Snow Whitey

It’s a sugar-coated land. Everything’s frosted with 5 inches of snow. The sky is an unsettled gray, which shows off the snowcapped rooftops. Colors are hushed; the world’s in black and white. We’re living in a 50’s rerun.

Cam was a little disoriented by all the snow, but gradually warmed up to it and was kicking clumps in no time. Her snowboots look 2 sizes too big and she doesn’t quite have the hang of walking in them. When she puts on her pink puffy winter coat, she wobbles around like a wind-up penguin.

One thing I noticed since I’ve settled-in up here is the phenomenon of a snowy shoreline. That just doesn’t happen in the tropics of west Florida, my home country. It just looks so apocalyptic to me; makes me double-take every time I see it. There's nothing more lonely and desolate than a shoreline with nobody on it.

We’re supposed to get more powder today. When it snows, it dumps. If the it sticks around for a day or two, I think I’ll pull Cam out of school early and go find a hill somewhere, perhaps the golf course down the street.

Action!

What a buzz yesterday, friends. I had the most interesting and enlightening day. I attended a seminar put on by EnlightenNext in NYC. Jeff Carreira spoke to us about the liberation teachings of Andrew Cohen. I've been studying Andrew's teachings for months now, and every time I dive into a lesson, the more I realize its potential. It's limitless, it has no goal other than progress and creating the future.

And everybody who is a student of Andrew's is fully engaged and committed to creating the future, and contributing to the world in this way. It may sound vague and new agey at first, but when you give it some thought, it makes absolute sense. Who would have thought? A spiritual endeavor that actually makes sense? It's actually the antithesis to new age garbage. And yet it completely shifts your perspective on life. You become a full participant instead of a helpless victim of circumstance.

There were about 30 of us in the room soaking in every word Jeff spoke. He asked us hard questions about our life. "What is your philosophy of life? What are you doing right now with your life? How does that stack up with your philosophy? What are the most important decisions you made in life? What is the purpose of your life?" Gargantuan topics.

Anyway, I met some of the most energized and inspired people. Every single one of them has a light on. Nobody's coasting. They aren't "getting ready" to do something. They're doing it.

Everyone has the power to do that.

Ice and Wine

Little too much vino last night. K and I had an almost quiet Valentine’s Day complete with a gigantic slice of lasagna she picked up from Italia Restaurant. The wine was smooth and soft, and the pasta, deelish. Their slices are monsterous. We split one hunk in two, and barely made it through that. The other slice awaits in the fridge.

Cam ate with us, and was literally yelling at us as we tried to enjoy each other’s company. If the spotlight wasn’t on her, she had no issue with letting us know. She yelled “Greg! Greg! Greg!” when I didn’t respond to “Dad.” She does the same thing to Kris. “Kris! Kris!” I’m not sure what to do about it. I’d rather her not call me Greg because I’m a little more than Greg to her, but I suppose it’s accurate, so I don’t make a big fuss about it.

Yesterday we got a the worst kind of winter weather. Ice needles, not quite hail and not quite snow, shot down from the sky. Those shards combined with a cutting, arctic wind felt like your face was being sandblasted. A burning chill. A ½ inch sheet of ice rested on top of the snow, so you could literally walk right on top of it. You wouldn’t sink. To shovel it, you had to break the glacier, then do your shovelling. Heavy, burdensome work.

Maybe that’s why I’m dragging a little today. But I’ll get amped up pretty soon though. I’m meeting with my Thursday networking group called “Shiners.” I started this group with a friend of mine and it’s actually a lot of fun. Networking sounds like a drag, but the way we structured the meetings, and the amazing crowd that shows up every week, well I dunno, it’s downright inspiring.

Looking forward to this day.

Shrekerella

Up and at em early. 530 am is when the feet hit the hardwood. Did my exercises had a bowl of shred, some toast, tea, light reading. Easy way to start the day. Mind is relatively clear. Nothing pressing at work. Should be an easy going Tuesday.

Snow storm is expected tonight. One of those “could get a little, could get a lot” kind of ambiguous forecasts. We've had no snow this season, the shovel is still on its hook in the garage.

Cam was in good spirits again. Kris’ first client was at 7am, so Cam got to see mom when she woke up. Both of them were all smiles. Cam planted a “daddy kiss” on mom, which is Cam imitating how I kiss Kris. It’s funny. And weird.

She puckers up. Presses her lips on Kris’ lips and holds them there as she swivels her head side to side. It’s cute, disturbing, and a little insulting. I don’t kiss that way! Cam has it all wrong. First, you have to keep the lips soft and supple. Then she displayed way too much swivel—it was all herky jerky. She’s a terrible kisser!

Anyway, Cam is making me laugh. She’s watched so many Disney films that she’s amalgamating the titles. Her latest request: “Sleeping Beauty and the Beast.” I think she’s onto something. Disney should intertwine a few plot lines to make things interesting:

Lady and Seven Dwarves: Prissy puppy works coalmine, contracts emphasema.

Jungle Dalmations: Conspicuous dogs “spotted” by hungry pythons.

Winnie in Wonderland: Bear eats acid-laced honey, chases bouncing tiger.

Shrekerella: Ogre eats pumpkin carraige and contents inside.

Maybe you have a few?

A Real Tosser

Over the past month, life has been tossed into the spin cycle. I suppose that’s why it has been radio silence. But, I dunno, maybe I just needed a break. No excuses beyond that, my friends.

K is working mornings. And by mornings, I mean before sunrise, in the darkness. When the racoons rummage through our garbage cans. When the weird can collector seaches through our recycle bin. When Mark, my Lithuanian carpenter/neighbor, lights his first cigarette. When the whores at Scruples count their cash. When the ravers “roll” into their driveways.

Well, that’s when when the Monaco house is a-stirring. Kris closes the back door behind her at 4:45 on some mornings—like this morning for example.

These days, I’m not only responsible for getting my own lazy ass outta bed and ready for the day, but I gotta rouse a 2 ½ year old from a blissful slumber. And if you know Cam, you know she loves her sleep. Down at 8:30 pm, up at 7 am.

On these early days, I try and let her sleep as long as possible, because the irritability quotient skyrockets for every minute she’s deprived. This morning I rode it out until 7am—she woke up with a smile.

I’ve learned along the way though, my friends. I have a cool cup of apple juice close by as a peace offering. That seems to put her in the right spirit for the day. Luckily, she’s an an agreeable, easy going, playful little cub. Rarely raises a fuss about anything.

But, like all of us, she has moments of explosive, illogical, uncontrollable rage. Very Monaco-esque if you ask me.

Anger is an interesting subject for me. I consider myself an anger extrovert. Kris, I would say, is an anger introvert.

I convert my rage into non-sensical rants, speading the joy to anyone within earshot. I throw objects. Never at people, usually at walls. Like I said I’m an extrovert, so I need to project projectiles, sometimes in the back yard, or even on a neighbor’s rooftop. Here’s a short list of items I’ve thrown because, well, I’m a big baby. (You might enjoy this.)

Pizza Dough
Snow Shovel
Metal Rake
Deck Broom
Peanut Butter Sandwich
Car Keys
Hot Cereal

Throwing food is a big thing for me. I suppose I never grew out of it. Kris, on the other hand, bundles her anger into a knot deep inside. She is mysterious about the whole thing. You never really know what’s bothering her until you dig around for a while and agitate and irritate her enough. This “unearthing” is quite a skill of mine, just ask her.

It’s a fun dynamic—a dynamic only the Monaco inner sanctum gets to see. But I’m here to tell you about it. My resolution for this year and for the rest of my life is total transparency. I'm dropping my defenses, everyone. I am now unguarded.

And it feels pretty good.