The Observation Deck

5/26/15

I thought I left it in NYC when I moved here but lo and behold it's still with me. It has a nasty habit of making believe it's gone but it's only hiding in the recesses of one's mind.

I'm talking about depression. Lots of people have it, some don't want to talk about it, or go into self-denial but it's there. Drugs work for some, therapy for others and exercise for me. Think of it this way; exercise is free, the others cost money and there are no guarantees that they will work.

Here's what I did to kick it to the curb:

I hope this ray of "light" can be useful to you the reader?

Exercise works. As long as you break a sweat and get your heart pumping, you'll be good!

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/785540130

5/26/15

I caught the "light" of kindness, generosity and warmth in the person of Gary Rice this evening. I want to give a big shout-out to Gary. Some people believe that God puts us in touch with people you should know, others say it's karma, others random chance but whatever it is, it happened between us.

There's so much "light" to be found in Lakewood. I bet for some of you, it's right in front of you or nearby but like they say for some, "You can't see the trees for the forest" .

This is a beautiful place with untapped potential. Embrace all the good, put the bad behind you.

As you can see, I'm basking in the "light."

Alex,

Thanks for your kind words. It was a pleasure to meet you this evening. I love your allusion to light.

It's a good allegory, and I believe, for all the right reasons...

Fact is, it's really a bit more than an allegory, isn't it?

Back to the banjo...

YES ! ! ! We're going to the NBA Finals ! ! !

Lebron: "I'm coming home."

Me: "This is my new home."

Here's some "light" that Lebron James caught = "Home is where your heart is." (Cavs win Eastern Conference Finals and will be going to the NBA Finals!)

As a NIKE Basketball photographer in NYC, I love the game of basketball and have been playing all my life. Being a native NYC boy, it was my drug of choice and now in my new home in Cleveland/Lakewood, I couldn't be any more happier!

Yes, Lebron "I'm coming home!"

https://youtu.be/z4Ta_K1n6qs

"Catching the light" and relaxing at the same time is now possible with my new hammock

Careful there Alex,

Having just survived a visit with my dermatologist, where among other things, he examined something strange in my belly button that fortunately turned out to be nothing...

(Oh I know, that's probably way more information than you need)

...actually, it was a good visit. Don't have to see him now for 12 months.

But, there were past occasions when he did not smile as much...

...and I needed to see him WAY more often...

Light is indeed good....with enough sun block.

U V careful with that hammock.

Back to the banjo...

I caught quite a bit of political "light" (BTW, when I use the term "light", I'm also referring to the Greek term 'gnosis' or knowledge) at my 1st meeting of the Lakewood Democratic Club monthly meeting when I sat next to Mayor Summers and sort of grilled him about different issues which you can read here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=13422

5/30/15

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... ornerstone

For years now, both when I visited Lakewood during school vacations from NYC and now that I live here, I always wondered what the inside of that magnificent edifice known as the Masonic Temple looked like.

Well, today I got to see all of it since I did a shoot for them as they celebrated the laying of their 100th year - centennial cornerstone (1915 - 2015)

And talk about "gnosis" ! wow !, I really caught a lot of light about freemasonry both before I actually did the shoot from Gary Rice and during the ceremony from what I saw through my viewfinder and in speaking to some of the members.

5/31/15

It's a very rainy day here. Yesterday and last night it felt like all of Lake Erie evaporated into the clouds and then decided to release itself as rain. On these types of days melancholia sets in and now I'm homesick for my NYC locales that look like this:

What's interesting about this photo is that hardly anyone equates it with NYC - it just doesn't fit the normal stereotypes of the "Big Apple" that most people have in their minds. This photo was taken in the largest park in NYC = Pelham Bay Park, something that even people who live there don't know..

I "caught the light" in locales like this and plan to in the Emerald Canyon (Rocky River Metropark). There's
something about Mother nature that attracts us. We're hardwired to appreciate beauty in Nature's light. Have you noticed that the dominant colors are green and blue? When light passes through a prism, the middle colors of the resulting spectrum are green and blue. Not an accident since their wavelengths are most accommodating for our retinas.



Green below, blue above.

6/1/15

Went to Malley's Chocolates last night and came across Lakewood HS baseball/football coach Mike Ribar who liked the photo I took of him so much that he made it his profile pic on FB and gave me an open invite to shoot their football games and practices.

See what happens when you show others "their light"!

Alex Belisle wrote:6/1/15
See what happens when you show others "their light"!

Alex

You catches are a breath of fresh air. It is great rediscovering the area through your eyes.

You enthusiasm is catchy.

Keep it up.

.

Thanks for the kind words, Jim

FYI - I just reached out to my newspaper contacts in NYC to see if there are any investigative reporters who would like to check out our situation re: Lakewood Hospital, write a story and possibly win a Pulitzer Prize.

These are the kinds of stories that win Pulitzers

Here's a link to a recent NYTimes article that very briefly touches on Lakewood Hospital:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/busin ... .html?_r=0

Maybe someone from NYC can shed some "light" on what's happening here?

Alex Belisle wrote:Thanks for the kind words, Jim

FYI - I just reached out to my newspaper contacts in NYC to see if there are any investigative reporters who would like to check out our situation re: Lakewood Hospital, write a story and possibly win a Pulitzer Prize.

These are the kinds of stories that win Pulitzers

Here's a link to a recent NYTimes article that very briefly touches on Lakewood Hospital:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/busin ... .html?_r=0

Maybe someone from NYC can shed some "light" on what's happening here?

Alex

It's easy to understand, small minds, small group, HUGE EGOS.

.