At that moment he happily became the ‘walking crazy’: those who are conscious of the fact that they have lost their sanity, and that in losing their sanity, they have reached a higher level of existence. And as the walking crazy, the young man closed his eyes and fell deeply within, finding there not darkness but other worlds, complete other spaces where he was free from all physical pain and struggle.
Just imagine being in front of 1,500 people, and you realize you’re being upstaged by an animal that’s completely unpredictable. They’re already tittering because the raccoon has actually sat back on his haunches in front of me while I’m doing this speech about murdering the King of Scotland. I figured I had only one option, which was to play for the raccoon, which was to make him a part of it. And literally, three or four seconds into including the raccoon into my speech, he decided that was really boring and waddled off the stage and got a huge ovation from the audience. It was the kind of thing you were always terrified would happen, and then kind of anticipating and hoping that it will.
Dear ladies. (Not dames, missus, babes, broads, little women, gals, females, girls,)
This has all gone on way too far. I don’t know how to address you anymore. So, in the interest of keeping the peace and never offending anyone ever again, I will not say anything. Ever.
Signed
Another confused male!
Project Hero European Challenge Summer 2025
But within the walls of my farmhouse, I climb out of the protective shell, my arms slowly rise like a phoenix, and I dance, wail, fly around the room and then collapse, crying, in front of my mirrors. I start to see in the mirror what it is I really look like, instead of what I was trained from the womb to see. I do not write about it. I do not talk about it. I do not know what I am doing. But just like a baby bird, I am blinking once-sealed eyes and unfolding damp wings. I cannot articulate the past. A part of me knows it’s there, lurking, just behind what I can acknowledge, but it is not within sight. And I am keeping it that way. ”
― Julie Gregory, Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood
“I start to see that I surround myself with broken people; more broken than me. Ah, yes, let me count your cracks. Let’s see, one hundred, two… yes, you’ll do nicely. A cracked companion makes me look more whole, gives me something outside myself to care for. When I’m with whole, healed people I feel my own cracks, the shatters, the insanities of dislocation in myself.”
― Julie Gregory, Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood
“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in and fall in love once more.”
Pico Iyer
Huzzah!
Eureka! Even though we recently found a really good pizza location, this is by far the best we have encountered in this area since moving here twelve years ago. Our daughter tried it a few months back after moving to the Baldwin Park area and informed us about it. We joined her and her SO to try it. It is a bit of a drive for us and we rarely go to the SODO area as we do not care for the area or do any shopping there (except to go to Sister Honey’s for a treat). The pizza reminded us so much of the vibe of our local places back in New Jersey. It was a small shop with pizza boxes stacked up next to the counter and a few tables (note, there are outside tables too and it is set up so you do not feel you are sitting out in a parking lot). It is very casual and service was quick with just the right amount of follow up attention. Prices were standard. The pizza was just like home in that it was foldable yet the cheese and toppings slid off upon occasion—ahhh, the messyness (is that a word?). Just the right cheese to sauce ratio and this time we got pepperoni with cupped style, keeping the greasy goodness flavor right on top. Upon tasting we were immediately transported back to New York and New Jersey and totally lost sight and mind of the fact we were in Orlando. There was an excellent crust that we gobbled up completely, after finishing the saucy cheesy pizza not wanting to miss one bite of this crispy crust which was in contrast to the rest of the pizza. Beer and wine are served here as well as soft drinks (from the ubiquitous beverage refrigerator next to the counter). As we ate, we noticed the steady customers in and out as well as picking up takeout. Busy, busy, busy but not so much as to be annoying or interfering, especially on a weekend. You are not rushed or hurried as we sat and talked without interruption except to be asked by the staff if we needed anything. If they could only open a second location closer to us! It has taken awhile, but us NY/NJ snobs have completed our quest by finding bagels, Chinese food, bread and now pizza that taste like home. Quite the surprise, it was nice to sit, relax, enjoy a pizza with good company and pretend we were back in Jersey.
along the way 