A Cocktail and a Conundrum

Having a good memory has come in handy a lot for me. This has been true across several domains of my life, e.g., with music, in relationships, for learning, I'm grateful for this particular trait. 

Here's the rub. Sometimes, I can be a little thin skinned. So when someone says something that hurts my feelings, which is not that hard to do, I tend to remember it for a long time. A friend of mine used to refer to this propensity as being part of my "Irish discourse". But because I'm the 7th generation on my Father's side - the Irish part of my heritage - to be born in the U.S., I'm not inclined to accept ethnic explanations. To me it just seems like I remember too much. Which two traits of yours when combined add up to an unpleasant cocktail like these two of mine do? What are your strategies for working around your cocktail? What suggestions do you have for me?

Forgive & forget? I've gotten a bit better at the forgive part of that equation as I've gotten older. The forget part? Got myself a little conundrum there, don't I?

Re-entrada de Hoy

After unpacking, checking your mail, and throwing away the science projects in your refrigerator, what are a few of the things you routinely do following an extended period away from a casa? 

Although my re-entry varies slightly depending on how long I've been away, for a while now there have been several consistent elements. Attending to the below between jet-lag required naps hoy was satisfying.  

* Re-calibrated my goals to accommodate the time just spent away. Berating myself for not getting to goals while away is a surefire way to diminish experiences I just had. Better to re-calibrate and continue to enjoy the brillo of those new experiences for as long as possible. 

* Tried to capture the spirit of my travel via retrospective journalling. Writing a few postscript palabras about most of the days is usually adequate. I avoid simply listing what I did and aim instead for what I felt or who I was with when a specific travel experience moved me. 

* Added a pushpin to the world mapa we have hanging in our hallway of places we've visited.

* Moved into my blog notebook the random jottings I made while away. This re-entry rutina - new since the 2011 inception of my blog - has become essential to me. The act of transcribing any jottings - tiny kernels of inspiration that pummel me whenever I travel - can later morph into something useful, e.g., un lirico, the beginnings of a story, an idea for a new course, a blog post. This magpie travel-related habit has become a crucial component in my creative matrix.

Y tu? 

Gracias a mi esposa por traducir.  

    

And ... Living History

Reflections from the Bell Curve: Humbled by History

Two thousand years from now, it's easy to envision anyone standing in front of Sagrada Familia here in Barcelona having a reaction similar to mine when I approached the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia a few days back. 

This marvel - the vision of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi - began construction in 1882 and is now nearing completion. When it's finished, it will be the tallest church in the world. As is almost always the case, the picture below is inadequate. Visit Wikipedia - link is underneath the picture - to get a more complete sense of this indescribable modern wonder. Then follow the links from Wikipedia to learn the full story. I promise you will be amazed.  

What a treat it has been to go from being humbled by history via the Roman Aqueduct to feeling as though I'm living history via standing in front of Sagrada Familia. And both over the course of a few days. 

Sagrada Família - Wikipedia

Eat the World in Adolescence

Although the project we dubbed Eat the World has gone in fits and starts over its fifteen-year history, today's birthday feels special for two reasons.

1.) Unlike every March 23 since the inception of this project in 2011, today we are actually in a country outside the U.S. as we sample its cuisine. Put aside the fact that we'd already eaten dishes from Spain before we got here on Thursday because...

2.) The food here is so outstanding it does not matter that Spain was already included on our list of 102 previously sampled cuisines. I'm prepared to say the meals we've had thus far in Spain have been the equal of those we had when visiting Greece in 2019 and nearly the equal of those we had on our 2012 visit to Italy. Those of you who have visited Spain: Did you have an equally first-rate experience with Spanish cuisine when you were here?

Any complaints, you ask? Well, unlike Greece or Italy, vegetarian fare is not as routinely offered here. I'm coping just fine, thank you. 

Reflections from the Bell Curve: World Traveling Via Food (To Be Continued)

Humbled by History

What were the circumstances connected to the most recent instance when you felt humbled by history? Did something you read in a book perhaps connect you in some powerful way to the distant past? Maybe something depicted in a film about ancient times elicited a deep awe in you? I've certainly had experiences like that.

The vicarious thrill that books, film, or stories about history have delivered to me cannot compare to the buzz I felt today. As he began speaking of the Roman aqueduct we were approaching, I listened intently to our guide. But my attention wandered as my mind's eye tried to imagine this structure when it was first erected here in Segovia Spain over two thousand years ago. The last time I can recall feeling this humbled by history was when our guide interpreted the Native American petroglyphs in some of the remote caves of Death Valley on a visit we made there a few years back. I'm comfortable using the word transcendent to describe moments like the one I had earlier today while standing beneath the aqueduct pictured above.

I welcome hearing a similar story from your life. 

Infused with Gratitude

Awaiting our flight to Madrid, I'm infused with gratitude. 

* I'm grateful my wife and I have built a life that affords us the opportunity to travel extensively.

* I'm grateful my wife enjoys experiencing new places as much as I do.

* I'm grateful we're both healthy enough to continue travelling.

Although that partial list doesn't tell the full story, I hope anyone reading will feel inspired to join me by sharing a few things that make you grateful today. 

As always, the amount of reflecting I'll do between now and our return home on March 29 depends on how reliable the WIFI is in our locations while travelling through Spain. As previously requested by readers, I'll try to include a pic or two. Given my technological ineptitude, I make no promises.    

From a Committed Incoming Senior, Blogosphere U

In September of 1970, I began my 16th continuous year of formal schooling when I started my senior year as an undergraduate. Tomorrow begins my 16th continuous year of blogging. What has this incoming senior at Blogosphere U learned over fifteen years?

* Write it down immediately. What I write in my blog notebook frequently comes to nothing. But many tiny fragments often facilitate the assembly of something. And when I don't write it down immediately - whatever "it" is - I usually have more trouble retrieving it when it's needed.

* Be ready to accept help from anyone. I was almost finished with Blogosphere Grammar School before fully internalizing this lesson. Since wising up, I've made use of many sharp insights, several grammar tips, and a few potent challenges. It has all helped me as a thinker and writer. The feedback has come from faithful readers, frequent commenters, occasional lurkers, anonymous critics. Thanks to all. 

* Manage expectations via the lament of notable writers. Accepting my continued toils in obscurity has been made easier by learning of writers I admire who ponder their legacy. If folks like these - whose work is widely known - have these wonderings at least I'm in good company when feeling sorry for myself. 

Committed to blogging? Since I've now been at it for almost 20% of my life, that's safe to say. I am aware, however, that the verb committed has multiple meanings. Oh well. What practice are you committed to? How long has your commitment endured? What has that commitment taught you?

Help with a Reprise

The most gratifying thing about being asked to reprise one of the music courses I first began doing in 2014 is just that - being asked. It's additionally satisfying because each time I reprise one, my delivery of the content gets tighter. And from a mercenary viewpoint, each reprise brings me a bit closer to minimum wage, given the inordinate amount of time I devote when developing these courses.

It's been several years since I last had the opportunity to reprise Jazz 101 (and a Bit Beyond), one of my earliest creations and a class of which I'm particularly proud. It's such a gas watching participants get ignited when I introduce them to a new artist or a fresh interpretation of a song. Consequently, I'm really pleased I'll be reprising this specific course late this year because my tweaks to this one will reflect some recent discoveries I've made.

Reflections from the Bell Curve: Passing the Torch

After listening to the YouTube clip of Samara Joy imbedded in the post above, I have a favor to ask. If you've run across a newcomer to the jazz scene - i.e., a singer or instrumentalist who has broken through within the last five years - and you think that artist is in Joy's league and could've escaped my attention, please share that name with me, either in a comment here or offline. My search for jewels like Joy is never-ending. 

Thanks in advance.