On the corner of Barracks and Decatur

Sitting at Envie in the quarter sipping peach iced tea, there’s not a place I’d rather be. I’ve been to NOLA a few times now, and each trip is better than the last.

Saum’s at the New Orleans's Healing Center, in a planning meeting for Anba Dlo Deux. The name Anba Dlo means “from beneath the waters” and last year festival coincided with Halloween. It was a fantastic celebration with three live music venues, street stalls, food, drink. It was amazing. This year they’re planning the second annual event. In avoidance of responsibility, I’m enjoying a much needed vacation and staying away from the planning. It’s not like I don’t want to help, but whatever Saum ends up doing, I’ll be assisting in whatever capacity I can.

I don’t know exactly what it is about New Orleans that generates so much buzz, so much energy. I feel like a different person when I’m here. There’s a part of me that’s always been here. A part I reunite with when I come. I can feel that part of myself welcoming me back, becoming whole again. This is not the first time I’ve had this feeling. I’ve experienced it while in India, sitting at a certain temple in the Himalayas. Like I’ve been sitting there forever; and always will be. That same feeling exists here, a special place on Earth that invigorates the soul, that breathes through you.

Start Writing: Setting goals

I’ve been saying for some time that I was going to start writing again. It’s been a while, so I set out to go in stages. The blog, the short story, the book. This is step 1, the blog.

I’m actually not sure how far I really need to go. This entire process made me realize the lack of goals in my life. This hasn’t always been the case. I set out with major and intermediary goals earlier, but I accomplished them. Where I lacked was setting sufficient ones for the future. I was burnt out. I just kind of coasted.

Drifting through life, while being alright for some, doesn’t lend to leave much to look forward to. This was one of the new year’s resolutions I hope to keep.

So what exactly are you blogging? Good question. I plan on a tech blog, focused on enterprise storage challenges, disaster recover and business continuity, virtualization, encryption, de-duplication and grids. As well, I plan on a more diverse blog, the random notes, which will contain daily life as well as some short story gems I plan on getting into. All of this is step 1.

Another goals I set in 2009 were getting into some music classes. The first is scheduled this upcoming weekend – an African drumming class. The last goal set at that turn of the new year was to get more engaged with my horse, Jetta, and the riding and training  I hope to be doing with her.

That’s it. Things are happening. There’s a direction. Stopping the drift.