Cuando pienso en la palabra explosivo pienso en:
Ira roja, ardiente y ardiente.
Fuegos artificiales.
Pasión.
Obstinadamente dedicado.
Viviendo en el mundo de tu oficio
Tanto que el mundo exterior se desvanece.
Es solo tú y el papel.
Tú y tu instrumento musical.
Tú y tu mundo
Nada más puede romper tu enfoque.
Vives en tu imaginación hasta que el trabajo está hecho.
Como los pintores famosos
No puede distraerse del arte dentro de usted.
Eres explosivo.
When I think about the word explosive I think about:
Red, hot, fiery anger.
Fireworks.
Passion.
Doggedly dedicated.
Living in the world of your craft
So much that the outside world
Fades away.
It’s just you and the paper.
You and your musical instrument.
You and your world.
Nothing else can break your focus.
You live in your imagination until the job is done.
Like the famous painters
You can not be distracted from the art inside you.
You are explosive.
What is a masterpiece?
Does a masterpiece mean perfection?
Does it mean a lack of error?
The world is full of errors.
The world is also full of blessings.
It’s full of compassion.
It’s full of miracles.
Things exist that shouldn’t be able to.
It’s luck, yes or no?
The odds were stacked against human creation.
Yet here we are.
Time and time again the earth has adapted.
It’s grown.
Everything works in some sort of harmony,
Beautiful or not.
It’s all scientifically connected.
Art, music, you name it.
It’s all science.
It all works together,
Hand in hand.
It’s as if the earth itself is an orchestra conductor
And humans, animals, plants, etc.,
Are the violins, the cellos, each different section.
Yet it all comes together with earth conducting the show.
In all its errors, the existence of the orchestra is a masterpiece.
Is New York City aesthetically pleasing? Is it nice looking? Is it ugly? That all depends on who you ask, it seems. To me, the city is beautiful…but that’s because my idea of its beauty stems from everything that drives NYC. I’m here as a performer, and the energy is palpable in this city. You can feel the determination that people have to live, survive, and improve their lives. It’s infectious. On the other hand, there are those who see the big skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, the hustle and bustle, and to them that is aesthetically pleasing. I have to admit, a lot of that is pleasing to me, too. But then there’s this: the city is dirty. There’s lots of trash, rats, smells, etc. It’s grungy. It’s tough. It’s a place where people fight to survive. It’s not always so physically pretty…but to me, there is nowhere else like New York City. To me, it is gorgeous and rough all at the same time. There is nowhere I’ve traveled that feels as vivacious, tenacious, and determined. New Yorkers are often hard(ish) on the outside, but on the inside their loyalty, humor, and strength runs deep. The bonds that tie them together are almost impossible to break. That, to me, is aesthetically beautiful in a place that could use a little beauty sometimes. I love New York. There’s nowhere like it. It’s unique, crazy, and beautiful all rolled into one.
¿La ciudad de Nueva York es estéticamente agradable? ¿Es agradable? Es feo? Parece que todo depende de a quién le preguntes. Para mí, la ciudad es hermosa … pero eso se debe a que mi idea de su belleza proviene de todo lo que impulsa a Nueva York. Estoy aquí como artista, y la energía es palpable en esta ciudad. Puedes sentir la determinación de que las personas tienen que vivir, sobrevivir y mejorar sus vidas. Es infeccioso. Por otro lado, hay quienes ven los grandes rascacielos, la Estatua de la Libertad, el ajetreo, y para ellos eso es estéticamente agradable. Tengo que admitir que también me gusta mucho. Pero al lado está esto: la ciudad está sucia. Hay mucha basura, ratas, olores, etc. Está sucio. Es dificil. Es un lugar donde la gente lucha para sobrevivir. No siempre es tan bonito físicamente … pero para mí, no hay otro lugar como la ciudad de Nueva York. Para mí, es hermoso y grosero, todo al mismo tiempo. No he viajado a ningún lugar que se sienta tan animado, tenaz y decidido. Los neoyorquinos a menudo son duros (ish) por fuera, pero por dentro su lealtad, humor y fuerza son profundos. Los lazos que los unen son casi imposibles de romper. Eso, para mí, es estéticamente hermoso en un lugar que a veces podría usar un poco de belleza. Amo Nueva York. No hay nada como eso. Es único, loco y hermoso, todo en uno.
Empty space.
Endless room.
Endless possibilities.
Endless…
Assuming nothing…
Blank slate.
Leaves space for everything.
For depths unknown,
Adventures unseen.
Knowledge unending.
Smiles to be had.
Hearts to be glad.
Positivity can fill.
Nothing.
Possibilities abound…
Daylight…daylight, daylight, daylight. Daylight? How many ways can I say the word daylight? Could it be in a poem? Could it be in a narrative? A story? Or just in my random musings on the word? Personally, discovering what this word brings up for me is pushing me in the direction of doing a brain drain, if you will; just writing what comes to mind without judging it and starting the energetic flow of writing. These past two days I’ve been inspired to write poetry, but today just a stream of consciousness post is where it’s at, I guess. I miss daylight here in NYC. I love the sun shining bright, lightening up your mood, like it does so often in Colorado, where I grew up. They say the state has 300 days of sunshine per year. I believe them. It shines during the winter, spring, summer, and fall…but in reality there’s basically only two seasons in Colorado: winter and summer…and a very short spring. Colorado seems to get about a week of fall, lol, and it’s been known to snow up until June, maybe even July if you go up high enough. But the one constant in all of the seasons is daylight. It’s very rarely gloomy in Colorado. The air is crisp and the sun is bright. The sky is colorful, with vibrant colors extending across the horizon each evening. There’s nothing like a Colorado evening/sunset. Truly, there’s nothing that compares. It’s beauty is unmatched. It’s hiking is unparalleled. Standing alone at the top of a 13,000′ ski slope makes you feel like you’re on top of the world. It freshens your point of view and your lungs. It’s power is unrivaled. I love Colorado.
Bermuda, Bermuda,
On my mind.
Every day’til the end of time.
Your sand on my skin,
Your sea in my veins.
Your sun in my heart,
Always remains.
Your beautiful sunsets,
Your spirit so kind.
Your beaches are the perfect place
For me to unwind.
Ironically, I’ve only been to Bermuda once (and I know it’s not in the South Seas but I couldn’t stop myself). It left such a deep impression on me that I can’t keep away from it. I’m an outdoors girl, at heart, so I’m at home by the sea and the mountains, too. I can’t wait to go back!
Hope.
Like a candle.
Hope…knows.
Like faith.
Hope…grows.
Like a flame burning bright,
During the darkest of times.
Pardon my odd poem, which is what you could call it, I guess. The second I thought of hope I had this visual of a candle shimmering in the dark and keeping our faith burning bright. Hope
While researching different p2p (peer to peer) lending platforms, I learned that the two most popular and mainstream options are Lending Club and Prosper. They have similar set-ups and goals, but they certainly differ in their requirements to be a lender. They’re both great, it just depends on how much money that you have to start off with. Lending Club requires a starting amount of $1,000.00. That also means that you could start to make a decent monthly return (don’t forget that return includes BOTH principal payment and interest together, not just interest). My financial situation does not allow for me to have a free $1,000.00 hanging around…yet. I’ll get there eventually. Patience is key in the financial improvement world when you have little to start with. In comes Prosper. Honestly, I know more about Prosper than Lending Club simply because I am able to invest with them. Prosper only requires a first deposit of $25 and the minimum to invest in a loan is $25.
So yay! You’ve ready to invest your first $25 into a loan! Where do you start? What’s your game-plan going to be? Don’t know yet? Neither did I, and I’m still learning and growing. Bear in mind this one awesome detail: you don’t have to fun an entire loan by yourself (and in my opinion you probably shouldn’t). You can put in as little as $25 per loan. These loans are funded by a large group of investors, not just one, so it’s less risky if you invest in many loans with smaller amounts, than one loan with a larger amount. How do you choose which ones to invest in? It’s tempting when you get on the list of available loans and you see that D grade loan with a 23% interest rate that looks so attractive…soooooo attractive. Then you see the A grade loan next to it that looks…not quite as attractive. You think to yourself: really? 7%? Ugh. But there’s something important about the difference between these two loans and it’s a huge deal when you can’t afford to lose any money. As attractive as that high interest loan might seem…it may not be the best option for you…or it could the be that the A grade loan isn’t right. I’ll tell you why.
When Prosper vets’ borrowers they have a multi-step process. Borrowers enter information about their finances including their income, what the loan is for, etc. Prosper also tells the individuals funding the loan valuable information that could sway an investor one way or another. Prosper rates each loan based on historical statistics of loans of its kind. The ratings go from 1-11, with 11 being the more secure loan to invest in, and 1 being the riskiest (according to Prospers algorithm). Personally, I know that people make mistakes just like I have, so I give a little wiggle room when it comes to the grade and I generally accept 7 or higher. I think about it like this: on paper I did not look that great in the past, but I’d not default on paying a private loan to anyone, as I know that people work very hard for their money just like me. Therefore, I know that Prospers number grade may not encompass the entirety of that borrower. Even with their advanced systems they can’t avoid a borrower who may default on their loan who may have a great numbered grade. It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. Then I look further because I need more info to decide, but Prospers grade is a good starting point. I’ll let that info sink in for now.
I know it’s a whole world of financial possibility that I’ve introduced you to, and we’ll talk about the next steps in my consequent posts. Remember, you can always message me questions and I’ll get back to you asap!
P.S. Also, please remember to consult a certified financial advisor when it comes to the big decisions that you need help with. Although I have knowledge in this area, I would not pretend to be an expert. Happy financial improving! 😊
As I’m sure my fellow bloggers know, coming to the page can sometimes be hard, so here goes! At first, when I thought about Scrooge I went for the obvious: bitter about Christmas and life. To be honest, sometimes I can feel a tiny bit Scrooge-y during the holidays…just a tiny bit. Holidays can be hard. I also decided I felt like adding levity to my post because laughing is so much fun. Trust me, this one’s pretty unique. I can’t imagine anyone out there has this exact story, ha ha!
I was 18 years old. I was a senior in high school, and I was performing at a local dinner theatre in “Scrooge: the Musical” 4 nights per week. To me, it was so cool that I was doing professional dinner theatre while still being in high school! It was a lot of fun, and I’ll never for get it; especially one particular performance. During one of the party scenes of a Christmas in the past I was wearing a hoop skirt and there was a lot of spinning in the choreography. There were 3 of us girls on stage, all in hoop skirts. Now, I’m not sure how many of you are in theatre, but for those who are not, hoop skirt costumes don’t always have as many layers to wear underneath as regular hoop skirt outfits. I can now hear the collective groan as you, the reader, see where this is going, ha ha. Well, the spinning portion of the dance came around…and boy was there a lot of spinning…and I was in heels, too. Of course, when you’re spinning in that kind of dress it tends to take on a velocity of its own, so you better hold onto your partner tight! I did just that, but somehow…our hands came undone…and the world went wildly out of control. I saw the horrified faces of the other performers as I spiraled out of control, off the stage, skidded across the floor, and landed underneath the table at a poor older woman’s feet. Here’s the cherry on top of a fall that doesn’t seem like it could be more embarrassing: since I was flat on the floor my hoop skirt…well, you get the idea. There was more to be seen than I intended, that’s for sure. Without giving it a second thought I remembered that the show must go on, so I popped up, brushed myself off, ran onto the stage, and resumed…spinning with my dance partner, all the while smiling more so than I’ve ever smiled in my life so my embarrassment would be hidden. For the record, no one got hurt and now it makes for a fun party story! I’m glad, though, that this was not recorded.
I hope I have made you chuckle, as that was entirely my sole intention in telling you this story! Scrooge
MusicTrGrlinNYC 