Long time reader, first time writer . . .

One thing that I would have never thought I would do is start a blog.  I've never felt any sort of animosity or negetive feelings in general toward blogs and those who write them.  I've just never suspected that I would be one day expounding my thoughts on to the web for all to see. 
Well, I suppose I should start with the name choice.  For any buddhist(s) out there, one would think that calling yourself a bodhisattva could be viewed as a bit arrogant.  Bodhisattva comes from the sanskit "bodhi" which means spiritual awakening, or more commonly now, enlightenment, and "sattva" which means a  being, or essence.  According to Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is someone of great compassion, and kindness, who has achieved a state of enlightenment, but refrains from achieving nirvana until all others have gone before them.  Sounds like cold-feet to me.  More commonly though, I've heard bodhisattva refer to someone who is seeking enlightenment, and that is what I am.  I'm no golden-beacon of compassionate conduct or great kindness, but I have been known to do a good deed when I can.  The whole point of this blog is to get the thoughts and ideas of the mind out there since no one can read minds (that we know of anyway).  I feel that that will be the main subject of many of my posts, the nature of the mind.  What is it?  Why are we sentient?  What is sentience?  These are all questions that have been pestering me since I was a child.  How come I can see what I see with my eyes, but not what someone else sees?  How do I know that others are thinking (I'll bet a lot of people are wondering that as well, especially about work colleagues)?  I've been thinking about these questions now more than ever because I'm going through a bit of an existential crisis, which you will also hear about.  See, for a while, I thought I wanted to be a chef.  I had an idea of what it would take to get there, but didn't really understand until I actually made it to a chef position.  On top of all the personal sacrifices that would have been necessary to make it in the culinary world, I was also becoming aware of the costs that the average consumer is not privy to, such as the harsh labor conditions of migrant farmers, the unhealthy side-effects of our cheap food.  I couldn't go on in a profession (and at times, society) where no one asks the questions about where they get what they put in their body.  But, like I said, I'll dive deeper into that another time.
Anyway, I hope this might tickle the fancy of some of you, and you'll be tuning in from time to time.  And I am very new to all this, so any advice, tips, pointers, cool tricks are all extremely welcome.

Well, best regards to all!