I believe all humans possess a certain aura of energy. And contained within this energy is our ego, karma, and desire. When energy counterparts converge there is a bond formed. For some reason there becomes a powerful attraction. Stronger than magnetic fields. The desire pushes forward the good karma, and destroys the bad so long as the two energies remain together: The ego becomes one. At this point, endless possibilities exist within the aura of communal energy. As long as the ego remain one, there will be no pain or bad karma. Only peaceful existence. Love.
Nick
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Goodbye July
Goodbye July,
You've been much too kind.
You gave me sunshine, fireworks, perfect beach days, parties with beautiful people, with beautiful ideas, music constantly flowing from the bar to my bed, kissing me with the sweet sounds of crickets, friendships grow like the flowers in my mother's garden, the garden in which I shed my sweat to help grow, alongside my most beloved person, an understanding of how to love, happiness in each day, rainy summer days (never too bad), a new pair of running shoes, roads to run down, and up, guitar songs, 10 books to add to my "read list", famous people to meet (but what is fame really? being known? I know the whole world exists, your all famous!), a new wardrobe of bizarre clothes, pizza, ice cream, and beer, what else do you need as my mom would say?
Thanks July,
You've been much too kind.
This band is called Delorean, they are from Spain, and are amazing. Enjoy. They are playing in boston on my birthday, anyone who wants to come let me know! :)
You've been much too kind.
You gave me sunshine, fireworks, perfect beach days, parties with beautiful people, with beautiful ideas, music constantly flowing from the bar to my bed, kissing me with the sweet sounds of crickets, friendships grow like the flowers in my mother's garden, the garden in which I shed my sweat to help grow, alongside my most beloved person, an understanding of how to love, happiness in each day, rainy summer days (never too bad), a new pair of running shoes, roads to run down, and up, guitar songs, 10 books to add to my "read list", famous people to meet (but what is fame really? being known? I know the whole world exists, your all famous!), a new wardrobe of bizarre clothes, pizza, ice cream, and beer, what else do you need as my mom would say?
Thanks July,
You've been much too kind.
This band is called Delorean, they are from Spain, and are amazing. Enjoy. They are playing in boston on my birthday, anyone who wants to come let me know! :)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Big Prize
You ever find money in your pocket to your complete and pleasant surprise? It's a great fucking feeling right! Well, lately I feel like I've been finding lots of metaphorical money in the pockets of my life. Life has a funny way of going up, up, up for me and then plummeting downwards. :( but lately I've just taken everything as it comes and the surprise dollar bills I've been discovering have been true blessings. I'm huge believer in fate, and I have a theory that a certain night has changed the course of my life forever. And for the better. This night took place at my second home in providence, Lupos Heartbreak Hotel. July 6th, The Flaming Lips blasted pounds of yellow confetti and as I leaped in the air, catching falling pieces, I felt this love in my heart, a happiness, a peace. I realized that in life, it makes no sense to carry burdens or pains, because in reality, we're living each and everyday. Isn't it much nicer to live life with a smile and a view always on the bright side? Wayne Coyne said at the end of the show, something I will never forget: "You all might have come her tonight with some sort of pain, something bothering you, just things not going so well, but that's all gone now, all that pain is gone, and we're all here together, right now. I want you to sing this next song as loud as you can!" The lips then burst into "Do You Realize" and as a line in the song elegantly puts, "the happiness makes you cry". I smiled as a tear rolled down my face. It was truly life changing. Inspiring. Transcendent almost. But the song perfectly captured all my emotions and erupted them into a mess of confetti and sublime happiness. An experience like this only happens a few times in one's life, so it is important to meditate on the meaning, the symbol, the fate behind its power. That night i found an hundred dollar bill in my pocket (which mean's it didn't come from me; fact: I've never possessed an hundred dollar bill), and it was the happiest of surprises. I've been slowly spending it in my life since then, but I feel it will never run out. My love will never run out. So I encourage all of you, to search the pockets of your own life for the big prize, and when you find it, cherish it!
Love,
nick
This song will forever give me goosebumps and make me cry tears of joy in my <3.
Love,
nick
This song will forever give me goosebumps and make me cry tears of joy in my <3.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Plunges into the freezing sea
Peekaboo! Here i am! :)
Its been forever since i've posted on this barely read blog. Sorry to my four readers! But anyhooo, life is splendid. This summer has been pretty much a majestic gift put into my tiny hands. Here are the things that have made my summer great, and things i have learned (no particular order):
FIRES!
PIZZA and a bottle of wine.
TOTALLY could live at the beach!
DRIVING is really easy.
BONNAROO is fucking awesome!
NEW friends make me happy.
STARS and lips make me super happy. ;)
FLAMING lips make me super super happy!
MARGARINE is way better than butter.
SOUTH has basically no laws.
HAPPINESS is easy to find if you love everyone.
VINYL will never die.
RUNNING free is the way to go.
MEDITATION free's the mind.
KILL the ego.
SELF-SUFFICIENT meals taste way better.
JIM morrision is the man.
WORK will always suck.
HOMELESSNESS is an option.
ANYONE can kiss me and I'll like it.
LARGE world, not small world.
EXPLORATION of mind and soul.
POETS die young.
FOOD is not needed to survive.
ANTIBIOTICS work miracles.
MAKE music, not money.
LOVE is endless.
BEER is cheap.
DANCING is always fun.
NUDITY is normal.
BLUE jays are my favorite bird.
STRAWBERRIES taste so sweet in the summertime.
SONIC exists.
MUSIC can change lives.
TENNESSEE should be closer.
MONEY should be burned with drugs.
CHAIRS are really comfortable beds.
ARTISTS provoke the unknown.
BEACH hair gives me great volume.
UH, yeah...
love,
nick
This band is called Puro Instinct (formerly known as Pearl Harbor). I saw them play the other night in Boston with Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Magic Kids. They are really great and su-peer cool (pronounce that with a french accent and it'll make sense).
Its been forever since i've posted on this barely read blog. Sorry to my four readers! But anyhooo, life is splendid. This summer has been pretty much a majestic gift put into my tiny hands. Here are the things that have made my summer great, and things i have learned (no particular order):
FIRES!
PIZZA and a bottle of wine.
TOTALLY could live at the beach!
DRIVING is really easy.
BONNAROO is fucking awesome!
NEW friends make me happy.
STARS and lips make me super happy. ;)
FLAMING lips make me super super happy!
MARGARINE is way better than butter.
SOUTH has basically no laws.
HAPPINESS is easy to find if you love everyone.
VINYL will never die.
RUNNING free is the way to go.
MEDITATION free's the mind.
KILL the ego.
SELF-SUFFICIENT meals taste way better.
JIM morrision is the man.
WORK will always suck.
HOMELESSNESS is an option.
ANYONE can kiss me and I'll like it.
LARGE world, not small world.
EXPLORATION of mind and soul.
POETS die young.
FOOD is not needed to survive.
ANTIBIOTICS work miracles.
MAKE music, not money.
LOVE is endless.
BEER is cheap.
DANCING is always fun.
NUDITY is normal.
BLUE jays are my favorite bird.
STRAWBERRIES taste so sweet in the summertime.
SONIC exists.
MUSIC can change lives.
TENNESSEE should be closer.
MONEY should be burned with drugs.
CHAIRS are really comfortable beds.
ARTISTS provoke the unknown.
BEACH hair gives me great volume.
UH, yeah...
love,
nick
This band is called Puro Instinct (formerly known as Pearl Harbor). I saw them play the other night in Boston with Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Magic Kids. They are really great and su-peer cool (pronounce that with a french accent and it'll make sense).
Monday, March 29, 2010
Emergency Poncho!
Rain. So much rain. Wet. So very wet. Poncho. All problems solved (almost). I don't understand why more people don't use ponchos. They are quick, easy, practical - what else could you ask for? Ok if it came with a free joint or something that'd be sweet - that's just those Mexican ones though, oh wait I've got one of those too! Safe to say Ponchos rock. $1 ocean state job lot. chyeah.
Haven't written here in quite a while. Been pretty busy, busy doing nothing and everything all at the same time and still not being able to fit in the right stuff. I'll figure it out eventually, I just need to finagle the clocks just right so that I can fit everything in as I see it my mind. Then it will be beautiful; I will be beautiful. Like a poncho or something. Twirling in the rain. Exhilarating, exhausting heavy gasps of temperate ecstasy. Holding back from running free. Someday soon it will come, and there will be brilliant fields of flowers, beer cans, kit-kat wrappers, and perfume scented air floating softly into our whiskered noses. It will be warm, 80 degrees, and we'll all be smiling. You'll all be there, smiling, laughing, enjoying life before the end.
Thats what I see coming.
Thats all I want to see.
Springtime wishes
May the sunshine melt
away my $1 poncho
into a beautiful puddle
of innocent tranquility,
and spread its colors
on the flowering trees.
Love Always,
nick
Local Natives = my current obsession, great music, very fleet fox-ish, but completely their own sound, great harmonizing, catchy stuff.
Haven't written here in quite a while. Been pretty busy, busy doing nothing and everything all at the same time and still not being able to fit in the right stuff. I'll figure it out eventually, I just need to finagle the clocks just right so that I can fit everything in as I see it my mind. Then it will be beautiful; I will be beautiful. Like a poncho or something. Twirling in the rain. Exhilarating, exhausting heavy gasps of temperate ecstasy. Holding back from running free. Someday soon it will come, and there will be brilliant fields of flowers, beer cans, kit-kat wrappers, and perfume scented air floating softly into our whiskered noses. It will be warm, 80 degrees, and we'll all be smiling. You'll all be there, smiling, laughing, enjoying life before the end.
Thats what I see coming.
Thats all I want to see.
Springtime wishes
May the sunshine melt
away my $1 poncho
into a beautiful puddle
of innocent tranquility,
and spread its colors
on the flowering trees.
Love Always,
nick
Local Natives = my current obsession, great music, very fleet fox-ish, but completely their own sound, great harmonizing, catchy stuff.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Trains, Circles, Peace Oh MY!!!!
So It has been quite a while since my last post, and things have been quite interesting, both good and bad. This is gonna be a long post so I'm gonna write it in 3 chapters. Enjoy.
CHAPTER 1 -- Riding Trains Backwards
Three weeks ago I payed a visit to a friend in Worcester, Massachusetts, and rather than driving 45 minutes like a normal person, I choose to take the train. There were two options: 1) Hop onto a moving cargo train running on the Providence-Worcester rail line, or 2) Take a commuter rail to Boston, then to Worcester. Due to a combination of lack of experience and motivation I scratched #1 from the list (although I still dream of one day accomplishing such a feat) and so I choose the latter. 2 hours later I was in Worcester. The visit itself was quite unmemorable, pretty routine stuff, beers and pizza. The train rides were the experience highlights of the trip, as I stared out the window of the train on my way home I watched things fly by and seeing them fade into the distance - "riding the train backwards!" It was amazing to think of how so much of my life comes down to the same idea: I was never riding forwards, looking ahead to the future, but I was always stuck facing backwards, staring at the past, never seeing what lies ahead. Time to move forward.
CHAPTER 2 - Circles
In this section I explore the possibility of having already lived... pretty far out, I know. But think about each time you've experienced the "phenomenon" of deja vu. Something occurs, in which you feel within has occurred before. Was it the past? Or was it the future? Why couldn't it be both? Maybe the reason what you see is so familiar is because you have actually already experienced it. I'm a big believer in the circle. Its a perfect shape. You start anywhere on its perimeter and follow it along, and eventually you will hit the same point again. Maybe I used to be a flower, or perhaps a squirrel, and at some point my circle went around and at the end I came out a kid. The next time you kill a spider, remember you only end one of his lives.
CHAPTER 3 - Pieces of peace
How can a person, a country, a world be happy without peace? It is the true happiness of the mind and soul. If we are all children of this world where has the harmony gone? My own life has hit times of depression and pain. So how to solve this: find peace. So I will continue to search for it, and spread to everyone. Because no matter who you are, I have so much love for you all. One of the most important things to me is to never be hated by anyone or anything. I want to be harmless. Call me a pacifist, a hippie, or whatever label will be placed on me, but my heart steers me towards this reality. I invite you all to join me, spread peace, its good for you, I promise.
Full of Love,
nick
Talk about peaceful beauty, Vashti Bunyan I love you!!
CHAPTER 1 -- Riding Trains Backwards
Three weeks ago I payed a visit to a friend in Worcester, Massachusetts, and rather than driving 45 minutes like a normal person, I choose to take the train. There were two options: 1) Hop onto a moving cargo train running on the Providence-Worcester rail line, or 2) Take a commuter rail to Boston, then to Worcester. Due to a combination of lack of experience and motivation I scratched #1 from the list (although I still dream of one day accomplishing such a feat) and so I choose the latter. 2 hours later I was in Worcester. The visit itself was quite unmemorable, pretty routine stuff, beers and pizza. The train rides were the experience highlights of the trip, as I stared out the window of the train on my way home I watched things fly by and seeing them fade into the distance - "riding the train backwards!" It was amazing to think of how so much of my life comes down to the same idea: I was never riding forwards, looking ahead to the future, but I was always stuck facing backwards, staring at the past, never seeing what lies ahead. Time to move forward.
CHAPTER 2 - Circles
In this section I explore the possibility of having already lived... pretty far out, I know. But think about each time you've experienced the "phenomenon" of deja vu. Something occurs, in which you feel within has occurred before. Was it the past? Or was it the future? Why couldn't it be both? Maybe the reason what you see is so familiar is because you have actually already experienced it. I'm a big believer in the circle. Its a perfect shape. You start anywhere on its perimeter and follow it along, and eventually you will hit the same point again. Maybe I used to be a flower, or perhaps a squirrel, and at some point my circle went around and at the end I came out a kid. The next time you kill a spider, remember you only end one of his lives.
CHAPTER 3 - Pieces of peace
How can a person, a country, a world be happy without peace? It is the true happiness of the mind and soul. If we are all children of this world where has the harmony gone? My own life has hit times of depression and pain. So how to solve this: find peace. So I will continue to search for it, and spread to everyone. Because no matter who you are, I have so much love for you all. One of the most important things to me is to never be hated by anyone or anything. I want to be harmless. Call me a pacifist, a hippie, or whatever label will be placed on me, but my heart steers me towards this reality. I invite you all to join me, spread peace, its good for you, I promise.
Full of Love,
nick
Talk about peaceful beauty, Vashti Bunyan I love you!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Coffeeshop 657
I stare out the window of the coffee shop, and an image of my face reflects opaquely on the frozen glass back to me. It makes me sad. I never thought I would end up at this lonely coffee shop hidden down an alley and behind the bus station, at such an early hour. I sit alone and out of place. All around me are homeless and desolate out-of-luck types. They were the kind of people I once graciously handed change to when they asked me. Though I myself did not possess much, I always felt I had at least a little more than them and that I should at least try to help them out. But now, as I gaze out the window of the coffee shop, and watch the snowflakes fall, I wonder, perhaps this is where I belong. Like the falling snowflakes I have descended from the clouds. It is the human spirit that undergoes this same cycle and it just so happens I’ve become a snowflake much faster than most people. The people around me are just as much snowflakes as I am. But here I sit feeling all alone. I walk with a penny in my shoe and a pen without ink.
love,
nick
love,
nick
Monday, January 25, 2010
Cuckoo!!!
The new semester has arrived and I possess no complaints thus far. My classes are all creative, thought provoking, and truly darn interesting (except mathematics). In my U.S. Fiction Since 1960 class I am reading Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Kesey's writing style, subject, and lifestyle/beliefs are truly inspiring, I hope to someday achieve such a talent.
This in mind, the weekend can be described with one word, "strange". Two tiny tabs of paper. Voila! Cogitio Ergo Sum!
Followed by lots of CHAOS.... It was an exhausting few hours on Friday night. It was a trip so chaotic and unexplainable, from one room to another, outside, then to one house, then back, pizza, cigarettes, weed, two bands at two houses, and then back again.
I realized a tremendous amount on Friday night. Hoffman can be thanked, his mistake is beautiful. Memories, visions, dissecting, analyzing each and every aspect to determine the direct effect and purpose. For instance, I remember looking at a computer screen and seeing the inside of it, tangled wires, lights, circuits all spiraling chaotically around performing specific actions. These actions however appear on the surface to be simple such as charging an ipod, but if we ever saw the process from the very inside, start to finish, then we would know the complications behind the process.
This same principle applies to anything in this world. Life moves to quickly to stop and acknowledge any of this or ever appreciate it. This is why forests have been disappearing and why our atmosphere fills with bad chemicals. Humankind is quickly spiraling to a horrible place.
Most people don't even question how their own mind functions. They make decisions based on what others have told them. I realized on Friday, that no matter what, decisions should be closely analyzed from within like it is the electrical wiring of a machine. The true motive and desired result should be taken into account. Only then can a decision become truly your own choice. And if you are clearly defined in making a decision, you will never make a poor decision.
This is very similar thinking to Josef Pieper in his book The Four Cardinal Virtues. In his book, he defines prudence as the most important virtue man possesses. Somehow, many have forgotten this basic knowledge when it comes to life. The distractions of money, fame, and popularity have completely evaporated the idea of prudent thought. Prudence floats in our mind as a cloud now, its truth comes down in raindrops, after poor decisions force us to stop and think.
Prudence will guide me from now on through my life experiences and decisions. So despite how strange this past weekend may have been, I've come away with a tremendous amount of internal peace. At the same time, I am perplexed by just how far from reality things can become. I must explore more roads, faces, and places. I'll try to keep all my travels written in a journal, so I don't forget their true meaning.
love,
nick
I would highly advise watching this short three song concert at NPR of a band called Edward Sharpe and the Magnificent Zeroes. Amazing performers, would love to see them live!
This in mind, the weekend can be described with one word, "strange". Two tiny tabs of paper. Voila! Cogitio Ergo Sum!
Followed by lots of CHAOS.... It was an exhausting few hours on Friday night. It was a trip so chaotic and unexplainable, from one room to another, outside, then to one house, then back, pizza, cigarettes, weed, two bands at two houses, and then back again.
I realized a tremendous amount on Friday night. Hoffman can be thanked, his mistake is beautiful. Memories, visions, dissecting, analyzing each and every aspect to determine the direct effect and purpose. For instance, I remember looking at a computer screen and seeing the inside of it, tangled wires, lights, circuits all spiraling chaotically around performing specific actions. These actions however appear on the surface to be simple such as charging an ipod, but if we ever saw the process from the very inside, start to finish, then we would know the complications behind the process.
This same principle applies to anything in this world. Life moves to quickly to stop and acknowledge any of this or ever appreciate it. This is why forests have been disappearing and why our atmosphere fills with bad chemicals. Humankind is quickly spiraling to a horrible place.
Most people don't even question how their own mind functions. They make decisions based on what others have told them. I realized on Friday, that no matter what, decisions should be closely analyzed from within like it is the electrical wiring of a machine. The true motive and desired result should be taken into account. Only then can a decision become truly your own choice. And if you are clearly defined in making a decision, you will never make a poor decision.
This is very similar thinking to Josef Pieper in his book The Four Cardinal Virtues. In his book, he defines prudence as the most important virtue man possesses. Somehow, many have forgotten this basic knowledge when it comes to life. The distractions of money, fame, and popularity have completely evaporated the idea of prudent thought. Prudence floats in our mind as a cloud now, its truth comes down in raindrops, after poor decisions force us to stop and think.
Prudence will guide me from now on through my life experiences and decisions. So despite how strange this past weekend may have been, I've come away with a tremendous amount of internal peace. At the same time, I am perplexed by just how far from reality things can become. I must explore more roads, faces, and places. I'll try to keep all my travels written in a journal, so I don't forget their true meaning.
love,
nick
I would highly advise watching this short three song concert at NPR of a band called Edward Sharpe and the Magnificent Zeroes. Amazing performers, would love to see them live!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Interesting faces and interesting places
I have no license.
This statement may seem pretty absurd to most people. A 20 year-old without a license? To some this may seem pretty horrible, but I think it is pretty wonderful, and here are my reasons why (no particular order):
1) The environment is a little bit healthier! If we all do little things they can go a long way. By not driving, based off of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's annual emissions report I have saved 45,800 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, as well as 2,324 gallons of gasoline in only four years! So please take advantage of public transportation, bikes, and the earliest form of transportation walking!!!
2) RIPTA - Where else can you find a cowboy, native american, purple-suited-pimp, 500-pound human or basically anyone as weird as a Wes Anderson movie character? Kennedy Plaza is home to most of these people, and strangely enough it has become a very popular spot to find me as well. Despite the appearance of the RIPTA travelers, I've met some very nice people on my bus rides. It is also very humbling to see the difficulty and struggle some people face in this country. Many of the people on the bus are struggling both to get somewhere and get by. The bus illustrates the part of society that the government ignores, but I see them and I see that I am no different from them, after all, my bank account is currently at 57 cents.... despite the frustration of late buses, the RIPTA has been an uplifting part of being licenseless.
3) Walking with or without a destination. This could be one of the most complex, awesome, and awesomely complex part of not having a license. These days people dread the idea of having to walk places, no matter how far or how close people hate the idea of walking. I am being kind of mean in saying "people" but I would confirm that a large majority would rather drive somewhere that is over a mile away.
Well not me. I enjoy walking and not just to a destination. Its much more exciting to start with idea of a destination and then arrive to different and beautiful places along the way. Walking is a chance to let your imagination run free and to find peace within. You must search for the best things in life and walking can take you to them. When I'm not sure of whether or not I should follow a path or jump a fence I simply think of the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. It has always been misunderstood, but if you look at it closely it is quite inspiring. (Sidenote: Everyone should acquire at some point in their life an anthology of Robert Frost poetry, it will change your life)
4) Bumming rides. I don't think I am allowed to post this without at least acknowledging anyone I've ever bummed a ride from or hitchhiked with. THANKS!!! Without me not having a license you wouldn't have that vagabond-homeless friend in your group!
This list is probably missing many things but these are the major attractions to not having a license. It is a humbling testament to discovering beauty in traveling to interesting places and meeting interesting faces.
With more roads to travel,
nick
This statement may seem pretty absurd to most people. A 20 year-old without a license? To some this may seem pretty horrible, but I think it is pretty wonderful, and here are my reasons why (no particular order):
1) The environment is a little bit healthier! If we all do little things they can go a long way. By not driving, based off of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's annual emissions report I have saved 45,800 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, as well as 2,324 gallons of gasoline in only four years! So please take advantage of public transportation, bikes, and the earliest form of transportation walking!!!
2) RIPTA - Where else can you find a cowboy, native american, purple-suited-pimp, 500-pound human or basically anyone as weird as a Wes Anderson movie character? Kennedy Plaza is home to most of these people, and strangely enough it has become a very popular spot to find me as well. Despite the appearance of the RIPTA travelers, I've met some very nice people on my bus rides. It is also very humbling to see the difficulty and struggle some people face in this country. Many of the people on the bus are struggling both to get somewhere and get by. The bus illustrates the part of society that the government ignores, but I see them and I see that I am no different from them, after all, my bank account is currently at 57 cents.... despite the frustration of late buses, the RIPTA has been an uplifting part of being licenseless.
3) Walking with or without a destination. This could be one of the most complex, awesome, and awesomely complex part of not having a license. These days people dread the idea of having to walk places, no matter how far or how close people hate the idea of walking. I am being kind of mean in saying "people" but I would confirm that a large majority would rather drive somewhere that is over a mile away.
Well not me. I enjoy walking and not just to a destination. Its much more exciting to start with idea of a destination and then arrive to different and beautiful places along the way. Walking is a chance to let your imagination run free and to find peace within. You must search for the best things in life and walking can take you to them. When I'm not sure of whether or not I should follow a path or jump a fence I simply think of the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. It has always been misunderstood, but if you look at it closely it is quite inspiring. (Sidenote: Everyone should acquire at some point in their life an anthology of Robert Frost poetry, it will change your life)
4) Bumming rides. I don't think I am allowed to post this without at least acknowledging anyone I've ever bummed a ride from or hitchhiked with. THANKS!!! Without me not having a license you wouldn't have that vagabond-homeless friend in your group!
This list is probably missing many things but these are the major attractions to not having a license. It is a humbling testament to discovering beauty in traveling to interesting places and meeting interesting faces.
With more roads to travel,
nick
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Always cramming! (strictly running blog today)
Well as many people may know, I love to cram for exams and papers! Most the time it is due to poor life decisions, but part of it also seems to be my nature. Well once again I find myself cramming. This time, it is getting fit not school work (though that will come soon enough). The first time in a while I actually feel unfit. And I'm not saying this in my usual runner-type "Oh my god I'm not in P.R. shape" sense! I mean this in the strictest sense after reviewing my training over the past four weeks.
It all began ironically when I was feeling fit, I ran an 8-mile tempo run with Kim Smith on December 7. We did a 5 mile warm-up, then the tempo at 5:30 pace exactly (44:00 total), then finished with a 3 mile cooldown. Needless to say, I felt pretty fucked after, but it was the good fucked feeling, the "I can't wait to run a 5k feeling"! Then I ran 10 and 8 the next 2 days, and then came my downfall!
My nagging foot injury was really taking its toll on me after the tempo, and so what started out as a few days to heal up turned into 11 days off! This is the longest period of time I have taken off in over 3 years! I was just ruined during that time from stress of exams and distracted by other things, and simply lost that incredible feeling I had after that workout.
It was bad. And only got worse...
I returned to running with a 12 mile run, then a 10 miler, then 8, then nothing again! My knee was shot, inflamed and extremely painful to run on. So needless to say I treated it the normal "nick-style" - booze and living free.
But then I returned to my previous pair of shoes and the knee has been better since and I remembered that thing called a training program! So now I'm cramming! This week should total about 62 miles. Then the next two around 70 with some tempos and a few speed workouts! All leading up to the epic "time trial" on Saturday, January 23. It'll most likely be either a mile or a 3k, depending on how my workouts are going.
From there is the Terrier Invite (depending on if I hit the pre-established time mark for the time trial). And then beyond that is the Valentine Invite two weeks later, then I believe the indoor season will be over and I will hopefully have that same good feeling I had after the workout with Kim as I prepare for a spring road racing season!
I'm keeping the spirts high and training hard! This is the time to cram! I've always come out alright in the past, so I'm hoping for the same! If indoor doesn't work, I've got plenty of roads that need some racing in the spring and perhaps I might try racing 13.1 miles on May 2nd in prov. We'll see... but I'm looking forward and need to stay on the right roads!
As Keith Kelly would quote: "Fitter, Happier, more productive" - thats the goal.
much love,
nick
p.s. New vampire weekend album "Contra" is absolutely amazing. They have such a unique style that sets them apart from any other indie band and this album takes it even further. Cannot wait to see them in boston on April Fools day!!!!
It all began ironically when I was feeling fit, I ran an 8-mile tempo run with Kim Smith on December 7. We did a 5 mile warm-up, then the tempo at 5:30 pace exactly (44:00 total), then finished with a 3 mile cooldown. Needless to say, I felt pretty fucked after, but it was the good fucked feeling, the "I can't wait to run a 5k feeling"! Then I ran 10 and 8 the next 2 days, and then came my downfall!
My nagging foot injury was really taking its toll on me after the tempo, and so what started out as a few days to heal up turned into 11 days off! This is the longest period of time I have taken off in over 3 years! I was just ruined during that time from stress of exams and distracted by other things, and simply lost that incredible feeling I had after that workout.
It was bad. And only got worse...
I returned to running with a 12 mile run, then a 10 miler, then 8, then nothing again! My knee was shot, inflamed and extremely painful to run on. So needless to say I treated it the normal "nick-style" - booze and living free.
But then I returned to my previous pair of shoes and the knee has been better since and I remembered that thing called a training program! So now I'm cramming! This week should total about 62 miles. Then the next two around 70 with some tempos and a few speed workouts! All leading up to the epic "time trial" on Saturday, January 23. It'll most likely be either a mile or a 3k, depending on how my workouts are going.
From there is the Terrier Invite (depending on if I hit the pre-established time mark for the time trial). And then beyond that is the Valentine Invite two weeks later, then I believe the indoor season will be over and I will hopefully have that same good feeling I had after the workout with Kim as I prepare for a spring road racing season!
I'm keeping the spirts high and training hard! This is the time to cram! I've always come out alright in the past, so I'm hoping for the same! If indoor doesn't work, I've got plenty of roads that need some racing in the spring and perhaps I might try racing 13.1 miles on May 2nd in prov. We'll see... but I'm looking forward and need to stay on the right roads!
As Keith Kelly would quote: "Fitter, Happier, more productive" - thats the goal.
much love,
nick
p.s. New vampire weekend album "Contra" is absolutely amazing. They have such a unique style that sets them apart from any other indie band and this album takes it even further. Cannot wait to see them in boston on April Fools day!!!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
When there is nothing to do but nothing
Today was uneventful, but usually what comes with an uneventful day is plenty of time to think, play guitar, read, and listen to music. So in a sense, everyday of mine is uneventful, and actually by this very definition, I live a pretty uneventful life, especially without school. I am quite content with uneventfulness however, especially on sundays (that's like God's day of rest or something right??). So here are the four principles of my uneventful day:
THINKING: most of this activity was done with serious attention for exactly 1 hour, 9 minutes, and 54 seconds, in 19° weather while running along snow covered roads. It sounds awful and please don't get me wrong, it was physically miserable, but besides a frozen face, I came back feeling very happy and mellow. There is something about this desolate New England winter that amazes me with its beauty. This was the best thought I had today, I looked out to the frozen beach and the seagulls on the snowy shore and I thought it looked amazingly peaceful and absolutely beautiful. I ran out to the rocks that extend into the ocean and stood on the furthest rock I could and just stared out into the ocean. I honestly can't determine the exact thought that was going through my mind, but it was somewhere between peace and serenity as the winds slowed and all around me there was silence. It was the nicest part of my day - I smiled and continued running.
GUITAR: I have to admit I only played one song today, "Such great heights" by Iron and Wine. It is a beautiful song, one of my favorites despite its hugely commercial success from the Postal Service cover, which isn't bad, but it doesn't hold a candlestick to Sam Beam's version.
READ: The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera. I've actually read this book before, but it was a while ago and I don't know if I truly appreciated the beauty of it. Kundera possesses one of the greatest gifts a writer can possess and one he, himself, criticizes people of always trying to achieve through writing, and that is the ability to touch people. He creates real people in incredibly realistic relationships, internal struggles and extraordinarily desperate situations. I've taken away a tremendous amount from reading this story and would highly recommend anyone who has love in their heart to read it, and heck, even if your a heartless bastard you'll at least enjoy the stories about sex! For me however, today's section I read entitled "Litost" was extremely helpful in understanding love and despair. Inspiring book.
MUSIC: songs i listened to today:
Say it to me now - Glen Hansard
Time Code - Bright Eyes
Sovay - Andrew Bird
A Thousand Men - Joe Pug
Golden Age of Radio - Josh Ritter
Hannah - Ray LaMontagne
I Believe In Symmetry - Bright Eyes
Belated Promise Ring - Iron and Wine
Your Protector - Fleet Foxes
Me and The Major - Belle and Sebastian
Sandman, the brakeman and Me - Monsters of Folk
Bees - Animal Collective
Illgresi - Sigur Rós
I'm going to try and avoid uneventfulness tomorrow with a lonely trip to Providence simply for a wander. Maybe take some photos and visit the salvation army for some new wardrobe.
peace,
nick
AWESOME MUSIC/VIDEO FROM CHAD VANGAALEN:
THINKING: most of this activity was done with serious attention for exactly 1 hour, 9 minutes, and 54 seconds, in 19° weather while running along snow covered roads. It sounds awful and please don't get me wrong, it was physically miserable, but besides a frozen face, I came back feeling very happy and mellow. There is something about this desolate New England winter that amazes me with its beauty. This was the best thought I had today, I looked out to the frozen beach and the seagulls on the snowy shore and I thought it looked amazingly peaceful and absolutely beautiful. I ran out to the rocks that extend into the ocean and stood on the furthest rock I could and just stared out into the ocean. I honestly can't determine the exact thought that was going through my mind, but it was somewhere between peace and serenity as the winds slowed and all around me there was silence. It was the nicest part of my day - I smiled and continued running.
GUITAR: I have to admit I only played one song today, "Such great heights" by Iron and Wine. It is a beautiful song, one of my favorites despite its hugely commercial success from the Postal Service cover, which isn't bad, but it doesn't hold a candlestick to Sam Beam's version.
READ: The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera. I've actually read this book before, but it was a while ago and I don't know if I truly appreciated the beauty of it. Kundera possesses one of the greatest gifts a writer can possess and one he, himself, criticizes people of always trying to achieve through writing, and that is the ability to touch people. He creates real people in incredibly realistic relationships, internal struggles and extraordinarily desperate situations. I've taken away a tremendous amount from reading this story and would highly recommend anyone who has love in their heart to read it, and heck, even if your a heartless bastard you'll at least enjoy the stories about sex! For me however, today's section I read entitled "Litost" was extremely helpful in understanding love and despair. Inspiring book.
MUSIC: songs i listened to today:
Say it to me now - Glen Hansard
Time Code - Bright Eyes
Sovay - Andrew Bird
A Thousand Men - Joe Pug
Golden Age of Radio - Josh Ritter
Hannah - Ray LaMontagne
I Believe In Symmetry - Bright Eyes
Belated Promise Ring - Iron and Wine
Your Protector - Fleet Foxes
Me and The Major - Belle and Sebastian
Sandman, the brakeman and Me - Monsters of Folk
Bees - Animal Collective
Illgresi - Sigur Rós
I'm going to try and avoid uneventfulness tomorrow with a lonely trip to Providence simply for a wander. Maybe take some photos and visit the salvation army for some new wardrobe.
peace,
nick
AWESOME MUSIC/VIDEO FROM CHAD VANGAALEN:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
