TND West

We met in Central Park, that much is true.  Or at least, we were introduced to each other there, which counts as meeting.  But it wasn’t until much, much later that we would have our first conversation, the one leading up to the moment where I realized that I was meant to study under her.  I’d heard about her before our introductions, and also took some time to learn about her after the first glance, so by the time we were sitting together, and learning how to breathe from her, I was already sold that she knew some things that other people would only dream about. 

So when I find myself in my hotel in Central Park, waiting to meet with her again, I see that this is a repetition that is welcome in the new year.  She’s been training people to work with these kinds of energies for a few generations, and it won’t be something that goes away like sand on the edges of a boot in the rain.  This is something that will continue, and I am starting to understand that the most essential lessons are those that are learned when you are walking in one direction, with the intention of learning something specific.

You are suddenly thrown in another direction, and one that you could not have predicted.  This is the real meaning of desire, its hidden meaning.  In the alpha and omega of the book of longing, there are chapters written from the dead to the living.  There are things in this fate-line that are beyond understanding, in this life or any other.  There is also another book that has been lost because of certain kinds of flooding, not related to water, which told the rest of our story, and we won’t know where it is until we get to the end, where the rose lies in the center of the four roads.

New York offers many adventures, and sometimes tourists forget about the simple, free adventures that will make them appreciate this city full of millions of pulsating individuals. I’ve been to Manhattan and to several boroughs many times before, but I’ve never bothered to take the opportunity to walk along the historically famous Brooklyn Bridge, a bridge that connects a deeply rich Italian culture with all the grid bindings lit up Las Vegas like and covers some of the City’s most infamous streets. Usually, my hotel choice, which I booked on this site: http://www.smallhotelsnewyork.com, is not near the bridge, but this time I did not let that stop me.

The bridge is approximately 2 miles long and lends any photographer, either amateur or professional, the ability to capture a moment in which separates them from the land and water; by merely setting a foot down on the stone facade and wonderfully detailed mason work that is the Brooklyn Bridge.

As I finally walked along this fantastic structure, I had an occasional sight of the seedier sub-culture of discord, disgust and disdain, which the gutters of New York hide well. The landscape kept me moving onward and I successfully reached my desired location, a pizzeria that has homemade ice cream; what would Brooklyn be without New York-style pizza and a side of ice cream? There wasn’t a table available for just one person, and there were many patrons who pushed tables together to fix their party of 6 or more. Fortunately, there was a little spot up by the counter that a waiter fixed up for me, a party of one, but that was after a wait of 45 minutes. The joint was packed with a good representation of all the ethnic cultures that is New York. That’s when I knew I was in the right place. The wait was worth it, but stay away from the public washroom, it seemed like all of New York just had to use this one restroom today.

Back to the bridge for one more comment: It took me an hour to walk across the art bridge and I was in total awe and amazed at it survival of over 100 years and what stories it must have about the millions of beings who have stepped foot on her or drove across her without even noticing her grandeur. Brooklyn Bridge is the most exquisitely erected bridges that I’ve had the privilege of walking across.

Zoos hold a spot in my heart.  From the time I was a young girl, my parents took us to the Phoenix Zoo just about once a month.  My mom had a special satchel, she called her “zoo purse” and whenever I saw her packing it up with crackers for the turtles, water bottles, and any other item she thought we may need, I knew it was going to be a great day.  Years later I was visiting my friend in Brooklyn, which is one place to find a “boutique” which is always charming.

Whether it’s a boutique record store, a boutique coffee shop, a boutique dress store or a boutique hotel in New York,  the place to find these small and often times family owned businesses, is along the streets of Brooklyn.  We had spent the week ’boutique-ing” our way through the city and were ready for another day of just the same, when Robert’s sister asked if we would watch her 5 year old daughter.  We said yes, both of us knowing that we really weren’t certain of the best ways to entertain a 5 year old for a few hours.

We figured boutiques were out, and Robert thought for a moment and came up with the Prospect Park Zoo.  Zoos!  Of course!  The first incarnation of the zoo at Prospect Park, was during the 1880’s under the title of the “Prospect Park Menagerie”.  By 1910, the Menagerie had already become obsolete as more knowledge was gained on how to best house animals in captivity.  Almost eighty years later, a partnership was formed between the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of New York, and their combined efforts resulted in the Prospect Park Zoo of today.

The 37 million dollar renovation began in 1989, and while historical structures were preserved, the living conditions of the animals was totally revamped, creating enclosures for the various species that were as close to the natural habitats as possible.  Robert’s niece thoroughly enjoyed her day.  I packed a “zoo purse” for the occasion, and in the light of that little girl’s eyes, I found a bit of my past and a bit of my childhood wonder.

Everyone likes a good ghost story now and then. Some people even like to spend their vacation time search out and staying in haunted places. There are some supposedly haunted hotels around the country. Gettysburg Pennsylvania claims to have a few. This pikes my interest because of the incredible history that has taken place there. I always think of ghosts as being lost souls who have some sort of unfinished business here on earth. I do have a couple of ghost or spirit stories of my own to tell, however, it is also fun to hear those stories put out by other people.

It is always interesting to approach a building that has claimed to be haunted. Is it just the fact that you are looking at it with some sort of thought of it being haunted that makes it so creepy. I always wondered if I were to walk by a building I knew nothing about, would I know it was haunted just by seeing it? The Farnsworth House in Gettysburg claims to be haunted and it does look a bit spooky from the street. Well, with the sad affairs that happened in this private civil war time home, I could believe it was haunted. Jennie Wade was an innocent civilian and maybe she wasn’t finished living. This is also the place to catch the scoop on many real people who lived and died in this town and have left their ghostly signature around town.

Gettysburg is considered one of the most haunted towns in the country with many books written about the subject. Tours were created because of the many stories that have been told. So find a non haunted room at one of the hotels Gettysburg has and take a spooky tour of the old homes and places in a town of a major American Civil War Battle and other historical happenings. Remember, if you stay in a haunted place you won’t get any sleep.

In the 1970s tennis was it.  It was a big time trend in sports up until the eighties.  Though still very popular, these years were a high point for the sport.  In the eighties Jimmy Connors conquered most of the people he played against, only to be rivaled by John McEnroe.  Both of these men are known for their tempers, especially McEnroe.  Connors was trying to disprove notions about age and tennis while McEnroe was a young upstart with a disposition to match.  In numerous tournaments, from Wimbledon to the Australian Open, tennis stars like them created legendary stories for this era in tennis.

McEnroe won his reputation for being a great tennis player and for being a brat off the court.  Part of what made him a fantastic player was his left-handedness.  It made the ball go in the opposite direction the opponent was not expecting and therefore throw the opponent off.  It provided him an advantage, along with his velocity and ability to change his angles quickly.

Though he was famous because of his talent, he was not popular.  People liked his edginess, but because he would consistently fight with umpires and other tennis authorities throughout games, it cost him a lot on his reputation.  More often than not, the calls those officials made were justified.  The sulking McEnroe did not help matters either, especially since he claimed to be right because he could “feel” how the ball played.  How bad was his temper?  The British press eventually rechristened him in their media as superbrat.  Other nations, including his home nation of the United States quickly picked up on the term.

McEnroe was known for throwing his racket during tantrums, cursing at refs and other players, and other behaviors that fit his British nickname.  He was a phenomenal player, beating the great Swedish player, Borg, several times, but there were other phenomenal players during and after the heyday of tennis too that had the tact and demeanor that endeared them to the public, and their sport too.  With the upcoming Australian Open, fans wills get to see some of these charming players, though there are still a few bad boys, and girls for that matter, that still give tennis an edginess.

Broadway is known for having the best shows and great stars performing. A Broadway play or musical have a certain flair to them, which makes them internationally known that it can be hard to find these Broadway tickets, not only hard, but these tickets can be extremely expensive; sometimes at a jaw dropping price.

Because there is a high demand for Broadway tickets, using the secondary ticket market is the best way to obtain these hot New York Broadway tickets. Most people feel that using a secondary ticket source will cost much more than the box-office price, due to the extra fees associated, but this is not necessarily true; there are still some cheap Broadway tickets available in the secondary market if one is diligent in their search.

To help the public see a Broadway musical, a play, a concert or other types of performances, there are several organizations that provide half-price tickets, discounts tickets for military or seniors, rush tickets, standing room only tickets and lottery tickets, Wednesday Matinees are cheaper and a day show is much cheaper than a night show, to name a few different ways to get a better price for shows. Discounts of almost 40 to 50% for Broadway tickets can be found offered by numerous secondary ticket companies.  A search on the Internet will give one a good way to compare and a look at various resources showing which secondary ticket company have the best offers for the particular musical, play, off-Broadway or concerts that are currently playing on Broadway. Walking about the theatre district will only become frustrating by finding out that the tickets are sold out for that day, or after waiting in line for an hour or longer that there are only tickets available for undesirable seats.

Using a secondary ticket company in New York saves time, money and provides the public a great resource for enjoying a Broadway show at the price they can afford and on the day they want to watch a performance.

Solar Panels and plumbing, not two things people usually connect with each other.  Installing solar panels for alternative means harnessing energy for electricity.  This extends from the use of lights and appliances, to the water heater.  All over the country, in cities from Phoenix to Manhattan, from San Diego to Baltimore, plumbing companies have been getting on the “green wagon” and offering services that are in conjunction with alternative forms of energy.  And this is a great thing.

Installing solar panels, means that not only will your electricity bill go down, you will get, for the next forty plus years, free hot water.  Yes, free.  The initial installation will cost some money, many government programs offer rebates, but savings in the first few months will pay for the installation.  Over the years the savings will total in the thousands, not to mention the added equity to the value of your home.  A solar water heater is the easiest way to initially invest in renewable and alternative energy.  And it just feels right, as taking a hot bath in water heated by the sun, feels natural…for those who dig that kind of thing.  That’s wear heat should come from right? From the sun, not from wires and fuses.

Solar energy has been in use for years, and the technology behind it has stood the test of time.  The solar water heater is reliable and efficient.  Some of the models vary, but they all store the heat in a collector, and then transfer that heat to the water heater, where it is stored until it is ready to be used.  By choosing to go solar not only will you save money, but you will be doing the environment a great service.  Solar water heaters offset approximately fifteen thousand pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year, thus having a drastic effect the greenhouse effect.  This is one of the easiest, big things that you can do for yourself, and for the environment.

The majority of people run into a time in their lives when they feel the need to see a counselor. It could be after a loss or in the midst of a big transition. The leading Scottsdale counselor and energy coach, says that the stigma associated with counseling is almost gone. Most people understand its value and respect those that seek help when they need it most.

By the early 17th Century metaphors about maps were so easily recognized that poets such as John Donne and William Shakespeare were quoting them in their works, in their prose and their plays.  North America had been ‘discovered’ and was often times referred to as a female persona throughout Europe.  The world globe had been mapped and many people were carrying around atlas’s in their pockets.

During this time, a road map was more than a map about the physical, it was the beginning of the concept that was used to explore and to make sense of the inner and the outer worlds as well as the world of science.  The people of the seventeenth century had one hundred years of world travel and exploration behind them, and they knew exactly was was meant in the references made by Donne and Shakespeare.

The world map collection known now as the “atlas” was first published by Ortelius, but the name was not coined by him.  Gerard Mercator was the first person to use the term.  He used this term not in reference to the Titan of the same name, mythologically reported to have to support on his head, the heavens, but it was a reference to a King of Libya.  He was the scientist, the astronomer and the philosopher who is reported to have made the first globe representing the world.

His atlas was a piece of work that he had devoted twenty-five of his life to completing, and had not finished it by the time of his death.  There were two sections to the atlas, one that was published in 1585 and the second part in 1589.  His son, Rumold, completed the atlas for him in 1595.  This was a time not only of scientific exploration, but of the surrounding realms as well.  The lower world, the heavens, and the map of the human spirit.  It was a time of wonder and discovery, one that carries through to modern times…when we are still searching for scientific knowledge as well as the knowledge of our human souls.

Do you enjoy singing with your family by a nice cozy Napoleon Stove? It is a perfect way to enjoy time with your loved ones. Maybe you have a list of songs or a song book that you already like to play together. Well now that you can already play the guitar or piano and sing together, how about creating your own songs to sing together. It would add even more pride to your family time. So what does it take to make your own song? Well, there are a few key things that would help.

If you can already play an instrument then you have already learned a few musical chords. It also helps if you can read a bit of music and know some of the theory of music. But let’s just say you want to make a song with the knowledge of the few chords you do know from learning other songs. That is doable. So take three or four chords and start some sort of progression with them. Which means put them in and order. Then add a rhythm to it. This would come with how you strum your guitar or play on the piano in a certain time. Then listen to the combination of rhythm and chord progression on its own for a few rounds. Do you hear any melodies in your head? Just listen and let any melodies come to your mind. Then start to sing. Even if it is just La la la la. Just get an idea of where you melody wants to go.

Now it is time to pick a topic. To get an idea of what to write about just soak up your moment. Who you are with, what you are talking about, where you are, maybe the fire itself can all become apart of your special song. You can rhyme your words if you want to but it is not necessary. Let everyone add a line or two so that everyone feels included. Top it off with some fun harmonies and Wa La you have created a song together as a family.