The light has disappeared. The specific glow. The way it floated through the branches, one wide fig leaf at a time, combining into a secret shade of green that arrests the soul. The light that fell straight through my irises into my heart, filling me with a drunken lightness that would last for days. The bliss of connecting with such a loving green. A glimpse to bestow peace on the seer. We touch her warm ashes to find the memory of that once bright light.

On the recommendation of auros I read another Paul Graham essay that I'd like to share. It's called Cities and Ambition.

The gist of this piece is that all cities have a premise, something the majority of the people in that city are striving towards, envy in others, and try to emulate.

Silicon Valley loves power, particularly in the form of influence.
Boston values intelligence and intellectual curiosity
Berkeley values quality of life
New York values money

His way of measuring the M.O. of a city is living there and soaking it in. Also, eavesdropping on conversations. And to also imagine one particular role, say it's a professor, and envision whether that person would be a first or second class citizen in that city.

His premise is that a cities' meme will shape its citizens, and in that sense, it will either help or harm a person in their life goals, depending on how closely they resonate with the meme.

I've spend a good deal of time thinking about how environments shape me. That's one of the reasons I got out to see the world this year. I'd always felt a longing to live in Barcelona (just as I had a longing before that to live in California). I wanted to see what it was about. What is about fun and enjoying life? Yes.

As I explored myself this summer, I thought about what kind of place I could live in U.S. where I'd be happy. I settled on Berkeley or Austin as good spots - places that were surrounded by more creative, quirky, and community-oriented people and less driven & individualistic types.

I believe I'd be happier living in Silicon Valley if I was more ambitious or wanted to change the world, or wanted to create a new technology that I thought could make millions. I admit, I do like influencing people, but I like influencing them to lead happier lives. But I don't believe I need to start a company to do that. I can do that snuggling on the couch with a friend and helping them with a relationship problem.

Once when I visited a favorite neighborhood in Seattle (Fremont), I wished how my city of Mountain View was more like the neighborhood I was visiting. I wanted it to be more quirky and artsy, have more walking paths in nature, and be a little more relaxed. I even thought, perhaps if I got on a local commission, I could try to make Mountain View more like I wanted it to be - more weird.

That path never materialized. And now I think it would be very hard to change a local culture. Much harder than living somewhere where you already align.

Luckily I live in a household that supports my values of community and quirkiness. And I'm slowy adding in more elements that meet these needs. My roller derby team is also an especially great gain in that department.

Got into Jaca today after a beautiful chartered busride through the foothills of the Pyrenees. Spent some time lightening up my backpack so it's of maneagable weight for my journey.

Thanks to Erin Rapacki for teaching me that cardinal rule of backpacking a while back!

I will spend some time tomorrow shipping the stuff I don't need and picking up my credencial, or Pilgrim's Passport, from the iglesia. It will be stamped along the way and gain me admittance to the special albergues that only host peregrinos. I paid €10 for a one night stay.

I know I should only stay one more day because I just discovered the bakery.

Also, all the pilgrims in my albergue are French. I taught myself to say ¨first day¨so I could say something to them. Oh, and ¨good¨. Bon!

When I start my journey day after tomorrow, I´ll just follow the scalloped shells. This is the centuries old emblem that has marked the way for the pilgrims.

NanoRitmo is my initiative to create and record one new song each day. This project actually coincides with national solo album writing month in February (NaSoAiMo) but NanoRitmo sounds way cooler.

Part of my goal is to get better at improvising. I want to learn to rap better. And the best way to do that is to practice. Also, the point of projects like these is you just put out, without censoring or thinking about quality. And you hopefully grow, little by little!


I'm recording my songs using Garage Band and will attempt to upload a new song to LJ every day.

I have time to write because it's a FREAKING holiday and I'm so excited not to go to work tomorrow! Also, it will keep me from killing the people next to me. The conversation in the coffee shop is driving me crazy. I mean I know this is Silicon Valley, but can't you take a break from talking about your Apple product for just 1 day?

Music and art are going to be a bigger part of next year. This is a self-declaration and, I hope, a prophecy. I just posted to Craigslist looking for a band. I'm motivated by doing things *with* people more than with just myself. With my free time I've just been listening to a lot of music, trying to find what's good out there, watching lots of music videos. Either I'm really picky or there's a lot of crap out there.

I've fallen in love with Death Cab for Cutie though. There is almost no song I don't like. And it has substance to it. That kind of consistent quality and substance is what I'm looking for.

I need music. People need music. I don't know why, but they need it. I was talking with an artist the day before yesterday and she was saying the same thing about art. She was trying to figure out a way turn her art into a business. Usually creative types aren't the best business people. Except for maybe me. I mean every industry is different, but I think I can apply what I've learned to make myself successful in this area. For the kind of music I want to make, there doesn't seem to be much competition out there. It's like everyone is asleep. The American music culture feels mostly dead. I want to raise it up.

All this stuff intertwines with a lot of stuff going on in my mind lately. I'm looking for my place, my purpose. I think I'm a bard. There is nothing I feel as confident about as when I'm writing or performing music. And I think I've only discovered about 20% of my potential.

Here's the link to the test I took which gave me a peek into my psyche. droidbiker requested it but I thought others might be interested too.

Please let me know what your findings are!

My neighbor and I just helped carry two gray baby geese to the creek behind our apartments. I first heard them this afternoon honking up a storm. They were stranded in our parking lot and would only take water from me, no bread. My guess is they're still on mom's special diet of regurgitated insects.

We cornered them in my garage, wrapped them in towels and walked them about 1/2 mile through the park and to the little stream that was probably once a slough leading from the bay to the Pacific. Not it's just a little cut-off creek, probably a city water runoff source.

We set them down over the fence and they didn't make straight away for the creek like I thought they would. At least they were protected by a high fence from further human mettling. My neighbor and I talked about the need to let nature take its course.

It's hard for me to accept that reality sometimes. I feel an intense empathy for all creatures great and small and obsess about their situations if I feel they aren't getting the best out of life. I can't see road-kill without fallling into this rut of negative thinking. Perhaps it's guilt, since I know humans are taking up so much of the pie and leave very little for earth's other inhabitants.

I was musing on this at the BART station last night as I looked up at two pigeons that had successfully made their nest on top of metal spikes that are supposed to deter them. Every few minutes or so, a fake owl screech would blare through the station, a deterrent that also failed. As I thought about their lack of quality habitat, I just felt sad.

Goddess protect and nourish the little geese.

So I've decided it's much too gorgeous to stay inside and I owe myself a trip to the city to get some glimpses of the Japanese Tea Garden in full bloom & walk around Golden Gate Park. I'd like to hang out in a cafe and do some work on my laptop.

Anyone know the best cafes with Wifi in and around the Haight/Upper Haight or other suggestions for things to do in SF today?

x-posted to SF Bay Area

My friend Andrey is very very silly and clever. Here's what he wrote to me..
_________________

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes
for
an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress,
non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice
holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the
religious
persuasion or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the
religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their
choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all;

plus

a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically
uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted
calendar year, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice
of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make
America great, (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than
any other country or is the only "America" in the western hemisphere),
and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability,
religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual orientation of
the wisher.

(Disclaimer: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms.
This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely
transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no
promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for
her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is
revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted
to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for
a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday
greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement
of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the
wisher who assumes no responsibility for any unintended emotional
stress
these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday
spirit.)

(Credit to Andrey the Great)

I'm trying to give this tagging thing a chance..Let's make this about after work writing.