Rally Within a Rally

Posted on November 2, 2010 | By Patty Pino | No Comments

Photo of Me taken by a Totally Sane Stranger

What happens when you and over 250-thousand like-minded people show up in the same place at the same time?  You experience lots of interesting, cool, and plan-changing stuff.  Here is my wrap up from the “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear”…

I was surprised by so many people of my parent’s age:  Call me an ageist or whatever, but I consider Stewart and Colbert representatives of Gen X and Gen Y.  When I showed up in DC and was preparing to go the Rally, I was surrounded not just by folks my age and younger, but by baby boomers and people of my parent’s generation.  Sure, my mom and dad like John Stewart, but I never considered that they would make the trek to a Rally.  So cool that this event inspired sanity-desiring people of all ages to attend.

The Metro turned out to be a bad option:  How could we possibly drive into the event, we thought.  Too much traffic, no place to park? Let’s park further out of the city and take in the beautiful DC Metro, we planned.  Got into the station, waited in line for tickets, waited for train, and it arrives packed like the Japanese Metro at rush hour, but worse.  Read more

The Death of an Icon

Posted on October 22, 2010 | By Christian | No Comments

It is with a heavy heart that I bring you this news.  Its official… Sony Corp has ended all sales of its Walkman cassette players.  In some ways its hard to believe that it took this long.  The Walkman was first launched in 1979 and sold about 220 Million units that year!  The device we all grew up with has gone the way of the Dodo.

Sadly this will likely be the death knell for the mix-tape as well.  And what am I going to do with my 80′s Metal cassettes??

The recession is over! Really??

Posted on September 20, 2010 | By Christian | No Comments

June 1 2009 - the new groundhog day?

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has announced the Great Recession is over!  Apparently the experts have decided it began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009.  I don’t know what to say other than “what??”.

Headlights Reflecting on Gravestones, a Meandering Rant from The Slacker Factor Podcast TSF14

Posted on August 25, 2010 | By Patty Pino | No Comments

Headlights Reflecting on Gravestones

Driving home last night / I heard that tune / The one from the 70’s / About things being over

The singer is in denial / He “Keeps Forgetting” / Things have changed / You know the song

Everything ends / Jobs, friendships, relationships, life / Somehow we don’t expect that / Won’t except that

We hate that part / The ending / The Silence / Fini

We’re built to function in the moment / But the moment is ever changing / Always working towards finish

Electrons move to eventually settle / Yearning for finale

We keep forgetting / An inherent beauty exists / In conclusion

The sun slipping behind the horizon / The sculptor making a final tap / Resonance of strings culminating the concert

Ends allows us to pause / Take heed of our experience / And look to the next

Driving home last night / I passed that cemetery / The one close to the road / Where our grandparents are buried

Sometimes I forget / The pervasive artistry of endings

Until I see headlights / Reflecting on gravestones

~pp

< Listen to this rant, and more, on the podcast here or on iTunes TSF14: Hunger Never Ends >

Watch The Stress Melt Away

Posted on July 14, 2010 | By Patty Pino | 1 Comment

I bought a watch this weekend.  Not the most provocative of things, I know, but I haven’t worn a wrist-based timepiece in years.  Why?  Because, who needs one?!  I decided, years ago, that my computer, my cell phone, my cable box, and my car have all the clocks that I need.  They keep me on time, or remind me when I’m late.

Let me stress the decision to abandon a watch was made years ago.  Recently, I had a revelation; I, again, need a watch.

Learn the way of the Watch

Years ago, I simply had a cell phone; now, I have a BlackBerry.  Years ago, I had a computer with email and a by-request internet connection; now, I have constant internet connectivity plus instant messenger.  We have evolved to that connect-me-to-everyone-right-now stuff and instead of living in the moment, we are living outside the moment.  I have become so busy responding to the immediate requests of others immediately, that I completely ignore the people I’m with and the actual conversation we’re having.  To put it bluntly, I’ve become an anxious, rude, half-listener with attention deficit tendencies.

How many of you can say the same?  Do you hang out with one group of people, but spend all of your time with them communicating with other people?  Catch up with friends at the bar, and you’re all standing around texting friends who aren’t with you?  Sitting in your living room with your family, but completely distracted from your kids conversation because you’re too busy updating your Facebook status?

Part of the problem is, when I go to check the time, I am sucked in to my email, my voicemails, my alerts, messages, tweets and the like.  And, damn the moment and what I may be doing, I must reply immediately. I’m guilty if I don’t respond and I’m guilty if I do.  Stress Recipe 101.

Hence, the watch and my new commitment to bringing myself back into the moment.  I’m hoping it tell me what time it is – literally and figuratively. Looking at my wrist will unplug me from the device-dependant ridiculousness that has been so overwhelmingly distracting.  Maybe you should consider conquering your time differently, too.

~pp