Amazing True Adventures!

Get on the phone!

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:43:13 GMT

Call the Nestle Crunch Hotline at 1-800-295-0051

NASA The lost Tapes II

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:39:45 GMT

Latest Video

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:31:02 GMT

My New Call Center

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:18:22 GMT

I know I have not had the virtual presence I once had so I am now having my call center handle some aspects of my social life.

Anmorphosis

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:41:48 GMT

Anamorphosis
Poetry can compress and distort
Words and images fold into one another
And shift our understanding
To see truth emerge
From the underlying appearance.

Ferlinghetti will be turning 90!

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:07:16 GMT

It is hard to believe that Ferlinghetti is about to turn 90. I first saw him in the mid-80s with Jacqui at a poetry reading to benefit the United Farm Workers at the Museum of Natural History in Santa Barbara. When spent some time running around the streets of Santa Barbara, got two "bullfighter" sandwiches to go and hung out in the park across from the museum till the poetry reading began - he read with an ancient sax player from Monterey - seminal musician in bop and the beat generation but his name escapes me. The reading was incredible. There were folk harpists from Mexico there too and members of Teatro Campesino. This night lead to a long love affair with J and Ferlinghetti's poetry. I read him before and loved his poetry, but seeing him perform his poetry (that is what he really does) is a whole other thing.

Years later I went to the American Library Association Convention to hear him read. There was not a lot of room in the audience so a handful of us were asked to come up and sit with him on stage. That was hella funny.

From City Lights:

HELP US WISH LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI
A HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY

On March 24th, 2009, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the co-founder and co-owner of City Lights Booksellers and Publishers, and one of this country's most beloved poets and truly great humanitarians, will celebrate his 90th birthday. Though no public celebration is planned, we'd like to help you share your birthday greetings and wishes—send emails to lfbirthday@citylights.com. We'll pass these on to Lawrence, and share some of them with all of you down the road. Meanwhile, hear Lawrence read from his recent book Poetry As Insurgent Art as part of City Lights' new podcast, "Live From City Lights." Subscribe by RSS, or search iTunes' podcast directory for "Live from City Lights."

New Job?

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:55:20 GMT

I was watching the news and there was some cascade of movie/sports/"music" star news and there was some hot breaking story and this tool in a little box on the screen starts yappin and his title was "CELEBRITY CRISIS EXPERT." Just like freakin FEMA! Around 2001, I began to see "Internet Expert" as a title of whatever talking tiny head they could get to comment on any topic: savings and loan failures, middle east, or shakespeare. I would like to record generic commentary that could be used for any crisis - financial, weather, or celebrity. Something like "What is there to be said? Many pundits claimed they saw this coming but I don't think anyone really predicted events to unfold exactly in this way. Hindsight is always 20/20. We have to resist the urge to over-simplify the issues. If we have learned anything from history is its that it is too easy to make generalizations based on the past. All parties effected by this are going to have to really step back and reflect. We can only be grateful it isn't worse."

Great Weekend!

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:43:50 GMT

I linked to the special edition of Vogue here:

I went with my cover girl to Seattle on Sunday. We had a great time. We went to see Monteverdi's Orpheus. This was the first opera I had seen from start to finish (I saw it on TV). The first opera I went to in a theatre was "La Boheme" at the Dorothy Chandler in LA in 1977 (or '78). But the production of Orpheus I saw on PBS as a young teenager was pretty incredible and it really sold me on the idea of opera. I have been a big fan ever since. We hung out at the Brooklyn afterwards. This is a great bar across from the symphony hall and the art museum on 2nd. Amazing happy hour.

The day before all the fun, I presented online for an online conference. It went really well. It was called "Concept Maps: from pencil to virtual worlds." There were people "there" from all over the world - I learned a lot from them too!

Tweeting with Jeeves

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:49:55 GMT

Stephen Fry is one of my favorite people on this planet (Wooster and Jeeves). He is a Mac head and uses Twitter. Today he was leaving a talk he was giving at the Mac Store in London and got stuck in a fifth floor elevator. He posted this pic to twitter. John Cleese also posts to Twitter. It can make for some really interesting moments when the two of them tweet near one another. I use Twitter mostly for professional purposes. Most of my tweets consist of "Anyone have fav training materials for Angel Learning?" and things like that. But occasionally some fun things happen there too.

Congratulations Everyone!

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:42:28 GMT

According to some research, this is statistically the day that it is hardest to keep your New Year's Resolution. Buck the trend! Hang in there! Rah! Rah! Rah! So put the cork in that bottle of Tullamore Dew and get some fresh air. Or go to the gym. Or be kind to granny. Whatever it was, I am sending out vibrations of love and victory into the astral plane for the benefit of all sentient beings. This might even include you!

Greg Pattillio

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:38:56 GMT

I have been listening to some strange and wonderful music. I have not made up my mind whether I like it or not or even if that is the question I am really asking. Maybe that is what art should do - not only make us ask questions but to question our questionings. Anyway, Greg Pattillo's flute music is all over YouTube and here is some of it:

Candy Cane Lane

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:22:36 GMT

We went to Candy Cane Lane tonight in Pacific Grove. It was raining off and on but we had a blast anyway. We made a short video of our adventures and some safety tips for viewing Christmas lights in the rain.

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Back in Monterey

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:53:41 GMT

Being in Monterey is good. We are actually in Asilomar near Pacific Grove just north of Carmel on the coast. We can walk down to the beach. When we lived here, people used to complain about the low occupancy rate in Pacific Grove - that is how many homes are actually owned by people who live there and contribute to the community vs. just vacation homes for the parasitical rich. Our nieghborhood has the highest permanent occupancy rate in the area - our room overlooks the cemetary! Gotta love the internet deals. J is off exploring the cemetary now. There will be a full report later. This is a family oriented hotel - it comes with free full breakfast, swimming pool, and free barbeque. We put Margrette and J's nieces up here one summer. I have a feeling the kids would not be fond of this room. I find it peaceful and strange. I would definitely come back here. With the economy the way that it is, there are not a lot of people here and rooms are going for about 15% cheaper than the usual winter rates. You will see from the pictures that we had a day and a half of sun before the rain caught up with us but this is nothing compared to what we have been getting in the NW -- it is a nice break. I know the gaelic term "smirr" for "light rain" and J gave me the scots gaelic word "soofta" for those light clouds of rain that tumble down into a light drizzle. God knows how it is spelled said J. Puzzling photographic evidence to follow.

Sunday Morning After the Snow

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:34:57 GMT

Winter settles in slowly. A large bank of clouds and fog covers over Puget Sound. The days are shorter. I become introspective. I stop thinking about the things I want to do and start thinking about the things I wanted to do, didn't do, can't do, or can no longer do. What did those desires say about myself? Why would I hang onto those dreams in particular? Why do we hang on to them at all? By one measure, I have accomplished a lot, but the greater accomplishment will be letting go, opening the hand, to release myself from the fruits of action. Winter reminds me that being and doing are enough. The final leaves fall in the first real frost of the year. Some are stuck in the branches. The mornings begin like the evenings end in a faint, light fluid band of sulphur on the horizon beneath the dark grey sky. Sometimes it blazes briefly like a fire opal; sometimes it smolders like wet coals in the cold rain. Sunday mornings after the snow are the best.

Against the grey clouds
Pine branches tufted with snow
White winter flowers.

Here we go a-caroling...

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:14:55 GMT

We went caroling today at an outdoor mall in Kent, WA with our church, Saltwater Unitarian. We had a blast. We were all expecting that since we were caroling with Unitarians that we would sing about Rudolph and Frosty. While they both still participate in the hero's journey ala Joseph Cambell, they do not have the same archetypal resonance as the Birth of the Sun King. Our music minister loves tradition and good music more than dogmatic hair-splitting so we got to sing the cool stuff about "Satan's power" and the like. My real favorites are the old wassailing songs about foxes, holly and ivy. People stopped and joined us and the kids visiting the mall were completely into it. Anyway,
T

A Favorite Picture of Eric...

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:11:47 GMT

Here is a favorite picture of our dear Eric:

My writing tips

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 06:31:00 GMT

Here is a pamphlet I wrote for an online creative writing class way back when. I revised it and put it up on Scribd.

The Nietzsche Family Circus

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:48:36 GMT

Randomly generated here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:51:46 GMT

We are back from the Emergency Food Network Thanksgiving Day dinner for the homeless. It was held in the grand ballroom of the Temple Theatre (1926) - completely restored place with cool art deco Egyptian interior. Amazing place - a former Masonic temple. The Tacoma Jazz Ensemble was on the stage playing jazz and holiday classics. There were LOTS of volunteers! That was really good to see. Rita and I were there only because Jaxi thought enough to sign us all up as volunteers on Nov. 1st. You have to sign up early because they can only take so many volunteers - isn't that freaking great?? I really like knowing that I live in a world where someone has to work hard to coordinate all of the volunteers. We were on drinks duty. The director said that no one leaves a pitcher of water at the table - everyone is personally served and special. There were a lot of families there. There were a lot of retired people who live in the hotels in the area too. People raved about the food. The turkeys were actually smoked and cooked by volunteers. You really got the sense that people cared about what they were doing. And we were out in a couple of hours. We could have been home by 2:00 but we ran a few errands. Rita was pretty amazed by the whole thing and is napping now. J is really good at finding opportunities like this, so that is another thing on my list that I am greatful for: she walks like she talks and keeps it fun.

Mad about the girl...

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:39:29 GMT

Here is an animated gif I made of three of my favorite pictures of Jaxi...

Puzzling evidence...

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:05:16 GMT

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen the photographs myself. The disturbing thing is not that there is a whole set of Mars photos they are not showing us, but that this was fossil site "0023"!!!!

T - if you look carefully you can see the fossil! .

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:53:00 GMT

To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence. - Nietzche

Everybody chant now!

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 03:57:07 GMT

We went and marched in Seattle today. We spent the night at a hotel because we went to the symphony the night before. There were six thousand protesters there and half of the coverage given by the news was of the 20 or so christian nuts that showed up. They didn't cover the other political and religious groups that came out in support of the protest including the Unitarians, socialist parties, and the Atheists. I had a lot of experience in protests because my parents were union organizers for the United Farmworkers Union. I even met Cesar Chavez once in Delano. We protested at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant and the first Gulf War.

We needed to be there for a lot of reasons: the Mormon church has spent over 40 million dollars on this (in a world of starving and homeless people), we are sending people across the world to die to make a secular democracy in Iraq and we can't have one here, we can't legislate morality or religious beliefs, if there is injustice for any, there is justice for none. There are so many things wrong with what is happening right now and we might, just might, have a government that will listen.

It was a huge demonstration. About halfway there, we desperately needed a shot of espresso. We thought for a moment that we would be at the end of the march by the time we got our coffee and got back in -- it took us ten minutes and we were not even halfway when we got back in.

There are a lot of things today that bring me around full circle. J was the president of the Social Issues Club at Allan Hancock College and I was her secretary. We met a lot of great people today and people from other Unitarian churches. I need to spend more time in Seattle. There are so many freaking great people there. My world in Tacoma is pretty damn small.

I always thought that if I did not have to work that I would spend my time, or at least more of my time, doing things that made a difference. Why wouldn't you do that? I think I can do this part time anyway.

Here are some photos.

Sur la pave la plage!

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:47:45 GMT

I don't care how you feel about this issue. We should always hit the streets any time money and religion erase civil rights. Even if you just show up and mill around, that is good. Numbers are important. They are essential to the formation of a good rabble. J and I have not been to a protest in a while - instead of sleeping in back of a car, we have a hotel and symphony tickets. Lets stop letting others make the news. Money and ignorance should not have the final word. For those of you who are already going to some event, bring cameras - we are also our own reporters now too.

Work of a different kind...

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:38:25 GMT

There was so much I wanted to get done today but I did none of that. I had a lot of work related things to do today but last week just took all the wind out of my sails as far as innovation in education goes. Instead, I totally redid the garage and am getting it ready for winter. I need to be able to park two cars in there. I got the whole thing cleaned out with old furniture hauled off to St. Vincent de Paul's. I really gave it a good sweeping out and stored stuff up in the rafters, got my work spaces and tools organized, picture of Sri Yukteswar dusted off, and everything folded, wound up, re-boxed or hung. I watched a western with Burt Lancaster (got to recharge my inner butch Américain sauvage). I delivered another car load of stuff to dear St. Vincent, hung out there for a bit, and then walked over to the fish company just to say "hello" and buy a nominal amount of smoked salmon. I always come in and say "The sign says 'no smoking' but you have smoked fish" or "The lobster seem depressed today." They think I am pretty funny. I am the Bob Hope of the commercial fishing industry. This place, the Northwest Fish Company has the best fish from the Northwest: they have fresh fish daily from the Puget Sound and all the way up from Alaska - they are always the first to have Copper River salmon and at the best prices.

J works a lot at home and Rita sings a lot around the house. She plays music on the stereo or her karaoke machine and sings along. There are a couple of Lebanese pop songs that she sings multiple times a day (think Edith Piaf meets Celine Dion). J said, "I swear I am learning these songs!" So that night when Rita got home, J and Rita sang one of the songs together and it was really amazing! I am going to make a YouTube video of it because it is hella adorable.

Rita brought a lot of spices back from Lebanon (god that was a smart thing to do) and I just took a quiche out of the oven made with Lebanese seven spice - much like Chinese five spice but more peppery. It is going to be magnificent. I got the idea because between the three of us, we had a lot of vegetables in the fridge that needed cooking - so big salads and quiche for all.