Selcouth

Selcouth (adj.) – Origin: English – Definition: Unfamiliar, rare, strange, and yet marvelous.

Catatumbo, Venezuela

2010-2012 I worked in Venezuela. It was my first posting and my experiences there, changed my life.  In fairness, every place that I have lived outside of the U.S. has changed my life.  However, Venezuela has left a selcouth impression on my soul.  The people and their love of their country.  The beauty and the rare opportunities that were made available to me during my time there.  I took a short trip to the Catatumbo river near Lake Maracaibo.

What causes Catatumbo Lightning in Venezuela?

Catatumbo lightning is an atmospheric phenomenon in Venezuela. It occurs only over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo. It originates from a mass of storm clouds over nearby mountains, and occurs during 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day and up to 280 times per hour.

I did not have a good enough camera to capture the lightning show.  So the above picture is a stock photo on Catatumbo. Even that does not capture how amazing and cool that was.

Even more amazing was the floating houses near where we stayed.  Like my own children rode bikes in our neighborhood, these kids had tubs, boat/cars and would paddle to their friend’s houses.  The people were amazing and friendly. I was amazed at the color, the beauty, the smiles of the children and adults.  It was truly my favorite place to work and live in my current job.

It’s a place I will never forget.  I hope that one day Venezuela will be returned to the people who love and miss their country.  I frequently think of Venezuela and my time there and I usually have a bittersweet feeling of happiness that I could have been there when I was mixed with sadness that it does not appear to be a place I will be able to revisit any time soon.

Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering. ~Paulo Coelho

Venezuela: Lea; Barbara; Austin; Owens; Max; mic; Tom; Cole; Sara; Eli; Liam; Isaiah

Vemödalen

 (noun) Origin: Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows | The frustration of photographing something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist.

“The frustration of photographing something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist — the same sunset, the same waterfall — which can turn a unique subject into something hollow and pulpy and cheap.”

ETYMOLOGY: From the Swedish word vemod which means “tender sadness, pensive melancholy” and then combined with Vemdalen, the name of a Swedish town. Swedish place names are the source of IKEA’s product names — the original metaphor for this idea was that these clichéd photos are a kind of prefabricated furniture that you happen to have built yourself.

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” — Henri Cartier-Bresson

Kathmandu,NepalCape Town S.A from helicopter

Famous Places: Lookoom; Danee; Sidd; pedmar; marta; streets; sarah; crossings; littlemiss; PCOS; roberta; Salsa; Monkeystale

Aprosexia – Hyperprosexia – Paraprosexia – yup that’s me

Aprosexia, an abnormal inability to pay attention, characterized by near-complete indifference to everything. Opposite is hyperprosexia, meaning to concentrate on one thing to the exclusion of everything else; and, paraprosexia, meaning the inability to pay attention to anyone thing (a state of constant distraction).

When I find myself under duress, I believe that the word aprosexia is exactly what I am.  I can’t focus, I am easily distracted and it’s not because I can’t focus, it is more because I really just don’t care about what you are trying to get me to care about.  I just do not care.  Nothing you can do or say will bring me back from where ever I am.

Ironically, I am also very much almost completely the opposite.  I have been accused of being incredibly hyperprosexia when I am really into something.  I can be so deeply focused on just ONE thing that I get angry when I am in the middle of it and just want to be left alone.  There are special things that have me intensely occupied and when someone attempts to distract me from completing that special project I can quietly lose my mind.  This happens when I am working on an art project, reading a really good book, or just trying to get an important task done.

However, if there was ever a word that described me almost completely, it would likely be paraprosexia.  I am very good at being easily distracted.  I am great at multi-tasking because I operate better when there are a million things going on at the same time.  I tell circular stories.  I can start a joke, get distracted with my thoughts, my words, my ideas and my actions, and eventually get to the punchline.  My mind is often working overtime like these dancers in Nepal.  Crazy colors, sounds, and movement.  It’s my favorite place to be.

savage; boheme; Herry; Jonathan; Divine; hubner; Judy; quest; marie

Yūgen

Yūgen (n.) – Origin: Japanese – Definition: An awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and mysterious for words.

I try to honestly and emphatically embrace the mysteries that surround me.  I usually prefer  taking photos of people.  I love to look back on them and wonder what they were thinking.  If they were happy or sad or just sitting there empty minded in a way that I rarely find myself in.  However, sometimes I will catch an image of an object or place that will trigger in me an emotional response that is very difficult to put into words. When i look back on these photos, i can distinctly remember the silence, the heat, the cold, the dampness, and sometimes the awe of that moment.

I don’t know if these images created an awareness of the universe, but they definitely made me feel.

There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt is awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.

Albert Einstein

Yugen – Chowdhury; Annette; ametalk; nust: suparna; Homepaddock

Mångata

Mångata (noun) Origin: Swedish | The reflection of the moon on the water.

The sun rising.. the moon setting.. the moon rising.. the sun setting.  I am lost in the dance. Which is which?  I think I know and then I look again and I can’t decide.  Does it matter?  The start of one and the end of the other which only signals the start of one and the end of the other.

I think that the reflections of the moon on water are amazing.  Just as the reflections of the sun on the water are blinding. I am a day person by nature, but you can’t stare at the sun like you can stare at the moon.  I love the moon because when it is big and round, you can see the imperfections but you still love it.  You still know that it is beautiful.  It casts eerie shadows and changes size and appearance when you move.  While it is changing, as you move, it follows you. The sun does the same.  So does it matter which is which?

In my opinion, they are equal in beauty, substance, and style.  Specifically with a nice glass of red.  So I ask you, does it really matter?

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“The moon is a loyal companion.
It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human.
Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections.”
― Tahereh Maf

Moon links: purpleraysblog; carolyn; calmkate; michelle; sinhayati; jane; indira; apk; Timothy; Rosebud