yirgacheffe

this song:


reminds me of this song:


i'm sure it's just coincidence, but... they do remind me of one another...

love, sex and ...baguette sandwiches?

good article

actually, a lot of this guys articles are pretty good. just ignore the slight preachy aspect in some of them.

i was seeking some enlightenment yesterday...

reflections over asiago & artichoke dip.

i am starting to think that... if you aren't all caught up in the rush of hope and truth (imagine quotation marks around those two words), then you're going to be frowned upon. either with us or against us, no? mob mentality. be careful.

i'm sorry (in the not sorry kind of way meaning i'm sorry for YOU), but the new president is not so new. marketers is what they are. what does our target market want to hear right now? what are the top buzz words of the times? peace. hope. truth. extra value menu.

meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

i do not place my faith and hope in a well-spoken politician. i will not grant them that kind of power over my peace of mind. neither should you.

come on people, it's nice to hear, but don't clasp your hands in front of you and gaze off into the flowery meadows just yet.

when age doesn't matter

my brother picked me up at work today so we could exchange vehicular unit and at some point in conversation we were talking about la cervejaria. the first time i'd heard about it was from him a-way back when... apparently that was 1998.

in my head at the time, and just now, all i could think was: "1998. that's over ten years ago. holy fuck."

yes. ten years. the beatification of "fuck" for the year 1998. damn.

a problem with perfection.

..

Hilarious. Though it got me thinking... would we really ever appreciate
perfection if we achieved it? Of course the natural answer is that
perfection is unattainable, much like happiness- the fact that we are
where we are technologically shows that humans are never completely
satisfied with their position in life and constantly seek progress. We
seek happiness through furthering ourselves, our lives, inventing
extensions of our being, increasing communication, and thousands of
other ways.

There seems to be a chasm developing between the generally accepted
idea of progression and the happiness experienced as a result. I think
our technology has had the opposite effect we'd all secretly hoped, I
think we have moved too far away from the basics of living.

It all seems to have started with written language and the ability to
address everything in the abstract- common everyday items are referred
to as a word that represents what they are, not simply described as in
oral cultures. For example, to say "the plate is round" seems obvious,
but... what is "round"? What is a "plate"? It all starts there, the way
I see it- a divide between the way things are and the way we experience
them.

This disconnection flows throughout all of our lives in the Western
world. Our technology (not only computers and electronic gadgets, but
the technology that brings us prepared foods, meat in polystyrene
trays, fresh blueberries in January, etc.) has created a bubble,
removed from the basics of survival, disguised as living. This seems to
explain why so many people are often bored. I doubt there was much time
for boredom when you had to collect fresh water from the river or lake,
hunt your dinner, shell peas, husk corn after harvesting it, and so
forth.

We seem to view the essentials of life from our observatory, only
partaking when we choose to do so or when forced. This topic came up at
the cottage this summer quite often. It's on an island and off the
grid. There's always something to do there- collect wood, fixing the
dock, sweeping, etc. During the cold days it was even more focused
towards a schedule of when the sun would set, when to be back so we
could have daylight to collect firewood, start building the fire early,
and keep it going. I just thought it was so fascinating to be immersed
in the basics of survival and not feel an ounce of boredom. It wasn't a
pain in the ass, it wasn't boring, it was essential so I didn't even
think about it.

That is what we're missing- there's a deep-rooted desire to feel the
heartbeat of the earth. After all, we are still just animals with a
base instinct for survival. Our technology has separated us from our
natural selves. Instead of doing essential tasks, we mostly fill our
lives with distractions (or they are filled for us, it's not always a
choice) to pass the time, and have grown to love those distractions.

So, in conclusion, it only seems natural that we cannot appreciate the
"amazing" times we live in because it is the result of moving closer to
what we think is perfection. Progress is a double-edged sword when it
comes to humanity because we are conscious beings. Even though we may
not know exactly what is missing in our lives, we sense that there is
something missing... and in the process, complain about little things
hoping to hit the nail on the head.

But that's just my opinion...

a manly movie for men.

liquid lunch.

pho hung and good conversation and "french wine" and... life is good. drunk at 5pm. woo.

march can't come soon enough.

Guess where I'm going in March?

Fly to Vegas then mini road trip. Long weekend bliss with my closest girlfriend.

Yup.

who said chivalry is dead?

glass of wine. book. bath. now.

i am reading "everville, the second book of the art" in clive barker's series... so far it's way too cheesy, far more than an acceptable amount of cheese. the first one maintained good cheese levels coupled with good plotlines.

um, anyway, about that wine...

blappy blew blear!

new years are happening all around you, every day, my friends. yet there is that ingrained sense of renewal that comes 'round this time of the year. this day in particular. i am in a much better place this year than last, mostly in the upstairs department... but that's been caused by outside forces impacting seemingly immovable objects. newton's laws can't touch the ethereality of thought.

it's always a toss up between what i have done versus what's happened to me. you simply can't control it all, that much i know, but do you control most of it? any of it? how do you know in the end what placed you on square 98 instead of on 99 and back down the chute to square one?

it's a toss up because nothing is ever that simple. every day is such a severe mixture of choices and circumstance that detangling them would take... well, by my calculations, at least a bazillion years.

as i sit here at my desk thinking about all that has happened to me this year, i keep getting distracted by the scattering of things on my desk- some frames, chocolate, pictures, a coffee mug (half full), a borrowed DVD. gifts from friends and from family are my muse this morning... afternoon... whatever... reminding me to be thankful. it's as if each item is exuding this flow of energy and reminding me of good times, of love, of just being in a city where sometimes even that can be difficult. it's not the items i own that make me happy, it's the stream of memories that accompany them all. these are the symbols of my existence.

you just have to keep on keepin' on, taking what little pleasures you can find. brush off the cynicism and enjoy a celebration, regardless of what you should think. forget the "no" and the "can't", even the "won't"- just say, yes, thank you for the time to remember "the why" in life. why we hang on and continue to do it all.

so here's to another year survived, another year of progression, another year of completely new experiences, unexpected connections, and feats of strength.

can you possibly imagine what 2009 will bring?

don't try too hard, it'll ruin the surprise.

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