A House with a Name

I've always had the strange attraction and desire to live in a house that had enough character to earn it's own name.

As, of last week, I do now.

In preparation, asked a few friends for advice on what to name my house. The list was quite impressive:

Port of Change

The Running Lilac

Wuthering Heights

Canterbury Place

Octopus Garden
House of Nevermore
Pax Domini

However, the name I chose came from the recommendation from my friend Jess. Wildfell Hall, stemming from the classic The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte after informing Jess that a young women would be renting my house for this coming year.

A brief summary of the plot:

1. Mrs. Helen Graham, a mysterious widow arrives at Wildfell Hall.
2. She is a source of curiosity for the small community.
3. Gilbert Markham begins an infatuation for Helen, and scandalous rumours and gossip about Helen run rampant amongst the people.

4. Gilbert and Helen have a misunderstanding and a small quarrel.

5. From Helen's diary we learn of her marriage to the abusive and adulterous Arthur Huntingdon.

6. Eventually, with the assistance of her brother Mr. Lawrence, Helen finds a secret refuge at Wildfell Hall, away from Huntgingdon - and later we learn of his death.
7. Years later, Gilbert and Helen reconcile and marry.

It seems that over the past three years, I've had quite a few number of tenants come to live in the house: Kristina, Sybille, Sandra, Catherine, Melissa, Mark, Becca, Joanna, Joe, Magda, and now Steve.

All of them have been great additions and have added their own personality and uniqueness to the house, helping to create and enrich my house's character.

I have similar hopes that my up and coming tenet, Chu Ri, will also continue to nurture the Wildfell Hall.


Thanks for reading,

Alex

Opportunity + Preparedness = Good Luck

These past few weeks, I’ve been working with my Life Coach, Quanita Munday from Nzuzu, on the goals of accepting change and preparing for the next big move in my career coming to fruition in a few weeks.

Quanita, had recommended a book called The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire - Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence, by Deepak Chopra as source of relaxation about being prepared for this change.

I’ve put together a few captions from that book that have inspired me and directed me to make the right choice in my career:

“Seeing the web of coincidence in our lives, however, is just the first stage in understanding and living synchrodestiny. The next stage is to develop an awareness of coincidences while they are happening. It is easy to see them in hindsight, but if you can catch coincidences at the moment they occur, you are better positioned to take advantage of the opportunities they may be presenting. Also, awareness translates into energy. The more attention you give to coincidences, the more likely they are to appear, which means you begin to gain greater and greater access to the messages being sent to you about the path and direction of your life.” [emphasis added]

“Something similar happens whenever you touch another object. Your energy fields (and electron clouds) meet, small portions meld, and then you separate. Although you perceive yourself to be whole, you have lost a bit of your energy field to the object, and have gained a bit of its energy field in return. … We are all correlated with one another.”

“Examples of synchronicity can be found most often in the animal world because animals are more in touch the essential nature of things. We humans lose our sense of connectedness in a welter of concerns about rent payments, which car to buy, or any of a million other distractions. As soon as we develop an ego, a sense of “I” that is different from everyone else, those connections are obscured.”

“We live like actors in a play who are given only one line at a time, going through the motions without understanding the full story. But when you get in touch with your soul, you see the whole script for the drama. You understand. You still participate in the story, but now you participate joyously, consciously, and fully.”

“Notice the coincidences in your life. Coincidences are messages. They are clues from God or spirit or nonlocal reality, urging you to break out of your karmic conditioning, your familiar patterns of thinking.”

“…‘Change favors the prepared mind.’ This can be converted into a simple equation: Opportunity + Preparedness = Good Luck.”

“Am I being true to myself?”

“First, say to yourself, “I’m totally independent of the good or bad opinions of others.” Second: “I’m beneath no one.” Third: “I’m fearless in the face of any and all challenges.”

“We spend our lives seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. The things that bring pleasure or pain are different for each of us. Pleasure and pain flow from the needs that you have. … It’s all about perception and interpretation.”

Thanks for reading,

Alex

My New Snuggie

Look at my button!

I bought a Snuggie this week and doctored it up! I added a pull string to actually make a collar so that it doesn't slip off my shoulders, and then added a button and a lock of ribbon to help draw up the bottom part, so I wont' be walking all over it. This is all in preparation for a Snuggie Bar Crawl on Mt. Adams that I'm going to try and make Saturday night after work this weekend.

Hood wrap.

Hood wrap in action.


Thanks for reading,


Alex

I LOVE mail!

Yesterday, I received a very interesting letter in the mail. As usual, my mail was addressed to me, but this particular inspirational note was also written in my handwriting. Hmm…. Curiously, I opened it, thinking at first I had made the mistake of switching the recipient and sender address locations. However, to my surprise, this letter was indeed intended to come to me.

Entitled as Two Thousand Nine, and starting off as Dear Alex, I resolve to …

I remember that Kate Harrington had invited me to her New Year’s Eve Party, and one of the many events during the night was to write oneself a memorandum of what resolutions one was to keep to one’s self.

The rest of my letter was as follows:

1. Make many new recipes from my cook books
2. Find a job that makes me happy
3. Learn to play the ukulele better
4. Help my avocado tree grow
5. Dust around the house
6. Plant a new type of veggie

Live, Laugh, Love,

Alex

Thanks for reading,

Alex

if the Buddha dated

After a several month hiatus from blogging – mainly from work, relationship changes, and the prospect of locating a future career outside of Cincinnati- I wanted to include a listing of several, more meaningful, passages that I found in a book entitled if the Buddha dated – a Handbook for Finding Love on a Spiritual Path. By Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D.

This book was lent to me by a wonderful woman, while we were struggling with the unraveling of our romantic relationship. I think, and hope, that Rachel lent me this book as a way to gain insight into her heart and mind, which I later learned were in conflict with one in other over whether to continue our romantic endeavor or to change our path of life. We are not on different paths.

This is by no means a complete synopsis of the 49 (2-4 page) chapters, but rather a collection of interesting and meaningful passages that I took away.

“Too often, we try to mold people into what we want them to be rather then honoring them as they are.”

“The spiritual lover doesn’t want a chase or a competition – he or she wants a lover who wants them back. They want to create a shared union and feel the sweetness of connection.” (emphasis added).

“When you say good-bye to someone or decide not to see them again, remember you are a moment in their story. Make it a story that doesn’t leave a scar.”

“… Love relationships thrive when both partners support, trust, and yield to the other partner’s path. Adaptability, devotion and unconditional support given in equal measure to each other bring the essence of equality.”

“Unresolved losses and conflict live in us as a form of energy.”

“When we crawl in love we are more likely to find the true fire of hearts meeting because our bond is based on a wide array of experiences, time together, familiarity, and the ability to talk over conflict.”

“I am filled by the light of a thousand angels
Softening my way, softening my way

I am filled by the light of a thousand angles,
softening my way to you.

I am washed by the tears of a thousand angels

Softening my way, softening my way

I am washed by the tears of a thousand rainbows,

Softening my way to you.

- A Dance of Universal Peace”

“Our task is to fearlessly, and with great compassion, listen to what our body, mind, and heart are saying and remember that obsessive thinking keeps us locked in fear. If you’re caught in fear, call forth your adult self to remind you that you managed your life before you met this person, and you are not dependent on him or her. You can get out of bed, dress yourself, feed yourself, go to work, and take yourself to the movies. It’s an illusion to believe that you need him or her so desperately, an echo from childhood.”

“In the journey toward finding your beloved, there may be several endings and new beginnings. They are part of the same circle. The grace we bring to leaving a relationship will help us gently untie the cord and let go. Forgiving ourselves and our former partners frees us to love more wisely the next time.” (emphasis added).

Thanks for reading,

Alex

A Random Chance Encounter Meeting of the Blue Ball Girl

Yesterday, on 1/20/2009, I skipped my lunch work meeting (along with all the rest of my program) to watch the Inaugural event, and then later that evening attended the "Blue Ball" event at Northside Tavern that was in support for our new president.

Even though I didn't vote for him, it was a fun time seeing people I had neglected seeing in such a long time, and I actually ran into a women whom I had e-mailed off her blog about a year back. She thought my story (a super wonderful resident seeking an outside life and searching for a dance partner) sounded familiar. Plus she thought I also looked familiar to her.

Hmm... now here's where it starts to get interesting. I tried searching for her e-mail address in gmail here but came up short. :-( I did find the post that I commented on. So, at least I know she's not a compete stalker. :-) Turns out she works at Children's as well in the communications/publications/PR department.... Hmm.... stalker she may be....

Thanks for reading,

Alex

I ran across a bunch of facebook "25 things about me" lists and decided to respond to Redcat's post and here.

1. I LOVE the the city of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh International Airport, and Primanti Brothers sandwiches (also from Pittsburgh).
2. I have no tattoos or piercings.
3. I've been to North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
4. I used deep fry a turkey every year while in medical school and still have a turkey deep fryer... somewhere...
5. Sushi is in my top three all time favorite types of food.
6. My cat, Midnight, is a pretty good pen pal to have, and often writes about me, behind my back.
7. My first cassette tape growing up was of NKTB.
8. I tracked town my best friend of grade school last year, after being out of contact for 15+ years.
9. I once did a 40 mile adventure/orienteering race complete with trail running, mt. biking, and canoeing.
10. Wild animals eat the veggies in my garden faster then I can pluck them.
11. I have bed room in my house that I call the "Peanut butter room" and another called "the Pink room."
12. I consider "cooking" to be combining 2 or more ingredients together.
13. I've played an extra in a movie - naked.
14. I've run up the stairs of the Philadelphia Art Museum and topped out just like how Rokcy did!
15. I'm a tea drinker over coffee and a hot coco drinker over both of them.
16. I read comics on the toliet.
17. I've shot several hand guns and a shot gun.
18. The 4th of July is one my favorite holidays - Fireworks, hot dogs, and great music.
19. I used to play video games all druing finals week in college.
20. I'm addicted to LOST and Hereo's.
21. I just discovered Podcasts and Google Reader this past year.
22. I hope to complete a mini triathlon one of these years.
23. I don't like the bubbles in beer, pop, or soda.
24. Sausage is my favorite pizza topping.
25. I've lived in IN, PA, OH, and MN.

Thanks for reading,

Alex