August 19, 2009

The book and the kayak

After a month writing and kayaking in the lake, the book is pretty well advanced (60%, I would say).

It's interesting how open spaces inspire much more than closed ones. In the creative process, when you get stuck, there is something magic in going out there... It's what I heard from Sting -who used to go to the garden to find the lyrics- and what I've actually done, by rowing in the lake for around 30 miles.

Now that I'm about to leave for New York and Boston for a three-week holiday, I post these three pictures that really catch the essence and the feelings of these weeks in Miami.

I wish I could jump on this cloud to travel the ocean.

We've spent some miles together, haven't we?


When I am old and grey, I hope this picture will recall for me these unforgettable weeks spent on writing my first book (I hope it won't be the last one).

August 10, 2009

Be careful if you like this song...

Adam Young, the musician of Owl City.

A friend of mine, Gustavo Entrala, just posted the video on Facebook, I watched it once, and then twice, and now... I can't stop it.

Owl City's website is awesome! It's a promotional and marketing masterpiece. He also has a smart and polished presence in Facebook, Myspace and other social networks.

If you are launching anything (new product, service, project, company...) you should take a look at it.

Just try this song. If you like it, I bet you will play it more than three times in a row...

August 4, 2009

My friend was "dead" for an hour



Last Sunday I went to Delray Beach (Florida) with a friend. As soon as we arrived he went straight to the water and started swimming towards the ocean. I saw him struggling with the waves for a couple of minutes and then I lost him.

He grew up in Queens and is a great swimmer, so I didn't worry, because I thought I would see him again in a while. But after half an hour I started looking around trying to identify him among other swimmers, and I didn't succeed...

Then I thought he might be in trouble, but since I wasn't sure I didn't want to alert the lifeguards. So I finally decided to go myself to "rescue" him. I swam towards where I last saw him as fast as I could and, when I reached open water, I was worn out. And that was the very moment in which I thought my friend could have died...

I kept swimming and swimming looking for him, and in my exhaustion, there came a sequence of fatal thoughts (my friend has died and how am I going to tell his family?...) that clouded my mind and I felt overcome. Apparently, lifeguards saw me floundering and they "awoke" me with the noticeable sound of a horn, because I shouldn't have been swimming that far out. I just obeyed them and swam back to the beach, as tired as a castaway.

Fortunately, a few minutes later, I saw my friend enjoying the waves, one hundred meters to the right.

(...)

I've thinking since then how easily we lose perspective when we are either tired or under pressure. And I would like to have learnt a lesson from this experience: not to analyse a situation nor take decisions when you're tired or under pressure. And therefore, not to react immediately. I hope I will remember this lesson next time I receive an annoying email or participate in a tense meeting.

Delray Beach is beautiful, anyway, and we spent a great day.