All Aboard

"Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning." Proverbs 9:9

"Oh...Come and go with me

There's so much new to see
Get high with me
Come fly with me...."JL

Is it a sorry sign when my writing finds the inspiration from the ride to and fro versus the work itself?

My escape hatch from the incredible force of Subway prime time:

Headphones and John Legend Get Lifted transcended New York's rush hour from drudgery to sheer delight set to a soundtrack with a smile and not even the name misnomer (no one is in a hurried flow and it lasts 4-7, that's 3 hours) and the bottleneck staircase breakneck race to the next Brooklyn bound L train tripping over bikes on trains? could break my satisfied stride.

There are tens of articles on the all mighty Internet instructing the common man how to ride a subway during rush hour in Manhattan. After I rode eight trains today and practically crawled on hands and knees through tight rolled jeans legs to make it to the platform before the doors hastily closed, to catch yet another, it dawned on me....This is indeed an art form I will master.

The following are excerpts from Wikihow, Ehow, and other helpful recipe websites with minor enhancements:

Position yourself in station where the doors open and slowly turn so that your back is to the open door, this will prevent aggressive behavior aimed at your face.

Hook your feet over the threshold of the subway door and bend over slightly, back up and stand upright pushing ever so slightly with your rear.

Find an anchor and guard it. Once you step onto the subway train, immediately find something to either lean against or hold onto. Do not surf freely.

Compact yourself. While still guarding your anchor, make yourself as compact as possible. This means removing your backpack and putting bags and parcels between your legs on the floor. Stand up as straight and thin as possible sucking in and holding your breath if it helps.

Guard your belongings. Even though your parcels are on the floor between your feet, keep them secure. One way is to wrap the strap of your bags around your legs or bring a rope and tie them all around your waist providing more weight to pull for any anxious pickpocket.

Above all else, do not make eye contact....and WASH AND REPEAT.

These tried and true steps will provide a pleasant ride.

**Warning** if a train pulls up during rush hour with an empty car, don't get on that car,

because there will be a very good reason (usually having to do with bodily fluids and/or odors)

Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe its not to late
To learn how to love
And forget how to hate
Mental wounds not healing
Lifes a bitter shame
Im going off the rails on a crazy train....Ozzy

Furthering my education, cause it's all about the ride, right?

Tick, Tick, Bang

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

There are country folk who stay.

There are urban people who thrive.

There are city dwelling nature seekers who want the best of both worlds.

Not much is certain. But no one can live your life. And the days are short.

The second I arrived in Manhattan was the surest I've been in a long while.

And this is my time.

"A time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:2-8

Is this your time?

The Chuck

"Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence." Psalm 21:6

The 2nd Annual Charles O'Brien Memorial Golf Tournament on the first Monday of Fall at Cranwell Resort amongst the Berkshires Mountains in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Your presence was felt and honored today. Especially on my 3rd Tee Shot.

Don't you know what a day of rejoicing it will be?

Covered Ground

"If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks." Ecclesiastes 10:18

Goodness Gracious.
Let's talk about stark contrast or the vast difference a day can make.

Yesterday I rose with the blazing sun (5:40 AM) and ran towards the south shore to the small whisper of uncharacteristic Reef Bay and on to the ruins of an old Sugar Mill plantation. Not a soul to be seen. Not a car to be heard. Quiet. Through thorny bougainvillea, tire palms. snake grass and in and out of the deep green shadows of the valleys peaks. Graceful buck deer leaped the dirt road and youthful ferrel donkeys walked beside me on the sand. Just my breath and the azure sky.
Awoke this morning, heavy raindrops on my clouded window pain. A sullen gray cool hung damp in my chest. Taxi's impatience transferred to heavy honking. Dirty puddles and ripe vomit prevalent in the wet corners. The transient trio perched under a dripping awning between 2nd and 3rd Ave numb from their reckless lifestyle. Call me crazy but I don't understand how these kids don't think they deserve better than getting high, eating cardboard with sauce, and passing out in their feces stained cargoes.

Racing to the train and barely escaping the onslaught of brackish water from a passing delivery truck. I said to myself, I'm home.

And on a metro north train to Mass this AM, an intellectual opera connoisseur with a sinus infections says to me," You write a daily blog...that must be all you do."

I collapse with exhaustion.
Come October, I breathe.

What would become of all the balls in the air, if we slowed our pace?

Mo Money

"From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit." Jeremiah 6:13

$7 ferry ride +requested tip

$15 mediocre egg and cheese and cold Presidente

$20 bag check

$8 Rice and Beans in PR

$15 Express to Grand Central

$11 Rainy Cab Ride

JFK resembled a ghost town tonight.

My cabbie told me it's because people fear the terrorists living in Queens.

Ponder That.

Still talking about the bail outs, handing money to Libya and the big fat sticky bud of questions, why haven't we made marijuana a money making business?

This much I know is true.

Whether you are a...

Slacker

CEO

Insurance Company

Mom and Pop Shop

Venture Capitalist

Bleeding Heart

Socialist Pig

Left Wing Liberal.

Religious Zealot

Nerd.

Jock

Compassionate Conservative.

Born Again.

Organized.

Disheveled.

Friendly

Private

Honest

Sly

Creative

Static.

Yes even if you're mildly successful, somewhat brilliant, wildly ignorant.

or highly intelligent.

Not one of us is impervious to greed.

C'mon, don't you want more?

**Gordon Gecko is back in NYC.

Art Imitating Life

"Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace." Proverbs 3:17

But searching all the while.

Picked up The Fuck Up today off my revolving bookshelf in St. John. It was sandwiched in between a taped together copy of Alex Haley's Roots, I had pulled out of Kay Nelsons dusty cupboard in 2001. A 5 foot spitfire of a women from Nayak, NY who moved to St. John over fifty years ago and lived and died in an underground clapboard shack on the side of this silly rock; and a smutty paperback from an anonymous author called Finishing School. This book was passed through window to window on a St. Thomas Barge one afternoon when she saw me nodding off. The gifter told me she liked to read it and furiously masturbate on the watery ride to pass the time. Thought I might like it...

Arthur Nesesian's underground literary masterpiece appropriately called the F Up is about an aspiring writer living in East Village during the gritty 80's struggling for a dream and desperate to find himself despite the constant search.

Mmmm...

At first glance the title seemed to glow in the morning sun. I snatched it up and started the familiar odyssey in between dump runs, Patron shots, tenant signatures, clinging to the rock arguments, city withdrawal, mortgage apps, and the perfect calm of the Caribbean.

There are lifers and life livers...

I would rather be courageous than comfortable...even if it means fucking up.

What category do you find your self in?

Really Got a Hold on Me

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18

Oh Lord Jesus, please bring me some discernment.

Has the 12th round bell rung? Has the game clock ticked down to zero?

Have I been punched in the face for so long, I don't know which direction is forward?

Do I take the armor off and lay down or do I forge forward with the remaining strength to fight a battle that must be won.

So much of me wants to keep on punching, but I want to know what's right. I am surrendering it all to you.

Empty Me of Me so I can be filled with You.

There's a saying that goes..

"More money, more problems."

I think that's a crock of shit.

I had a lot less worries when I had the money....

Despite the 14 hours from East Village to Fish Bay, ridiculous taxi medallion fees, and the slow and easy traffic of St. Thomas, my $3 Heineken Keg Can , the Caribbean breeze and riding the luxurious crystal blue current of Pillsbury Sound made the world shut down for just a moment.

I first laid eyes on these glorious untouched Virgin Islands when I was 15 years old. In the sun drenched thick of it all, with our Suzuki filled with hitchhikers, potholes roads leading to pristine beaches, sand streets to superior snorkeling, greasy grouper sandwiches, sailing to beach bars, feeding dolphins by hand, sea turtles at your feet, wild and unruly pirates, full to the brim Pusser Rum and heavy nutmeg days, my mom turned to me and said...you should live here some day.

Nearly 20 years later. This island sits in my soul like a heavy beautiful burden, I can't quite shake. In my years residing here, I've weathered hurricanes and relationships. I met lovers, rock stars, loyal friends, and downright dishonest ones. I've witnessed hedonism at it's worst, seen cocaine ruin lives, learned how to sail the mother ocean blue, I've seen full moon after Cheshire cat moon sink into the sea. I've skinny dipped and sky dived..Gained 20 honest pounds of painkilling rum. I've reported the news of that sometimes paradise ain't always what it seems. Ran acros the spine of Centerline Road to steel drums. I've met my best friend and life partner, I've lost my heart's companion to a brutal murder. Drum circles, drunk fests, sailing regattas, scuba trips. I've swam, danced, eaten, drank, laughed, and cried my way through this 9 mile volcanic isle. I have fought to claim a piece of my own. I have gained so many memories and risked a secure financial future.

Wachovia Bank is threatening to take this house. This house that has my blood, sweat, and tears in the ficus roots. This house where my compost pile is consumed by hermit crabs and my key lime tree drips with fruit. This house that has strangled my joy and challenged my marriage. This house with a view that has made me question my life on Earth more than I ever imagined.

Do I hold on?