<3

12 inches of snow continue their assembly of white, and I gaze out the window, stupefied. Winter is definitely upon us, and I am living under her reign for the very first time. This will be interesting.

cue the music.

open-mindedness

I was having an interesting conversation earlier:

I asked a girl, "so, what's something you're not open-minded about?"
"I'm open minded to everything," she replied.
"Even eating fried-dog?" I asked.
"Um, no. Maybe not fried dog."


What can we learn from this seemingly-random exchange of words that has none-the-less remained on my mind? Well for one, our idea of open-mindedness is completely limited by subjectivity. Our entire reality is inherently subjective because it is consists only of the portion to which we have been exposed. That subjectivity in turn transfers over to our very definition of things. So, what do we really mean when so many of us claim to be "open-minded", or look to surround ourselves with people who are "open-minded", or instead say that we are turned-off by "close-mindedness"?

if the idea of a subjectively limited open-mindedness is true, then it must follow that each one of our ideas of open-mindedness is different. for example, that girl's idea of open-mindedness stops somewhere short of eating fried dog, as would most of the American public's idea. But what about the Chinese public? Or how about most Muslim countries, who's idea of open-mindedness falls short of eating pig? It becomes obvious how much this idea can vary, and for so many different reasons.

So, maybe all we are really trying to do is surround ourselves with people who's idea of open-mindedness matches that of our own.

I just wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

time to save the world, but where in the world is all the time?

law-school finals suck. they're a one-way road to insanity.

so, in sucky times like these, you can never underestimate the power of a simple feel-good song. This particular one snuck into my playlist this morning, and its one of my favorites. It's the perfect song, when all you need is a little push back in the right direction.

Erykah just has that power of relation. Song + Lyrics below.. Enjoy :)



Song: Didn't Cha Know
Artist: Erykah Badu
Album: Mama's Gun

Ooh hey
I'm trying to decide
Which way to go
I think I made a wrong turn back there somewhere

Ooh hey
I'm trying to decide
Which way to go
I think I made a wrong turn back there somewhere

Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Tried to move but I lost my way
Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Stopped to watch my emotions sway
Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Knew the toll, but I would not pay
Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Cause you never know where the cards may lay

Time to save the world
Where in the world is all the time
So many things I still don't know
So many times I've changed my mind
Guess I was born to make mistakes
But I ain't scared to take the weight
So when I stumble off the path
I know my heart will guide me back

Ooh hey
I'm trying to decide
Which way to go
I think I made a wrong turn back there somewhere

Ooh hey
I'm trying to decide
Which way to go
I think I made a wrong turn back there somewhere

Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Tried to run but I lost my way
Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Stopped to watch my emotions sway
Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Knew the toll but I would not pay
Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
I said ya never know how the cards may lay

Love is life, and life is free
Take a ride on life with me
Free your mind and find your way
There will be a brighter day

Love is life, and life is free
Take a ride on life with me
Free your mind and find your way
There will be a brighter day

new direction.

welcome.

derek morales. age is just a number. new york city.

addicted to music. starved for knowledge. eager for wisdom.

literature, film, photography, philosophy, fashion, gastronomy, architecture...

taking chances. breaking barriers.

trusting the universe.

stuck somewhere between an abstraction and an impossibility.
is this my reality?
or does it lie beyond the infinitely definite screen of smoke.
in the absence of dimension colors and light shift into anything but substance.
what is not struggles for relevancy in the absence of what is.
halves exist aimlessly.

where is the floating rock on which to ground. where is the single drop of perspective necessary to ripple through this severed web.
is suffocating the same as forgetting to breathe. or forgetting how to breath.

or forgetting how to remember.

number 1.

"A great many people go after success simply for the shiny prizes it brings…And nowhere is it pursued more ardently than in the city of New York." -Stephen Birmingham

A month into my new home and I am still hypnotized. There is so much to this city, its so many things at one time... an entire world of its own confined to to a tiny strip of bedrock.

A new chapter.

I'll leave you with a picture, taken yesterday at of one of my favorite spots in the city, Gantry State Plaza Park. It was a beautiful day. Enjoy :)