From Another Time

Woke this morning to an email from an old friend who I had wondered about but never really knew where he was. Richard Bass pinged me with a recollection and it was wonderful to remember again the times we had and the people we know. Hopefully I can keep up the connection. A very good man -- too good to lose track of ......

Sick, but with a cool device

Lost weekend, having finally succumbed to whatever the kids brought home. At least I can moblog on my new TMobile MDA. Finally, the US gets a device I've had to get from europe before now. Keyboard is good, device a little slow but am getting the hang of it. It's Invade Iraq Third Anniversary Eve! I smell democracy or maybe civil war or maybe puppet regime or maybe operation "Swarmer" (who the hell thought that name up?).

Grey and Fire Silver

Watching the light blast the ocean amid swirling clouds. Like a quicksilver paintbrush moving super-fast, but still 10 miles or more away. Lazy and cold. Listening to Jerry Garcia and Merle Saunders at the Keystone. I remember going there to listen to them -- just awhile ago. Great combination.

I have figured it out

Hibernation

Moblog from bed. Will built this last night. It's kind of a ferris wheel for mice or something. Talked to Balch and reconnected with some early U of O people and memories. Coffee now..

Caffeine

I've now culled and honed down the acceptable drugs to caffeine and a small amount of chewing tobacco. Completely smitten by espresso and, no, I don't ever see giving it up. If anything I'll increase the intake. I am really finding it almost sublime to quaff a doppio with a little sugar, hop on my bike, and slice down the road. Find it intriguing that the things I end up enjoying seem to be Italian. My road bike, espresso, design and view of life. Then the quirkiness of a Ferrari spinning donuts in a cloud of exhaust at the opening of the Turin Olympics just makes me laugh.

Dr. Dorst

"Bend over and I'll say when ...."

Bicycles and Treadmills to Nowhere .....

We have a very nice work-out facility in the building where I work. Many of the machines I can't even understand but I don't use them anyway. I find it curious and a little disturbing that people seem to prefer riding a stationary bicycle or "running' on an endless rubber loop to nowhere. I just don't get it. It isn't the weather or the difficult terrain because here in Pacific Beach it is always sunny and the office is only a few hundred yards from Mission Bay. I think it must have something to do with people feeling safer (see my risk blog below) inside. The temperature is predictable... the terrain never varies .... you don't have to worry about actually looking at anyone else or interacting with the real environment and there are no forks in the road. You can go from your rubber road to your insulated car to your cookie-cutter clubs and listen to prescribed music and go home to your new condo and .................................

Risk

People have been scared into not taking risks. If you can't already tell, I ride my bike a lot. I commute every day that I can (which fortunately, is most days). This time of year I always ride home in the dark and when many people see me leave or I explain what I do each day they make some remark that they can't believe I would do such a thing and that it is right up there with drunken hang-gliding. I am careful. I ride with lights. I watch for morons (and find them all the time). I live my life.

It's Been 60 Years - His Time was Then and His Time is Now

FDR, I think was arguably our best president. Compare his "Second Bill of Rights" to what the Bush/Cheney idiots are doing now. Among the rights he articulated were: "The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation." "The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation." "The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living." "The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad." "The right of every family to a decent home." "The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health." "The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident and unemployment." "The right to a good education." Is this too much to ask of the most powerful nation on earth?

Democracy? Oil? It's bigger than that ....

Why we are in Iraq? There's damn good money in it. Dwight Eisenhower nailed it in his farewell to the nation in 1961: "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together". Eisenhower had originally called it the military-industrial-CONGRESSIONAL complex (really what it was and is) so as not to offend.

So it Continues ......

Again out on the deck this morning and about 75 degrees . After this I biked down to the beach. The waves were big and lots of people and would-be surfers just watching. I think there are already a bunch of Christmas holiday people around because traffic was heavy and there were folks all over the place.

Winter Solstice

I was just standing on the deck, 11:15 at night about 70 degrees F and a light breeze from the desert. I've never seen a Winter start like this before. Little blogging as work has been busy, on the bike every day (mostly) and between college football and politics have been distracted. Happy Holidays to anyone who reads this.

Saturday on the South Coast

Woke early to get some miles on the bike. The stars were really prominent - I had to stand outside for a minute of two and take it all in. An easy ride with real heavy fog up Torrey Pines so I didn't blast down the hill as usual. If there was anything on the shoulder I would just plow into it so I figured I would take the extra time to check out the dudes at Scripps Pier. Not a huge break but lots of people out there. Befriended a curious dog who actually ate some of my Clif bar -- apparently he's an organic vegetarian - more likely non-discriminatory. The dog looked just like Cochrane's old dog ... wonder if he is still around. Last night watched a really interesting PBS NOVA on the brain's apparent inability to distinguish between (or maybe better put - perceiving as similar) actually doing something and watching someone do the same thing. Very cool and something to think about. Also am finishing up a remarkable book I have had for awhile, "Passion of the Western Mind" by Richard Tarnas. Impossible to describe in a small paragraph but it is essentially a synopsis of Western history from something like 500 BC until today. Stunning. I also was able to email Tarnas to thank him for the book and he actually responded. I love technology ............... J

I Saw and Spoke With God

Yesterday while riding home from work in the early evening I met and had a chance to speak with God. He was ahead of me on Diamond Street in Pacific Beach heading down the hill on a beat-up cruiser bike. I first saw him in front of me zig-zagging back and forth across the road the way all bicylists do when there are no cars and they don't think anyone is looking. Its an instinctual behavior that first happens when you're about 4 years old and on your first bike. God was in his early 30's, deeply tanned with his wetsuit on up to his waist, unzipped and dangling above it. He had a small goatee and was carrying a beat-up fishtail surfboard under his right arm. I rode up beside him and said, "I just want you to know that I want to be you when I grow up". I had surprised him but, as you might expect from God, he had a good reply; "Steady now ....", he said. Made sense to me and I had to turn right up Dawes to get to Loring -- Hope he caught a few good waves. J

What a Wonderful Country....

Headlines for the day ...... "12.7% of the US population living in poverty", and (apparently on the positive side), "the number of people in the US without health insurance remained steady at 45.8 million". If I do my calculations correctly 12.7% * 295,000,000 means that there are a little less than 37.5 million people living in poverty in the US. So..... I guess it makes sense that we have spent $194,000,000,000 on the butt-stupidest war in a futile attempt to quash the "global spread of violent extremism" whatever the hell that means. Shrub should be forced to live on $9,060 per year in a trailer in Crawford, send his daughters to Iraq and begin to pay attention to the suffering at home .... I have never been much of a participant in popular uprising but if anyone is putting a team together give me a call. Disgusted with the whole thing - Demos GIVE ME SOMEONE TO VOTE FOR !!! J

Reminded

Just lying on the deck and watched the most remarkable sunset. Reminds me how much beauty there is in such a short life .... Everett Ruess

Getting the Route Down

The picture is of late afternoon from Mount Soledad looking west. The light on the water was impressive and changing - I think I stood outside for 45 minutes watching the light/water dance. Unrelated I finally have my bicycle commute ride nailed. I zoom down the hill into La Jolla and then stay south along the beach later moving up parallel to the major Pacific Beach thoughroughfares Grand and Garnett. I do end up on Grand as I move to the east but avoid it most of the way. If I lose my life on a bike I'm banking that it will be on Grand. Anyway I got some good video of WindanSea beach yesterday afternoon so I will try to get that up on the blog in the next couple of days.

La Jolla Shores - Dolphins

Another video of the beach last weeked. What's kind of cool about this one is that in the beginning you can see acouple of dolphins playing in the surf. Look for their dorsal fins at the break. Also, there is some guy kayak fishing in the same frames.

A Day in the Connected Life Vortex

This is a first-ever look into the bowels of the Connected Life group at an unnamed company who shall remain anonymous unless you are color blind and have lived in a cave for the past 10 years. This is my extended family who I all miss. Even Josh ... but I wish he would shut up... and I never really got to know Russell .... and Jerald and Joe will now probably mix with the wrong people ... and Paul has body parts in his cube.