What I learned from my recent five country tour or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bonds (of friendship)

Emotions breed other emotions. Love breeds more love. An open personality breeds an even more open and easy going personality. If you aren't happy, try smiling and see what happens. Emotions are self-perpetuating. They feed off of the decisions we make and the beliefs we have.

I am usually known for expressing myself in an open, honest, positive, almost naively idealistic soccer-mom-encouraging-little-Timmy sort of way. Prior to my grand adventure abroad I thought I had written about the affects of my positive outlook on life as applied to all areas of life - from business to personal goals and more.

But I have been missing something entirely - and that's what this entry is all about - the wonders of common human understanding, friendship and the powerfully deep relationships that can arise from simply not fearing. Sorry if this sounds all-too-obvious to those who have already made this breakthrough in their lives.

I have always believed in myself as an open minded and easy going person. The benefits to both my personal and professional lives have been great. However, I still harbor some deep-seeded shyness from my earlier years. I have seldom taken the sacrifices necessary to develop bonds with people outside of pressure-free and danger-free circumstances such as common business beliefs and blatantly obvious common personal interests (i.e. Star Trek conventions, Kramer look-alike contests and continuing education basket weaving night classes). But all of that was blown up and reassembled in a much more amazing way during my trip.

Setting aside all business aspects of the trip, I designed it to allow for lots of spontaneity, with particular focus on meeting new people, making new friends and having new experiences. The result? The trip couldn't have been more successful!

I tried staying with "real people" wherever possible, even if they were complete strangers. For exactly how I pulled this off, check out GlobalFreeloaders.com and the Lonely Planet message boards. That was the biggest and coolest thing I did. I would have never previously even considered staying with someone I didn't know. But that was the whole point - jumping into the deep end.

Long story short time:

The cliches are all true - by not having any preconceived notions and by not worrying about total rejection and loneliness I was able to meet people, learn a lot and have a ton of fun. I succeeded where I never had before - even if it meant going to a bar alone (a big no-no where I come from). But it turned out well each time.

So that's the story - by getting over myself I was able to be open to anything. Life is really amazing sometimes. I only hope that the lessons I learned stay with me.

Worth a Read

"On Sept. 11, the nation's aviation system quickly and safely landed almost 4,500 planes that were in the air when the terrorist attacks took place. How was this accomplished? What was it like inside air traffic control centers and at airline headquarters? How was the decision made to land all the planes? And how did controllers execute it?"

That question is answered in one of the best 9/11-related articles I have read in a while (by USA Today).

Read it here.

Jesus Is Magic

"I want to get an abortion, but my boyfriend and I are having trouble conceiving."

That, and other little soundbite gems are what you will be delighted with if you do as you should and go see Sarah Silverman in her one woman show, Jesus Is Magic (now playing for two weeks in NY, click here for the full scoop).

I was lucky enough to go to her premier last night in NY with a friend. We sat in the second row and could not stop laughing or starring at Kevin Nealon in the audience to see what jokes he laughed at. The show is filled with awesome one-liners. She is such a genius comedienne - blending cute and silly "girly" lines with wayyyyyyy over the top, pseudo-racist, midget-hating, defecation-enriched, extreme humor. Gotta love how inappropriate she is.

Go see the show!

As a total surprise, the theater owner invited the entire audience to join Sarah for an after party in the basement (a nice party space). There was free food and alcohol (Brooklyn Lager beer and Svedka vodka) and a kick-ass DJ. Sarah was there for the entire party and was very approachable and appreciative to her fans. Kevin Nealon also hung out, along with celeb late-comers Martha Plimpton (Goonies) and Natasha Lyonne (American Pie, Slums of Beverly Hills, etc.). My friend and I left by midnight and the party was still going strong.

On a different note, a recent NY Times article made the obvious connection between her "inappropriate" comedy and how TV and film producers have a difficult time finding good roles for her. She is usually relegated to the "cool best friend" (as in There's Something About Mary and Heartbreakers) or a total wild card (as in her one season on SNL and role in Greg the Bunny). Regardless, she sticks to her guns and produces amazingly refreshing comedy. Way to go!

In this way I think she offers inspiration for all sorts of artists who don't feel their work fits in with the mainstream. She has, of course, had more success than most, but Jennifer Aniston she ain't. This has given me an idea for a new feature for GAZM.org - some sort of spotlight on "alternative" artists who aren't yet insanely popular but have had more success than most who are still struggling. In this way, Sarah is more of a "big sister" than an untouchable celebrity icon. Keep your fingers crossed and we'll see what the GAZM crew can swing... and if you have any ideas, let me know...

Self Improvement

Signed up today for improv comedy classes at the Upright Citizen's Brigade - the coolest comedy theater in all of NY.

Stay tuned for how I break out of my shell and embrace the world of professional comedy.

Does anyone know of a good/fun non-techno music dance club in NY?

Isn't the Internet Great

I stumbled upon a page which chronicles a man's 2 year odyssey to discover the origin of the supposed Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times." It seems that its source may not be Chinese at all!

Interesting reading!