That Escalated Quickly.

I was preparing for my vacation trip with my family. The trip was dependant upon if my mother in law was going to Miami. It was waiting patiently while my wife was on the phone, only to realize that it appeared as though the trip she was planning to Miami wasn't happening. Instead, we were planning to go to Blue Ridge Georgia. I was so incredibly excited to go on this trip, it was our honeymoon when we went there last. It was a wonderful time when I learned to detach from social media and enjoy the moment. I was planning to do the same again and reset my perspective and remember how to enjoy the moment. I booked our hotel, five nights right in Blue Ridge. My wife still had some time before she could go back to work and I actually had spring break time. This was going to be a family vacation again for once. I packed everything up and our plan was going to be after my daughter's trike-a-thon we would finish up to get ready. My mom called me up and told me that the trip would be a massive mistake. I'm sure she was overreacting.  The next day came and it was my daughter's trike-a-thon, when it was over, we took her home early so we could prepare for the trip. Everything was ready. Toys in the car, snacks packed, a trip was before us. Our trip was like any other trip, I was in the back seat with my daughter playing toys with her while my wife drove. We made it into Georgia later in the day and we checked in. This is when we decided to go to Pizza hut to eat. Inside it was incredibly empty but it didn't discourage it yet, but it did feel odd. We went back to the hotel to hang out and chill for the rest of the night. The next day we went to waffle house and it had even fewer people inside, a father was eating with his daughter and they were using plastic utensils and plates. It all felt odd but it didn't stop our plans. We took a trip up to my wife's aunt house. While there she had the news on about the spreading pandemic. I looked up our destinations for the week they were all closed indefinitely, now it was started to sink in. My in-laws decided to leave a few days early and we made the choice to head off to Cleveland Georgia to go to Babyland like originally intended. While we embarked toward Babyland we discovered that our daughters had their schools shut down for the time being. Before baby land, we went to Helen Georgia it was all open but there were strange restrictions on the places, people had to be separated and no more than ten people.  We found out that Babyland was closed so we looked around Helen and then found a hotel. Near our hotel restaurants were open but only through the drive-through. People were wearing gloves everywhere. After a day in Helen and spending the night in the hotel we drove back home but we left normal far behind.

Just a matter of time

Just a matter of time 

by myk media 

It's amazing because back in September I had a hemiplegic migraine which resulted in a months-long anxiety attack. Within those attacks the major concern of mine was time and there wasn't enough, that was until I just reset my mindset. I remembered what a smart guy named Einstein said about time, that it's relative and that our perspective of time is what effects the duration of time. Shortly after I started to relearn to live in the moment because honestly, all we ever have IS the moment. So many people I know on a regular basis spend so much of their time condensing it. They do this by waiting for the end of the day, waiting for the end of the week, month, year and so on. While you can look forward to things, spending too much time in the future or the past causes the moments in your life to pass you by. While I was having my bouts of anxiety, I wished I had more time with my family and I even regretted not being there enough in the past. In all honesty, regret is a waste of energy and my children were happy with their routine and rather than expelling too much energy on the past I decided to spend as much time enjoying the moments that compromise of our lives as possible. I was being faced with another anxiety, the moments seem to drip right through our fingers. But that's not entirely so, the moment is always now, we are always now. Rather than obsessing with the last now, enjoy the current now. So I returned to meditation, which helped and I regained appreciation of the moment. In committing to appreciation each moment as I'm greeted with them, I decided to go to my daughter's bike race at school. It was a long event, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I saw old school mates and new school mates and while my daughter was having fun, she was kind of doing her own thing. I was glad I was there to spend time with her but I wish I could be there with my kids a bit longer and more often. While on spring break is when we found out about the school closures my time with them was extended. Instead of not enough time, that's all I have now is time. But I realized that's all we ever have. Even though I live in the moment, I do tend to forget to take my own advice. 

I think a bad thing like this virus can help to remind us to appreciate the small things. Now I don't think that the virus is a good thing and we don't have control over it, but we have control over our outlook on life.  

How to have an enjoyable Pandemic

How to Have an Enjoyable Pandemic

by

Myk Media

Have you wondered what you would do during a zombie apocalypse? Well, you're doing it now. And I'm not being overly dramatic, the zombies are just invisible anyone could be infected, and it's not everyone vulnerable. Just like a typical zombie movie, you have a load of people who are brushing it off, a load of people who are taking it seriously, and a load of people are panicking. Meanwhile, even if you aren't affected, society is effected. That is always the biggest victim of the zombie films, society. Watch talk shows without audiences, concerts being canceled, and the stock market tanking by the second. Even if you feel that this is just hysteria, the facts remain, people are dying and society is suffering by the minute. This is a strange feeling to live during such a series of events if it proves anything it proves that despite the millions of dollars that we have invested in technology, the countless advancements that we have made, the celebrities that we surround ourselves with, we are still mere humans that are far more vulnerable then we actually give credit for. We were not prepared for something like this to happen. Five years ago, Bill Gates said that society would not be impacted or destroyed by nuclear weaponry, it would be impacted by a pandemic. Sadly, he was right. Now we as humans are minimizing our travel and staying inside. Amidst all of the precautions, All we can do is relax because even though we're doing our best, it's an airborne virus and very little can stop that in all honesty. Little is known about the virus. Either this is going to greatly devastate the nation through death and the economic strain that staying inside is going to cause or somehow we will overcome and rebound quickly. I'm not going to predict, however I am going to say that massive precautions will need to be taken to prevent this next time if we get a next time. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the pandemic.

True Love Waits

True Love Waits

By Myk Media

            The hardest part about having an invisible disability is connecting with someone. Usually they don’t have the patience or understanding to get to know you.  It doesn’t happen for everyone, but I was fortunate enough not only to find someone who not only accepted me as a person but also embraced me as a spouse. 

            Anyone who doesn’t know what it’s like to have NVLD I can only relay  my experience having it.  Imagine having an ability to converse with anyone with utmost confidence and stride only to find out much later what you did, or said was extremely offensive, insulting, or strange. Typically I wouldn’t know what I did or said that would have a lasting impact with an individual or group but I would always feel the after effects. This wasn’t more apparent then in my dating life.  

            Prior to being diagnosed, I would go on dates and things would go perfectly find until a certain point in which some of the individuals decided the date was over. I never exactly knew what it was that I said but I knew it was something. This perpetual sense of putting my foot in my mouth was apparent with my father, he suggested potential diagnoses for my mental state but these were all unofficial. I recall going on a date and I attempted to relay these diagnoses, this bought me time and we did eventually continued dating until communication break downs came to a head and ultimately severed our relationship.  She no longer took my father’s unofficial diagnosis; she thought I was intentionally this way. I felt like I was destined to live with my parents for the rest of my life, my father felt the same way. 

            Eventually I found another girlfriend who looked past my shortcomings, and despite living at home we got engaged. Shortly after we got married, my father was thrilled and shortly after I enrolled in college. Everything was going fine until math came about and my father told me there was no way I would succeed without assistance. The college set me up to get me diagnosed to aid with my math and get it substituted if necessary.  This is when I got officially diagnosed with NVLD and my wife was very supportive and understanding. She’s been more understanding then any other peer previously in my life. She knows that I say and do odd things and I manage to put my foot in my mouth more often then not, however she’s been with me going on 5 years now. 

            In closing, even if you feel different and odd there’s someone understanding for everyone out there it just takes time. Just be patient because true love waits. 

The Greatest Show That You Didn't Know That You Needed

       In the modern age of utter nonsense, there's something blissful about a cassette tape record label. Strangely inviting does not prepare one for Gnar Tapes. While inviting describes everything surrounding Gnar Tapes, including the band, White Fang, and the outstanding television program that emerged onto Comedy Central.  Gnarnia serves the viewer with the kind of calculated throwback comedy that America needed to discover right about now.
         I discovered Gnar Tapes from Burger Records, while these two entities are separate they are bound by their unique take on media and distribution. I found myself getting into tape manufacturing from these two labels. The reaction is always one of curiosity and confusion. Slinging tapes in 2018 is difficult, being that it's extremely niche. Gnarnia fully embraces that difficulty and puts it in the forefront as the main obstacle of their brilliant show.
          What makes the show brilliant is how its about the real life members of the band White Fang who are also the heads of Gnar Tapes a record label and music shop. The struggle of this band is to try and keep their dreams alive in a world that doesn't quite understand. The band is played joyfully naive which is inviting to watch. The show successfully evokes memories of the Banana Splits or the Monkeys with a touch of Cheech and Chong without feeling contrived.
              In closing, this classic show a a wonderful alternative to modern redundancy. Even if a show about a cassette tape label sounds confusing, I recommend that you indulge your curiosity and check this wonderful show out.

Goodnight, Mr. Orlando

     Billy Manes, was unlike anyone else and today, even though I never met him, I can attest that Orlando truly lost a large part of itself.  

Through social media, we are constantly bombarded with stories about death, but each one is as impactful as the last. Why are we humans so emotionally effected by the passing of someone who we never actually met? 

        My first introduction to Mr. Manes was sadly my only introduction. However it was an intoxicating experience. I discovered his editorials in the Orlando weekly, after moving to Orlando from Colorado. Those mile high school years were spent reading the writings of edgy fringe writers which prepared me for the tonality and wit that Billy was so fluent in. I was in awe of his writing style. It was reminiscent of Hunter S. Thompson with a touch of Bowie, however this is an unfair reduction of his talents. There was so much more complexity, humor, and intelligence in his writings. 

           His writing was the motivating factor for me to pick up the weekly and to strengthen my writing prowess to match his talents. I feel as though I got to learn so much about him merely though those articles. Billy was larger then life, he was surreal, eccentric and overall, a genius. 

            Despite being a genius, I never got to experience it first hand, I have met those who knew him, and they said that he was just as amazing in person wrapped in a sheet of kindness. While Billy may have frequented the clubs and bars of Orlando, I was just merely a grain of sand in the large  social ocean of Orlando however this fact doesn't minimize the impact that his passing has. We humans are so emotionally effected by the passing of someone who we never actually met because mortality is part of the human experience. When we connect or relate to someone even from a far, it makes that passing even harder. I don't just speak for myself when I say, Orlando will miss you. 

To the End of Love

I was fortunate enough to discover Leonard Cohen's music early enough. Many people were introduced to Leonard's music through the film Natural Born killers. Years after that his music has been played in excess on most soundtracks. However the true Leonard Cohen is far more then merely a soundtrack artist. He began as a prolific poet with layers of symbolism and meaning. He eventually moved  into the world of music. For those who aren't familiar with his work, start with songs of love and hate and dive deep into his avalanche of symbolism. I was fortunate enough to see him play for four hours at red rocks. He has lived a very satisfying life and he played every night of his recent tour to the fullest. With time he's been winding down and welcoming the concept of death. 
This death is the only death which I'm not entirely sad about. I feel satisfied that Leonard got his wish. He waited to die until he could tour a few times, and release a few more albums before peacefully fading away. He said he was ready to die, and death was finally ready for him. Take this waltz and forever sing in the tower of song. 

I'm leaving the table

I'm out of the game

I don't know the people

In your picture frame

If I ever loved you, oh no, no

It's a crying shame

If I ever loved you

If I knew your name

You don't need a lawyer

I'm not making a claim

You don't need to surrender

I'm not taking aim

I don't need a lover, no, no, no

The wretched beast is tame

I don't need a lover

So blow out the flame

There's nobody missing

There is no reward

Little by little

We're cutting the cord

We're spending the treasure, oh no, no

That love cannot afford

I know you can feel it

The sweetness restored

I don't need a reason

For what I became

I've got these excuses

They're tired and they're lame

I don't need a pardon, no no, no no, no

There's no one left to blame

I'm leaving the table

I'm out of the game

I'm leaving the table

I'm out of the game

Leaving The Table

-Leonard Cohen