* JuanMapu - Vida en Nueva York

Is it magazine magic or is just me finding cool stuff? May be both although I know what it is, but that is a whole different conversation.

Let's keep it in magazine magic.

I hadn't bought an issue of the Utne Reader for while -I blame corporate life for it; I even thought it had went out of circulation- until I saw the latest issue while making a line in the good-but-suspicious Whole Foods supermarket by Columbus Circle. Utne compiles articles from alternative media and the latest issue is its 1st Annual International Issue. It is worth reading, especially when you feel ready for a new approach to the world we live in. I went to see the online version and I found a lot more of interesting reading. (I clicked on 90% of the links -something that just helped to delay this post.) Under the spirituality blog, there is this post titled "3 Ways to Disconnect from the Internet and Engage the 'Lovely, Conflicted, Eternal Present.'" Two of those ways come from Geez magazine (probably my best finding in months), which describes itself in the About Us like "A place for wannabe contemplatives, front-line world-changers and restless cranks. A place where the moon shines quiet, instinct runs mythic and belief rides a bike (or at least sits on the couch entertaining the possibility)." The first one is about writing letters and the second about not using the computer for a month on Tuesdays and Sundays.

The third way is from Salon.com. It is about "Forced deprivation." Freedom software disables the Internet connection from periods of time. I love the web but I get the point of Freedom. I'm trying everything for the Present.

+++++++++++
Whole foods has an organic alleged shampoo for $2.29.

• From latest Geez Magazine an experiment to try at anytime now that is warm. Go truth!

• Following the post Luther Vandross and the Walkman-Boombox Era here is a good feature from NPR about boomboxes, includes video and a photogallery.

How does unemployment affects my lifestyle?

Of course I am on a budget. The first thing I did when I got my liberation notice was remembering Rabietaria's wise words: "When you have money, you need more money." Basically, money is always around, the printing machine is on most of the time. Its more about learning how to live with less --like most of my friends-- and acknowledge that few money periods -because there are times of lots of money-- are a chance to organize and pursuit your dream green-frugal-free life. It is also an opportunity to assess your services to the world, think about it.

I'm not buying sneakers every week. That doesn't mean I don't think about them: The Vans Chukka Boot got me thinking about creating my own designs or a line with my mother's art like Comandante does with some of his fashion.

My record shopping is limited now. However, the combination of free time and less money sent me back to A1 Records, one of the best used records stores in the world. That fits my new DJ mood, which is a more open and eclectic style.

When it comes to food, I can say I am eating better. Organic and local could be more expensive but it is unnoticeable. The main thing has been feeling a body and mind that can ride a bike or run a mile. Somehow good food makes me feel like a cheap good motherfucker. Forget about the price, once again, money is around.

There are many things to explore. Good F. recently release the Is In Your Hands stickers, something you will like. The Budget Ecoist has tips to keep it real.

Those are things that keep me thinking about traveling.

GBHQ and I have many disagreements but we do have something in common: We love freelance writing.

One night he called after many months without any news from him. He was lost in the middle of nowhere and needed to find his way back to NYC, "The city I should never have left," as he wrote to me days before his come back. With a nostalgic but eager tone, he told me that his best times were when he was freelancing around NYC, earning way less money than in the corporate job he had at that time.

I couldn't help getting nostalgic too after his words.

So we said good-bye to Michael Jackson and it was a massive spectacle.

My roomy F. F. anticipated the whole thing and recalled the situationist concept, meaning he didn't have any intention to watch the memorial service. He just got home and turned on the TV but spent most of the time on the phone. (He did bitch though, and so did I, about the performance of the kid from "Britain Got Talent" show.)

Friends and acquaintances facebooked and twitted their TV or Harlem Street experiences. Cata V. smell something wrong when Magic Johnson mentioned MJ's affair with Kentucky Fried Chicken and her status changed to "kfc should pay for the advertisment ???? "

DJ Velvet, someone who plays MJ in most of her gigs, didn't give a shit about the memorial. She has been living in a world without Michael Jackson for more than a week already.

Like most of his fans, I reviewed Michael Jackson musical legacy shortly after the news of his death. Of course I believe Off The Wall is the best album ever produced. But in the myriad of video posts from people, DJ/Producer Solo Muzika put the one of "Show You The Way To Go," a lovely sexy jam, which led me to buy a compilation of The Jacksons.

As a DJ that mostly plays disco music, I found The Jacksons appropriate for my sets. It is romantic, sexy and very danceable era of MJ. The mellow guitar and the vocals were made for the dance floor. It also has the sense of unity and brotherhood that made of House Music a spiritual thing.

It is true Michael Jackson was a wonderful child that reminds us the sense of unity and growing as a family, like the teachings of Elegba, an Orisha often represented by children. The NYTimes got something in a report about the fading of black ambivalence after his death.

Thus, the messages about MJ's love for humanity weren't vain. Something I liked from the memorial was that it went back to the beginning, with the Jacksons and a wonderful child on stage.

Work life has gone beyond the expectations. Its dynamics are difficult to understand. At least for the ones that do it in United States like me.

JS, JW and I (JM) happened to be together on Tuesday morning. JS has a job now in a different city to NYC. He said his shift is part a thing of pressing keys and coordinate machines with intensity for a couple of hours and the rest of the day is a matter of looking for other gigs, review social web sites and find a job in NYC.

JW explained how he is changing services for lunch nowadays. Like me, he is trying to be independent and hanging onto the idea of doing it by yourself. It is worth it. We both agreed that during a corporate 8 hour shift one spends a lot of time doing anything but work. And you get paid anyway.

We also are the kind of artists that work for hours in our personal projects without receiving a dime. (At least for now, as I want to be positive about it.)

As a freelancer I find great to get jobs that I will do in a couple of hours -from home- and get paid a couple of hundreds. It is when the hour rate goes beyond the $50 mark. Must of us would like to have those gigs at least twice a week. It is when the plan is going accordingly to Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad): You make money when you spend the least time working for it. But when those gigs don't come, one spends a lot of time looking for a job with hourly shifts, where you either get bosses ready to give you a huge load of work or spend half of the time updating Facebook, Twitter, or looking for another job.

Roomie JH joined the reasoning last night. He thinks corporations let you spend half of the time doing nothing as long as you are there to do what they need when they need. Basically they buy your time.

As I write this I see how a money driven mind is predominant in this dynamic. Kiyosaki's big advice is to work for experience instead of money. Somehow that idea makes everything temporary or permanently temporary. So there is no rush, hang on to your self.

I have three journals---two physical and this blog. Each one of them has a purpose, a sort of specific mission. They, however, are aligned to an intention: Mental health through writing. The practice of putting some words down helps me to put my life together. The journal next to my bed works as a dreams tracker. This blog is my long running work-in-progress. It is my open to the public creative platform. I bought a third journal three weeks ago. It is my latest attempt to have a notebook only for stream of consciousness narrative, away from telephone numbers, addresses and personal finances math. I like it because it has the ideal size to write in the subway and fit into my pockets. It is a ring bound notebook covered by a cardboard. It closes using a Moleskine alike elastic strip. The ring binding is functional: The elimination of evidence doesn't risk the binding.

So far the new journal works as a handy ruled pain killer. It is positive medicine though. I use it to connect, reconnect and disconnect. Now it's just a question of seeing what is going to be in the public platform. Hence, what you will read.

Morning rituals aren't just about the things I'm capable of doing. What I'm not going to do and what I'm not expecting to do are in the mix too. This means morning fun cannot be measured in terms of quantity. It is a quality matter. I'm a Gary Gilmore disciple. Little by little I've been trading party time for morning relaxation. (Recently, I was invited to a birthday brunch and liked the idea of moving the party to AM time...only if I weren't a DJ.)

The discipline of the morning rituals doesn't rely on the number of miles a person is willing to run. Mornings can help the marathon training, and are perfect to create routines intended to accomplish goals. I recommend to feel the free flowing they have. I experience random actions. Between my comings and goings I play with my cat. There is also the peek through window with something new about the neighbors. Hopeful compassionate events happen in the mornings.

Meditation: Be true to the disciplines and distractions of the morning.

La sección latina de América corporativa tiene su hang out: Son Cubano en el Meatpacking District. Al lado de donde quedaba el lsupermercado Western Beef (ahora queda la tienda de Apple que funciona veinticuatro siete). Aquí la fonda cubana se encuentra con lo último de la vida nocturna neoyoquina según las revistas de las aerolíneas. Por el color de las personas, las corbatas y el maquillaje me acordé de los bares de Bogotá que también salen en ese tipo de publicaciones.

Pinturas de Cuba cuelgan en la pared opuesta a la barra. Como mi destino ya está escrito quedo sentado frente al cuadro de una santera. Fuma un cigarro, muestra sus collares y lee la baraja española. La lectura es para mí, el único del grupo con barba de naufrago y camisa por fuera del pantalón. El único buscando respuestas en un lugar extraño. Cinco de oros, as de espadas y dos de oros. La situación que tengo. Es el momento de mirar lo cercano y lo lejano al mismo tiempo. Estado mental en modo compasivo. El Tao Te Ching dice que el maestro está disponible para todas las personas. Las de este grupo son tan inteligentes y divertidas como mis amigos artistas. Tal vez vivan con menos libertad e imaginación, pero tienen donde radicar su felicidad. Una familia da mucho por ejemplo. Insisto en su inteligencia. También son pacientes y tienen lomo. Saben cosas que otros no sabemos. Los mayores, los jefes, tienen algo adicional en su aura. Sus ojos muestran una limpieza, como si hubieran aprendido a llorar sin padecer. En J. uno puede ver la niña del colegio. Y W. tiene un hobby que le refresca la vida. Algo se dejó de hacer o tener. Que venga lo que sigue.

Con los jabones me pasa lo mismo que con el resto de las cosas. Mi preferido apareció en Nueva York. Antes no pude dar con uno. Nunca descubrí la "atractiva suavidad" con Camay ni sentí la frescura incondicional de Rexona. En cambio he acogido el ABC moral del jabón mágico de Dr. Bronner desde el primer día. La idea de leer algo en la ducha fue el gancho. Además algo con sustancia. "Somos todos o ninguno" y más mensajes por una humanidad unida. La primera vez fue una experiencia holística. Una menta poderosamente refrescante cambiaba mi forma de ver la vida. Sensación de limpieza plena. Cuando compré mi primer Dr. Bronner me gustó saber que los ingredientes eran orgánicos y comprados con justicia.

Del bienestar aromaterapeútico al porqué de ese ABC Moral. Menos mal no era el único con preguntas. "Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox (2006)", un documental de Sarah Lamn, tiene todas las respuestas. La historia del Dr. Bronner tiene todo para anexarse a la "Historia de la locura" de Michel Foucault. Un inmigrante judío alemán, de tradición jabonera, se obsesiona por unir a la humanidad al punto de abandonar a su familia. En su proselitismo es declarado demente y enviado a una institución mental de la que se escapa después de unas cuantas descargas eléctricas. Establece residencia en California y reactiva su vida como fabricante de jabón y profeta de la unidad. Reúne a sus hijos. La empresa crece. Enceguece. El ingrediente principal de los jabones es el aceite de cáñamo, primo de la marihuana. Dr. Bronner se vuelve un ícono de la contracultura de los sesenta.

El documental muestra la expansión de la empresa, hoy administrada por hijos y nietos del Dr. Bronner. La fábrica es todo un ejemplo de humanidad. Además de comercio justo y la promoción del cáñamo en procesos industriales, Dr. Bronner's Magic patrocina programas para la reinserción laboral de ex presos. Las ganancias extras van a la caridad y apoyo de campañas sociales. El tope de los salarios de los ejecutivos es limitado a cinco veces el menor sueldo de la compañía.

Otro mundo es posible. Un último dato: el jabón de Dr. Bronner lo limpia todo.

El concepto de Año Nuevo se ha puesto difícil. Un vecino piensa igual. Nos preguntamos si es tan necesario. Meditamos sus ventajas: sirve para proponerse metas en un periodo de tiempo, y crea una sensación de bienestar. Siempre lo he celebré con muchas ganas, pero el último no pude acogerlo. Hice los rituales sin dejar de pensarlo como algo sobrestimado. Mi calendario de renovaciones personales, ese work in progress, tiene mucho que ver. Con mi vecino es una enfermedad que lo pone a preguntarse qué hacer con su vida cada día.

La cuestión no ha sido sólo de mi vecino o mía. Los mensajes de texto y los posts de las redes sociales sonaban gastados, planos, repetidos. Y había conciencia de eso pese a la sinceridad. Se dijo feliz año con un oculto "pongámonos reales, dejemos de esperar el 31de diciembre".

******
Lo de Haití despierta una solidaridad mayor. Si levantamos a Haití, levantamos el resto. Vela y oración en casa; donaciones en sitios de ayuda.

Clase de meditación para eliminar hábitos dañinos. Desde comerse las uñas hasta actos compulsivos como abandonar el trabajo que se tiene que hacer por unos minutos de Facebook u otras maneras de procrastinar. Nuestra guía aconseja que acojamos ese momento de inconformidad hasta reconocerlo. La intención es controlar la mente y no lo incontrolable.

Woody, el súper (conserje) del edificio de al lado, sabe de la cosa. Es un hombre dulce, local, que siempre está trabajando. Un día en el laundry room le conté mi tragedia cada vez que tengo que hacer el laundry. Se mantuvo callado mientras me quejaba lo que me relajó al punto de terminar diciendo, "...but I guess you gotta to do what you gotta do". Y Woody asintió, dijo "that's right," y siguió trabajando.

Así que Woody es un monje, un súper monje que siempre está haciendo lo que tiene que hacer. Y lo hace con gusto.

Les presento a Elegua, dios de los caminos cruzados y los trucos.

La idea es llegar al estadio y tenemos dos horas para hacerlo. Nos encontramos tarde, tenemos hambre. La comida tarda. Nos inquieta que falta una escala antes de la estación principal. Prueba superada, pero las máquinas de tickets no aceptan nuestras tarjetas. Toca usar el cash de las emergencias. La policía suspende los trenes justo en la estación del estadio. Tenemos que bajarnos una estación antes y subirnos a un taxi que nos lleve al estadio. El taxi es carísimo, los taxistas son antipáticos y ventajosos. No tenemos cash. El primer ATM no funciona, el segundo tampoco. Finalmente estamos en la puerta del estadio donde nadie nos espera. Elegua déjanos entrar.

Es el segundo tiempo, el partido está cero a cero, y otros caminos se abren para nosotros. Un colega me espera con una propuesta. Estamos más sociales, descubrimos un nuevo bar, conocemos hinchas de verdad. Es un día de mayor información. Aprendimos los trucos en la travesía.

Maferefún Orisha.