Stranger in a Strange Land

Having returned to Salt Lake City for a few days, I find myself in an interesting state of mind. After just two months away, I already find myself more a stranger here than I could have imagined.

That's not to say I'm not happy to see many of my friends again while I'm here, but more a feeling about the differences in cultures between Utah and Austin (or perhaps Utah and the world).

While the roads and pathways were certainly familiar, the connections were less so. One of the first things I thought of when I arrived was that I'm mostly a stranger to this city now. What's more strange is not that feeling (because that's natural after a while), but rather just how quickly it came about.

And thus I'm reminded of one of my favorite author's books: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. That reminds me, I need to go back and read that book again. I read it when I was in high school and was truly boggled by it (it was a difficult read because of that). I think it's time to revisit it.

Only change will bring, You out of the darkness

No deep thoughts here, just a Duran Duran plug -- although you may find many a deep thought hiding in the lyrics of their new album.

Back Together Again: Original Duran Duran

Yes -- they've released their album and you'll see lots more coverage now. Look for them on:

Oct 19 - the Tonight Show (that's tonight)
Oct 21 - Ellen DeGeneres Show
Oct 25 - the Late Late Show

Paths that Cross

As we are all on a path, we find it sad when one path takes us away into a new direction. We're not sad that we're heading off towards a new direction - but we do feel the sorrow of leaving friends and even those we see as "family" behind so that we may continue along our path.

But just as it is sad to see paths diverge in new directions, it is also a joy and pleasure when those paths cross again.

At the end of this month, my path will once again cross the path of many in my yoga family as well as my friends who are in Salt Lake City. I will be in Salt Lake City from October 29th through November 3rd where I hope to see many of my friends while I'm there.

Namasté

Astronaut has Landed

Yes, it's time for a little Duran Duran promotion

Astronaut landed on store shelves today. There is a regular CD and a special-edition CD + Bonus DVD which contains concert footage from a recent performance.

Overall, the album is very upbeat, hopefully will bring about many single releases. The songs have a bit of funkiness, but not so much that you get lost in it. The funky atmosphere makes the songs more interesting and great for listening to again and again (giving you the opportunity to discover new aspects of a song).

Now -- I want to say that when I heard Bedroom Toys, I immediately thought: "Nile Rodgers must have produced this track. It's got his signature all over it." Nile Rodgers was part of CHIC and produced The Reflex, Wild Boys, and the Notorious album back in the day. When I checked the credits, sure enough - Nile produced track #5 ("Bedroom Toys").

As a fan dating back to the days of "The Reflex" and seeing them through their mostly uncommercial period (Big Thing, Liberty, Pop Trash, Medazzaland) -- it is great to seem them back in the lime light. I wish them the best of success and hope that we will hear many more new songs from them in the future.

ProvokeThought.Net

You can now get to the Provoke Though blog via:

http://provokethought.net

The running trail

Some things that came across my mind this morning while running. You'll find many common themes among this and that of the Yoga path. They are in no particular order.

• You must look ahead to insure you don't fall off the trail, but you must look down at where you are at, lest your feet become immersed in dog crap.


• Trails are circular in nature, bringing you back to where you started, but with new experiences. Being circular, there is ultimately no beginning and end, only arbitrary markers we set for ourselves.


• Goals we make are just to keep our mind occupied, to allow us to measure change. Reaching the goal never ends the journey.


• No matter how fast you run, there will always be someone that can run faster.


• On the running trail, you will encounter many ages, old and young.


• You may never have the stride of someone that is 6'2" or 6'5". Accept it and enjoy the stride you have.


• You'll come across many signs along the trail -- slow, keep right -- if we all try to adhere to them, we'll pass each other without incident. Pass on the left when possible, always check behind you so you don't cut someone else off.


• Sometimes there are obstacles on the trail that you must go around.


• The mind is ready to give up much sooner than the body, we need to be able to listen careful to distinguish the difference between the illegitimate complaints of the mind and the legitimate complaint of the body


• You need to remember to breath if you want to get anywhere


• Some turns make the trek longer than initially expected, but you will still get to wherever you set out to.