Its Starting to Feel A Lot Like Christmas.

Okay, NYC it's your turn to boast with your sizzlin' 57(f) degrees in December. I woke up to my car saying 31(f). It was literally freezing. In my 9 and a half years in the Bay I have never felt freezing temperatures outside of the Sierra Tahoe Mountains. It never quite felt like Christmas unless we were up there in the mountains. The most negatively affected were my banana and plantain plants pictured here below. We're supposed to have several days of this weather too. Wow, how the world changes. Had to expect the change at some point. I thought we would be experiencing hotter summers only, but it feels like it may be both extremes just like in good ol' NYC. Mad love to you all. Chat with ya laterz.

Structures, Methods and Tools

I have purposely found part time responsibilities that pays me for my time and also provides me with education along with further educational resources. I have been spending some time helping out at my local Home Depot and thanks to working there I've been exposed and continue to be exposed at least 3 times a week to new tools, methods and structures. Almost every workday I learn and experience something new along with the satisfaction of helping people get shit done. Excuse the word. I just thought it best described the range of stuff I help people take care of. It's awesome to shake the actual hands that are building our structures every day.
I do want to be able to share with you all of the new stuff I hear and learn about in case you haven't heard. Though, I'm sure you're up on the scoop. I bring to you a new tool so awesome that as soon as I knew it existed I went out and purchased the best most inexpensive one I could get and it was worth it. A stud finder. It tells you where the 2 by 4 wood beams are located so you can drill into them vs drilling right through the drywall that most of us find in our homes. To know exactly where your support is before hanging or drilling into your walls is priceless and return on investment has far surpassed its purchase price. Safety is key and it is important that you know what's the weight capability of your structure before attempting to hang anything.
Stud Finders at Home Depot

Just RETIRE already!

What is "retirement"? What is really meant when someone says, "I can't wait until I can retire." or "I want to retire by the time I'm 25". Hopefully they are saying they want to have enough money as to Never have to work doing something you don't want to be doing or be personally involved in. I would hope so because I don't know any person that could just sit at home for years and do absolutely nothing. No matter what kind of retirement you reach or is attainable by humans you will most definitely do some sort of "work". That is work which expends your energy unless you are unfortunate enough to have lost some or all of your physical and/or mental abilities.

Work = Activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
Retirement = To withdraw from one's position or occupation or conclude one's working or professional career

So find what you absolutely LOVE to do.  Something positive and legal hopefully and create work doing that which you LOVE. It's ultimately what you would be doing anyway once you "Retire". Why not conquer Retirement now? Get it out of the way and live every day of your life as you desire. Turn all of that hard work into joyful energy and personal satisfaction while pursuing your "American Dream". How far can those abilities and achievements take you?  Surely into a much more prosperous and fulfilling life I believe. Not to mention that today's "American Dream" is being sought all over the world and so we can call it the "Earthly Dream". This Earthly Dream can and is easily shared with most of the 7billion+ people through the ever connecting world wide web. The right ingredients are out there to your recipe for Success. Take note ya'll the world is open and ripe with possibilities. So go ahead and just Retire already!

Sincerely & Officially Retired,
Jose A. Peña

Buddhist Teaching from The Dhammapada

Buddhist Teaching: "All experience is preceded by mind, Led by mind, Made by mind. Speak or act with a corrupted mind, and suffering follows... Speak or act with a peaceful mind, and happiness follows..." - Buddhist Teaching from The Dhammapada

Much Success To You

"You can't satisfy Everybody" and even though I carry the saying close to my chest my character flaw is often attempting the opposite. It definitely pleases me to see you all happy, thriving and successful and of course being able to share in some of that triumph along with you and so I want to make sure I share this book with Everyone.
When I was down in New York City last week I stressed some of the many points from it to friends and family and again I want to make sure I shout it out because it is useful information that I had an inkling towards and now has been seconded by Mr. Napoleon Hill. I would say that literally 99% of the books I read are texts, documents and mainly non-fiction. I am always searching for answers, while asking more questions and connecting more dots and one of the puzzles that I have been after to solve is that of SUCCESS. Success in Life overall and delving more and more into that of financial and business related success. A question: Do you think Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller were successful people? If you think so then this book is definitely for you because it outlines some of the many methods use by the men listed above.

Think & Grow Rich by Napolen Hill

Andrew Carnegie commissioned Napoleon Hill to interview over 500 millionaires of the time (1937) in order to try to find a formula to success that could be utilized by the "average" person. It took Mr. Hill over 20 years to complete this book and overall this book is about how to live a rich life in every sense of the words.

Some of the main points derived from reading this book include:

1. "Whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve." - Napoleon Hill

2. Persistence always overcomes Resistance and with Persistence will come success.

3. Importance and Power of your State of Mind.

4. "The Mystery of Sex Transmutation - Chapter 11" In other words the POWER of sex drive energy being transferred or changed into a different form of energy, which can be used toward SUCCESS.

5. The Power of having and putting to use a "Master Mind" group. The brain / mind is like a battery and it is well known that several batteries provide more energy that any one single battery and "when a group of individual brains are coordinated and function in harmony, the increased energy created..., becomes available to every individual brain in the group." "Andrew Carnegie attributed his ENTIRE fortune to the POWER he accumulated through this 'Master Mind'."

And so much more. Overall a very interesting and informative book. Feel free to pick and choose those points throughout the book that may help you achieve your individual success, and even though you may seek and ultimately reach "individual" goals, it is crucial to include others in your plans in order to reach true SUCCESS.

"Much success to you, even if you wish me the opposite" - Nas

Academy of Public Service - Forest Hills High School

I could write so much about this subject, but I'll keep it short and sweet and how sweet it was. Thinking back at least 14 years even though it was about 17 years ago that I first entered the Academy of Public Service while attending Forest Hills High School in Queens, New York and I still rock my shirt proudly. Actually it is one of my favorite t-shirts to go to the gym in because after all these years the material has become the softest most comfortable I have got in stock and yes I am just about the same size!
Oh the memories! APS was the source of life long friendships with the likes of the homie Jonathan Blauner who came out to California for my wedding! The reason I was able to really learn and practice my French speaking was with Alina Obiol (Barbu at the time). We were just having fun, but that practice paid off. For anyone wanting to really learn a new language it is the best way to do so. Don't be afraid of how you sound speaking it and just let it out! Also a big thanks to Ms. Robeson now Ms. Sanchez for putting up with us. We painted walls, benches, planted trees, traveled to Washington D.C., set up Halloween scenes...Wow! Plus all of the folks that came together and met there... James F., Florin L., Jason S., Allison C. and the list goes on and on...When is the next APS meeting? I don't get the newsletter anymore! :( It's never when I'm in town. Oh well, I'll be out there in mid August. Hopefully I'll see some of you guys around if not then Thanks to the powers that be for the Internet!

Just Thinking: 4.5.11

I can't say I really know how it all happened until and when I decide to really think back and study it, but for my entire adult life (say 14-30's) until even now my natural instinct and drive has been to follow, track and hunt down money! I mean it's part of the plan, but not the complete picture at all! I did learn a lot along the way I must say. I can now imagine and understand the ones that have manifested all their energy into just attaining that piece of paper with United States jargon on it that we have given value to and call cash money. That's 1% mentality right there, which is okay I say IF you really had the choice of looking at the entire field of opportunities and direction before you chose your route. The unfortunate part is that cash money has taken over our educational institutions and government, which have been our resources towards maturing our minds and adapting to the world we live in. I'm afraid that with money as such a big influence within these areas and resources we are tricked before we know it. The scenario I think of is of closing the door to the chicken coop when the fox is already hidden inside. The chickens don't stand a chance at living, flourishing or even simply going in the direction that they want to go in.
We need to teach as parents, teachers and as a society, all people (because we ALL live here and we ALL will be effected) at home and in the streets too that HEALTH, FAMILY, LOVE, & LAUGHTER should always come first giving us all a strong foundation with which to battle any ill influences and lead a LIFE in our individual direction.
Human minds and souls are SO hungry that if we start snacking on sweet empty sugars like money too early in life with the foundations of HEALTH, FAMILY, LOVE & LAUGHTER we will end up nourishing ourselves with deep fried, chocolate dipped Twinkies. Like Eddie Murphy once said in his original stand up comedy from the 80's: "if you're starving and someone throws you a cracker, you gonna be like this: Goddamn, that's the best cracker I ever ate in my life! That ain't no regular cracker, was it? What was that, a Saltine? Goddamn, that was delicious. That wasn't no Saltine. That was... That was a Ritz. That wasn't a Ritz? God, that was the best cracker I ever ate in my life."

LIFE is so much BIGGER than cash money. Like the feeling you get after finishing that meal you, your spouse, mother, father, grandparents, loved one cooked for you. When you hit that physical sexual climax, that first kiss and suck of those lips you've wanted to taste, hitting the last shot to win the game, your child trying to make YOU laugh or smile when they spot a sad face, kids screaming your name and welcoming you home as you come back home from outside, people and family sticking up for you and/or yours when you're not around, laughing at yourself and others when, SNEEZE and a booger flies out or they laugh so hard that they pee in their seat. I've witnesses this twice, one female and one guy and when they read this they will know who they are, but I'm not naming no names. Just thinking. :)