Maharishi

Lets think for a second about power in this world. Today it is mostly a made-up concept among men. Yes, there are those of us with militarizes and those of us with truly vast fortunes but most power is in the eyes of the beholder. As the numerous leaders of cults will surely tell you from their prison cells: it is easy to manipulate people.

Stock prices, stability of nations and indeed how we view other individuals can and is often influenced not by actual factors but simply by manipulation and imagination. When a stock price rises and falls, it is not because that company sold more or less product, it is because some investor decided (imagined) that their stock is worth a certain price. This is why markets tank into depressions; people become scared and in a heartbeat, money is flooded out of the economy and despite no companies actually doing worse off immediately, their stock prices plummet. The same can be done of people. To manipulate someone you just have to make them think what you want them to, it doesn't even have to be real. I just manipulated you now because surely you thought I was coming to a brilliant point but you'd be wrong: I couldn't think of one!

John Lennon learned about this manipulation first-hand when he met Maharishi Yogi. The Maharishi taught transcendental mediation to The Beatles and they eventually discovered he was scamming them and teaching phony BS. Lennon was furious and strummed out a little diddy called 'Maharishi' whose lyrics bashed the Yogi for his phony teachings and false spotlight. In the end Lennon decided to remove the Maharishi's name from the song and what you get is 'Sexy Sadie' on The White Album.

"Sexy Sadie what have you done
You made a fool of everyone
You made a fool of everyone
Sexy Sadie ooh what have you done

Sexy Sadie you broke the rules
You layed it down for all to see
You layed it down for all to see
Sexy Sadie oooh you broke the rules"

A View From the Top

Times are changing quickly. In the past three months I graduated from college, got an internship and moved to New York City. Now the changes seem to be coming even faster as my summer draws to a close. Somebody needs to hit the pause button. Why is life not Tivo?

The agency where I am interning- Mr. Youth- moved offices this week. Our old offices were in Chelsea Market, a location that is as beautiful as it is unique. Sandwiched between the Food Network offices and working under one of the best gourmet food courts in the city, life in Chelsea Market was sweet and fattening- a dangerous combo. Our new office on Park Avenue near Union Square would fool veteran businessmen into thinking we're a division of Google. The fresh colors, open spaces and creativity-nurturing environment make for easily the most enjoyable workplace I have ever spent a day at, and the scooters in the break room are too tempting to pass up.

And the view. From 16 floors up, New York takes on a whole new persona as you stand equal to or above the towering buildings of the city. From the windows around the office you can see the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building and Julia Roberts penthouse- not to mention the epic sunset which can only be described as earth-porn.

The view from the top is is intoxicating.

Burritos and Beatles

I think I owe someone for a good suggestion, because I've just had one hell of a burrito.

Carne Asada, Salsa, a smattering of other ingredients and some brilliant hot sauce make for one of the best burritos in New York City. Courtesy of Dos Toros in Union Square this eight dollar festival of flavor gave Chipotle a real run for its money. I was impressed with the freshness of the ingredients, the friendliness of the staff and most of all amazing flavor of the medium hot sauce and the fresh salsa. Dos Toros is sure to become a drain on my rent money in the coming weeks...

I walked into the office today with my lunch decision already made up: Chipotle, far before I was reminded to try Dos Toros, so clearly burritos were on my mind. However, my mind had the wrong idea about what to buy. Why spend a dollar more on a burrito that is no better than the one I just had? I think it is safe to say a burrito stole my heart today, and its name was Dos Toros.

The Beatles' Paul McCartney wrote a great song that applies here called 'Got To Get You Into My Life' a song that for years people thought was about falling in love with a woman. The truth however, is stranger than fiction. The song in fact about Mr. McCartney's love for a controlled substance which he fell in love with after being introduced to it by Bob Dylan. However today, instead of falling for what Mr. McCartney fell for, I have fallen for a mix of Mexican ingredients wrapped in a tortilla. Dos Toros, I've got to get you into my life.

"I was alone, I took a ride,
I didn't know what I would find there
Another road where maybe I could see another kind of mind there

Ooh, then I suddenly see you,
Ooh, did I tell you I need you
Every single day of my life
...
Got to get you into my life"

Inspirational Quotes series Part 1

Sorry for the hiatus, millions of followers. I became very preoccupied with work, friends and the city of New York over the past few weeks that I either forgot or put off writing blog posts so I could continue living on scraps in a city for rich people.

Moving on then, today I would like to bring you all the first Installment in my inspirational quotes series. All of the following were made up by me and were intended to be inspirational to the highest degree:

"You'll never get anywhere if you don't do what you need to do to get there"

"To get things done, you must do things"

"The difference between someone who owns their dream and someone who rents it is that the person who owns it probably has a fixed rate mortgage"

"Don't live in the past, that would be super boring"

"In the Yankees vs. Red Sox game of life, the winner is always the fan"

"Success is little more than performing a task exceptionally well"

"I didn't come here to learn, I came here to rob you"

"The shortest path between two points is the one with the least distance"

"I welcome the new day, I just talk nasty about it behind its back"


Beatles today? Nope. But stay tuned tomorrow for a return to normal broadcasting services.

Porsche returns to Le Mans in 2014: why this makes me happy

Porsche just announced that it will be returning to the legendary Le Mans 24 hour race in 2014 after a 16 year hiatus from the LMP1 category. This monuments announcement comes as breaking news to auto enthusiasts around the world because as you may not know, Porsche holds the record for most wins at Le Mans. Not Ferrari, not even the recent Goliath Audi who have nine and ten respectively. Porsche has sixteen.

Sixteen wins at Le Mans... no other car maker has come close and given Audi's recent domination, Porsche joining the party will make for some amazing racing come 2014. Hopefully by then we will see Toyota return as well, which will mean a huge field, loads of competition and of course, great racing. As one of the few fans of European motorsports here in America, it brings me great joy to hear that the races are getting better and better even as Nascar gets worse and worse here in the states.

Good Luck to Porsche, I hope you boys give Audi a run for their money- especially since you're both under the same corporate umbrella...

There isn't any other choice for a Beatles song today other than Drive My Car, so here you go...

"Asked a girl what she wanted to be
She said baby, can't you see
I wanna be famous, a star on the screen
But you can do something in between

Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I'll love you"

I had a dream!

What a strange night...

My dreams were all over the place, but one in particular sticks out above the rest. This dream was unlike any I have ever had before, and unlike almost any experience in my real life. How it ended up in my dreams is a question for philosophers and scientists, though I doubt it could ever be answered.

I began walking through a snowy village and approached a cottage. Within the cottage was a bustle of activity, people everywhere and lots going on. The cottage was enormous on the inside. There were open-roof sections that exposed the cold, winter sky and there were cafes and restaurants too. The central tenant of this cottage was an enormous bobsleigh run that somehow snaked around the entire complex yet ended within the complex.

Here is where things get strange. I noticed a group of Olympians jumping onto their Luge sleds and decide now is the time to jump on my own sled with them. This is not your average Luge, because instead of everyone doing timed runs and the fastest wins, this is a straight-up race. There are 6 or so racers on the bobsleigh run all at once, and I am dodging and weaving between them. I seem for a while to drop back to the end of the pack, but then slowly I move my way up near the top. I pass the final few racers and realize I am either first, or the first place contender is so far ahead I cannot catch him. I finish the race and somehow immediately jump to my feet after coming to a stop in only seconds. The judges tell me I have won the Silver Metal. I am an Olympic Silver Metalist.

"When I wake up early in the morning,
Lift my head, I'm still yawning
When I'm in the middle of a dream
Stay in bed, float up stream

Please don't wake me, no
don't shake me
Leave me where I am
I'm only sleeping"

Megabusted

Well... I'm stuck... On a bus... In the middle of what I presume is New Jersey. Megabus, a company known for its reasonable prices, on-time service and free on-bus WiFi has sent out a bus with me on board that has broken down after only about an hour on the road.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

Bumbling down the highway at 60 miles an hour, the bus slowly begins losing speed. Slowing down in a car is an unmistakeable feeling. All of the passengers began nervously looking around as we drifted onto the hard shoulder and drifted to a stop.
The driver comes on the intercom... "I'm sorry, but the bus has broken down. We're gonna send another bus... or a mechanic" and that is all we hear. His broken and crackly voice has a defined note of defeat to it, and the whole bus feels his defeat.

Stuck on a bus in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than a worried message from a man whose job in life is a drive buses. I am bursting with confidence right now... Luckily the bus Wifi somehow still works, and despite the fact that the bus is supposedly broken down, the driver still manages to turn on the engine for 10-15 minute bursts. The bursts of engine use allow the AC to work, which is fantastic because without it, you're sitting in a sealed room full of portable heating units, some might refer to them as Human Beings.

I think that for today's Beatles song I want a song that conveys the complete loss of hope I am feeling right now, stuck in an uncomfortable Bus seat that I purchased for seventeen dollars. The AC is off again, more hopelessness. June 14th, 1965: a young Paul McCartney sits at a stool in studio #2 at Abbey Road, draped over his shoulder is a guitar and in his hand a cigarette. He takes a long drag and then puts the cigarette out. He begins strumming out a tune that had been with him for weeks, searching for lyrics to fit it, and is now known all around the world. He begins to sing...

"Yesterday,
All my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they're here to stay,
Oh, I believe in yesterday."