Below just a few shots of all the people watching)

I wonder and I wander. The streets of East Village. It has been an amazing past 24 hours. I sit here in B cup – a coffee shop with free wi-fi only blocks from my home on E. 3rd Street and Avenue B. The day is winding down, the sky is getting darker, and I am reflecting on all that I took in on this day. My journey began with a destination – Laughing Lotus. A yoga studio recommended to me by my Austin friend Wendy who lived in NYC for many years. I knew I had to get to 16th Street and 6th Avenue, I just didn’t know how I was going to get there. Since this area is mostly a grid, I figured I would venture out and find my way. On the way to Laughing Lotus – my first stop was for a warm coffee. The day turned out to be a bit cooler than I would have imagined. A brisk fifty five degree windy NYC day…nothing like the 95 degree days I had been living back in Austin. I had a choice between Starbucks and MUD coffee: gourmet coffee made in an orange truck parked on the street. Can you guess which I chose? The barista was a bit hung over, but he was really friendly, and he told me that he has an ‘agreement’ with the cops to let him park his coffee shop on the busy street. Free coffee for illegal parking and soliciting. Works for New York City!

(Below: MUD coffee, Laughing Lotus Yoga)

I walked and drank my coffee, trying to balance my yoga mat in my backpack which didn’t zip all the way, and hold my camera on my other wrist so I could snap a photo here and there. The wind had no mercy for a poor girl with all her belongings and hands full, before I could even sneeze from the smoggy air which I felt drifting into my nose, a few drips of coffee had made their way onto the white DePaul hoodie I was wearing. Oh city life…walking down the streets trying to stay warm and balance all of your belongings without bumping into someone or stepping in a puddle, it never fails that your coffee is going to spill. But that stain was reason for me to later stop into OldNavy and buy the zip-up hoodie I had been wanting for a while.

I finally got to the yoga studio, and it was just what I had imagined. The class I took was somewhat difficult, but I was able to breathe out all of the negativity from this past week, and breathe in the life that New York was offering me. When I left Laughing Lotus, I felt relaxed and excited all at once – a feeling of balance which is necessarily difficult to accomplish. Usually one feeling or the other takes over. So I figure this is going to be my quest for the next two months. I figure the newness and endless possibility will keep me excited, but can I add that into an equation with my job, taking a business class at NYU, living in very small headquarters, not having another shoulder to lean on, and still come out with a sense of equilibrium?

Having my possessions stolen last week made me more aware that at any moment everything you have can be wiped away in a split second by an unfortunate fateful occurrence. Which is why you have to make the most of this life, and squeeze every ounce of enjoyment from it that you can. And that is what I have come to New York City for!

I can already feel another dawn breaking :)

Oh...and how in the world can one avacado cost $2.50?!! Looks like no avacado on my sandwiches for a couple of months.

(Below: B Cup Coffee- Where I wrote this entry, and where you will probably find me spending much of time for the next 2 months)

The New UM Album

The new Umphrey's McGee album rocks!


Mantis

SxSW interactivities

So I'm finally getting around to journaling about my experience at SxSW. It all started about a month ago when my boss Chris called me to tell me that he was going to be out of town and that he was giving me his badge. The moment I said "cool!" on the phone, I had no idea what that cool really meant. All I knew was badge, conference, festival, Austin...I was going!

When I started looking through the schedule I was overwhelmed. There were tons of panels, speakers, events that were about social media, technology, business, communication, art, self expression, and parties! I thought I was going there to learn...little did I know that the party listings I was looking at were only one fraction of the endless number of parties that were being thrown at just about every bar in Austin. This is the one time of year when Austin comes alive to the max!


When I first arrived at the Austin Convention Center (pictured above) on Friday afternoon to attend some panels, I realized...these things are kind of boring. It's a bunch of people boasting about themselves and promoting their latest book or business venture. I also realized that I needed a GPS just get around the building! The ceilings were tall, the elevators only went to certain floors, and if you wanted to get from floor one to floor four, you had to take the escalator to floor three, walk to the other side of the building, go outside to the stairwell, then walk up to four. I must have walked over ten miles this weekend with all the navigating.

I learned on day one of SxSW Interactive that it's not really about seeing the speakers, it's about the people you meet and the conversations you take part in. So from Saturday on...I roamed around, talked to people about what to see, and hung out in lounges where I ate popcorn and people came up to talk to me because they were drawn to the red coolness of the Vivienne Tam mini netbook that I was using. (below is me typing on my VT mini)

I would have to say the best panel I went to was thanks to Peter Shankman, founder of HARO (help a reporter out). We first talked about how the press release is DEAD. I'm so glad that someone had reaffirmed my feeling from about a year ago when I was interning at a PR firm in Chicago and felt that drafting a press release was like conducting some kind of imaginary magic show where you wave a wand and everyone believes what they hear. All you had to do was use some new and exciting adjectives to make something boring into something exciting. I think there are much more valuable ways to use a great writing talent, and bloggers are finding that out all over the world. So, the idea is...why write twelve paragraphs fluffing up some idea, when you could say it all in 140 charactors on Twitter? Okay, this is an exaggeration, but really, it's time for the facade to end, and the excitement to begin. And Peter Shankman is one man who knows how to make things exciting.

I can't even begin to express how enthusiastic he was about what people had to say. For those of you who are new to twitter, you can watch this short clip from the Today Show and find out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29772038#29756189
But anyways, everyone has their laptops out, they are on twitter, and they are writing their thoughts about what people on the panel are saying as the presentation is going on, and Shankman is up on the stage, reading everyone's tweets and responding to them. A live silent conversation (silent conversation - is that an oxymoron??) was going on while a live presentation was going on above that, and they were simultaneously adding to the substance of the whole thing. It was just insanity. The point is, the insanity of social media has just begun, but it is fun, it is real (you can't ignore it) and it's not about rainbows and butterflies, it's reality happening in realtime, and people all around the world are talking about it 24/7. If you are not in the conversation, then people won't know who you are, and you will be competing with all the folks who are part of the conversation and are saying meaningful things and have listeners all over the globe. I could go on a long time about the ups and downs of all of this, but I want to get back to my story....(pic above of me and Shankman, PR and social media experts)

Some other elements of the story include being part of a video, meeting some awesomely passionate people, going to the ER, and chauffeuring friends around Austin.

My story ends on a Tuesday night, when I met up with a friend who is a music blogger. His text to me read: "I'm on the corner of 5th and congress with sandwiches and sparks on me. what u doing?" So I met up with him, drank a Sparks (combo of energy drink and beer) and got to see some shows that night. It was a totally different crowd Tuesday night. Out with the geeks, in with the hipsters. SxSW interactive was all the cool geeks, and SxSW music brings in all of the music loving hipsters. (See below picture. That's how my brain felt at the end of five days of technology talk surrounded by TypeA personalities, mixed with creative awesomeness, and a dash of margaritas and beer...in no particular order)

All in all, I came away with some great conversations, hopefully some good business contacts, a field trip, and some lessons about social media and where we might be headed.

Winning The Race

This year I decided I wanted to do something healthy, something new and adventurous, and something that would take me completely outside of my element...so I signed up to train for a half marathon. From day one I got comments from some like..." you are going to carry that caboose of yours 13 miles?!" and "The human body is not meant to run long distances like that" Not only was I hearing doubt from those around me, but internally, each time I ran and looked down at my feet I would think..."Where the heck are you going?!" and my mind would shout "I'm tired! let's go home and go out for a beer with friends!" Somewhere within the cloudiness of doubt I was able to make my way through five months of training, and hundreds of miles later, I reached my first finish line at the 3m half marathon on January 25, 2009!

It was my birthday that day, and the sky was a perfect cloudiness so that I wouldn't have to sweat so much. My family was in town this weekend to cheer me on at the race, so of course, getting to the race at 6:30 AM was a hectic event. Any time you involve my family in anything, things are like ten times harder than they have to be. I got to the race in literally just enough time to get my bib, tie my shoes on tight, go to the bathroom, and wait for everything to begin.

The first two miles were pleasant, because right away I (literally) ran into my running buddy Varsha. We kept each other company through the first two miles, at which point she said, "feel free to speed up if you'd like. You don't have to slow down for me." She had been in India for the past month and her training was not up to par, so she figured she would take it a bit slower this race. A couple minutes after that, my feet had picked up and I was moving faster. I was alone for the rest of the race...my mind thought about all kinds of things, mostly positive thoughts.

here are some of them.... "Happy Birthday to me, I can't believe you've made it this far, such a healthy thing to do for yourself, you have trained so long- good job!, did you ever think in a million years you would be running in a half marathon?, how did you get here?, look at all the people cheering you on - they don't have to do that, wow, this is a really nice world we live in, oh hey look there's my ASHA team members cheering me on and wishing me happy birthday at the halfway mark...HI FIVE!...the fundraising you have done is going to help imrove the lives of so many children in India, if you can run 13.1 miles think of all the other things you can accomplish in your life"

After the halfway point, I knew the route for the rest of the way because we had run the last seven miles the previous week, so everything was familiar. I was so thankful for that, because I was able to guage where I was in comparison to the finish line. The positive thoughts just kept coming as I coasted along for the next six miles. When I got to mile 12 I tried to speed up. But my legs could not physically go any faster. So I slowed back down again. If there's one thing I have learned from my yoga practice, it's that you have to listen to your body. The mind and body have to work together...because the health of both rely on one another.


When I saw the finish line I began sprinting. It was so exciting, I felt my heart swell with joy, and as I write this chills rush through my veins. As I crossed, they called my name and the announcer even said Happy Birthday. Thanks to my brother who had told him that it was my birthday. My brother and mom were there to give me great big hugs and flowers at the end, and that made me so happy and grateful for the support I have from my family!

Running a half marathon was a great birthday gift to give myself, because there is nothing that celebrates life more than accomplishing something greater than the number of years you have been alive. Sometimes we forget that we deserve to accomplish great things, and the routines of dailiy life can often take us on an endless rollercoaster where we feel such lack of control. that's why doing something like training for a half marathon can be so good. Here is something you can control in life, and here is a way to do something fulfilling and accomplish something that no one can take away from you.

All and all I feel like I have had so much success in my life so far! I must admit that I didn't really race this half marathon, that I didn't even care too much about the time and there is no way I could ever win a race! But heck...I do know that I can look back on my life with this accomplishment, and still know what it feels like to win!

Sweet Home Austin

I could be feeling stressed right now for the fact that I just got home three hours ago to find that my car battery is dead because I left my lights on for the two weeks I was gone for the holiday, or even because I found my mom's cell phone in my pocket that I managed to take home from Chicago and now have to go mail her. I could even be killing myself over the fact that my laptop almost got stolen at the airport. But instead I am cooking myself some pasta, writing a blog entry, and feeling content to be back to where I now call home: Austin, TX.

It is strange to call such a new place home, yet when I returned back from Chicago, a sense of comfort was restored in me. I think this feeling comes from a connection I have found here with my true sense of self. I physically and mentally embarked on a journey away from my past, away from my family, and have discovered so much. And going back to be with them, I learn so much more.

I love my family dearly, and had a chance to learn more about them this holiday as we ventured over to a distant cousins house for Christmas this year. I found out that my great Uncle served in World War Two as head of a P.O.W camp when he was only eighteen years old. I also found out that my Mom's father had graduated college when he was only 18. My great grandfather was the head of a large grain elevator operation in a small town of Okabena, Minnesota, and my grandma was kicked out of her school because she refused to wear stockings when it was a hot day. What an interesting family tree, and we haven't even gotten to the Jewish side of the family yet.

My mom's mother was Protestant Christian and my mom's father was Jewish. At that time, it was unheard of to have interfaith marriages, but they went against odds and pursued their love for one another. Thanks to their strong will, I am alive today!! So you see, I come from a very dynamic family, and an even more dynamic city. Which brings me to my next topic: The phenomenon of Chicago in the winter! But I'll save that for my next entry because I don't want to keep you here too long.

Happy 2009 everyone!

Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel

Happy Channukah everyone!

Here's a video I'm going to share with all of you that was done by my friend Danny who I met on my trip to Israel. It's a short funny clip about a game that we play to celebrate the holiday Channukah, the festival of lights for Jews, which comes around about the same time as Christmas. The game is called Dreidel. Watch...and Learn!

Click this link to watch the short video on how to play Dreidel:
http://palestra.net/videos/play/19770

In the world of social media

As many of you may or may not know, my job is in online social media... a place where we take our real live interaction as human beings into cyber realms, where we find places such as the blogosphere!

As one who studies the blogosphere for my work, I have come to find the six labels that we place you under as a visitor of cyperspace. (These labels come from Charlene Li's book Groundswell)We have creators, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators, and inactives. Intersting how this is only to approach the world of online social media, or what we might call the 'groundswell', but what about in real life? Can you place yourself into one of these categories?

Do you consider yourself a creator? One who puts ideas out there for others to hear? Spark ideas into realities as your share your knowledge and bring it to fruition? Have you ever brought someting to life? Then yes, you are a creator.

Are you a critic? Do you take everything that comes to you in life and analyze it. Look at its up sides and downsides, and make an overall judgment on it? Or to move on to our next category...

Are you a collector? Do you like to gain as much of something as possible? Do you like to categorize things into your life or break them down into portions? Do you like to pile things up in one place?

Joiners are those of us who like to network. We like to be social. We don't necessarily care very much about going into great detail, but we like to talk to others. We like to be a part of a community, at the greatest or slightest degree.

There are spectators and inactives. Spectators merely watch what is going on, but rarely participate in the action.

And inactives, well you know the kind. Just going from point A to point B oblivious to what is going on around them.

I haven't really told you how these different labels actually work in the realm of online social media. But I think it's more interesting to all of you to apply it to real life. Think about how you interact with the world around you. And to what degree?

The picture in this post is one that I took at O'hare airport on the moving walkway coming on my way back to Austin from Chicago. Thought it was pretty cool.

"Strange Overtones"

Hey Everyone ~ I haven't written in a while. To tide you over until my next detailed post, I am presenting you with this album preview entitled "Everything That Happens will Happen Today" which has been provided by the musicians - David Byrne and Brian Eno. The song I fell in love is called Strange Overtones. Enjoy!

Not Just Another Blog post on Obama

So I was talking to my brother last night about how optimistic we were for 2009 and how we are looking forward to the good that Obama would do for this country. I noted that although he was criticized for not having a lot of experience that this fact could actually be a really good thing. He will have to take advice from others where he lacks the experience, and this is important for a good leader. Someone who listens and doesn't make hasty decisions without the consent of his board.

But my brother noted an even better point. Did anyone know that Obama taught the constitution for ten years at University of Chicago?? I thought that was interesting tidbit. Wouldn't it be a novel idea for a President to actually uphold the teachings of the foundation of which this countries government is laid upon?

OBAMA 08!

Unhappy Trails and Halloween Tales

Sixth Street is definitely what it is hyped up to be here in Austin. It's much like a parade, where people just walk the strip in their decked out costumes. I dragged my friend Matt downtown, after he had worked like two hundred hours the past two weeks. After driving through traffic for thirty minutes, and finally finding a place to park, I realized I left my ID at home! So I snapped a few shots, we ate a gyros with potatoes? (the potatoes were part of the keeping Austin weird theme) and then headed back home. Halloween this year definitely made me more homesick than ever, but I'm glad I'll be going to Chicago for Thanksgiving.

The next morning was a run at 7:30AM. We were running the Greenbelt on this particular morning, I was told it was a little rocky. Rocky was not the word to describe this run. It was more of a hiking path, and I'm not one to enjoy jogging through such constraints. Sure enough, I fell, Twice, the second time really leaving a bruise and large scrape on my leg. I really want to go to Yoga today so I can thank my body for its natural healing abilities. That's what we do in Yoga. Twist our bodies in new angles every day, and then reflect on why we are grateful for the day. Who wouldn't enjoy that?


But the highlight of Halloween weekend was pancakes at Magnolias with my roommates. It was the thirty-forty minute wait that made those gingerbread pancakes taste that much better! I will be adding this to my google map of great places to go in Austin. When I finally finish my map, I will be posting it here. So stay tuned!

The Machine is using Us

Have you ever thought about how your interaction with the computer is affecting your life? How is it redefining all our values as human beings? Our relationships? How we communicate? Think about how many couples you know who met via myspace or online dating services. The number keeps increasing. And how many of your friends don't have facebook, myspace, or are linked to some online social community? The numbers are decreasing. This paradigm shift in the way we communicate with others means that we are going to have to re-evaluate many other definitions on what it means to be human. Take a look at this video created by cultural antrhopologist Michael Wesch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

What do you think?

Across The Finish Line

My race time: 1:03:39 = 10 minute 40 second mile time!!!!

It was a beautiful Fall morning, one where it is still dark outside when you wake up, and you have to use your wipers to wash the dew off your car wind shield. I didn’t know what to expect. Driving into the lot of IBM felt like I was entering a world of the unknown. I literally saw tents all around me and people milling about. But I cold not find my team.

When I found Sharanya at the Team Asha Table I felt ready. I pinned my number onto my bright red Asha shirt, and it was time to run my first race ever. The IBM 10K would be 6.1 miles, with about a mile of a warm up run totaling seven. I never in a million years would have pictured myself at the starting line of a running race, but here I was.

What brought me to train for the half marathon in the first place was the thought of doing something for myself, something where I would have to depend on no one but myself - for a sense of purpose and power. I was responsible for the first spark of energy to begin training, and I was responsible for carrying my momentum across days of training and through my first finish line without giving up on myself. In a world where we are constantly grappling to maintain a sense of control over a life which tosses us endless curve balls, running a race makes the journey seem worth it!

It was the best feeling in the world coming around the five mile marker and speeding up to push my hardest for that last 1.1 mile. When I saw the finish line I began to sprint, feeling the adrenaline pumping my heart, arms, and legs faster than they have ever gone before. I thought about all the negative feelings I had from the week, and threw them away at that last stretch. I was nearing the finish line, and all I wanted to feel was pure gratitude.

They called my name and number and at that moment I felt a sense of accomplishment that nothing else in this life has every created for me. I slapped my team members high fives and grinned one of the best smiles I had ever felt. The happiness came right from my heart and went right back to it. It began with a simple step and ended with a more complete sense of life.

Me running toward The Finish

On top of the World

Yesterday was quite the day, and it began with a 7AM wake up after a long night of drinking and networking. I ran six miles still a bit hung over, and it felt amazing afterward! The great thing about running is that any bad stuff you've got built up in your body/mind/soul can just burn away during the run. After that I went to Yoga, for a mental relaxation and to remind myself of this months intent: To get a job!

My room mate Anna and I got a chance to also hit up Mount Bonnell later Sunday. It's a great view of Austin, and it overlooks the lake with these amazing houses that maybe one day I will be able to live in. There is also a cute little hole-in-the-wall bar nearby here which would be nice to visit during sunset. You can sit outside, grab a 2 buck beer, and chill in the great hills of Austin. the name is Dry Crek Cafe.

Anna and I on Mount Bonnell / Dry Creek Saloon

Last note: As many of you may or may not know, both my desktop and laptop computers have failed me as I have been working to get my life together here in Austin. Thus, complicating the already complicated situation I am in. The great news of today is that I have gotten my desktop fixed for under $2oo, (I think I did pretty good!) and now can get the ball rolling a little more smoothly. My next task after I get a job is to get the laptop fixed or buy a new one. But first and foremost, my job. If anyone has any contacts in Austin who are looking for a marketing/PR person, please let me know.

Thanks for reading! Peace, love, and Austin.

Halley

One month Anniversary of Being in Austin

It is now October 2, 2008, just about one month from the day I moved to good ol' Austin, TX. What I love about this city is the laid back atmosphere, the flourishing arts and music culture, and the perfect balance between old fashioned southern comfort and contemporary urban spice. My days here have been filled with job hunting, networking, yoga, training for a half marathon, and exploring the lively sites that this city has to offer.

Here is a list of some sites I have enjoyed this far:

1. Running along Town Lake - there is an amazing runners community out here in Austin. And rightly so. There is a beautiful 25 or so mile trail with different paths that border the city's lake, and it makes for a great morning or early evening run when the air is usually cooler. There are runners everywhere, dogs jumping in the lake, and even rowers and canoers to see.

2. Swimming in Barton Springs - From 9-10pm you can visit this very large naturalspring-like pool for free. It's not really a pool, and it's not really a natural spring either, it just looks a little like both. There is a diving board and no chlorine. I went on the night of the full moon, and they showcased live music...we also joined in the spirit of the event and howled at the moon...How many times have y'all (yeah that's right, I said y'all) howled at the moon in unison with about fifty or so other people?

3. My apartment - I have been living with a strange combination of four(including myself) girls who come from completely different backgrounds, yet we mesh so very well. Emerald is the rebel from San Antonia, who is a lesbian and likes to skateboard. Anna is the Southern Bell from Houston, who is a really cool artist and likes to draw tatoos in her free time while watching movies. Maribelle is Mexican from a small town called Dimmit in Texas who is studying to be a social worker. And myself, the free spirited Jew from Chicago. It's great to have a place to come home where I know I am in good company.

Well that's all on Austin for now. Stay posted, because I have much more I need to share with you!