Painting Reality

I love urban art. Whether it is graffiti, street musicians and performers, or anything else which takes art and creativity to the streets. This is a great example of just that.

So... That's life I guess.

I always hate titling my blog posts. Especially since I haven't always decided what to write. When I write a paper or a report, or anything else which I plan to "present" to others - the title is easy to come by. I tend to have everything written before I even commit anything to paper... As I plan it in my head the title becomes clear, and guides the rest of the paper. And I write good papers. But my blogs tend to be more like my journal entries - train of thought. I usually have some form of idea about what I want to write, but not much. Nothing compared to what I do when I plan a paper. The interesting thing about all of this is that when I prepare a presentation or paper, it doesn't take me long to prepare. Things just come together naturally. I'm not sure what to do about this. Do I try to plan my blog out more (it would probably make it more relevant and marketable), or just do the title last. I don't really care if my blog is relevant and marketable - it is more of a private repository of my thoughts that I don't mind sharing with those close to me - and if someone else finds it interesting then so be it. I tend to try to organize my life - and keep myself as busy as possible (organization is essential when reading a book on the KGB, learning Chinese and Arabic, working, going to school, trying new things like scuba diving, and still going to every fair/festival/cultural event that I can make it to. When you are that busy, and trying to stay organized and on top of everything, sometimes your mind craves the ability to stop planning and let it all flow out in a topsy turvy disorder... Of course, while I think that tonight, tomorrow I may just change my mind.

I almost gave up on this blog thing for quite a while. I'm not sure why I'm back, I never really expect anyone to read it. And when I do write, it is difficult to find time in between everything else I do. But I return anyways... I write for me, I always have. It doesn't matter if it is a relationship problem, a bad day at work, or my thoughts on a geopolitical forecast for Russia for the next 20 years. Writing helps me to clarify my thoughts, formulate my opinions and find the weaknesses in my arguments. It helps me to vent and get things off my chest. It is a form of meditation that allows me to speak my opinions to the world - even if it isn't listening. So I enjoy writing. I can't promise to write everyday, but I'll write. Probably more often than I have written lately.

In the past few months I have climbed a lot; touched a shark; been to see a sandcastle competition; have picked fruit in AZ; seen the international space station; and been sung to by an astronaut. I have read several good books - I am currently reading: Intelligence Wars: American secret history from Hitler to al Qaeda which I am really enjoying. And am still dating the girl I absolutely love (the Natarax).

I went to the Aquarium today in downtown Houston with Nat and Justing. Loved it - though it doesn't really compare with the aquarium in Dallas, it was pretty awesome. Nat spent half an hour looking just at the Tigers. And then we rode the carousel and ferris wheel. It was a gorgeous time of night, and the lights from the buildings made it even more awesome. Next week we go to the zoo! :)

Osama bin Laden dead? What next?

So - forgive me for not posting often in the past few weeks, much in my life has been up in the air. What I was planning on writing on was a fairly lengthy set of thoughts about the Jasmine "protests" in China. Perhaps, though, with recent events, I should shorten those thoughts and save them for another day.

Osama bin Laden is dead supposedly. I say supposedly because we know so little about his death that I want a little more to go on than speculation. However, while I want more, I tend to think that the government would at least try with some care to not jump the gun on an announcement like this. Don't get me wrong, we have jumped the gun before, but the very fact that it happened last week and we have the body in custody tells me that - instead of just making an announcement - there was some care spent in making sure that it really was him. We shall see what comes of the DNA test. My real questions revolve around what will happen now. How will this be spun by Obama, and the various political groups in the US - as well as what will happen internationally. What will happen with Al Qaeda. Etc. An event like this is always considered an opportunity. Almost every group out there that has political power will try to use this in some way. Perhaps it will be to put down a different political party, or put themselves up in the public eye, or to motivate followers to radical action. Perhaps it will be used differently - I'm just excited to see what will happen.

With the various rumors out there about what happened (predator drone, ground forces in a mansion, etc.) I think STRATFOR is one of the best resources for current intelligence and analysis (much better than many news sources), so here is the link to what STRATFOR has to say.

Red Alert: Osama bin Laden Killed | STRATFOR

- Sean

 Edit: Above I stated that he was killed last week and it was only announced today (having gotten that information off of several news sites). Having watched President Obama's address on the matter, it seems that may be incorrect. He ordered the operation last week, but bin Laden was killed today - when the operation actually took place. For your convenience, here is the video. Thanks for reading.

How Twilight should have ended and French Climber Scales Worlds Tallest Tower

So. Not to hate on twilight anymore than I already have, but I thought that this video was hilarious. It's such a better ending than the original twilight.

Also thought that this was pretty cool. I don't necessarily have any plans to scale any buildings in my lifetime, but I've always thought it would be cool to try. Keeping that in mind, it takes a lot of talent and a lot of guts to try what this french climber did...
French Climber Scales Worlds Tallest Tower
Nat and I went climbing at the Texas Rock Gym yesterday. The plan is, I think, to start swimming twice a week, running/cycling twice a week, and climbing once a week. That way we get to have fun, do the things we like, and keep in shape. We are also both working on eating a bit healthier. A part of me really is a health freak - and I haven't been eating very well lately. So that is the plan for now. I've got some cool pics from climbing this week that I'll upload at some point soon. Till then, keep on keepin on!

Sean

Lybia to Yemen, US Soft Power, and Why We Don't Do Stupid Things

So far, the war in Lybia has been interesting to me for several reasons. The first is simple: It is a part of a regime change movement that seems to be sweeping through that part of the world - but which I think actually echoes recent events here in the US; the second is that it is an awkward situation and I want to know what is going to happen; and the third reason is because I find the US involvement to be an interesting dynamic change internationally.

Let me explain...

1) Echoes of the U.S.

For those who have not paid attention to the news, here is the simplified simple version: certain areas in the Middle East and Africa are undergoing everything from simple demonstrations to outright civil war. While each area has it's own special circumstances, most of them revolve around some similar aspects. Specifically (among other things) a pro-democratic movement (though pro-democratic must not be equated with a movement for westernization - something we forget sometimes), and a call for a regime change from primarily long standing rulers.

Now, why do I draw a parallel between that and anything that has happened recently in the US? We didn't go through a revolution where many people wanted more democracy lately. Or have we? I would say that, in our own special way, we have. We didn't have a civil war, or try to create a new government in the same sense that these countries are now doing, but we had some equivalencies.

The Bush regime (speaking of both the father and the son's differing regimes together) essentially led the country for  12 out of 20 years. It's 30 years shy of Gaddafi's regime in Lybia, but for a nation that is used to 4 - 8 years, it's still a bit of time. Towards the end of that time period, the approval rating for Bush dropped to an all time low. A form of media warfare (from twitter, to facebook, to the news) was waged against him and his regime. A challenger stepped up to the plate and promised "Change" - managing to unite members of the nation from all styles of life, religions, and political backgrounds. Protests were held where people wanted our government to undergo a restructuring of sorts, etc. The basic parallels continue without me writing them all down.

Perhaps it is a far cry from what is going on in other areas of the world, and I'm out on a limb. But I think it warrants at least a little bit of study to see what relationship may actually be there. If I decide to do so then I'll keep the blog updated about it.

2) The Situation

Now I, for simple reasons of time and space, can't write about everything that is going on that I find interesting. But let me hit at least a few of the high points...

Lybia, for example, isn't an easy situation. Why? Well... Read the news. First, we have a person in power who we don't want in power. Why don't we want him in power? Well, the list is rather long and includes everything from his tendency to take anger out on other nations by organizing terrorist attacks (officially he condemns terrorism now, but that is mainly just because it makes political sense for him to say that - not because he had an epiphany about how terrorism is wrong and he shouldn't do it); to doing things like broadcasting public executions of individuals who spoke out against his regime and said they want something else (like democracy). Just a look at how his military is acting right now (killing civilians for sport, raping women, etc) in their fight against the rebels says a bit about his regime.

So, we aid the rebels, right? Well, that probably isn't a good idea on several fronts. The U.S. has discovered through hard experience that the enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. We have trained and armed rebels in other countries only to have it blow up in our faces when those rebels decide to do something like killing a lot of innocent civilians (among other things, go read some history for more examples).

To make matters worse, the rebels don't really have any group or structure. They are not a political party that wants to take over the country. They have no real aims or goals other than to overthrow Gaddafi. What will they do once they succeed? They are not currently equipped to run a nation - and leaving a nation in chaotic disorder would be worse than leaving Gaddafi in power.

Lybia has other concerns as well... Examples: A large number of Al Qaida members came from, and returned to, Lybia. Installing a new government would possibly put more Al Qaida members and sympathizers in power. But what if Gaddafi remains in power? How does he strike back against nations which assembled against him - especially those near him? Terrorism? What if we arm the rebels and the advanced arms we give them fall into Gaddafi's hands or worse yet, Al Qaida's?

The final big reason why we can't just "jump in" and fix things (setting aside feasibility issues) is the plain fact that we have discovered that such things don't always work very well (Iraq for example). It isn't as easy for us as we would like it to be, and, to be straight, most nations don't like it when we start acting Imperialistic, ignore such things as national sovereignty, and just jump in and tell other nations what to do.

So, we send in airstrikes and enforce a no fly zone so that Gaddafi can't just wipe out and terrorize the rebels and their supporters. And we let them fight it out. Supposedly. My personal opinion is that we won't just completely sit back and watch. We will try to fly under the radar as much as we can in an attempt to help the rebels, but we will help them (though I doubt that we will send any troops over there unless the situation changes). A new democratic regime is always going to be something that we will try to support and push for. I would guess that we will push the rebels a bit to gain cohesiveness - both as a fighting group, and as a political movement. We will help them win - but only as much as we absolutely must, and will try to get them to form some sort of governing body that can take over once the regime change has been completed (should it be successful). Of course, we really don't have an exact exit strategy yet - but that's my prediction.

The worst thing that could, in the end, occur? In my opinion, is chaos. Put a nation in chaos for long enough and eventually they will turn to whoever can add some order - and quite often that can be a group worse than the one just removed. In Lybia as in Yemen (Where a large group of Al Qaida (Al Qaia on the Arabian Peninsula - AQAP) exist), if they fight too long and are left in chaos then eventually someone will step in to save the day - and there are plenty of unsavory characters who would like to do just that.

3) The Status Quo

So, with the enforcement of the no fly zone in Lybia, came a rather interesting shift in the status quo and international relations. This is what I find the most interesting to be honest... We stepped out and let someone else take over. Seems simple enough, right? I seriously doubt it. Stepping out allowed for some seriously needed retake of soft power - or at least that seems to be the thought. Will it work? Perhaps. But I don't think it will just give us more soft power. I think there is going to be a bit of a give and a take. There are plenty of nations out there who have been itching to get out from under the thumb of the United States. Even some of the nations that have played along nicely would like to get the U.S. to back off. By backing off so easily, I am afraid that some of those nations will now get the idea that they can push the U.S. around. Some will be glad to step in and show that they can do the job without help from the U.S. I don't see anything wrong with that for the moment. But what about the nations that see this as a bit of a political retreat and think that they now have room to maneuver and start making demands of us? Some would say that this is a good thing. Some would say that the gain in soft power is worth it. I'm not sure about either. What I am sure about is that the status quo has changed. Some places will see a gain in U.S. soft power because of it, some nations may even become better allies because of it, but some nations will see this as a part of a turning point and will start fighting for the power that the U.S. left when it stepped aside - and those nations may make themselves a nuisance in the future. ...of course, I'm no political forecaster so feel free to ignore me...

On a Different Note

I didn't want to blog to terribly much about the Quran burning and the protests and deaths which resulted, but I have to say, who in their right mind thought that this was a good idea? Let's attack an entire religion why don't we (while some may argue that it wasn't a religious attack, I don't see how they have a foot to stand on, what else was it if not a religious attack?). The thing I think is most interesting is what the Quran was "found guilty" of: "Crimes against humanity"; "the death, rape and torture of people worldwide whose only crime is not being of the Islamic faith"; and the promulgation of terrorism.

Now, I'm no expert, but I do read my bible every day, and I think that few biblical scholars could argue with me when I say that the bible would probably be found guilty of the same basic things. Look at the history of Christianity and tell me that it isn't filled with such acts. That is not how Christ taught to act... but then again, He did teach things like: Brotherly love; turning the other cheek; praying for those who hated you; etc. And, while I do not recall any time that Christ taught that we should burn the things that our neighbor feels are sacred, I do recall him teaching such things as loving your neighbor and reaching out to him. I have a feeling that if this group had reached out in some way to, say, a nearby Muslim group, it would have done far more to promote Christlike values. Instead, we have protests to worry about and burials to attend.

My suggestion? Let's not do stupid things like this anymore... We can do better.

Sean

Twilight

So... Twilight. My lecture on twilight has been repeated so many times that to try to type it out for this blog would be simply beating an old dead horse. But, having found the video that I'll share in a moment, I will give the summed up version of my feelings about the series...

It is the first book I can recall ever throwing. It is high school drama. I didn't like high school drama when I was in high school, so why on earth would I want to make it a part of my leisure time now? Bella is a typical teenage girl, and so is Edward. The funny thing is that so many girls I know think they are in love with Edward. The truth, however, is that - when you look at how Edward acts - we all know guys who act very similarly (minus the vampire teeth and sucking deer blood) and girls don't like them. The whole "I don't have a life of my own so I'll follow you everywhere and stare at you without an intelligent thought in my head and sneak into your bedroom to watch you sleep and cause drama in your life... etc" attitude just doesn't make for a great boyfriend. You can try to phrase it all nice and pretty, and the girls might think it sounds nice, but in practice it amounts to the same thing. Yes, being sensitive might make you a better boyfriend. But when a girl says she wants a sensitive boyfriend, she means that she wants a guy who is still a guy but sensitive to her as well (I shall save the rest of that particular rant for another day).

I could lecture on Twilight for a while, but the truth is that what really really irks me about the series, the thing that makes me the maddest, is that when you take out all the gunk - the chapters upon chapters of self pity and young love - there is actually a somewhat interesting plot. The story in itself I like - it isn't groundbreaking by any means, but I would enjoy it. I would enjoy it - if all the gunk was left out. "Inside of every novel is a wonderful short story just dying to get out" someone once told me, and it is - in my personal opinion - very true about the Twilight series.

So without further ado, another video for you to enjoy...



Sean

Elephant Intelligence and Japan

It's late. I'm sitting in bed trying to write a talk for church tomorrow (conceptually it's already mostly finished, finding the facts and quotes, etc, it's only just begun), and trying to get my lesson for elders quorum done (chapter 30 - charity), while my neighbors make so much noise that I'm surprised that no one has called the police yet. I came across (I always want to write "acrossed" but that isn't even a word) this video earlier. A recent elephant IQ test, and thought I would put it up here.

Video: Elephant IQ Test

I am a bit of an animal lover (which some people think is interesting since I have no pets, don't plan on getting any anytime soon, and rarely even play with my friends pets - but it is true, I really do have a part of me that loves stuff like this).

I am also going to post this link up for individuals who wish they could do something concerning the disaster in Japan. It is the link for the Japanese Red Cross. Whether you want to donate money, or just see what some of the relief efforts are which are taking place, this would be one place to start (there are others of course).

Japanese Red Cross English Site

I know too many people who seem apathetic to anything which happens outside of the US. Part of what makes this country great is our ability to effect what goes on outside of our borders - not just inside them. While I don't intend to start a rant, a part of me really wishes that more of my fellow countrymen paid closer attention to world affairs. I can't really complain about that, however, when many people I know don't even pay attention to national affairs... (I have classmates that don't know what the different branches of the government are, and confuse the Declaration of Independence with the Constitution, and who strongly claim certain party affiliations - but don't know anything about that party's platform). So - without ranting on how we should be aware of (and participate in) what is happening - both in this country and outside of it - maintaining an awareness of major disasters is at least a good start. The loss of human life should be considered with enough respect that a few minutes of keeping up to date on what is happening isn't that big of a put-out. So, without further ado, here is a link to the NY Times where you can find out at least the basics of what is happening over there (and if you happen to read about affairs in Libya, or go find a Japanese blog with information about their problems, then good for you).

The New York Times (Notice that I didn't put any links to specific articles - I'm making you do half the work yourself. Don't worry, it shouldn't be too hard).

Sean

Zombie Dates and Boombox

This is the best zombie dating site that I've found so far. I'm so glad I found it. It's changed my undeath forever. It's how I met my Nat... Give it a try!


Created by Mingle2.com (Dating for non-zombies)

ALSO:

This is officially my new favorite music video (there is a 4ish second clip that is slightly inappropriate - if you watch the evening news then you should be desensitized enough to not care too much).

Colors of Spring

This is just a sampling of some of the colors that are starting to appear here in Houston.

I would strongly suggest going for a walk... Nat and I have taken several exploratory trips around parks and similar places (this one was taken by a park between my apartment and HCC). The two big ones - Hermann and Memorial - have their own strengths. Hermann has the reflecting pool and the large pond and open space. I miss the water when I'm at Memorial, but it has the forested area so, if you find those places where you can't hear the freeway, it almost feels like you are on a mountain or some wilderness area. There are plenty of other places to go see as well though. Go explore! It's the perfect time of year to find something new! I love just heading somewhere new and getting lost. Natalie and I have made this into a dating habit for us. We might just take a walk and find something, or sit down with a map and see where we might be headed and what we can do when we get there (we got locked in a park at lake Houston a few weeks ago doing this). It's fun, it's free, it's relaxing, and you always can find something that you enjoy (exploring that is, not getting locked in a park).

Here we have Nat, who found an engraving of her home planet, showing us how they sit there...

Sean

Spring!

It was a beautiful day here in Houston today. Nat picked me up for church, but came early so that we had a few extra minutes to stop at Hermann park. It was perfect today. Warm but not yet hot. Clear skies. Birds singing. A gentle breeze. I've lived from California to Japan, and I've discovered that some places feel... Stagnant. Like the small, mosquito ponds, that develop when a creek dries up. But others have a feeling of life. It isn't one thing in particular. The sound of kids. The colors. The smell of street vendors food. The different languages you hear as you walk through an area. That's how today was, and I loved getting to stop and enjoy it, while sitting by the reflecting pond and holding my Natalie's hand. I'm grateful to live in a country where we have such freedom of personality. Whether it was watching the bride getting her picture taken, or the oriental couple wearing an interesting mix of eastern and western styled clothing, it was nice to see such a broad mixture of cultures.

The other thing that was prevalent in the park was families out for picnics. In fact, the park was so filled with them that we spent half of our few minutes there trying to find somewhere to park. It was nice to see so many families. It made me miss my own. Especially with my siblings headed to Chile, it would have been nice to have seen and spent some time with them and my parents today for a picnic. Ah well. Such is life.

We went to church, which was great, but then headed to Memorial park since we only got a few minutes at Hermann. Everyone was there. I was surprised that we did not come across more bikers - though there were still quite a few. Everyone seemed to be walking though. And they all seemed to bring their baby, their dogs, and their two best friends. We didn't do too much. My side was hurting by the time we got there. It's slowly getting better. But it's not there quite yet. Not only that but I'm still sore from PK yesterday. This actually makes me quite frustrated. Why? Because I should be in good enough shape to not really notice much from yesterday. We didn't work our legs much, but my legs are quite sore. This makes me mad because I've been dancing for the past two months. With as much dancing as I'm doing, my legs should have no problem... But I guess I'm just used to more physically challenging dance classes. I fell in love with dance because with it I could throw my body around and test and push my physical limits. I don't like prancing around dance. I want something with some meat to it... So I feel a little jipped to be honest. But such is life. It's PK season again, and I'm sure I'll be back to my normal level of physical fitness in no time.

With all the walking and exploring we did, we did manage to get at least some extra fun stuff in though...

Side pain, plus my first day with Houston Parkour

I have decided that I need to become a cartoonist. Too many uptight people get offended at cartoonists. I tend to offend certain people. At least if I were a cartoonist I'd have an excuse... Plus other people would get a kick out of it.

- If you were offended by my last comment then... (finish this thought yourself). -

So, my side... I get up in the morning in mild pain - after a shower and pain reliever I feel normal. I go about the day and in the afternoon it starts hurting mildly. By evening the pain really sucks... So I think I really do need to be a little more careful with myself. I might head to the doctors if it doesn't start getting better soon.

Speaking of being more careful with myself... I went with Nat to Houston Parkour today. I took it carefully with myself because of my side. Soooo... First impressions (keeping in mind that these may all be completely wrong - I'll update and write what is really up after I've been around them a little while longer)... I enjoyed the people. Everyone was nice. The warm up was ok. It was fun to start off with, but was missing a structure and wasn't quite thorough. But it's possible that they work certain areas in rotation... The problem was that the lack of a structured leadership meant that once it petered down, it stayed low energy with little going on (the 3 minutes of rain we got may have contributed to this, but it was mostly caused by the lack of structure). Things got going again a little bit with some creative focused movement, but the farther into the jam we got, the more and more people ended up standing around. The youtube videos probably aren't a great example of everything that they have going on, but it seems that there is a focus on practice of single specific movements, creative movement, and gymnastics, but they forget to put them to use in certain ways that are needful for a well rounded parkour practice. I see a lot of people performing one movement, perhaps followed by a second, but I am very surprised to see that a group that seems to have members with at least some level of competency in it, has videos of gym stunts and single movement mastery - but not a single video with a longer flow, hooking movements together. Likewise, I was once again surprised to discover that the jam didn't have a single flow that was presented in it - nor were there others off practicing alone creating their own flows. And I, for one, believe that is one of the most essential elements of a good parkour practice. The creation of a flow trains you to adapt each movement in a new way. It is by making fast transition flows that you learn grace and ease of movement, while being able to generate power with little or no preparation (ie: you don't get to run up to it, you only get a single set for example). Most importantly, that type of a series of movements allows you to really learn how to control that power. It is the combination of those things that allows a tracuer to move through obstacles with "flow" or grace and ease. Similarly, long flows, and other training methods all have elements that are essential to training for PK. Practicing - even mastering - each "move" does not a traceur make. I left feeling as if I had not yet done Parkour. I had exercised and prepared myself. I had fun with the creative movement section (I would do similar things if I were getting ready to choreograph a site specific work). I had even practiced some moves. But I had not strung them together in either a run or a flow. I had not had the opportunity to experience hooking one movement into the next, into the next... I had not gotten up from a roll with my eyes focused on my next target, my legs already sprinting before I'm completely upright, my body adjusting as I gauge the distance, to complete the next movement, etc... I felt as if I had done all the movement and physical things which surround and relate to the art of Parkour - without ever actually doing Parkour.

As for the group... I don't know them very well yet of course, but I have been around such groups enough that I'm pretty sure my impression of them is fairly accurate. There is the core group. They have some experience and skill, but are still green. They know that they have something, and they know that the something is going somewhere. They even know that they are supposed to figure out where it is going and how to get it there. But they haven't quite figured out what that something is yet, where it is going, or - since they don't know those things - how they are supposed to get it there. This makes me a little anxious actually... The reason is simple, I've been doing Parkour for almost half of my life. I'm not necessarily great. There are things I'm learning new all the time. But I have a good deal of experience, and I'm really not that bad at PK. It is a part of who I am. What that means is that I have a very good idea of what parkour is to me, and what it means in my life. Where I want to go with it. What I want to do with it. I see this group and I think I have a lot to offer. They have skill. They just need direction. The reason that makes me nervous is that they have a group that has been built around certain things. They may not have a perfect vision of where they are going - but they have some ideas. They have mentors. They have favorite YouTube videos. They have a general direction that they have been going in all along. They even have followers. Such groups are always going somewhere... And they have been going somewhere since they first started meeting and saying: "Hey, lets try this." They just don't have a clear enough vision of where they are going yet. Like driving with a foggy windshield. You get the general idea, but the details come later. So if I jump in and say: "Hey, this is what these guys did, and this is what I did, and this is the history, and if you did this you would probably do really well with this..." etc. Then, if I'm pointing them in the wrong direction for their group, then I can cause them a lot of frustration. For example... I am very much into Parkour philosophy. It governs a lot of my person PK practice. I saw a couple of guys who came later who seemed to be a little more into showboating... So, if this group is headed in a freerunning/showboating/etc direction, and I come and try to point them in a direction based on my philosophy, then it just won't work. And I think they are great, if my ideas and philosophy are different from theirs then I will find others with my attitude, and this group can go and do what they want. I see no reasons to rock this boat... Of course, if they do harmonize with how I feel about PK, then I really might have a few things to offer (or I could just have an inflated ego).

But then again, there is a pretty good possibility that I'm wrong and they know exactly what they are doing and where they are going and I just caught them on a down day (I'm not wrong. It's possible. But I'm not).

All in all: It's a really good group with some great people. They lack structure, and certain things in their practice (from what I have seen so far) that really need to be incorporated - but as they figure out what they have and where they are going, those problems will fix themselves. I left disappointed because I really hadn't done much PK - even though I had done everything else but parkour, but I'm going back and have a feeling that this group will be worth it to stick around with a while and see what happens. If I can contribute to the group then AWESOME. If not then I'll continue to do my own parkour practice and will find those with whome I can contribute.

Move,
Sean

Life Rules

I am an interesting mix of interests I have discovered. I love the opportunities I receive to experience new things - whether it be taking a class in a subject I know nothing about, eating a new kind of food, or enjoying a cultural performance. I'm also an organizer... My room is currently a mess, and that makes me very unhappy. Every few minutes I mentally go back to the note to myself to clean it because I won't be happy until it is arranged and organized. My journals are organized, not by time frame when they were written, but by the subject matter of which I am writing. Even my "adventures" must fit within a certain schedule within my life (Natalie is the same way, some of our biggest relationship problems occur - I recently realized - when the process by which I quantify my time and energy, and the process by which she does the same thing, yield very different results).

So I go through this process of "Clarify, Quantify, and Qualify - and then compartmentalize." When life gives me an experience that I want to remember as a life lesson, I try to simplify it down to the most concise statement that I can create defining that lesson. I call those statements my "rules." I didn't mean to start coming up with them. In fact, it has only been recently that I realized that I lived my life by a "code" so to speak. The list isn't long, but it has been integral to every major decision I have made in the past few years, and many of the smaller decisions as well. As I am making certain decisions now, dealing with problems, and individuals in my life - as well as changing certain life goals - I keep coming back to several of these rules to help me make certain decisions. I'm not a guru, but here are a couple of my rules:

1). You have a limited amount of time and energy: Discern, Prioritize, Allot, and Eliminate.

          This is, by far, the single most important rule, and one of the oldest, I have discovered. It seems to have a lot of new layers every time I go back to it I learn something new. It came about in High School. I discovered that there were a group of girls who would cause any type of drama they could to get my attention. I didn't recognize it as drama at first. I gave in to it to a certain extent. So I realized that by giving in to other peoples drama I waste my own time and energy. So, the rule I learned was my "Zero Tolerance Policy." Real life problems were fine, but drama for the sake of drama was not to be given in to. (This rule seems to make people mad...)
          On my mission I discovered another rule. It's simple and shouldn't need much explaining: As a part of human nature, we make time for the people and the things which are important to us, and excuses for everything else.
          These both melded together in college. It was then that I began to realize that a lot of what I needed to do (schoolwork for instance) was interrupted by the things which seemed important at the time, or were fun, or easy. I had a realization of something which I had already known in my head, but never had to apply to life, it was this: In life, I have two resources which are very precious, very limited, and easy to squander. Time, and Energy. I was busy. I had things that needed to get done. If I was to do them successfully, then I was going to have to decide what was important, and make sure that I allot my time and energy to those things which were most important before I give it to other things. If I don't then I would never get them done (there is always something else that I could be doing).
          With a little bit of time (remember, I wasn't consciously making rules, it was just a set of things that I had experienced and used to guide my other experiences) it started to apply to everything else in my life and has become what it now is.
          I have discovered that this applies to almost everything in my life. It has become the measuring stick for my life. Hate, for example, I have discovered just isn't worth the time and energy it takes to maintain it. There are people whom I know who I feel like I might have reasons to feel strong negative emotions for... But why? I don't really need to. I make a mental sticky note reminding myself to be very wary of that person for whatever the reason is, and then move on. I simply don't have the time and energy to waste on something that, quite frankly, is going to do absolutely nothing for me in the long run. It won't move me forward towards any of my goals. It'll just sap my ability to perform in other areas of my life.
          So... Discern what you spend your time and energy on now (a journal can be good for this, most people have absolutely no idea what they actually waste their resources on). Prioritize what is really important. Whether it is going to school, learning a new language, making sure that you get to go fishing once a month, or spending quality time with your family. If it isn't a priority, then just let it fall off your list. It's easier to let go of things when you just decide to let them go. Allot your resources (time and energy) on those things. How much do you have of your resources? How much are each of your priorities worth? Spend your resources on those things (yes, some amount of recreation should not make you feel guilty if you have it on your list). And finally Eliminate... Everything that sucks up your resources and distracts you from what is really important. New flash: Farmville is not more important than spending quality time with your kids. If you are spending 10 hours a week on farmville, and 2 hours with your family, then get rid of the distraction. You won't miss it (be it farmville, or too much tv, or even reading, or texting you BFF, etc). This is the hard one, but do it. You'll be happier. Whatever is distracting you from your real priorities, then eliminate it. Period. Don't be gentle. Don't try to balance it - you won't succeed. Just get rid of it.
          And then, once you've done it once, do it every single day. It makes life easier... Of course, that's just my point of view. Feel free to disagree.


2). Follow the path of least regret.
          This one is fairly simple compared to the last one. It tends to be the piece of advice I give most often to people when asked what I think. If you are going to regret getting a degree in physics when you want one in dance, then get the one in dance. If you are going to regret not breaking up with your boyfriend because you don't want him to feel bad, then break up with him. If you are going to regret not taking a job on the other side of the world then take the job. If you are going to regret that you didn't go back to school to learn to sing then go to school. Even if you are 65. You aren't getting any younger. Don't do what everyone else wants you to do. And don't do what you just think that you are supposed to do (I'm not saying to disregard your values. Do that and you'll regret it which would defeat the whole purpose - but don't give in to the idea that such-and-such is what I am supposed to be).
          And I don't use this as an escape route to get out of things I don't want to do. This is the tool I use to say, what do I really want? It turns out that most of the time I actually end up taking larger risks and working harder because of it. I put my heart on the platter and say that it's better to try and fail than to go through my whole life wishing I had tried. It's not always easy (neither is the last rule I put up, and they both require large doses of self honesty - which is something else that our culture seems to lack). This tool is especially helpful when you have to make a decision between two or more things. It is extremely helpful when you have a lot of voices pulling you in different directions and you need something to help you decide what decision to make. Follow the path which YOU will most likely regret the least - and don't look back.

So... those have been my thoughts, or some of them, as winter turns to spring here in Houston. Maybe not terribly wise, but they have been very practical in keeping my life going in the directions that make me the happiest.

Sean

New Year, New Goals

Well, 2011. It sounds so futuristic... What ever happened to the 90's? They weren't my favorite time to be honest, but it doesn't seem like it's been 11+ years to me. Time flies when you are having fun...

Recap to 2010... Work at the Henderson. Met Natalie and fell in love. Decorated her car for valentines. Not enough dance. Not enough dance. Not enough dance. Snuck into the Henderson (with permission) and danced on the stage (many many many times). Taught dance. Taught some more dance. Choreographed. Taught some more dance (for the college, for the high school, for D4H). Put on an amazing end of the year dance show at SJC in the Henderson. The dances were great, the dancers were great and had grown so much, and it was a lot of fun. Worked sound, worked lights, stage managed, and back to sound. Taught Parkour for the college, hated the red tape. JUMP Farmington with the Parkour Conspiracy! Taking classes just for fun. A week of improv and then NOW THE SHOW in SLC with Graham Brown, Brandin Steffensen, Brad Garner and more! Craziness as I try to move. Trying to pack Roberts stuff into our truck. Breaking down on the way to Dallas. Can't find anywhere to live! Finally, we found an apartment and moved in. Hoofing it through Houston. Free theater shows. Work at Lucky Strike bowling. Work at the Masquerade Theater. Random techie jobs around Houston. Trekking out to Cypress. Running spot here. Running Spot there. Choreographing dances in my kitchen. Giving dance lessons to Natalie. Having a phone that fell apart a little more everyday. Natalie taking me all over for birthday adventures! Loving learning Mandarin Chinese. Tons and tons of food for Thanksgiving. Playing dominoes with our neighbors - Nat and I officially became the pet white people that they love. They feed us soul food:) Going to the beach and movies with Nat. Nat performs for Juries so well that they have to pull her aside afterwords and tell her that she completely left everyone in the dust and blew them away! (She was amazing!) Walking and running next to the bayou. Discovering a new, outdoorsy type of park that we enjoyed walking through. Christmas shopping for the family and Nat. I got some grood gifts for people I think. Doctor Who addiction. Best Christmas and New Year ever! And so much more...

This year was pretty amazing. But I have a feeling that next year will be better. My mother sat everyone down and had us write down goals for last year that she put up in her bathroom. We did the same thing today. I accomplished my goals for last year. My goals for this year include getting my own apartment (not meaning to be rude to anyone, but I'm ready to be done with having a roommate. It was fun when I was younger, but I'm getting to the point where I want my own space). Organizing a improv/site specific dance group that performs "intrusion dances" (A dance in a non-theater space, where the audience doesn't know that they are about to participate in a performance - but in a good way) monthly. And producing/choreographing at least three dance productions by the end of the year. I'll keep updates coming.

I look forward to the new year with a great deal of optimism. I'm going to be taking tech classes again. I should be working with the China Cat dance company starting next month (updates will be forthcoming). I have found a performance space for my own works. And am working things out for work. My best friend and I will be going to school together at the end of the year... and so many more things to look forward to and be grateful for.

I'm headed back to Houston tonight. I've missed my family, and will miss them again. But such is life. Nice thing about family is that they are stuck with you.

Thank you to all of you who have affected my life so positively this year. And to all of those terrible, creative, beautiful, ugly, kind, mean, and deeply human people who have made my life what it is. I wish you love and peace. I take the good you've given me. I forgive the negative. And I hope you have an amazing year this year.

Dance and Dance again,
Sean

P.S. Stay tuned. I'm going to start posting my personal thoughts and reviews of various dance productions. From live performances, to youtube. The point will be to highlight various choreographic tools and options, for anyone interested in growing as a choreographer, or in just understanding dance better.