TOAD REPORT
2013
Well,
I gotta be fast about this because I may lose
momentum at any minute.
I
turned 49 this year after all, and inertia has become a palpable force. Oh letÕs not pretend that this is a new horizon
in personal development, or that my creative efforts are beginning to bear
fruit, or that my health has stabilized after years of discomfort, or that I am
happier now than I have ever been, or that I seem to have accumulated a small
modicum of wisdom despite countless demonstrations to the contrary. All this may be true, but I am also just
getting older.
So HereÕs What Happened In 2013
After
dating for over ten years, Mollie and I decided to allow the state to bless our
relationship. We had a very small
ceremony, without much fuss and only a couple of family members and a friend as
witnesses, and then had a nice meal at a San Diego waterfront restaurant. Among the many cool things about getting
married, I found, is that the courthouse hallways have excellent acoustics for
boisterous impromptu arias, I can now feel strange about saying Òmy girlfriend
Mollie,Ó and nice new clothing and fine jewelry are an actual necessity for
some occasions. Also, I can now
have high hopes that Mollie and I will no longer be persecuted by our
progressive Unitarian Universalist friends for Òliving in situ.Ó No, but seriously, the coolest thing is
that I really enjoy being married to Mollie.
We
are slowly putting together an appropriately artsy printed album of images from
our wedding day, and intend to have an online version of that available
too. In the meantime, here are a
few unvarnished moments:
http://toadlandproductions.com/OurDaySlideshow/?detectflash=false&
A
few weeks after our ceremony, we were compelled to throw a couple of big, fun
parties – which was either an added benefit, or the primary one,
depending on which of our friends and relatives you ask. One was at our Spring Valley home, and
one was in a Phoenix restaurant. We
had an absolute blast at both of them.
Our
handfasting party was a lot more entertaining than I
thought it would be mainly because the quality of folks who attended. All of our friends have an exceptionally
high pedigree (of course!) and I was delighted that my brother Sam was able to
drive down from L.A., and that Wendy and Greg, my aunt and uncle from San
Francisco, were also able to make the trip and even spend an extra morning visiting
with us. There was a lot of
laughter this day, and it was also the first time we had been able to engineer
any sort of party at our new home (which vigorously incentivized some overdue
home improvement project completions!).
Here
is a link to more photos from the gathering at our house (thanks to Shawn
Underwood for the great pics):
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4948946520701.1073741825.1209971049&type=1&l=060403c025
The
Phoenix get-together was equally festive, with most of MollieÕs family and
friends from the area converging on our dinner. It made for a splendid evening.
It should be
noted that one of the most unforgettable moments of either gathering was the
speech that Glenn Michaels made on our behalf at the Phoenix Dinner. To his credit, he did so in response to
a surprise request from me when he was already deep in his cups, and so it is
easy to understand why he began with an account of all the horrible things that
had happened to Mollie and I over the course of our relationship, extolling the
amazing resilience of our love despite such horrendous odds. He then descended into the further
darkness of untold sufferings that we ourselves were not even aware of (such as
the time Mollie supposedly wrecked my car?). But between the heckling and boos
from a crowd of friends and relatives vainly trying to defend us from GlennÕs
merciless onslaught, Mollie and I were laughing hysterically. Glenn was truly magnificent; heÕs the 3rd
from the right in the photo above.
A Trip Back East
My
dad died in January. At the end of
this Toad Report IÕve attached the obit I wrote for the local paper in
Winthrop, Maine, and we had a fine memorial gathering in a park in southern
Maine, attended by many of dadÕs family and friends. It was great to see so many loved ones
after these long years apart, and to reconnect with humor and bittersweet
memories of Bill. Several
appropriate ironies sprouted that day, including a crazy person who stalked our
gathering (could he have been one of dadÕs old patients from Monson State
Hospital?), a recommitment to staying in touch with folks catalyzed by a man
who never stayed in touch with any of us, and a good many of us getting drunk
over a dinner celebrating the life of someone killed by alcoholism. Of course we summoned as much of dadÕs
dry humor as we could muster, and shared some edifying and healing stories from
our past. It was a very gratifying
get-together, made better by the unplanned coincidence that most of us happened
to be staying in two adjacent hotels, so we could even have breakfast and take
a morning stroll together the day afterward.
The
highpoint of the event was auntie Deene and sister
Karin slogging through the mud to deposit our written goodbyes to Bill in the
river running by the park. It was a
tidal river, you see, so when I first scouted the park and imagined our
gathering at this spot, the tide was in and the river came right up to the
overlook pictured below. But when
we shared in our ceremonyÉthe river was a couple hundred feet away. Kudos to Karin and Deene
for being so braveÉand so goofy.
HereÕs
a link to some photos of the day, most of which were taken by my lovely wife:
Our
trip to the East Coast served as a great opportunity to visit with other family
there as well, and to show Mollie some of the environs where I grew up. We had a relaxing dinner with my mom in
Manchester, CT, stayed with MollieÕs aunt in upstate New York, and had a
nostalgic tour down memory lane with my sister Karin in Amherst, MA. We have friends in San Diego (Tomas Firle and Joan Cudhea) whose
family owns a Thoreau-esque cabin on a lake in
eastern Massachusetts, and staying there for a night was a nice break from the
frenetic driving schedule. I was
even able to take Mollie out in a canoe!
Then, at the end of our visit, Mollie and I escaped to the Big Apple for
some Broadway shows, fine art gawking, mandatory tourist attractions, and
really superb food. We both enjoyed
NYC more than we expected, and I hope we can find an excuse to go back
beforeÉwellÉanyone else croaks on us.
(Above: A visit with my mom in Manchester, CT)
You
can find many additional photos from our trip here: http://toadlandproductions.com/TripEast2013/?detectflash=false&
Another Type of Family Reunion
Those
of you who have followed my relationship with MollieÕs children know that their
father expended extraordinary amounts of energy trying to keep them alienated
from me (and, to a lesser degree, from Mollie as well). As is often the case with such efforts,
both kids figured out that their fatherÕs fabrications, exaggerations and
irrational fears werenÕt aligning with their own experience or what was best
for their well-being, and so they rebelled. As a result, each of them eventually
left their fatherÕs home to rejoin their mother and reconnect with me. MollieÕs daughter, Oni, was the first to
find her way to freedom of heart and mind, and just a couple of months ago her
brother Petyr followed suit. It has warmed my heart and delighted my
soul to get to know both of them again; they are both smart, funny, creative
and insightful young people with lots to offer the world, and I had missed them
both.
Oni
is now living with her fiancŽ, Shawn, near L.A., and they come down for visits
as frequently as they are able.
To the right is a selfie Shawn took of the two
of them at our handfasting celebration in San Diego.
In
the last several weeks of Petyr and my becoming
reacquainted, we have discovered a plethora of shared interests and passions,
have enjoyed each othersÕ company, and have partaken in regular ÒadventuresÓ
together – I think all of this has been healing for us both. Petyr was much
younger than Oni when his father engineered a barrier between us, and so we
werenÕt sure how Petyr would react to my presence in
his life again. But, just as Oni
and I were able to do when she moved back in with her mom, Petyr
and I have found an emotionally safe place to share honestly and openly, and
begin to bridge the chasm of our time apart with kindness and caring.
Below
is a link to pictures from a recent outing with Petyr,
where we trained our cameras on the surrounds of a local reservoir. You can also see PetyrÕs
work at http://www.petyrcirino.com/.
Concerning Food
Food
was a recurring theme in 2013. So
much so that I had to install this rack in the kitchen:
Why? Because IÕm now cooking a lot, usually
breakfast, lunch and dinner for three people every day. And I love it. On the one hand cooking provides a
creative outlet – which is a good thing because I donÕt tend to follow
recipes very well; if itÕs more than a list of ingredients and a vague
description of the target outcome, I feel like IÕm trying to dance in a
straightjacket. For me cooking is
about subtleties of taste, color, aroma, presentation, mouth feelÉall more
spontaneous art than repeatable science from my point of view. And itÕs therapeutic to produce new
dishes and share them with people I love.
Plus I get to boss people around the kitchen, which is now
unquestionably my domain. Ha. So of course there is a lot of
experimentation, and the occasional failure, but I have a few proven dishes I
can fall back on for guestsÉor when IÕm really tired. In the sense of Like Water For Chocolate, I do believe our emotional state is often
conveyed through our cooking. And
so there have been occasions when Mollie has taken one bite off her plate, then
turned to me and asked: ÒDid you
have a bad day?Ó
I
have always enjoyed cooking for people, but what precipitated this trend of
preparing nearly all of our meals at home was my own health. A few years back, I discovered an
extreme sensitivity to gluten in barley, wheat and rye, and as anyone with food
sensitivities knows, navigating restaurants with such a condition is always
challenging and often fruitless.
Mollie and I have found some reliable options in San Diego, and gluten
awareness is on the rise all around the country, but once I got into the habit
of cooking everything at home from simple, fresh ingredients, the desire to eat
out rapidly waned. Mollie claims
the food we eat at home is better than most restaurants anyway, and I always
thank her for that observation, but the truth is that you just never know
whatÕs in restaurant food, even if you ask the chef to show you ingredient
labels (yes, IÕve done that aplenty).
Trans fats maybe? MSG? Too much salt? Corn syrup? Gluten contamination in the fryer or on
the grill? Hormone-filled
meat? Unethically sourced produce?
I
know it hasnÕt been scientifically validated yet, but IÕll bet someday it will
be proven: beyond ÒorganicÓ
practices, consuming happy, free animals and untampered, unfertilized plants
has nutritional advantages. In fact
I would say that the wilder something is – the closer it feels to its
natural life process – the more flavorful, energizing and life-sustaining
it will be as a food. WeÕve only
just begun to understand the function of the nutrients we consume, and the
negative impact of chemically enhanced or bioengineered substitutes that
increase yields and profits. In any
case, I discuss more ideas about food on my www.glutenfreesd.com website,
where IÕve also posted some GF recipes, restaurant
reviews, etc. Let me know what you
think!
Other Highlights from 2013
Lots
of other good stuff happened this past year, so much that IÕm finding it
difficult to recall everything. But
here are a few of the shiniest bubbles rising to the surfaceÉ
I am still passionately compelled to write, and thatÕs been
rewarding. If you want to track my
efforts I have a website dedicated just to writing at www.tcollinslogan.com, and reader
reviews of my books appear at http://www.amazon.com/T.Collins-Logan/e/B003C8GTM0/. This yearÕs efforts culminated in a book
entitled Political Economy and the Unitive Principle, and I really enjoyed working on
that. If you Google that title
youÕll find it available in many different formats, some of them free
(as are many of my e-books). This
latest book is basically my attempt to answer the failures of capitalism with a
combination proven alternatives, and a way to approach the challenges of the
current era without repeating the failures of the past. ItÕs a meaty topic, but rest assured
that the book is entertaining, relatively brief (only 170 pages), and even has
pictures for the faint of heart.
Essays,
photography, poetry, music and fiction still lure me into sporadic fits of
wanton creativity, and my focus has revolved mainly around the interior,
interpersonal, philosophical, political and spiritual, with just a touch of
science and history thrown in. In
the past couple of years, Facebook has become an avenue for stimulating
discussions about new ideas, and impromptu expressions of those ideas. For some examples, you can peruse my
Facebook interactions here: https://www.facebook.com/tcollins.logan/
IÕve
also been updating my www.toadlandproductions.com website
with new images, music and video projects, so you may enjoy that too.
And
here is a poem I wrote in the course of exchanges with a Facebook friend:
TodayÕs Libation
Intellect weighs sideways glances
thoughts fermenting ego into clear broth
whoaÉthatÕs a hit!
felt this tingling before
at a baptism maybe
ahas submerged in groupthink
stillness drowning in pop culture
liberation gurgling through a lake of
cravings
touch the flame with pointed rhetoric
dissemble with erudition
these strange sensations of the Void
ÒI caught you peeking!Ó say the smiling gods
wagging an indifferent finger
but I feel blind and dumb
numb to questions circling on themselves
can we name them?
can we name the psycheÕs sycophants
however inward their narrowing gyre?
cÕmon, donÕt hold back!
name them please
itÕs academic
(though not essential)
So I, a mystic in the modern age
pretend to a translatable gnosis
ink blots, Rorschachs
swirling into pixels
approximating quanta
locally coherent
across digitized swelter
and that's the end of it:
nothing springs forth
into nothing
and once again the letting go
the boiling of clear broth
the steam of relinquishment
like a frothy belch on a crisp autumn day
letÕs not confuse that
for proof of life
or spiritual certainty
but hey, itÕs a writerÕs lament
to become this empty-handed
toiling in anonymity
because all the storyÕs characters
have no names
ah, well
this is still the best story of them all
My own?
maybe I evolved yesterday
maybe I congealed
some pedigree of emptiness
that complains no end
to revised perceptions
or higher degrees of compassion
or attenuating self
Yes!
that resonant essence
chuckling through the muck
intending with constancy
and immutability
to excel Beyond
exhorting others to excel
hinting at the cost
here, now, the many themes and pieces
the many levels and vectors
of infinite spirals within
all yearning to comply
crying out in bashful creativity
But while the sea swells
and waves break
in illusive movement
is there only eternal returning
to the darkest depths of being?
perhaps the question is misnamed;
if being is a point
intersecting all dimensions
where does it reside?
in which direction does it move?
how can it evolve
other than to expand beyond itself?
perhaps the noble ones
who say Òthere is no more becomingÓ
have apprehended this paradox
but I am not so noble
so I merely speculate
Thus immovable foundations
crash against irresistible impulse:
to live and grow and thrive
in echo of this fateful union
where consciousness emerges
questions and stories
questions and stories
questions and stories
when we exhaust the asking
and the telling
I bet thatÕs Death
and between this moment
and that moment
a pathless land
irradiated with art
wafting the scent of love
luridly luring the Abyss
with mortal, undulating dance
welcoming unspeakable felt sense
to climax in unknowing
So I do not knowÉ
honestly!
my ignorance is vast
and IÕm too proud of it
the way a child is proud of a new toy
even though it does not belong to me
secretly I weep
because I cannot keep this gift
it will vanish at Dawn
and I will be responsible to myself once more
but for now
I revel in the rap-tap-tapping
grateful for impermanence
and the long arc of forgetting
and smell of frying onions
and the kindness of a friend
and all the little pains
and fractional efforts
that forestall the really big ones
someday, I hope
I will be less a coward
but for now
my doubt and knowledge
weigh equally on my mind and heart
and I tuck my secrets
under my pillow when I sleep
So thatÕs todayÕs libation
flavored by a yin/yang soul
a pinch of Buddha mind
and lots of Sufi heart
a spicy dash of GaneshaÕs
flesh
infused with the spirit of Christ
brought to a simmer
amid this vale of years
sometimes held reverently
sometimes carelessly spilled and splattered
but here, now
in my overrunning cup
an offering to fellow celebrants
please enjoy
and drink it deep.
Now,
since it has been a long while since my last Toad Report, IÕll also offer a few
highlights from recent yearsÉ.
The Great Outdoors
I
still love to be out in Nature as often as I can, and the past few years have
provided some wonderful opportunities to do that with Mollie, as well as with
my friend Bill and his son Max.
Here are a few images and links from some of those adventures:
Skiing with
Bill in Big Bear in 2012 (thanks to
Tom Clare for loaning me those sweet parabolics!)
2010
Zion Trip
Zion
National Park is one of my favorite places. In July of 2010, Bill and Max
invited me along for their sojourn at this stunning natural wonder, and I
eagerly tagged along. Here is a
link to pix of our time there: http://toadlandproductions.com/Zion2010/index.htm
2009 Zion
Trip
Just
the year before, Mollie and I had journeyed to Zion to catch some of the
incredible the Fall foliage there.
Here is a link to some images from that outing: http://toadlandproductions.com/Zion2009Slides/?detectflash=false&
2012 Urban Escape Vehicle
I
decided it was time to vacate my beach apartment and the responsibilities that
went with it (I was an onsite manager for that complex for eight years). However, I still needed a place I could
spend the weekends, so that Mollie could have time with her son Petyr, who at that time was still under the spell of his
fatherÕs phantasmal narrative of fright.
I also needed an office space to do research and write. And so an idea was born: to sell my Nissan Maxima and use the
proceeds to purchase an RV. It was
a great solution, right? Freedom
from rent, an excuse to explore the hidden byways of San Diego or camp out in
Nature, and if I wanted take a walk, or peruse some library books, or spend an
afternoon shooting pictures, I could just drive over to one of my may favorite places
to do these things.
So I sold my
2001 Maxima and a few days later bought the lovely 1989 Ford Club Wagon Class B
RV pictured here. I never even took
the cash out of the envelope the Maxima buyer had given me, I just handed it
over. Boy was I excited. Of course I didnÕt realize that RVs are
kind of like boats, in that whatever they donÕt invite in TLC they continually
demand in repairs. But even after a
few breakdowns that had me jacking up the vehicle and crawling around
underneath on the side of the road (these included a rear drum brake failure,
replacing a shredded fan belt, fixing a leaky gasket, and rerouting rotted
coolant lines) I was still hopelessly enamored with my newfound freedom.
And
hereÕs why. Take a look at these
views from my Òmobile office,Ó much better than new screensavers on a laptop
methinks.
Anywhere
I had cell phone coverage, I could tether my laptop to my phone and have decent
Internet access. I even watched a few
Netflix movies that way before catching shuteye at a campsite. I added an extra battery, a small
fridge, a water pump for the sink, some nifty instruments for monitoring all my
onboard systems, and you could say I wasÉwell, a happy camper. At least for a while.
The
only downside to my planÉwhich worked quite well for nearly a yearÉwas that I
began to attract the attention of busybodies in some neighborhoods I frequented
and, consequently, the interest of law enforcement. Why would that happen? Well, consider that OniÕs first reaction
to the RV was to say Òit looks like a rape van,Ó meaning of course a vehicle
used to abduct people. Mollie
commented that I shouldnÕt Òpark too close to any school or group of young
children with that thing.Ó I was
sure these observations were just well-intentioned paranoia, but I tried to be
mindful of the RVÕs impact nonetheless.
Even so, it was quite a shock when, sitting in a local park, typing away
on my laptop, a La Mesa police cruiser pulled up behind me and two officers
jumped out to surround my RV with guns drawn. It was a tense standoff, what with me
having to remove my ear buds very slowly, and the officers likewise taking
their time to re-holster their firearms, but after about twenty minutes of
pointed interrogation and suspicious, condemning glares, the officers finally
let me get back to writing poetry.
Apparently, according to what the officers told me, I am now in a
database of suspicious vehicles, Òin case anything happens near where your
vehicle is located, weÕll know where to find you.Ó Wow.
The
good news is that Mollie and I have more plans for the RV, including a trip to
Yosemite and other camping trips, and using it as a mobile studio for
previewing and editing raw video in the field. Why not, right? Mollie thinks, however, that the Òrape
vanÓ needs a nice new paint job, and I thought maybe a business logo on the
side, just to avoid any further unwanted attention. IÕm also considering adding a solar
panel on top to recharge the batteries. And maybe some scientific
instrumentation up there as well.
That way we will look like, I dunno, a stormchaser or UFO fanatic or survivalist or
something. Maybe IÕll put some
anarchist stickers on bumper, too.
I think weÕll still get some mileage out of this vehicle, and some fun.
2012 - Frankfurt American High School Reunion
This was the
only FAHS reunion I have ever attended, but it was
conveniently located in my own town, so how could I not go? The event itself was pleasant enough,
and it was nice to reconnect with folks I hadnÕt seen in thirty years,
especially since our experience in Germany was so unique, and had such a
powerful influence on our worldviews.
It was a particular pleasure for me to visit with Marcus Calvin, who was
able to swing by our house for a more intimate visit after the reunion itself;
Marcus and I were on stage together at FAHS, and
travelled Europe in an ISTA theatre troupe in our
senior year, so it was great to see him again. And then of course there is Geral Martin, who was my mentor, teacher and friend in many
memorable adventures during my time in Germany. Jerry and I picked up right where we
left off, staying up late at night shooting the shit, then doing a vigorous
hike in the Laguna Mountains and exploring some favorite haunts in San Diego
the next day. Jerry was as spry and
giddy as a teenager in his hiking physique, his excitement and curiosity over a
broad array of topics, and the detail with which he could recount his
dalliances with beautiful women. Both
Jerry and Marcus flew in from Germany for the reunion. Is that cool or what?
I
donÕt have any photos from the reunion itself, but here are some pics from the day Jerry and I spent together gallivanting
around the San Diego area:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3759522625847.2144922.1209971049&type=1&l=17be83e2a2
Along
these lines, I can also offer some photos from my years at FAHS,
which some of you may find interesting.
I came across these while hunting through my old slides a couple of
years back, and you can explore them here: http://toadlandproductions.com/FAHS/index.htm
And
yes, thatÕs a photo of me playing Dracula in a senior year play, with Marcus
Calvin as Renfield. In rehearsals of this particular scene,
I would sometimes become too immersed in my role, resulting in Marcus not being
able to voice his next few lines.
Oops. One interesting
note: Mollie was playing Lucy in
her Phoenix high school version of the play at the very same time!
2011 Occupy Events in San Diego
Yes, right now
it does feel like the Occupy Movement has fizzled out, but being part of those
early rallies and marches was invigorating, and I do believe it has inspired
greater awareness in the general public about corporate cronyism in U.S.
government, the widening gap between rich and poor around the globe, the
exploitation and hoodwinking of our electorate, and the prevalence of
self-serving indifference to everyone else in the 1% ruling elite. I also believe the Occupy sentiments
will resurface againÉhopefully soon.
As testimony to their broad resonance, I remember business people
exiting offices during one march and asking ÒWhatÕs all this about?Ó When I told them the march was against
corporate influence that resulted in fiascos like the bank bailouts, every one
of them put down their briefcases, raised their fists, and joined in the
chanting.
You
can see my videos of Occupy events here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/tcollinslogan/videos. And a handful of Occupy photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2110364877934.2110915.1209971049&type=1&l=24e3f20a35
2010 Home Acquisition
2010
seemed just the right time to buy a house. Mollie and I had some savings,
interest rates were low, there were those juicy government and state incentives
for homebuyers, and rents were skyrocketing. So we spent weeks looking at houses in
our price range, trying to find something that was conveniently located, but
still large enough for two growing kids and two adults with eccentric hobbies
and tastes. In San Diego, this can
be fairly daunting. When we finally
came across a stucco house in the shape of an ÒH,Ó built in the fifties and
sported nearly 2,000 square feet, we knew instantly that it had potential. It was pretty seedy, and had been poorly
maintained in the last few years, but it had good Òbones.Ó So we made an offer.
And,
about six months later, we had a
home!
No,
it wasnÕt a short sale. It was a
contested estate sale, complete with lawyers (we required two), angry
beneficiaries, clueless realtors, and one probate judge who, after hearing our
case, actually dressed down our opponentsÕ attorney in front of everyone for
bringing such a pointless, poorly constructed case before the court. It was painfulÉand expensiveÉbut
we prevailed and had all of our court costs taken off of the purchase
price. As a result, our mortgage
(with PMI and county tax impounds) was less than our rent had been. So, there you go. Then, after being on pins and needles
all of those months, it was time to launch a 400-hour rehabilitation project
into high gear, so that we could actually move into the home.
Below
are just a few of before-and-after pix to give you an idea of what we were
dealing with. Keep in mind that the
ÒbeforeÓ pictures are pretty close to the condition of the house when we closed
escrow. Most of the trash and mess
was still there when I began work on the houseÉ.
Kitchen
Before
Kitchen
After
Studio
Before
Studio After
Bathroom
Before
Bathroom
After
Living Room
Before
Living Room
After
Patio Before
Patio After
Now
we really enjoy our home, and are trying to schedule folks over for dinner on a
regular basis. The only challenge
there is that San Diegans tend to be lead very busy lives, so nailing down
schedules can sometimes take months.
But we have faith that, before we move out of this house, we will make
at least one complete circuit of entertaining all of our friends and relatives,
and perhaps even expand out from there.
Favorites
ItÕs
been a tradition for me to include a brief list of my favorite things in each
Toad Report, and now I have a few years of backlog to pick from, and MollieÕs
discerning input to help with the selection, so here goes:
Destinations: New York City; Dover, NH; York, ME; Big
Bear, CA.
Movies: Dallas
BuyerÕs Club, Lincoln, Searching for Sugarman, Mud,
Bridesmaids, Margin Call, The Avengers, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (all
of the original films), Let The Right One
In (original), Restrepo, Exit Through the Gift Shop, WinterÕs Bone, Black Swan
Books: The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss), Mother of
the Buddhas (Lex Hixon), Living as
Form (Nato Thompson); EuropeÕs Promise (Steven Hill), The
Social Conquest of Earth (E.O. Wilson), Chomsky on Anarchism (Noam Chomsky)
TV
Series: Luther,
Downton Abbey, Justified, Breaking Bad, Mad Men,
Newsroom, Hit and Miss, Slings and Arrows
Restaurants: Solare Ristorante (San Diego), Tractor Room (San Diego), Pita Jungle
(Phoenix), Toloache (NYC), Esselon
Coffee Roasting, Co. (Hadley, MA)
Wines
& Spirits: God Send 2005 Cabernet (Thanks to Bill and Lori James, who
introduced this to us in the course of some excellent meals at their home!),
Casa Azul Reposado Tequila, Dark & Stormy (ReedÕs
Extra Ginger Beer & MyerÕs Dark Rum - Thanks
to Andrew Hapke for introducing us to Dark & Stormies during our NYC visit. WeÕre definitely hooked.)
Music: Punch Brothers, Natacha
Atlas, Kate Rusby, Antje Duevekot,
Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams, Fretwork, Mumford & Sons, Radiohead, Iron
and Wine, Allison Kraus and Union Station, The Roots, Sigur
Ros, Piffaro
Video
Games: Skyrim – Gratitude to my late dad for sending
me a copy!
What The Future Looks Like
If
you were to follow my Facebook posts or read my essays and books, you would know
that I believe we require major, fundamental, systemic changes in the U.S. and
around the globe. And we need them
soon if we expect human society to thrive and evolve. Or maybe humanityÕs failing on a global
scale will be a necessary step in that evolution. I donÕt know. But I canÕt remain silent, so I voice my
concerns and offer some solutions.
We shall see. If youÕre
interested in participating in the revolution, there are many resources at www.integrallifework.com that can
help shape a more positive, constructive trajectory – and of course there
is my latest book to provide some possible ways forward.
In the
meantime, Mollie and I will continue to plug away at the creative, social,
familial, professional, political and physical elements of our own well-being
and the well-being of our fellows, along with all the other dimensions that
make life interesting. We intend to
make a trip to Italy some time soon, and that is in the planning stages. The house still demands lots of work;
the RV could use a tune-up; IÕd like to be playing Frisbee more regularly; I
keep intending to take Mollie to Seattle and Portland some August or September
to catch up with old friends and visit my favorite locales; Mollie and I have a
number of creative projects in the wings involving music and video we want to
complete (you can see her work at www.molliekellogg.com); I have another
couple of books that are waiting to be written; there are lots of friends in
San Diego IÕd like to see more often; and there is a huge stack of unread
materials (books, magazines, papers) sitting by my desk, calling out to me like
a relentless siren.
Much
to do, more to be conscious of, all grounded in grand intentions.
Hope
you have a ridiculously joyful 2015.
IÕll try to keep in touch if you will. J
DadÕs
obit (thanks to sister Karin for scanning this for me):
