The Run Way: A is for Adventure, Asian Food and Authenticity

Those of you who know me aren't surprised if one day I post from Durham, NC and the next day from Barcelona, Spain and then mere days later from Los Angeles, CA.  Thus is the life of a single, professional, curious, adventurous, gypsy soul.  My Southwest account has seen quite a bit of activity these past few years.  My photo journal is rich in memories visiting family and friends.  A rich life full of memories.

As a marketing and finance professional in Corporate America, somewhere between planning budgets, designing marketing campaigns and managing financials, life just felt like it could be more flavorful than biege.  Over the years I have had many ideas and false starts.....start a business, write blogs/books, develop a clothing line, copywriting, photography, cooking blog, etc.  At one point I resigned to move to the beach to open a surf shop lounge. 

That adventure took me to Surf Expo and I discovered brave business people and brands like Lira and their amazing fabrics, Amuse Society with the fun, quirky styles, Roark Revival and the story of their brand, how adventure inspires their clothing (and a sip of Canadian whiskey with the surfer boys wasn't too shabby either), Jetty and conversing with the owner and learning their tricks of the trade, Hippy Tree and their southern California roots and so many other brands and people and their stories.  This is where my fondness for good quality athleisure wear brands was born.  Zyia most certainly belongs in these ranks.

After a couple weeks of traveling for work and the July 4th holidays for an annual trip with my besties, it is nice to homestead for a minute and take the adventure to the kitchen.  So began my week of healthy starting with some asian food dishes, like this Eggroll in a Bowl recipe.

Eggroll in a Bowl.  It really was quite tasty. One for dinner,
one for lunch tomorrow.  Smart Eating.

The recipe is easy and healthy.  Add some hot sauce to take it up a notch. Nom Nom.

Part of what it means to have a gypsy soul is I collect many stories along the way, get exposed to many different perspectives, cultures, influences, but yet somehow try to remain me.  But that's what keeps me evolving and changing along this journey.  I am not the same me I was yesterday, I'm a better version of me.  Authentically me.

The Run Way...join the adventure for body, mind and balance during Fit Days and F'It Days. 

Virginia Tech and Isolationism

"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today," Cho said in one of the videos that aired Wednesday night on NBC. "But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off." -Cho Seung-Hui, as reported on CNN.com 4/18/2007

The VA Tech massacres. This is only the latest human catastrophe to hammer our weary souls. Now campuses across the nation are floundering for answers to anxious parents and students pleading for protection against the unknown. Undoubtedly the answer will be to build more walls, more security, more eyes and cameras everywhere looking for the evil force out there about to strike us down. University and college costs will increase as the institution's capital budget increases to accomodate keeping bad things from happening to presumably good people. It is precisely this response that saddens me the most. We are our own worst enemies. The enemy comes from within.

Everyday look around you. Watch how people have isolated themselves with earphones closing off the world, cell phones numbing their surroundings, text messages, instant message chats, virtual relationships...the list goes on and on. More and more we are closing off the world around us and unaware of building on the human relationship only found in human contact. The walls created by these actions only create further isolation from each other. How can you tell from an IM message that your "friend" is hurting? For that matter how can you tell from a telephone conversation?

We are losing (have already lost?) the neighborly feeling of looking out for each other. Even the fiercest libertarian and independent can't deny that as much as we look after ourselves, much of that is looking after our friends, family, neighbors and loved ones. In doing so we are taking care of ourselves by taking care of our environment around us.

How many more people are out there like Cho Seung-Hui? Obviously he was a disturbed individual with mental health history and problems. How is it that all of this is known after the fact, and yet, when the few individuals who alerted others to strange behavior and patterns, only a numb ear was found. The warning signs were all over the place that this young man needed help. Mental health is one of the most serious conditions hurting our culture. Some of it is arguably self induced through isolating ourselves and not paying attention to those around us and those who are important to us. We take comfort in the fact that we sent an e-mail to check-in or a quick text message to say hi, when in fact that is about as shallow as it gets.

Where is the exchange of thoughts, feelings, ideas, worries, troubles, struggles, concerns, fears?It makes me sad to the deepest part of my soul to think that there are many more troubled souls out there like Cho Seung-Hui. Perhaps these souls are not as dangerous to others or to the same extreme as he, but, then again, maybe they are and no one is paying attention.

We don't need more walls and barriers. As humans we need to knock down the barriers and begin to build human relationships bonding us with each other. Only then will we ever have a chance. It is a sad day and a sorrowful statement about how we have evolved as people. I have faith that we can reverse this trend.

The blood is truly on our hands. Out, out, damn spot. Out I say......

Created: April 18, 2007

Austrians and Chimpanzees

This morning's Durham Herald Sun has an article on the front page about Hiasl the Chimpanzee currently residing in a shelter protecting him from the big pharma companies who have imported him from Sierra Leone for use in experiments.

The activists argue that Hiasl has a risk of being homeless or turned back over to these companies in the event the shelter goes bankrupt. After having watched the chimp have human behaviors and require custodian support, they argue that he should be considered a human being to receive guaranteed support. Hmm.

This is the same Austria that produced Hitler and considered Jews nothing more than useless, filthy, non-humans worthy only for experimental purposes. Hmm.

The activists arguements and points are something like this:
1. Hiasl is a person and requires basic legal rights.
2. Basic rights include right to life, not to be tortured, freedom under certain conditions
3. Human status is required in order to become a legal entity that can receive donations and a guardian
4. Although funds have been collected under a foundation to support the $6800 a month bill on Hiasl, he could still be sold
5. If declared a person he could own his own property and receive donations directly
6. Individuals who have petitioned for guardianship have been denied by the courts because Hiasl has not been declared mentally impaired nor in an emergency.
7. Austrian guardianship law rules only on humans and things and they argue the chimp is 99.4% human DNA and although not human, certainly not a thing.
8. Hiasl comes across as a person with a real personality and traits similiar to humans by being playful and thoughtful.

In thinking about this a bit, I begin to wonder if this indeed passes and Hiasl can buy some property and begin investing in the stock market and become rich and hang out with the guys from the Geico commercial, where will the line be drawn? The contrast between the Austrian's opinion of the Jews back in WW2 and the treatment of Chimps is something to be reconciled somehow. Look how far the country has come. Now ANYTHING with human tendencies can be treated as human. This reeks a bit of overcompensation?

To points 1,2 and 4, I thought that's what animal rights activits fight for. The whole point of an animal activist is to look after these creatures and ensure that they have their basic animal rights (not to be confused with human rights since we have the right to freedom under any conditions...hum, or do we?) Isn't it up to the shelters and the foundations to ensure they are managed and funded correctly in order to act as the protector of these chimps in captivity? Doesn't that show a weakness in the humans in managing the business of the shelters etc? And if the humans doing this can't get the money managed, how in the hell will a chimp?

Imagine that fundraiser for a second.....planned and coordinated by chimps......everyone dressed in their finest fur, groomed, combed and parted, sipping on banana slushies, performing stupid human tricks. Crazy....Wonder if they have animal rights in Austria or if there are only human rights activists and "thing" rights activists. Actually the activists should be addressing the guardianship laws if they are that concerned. Making a chimp human?! What the hell has the world turned into? What about monkeys, parrotts, cats, dogs, iguanas and any other household pet in the "family" that has exhibited a personality and thoughtfulness? Because a dog cuddles up next to you on a bad day knowing that you need a little love from him, should we now make him human? If so, then he can clean the kitchen and take himself for a walk and get a job, by the way, to help with the household expenses a bit.

This all kind of stinks of chimp and human poo.

Created: May 5, 2007