Some slightly random Isaiah quotes (from Ch. 5)

Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.

Pétanque

I don't know how i came across this idea, but i must have been reading something which referenced pétanque. Anyway, i wasn't sure what it was, but once i did a little research on the internets i realized that i actually DID know, but just didn't know it was called that. My first encounter with the game was in Barcelona, my very first time there before I knew Ivan, Pijus, Al, Carlos, and wasn't really familiar with the city and its architecture, cool places to go, etc. etc.

Another name the game goes by is Boules/Bowls (though this may be a slightly different game, or the name for the family of games played with steel balls and a jack), and I also realize that it's similar to Bocce Ball, which i have played, but i'm not exactly clear on the differences between the sports. I think it's cool that both are related to ancient games played during the Roman Empire.

Senario I:

Julius Caesar: "A fine toss, Brutus!"
Brutus: "Et tu, Caesar!"
Other Competing Senators: "We are lost!" *whisperwhisperwhisperwhisper whisperwhisperwhisperwhisper whisperwhisperwhisperwhisper "We really should get rid of that guy!" whisperwhisper whisperwhisper whisperwhisperwhisperwhisper.*

Senario II:

The Accuser vs. Theophilus, last game of the match

Jesus: "Theophilus! If you just have faith the size of a jack, you can say to your opponent's ball, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea!' and it will be done for you. Believe in God, and nothing will be impossible for you!"*


Lastly, i found this video on the web, and it is an interesting mix of pétanque Frenchiness (note: rock/pop musique en français) and the Portland scene. It also paints a portrait of boules being a compatriot of lawn bowling, another example of an interesting, low-physical activity, probably largely underrated sport. Maybe this is just further evidence that i am an old soul.




*On a related note, my buddy Dillon gave me a shirt for Christmas which says "Jesus Saves" on it with a picture of Jesus as a hockey goalie saving a puck from going into the net! Look for its debut in a county near you.

"When I was your age, television was called BOOKS!"

One book I am currently reading--though it's slow going because of other stuff going on and other things i'm reading etc. etc.--is called Der Kleine Grenzverkehr. (AC's translation = The Border-hopping Shenanigans). This speedy Buchlein has had an interesting run, seeing as how i acquired it, didn't read it but it somehow managed to make it to Wisconsin and back. Anyway, i received it in the mail several months ago and i've been wanting to read it, but as with most books i want to read, it just sat there for a while. It's true: if you never actually pick up the book you want to read and start reading it, it will never get read. I know, amazing!

Anyway, i am still not finished, but i like it and it transports me to another time and place in a very strange way. Also i showed "The Motorcycle Diaries" & "Goodbye Lenin" to close out a few of my classes for the semester and some ideas and quotes from those have been sticking with me. One in particular from "TMD" was something to the effect of Che feeling nostalgia for a culture/society he never knew (i.e. the Inca as he & Ernesto arrive at Machu Picchu). This book makes me feel like that, partially because of the drawings in it, which i just want to dive into and walk around it. But really, it's only half true, because most/part of the story takes place in Salzburg, a place and culture i have known, only not in that time nor capacity.

P.S. Whoever can tell me from whence the title quote comes from (no using the internets!) wins a gold star and large hug. Whoever is too curious to wait and uses the internets only wins .123 of a gold star and an icy side hug.

P.P.S. Kirsten has been looking over my shoulder for most of this post which makes for some very *weird* writing... i am not sure if it affects me & my thought process, but i am a bit nervous about making grammatical errors... teh heh?

X marks the kiss

My grandma sent me a magazine clipping a while ago which contained various bits of random information. "Just So You Know..." it was titled, and one in particular caught my attention. Many a friend & relative signs their correspondence with and X or O; e.g. xxoo, or XOXOX, etc.

According to the article, "In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. ["Make your mark!"] Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous."

Kixxes!

dad & i

dad & i at zee '9ers game! Also: '9ers & NY Jets today, apparently. I only know this because i will be at a football party.

End of Country Road

The Last Strip of Bacon

i took it out of the fridge
fried it
saved it in the fridge for today
and...

...mmmmmmmmmmmm!

a penny found is a penny earned

Today i found a penny in the alleyway behind the school. This is the 3rd or fourth one and i'm gettin' lightheaded from the wealth!

Ho ho ho.

OC, China

Orange County, China

Time Warp!

Monster Mash Note

Thanks to the NY Times Crossword Puzzle & Rex for this one.

Post Haste Posting

I've had some great ideas for posts in the past few days and every time i sit down to write them i get sidetracked or tangented for one reason or another. Anyway, in the interest of getting SOMEthing up here, i'm just going to give a shoutout to say "yo!" and let ye know the happs.

This month i have been working like crazy with my regular job at the group home, plus teaching/tutoring lots of hours of American, some German, and even less Spanish language sessions. It has been a lot of fun, but also tiring and perhaps the most amount of continuous hours I've worked in my life, or at least for a few years. Perhaps i did this amount of work and crazy things in college...but at the time i wasn't getting paid for a lot of it :o\

I'm kicking around various thoughts about the future and different projects i'd like to tackle, both abstract and concrete. I am also ready for a vacation and a break. Thankfully we're headed to NC next week to see the Jameses and some of my kin!

Big shoutouts to you fabulous family and friends who have cared about us, understood us (or tried to...), and generally helped us in these past weeks and months and years. Thank you. :o)

motohead

Here i am with a sequestered motorcycle helmet, and one of my students, whose selected facial features have been censored to protect his identity. ...actually he looks frighteningly like one T. Choate, brother of mine. Note:

-general appearance
-flat brimmed new cap w/sticker still attached
-tilted slightly to the side
-"I'm bad" attitude
-nonchalant "I don't care" lean on the hand








p.s. Dear Travis & Mystery Student: i love you both in your own special way!

family field trip to the internet

fezhead

Of course when i was eating that Middle East Feast i was wearing this:

Retractospork

This week i tried Arabian Joe's new fare: Middle East Feast. It was ok, kind of stale? It included pita bread, hummus, these Mediterranean ball thingies (i really should know what they're called), a mix of couscous, dill(?) and other herbs, & some other liquid to pour atop it all. But really, the most amazing thing was the Build-A-Spork. Observe it's space saving, multi-purpose madness:
And you can collapse it again and store it in your pocket or bag or whatever for later use! Ah, the wonders of modern invention.

boxhead

Boxes make great hats. Case in point:
They also make good playthings, especially if you are small, because they can be forts, hiding places, etc. etc. Often the packaging of a thing has more fun potential than the actual thing itself!

In unrelated news, after some assistance from my friend Kevin the Scotsman, (aka Marv from the Home Alone movies) some repairs have been made which allow me to navigate Hyrule and its sometimes tricky & confusing quests. Super NES and the Lost Levels remain on hold (World 8, last level) until i can work up the umpf to pass it!

workworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkwork
workworkworkworkworkworkwork
workworkworkwork
workworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkworkwork
workworkworkworkworkityworkwork

jokerskihead

commiejackhead

all the way home

if i had a rocking chair

if i had a porch

a house with a porch to put that rocking chair on

were it real.

were they real.

Real like that day we spent in Amsterdam

watching bikes glide by on the street below

from the window of our cheap motel

broke out of the mold

shed our shell

feeling together, being together

feeling good, like we conquered the world

that's what i'd do the livelong day:

be in the chair

kick back

watch bike and rider glide on by

by and by

home by and by

with you

where we belong

where you belong
"among the wildflowers"

along the train tracks

clickety-clack, clickety-clack

collapse your ears

blow your hair back
clickety-clack, clickety-clack


it's where we are, and maybe where we want to be. plus or minus the train noises.

Employment?

Not surprisingly, i find myself there again.

You know, there, that place where you're not sure what you're doing now is what you love and not really knowing where to go. My wondrous hats topping my noggin with sustainable fare may not show it, but i've fallen victim to it again: wanderlust. And this time it's harder.

I know this is nothing new, and many a worker in offices has felt this sentiment: a desire to get back outside.

Peggy Vincent, baby catcher and author of Baby Catcher--her fantastic 2001 novel i just devoured like dark chocolate truffles--similarly described her love of being a midwife in terms of spontaneity vs. monotony: despite the crazy on-call hours and occasional rushes to the hospital, at least she had the element of surprise, the unexpected every day. Each time she caught a baby and got caught up in the tune of each unique childbirth, she thought of all those people with cush office jobs and spreadsheets with blanks for them to fill in.

And that is somewhat how i feel, though teaching HS kids certainly has its benefits. ...but for whatever reason i have this strange desire to go organic farming, or raise goats or whatever. Just get me out of this cube! Can i bike for a living? Do i have hamstrings the size of cannons?

...i am out of writing juice.

unclesamhead:
p.s. i may or may not have gone to the polls & voted for Ralph Nader or Bob Barr while simultaneously wearing this hat and an Obama mask with that GOP candidate's action figure wedged betwixt its teeth.

pizzahead

"Yummy! Yummy! You're a pizza pie!"

"Yummy! Yummy! You toss me in the sky!"

burgerhead

Here i am hard at work staring at a computer screen:...the hat looks way better in person.

Placenta Tour!

As promised, here is the famed, incredibly intriguing, exquisite and informative PLACENTA TOUR! *not for the squeamish!*

Our little squirmy worm!

Super Mario Bros. "The Lost Levels"

are hard!  Miraculously i have made it to the eighth world, but have died about fifty seven bajillion times and had to save and come back to the game just as often.  Wish me luck as i continue to *byoing!* my way through pipes, twixt koopa paratroopas, o'er Lakitu, and 'neath Koopa till i reach the axe.  Toad is funny in this one--he keeps multiplying at the end of each world and saying his classic schtick "Thank you, Luigi!  ...but our Princess is in another castle!" Oh yes, by the bye, "I'm a-Luigi!"

Photos of our little nugget

Kirsten has been doing a much better job than i in getting photos of Sierra online. And she wrote out the birth story--so go have a look at her site!

mejor en bici

This week on my bike ride to work i saw some workers removing the word "elephant" in cursive script from the side of a building.

I also rode through a construction site by skirting around the edges whereas a car certainly would have had to take a large detour!

SJC

mejor en bici

Yesterday, September 30th, the lifetime odometer on my bike read 405 miles. This means that from the beginning of September 'til the end of September my steed and i registered 225 official miles of riding distance!

Included in this figure was a short, yet hilly ride my dad and i tackled in San Francisco from the parking space to Candlestick Park and back. We enjoyed the football game in which the 49ers beat down the Detroit Lions. I also got to hear his version of my brother's an my (and others') birth stories!

Also, on my bike ride to work yesterday, i saw a labyrinth sketched in chalk on one of residential roads along my route. What are the chances?! (probably pretty good...Kyle: my apologies again for the shoddy labyrinth i tried to draw for you...)

Will report back for the month of October.

INNER

Last week there was a fantastic New York Times crossword puzzle which made me feel all warm & fuzzy inside.  The Times crossword puzzles are a bit of an institution around, um.... my institution.  Some of us teachers (the coolest or perhaps the dweebiest ones) work together to "get 'er done".  Often we are successful.  

Though i didn't work a whole lot on the puzzle i'm talking about which made me feel fantastic, it really did make me feel great!  And thusly, i'm sharing it with the blogosphere.

The theme's  across clues ended up being the 2nd half of the answer to one of the down answers.  The down answer was "INNER".   So putting them together the theme answers read:

INNER BEAUTY

INNER STRENGTH

INNER PEACE

INNER CHILD

:)

Draw Your Swords!

Maybe it's from a lot of recent LOTR in film form, who knows?, but for whatever reason on my bike ride to work this morning the phrase "Draw your swords!" popped into my head. I was compelled to say it aloud in a British-like accent. Olde Englishe if ye wille.

Anyway, i then imagined some whimsical comic book character, perhaps the three Bone cousins from sinister to clueless hearing the phrase shouted by Grandma Ben: "Draw your swords !"

Or maybe a meek Scott Pilgrim (after realizing his enemy has a sword and running away like the p*&^@ he is) facing a challenge from his opponent who cries out: "Draw your sword!"

...after which SP or the Bones immediately draw a sword, as in whip out a pencil and sketch a sword on a sheet of paper and then hold it up with a huge grin across their faces.

That's what i want to do. That's how i would like to think about life, things.

But no.

This week is a real battle, this life a real war.

And we must draw our swords for realz.

And stand.

No $#@%!

From Plug-In America, if you care to read the fine print and for more links.
"As the Solar Taxi winds down its American tour and heads north from the east coast into Canada, we want to wish inventor voyager Louis Palmer and his talented tech team the best. If you haven't had a chance to witness bits of this remarkable journey, enjoy its complete documented trip. ... And for an insider visit and a "spin" behind the wheel, Plug In America documentarian Stefano Paris video-taped his ride.

Solar Taxi is a battery-operated solar electric vehicle that has logged thousands of miles driving across America -- north to south, west to east -- the ultimate road trip. Its mission is to circumnavigate the world to raise awareness about solutions to climate change. When Solar Taxi was in Los Angeles, it captured the attention of Jay Leno, Larry Hagman, Tony Shalhoub and James Cameron who came out for rides. While en route to the east coast, Solar Taxi made a stop at General Motors and when it reached New York, it drew the attention of the United Nations Secretary General. We wave a fond goodbye and look forward to its return!"

mejor en bici

-For the entire month of August my bike computer registered 180 miles in commuting distance.*

-Last week I registered a new personal best of 30.8mph! I've taken 'er up to a close second at 30.7mph and a few others over 30mph...

-...you know it! Speeding without a motor.

*This figure, of course, does not include various leisurely trips taken on my cruiser, nor the times i either forgot entirely or forgot to hook in my computer display/info receiver.

...but in zee Munich Zirkus I was known as zee Incredible...

Nightcrawler.  Now his skillz would be a good trick for getting across busy intersections and trouble spots.  A real time saver!  Plus it would just be lots of fun.

P.S. are people aware that the actor portraying that "Teutonic wall-walker" in X2 is Scottish?!

golden deliziös MutterWurst / Schrei nein zum Winter

"There's a snake in my boot!"* and by that i mean, "Someone's been sleeping in my bed! ... "** and by that i mean, "Someone's been messing with my Deutsche Magnetpoesie!" ...finally!

Well done. Very well done, whoever you are. I have a few suspects, but if you'd like to come forth and identify yourself, O Mystery Dichter, please do! If you'd rather your identity remain a mystery...um, fine. Be that way.

That being said, i'd like to put out a call to all German-speaking, and/or Deutsch-attempting goons out there to come over and make their mark on our refridgerator! It's been far too long since the Magnetically Poetic Days of Olde back in the War Room. Slim to no prior knowledge of German required!

wunderbar! Thor and his Enchanted Hammer make half of a cameo appearance in the bottom-left corner of that shot.

essentially the same photograph as the first, but i liked how the light came through redhandlightcolored when i blocked the flash w/my hand.

And whatever you do, always ALWAYS: benutz eine fantastische Dschungelstimmung.

* Toy Story

** Goldlöckchen und die drei Bären - or if you're feeling like a more colorful and entertaining versionette (and the end to this quote), check out (RIP) Burgess Meredith's rendition of the tale as Grandpa Gustafson in "Grumpy Old Men"

Yikes!

?!?!?!??

The lady at the front counter said it was because of the bleach or detergent or what-have-you that they use in the dishwashers and whatever chemical residue may remain on the groceries they buy and use in their fares. Scary...

Also: so many "Or"s! Which parts should i believe?!

mejor en bici

Last week on my bike ride to work i reached a velocity of 30+ mph!

The Modern Warrior (Study)

The modern warrior.

A few choice weapons on each shoulder, should he need them. Battles can be piercing, wrenching, messy. (Protective eyegear strongly recommended. Keychain for easy access, style points.  Laptop computer = "+500 exp."*)

Here we find him backed by his mighty sometime-steed (Backup mighty steed, really. Just in case. You know, like when he needs to get out the big guns. Plus joyrides, etcetera)

Cast upon him thy rosepetals lest he fall in battle.  Affix a pin of blessing abreat his T-shirt (shirt pocket, shoulder strap). Lift up a prayer for him as you fancy.  Battle rages tough, these things he could bring to bear.

*-B.L.O'M.

The pie chart says most

This has been a long time in coming: 'twas created over a year ago and it took a while until i scanned it last August and am now finally directing it to where it needs to be! Thanks to my good buddy Dillon for allowing me to publish his artwork!

yet another battle in the war

As my good friend Van Morrison says, "You gotta fight everyday to keep mediocrity at bay."

Date Night: trip to the internet

Squirrel Nutkins!

Squirrel Nutkins is an acrobat; a veritable tightrope walker!

mejor en bici

Today on my bike ride to work i:

-stashed a mostly great-looking futon for later retrieval

-saw a party in progress on a front lawn.
From what i could tell as i whizzed passed, 'twas being conducted by & large in ASL.

headfingers

my fingers are cold, my head is hot—put them together, now they are not!

waiting

waiting

“people watching
watching people
waiting”

waiting

1. breathe!
2. pause, relax
3. close your eyes
(inhale…exhale…)
4. sit up straight
(breathe deeply)
5. listen
(keep on breathing throughout…)

listen for something
listen for sounds
try to pinpoint voices, footsteps of passersby, familiar sounds, strange sounds even.
much more bedeutsam than that though: animal noises, the rustling of the wind,
now and again overhearing what little kids are saying/snippets of other people’s conversations; which are often hilarious, or at least slightly amusing—enough to make you grin.
to make you turn up the corners of your mouth, smile, laugh quietly to yourself.
(before you closed your eyes, you could see what the tinyboppers were doing too, which was often more hilarious than the chatter! …or more hilarious overall, both things combined)

imagine a Native American man; the Native American people!
nativos, ursprüngliche Einwohner, indigenous persons

sounds in the harmony of the forest: more natural
ability to discern. to listen. to hear!
the buffalo, “the wolf cry to the blue corn moon. the voices of the mountains.” the Voice.
sounds of modern machinery? of course not.
…certainly not like that plane you’re hearing overhead
(floating peacefully, feather-like—turbine jet-engines notwithstanding—up toward the stratosphere, though it will never reach it)
…certainly not that gas weedwacker or lawnmower or hedgetrimmer or whatever the deuce it is

today i sat and waited.
imagined my perpendicularly planted feet extended into the concrete, into the topsoil, into the earth’s crust, the tectonic plates, the Heart of the Earth.

waited

waited

waited…
.
.
.
waited for an Earthquake.

Providence meets 11:59pm – 12:00 am

Today i had one of the most hectic days i’ve experienced at my current job. ‘Twas challenging; i was there late, i locked up after everyone else had gone home.

Aeroplane rising, lifting, drifting, soaring into sunset. Wind through my hair, wind at my back, wind in my face, wind pushing back.

My brother.

On my bike ride home from work, a punk in a black pickup truck deliberately tried to nearly hit me. I was trying to make a left turn and had my hand out to signal said intention. Some horns blasted, his truck grazed me on the right, i leaned left. I somehow also managed to knock his truck on the side with my knuckles. I made it home without so much as a scratch. Some people in a nearby apartment building must have seen or heard the incident and were peering out their screen door on the second floor. A guy and a girl. The girl asked, “Are you ok?” Me: “Yeah. Thanks.” Pheromone seems to be much more empathic than testosterone most of the time? Concerned about the proper things.

Kirsten and Baby + Elizabethtown + dinner.

Come to find out all the dishes are done! The first round of baby shower items is stacked nicely on the second couch, just waiting to be put in storage, be dealt with, duplicates gifts returned to the store.

Life is grand!

“God is alive, magic is afoot.” –BSM

Please share the road.

Birth forthcoming.

Baby.

…y bendiciones.

She Blinded Me With Science!

Yesterday, in response to a comment to a colleague of mine that "There's always time for science!" (related Bone gag sequence hopefully to follow) he told me that Thomas Dolby is his hero.  Of course i did an internet search for the fellow and yielded first the other Thomas Dolby, but then found the magical and enchanting intended result.

Today on my bike ride to work

i was very tempted to flip off a Hummer H3.

Death in the Pot

Elisha returned to Gilgal and there was a famine in that region. While the company of the prophets was meeting with him, he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot and cook some stew for these men. One of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and found a wild vine. He gathered some of its gourds and filled the fold of his cloak. When he returned, he cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were. The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, "O man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it. Elisha said, "Get some flour." He put it into the pot and said, "Serve it to the people to eat." And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

Time Capsules

Aren’t they great? I first learned about the existence of time capsules, at least in the sense of US cities creating them and later opening them, in the City of Downey, California. I went to Downey to visit my good buddy Dillon when he was working "Downey" there (that was for you, Aro) and Kirsten and i were still in SoCal at school. I went to Downey early to beat the traffic and ended up exploring the civic center area and Downey city hall looking for cool things to see and find out about. I discovered a theatre (which was closed) and explored the rather unexciting town hall, where i suppose i learned some things. But as i made one last visual sweep of the premises before leaving, what did i discover but a secret TIME CAPSULE!!!

They had sealed it in like the 40s or 60s or something, and i remember getting really excited because it was going to be opened in just a measly some-odd few years! I quickly jotted down a note in my mental calendar to journey back to Downey to see the opening of the time capsule! …i guess that note must have gotten accidentally erased or something. I don’t know if they’ve already opened it or if i can still make it down there to see the excitement. What do they have in there? "Historical Documents" of the Galaxy Quest missions? Bodies? Historical junk? Space rocks? Answers to the question of whether or not Americans landing on the moon on the Apollo missions was a hoax? I guess there’s only one way to find out.

Anyway, two Sundays ago (Sunday June 22, 2008) i made an epic walk from post-church lunch and hanging out in Mountain View to our apartment in Menlo Park. Kirsten went to the mall with Katie. Ed joined me via modern telephony for the later portion. On my walk i stopped at a few historical Palo Alto plaques i had wanted to read (there are still several on my list of historical things to check out and learn about) and happened upon a few things i did not expect: i learned about the making of a park in Palo Alto, looked at some old, then-controversial murals at the former Palo Alto Medical Clinic, gathered some websites about photovoltaic systems and renewable energy, and viewed a rather complex public art/science/public service exhibit at Palo Alto City Hall. A review i read later called the exhibit "narcissistic"--which it may well be. Aside: at the park i saw how the whole community poured into making the park, planting trees and pooling resources to make it a reality. At the Clinic i observed the cool, old architecture, some towering oak and jacaranda trees, and the murals by a guy who had developed his style based on the work of Diego Rivera. City Hall included the Color of Palo Alto exhibit, and some cool quotes from M.L.K. Jr. and Coretta Scott King in the recently christened (January ’08) King Plaza--incidentally where City Hall, the art etc. project and the TIME CAPSULE are located. Yes, this is about TIME CAPSULES.

So, it happened then that i happened upon another time capsule, this time in Palo Alto, which is slated to be first opened in 2019 or so and three more times subseqently after that (to take photos of what’s in there and put it back? to add to it?). Another time capsule i can think of that i’m aware of is the one located in Chapman University’s Law School building within the slate tile wall. There are probably others that i have seen and accidentally forgotten about or been near but not noticed. Anyway, hopefully soon i and whoever will join me on such adventures can journey to a distant or not-so-distant land to experience the mystery and wonder of time capsule opening ceremonies. Any takers?

Also! Another cool thing i recently learned about related to time capsules—probably mostly because they also have the word "capsule" in their title—are capsule hotels.

SIL Giants

...and they called them the Giants of the Academic World:
Hey folks! So yeah, a few people from my work organized an outing to Giants' Stadium! Thirteen of us from SIL saw the SF Giants edge the Detroit Tigers in that beautiful bayside park! If you haven't been to the park, you're missing out on one of--if not THE--best parks in MLB. They host other (sometimes cheaper) events there too, including free opera tonight and a free concert tomorrow night! As you can see, us teachers and a few sig-others all huddled together for warmth, which is great for building rapport between colleagues...and perhaps a bit of funny business.

The cluster to my right includes department chairs S. Riley (Science), J. Wilmore (History...one of my 5 bosses), and A. Sarver (English...another of my 5 bosses). Also represented are the Country of Australia (R. Gowers, the very old man to my left - English, literature, history), Nick ? (math) + fiancé (Stephanie?), M. Harker (biology, Spanish) + boyfriend (?), recently departed K. Chew (science) and her friend, A. Press (literature, history, whatever), and of course my beautiful bride Kirsten (Christmas-themed blanket, center). By the profuse question marks you can see that i know all of my co-workers very well...

Behind us sat a dude who brought a nice shiny trumpet on which he showcased his skillz for crowd-riling, "CHARGE!", the Dearth Vader theme song, and other fun jingles. From Richard i learned why "Lou Seal" is the Giants' mascot instead of, well, a giant! Apparently in the days before MLB came to SF a local coast league was called the Seals and/or played at Seal Stadium and Lou Seal is an extension of that local history. Plus, as Richard also added, a seal is much cuter and not as homely and intimidating as a giant might be! Besides, how would they actually pull off a giant, anway?!?! Summer project...

For my regular readers out there: i may have already reported this, but my current job is at a place called the School for Independent Learners (SIL here and above) where i teach/keep attention focused on: Spanish, Modern American Music History, Language and Composition (English), and anything else they throw at me that i think i can handle. I hope to get a German curriculum approved for the fall so i start teaching Deutsch, too!

TTFN!

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Dish Hike

So! Two Sundays ago Kirsten and i conquered the locally renowned "dish hike" at Stanford University before heading off to church at PBC. 'Twas hot and schweaty (and a little rushed), but we made it out alive!

A few days later we took on a smaller portion of it in the evening right before closing time. We found out the 2nd time from a slightly grouchy security guard (they were closing and he probably just wanted to go home) that the main dish path loop is 3.7 miles. There are some other side trails which give access from different directions around the open space and which add a bit more distance to that number.

It's really quite beautiful and if you have a chance when you're in the area you should really check it out. There are some great views of the SF Bay and peninsula (especially on clear days). Enjoy some of my photos:

Golden rolling peninsular hills, Silicon Valley below and the East Bay's Diablo Mountain Range in the distance:
Stanford University with its landmark Hoover Tower and more of the Peninsula:
The Dish from afar (there are actually at least two dishes--this is the big one):A beautiful tree in bloom:
Kirsten on the trail, oak trees, golden brown hills, and dish:Cragged oaks + hills + dish:Another wide shot:Extreme close up!On the northerly side we came across this curious round building with some solar panels on top. From a distance and even close up it looks like the roof is only three feet or so off the ground! I suppose it must go under ground--let me know if you know anything about it!

Mystery Spot

Last Friday, Kirsten took me on what was publicized as a "Mystery Date"... i should have caught on.

Anyway, the drive up into the Santa Cruz mountains was BEAUTIFUL and destination #1 was the famous Mystery Spot. Needless to say, it was and is mysterious!

I had heard of this place growing up and often saw/see the bumper stickers gallivanting about, which the Mystery Spot shamelessly distributes to each tour (IF you remember the tour guide's name at the end...or even if you don't).

It messes with your perception or your magnetism or whatever. There is, like, molten magnetic lava under the Earth's crust in that 75 foot (23 meter) radius which rotates opposite the Earth's rotation in space or there are magnetic alien spacecrafts under the soil or whatever. All i know is, both Kirsten and i felt a little dizzy and weird. Apparently compasses and other instruments don't give correct readings over the patch of ground. 'Twas great fun!

Here are some photos of the pre-tour mountain beauty:
Ah, beautiful, fragrant redwoods! In the second photo above you'll notice all the branches grow on one side of the tree only. Our guide said this was due to the mystery of the Mystery Spot (there were other leaning trees and still others with weird crooked growth patterns, probably due to abnormal magnetism or your hallucination).

And now! The Spot!
This pendulum swung further on one side and was more difficult/heavier to push that direction than the other:These are just some other random blurry people on our tour being perspecto-magnetized:
Although this last photo of us at the Spot is slightly blurry too, the blurriness is not due to the mystery, but rather our tour guide's unsteady hand and/or ineptness at taking clear photos with a digital camera!


Then we went to destination #2 which was the beach--that patch where the Boardwalk is in Santa Cruz--where we relaxed and enjoyed the crashing waves with rainbow mist being blown back off the crests.
Before we left i snapped a shot of my beautiful ballooning bride and our little baby bundle (we found out earlier that day too that it's most probably a girl--there's always that chance of error, but the ultrasound doctors seemed pretty sure!):
Destination #3 was See's Candies for a half-pound box of chocolate and at Dillon's recommendation destination #4 was Seabright Brewery where we happened to catch a cool blues band called Swing Shift in addition to some yummy eats.

All in all, a grand day!

He makes the sign of the Z!

Ye few frequenters of this blog may have noticed that i have an occasional flare for slightly gross, certainly bathroomy humor from time to time. My standard disclaimer will appear again here: if you don't want potty images, skip this and read another post!








So! This particular bathroom seems to have proven magical as this is the 2nd story inspired from within its hiney hiders--Lo! Ye Olde Menlo Park Public Library Bathroom!

Today something came out of me
that made the sign of the Z!

I thought to myself, "Self,
Zorro has been here!"

That is all.

If you want the happs, Kirsten's blog is best

Because of my newly quite busy work schedule, i have been finding less free time to ruminate on things and subsequently post about them on the 'net. However, Kirsten has recently posted a barrage of life and pregnancy related blurbs and photos on her blog, and for her part has captured pretty well how thing are going for us right now and what the happs are. Check it out!

This weekend Kirsten's dad Stan is in town visiting us and we also had our good friend from Chapman Kelly Mahon in the house Saturday. Last night we all went for an excursion up to San Francisco which included: meeting up w/former roommate of mine Chris Paizis, driving down the famed windy section of Lombard Street (i think that was my fifth or sixth time, probably--i should start keeping a tally), and dining on various delectable chowders in bread bowls at the Blue Mermaid restaurant near the water. Afterward, we witnessed several night battles between loud, obnoxious, lumbering, giant beasts. Oh yeah, and a shouting match between some angry humans. Huzzah!

Wisdom of Ear, Disappointment by Way of Eye?

Yesterday as i was biking to work, i passed an auto repair shop.
I probably subconciously heard--but it didn't register--a loud, massive airplane overhead.

...that is, until an older mechanic came barreling out of one the two open garage doors.
Hand sheilding his eyes, up he gazed.

I looked up myself and saw (and now really heard) the multi-engined lumbering beast.

Then he turned back. Dejected? Relieved? Disappointed?

Those ears must have heard something these ears did not.

what a ride it was!

An out-of-body experience

Zombie Culture

*Disclaimer* This piece didn't turn out quite as well as i would have liked, but in the interest of keeping material flowing and preventing my brain from damming up i'm going to leave it up here. I feel like it's too preachy or something. Too cynical perhaps? Maybe the basic idea is just BAD.... I may tinker with it a bit later, but for now it stays as such. If anybody cares to let me know what they think from a writing standpoint, feel free!
Admittedly, i sometimes want to do this. Maybe it's more like often i want to do this. Especially in my younger days (hehehe...read: middle school and high school) i'd put music in my CD player and try desperately to zone out. Sometimes i still do i guess, every once in a while, just for the sake of zoning out.

I saw this message on an airplane not too long ago and it really struck me: how much does our media culture affirm this way of looking at media?! I suppose perhaps printed media such as magazines or (comic?)books don't have as much of a "for entertainment only" bent to them as say popular radio or film, though obviously some films and songs more than others inevitably draw the listener or the viewer out of themselves and into another world. Certainly some forms of media issue an unavoidable challenge or call for change and all forms contain some--if not a lot of--material intended to entertain.

I suppose "zone out" could be interpreted in that way too--that we would be entertained by something, be drawn into an entirely new world and forget our problems, our bodies, our self-addiction, or our physical location at least for a time. And hey, i enjoy being entertained as much as the next guy. But after a while it starts to seem like the getting lost becomes the point rather than perhaps experiencing something that might have some truth to speak into our day to day experience. Personally, when i get too accustomed to the "plug in. zone out." mindset, it becomes more difficult for me to see films or hear music or even listen to other people talk and realize, "Hey, this might have some sort of light to shed on life, existence, the cosmos, the Divine!"

Lastly, (my eco-conscious self needs to sneak in another possible interpretation here) one could say "plug in. zone out." were a call to drive electric vehicles powered by renewable energy. Then maybe we'd be able to "zone out" from conflict in the Middle East, relax as we're able to breathe a little easier, and...because the world's not going to melt? Eh, i guess it's destined to melt anyway regardless, now it's just a matter of when.

What do ye think?

In any case, note to self: remember to breathe, remember to notice.

My Dad as Brad Pitt

The written caption reads: "Have you seen Paul Choate & Brad Pitt in the same room? Huh?"