Aspen Life

Plastiki and other eco adventures

2009-06-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Chris and I saw this amazing show called Eco Trip The Real Cost of Living

Just now, while surfing for mags that cover my new industry, i found Ode - a magazine for intelligent optimists. And, this same wild host of the show is sailing across
Ode Mag

Plastiki Website - amazing

Netbook Review - Samsung NC10 Editorial Review

2009-05-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

Since Christmas my laptop battery has gone from useless to silly. There was not enough left to unplug power, walk across the room, plug in printer, and print a 3 page document on the 'fast draft' setting. Yes, that happened.

As a not-quite-impoverished grad student, I decided to put up my portable desktop. I probably lost a couple pounds carrying the power strip back and forth to school on my bike. Not a big deal. Then the power strip started acting funny. Occasionally, I'd plug it in and the laptop would go dead anyway. A short! I was about 20 pages into my thesis paper at that point and I could see that at any moment the latest progress could be locked inside the harddrive with no easy way to turn it on. And, I'd be computer-less.

Enter the Samsung NC10
This was essentially an impulse buy. An appointment stood me up one day at SFSU a couple days after the power cord short started. So, I was loitering in the bookstore where I found four cute little white netbooks ON SALE. The netbook idea appealed to me in general: cheap, light, online oriented, and modestly powered. These models were interesting. Three were from manufactures I'd only heard of recently ==> alarm bells. I've since confirmed that avoiding them was a good choice. Samsung has been a small laptop producer for a while but only recently distributing in the US. I liked that one b/c 1) 7 hr battery life 2) same size keyboard as my old laptop 3)comparably 'high' powered 4) it ran XP. So, after an hour of thinking about it and checking prices/options in the library, I bought one for $420.

Now, I had heard some things that were incorrect so I'll let you in on what I learned:
>>>First, there are non-Windows options for netbooks but, for me, they were not a good solution. My friend Benjamin has one. Escaping the clutches of Microsoft appealed to me. But, B reports that the office software is not as good and there are some compatibility problems. That's a big problem with all the group work I do. So, XP was important.
>>>Second, though netbooks are have less processor power, they will run MS office. This was a major issue. I have used Google Docs a lot, online and with Gears offline. I've written papers and used their xls program extensively. So, when I say, "it's not there yet" it's not without giving it a real try. Having local software - and that means MS Office - was critical. I had heard that netbooks wouldn't run Office smoothly. Not true, the screen is small, so that's a problem if you're doing a lot of graphics or reading a wide sheet. But, it's been no problem to use Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. I made a sharp ppt with layered graphics, animations, and big .jpg files. And, I showed it off the netbook and it was flawless.
>>>Third, that little screen wont kill you, but it might try. Two laptops ago, I had this big gateway thing - 14 inch screen I think. When I moved to my 10 inch screen Dell, I started getting upper back pain and sore elbows. My kindly occupational therapist friend said it wasn't my old age, just my new computer. Yippie. So, I bought this iCurve laptop stand and a Logitech wireless keyboard. After proving to myself that my local Chiropracter is a quack and getting some legitimate exercise, presto, I was healed. With this netbook, I actually have the computer elevated and up over top of my hands as I type - and the natural mouse position is behind the computer. Yes, weird, but comfortable. I've typed a couple hundred pages like this.

So, overall, I really like this little thing. It's light, the battery basically lasts forever, keyboard is great, good price, enough processor power, and it's a nice pearly white. Their new version has a larger touch pad - which would be nice. The touchpad mine has is too small. I'd like to get a bluetooth presenter mouse, which are beginning to become available. Of course, if you like to have more than about 3 programs running, or use a lot of processor power with video editing or CAD drawing, this is not for you. The big question mark is, "How will Samsung customer service do?" The computer appears solid, but if there's anything I've learned it is to expect computers to break. Samsung is a new provider so I don't think anyone knows what to expect.

back from the writing cave

2009-05-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

About four weeks ago I asked Professor Paton when he would like a draft of my thesis. With his characteristic good humor, he said, "Yesterday....Or tomorrow". I faked confidence and said he'd hear from me right away. I think at that point I had about 3 pages written and several holes in the research.

All in all, the project on Whirlwind Wheelchair International was really interesting. I turned in 110 pages - which was probably overkill. But, I was really swept up in the interesting issues the company is facing. There are also thought provoking issues related to manufacturing, globalization and religious non profits (which I know a little about after 14 years working) Whirlwind is a really cool company. I'd love to work for a social business like this someday. They are entrepreneurial and focused on serving unmet needs in the developing world. This chair in the picture is their best product - it's all terrain, affordable, and uses bicycle parts so that it is repairable.

Finally! Catching up to China

2009-04-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Obama Unveils Plan to Fund High-Speed Passenger Rail

Fast trains have been old news in China, Japan, Europe, and elsewhere for decades. The Dick Chaneys have been working hard to keep us happy in the arranged marriage between suburbanites and automobiles with various measures to keep rail transportation from filling needs and government spending directed for less efficient and frustrating auto transportation. I've enjoyed relaxing on CalTrain on trips to San Jose instead of driving. I get work done and relax instead of sitting in the traffic. The interconnectivity with local transpo could be better. Bigger than spending public money, the challenge of developing partnerships between local bus and regional train systems is going to be a trick. I have heard that in China some of the high speed train systems take you hundreds of miles in no time and then dump you out into traffic jams that take as long to go less than 10 miles. All the same, I believe we can work it out.

Nerding Out

2009-04-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

Three years ago the Spirit and Opportunity rovers landed on Mars and I was quite excited. I think I even tortured my staff with some monologues about exploration and innovation and then launched into metaphors based on Mars exploration. I wont do the same to you....their numb stares reminded me that it is only a narrow slice of humanity that is excited. But, if you want, like any great story, there is now a movie - Roving Mars. It is a little slow but with beautiful images from the red planet... no martians yet though. I did hear from my friend Grant today that Wall-E is good and there's an uncanny resemblance...

5 Thoughtful Minutes

2009-04-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Ecological Footprint Calculator

Two Great Resturants

2009-04-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

We’ve had an uncommonly fun and social weekend with some of our best friends. Friday we went out with Kelly and Chad Newhouse to Walzwerk. But, but before that with Mark and Lisa we heard the director of The Last Emperor about Valentino speak at the DeYoung. Wild guy, but … netflix. At dinner, I gorged on bread, of course, – this time a dark walnutty dense slice. Mmmm. And, the Chicken stuffed with bacon and apples and topped with cherry cream sauce was terrific. I feel a little weird getting chicken since I make it at home, but this looked so good and even exceeded my expectations. It was a risk I’m glad I ventured into. And, we had some fun beers. Mine – Kostrizer Schwarzbier was dark and creamy. I got to chat a bit with Emily and learned about Credo Mobile, which has a remarkably progressive CSR policy that allows employees to participate in finding beneficiaries. And, their whole business model of ‘getting in the way of people’s spending’ for the purpose of redirecting funds into good causes seems like an attractive concept.

On Saturday, our dear friends from Tahoe, Hilary and Chris met us for a double museum tour of the Legion and the DeYoung. Hillary spent time in France and studied Rodin, so she was the ultimate guide through the Legion’s impressive bronze statue collection. Then we topped it off with dinner at Chou Chou which is a favorite country French restaurant. The baguette was perfect with the cheese plate and it was a good experience, though I’m afraid the management has changed. The good company and stories from Chris’ exciting job as an arson investigator were even better than my monkfish with truffle sauce, which is saying a lot. 

Rose Colored Glasses

2009-03-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

My trashy glasses with the tape on them have finally died. On a wet climb in Yosemite last weekend a lense fell out onto the munge. Fortunately, I found the weird rose colored replacement lenses this morning. Shazzam! A like new pair, except now I feel strangely optimistic.

We did have a great trip last weekend. Note to remember: there are not bugs and fewer crowds in Yose in March. We did our usual stuff with rental bikes, a damp little fire, some climbing, and an evening visit to the Awahnee bar. The pianist even remembered us... love that place. Unbelieveably, we got just about the last site..we've already made reservations again for April b/c we're trying to go every month.

Gear Sherpa

2009-03-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Good things are still happening with my little ebay business. I made as much with it as I would have if I had a real job late last fall. That was a great surprise because the retail jobs I applied for didnt work out. One didnt offer enough money and the other quit hiring because of the economy. Actually, this has been great in retrospect, because I can fit in the work for Gear Sherpa any time so it doesnt interfere with class. And, it's flexible, so I can work more on weeks like this when I've got time off from school. Tents have turned out to be good items. I've got a system set up now to repair them - patched 7 holes in a tent this morning. And, they still seem to get a good price on ebay despite the recession. Gear Sherpa is probably the most overmanaged business of this size. I've had a great time applying on very small scale what I've learned in the MBA program - setting up accounting systems, upgrading my IT for more efficiency, expanding my number of bidders with some marketing concepts, and using some operations analysis to find my most profitable activities for business focus. Possibly obsessive? Dunno. One really funny and possibly sad experience is how much my customers seem to love me in their comments and reviews. I try to communicate very clearly and I'm proactive to clarify shipping and let them know when they should expect it. That apparently is enough to really make them happy.

Fall Colors Presented By Aspens and Kings

2008-10-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

My family took a wonderful trip to Tahoe this last weekend. Chris and I slipped away to visit with old friends. Other than that it was all hanging out with the fam. My little sis even brought along her delightful boyfriend, Lal. They were gross and snuggly most of the time. At first all that gooey affection was cute. Ha ha ha. I'm happy for them.

We did have a couple fun moments worth sharing. First off, we were there one of the first big snows of the year. Marvelous. Here's my favorite pic while we were walking over to see the Kokanee Salmon at the underwater viewing of Taylor Creek. And, there was a mamma bear and 2 cubs fishing in the creek. Fun to watch.

Best of all we had a great little picnic at Sorenson's over near Hope Valley. That's the place to go to see the leaves and it was every bit as beautiful as we hoped.

$$$ and Robert Plant and Carbon Footprints

2008-10-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

Life has been so great lately. I'm a little afraid of receiving my next investment reports. But, we have lots of backpacking equipment. So we can always move to some National Forest land and grow vegetables next to the pot farmers up in the mountains. I read Donald Miller on that and he says those are good people. Will this recession last 1 year or 5? Will I find a job this time next year. I'm hopeful that my used gear business wont be too tied to wallstreet's woes. I assume people will keep buying stuff and start looking for cheaper alternatives. I saw that a lot of discount stores are pumping up their marketing - trying to capture the fearful consumers. But, one of my bellweather items - a Jetboil Stove - sold for $45 and I expected $60. Hopefully, that's not a trend.

We saw Robert Plant and Allison Krauss on Friday night. There were thousands, reportedly 40,000 people there. That's my biggest crowd since the anti-Iraq invasion protests years ago. (And, yes, I do feel completely vindicated about pressing those arguments.) I was a huge Led Zeppelin fan back in highschool. So, it was really remarkable to hear Plant sing a couple of the old hits. But, the best moment was Krauss singing "Let's Go Down To The River To Pray" which was on the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack. It was moving to see so many people singing along with her - and to be part of that crowd. There are too few SF moments like that.

And, I'm delighted to see even the reluctant conservative financiers in the Wall Street Journal talking about Carbon Footprints. The article is pretty entry level but very well done. Six Products, Six Carbon Footprints

Shopping and Cooking and Reading

2008-09-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

What a good weekend. On Thursday night I actually said, "I dont feel like I need to get out this weekend." I had a bunch of stuff to do that was pressing on me. So, we scrapped our camping trip to the mountains and stayed home. Friday Chris was out with her friend Lisa at the bookstore and Lisa recommended Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food. We actually didn't have a general how to do most everything basic cookbook. And this one is great. Since reading B. Kingsolver's "Animal Vegetable Miracle" we've been trying to eat more locally and generally get the carbon footprint down on our food. Eating locally generally means there's been less fuel put into shipping. Though there are some interesting wrinkles in the concept. Any way, I also got to meet with a guy from Acre Gourmet last spring. He told me all about how they source their food locally and get to have personal relationships with small operator farmers. So, beyond the certified label's for Organic or Free Trade, they actually have the bonus of personal relationships. He feels this really enriches the human environment by building direct relationships instead of consumer/middleman.../supplier business relationships that are less personal. There could be something to that. Saturday morning we made it to the Alamany Farmers Market. What a wonderful time. It was insanely crowded, but we expected that. There was an old lady playing the saw with a dancing wooden cat. No kidding. I had a delightful pork tamale and we picked up a load of food. Back home, we a really simple dish from A.Water's book - a squash and penne pasta. Tasteee

Planet Granite in The Presidio is OPEN :)

2008-09-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

For months I've been waiting and waiting for this new gym to open. I've been following the progress online and running by every few weeks when I've been out for a run on Chrissy Field. And, now it's opened a month ahead of schedule!

http://www.planetgranite.com/OldPG/Presidio/sf_picindex.html

Chris and I joined on Sunday - the year membership is less than we'd pay for the Y - which cant possibly last. We should have bought 2 years. The climbing is the best I've ever seen. They've got plenty of routes and an unbelieveable variety of bouldering. They even have an off-width crack and several other great cracks - one splitter! Very fun. So, I'm stoked. It is really fun to be able to go with Chris. Fortunately, it's on her way to work, so we've been able to get over there for a workout and still make it to her office by 9. My mornings have never been so wonderful.

Hetch Hetchy Trip

2008-09-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great little trip away. The flowers in Tuolomne are all but completely gone. I have no idea what the late blooming tiny bushy purple ones are called. We've both got tricky ankles right now, so we took it easy with a couple short hikes up to Elizabeth Lake which is just below Unicorn Peak. And, we make it a few miles around Hetch Hetchy to a dry waterfall view. Back at the car, Chris' themometer registered 85 in the shade and 104 in the sun. The breeze itself was hot. We were pretty sapped of strength but it was really worth it. There's an amazing wall across the lake - with probably another 300 feet below the water.

It really stirs my imagination to see the canyon stretch up toward White Wolf and Glen Aulin. I'd really like to make that trip in the spring. The Grand Canyon of Tuolomne is supposed to be really amazing and relatively untraveled.

And, the abiding question of the worth of the reservoir really sticks in my mind. I hear that the reservoir's water reserve is redundant now that other areas have been developed. And, it certainly is an affront the concept of National Parks. But, water shortages seem to be mounting and we wont be able to rely on glacial storage in the future. In any case, we're definitely sacrificing some terriffic climbing and an amazing canyon with its potential ecotour revenue for the sake of an enormous bucket.

Interview with Matt from Kiva

2008-09-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Geoffrey Desa, my Entrepreneurial Process professor got the class off to a fast start with our first assignment. Typically, I don't expect anything outside of some reading for the first few weeks of a term. But, he set our first assignment, "Interview an entrepreneur and give a brief report in one week." OK. Well, I'm really trying to focus my class projects on areas of interest. So, the challenge was to find someone who could meet with me on short notice who was also a social entrepenuer or working in the sustainability field somehow. Good luck - right? I do love living in SF. Grace Turkis, my good ole coworker is volunteering at Kiva and she put me together with Matt Flannery. We met for an hour. I am very grateful for his time.

In short, Kiva matches lenders (not donors)with aspiring entrepenuers in developing nations. The results of this kind of micro lending development have been tremendous. The waste is much lower than working through corrupt governments and the direct empowerment is much higher.

Chris and I always have the very best conversations on our out of town trips together. We've decided to get behind someone today - it will only take $20 of our money to help some unfortunately born business person break out of the cycle of poverty. And, we'll get regular updates on how their business is progressing AND how the loan is being paid back. After a while, we'll get to repick and reinvest that money into another venture. Very very fun.

Read all about Kiva on their website. www.kiva.org

Gear Sherpa

2008-08-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Finding a job is tricky. Part on a whim and part on Chris' recommendation, I applied and interviewed for a bike messenger position. I got the feeling I was 'over qualified' and later heard from another messenger for the company that many of the others have 'substance abuse issues'. So, I was feeling pretty confident, presented myself pretty well (questionable self evaluation), got an offer, and turned it down. $12 an hour is not a lot. Then, I was offered less from a retailer off of Union Square. Who are they kidding? The sell jackects for $200 that cost them $5 to make in Vietnam and the store is doing record business every month. Come on.

Despite all these injustices, I've found a way to feed off the bottom in my spare time. Gear Sherpa is my little ebay business and basically I buy, repair, post, and sell backpacking equipment (about which I know waaaay too much). Shockingly, my little enterprize has gone pretty well and I was able to draw a paycheck this month. Look out world, I made a dollar.

It has been really fun to work out the simple business process for accounting, posting, shipping, tracking, and financing the business. I think Gear Sherpa is probably one of the most overmanaged companies in its class. :) So, I've created a fun little learning experience for myself that will hopefully pay for groceries. And, yes family, this year you will all be getting used outdoor gear for Christmas.

As I'm learning about bidness, I see that there's really some potential here. Ebay gives anyone access to a market for just about anything. Small operators who dont need a big margain to be profitable, unlike many larger businesses, can do salvage, repair, resell businesses. The possibility is really enormous - small appliances, electronics, small furniture. If it's light enough to ship and labor intensive to repair then there's probably an opportunity to make money off of it on ebay.

The Celtic Wheel of Prayer

2008-08-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

One of the best things that has happened in our spiritual life in the last year has been taking up the practice of reading this book each evening. Chris and her friend Lisa were wandering through The Green Apple, which is a voluminous local used book store. Lisa bought it for Chris with the idea that it would be a good way to wind down the day. Chris and I really enjoy the wilderness and the old Celtic prayers really connect to the rhythms of the oceans, seasons, and farming. Most every evening we read and reflect for about 10 minutes with the guided prayers. There's a little thanksgiving section that's really helpful. And, occasionally we even do the morning prayer over breakfast together.

Mental Training

2008-07-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm venturing out beyond some of my old faithful sources of inspiration lately. On our trip to Kauai I read the cheezyiest named book I've ever heard of. But, it was pretty good. I had picked it up at Mission Cliffs while on a break when my arms were pumped and I couldn't climb. Ready? The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training for Climbers. I'll pause while you go puke.

So, with reluctance, I'll say that I think there's something to this. It's about actively taking ahold of our 'personal power' and using specific methods to learn mental focus, to untangle mental roadblocks to improved performance, and generally examing ego theory to discover poor decision making processes. At least, that's what I got out of it on my first reading. I'm planning on looking it over again and trying to use it as I'm working out. Most of my climbing trips lately haven't allowed reviewing mental training techniques before the beginning of a climb. But, I have started using a few ideas like a pre-climb routine of motions and short prayers. And, I'm more conscious of the go/no-go process that I use when evaluating a risk. Also, I am much more engaged in the mental messages that I say, "I'm gonna give this a shot." For me, that's code for, "I'm gonna give up but give my belayer the impression that I'm really making an effort by slapping the next hold." Either do it or dont.

A lot of this stuff is drawn from the spurious writings of Carlos Casteneda and various Japanese Samari teachings. I've been grateful for my friend, Joseph Farley. He has much experience in Tibetan Buddism and some of the American New Age offshoots. All of this is new to me, but he's got the perspective from having been far down that road already. I still need to buy those Rumi books he reccommended....

Kauaii

2008-06-10T13:07:00.001-07:00

double click to see the big version

7 Days Left

2008-05-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

For the last month, I've been slowly uninvolving myself in the work I've been doing for 13 years. It's really quite a remarkable experience. Here in SF, I've worked on the same team for 7 1/2 years - though I am the only member who was here years ago. Gradually, I've been counting 'lasts' last staff meeting, last board meeting, last regional conference, last party with our students, last trip to campus, last service project. Some of the 'lasts' have happened before I knew they were going on.

In general, it's becoming surreal. Things that have been dear to me for years are now happening in front of me and I feel differently inside. Instead of a deep connection, I stand like an outside observer. "They" are doing that, not "I". And, like any organization, it is carrying forward with renewed vision and direction. It is a bit like we were on a train, we got off, and the train kept going - barely slowing down. That's exciting for the travelers, but humbling for us. I think we see how replaceable and unimportant we are in reality - not the Titans we were in our own imagination. That, of course, is a healthy and good reality check.

Community

2008-04-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

Business and Environmental Leadership was very interesting today. We had 3 interesting chapters for our seminar class and the discussion took a very interesting turn. First we had a representative from Acre Gourmet who had many interesting things to say. One if their values is 'community' development which leads them to prefer buying from local independant farmers instead of large agra-business operations. One shocking comment is that a McDonald's burger can contain meat from over 1000 cows b/c of the enormous centralized meat processing plants. mmmm

The Green to Gold chapter was on inspiring a green culture in business and I thought it was quite interesting. However, the student who presented it gave a quick summary and then connected it to her recent experience of traveling to Honduras and being shocked to see McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and KFC there near the airport. She commented that these businesses corrupt the local culture by offering unhealthful food and eroding the social fabric of interconnectedness in that society.

At first, I didn't see the connection to our topic but the discussion took off like a rocket and carried us for an hour. Many students seemed to resonate with her criticism of large business as somehow responsible for social erosion in the US. And, they all seemed to share a ...

Yosemite Ostrander Lake Snow Shoe Trip

2008-04-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

Over Spring Break - now two weeks ago - i had a great trip to yosemite. I've never been to the Yose high country in the winter. This was a real treat. It was the last weekend that the Badger Pass ski area was going to be open. So, the Glacier Point Road cross country ski path was still well groomed and holding several feet of snow. I hiked in on Horizion Ridge trail off of GPR and camped on the ridge looking out over the Clark Range. It was a terriffic view from the tent. Setting up camp in the deep snow was really fun. I learned not to bury things as tent anchors that I'll need in the morning when the snow is hard - like snowshoes. That took an hour of chopping.

I had fun getting a little lost when I left the Ostrander Ski Hut - which was incredible. (read all about it here in a Chronicle article) Long story short, there are two marked trails, one of which is not on the map and goes the wrong way - guess which one I took. :)

I made it out to Taft Point which has a great view of the valley which was a nice surprise. Check out The Prow view. Wow.

Found: One Sea Cave

2008-02-26T21:11:00.001-08:00

What a day!

Snowstorm in Tahoe

2008-02-25T19:01:00.000-08:00

Chris and I went up to Tahoe last weekend for a quick get away. It seems like we get a lot of juice for life here if we get out of town every 6 weeks or so. We hadn't made a trip away together since going to Shasta and the Finlandia Motel in October. So, we were over due. There's something that seems uncommonly like home for us as we drive into South Lake Tahoe. Some of our dearest friends are there and visiting SLT has been one of the only consistent parts of our life in California for the last decade of living in Santa Barbara, San Diego, and now San Francisco.

It's been over a year since we've been snowshoeing together so this was a really sweet time. We walked down to Vikingsholm (pictured) and watched the dark clouds descend as the storm first arrived. At first we could see across the lake and as we sat there the clouds swallowed the mountain peaks, the casinos, and the little island out in emerald bay. Later the road was closed so that was a good first choice. I've always wanted to see ice climbers on Eagle Falls, but no luck this time. The ice was not in. Later we went for an easy walk to Pope Beach and made a similar walk on Sunday in 18 inches of new snow.

Here are a couple shots. The full album is here:

tahoe snowstorm feb 08

The Island

2008-02-20T22:00:00.000-08:00

I'm still not sure where I ran across this film. That's one of the fun things about netflix - films I will like show up at the house after I've forgotten that I was ever interested in them. The Island has a terriffic cast - check em out. The Island Cast etc. And, it's got a pretty interesting twist on the dystopian future sci-fi movies that I like so much. It deals with all kinds of ethical issues like genetic engineering of humans, longevity and mega corporations. And, there's plenty of eye candy so it definitely made a big effort to be a mainstream hollywood movie. I dont think I so much had a favorite part as I just liked it overall - I'd give it a B-.

Merry Christmas Across The Front Line

2008-02-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

There was a shockingly human moment of truth during one of the darkest hours of human history during World War I when Scottish, French, and German soldiers gathered on Christmas eve to celebrate their mutual religious holiday. A moment of profound bonding and warmth was created in the midst of a terrible war which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives - an entire generation of Europeans.

I had wanted to see this film for a while and I was delighted when it arrived from Chris Netflix account yesterday. Please let me know if you've seen it. It is one of the great stories of modern times.

S1

2008-02-13T21:43:00.000-08:00

Ahh, at this point in my life there are a lot of really wonderful tastee delights. I've been climbing the last two weekends. My wife and I have seen some great films. The weather is finally coming up out of the coldwetdrearydark and miserable season. And, my hobby past-time obsession game has just started afresh on a new server. Server 1 is up and running. Come get you some www.travian.com.

Dieter

2008-02-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

When I first moved to SF, Dieter lived downstairs from my coworkers. He was up at their house all the time. I think at that point they were sharing some appliances - a washer and drier. Anyway, I got to know him a bit. Not too long after that he mentioned that he knew a bunch of people who were planning to gather weekly to practice spiritual disciplines together and have a pot-luck meal. I was pretty interested so Chris and I jumped in with the group and instantly made 30 great friends. Dieter and I made a bunch of climbing trips, lunches at the yummy $4 plate lunch Chinese place (it's since been closed and renamed - the Health Department might have been involved), and for a few months I was coaching soccer with him. He intially asked me b/c he was in a pinch for an assistant coach and I told him that I'd failed to make the JV soccer team in High School. And, JV soccer in Memphis has remarkably low standards. He didnt get the message untill I'd been 'coaching' with him for a couple months. My coaching contributions were primarily emotional support and ball chasing for the 8 yr olds. So, that didnt last. We've been backpacking once and have stayed in touch a little since he's moved north of SF. All in all, as older guys go, he's one of my better friends even though I dont see him much lately.

Last monday he had a stroke - completely out of no where. He's run marathons and is a very healthy guy. It seems to have been a serious stroke and he's still in a coma. They brought him out of it for a few minutes last night. There's more info on this blog.

It's hard to know how to really feel about it. I'm afraid he's going to be messed up. He's really deep so I'm sure he'll be able to cope with it. And, he's got a strong family, so I'm sure they'll pull together. It is just strange to still be waiting to see what will really be the result of this trauma.

First Trip of Many to Pinnacles

2008-02-03T21:38:00.001-08:00

Our climbing adventure on Saturday was one of those brilliant overlapping coincidences that have the markings of the hand of God. And, we are grateful. We actually made our 6:30 AM planned get away from SF. All three of the alarms I set went off reliably. And, the little visitor’s center at Pinnacles National Monument was open when we arrived at 8:45 with the recently updated copy of the guidebook – which on only Thursday was unavailable there. And, the rain did indeed stop for us. Discovery Wall was dry and as I hoped, we had good weather until 3PM. That 9 hours of dry daylight looks like it’s going to be sandwiched between nonstop rain for several days on both sides. In an unusual turn, we actually made it to the base of a good first route, … within 1/2 hour of leaving the car (note the wonderment and confusion here on Luke's face as we try and find the climbers trail). We met a couple of other hospitable local climbers who helped direct us. Portent, 3 star 5.6, was our first and it went very well. We'll have to go back again and get the 2nd and 3rd pitches.

At about 2:45 I started up Ordeal, a 3 star 5.8 which is reportedly one of the best in the park. I was really struggling at the 3rd bolt anchor and was not feeling confident on my gear placements in the sketchy rock. Over the weekend Chris was gone to DC to party with MJ for her 40th. When she's gone, I pick up my stinky food habits. So, I indulged in a lunch of smoked oysters and double cream brie on a baguette. That didn’t put me in good strength for the climb ... go figure. So, I left my first bail out carabiner and gave up the climb. Then, to my surprise, it started to sprinkle. I was really glad I wasn’t getting rained on 10 feet from the last bolt on that pitch! What a messy situation that would have been.
This was my first outdoor trip with Luke and we had a great time. He’s a super conversation partner and was very patient with me while I was struggling up on my toughest sport lead on Wet Kiss. On the way down and back we had remarkable conversations about ecology, marriage, our vocations, and love of the outdoors. Luke has some amazing stories of climbing in his home area in Oregon and of amazing trips to Denali. We discovered that might even be able to partner together in the ongoing battle with our own consumerist urges at the local outdoor store.

a new love

2008-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

Wow. I love when I discover something new that I really like! Me and my old buddy Kyle (center) from SD found a good little spot in Vegas for some Hookah.

Next stop. Hookah in the Haight at Kan Zaman which comes highly recommended from my friend Shobani from SFSU so it's probably a hit.

2008-01-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

Rediscovering Creativity

2008-01-20T10:25:00.001-08:00

This year Chris and I decided we'd like to branch out and explore some new things in our spiritual lives. We've been friends with several people from ReImagine for years and even participated in a Jesus Dojo a while back. When we heard about this Rediscovering Creativity workshop it really connected with our desire to stir up our creative juices.

We've had two sessions so far and there are about 35 people participating. It's over in the New Door Ventures property on 21st, which is another plus - I've been a fan of their work. Last week we reviewed some affirmations and beliefs together and discussed what it's been like to do our creative writing assignments each day (it's pretty simple, just 3 full pages of download journalling). And, did a found object type sculpture project with a piece of yarn, a piece of fabric, a piece of metal, a plastic bubble, and a silver star. The group came up with some really cool things. It was quite remarkable to me how many different directions people took with the same basic materials.

At home, for my at home project (aka Artist's Date), I did something I've wanted to do for years. I hung up these postcards. These cards are really meaningful to me. Each captures a special museum visit and
experience with a piece of art or a trip with Chris or some place I'd like to go. Having them on the wall to look at all the time is really great. I kind of feel like it's a centering reminder to where I feel my life is supposed to be going.

Joshua Tree December 07

2008-01-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

I connected with my friend Eric from Seattle and 3 of his climbing buddies for a really excellent trip to Joshua Tree - 2 hrs east of LA. The weather and the rock was terrific. I was particularly excited about the climbing there b/c I got access to several styles that were new to me - slab and crack. And, I had my strongest lead yet on a 5.7 crack. Very very fun. Not to bore you with the details - here are the pictures:

Joshua Tree Dec 07

Good Little Stuff

2007-12-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

The Finlandia was so much fun last weekend:
http://www.finlandiamotel.com/
At $65/nite with the sauna (pronounced s-ow-na) it's a bargain - if a little dusty. We had a great time chatting about the future and just catching up together. We even found a great little coffee shop "The Stage Door". It's a little weird how much the crystal rubbing hippie culture has hung on up there. Apparently Mt.Shasta is some kind of magnetoid vortex of hyper purple power. I just like to climb it.

This weekend the highlight was a couple visits from Scott Helie. He and Jason were our best neighbors ever. We even had their wedding in our dining room. Now that's a long story by itself. So... we went out to Postrio http://www.postrio.com/ As always it was a decadent palate adventure. I ordered salmon, but the chef and manager sent out 7 other courses for Scott and his 3 lucky friends. Wow. We had a great time catching up with Scott. He apparently hates NY. He has hardly ever said a negative word about anything - except our landlord. So, I think he's serious. It's still unlikely that they'd move back. Scott's mom loves having him close to home. Apparently, NY is: dirty, expensive, mean, low paying, impossible to drive in, and generally awful. OK, I'm cured. No more wishing for Gotham. We miss Scott and Jason a whole whole lot. I dont think we'll ever have neighbors as wonderful as the two of them again. With us was our great and dear friend Jennifer, who we just dont see often enough. She has really great taste and turned us on to some great wines from Chateau Saint Michelle

A 'friend' of mine gave me a helpful book for people going through mid-life crisis, "Half Time". Nuff said.

The village is doing very well.

Lately

2007-11-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

It's a little tough to come up with something deep to blog. Most of my deep thinking has been committed to working out my future plans. Along the way I've had a pretty vivid sense of God's presence. It seems like He is really leading me and making things clear as I move down the path. It is not coming along as quickly or as neatly as I had hoped. I think that I'm discovering some icky spots in my character. I'm definitely not dealing well with the ambiguity and sense of being in limbo. I want to work on that - and move past this in between time as quickly as possible. It is humbling to see how I've been merciless to others during their leaving process. I'm realizing how hard it actually is to leave well.

In other parts of my life, I'm enjoying school. For my economics class I'm doing research on new economics concepts that could be helpful for my company of choice, The SF Food Bank. I ran across an article that helps me work out some of the tension I've felt about American foreign policy - the myths and truths about the 'good' we do in the world. There's a new rating system that includes more than just dollars given to poor countries. In rates that as compared to GDP, includes peace keeping efforts, shows how trade polices contribute, and also shows environmental issues which effect the poor - such as contributions of green house gasses. The measure isn't perfect, but it's a good step toward a more accurate measure that could strip some of the rhetoric out and give world citizens a clear picture of what their leaders are actually doing for developing countries.

Posting Pictures

2007-10-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hey All, Here are a few pictures from my climbing trip to Yosemite with Peter Russo a couple weeks ago. We had a great time!

2007-09-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Yosemite Climbing Trip
Peter and I had a great trip to the valley for two great days of climbing. We made three routes - Swan Slab Gully, Mungenella, and The Grack on Glacier Apron. It was one of the best trips of my life. The weather was perfect. The views were spectacular. We saw a bear cub way up in a tree - followed by momma bear a little below. And, the rock was every bit as amazing as I'd heard from friends and forums online.

Hike to Island Lake Kernaghans and Currans

2007-09-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Chris and I left our camp at Ice House Reservoir on a 'quick' trip to the store to get some ice. Irony that there was no ice house nearby, just a honky tonk slash convenience store. Chris suggested we drive up to Wrights Lake, which was only a blue blob on the map to me. Wow, what a find. It's quite a bit higher and it's motor free. There were lots of people out floating, fishing, and kayaking in the blue blue water.
We continued up and discovered the trail head to Island Lakes which looked like a great place to get into Desolation Wilderness without driving up to Echo Summit.

Sunday we'd planned to go for some kind of a hike and the Island Lake trip seemed like just the thing. We left 'early' at 9:30, but that was no problem because it was clear all day with none of Saturday's thundershowers.

The trail was really well marked, clean, and beautiful. Close to the lakes there were wide sections of slickrock much like T-meadows. We grabbed lunch and let the dogs swim up at Island Lake. Dan amazed us with his crazy prehistoric sling. He was whipping rocks at least 150 yards. As far as I know, he never hit another hiker. For a parking lot trailhead under 5 miles, this was the best alpine lake hike I've been on. It was really accessible and remarkably beautiful. There were several bagable peaks around the lakes, but we left them for another day.

Hard New Choices

2007-08-27T09:45:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend I decided a couple things. First off, I was reading trip reports on cascade climbers in prep for a trip to Yosemite in a couple weeks with Peter. It's going to be awsome. And, I stumbled across a report from a climb I did last fall. Cool I though, I'd like to see the pics. I was blown away. The climb I did in 36 hours was only 11 hours for this speedy punk. And, he had better pictures. I later found out from Eric, from Seattle, that the guy holds some speed records. So, he is serious business. But, the reality check did kick me out of just whining about the little luv handles I've developed. So, I'm going to run to the ocean and back each morning at 6 am. ouch. that's the only time that's fairly guaranteed to be protected from chaos in life. Another bennie is that I'll have an extra hour a day to listen to good speeches and lectures on mp3.

Let me know if you've got some I should hear.

And, I'm quitting sugar. I've heard for years about how bad it is for me, and people have promised that I'd feel so much better. Well, I had the most bitter cup of coffee this morning. I'll be able to say for myself soon.

fishing

2007-06-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

I did a good-ole-boy thing Monday and went fishing with my 5 year old cousing, Derick. We caught 3 of the smallest fish I've ever seen on a hook. DMan is convinced that we caught 2 fish - one twice. It was a pretty good fishing trip all things considered. At first we couldnt find bait and ended up going to a fish market in China Town - which is always an experience. And, we had a great time watching the tri athlete swimmers, the pirate ship, and wondering togeter about Alcatraz.

new smoking spot

2007-06-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

Some of my best thinking is done while pipe smoking.

The DeYoung garden is beautiful at night and I've found a great bench over there that's out of the wind in the children's garden - this is not all pipe smoke and I do try to avoid blowing it on children.

This is my new favorite spot:

I'm really delighted to say that I've completed another little journal - filled the bugger up. I just wish the moleskine journals weren't so expensive.

Steel Rock

2007-06-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

From steel rock

one of my favorite sculptures at the De Young. read about the artist, Zhan Wang , here.

New Blog

2007-06-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

I've been away from blogging regularly for over a year and... I'm back. This summer Chris and I have some free 3 day weekends, so there should be some trip reports. And, I want to post up some occasional thoughts about life, updates on books I'm reading and little updates here and there. Thanks for dropping in and please leave comments!

Shasta Climb Slideshow

2007-06-03T11:54:00.001-07:00

Peter Russo and I had a great climb up the West Face of Mount Shasta in early May.
photos

Here's a quick rundown from Peter. "We got to Bunny Flat on Friday a little past midnight and camped below the road. Saturday morning 9am we snowshoed in to Hidden Valley via Horse Camp where we cooked a little water. Route finding past Horse Camp was tough and the snow was soft, so the approach took ~6hrs. Set up high camp in Hidden Valley around 4:00, and got to sleep ~7pm which was a little later than we'd planned.
We woke up ~2am Sunday, and started the climb ~3am. It was a good Alpine Start, but we should have packed our summit packs at 7 in the light when we were fully awake. Again, route finding was difficult -- this time because of dense fog -- but we eventually found our way to the West Face Gully. On the way down we could see our misguided path in the fog go up a few hundred feet over the route and then hairpin back down. It was funny later. The snow was soft for the first couple hours out of the valley, but it firmed up as we got higher. We were plunging to knees and sometimes thighs in those early hours. We saw two larger groups w/ 6+ climbers on Casaval, which later traversed around the catwalk to the upper part of the west face. I don't recall seeing any other parties on the lower west face. Winds were ~30mph at the top of the gully, and temps were in the 20's. We summited at 11:30am, ~ 8.5hrs out of high camp. There were 10-15 people at the upper plateau & summit area... mostly skiiers who came up Avy Gulch.

We glissaded down most of the climbing route, but had to plunge step the last 1,000 vertical ft or so because the snow was too soft. Total descent time was ~2-2.5 hrs. We got out of high camp at 4:30, and back down to the trailhead at 7pm. Route finding on the way out was aided by GPS waypoints set on the way in, as well as a faint climber's trail that we found between the valley and Horse Camp. Most of the hike out involved alternating soft snow and scree. Yay.