i am caps

living life every day like im on a boat with a tiger

May 15, 2014
by caps
4 Comments

social network detox

(preface: I have a social network addiction)

 

This past week I decided to go on a social network cleanse. Simple reason, my spirit is in a rift and I can’t figure it out. The few things that I did know were; I was highly irritable, I was catting off being the writer I desired to be, and being overexposed to life occurring on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, I was starting to care about the things that held no valuable or meaningful significance to me; it was just a bunch of ego’s flaunting and overcompensating their insecurities on the WWW on top of the frustratingly skewed perspectives.  It was causing me to lose faith in the future of humanity, and that’s what I don’t need right now. I need to believe in the future for my nephews, nieces and my one day caps2.0’s.

I’ve always enjoyed the process of a detox because if you’re in tuned with who you are, you can identify certain causes & effects to your body and mind.  As a professional troubleshooter, a simple methodology to find the root cause of an issue is to unplug/strip everything down to the barebones then work your way back up and reconnect one thing at a time until you to identify the issue.

(I frequently use concepts of spirit/soul vs ego to differentiate serving a greater good vs serving myself)

This rift I’ve been experiencing became apparent to me two months ago. I posted a pic on Instagram boasting about some basic shit when one of my mentors (by the way, everyone should have at least 2-3 mentors/elders in their life…friends are cool but at the end of the day, we’re all still trying to figure it out), commented on it. These three words, short & simple (word to Stevie) served as a catalyst for this detox… “What’s the purpose?”

One of the perennial questions I learned to ask myself when I talk to myself (yes, I talk to myself frequently, and we have an amazing love/hate relationship lol) is “what is the purpose?” for anything that I do. Whenever I pose that question to myself, I can identify if the purpose serves my soul or my ego. Ideally, I’d prefer to operate at a frequency that is predominantly satisfying to the soul, but like most humans (especially Americans), I tend to live by the ego.

But I digress.

Back to this rift.

Since I began this social network detox I have been able to identify a few factors causing the rift in my spirit. One is assuming leadership people expect of me. I know I have the qualities to lead at some capacity as well as fulfilling the expectations my elders, my peers, and the younger generation that may look up to me. As I connect the dots of my life, I’ve inadvertently been groomed to be a leader since middle school from all my extra-curricular activities, military/combat experience, but most importantly from being the man of the house for my mom & younger sister. Couple these opportunities with a life full of overcoming adversity and my positive disposition through it all, it should be of no surprise to me that people expect greater things from me. Yet, I only relish in it when convenient, never when it’s the standard/expectancy. But as I reach the tender age of Jesus, I know that my Saturn’s Return (google it if you want to learn more about astrology – but the gist of it is the life has cycles of maturity & structure) is coming to an end and my purpose is banging at the door.

Secondly, my fear/reluctance to write. I love to write but I’m afraid of my own criticism. I used to write years ago when I was in my 20’s. It was my therapeutic tool to learn about myself & vulnerability. But as I started climbing the scholarly ladder and I learned about more complex writing structures, I felt my style of writing was premature and lacked structure in comparison to the literary greats, making my writings look like child’s play. As the years progressed though, I’ve gotten lots of support and requests to write from peers that I deem literary greats of my generation.

8 days into this social network detox I also realized I allowed my obsessive observation of trends on microblogging social networks to distract me. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram permit me to provide quick CliffsNotes style, typically 140 character blurbs, of my assessments of things I see online or in person. I was cheating myself by compartmentalizing my thoughts between the 3 networks, just to exercise a multi-tasking thought process.

To overview the recent thoughts, there’s nothing wrong with social networks mainly when used in moderation and as a proper tool. I overwhelmed myself due to constantly being on the networks for the satisfaction of boredom & ego, overexposing me to the cultivation/celebration/concernment of ignorance and the bombardment of oversharing.

My goal was to re-find my purpose on social networks and remain focused on that purpose. Currently, I believe that purpose is to provide an additional voice of reason to balance and counter ignorance since “I know better”.

MLK once said “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

 

A few more observations are:

  • I rarely think of my associates;
  • I don’t think about sex, partying, drinking as much (the Network world is hypersexualized);
  • I don’t feel compelled to be a social firefly;
  • I’m not as influenced by the thoughts of others;
  • I feel completely irrelevant (and it feels good!!);
  • I enjoy saying “I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about” when someone asks me if I saw something on the Networks;
  • I miss sharing pics and music with the world;
  • I have more of a desire to write;

 

And that sums up my experience thus far.

I’ll leave you with a quote that could’ve easily replaced this wordy ass post lol
“It’s hard to stay mad when there’s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once and it’s too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst, and then I remember to relax and stop trying to hold on to it and it flows through me like rain and I can feel nothing but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid, little life. You have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure, but don’t worry. You will someday.”

Lester Burnham from American Beauty

May 11, 2014
by caps
3 Comments

word on the streets i’m a suspect: Racial Profiling in Canada

I’m among a sea of Asians and white people (sprinkle black pepper into some grits) exiting our international flights preparing to go through immigrations & customs to enter Vancouver, Canada at the airport. Two friends and I pass through an immigrations agent and get interrogated about our occupations and our purposes for wanting to enter the country. “I’m an IT Technician and I saw cheap flights to Vancouver and jumped on it to visit for the weekend.” Simple, pragmatic reasoning. The immigrations agent approves my response and stamps my passport. Time to turn up!!! Right?

As we prepare to exit the airport there is another set of border agents (Canada Border Services Agency – CBSA) directing people. As the only 3 black men walking out, the border agents flag us down to look at our tickets. She grabs our tickets, looks down at them, then looks back at us, then looks back down at the tickets, then looks back at us. It was approximately a 6 second decision making process before she directed us to “Go to the right” (Straight was freedom; to the right was additional screening).

Punk ass bitch.

So we walk into the additional screening room; white walls and steel countertops. It had a real “rehabilitating” aura to it.  Three “intimidating” agents approach us and inform us we’ve been selected for additional screening (Yeah, whatever), and we were fortunate to be there during a special Canadian documentary screening of a day in the life of Canadian border control (yeah, whatever). We proceed with the additional search; full unpacking of clothes, dumping out every single compartment of my backpack, and nothing but judgmental & ignorant, commentary of all the items in my possession.

Then they run a background check. (FYI, The US and Canada have an agreement where they can access each other’s legal databases – and Canada has a list of convictions that deem you inadmissible to the country – http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/inadmissibility/who.asp). Soon after, they question me about my previous “run ins with authority, [misdemeanor] capers” (word to Makaveli) and etc etc. I acknowledge the one I was actually guilty of, but disregarded the trumped up ones. Blah blah blah. After being treated & spoken to like a criminal over some shit that occurred almost 10 years ago, they deemed me inadmissible due to my prior convictions.

A real one got kicked out of Canada on the premise of racial profiling.

This leads me right back to California less than 24 hours later.

After studying the Canadian law, I’m not as upset of getting “removed” from the country as I initially was. Law is law and it’s upon the member visiting the country to do necessary research on the laws before entering. I can live with that (on top of seeing other people go through the same due process as I).

What I do have a problem with though is the methodology and selection process that even led up to that point. Racial profiling. Although it shouldn’t come as a surprise to me, it’s still a mighty discomforting (& re-affirming) feeling to know that I’m still perceived as a suspect based on my skin color beyond borders. C’est la vie. There will always be work to be done.

Don’t you all fret though and assume this trip was entirely a burnt mission. Since there weren’t any flights “deporting” back to Cali that night, they “allowed” me to stay the night at a hotel and check myself back in at the airport the next day by noon (otherwise they would’ve issued a warrant for my arrest…THUG LIFE!!!).  Just enough time to turn up in Vancouver for one night…

(this post shall be better known as “FUCK CANADA!!!)

(and i’m not fucking with Bieber, Canadian bacon, or Crown Royal anymore either…and I’m going to reduce my Drake music catalog 50%…and I’m glad the Grizzlies moved to Memphis and the Raptors got knocked out the playoffs by an AMERICAN team)

October 24, 2013
by caps
0 comments

All Eyes On Oakland

(I’ve been reflecting on the state of Oakland recently and its relationship to other cities, and I suddenly realized that we’re at the heart and forefront of most things going on. Lot of the topics I’ve picked up on through basic observation, engagement, and genuine love. I’ve had an urge to write about something for awhile and decided it would be best to write about something I’m deeply vested & rooted in.)

 

I don’t know if you noticed, but all eyes are on Oakland right now and in more ways than one. Let’s start with some basic National Geographic facts in case you live under a rock. Oakland is in one of the most beautifullest (yes, beautifullest…word to Keith Murray) locations in the world with the most moderate and tolerant climates. It is surrounded by natural marvels as well as manmade ones. It has one of the most diverse demographics for cities with a population over 350,000 (28% black; 26% white; 25% Latino; 17% Asian; 4% everything else…which means we have the dopest food options!!!). It is one of the premiere model cities in America and probably the world due to the simultaneous & rapidly fluctuating dynamics that seem to occur here more frequently than any other area. It is the epicenter of several revered schools of thought (UC Berkeley, Stanford, and San Francisco State)

Presently transitioning into the service era (from the now defunct manufacturing industry) and being associated with the highly dependent, world revolving Silicon Valley, it possesses unique indicators that provide insight and predictability for other cities in the country that are trying to figure shit out. Oakland presents a hypothesis and a working equation that urbanized centers across the country strive to understand in order to adapt and overcome the rapidly changing demands of American society. The degree of civic engagement is paramount to other cities (except Washington DC that has unfairly & implicitly declared itself the civic engagement headquarters of the world).

Enough of all of these greased up awesome facts though, time to focus on the current state of Oakland and why the world is seriously fucking with us.

In focus of present day events, Oakland is on the forefront of many issues and situations. Here is a list of a few of those issues:

– Real Estate (Oakland is the home of the fastest selling real estate market in the US since 2012. Homes stay on the market at an average of 14 days as of March 2013…however, 20% of homebuyers are real estate investors that essentially rent the homes out. Foreclosures are still fucked up though.)

 – Professional Protest Movement (since 2009 I count (without really counting) at least 10 major protests/strikes between the copious amounts of Occupy Oakland, BART Union/Oscar Grant, Labor/SEIU union, and myriad of other social/civil justice events, Oakland has been on the front page of news publications nationwide and the subject of national debate on several occasions) … you down with PPM?!?!?

– Crime (Fortunately Oakland isn’t leading in homicides this year, but we do have the disservice of owning the highest burglary/robbery rate per capita in the country, partially thanks to Oakland Police Department making a widely publicized notice to the residents that they will not be responding immediately to non-violent incidents like things surprisingly like robberies and burglaries)

 – Oakland Police Department (with all the federal investigations to OPD conduct, their being understaffed, judicial & federal oversight, and talks of a federal takeover, the Oakland Police Department has been publicly criticized & scrutinized by many for how they conduct themselves and their understaffed force. There have been several studies on how they handle PPM and racial discrimination. It’s been an issue all over the country for some decades now, but OPD just knows how to stay in the public light)

– Oakland Athletics, Warriors, Raiders (There have been several talks of Oakland professional sports teams moving out of Oakland. Their moves would have serious economic implications to the city of Oakland. Many cities with professional sports teams and dilapidated stadiums/arenas are mostly considering moving to suburbs for tax advantages and more land to play with, so many of them are observing how Oakland teams pan out. Additionally, there have been several global investors seeks to make private investments to secure teams in Oakland in hopes of capturing an under-tapped/served economic market. There is a Dubai investor teaming up with an LA real estate investment firm to create a Sports & Entertainment Complex called “Coliseum City” in the heart of East Oakland if the city grants them rights to the land. There are also Chinese investors looking to make private investments in building a baseball stadium in Jack London – similar to AT&T Park in the SF – with a land grant from the Port Of Oakland)

– Gentrification (this means many things and has conflux of pro’s & con’s that make it a little bit different than other cities experiences with gentrification. The faces of most “beloved” neighborhoods are changing, culture & blight. There are families that were financially uprooted by force or compensation. That’s a pro or con depending on which side of the table you are on. Oakland has always had a pretty active cultural approach to all its residents, but now it is shifting to something more liberalishly hipster & “cool”, with the uprising of the foodie and bar scene that I seriously fuck with and appreciate. However, there are still some cultural misunderstandings that create a friction among lifelong citizens and the new ones. However, in relationship to other cities in the country experiencing gentrification, the effects have been mild and more so beneficial based on my mere observation. There are a lot of cool hipster events but they are mostly inclusive to the hipster crowd. I LOVE BIKING!!!!)

This is my very vague observation of the state of Oakland and its implications to society. There are some things I am extremely proud of as well as things that need serious attention. Our peers, our leaders, our government, our businesses, our people are examining how we function (because we’re all just out here trying to function!!!). Everyone knows the best ideas and trends come from the Bay, but most importantly Oakland. So let’s make sure we keep everything in perspective and keep moving and shaking shit up.

*Spartan voice* THIS IS OAKLAND!!!!!!!! *chest kick*

 

 

November 30, 2011
by caps
1 Comment

The Power of Association

apply this train of thought to your interactions on social media 

 

“The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people. As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are. Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don’t increase you will eventually decrease you.

Consider this: Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don’t follow anyone who is not going anywhere. With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl, but if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.

“A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.” The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate – for the good and the bad. Note: Be not mistaken. This is applicable to family as well as friends.”

-Colin Powell.

November 22, 2011
by caps
0 comments

What is the socialization process of love?

this blog was recently brought to my attention. i wrote this back in in April and its noteworthy to revisit as I glamour at the difference of my thought process from then to now.  check it out!

April 2011

I was in a very brief discussion earlier about love on twitter and I noticed something about my responses that conflicted with something I very much want to believe in.

A friend said he didn’t know how to address the concept of love and I agreed with him by stating it was ambiguous and that I would rather chase rainbows. The thought caught wind to others and further clarification was desired.

Crazy thing is, I’ve wrote about the concept of love several times, and each time my opinion varied based on personal experience, observations, and what I may have learned or read about from some scholarly article, blog, or religious text during that moment of my life. But my recent opinion of it was a little more pessimistic than the latter times.

This recent encounter with the topic, it seems that I completely disregarded anything optimistic and uplifting I ever felt about “love” and I found myself projecting on a platform of confusion and hurt based on recent events in my life.

The concept of love varies depending on which type we are talking about. There are many forms of love, yet my mind instantly associated love with the romantic form, eros. My response resonated with disdain. As I reflected on my subconscious reaction I realized it was an expression that I’ve observed frequently before through my peers and popular media projections of the black males disinterest in love that I never fully identified with until now.

I’ve had a few discussions within the past two hours that inspired me to type out my thoughts to better organize and understand this process.

So let me just clear this now, I sincerely believe in agape (unconditional/spiritual) and philos (brotherly/sisterly) love. And I suppose I believe in eros (physical/romantic) love, but f*ck b*tches and get money lol. J/K. I believe in romantic love, I’m just not in the emotional/mental/trusting/vulnerable space for it until I feel like I’ve overcome the residual effects of the past.

This really isn’t a blog about how I feel about love because I’m obviously a chameleon when it comes down to it nor am I an authority of the concept, but really, my curiosity to how does love fit in the socialization process of our immediate environments, society as a whole, and our experiences.

For most inner city black men/boys, there aren’t many examples of love beyond the love displayed within a family, and unfortunately for most, it is only experienced through a mother’s love and siblings due to the absences of many fathers. That leads to a lack of healthy, positive examples of love between a man and a woman which one should first be introduced to in the home.

Many rely on observations of love from what they see in from their peers/streets or are subconsciously exposed to through media. It appears to me, that the most common example of love is the love of money. For black people most  desires stem from poverty stricken circumstances but then, there are communities of other backgrounds that endure the same circumstances that don’t share the same passion/lust for money. Without delving too deep into what I believe the root causes of this process, I’ll just say integration (assimilation) may not have been the best outcome for black folk during the Civil Rights era.

It seems that the love of money/success trumps the spiritual purpose of love. As many are so willing to sell (out) themselves for the sake of money, will quickly rationalize or justify their immoral behaviors based on how much money they can make off it.

Next, the experiences of black men/boys and black women/girls with love. I think many will agree that there is a lot of unjust trauma and strain in the relationships of black people. We suffer from the systematic ramifications of slavery, Jim Crow, racially inequitable and discriminatory policies, self-hate, and the media. All working simultaneously and subsequently to suppress us from learning to love each other the way we need to unite and thrive. Examples and observations of healthy relationships are the foundations of love. There is no premise for us to be in favor of love because it is almost impossible to understand and apply to our lives if we have never observed or experienced it.

I don’t believe it’s the direct experiences of two people that cause the most strain. It is how each individual feels about themselves and a mutual understanding of where they both are when entering a relationship. Also, the lack of  OG presence and tutelage to bestow wisdom to situations to put in context and cultivate the younger generation through a healthy process to learn about the positive & negative experiences of love.

The socialization processes of men and women differs. It seems like women have been conditioned since birth to believe in the premise of romantic love and men haven’t. So is there any surprise in the disparity of women who openly desire love vs men?

These are some brief, quick type of thoughts that I had that I hope would open a honest dialogue in whatever medium to those that choose to read, share, rebut what they feel about love and the socialization process that guides its meaning as well as solutions or recommendations to evolve beyond said socialization processes.

 

I’ll leave yall with a popular passage co-authored by Too Short &  Snoop Dogg  about love:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

 

October 12, 2011
by caps
2 Comments

#unOccupyWallstreet – Invest Locally

credits Pen Harshaw http://ogpenn.com/

There’s been lots of coverage and talk surrounding the #OccupyWallstreet movement. I’m not fully sure what the movement is, but the gist I get so far is, it consists of everyday citizens (99% ) that are fed up with the (1%) upper echelon leadership of Wallstreet and the banking &  financial sectors.

After 3 years of waiting for the “Troubled Asset Relief Program”- TARP  (bailout) to trickle down to displaced homeowners and the unemployed, people are no longer willing to ignore and be silent about bankers unfair operations (i.e. fee hikes, lack of lending, continued foreclosures, etc.) despite being bailed out by the government following their predatory practices that were primary contributors to the economic collapse.

The “99%” of society are now expressing their displeasure by occupying the footsteps of  financial districts across America, demanding these institutions be accountable of their inequitable practices and restore whatever integrity is left in this corporatocracy.

I share many of the sentiments being addressed in #OccupyWallstreet. Its about damn time people started holding the corporate powers accountable for their inhumane & exploitative practices – domestic & foreign. There’s a serious class-war happening thats becoming more and more prevalent as globalization feeds on the poor in the guise of democracy & capitalism. It is being dictated by the top 1% of those with vested interests in the institutions that facilitate financial tools.

Although I strongly support the #OccupyWallstreet movement,  it doesn’t mean much if we continue to support these institutions by allowing them to capitalize and collect interest on our checking & savings accounts. I think Plato once said “Money talks & Bullshit walks” (don’t quote me on that lol). The power is in how we allocate our money.

 

So I have a proposal for everyone that’s committed to the #OccupyWallstreet movement. Let’s #unOccupyWallstreet and divest our funds from the banks that don’t have your community or you, best interest in mind. I implore you to instead, invest your hard earned money into credit unions and community banks.

Before you make this transition to credit unions on the strength of my (ig’nant) recommendation, first understand how banks and credit unions work.

“Banks are for profit institutions management is always seeking a profit to return to the shareholders (and there is nothing wrong with that)

Banks make their profit by:

  • charging high fees,
  • offering most or all services for a fee,
  • paying depositors a low interest rate on deposits, and
  • charging its debtors a high rate of interest.”

“Credit Unions are non-profit institutions. Credit unions tend to not seek a profit and desire to return as much value back to the depositors [members] (which are often termed shareholders). Credit unions accomplish this by:

  • keeping fees at a minimum,
  • offering many services for free,
  • paying a higher interest rate to their depositors, and
  • charging their debtors a lower interest rate.”

A historical and common disadvantage credit unions have had are lack of accessible ATM locations. However, that has changed in recent years as credit unions and community banks form co-operative ATM usage where you can use any ATM at any credit union or community bank with no surcharge fees.

So once again, I implore you to divest your funds from Wallstreet (Chase, Wells Fargo, BofA, etc. – most yall hate these banks with all your heart anyway) and invest them in more financially responsible institutions. The benefits exceed just your bank account, investing in your local financial institutions stimulate the local economy, creating economic prosperity for the community like the booming 1920-30’s Black Wallstreet in Tulsa, Oklahoma (slightly dated reference, but still relevant).

 

Despite my suggestion to divest from big banks, it is even more important for people to be financially literate to prevent future corporate shamwows from taking place. Although Wallstreet & banks are the primary reason for this current economic crisis, it’s important to understand that as citizens, our financial illiteracy and American greed paved the way for them to exploit us. 

October 3, 2011
by caps
0 comments

Ode to the #BikeHype

There are plenty of activities we can do with our free time. Gym, jogging, happy hours, hanging out, watching tv, streaking. Well out of the 12 years of my adult life, I finally found something I can do daily that’s therapeutic, exhilarating, holistic, adventurous, physically conditioning, and FREE!!! The #BikeHype.

The #BikeHype is simply a random adventure on a bicycle (GO GREEN!!!)

#BikeHype

I’ve officially been on the #BikeHype movement since June, when I rented a bike in San Francisco and #BikeHype’d it with the homies through the City from Embarcadero to Twin Peaks (most elevated part of San Francsico) and back. It wasn’t until I rode down the highly elevated Twin Peaks that I fully appreciated the joy of biking. Granted, going up hill was a serious challenge (but very worth the physical exercise), the reward is going down. There’s something spiritual about going 35 mph down a steep ass hill on bicycle for what felt like a mile. As a bonafide adrenaline junky, it’s the moments like these that I feel the most alive. (Day after, I felt muscles I didn’t know I had)

There are other aspects of the #BikeHype that are just as liberating as going Evil Knievel down steep hills. You get in tuned with Mother Earth, and find the little things to appreciate while listening to the wind whisper sweet nuffings in your ear about the secrets to serenity and smelling the sexy aromas of nature (ok, this obviously doesn’t apply to routes on E. 14th, San Pablo, or around dog parks, but I’m sure you catch my drift)

Previously, I believed I seen all of Oakland (and other pockets of the Bay), via driving and walking. That belief quickly got debunked. On the #BikeHype I saw neighborhoods, stores, houses, parks, and landscapes I never knew existed.   When you’re driving, you cover more ground quickly but you’re confined to paved areas,  too focused on the road & vehicle safety, and moving too quick to gaze at the subtle things. When you walk,  you have the convenience of exploring paths cars can’t and you get to see and appreciate the subtle things, but are limited by the inability to cover a large amount of space in a timely fashion. #BikeHype provides that fine balance between both, where you get to cover more infrequently explored paths and see more at a speed convenient for you.

Another thing I love about the #BikeHype is, it is a communal, bonding type of experience. You get to take adventures with people that have similar interests and passions. There’s a mutual appreciation for the finer things in life that I consider the simple, everyday life that is our playground should we choose to exercise that option. Plus it’s your opportunity to be environmentally friendly and GO GREEN!!!

The #BikeHype has been the most satisfying and revitalizing experience to my bottomed-out, tumultuous 2011.

So get yo ass up so we can get on this #BikeHype.

October 3, 2011
by caps
0 comments

Ideas Worth Sharing

There’s this site that I view occassionally called TED.com (Ideas worth sharing).  It’s a non profit site that shares ideas and conversations from the worlds leading thinkers and doers. My favorite thing about TED.com is the substance and quality of the ideas they share.  If you love to hear refreshing and hopeful perspectives, I highly recommend this site to you.

Here are a few of my favorite clips from TED.

Dan Gilbert – Why are we happy?


Lauren Zalaznick – The conscience of television


Brene Brown – The Power of vulnerability

Ahn Trio: A modern take on piano, violin, & cello

Dan Ariely – Are we in control of our own decisions?

September 22, 2011
by caps
0 comments

beauty in the dark

i wrote this in 2006. i was reading over it and am wondering how high i was when i wrote it lol.  i confused myself reading it again hahaha. it definitely was a quick freestyle-avant-garde type of write up that i did in 5 minutes. some things are worth the laugh.

smoke before reading

you ever been tired? i mean like the type of tired you really just dont feel like dealing with anything, anyone, any situation? that tired that all you wanna do is close your eyes and just dream of all the hopeful possibilities? you know, that type of tired that leads you to the isolation of darkness that somehow grips you like those extra medium superhero costumes? that comforts you and lets you be who you want to be, do what you want to do, see what you want to see? what if that darkness contains some sort of truth?  maybe that darkness is the moment of clarity that is holistic in sense.  maybe if you closed your eyes good enough you could do some quantum leap type shit and be in a whole new world like that asian dude on the Heroes show. the darkness that somehow allows you to see the truth for what it really is.  maybe darkness is as liberating as kickin the shit out of some punk rock superstar with braided extensions with metal tips in the chest after he jabbed you in the forehead with a mortified concept of unity? or what if darkness is the path to the light? you know, on some underground railroad type shit but not really underground?  you with me?  maybe the darkness is in the open for everybody to see? that darkness that possesses celestial vision and knowledge as divine as the Supreme Being?  theres a saying that those who cant handle the light flee to darkness.  but then that would mean they are in fear of the light so they hide in the dark.  what if you dwell in the darkness to find the light?  maybe the light isnt something you are supposed to see, but rather a light you are supposed to feel within that darkness, and within that darkness this light presents a light that not only you can feel, but everyone around you can feel as well? so then maybe when your tired you let your guards down and you disregard that light that you see that is constantly proven to be an illusion and then you focus on the darkness to harness that light you can feel and truly be apart of.  maybe that darkness is the light you are supposed to see in the faces that are the reflection of the one that we are all derived from? so how can we see the light in the darkness we fear?  only in love will you be able to find the beauty in the dark.

-caps

p.s. every star dwells in darkness

 

September 20, 2011
by caps
2 Comments

people that think the universe of you

You ever wonder what makes people happy? Do you know what genuinely makes you happy? Do you know the roots of your happiness/unhappiness? It’s a question that we deal with at several points in our lives as we encounter a variety of obstacles. It’s usually most poignant when we’re down and out on our luck or when things aren’t going as willfully planned.

What do you do to overcome those moments of doubt? pessimism? cynicism? If that is your mood, I’ll tell you what you shouldn’t do. Don’t listen to yourself. As powerful as our minds are, we can easily allow that power to fuel our negative thoughts, eventually drowning in our own sorrows.  More often than not, our negative thoughts are a result of our ego’s not being satisfied based on social conditioning. Social conditioning could be things we are raised to believe we should have or done if we abide by a specific formula (if you do a + b then that will = c), so once that equation doesn’t add up we began to doubt everything around us. Reality check, we’re human, our paths aren’t as mathematically defined as we’d like to believe (see disclaimer below). We aren’t any exact thing during every moment. The beauty of being human is that we can feel and be things at any given moment.

So if you are indeed feeling down and out, listen to someone that thinks and feels contrary to you.  Sometimes it takes the fresh perspectives of others to rejuvenate the beliefs in ourselves. Vibes are contagious so be sure to seek out ones that you’re striving to be.

Be mindful of external influences. Having options isn’t always a good thing.  It is inherent in this modern culture to be exposed to an infinite, unnecessary amount of options and luxuries thru everyday marketing or constant exposure to others personal experiential testimonies on social media. Our desires somehow become convoluted and we can feel suffocated by time. If you feel overwhelmed by that, I’d recommend detaching yourself from those mediums otherwise prepare to indulge in inadequacy.

Learn about who you are. What does your ego desire? and what does your spirit desire? If you cant discern the difference, then that’s the first thing you need to know. If there were no electricity, who would you be? what would you want?

Last bit of advice, separate yourself from thinking about your life in the grand scheme of the universe. That existential shit will get you lost in the sauce. Once you value yourself in the context of the universe, you instantly feel depreciated. Instead value your worth and contributions based on the people that think the universe of you.

 

Disclaimer: the powers that be would like things to be able to calculate you by your desires and psychological patterns. Hence the study of Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Marketing, and Sheep Hearding 101. By them placing certain options(bait) out there, they’d like to determine our habits based on a more complex algorithm using information we blindly provide them i.e. credit card purchases, facebook/twitter posts, foursquare check in’s, GPS.