Jen
A Delilah
URoads Shoes
Sea Urchin
Photo:box
Cheesecake
Eames Round Table
Recycled Rolling Table
Spoons and Such
Maui Chairs
Measuring Cup / Juicer
Usuhari Glasses
A Couch
Rock
Broken 7-Day Wrist Watch
Dream Tigers
Koyaanisqatsi
Mauricio
Mau-ri-ci-o is a percussion of letters as much as hands to drums smashing dancing beats in downtown plazas, making music at 2am.
If you are lacking in friends, then he will introduce you to half of the city.
If you are lacking in dancing, then he will bring you to dancing.
If you are lacking in happy, then he will bring happy to yooou.
The deal with Mauricio is that he pays attention. Talk with him and there is no risk of him playing with his cellphone, zoning out, or interrupting you. He leans forward, studies your hands, and reads your eyes as you speak. Often he'll repeat what you said before giving his response.
Part of this hyper-attentive practice comes from being a life-long musician, and part of it comes from being deaf in one ear. Try it. Plug one ear as you walk down the street or as you talk to someone and, as Mauricio describes it, the loudest noise around you drowns out everything else. Normally we're so selective with our attention that we're effectively deaf. But when we're unable to filter what we hear then we're forced to listen to aaall elements of our environment, and we start to notice patterns (beats!) that we would otherwise ignore. Sounds at an intersection are composed of engines revving, radios blaring, and people walking-- conducted by green, yellow, red.
Have a conversation with only one ear and you find that moderate ambient noise randomly drowns out who you're speaking with. It startles you, and you reach for your friend's eyes and hands to fill in the conversation that's quickly leaving you behind. Try this long enough and you get very good and listening and very good and reading people.