"What just popped in there Ray?"

I used to get all types of crazy excited when the CBS "Special" screen would pop up. It meant that something extraordinary was going to happen to you. Charlie Brown Christmas, Star Wars, Ghostbusters...that was about it. I remember one time, the special screen popped up and then Lonesome Dove came on. You have no idea how depressing that was. No disrespect to Lonesome Dove, Robert Duvall's mustache has never been more real.
Why I'm recalling that moment on the TV of my youth is not for nostalgic reasons, though many times we find ourselves looking back longingly. This is also not another attempt to lament the passing of simpler times due to the increasing din and presence of technology in our modern lives. I think of this screen because in a last ditch effort to find happiness, I found no laughter, I found no flowers, I found no frolicking Austrian children singing perfect harmonies - I found the CBS Special Presentation Intro.

This small 8 second bit of footage used to get my skinny body all types of animated. I knew something 'special' was about to occur. This past Sunday in a guided meditation class, the leader asked everyone to think of a moment when they were truly happy. I started pouring over all of my happy moments (and I have many of those), but one thing popped in there - and it was this 8 second intro. The leader then asked us to 'marinate our minds' in that happy moment.

I'd like anyone reading this to also find their own happy moment and 'marinate your mind.' If you train your brain to be truly invested in these happy moments, it will become second nature for you to be happy or well. We practice our scales and arpeggios, our voicings and lyric writing, our approach to mixing and representing sonic pictures - and as a result of this work we get stronger. Your brain's approach to being and staying happy is the same way. When you think of happy moments, your brain can't tell the difference if it's happening in reality, so it thinks you are in the middle of a happy moment. When you do this multiple times, you rewire your brain in a way so it has a stronger ability to remember happiness, thus creating it in that very moment. You create your own reality. It may seem like you need a bag of drugs and some place to hide for this to be true but you do not. But if you do find a bag of drugs...do not send them to 411 E. 74th St. Apt. 8H* - There will be no one there to pay you whatever amount of money you need. Whatever amount.


Point is - what's your happy moment?


More moments below -

Soul - The TV Special
Definition of Happiness? HA!
Meditation in NYC
Good Rare Music -



*not a real address - or is it?