Breakfast of Champions

Alright, well, as any of the Vennegut faithful know, the true breakfast of champions is a martini, but we didn't have any dry vermouth lying around the house. Instead I substituted two poached eggs over a bed of Roma tomatoes, spinach and caramelized onions on a waffle. I thought it was pretty tasty and looked quite photographable.

This all corresponds with a new direction I am trying to take in my blog, which is a chronicle of the things I cook up in an attempt to push myself to create new and interesting things while expanding my cooking repertoire. Hope you all enjoy the photos and if you have any cooking/recipe ideas or techniques, please do share!

Hello and greetings interfolks~

I should mention that while I write this I am watching an episode of The Colbert Report featuring the inventor of the Segue strapped with a robotic arm. He is playing videos of soldiers who have lost arms strapped using these bad boys to do things like pick up grapes, eat with chop sticks and feed themselves cereal without spilling a drop. It is pretty incredible to watch and certainly gets to the heart. One important thing to know about the project is that it is code named (internally) "Luke" ... as in Skywalker. Yeah. At least he has finally contributed something useful to society.

Now I am just waiting to finish the Duke vs. Butler game which we had taped for our later enjoyment. Excitement shall ensue. Unfortunately for us, a Butler win grants us $400. The unfortunate part is they are playing Duke. Not sure if they have it in them. I suppose we'll find out soon enough. More to come...

April Fools

Alright, so I know I don't have any April trickery up my sleeve, but stay with me on this one. In light of lots and lots of things happening in and around my life I realize I have been letting my blog entries slip through the cracks. Argh! No more, no more. I have revamped my commitment to offer up (moderately) quality insights into the life and times of a 20-something post-grad living in the digital age. That being said, it feels as if my life is right on the precipice of a major shift that will eventually take me out of my parent's house and on to greater and grander things. For one, this coming (Easter) Sunday will mark the last of my handbell performances with the Wesley Ringers handbell choir, to which I have been indebted for the last 6 months or so. The large gap left in my schedule will be filled with packing and sorting my life into compartments that can be moved about the west coast. Liberation through mobility! I mean, it worked for Kerouac, right?

The next stage of my journey occurs two weeks (14 days!) from today when I shall spring forth from Nevada County and hop on a jet plane up to Seattle to visit the oh-so-lurvely Moorea Ashley Seal in her natural habitat (or at least her adopted habitat). There are kayaking and symphony plans intermixed with Moroccan foods and other such endeavors. Very exciting stuff.

Upon my departure from Seattle I will have a few days to pack my things and head into the woods near Yosemite where I will be setting up camp in the shanty-town of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp. Last summer brought months of exploring in the woods, growing close with a group of phenomenal people and pushing myself in ways I had not previously considered (for example, reading bed time stories to children). Hopefully the coming spring, summer and part of fall will bring with it a further exploration of myself and help me to grow into the parts of my being that I feel are missing from my life here in Grass Valley. One can only hope...

On a less dramatic note, I am also excited to taste test my new kombucha batch that has been growing on top of my fridge for the last few weeks. I fostered the scobi from a bottle and the first batch proved to be quite weak. With any luck, as the culture has grown significantly larger it will yield a much more suitable drink. More on my slimy little buddies (with pictures!) soon to come.

While you're waiting, you may as well pop over to my flickr where I have uploaded a few batches of photos found lying around my collection from the last couple of years. There are some photos from Nisene Marks in Santa Cruz, some from the Outside Lands festival this last summer in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco as well as a few choice snapshots from my New Year's Eve extravaganza. All things good, all things good.

If that doesn't do it for you, I feel obligated to share the following with you all since it is just about the funniest and most heartbreaking thing I have seen as of late. Until next time, please do enjoy:

Home Grown

Greetings all...

Well, it appears I can no longer hide from the Spring (although at current there are heavy-looking clouds moving in over the tree line). All yesterday the sun was shining and Nevada County was full of good tempers. Sitting outside Flour Garden I encountered a pair of 8-week old Great Pyrenees puppies that looked like squirmy, wriggling teddy bears. I would seriously have considered buying one except for the fact that in just under three weeks I am going to be beginning my trek up to the great Pacific Northwest and then down into the woods of the Stanislaus National Forest to begin my summer job at Berkeley Tuolumne Camp. In light of my quickly approaching departure, I wanted to focus this post on some things that are home grown and share a few shiny objects around the house.

First, we have a little beauty I discovered last night in town. I think I have found my new favorite way of bringing in the spring with Lagunitas Brewing Co.'s "Wilco Tango Foxtrot" Ale. This spring ale is, just as described, hearty, malty and smooth with a chocolaty finish. Although the brewers deny a link between the beer and Jeff Tweedy's mellow rock band, they both derive their names from short wave radio lingo (as evidenced by the band's classic album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot") and the recording from which the name comes from. The beer packs a pretty solid punch at 7.3% alc. by vol., and weighing in at nearly 1.5 pints, each bottle will is enough to have you singing in the streets (or on the disc golf course, as the case may be). I suppose this is why they subtitle it a "jobless recovery ale". While researching this beer I uncovered what is perhaps the best piece of Lagunitas drinking advice I have yet discovered. Each beer comes with a unique story/explanation printed sideways on the sides of the label. Thanks to Pitchfork for suggesting we empty the contents of the bottle before trying to read its label! For more on Wilco-related things, go here!

Well, time is running short so I will leave you with some photos sans descriptions. I'll let your imagination do the work on these trinkets I found around the house. Enjoy the Springtime weather!

The Sun is Shining, Birds are Chirping...

... dirty men with dirty dreads and dirtier dogs are walking around outside my window. Alright, there are other people walking up and down the street too, but these fellers are the most noticeable. Other noticeable things? The sun for one, which has been making its presence known in authoritative fashion the last several days. I have been sporting shorts for the first time in 2010 the last three days and am hoping a trip to the Yuba might be in order before the week is out. All around town dogwood trees are in bloom, daffodils on the sides of the highway are flowering and people are dressed in Spring dresses, t-shirts, sandals and the likes. While waiting here, watching as life passes to and fro in front of the cafe window I have started wondering whether it is some instinctual change occurring in us all leading us to shed our extra clothes and brave the still lingering winter breezes. Or, could it be that it is our defiance of the truth of the season and our insistence to rock the shorter sleeves that instills in our minds that the Spring is indeed here. Either way, I suppose the call to the outdoors is too great for me. I have been sitting behind this computer screen for too long and the time has come for me to head out into the world. I hope wherever you are you have a chance to enjoy the weather, one way or another. Take a walk and smell a flour, yeah?

Happy St. Pa(r)tty's Day

To all of you and yours from me and mine, Happy St. Patty's Day - just one of the days each year where I pretend that the true origin of my name (McDaniel) is Ireland. It just sounds so much cooler than having to tell people "Well, my great grandfather was Hungarian ..." I suppose it is a technicality. Regardless, enjoy your green things today - hope your mouths don't turn green from all the excess food coloring!

The reason I decided to grace you with my literary presence this morning is a post I found on the failbook relating to a struggle I continually find myself, er, struggling with. Please enjoy:

Happy (Belated) Pie Day!

Hello and greetings, friends. First and foremost I would like to extend a warm and heartfelt Happy Pie Day to you all! I know, 3/14 was in fact yesterday, but seeing as the circumstances of my schedule didn't much allow time to blog, I figured delaying the post a day wouldn't hurt anybody too much. Mid-March this year in Grass Valley has brought with it some serious sun and I now find myself sitting and roasting away at a coffee shop as the sun pours through the large storefront windows. Life is good in the warmth! Other news: new glasses came in today, hereby marking my transition from wire-rimmed skinnies into some thick(er) framed and ultimately more stylish specs.

Also, made an appointment with our local Arthroscopic surgeon to check out my left menial meniscus, which I think has a good chance of being torn. Apparently the surgery isn't that big of a deal so I am not too worried. I might even get ice cream out of the deal!

In music-related news, the two CDs in rotation in my car stereo are the Mumford and Sons album and the James Mercer/DJ Danger Mouse collaboration Broken Bells. Sounds a lot like the Shins with a distinct electro-funk reminiscent of the Gorillaz. I would defin

itely recommend checking it out, if the fact that James Mercer is involved is not enough. The most exciting thing, for me at least, about this project is that Broken Bells' touring ensemble includes two Nevada County natives, one of which is responsible for the majority of my devotion to Nevada City's music scene. Dan Elkan, singer/guitarist for Pocket for Corduroy, Hella, Them Hills, et al was tapped by Mercer to strum and sing backup and can be seen in this video of the band performing on Letterman's Late Show. He's the feller behind and to Mercer's right. I always get excited when musicians get big breaks and can make a living doing something that they love. I hope it all works out for you, Dan.

In other news, I am now shopping for a flash to be used in conjunction with my Canon 40D for general illumination purposes and to have the ability to conduct a moderately professional portraiture set-up if need be. This comes following a commission by a friend to do some promotional photography for her dance studio. The initial date had to be postponed due to snow but hopefully the shoot will commence in the next couple of weeks, new flash included! I am leaning towards the Canon Speedlite 270EX, feeling that the higher models slightly exceed my comfortable price-range to necessity ratio. The 270EX seems like a good compromise between affordability and quality and will hopefully serve me well. If anybody has thoughts/feelings on this matter, please, I am looking for guidance.

This morning I had coffee with Christopher Seal, rector of Trinity Church in Nevada City and, coincidentally, my girlfriend's father. We always have good conversations and he

encouragement and assurance that the place I am at in my life right now is completely acceptable and normal for a 23-year-old is welcomed and generally leaves me feeling quite content in my endeavors. As per usual, I am now feeling at ease with myself and my surroundings. The unfortunate side-effect of these meetings is that, almost without fail, Christopher gives me some new book or piece of literature effectively adding the the massive pile of a reading list cluttering my desk. Alas, the perils of a literature student! I suppose I should probably spend some time on them

there books rather than typing away or hunting for a new camera gadget. Other options: take a walk by the river. The whether's lovely. That being said, I'll now sign off. Hope wherever you are the sun is shining, or at least the day is going swimmingly. Until next time...

The Bay

Hello and greetings, friends. Hope this finds you warm and cozy, or at least more so than here in snowy Nevada City where, against all odds, a woman just walked into my coffee shop in shorts. Strange. As I have been waiting here, pondering a blog post and some chicken salad on toast I started thinking about a sweet girl I know who came to visit for the last few days and who I drove back to SFO for a late night flight back to Seattle. It's funny how driving long distances in darkened hours tends to let the mind wander. I noticed how I tend to play different music depending on whether I drive in the day or night and that music affects me differently. Ah yes, basic observations of human emotion I make!

Anyways, as I was about to call this girl and tell her about how much I was going to miss her, I reached up to flip up the passenger side visor that she continually flipped down (annoying because it always messes up the rear view mirror). By flipping up the visor I of course knocked the mirror out of place so I was looking back at my own reflection. When I reached up to adjust the sight line to something more useful, the entire mirror fell off my windshield and there I was driving through Berkeley with hindsight held in my right hand. I am not sure what this all means, but I felt it was quite poignant considering the context of my trip to the Bay. The first verse of my favorite Mumford and Sons song kept running through my head:

As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts

Oh the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms
Was it love or fear of the cold that led us through the night?
For every kiss your beauty trumped my doubt

When I got back to Nevada County it was snowing and I made my way back to my bed through a flurry of heavy flakes. This morning I awoke to a sunny world covered in a fresh white snow. If only the cold would bring a certain someone back into my arms...

Peoplated Dials

So, apologies for the absence. It has been a few days since I last updated ye olde blog and much has happened. For one, I have vowed to write more interesting and important things. Three cheers for relevance! Alright, so that being the case, I have a new band (well, I suppose they're not all that new - in fact, you all have probably heard of them already, but still...). None other than London's own Mumford and Sons. They made their network television debut on Letterman last week (can be seen here) and then hopped over to the west coast for Craig Ferguson (visible here). If the case may be that you haven't heard of them yet, watch and learn, watch and learn and love. Anyways, it's a rainy day here in Nevada City and I have some glasses to choose and a lovely girl to find. Hope the day is lovely where you are and you enjoy the sweet tunes.

Oh Mercy Me

Tonight, as the Black Eyed Peas once said, is going to be a good night. (The royal) We are celebrating the birthday of a good friend at Cooper's in Nevada City where Burning Man's own Camp Wannaburn will be in attendance and, if all goes according to plan, golden. The festivities, however, will be undertaken with an asterisk because in the back of my mind I will have the knowledge of a 7AM wake up call in my ever-drawing-closer future. Alas, all such fun is had at the expense of some setbacks and sacrifices to one's personal comfort.

The reason for the 7AM wakeup? Bells! I hear the bells, not in the Mike Doughty sense (although that too). In my leisure time I have chosen (or rather was implored) to play with the Grass Valley Methodist Church's own Wesley Ringers - a handbell choir directed by my mom's good friend. Therefore, tomorrow morning at 8AM I am going to be ringing in praise to the Lord (I think). Should be fun. Either way, the early birds shall be rewarded by (semi) sweet tunes. Let's hope I have the constitution and poise to ring in quietness and confidence...

Flavors!

Hey all,

Just spent the last couple hours plugging away at the code for a new digital toy I have found (well, actually, recommended to me by my good friend Mr. Bonbonelan). Check it out and, if you feel like burning a few hours making yet another possibly useless internet footprint, make yourself a flavor!

-Max

Gravity

This is going to be a short one...

A few things (in list form, for you-know-who-you-are):

1) Day at work, etc. Nothing special except for a text from a friend who would like me to do some photography for promotional material for her dance show. Meeting tomorrow. Very exciting to finally do some quazi-professional photographing. Should be good stuff.

2) Tomorrow marks the one week countdown until a certain special somebody hops on a jet plane and makes the trek down south for a few days away from the gloom of Seattle in the gloom of Grass Valley/Nevada City.

3) Purchased a copy of Dune for $3 and plan on finally reading it so I can figure out what the hell everybody is talking about (mainly my good friend @bonbonelan for all of you Tweeples)

4) Snow Patrol is such a legitimate band whose first few albums really notched them highly in my nostalgic all-time list. If you haven't heard albums 1-3 do check them out (and don't pay too much mind to anything after Final Straw).

Happy trails~

Observations on a Monday Afternoon: What Surrounds You?

Greetings all on a day I have to think is reserved for pacific coasts. I feel like I should be in Santa Cruz with the wispy clouds carrying across the sky, propelled by chilly breezes to accentuate the sun, bold and warm up above. A halo of evergreens encapsulates the parking lot filled with cars washed clean by weeks of rain. Some few bare trees climb up from concrete planters garnished with pansies - gold, blue, purple, maroon, white - that have all seen better days. Next to the cafe door stands an ash tray where cigarette butts stand in front of their reflection, brown against the white of the "no smoking" sign. Next to the ash tray, a planter box where a week before two parents neglected to notice their children tearing apart the daisies. Birds - small black indistinct ones that probably have a name no one seems to know - they provide a soundtrack drowning out conversations from neighboring patio tables. These conversations undertaken by people who seem unwilling to look each other in the eye, distracted by cell phones and coffee cups and glances into the blinding reflection of the sun off cars in the parking lot.

Here is an ebb and a flow of humanity as those passing by cross paths with those just lingering. Mothers who drag their children en route to the CVS are forced to negotiate a herd of cafe patrons, gently strolling in front of the store either chatting on cell phones or sipping some beverage out of a monotonous ceramic mug. The passersby seem not to notice as one or two casual newspaper readers glance up with an intrigued look in their eyes. They are bearing witness to the human experience - perhaps one they have had themselves or, if not, one that they can easily formulate and play in their minds. "This is parenthood" they tell themselves. And for me, it could be what is to come. Or, it could be a warning, a point for consideration. Anything, I suppose, can happen when observing the human condition on a sunny winter day.

Softly, Slowly on a Sunday

It was a gentle morning in cloudy Grass Valley, CA and I woke to a potato scramble on the stove and the Cavs on the tele. Oh, the perks of living with one's parents! Unfortunately, the Cavs lost, but the scramble was good. I'll cut my losses. Today is a working day at the Flour Garden Bakery where the early afternoon has been steady but not overwhelmingly busy. I made the executive decision to put on my iPod instead of submitting to the powers of satellite radio - a solid decision. Iron and Wine is on loop and it seems to have brought with it a sense of subtle tranquility no doubt aided by the muted light radiating through the heavy clouds. Some slight sprinkles in the morning have given way to some gorgeous, fluffy cumulus clouds that hint at blue sky and sunshine behind. Perhaps a good day to be bustling around a cafe...

As I am munching a snack of chicken salad sandwich, cream of asparagus soup and an iced americano (something I would definitely recommend to a coffee fan interested in diversifying the palate), I am thinking about the amount of plastic I use every day - especially those that I am at work. The sandwich was shipped from out bakery location to the store in a plastic storage container to minimize soggyness, the soup was earlier packed in a plastic container to freeze and the drink I made in a plastic to-go container. If this is just one meal had by one customer, consider multiplying that by 300 (representing how many customers order coffee/food to-go each day at Flour Garden). The numbers are staggering. I feel like as a culture we are letting our guard down against unnecessary waste in the guise of convenience. It really wouldn't be that much harder for us to serve sandwiches on reusable plates and only offer up packages for customers to take things on the road. Alas, I am just one voice in the stream of a culture of convenience. New goal: one time each day I will opt against using a plastic container, or a bag to go. If 10 of us made this goal, that is 70 containers every week that we would save. Think about it and ask your friends to do the same perhaps. Maybe it really is the small things that make all the difference...

Musings on a Friday

Greetings friends. I am not sure if this is being felt by anybody else, but the last three days have been fully strange in the little, bitsy realm I call my life. Perhaps it is the cosmic energy shift created by 1,000,000,000+ Catholics repenting on Wednesday, or maybe left over energy from the new moon? Regardless, the last few days have had an inexplicably aggressive tone to them, leading myself and some of my acquaintances to ask "huh?" Well, I hope wherever you are, you haven't been feeling the same bad joojoo I have. Anyways, it's Friday, snow should be falling in the mountains and life could certainly be much, much worse.

Today the espresso machine at the Starbucks next door to my coffee shop broke, leading a slew of under-caffeinated and bitter customers through our door. Good for business, bad for morale. As I was helping the helpless, who for the most part lacked the basic communication skills necessary to order coffee beverages in a language other than Starbucks jargon (don't even get me started on a sizing system where the smallest size is "tall"), I began to think about what it was that I truly despised about these people. They were coming into my store, regardless of their motive, and spending their money to help fund my paycheck and support a local business, even if it was just the once. The fact that they were only equipped with the vocabulary sold to them by a corporation's brilliant marketing campaign is not entirely their fault - do we not all submit to some form of consumerist propaganda or another? I, for one, am a complete sucker for GAP jeans. But the part I found to be the most fascinating is that while under a normal coffee rush where customers are often bitter after having to wait 10-15 minutes in line before we can help them, these Starbuckians seemed as if nothing at all was out of the ordinary about waiting in line for so long just to buy a cup of coffee. My assessment of the situation is that they are, for the most part, so used to waiting in line next door that it just makes sense to them that they wait and wait and wait for us counter staff to fulfill the little nitpicky requests of everyone in front of them. These people had been conditioned to wait patiently for their daily caffeine dispense and, opposed to our usual customers who have questions about the gluten-free flours we use and random inquiries about the dairy content of our asparagus soup, the Starbuckians walked up with cash in hand, ordered their drinks and then stood aside so the next customer could get their fix. It was strange. I felt almost culture shocked by their presence and awkwardly alright with their upfront approach to the business of getting coffee. I'm not saying that I would advocate the bastardization of European coffee culture that Starbucks represents, but I suppose my skin isn't crawling quite as much as I'd expected by the end of the day. I'm not sure what it all means, but that having been said, I would just like to remind you all that true friends don't let friends drink Starbucks.

For those of you interested in the fight against Starbucks and often find yourselves on the road (particularly if you have one o' them confangled iFone thingys), here is a really cool website that "delocates" you to an independently owned alternative based on zip codes. Pretty cool...

Tomorrow I brave the ice and wind and snow and pocketbook to head up the mountain for some Squaw Valley snowsporting. It should be a beautiful day with some ice in the AM, sunny skies and a bit of Olympic spirit as we bring in the 50th anniversary of Squaw's 1960 Winter Olympic Games. Excitement. (See Also: My first time snowboarding Squaw)... More to come.

Valentine's Day

First and foremost, Happy Valentine's Day to all of you lovebirds out there. To all of you hopeless singles, Happy Anna Howard Shaw Day! For anybody keeping track at home, Anna Howard Shaw was a bigwig in the women's suffrage scene in the early 20th century. I'm personally spending the day at work where things have been slow, despite the sunny weather and last minute shoppers looking for sweets. Often have I wondered how it is that I am here, but at the same time unable to produce anything that would be better for me to be doing. Alas, dreams of Seattle. I think when I get home I'm going to rock the fedora my valentine was lovely enough to send me and drink a toast to all of those kind and gentle people who are either without a loved one or disconnected from theirs on this torturous day of days. As one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite songs performed by one of my favorite bands goes, "All the wine is all for me" ...

On a related note, The National are going to be coming to Oakland's Fox Theatre on May 27th. I am thinking it is going to be a good idea to buy a ticket or three, take a day off camp in Yosemite and cruz on over to the bay to check things out and make sure the BTC crew has full and equal representation. Is there anybody with me?! It promises to be a night worth experiencing. For anybody requiring more information, just look at this picture and just you try and tell me you don't want to be a witness. I've heard rumors that the entire tour is going to be in black and white. Alright, I ramble. Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day and are rearranging your schedules to come play in Oakland on May 27th. Until then ...

U.S.Eh?

So apparently I sometimes cry while watch the Olympics...

I learned this little fun fact this evening while watching the men's short-track speed skating and women's mogul skiing finals with my Ma and Pa. I can't really explain why it was but the tension and emotion present in both of those events was so overpowering that I couldn't stop tears from welling up in my eyes. I think it is a mixture of the overwhelming joy expressed by the winners and the crushing defeat-ridden faces of those who came so close to medaling, but were forced to gather their dignity and congratulate the athletes that bested them.

In order to make up for this unbridled display of emotion I am going to have to go do something really manly. Maybe I'll go jump off of something high, or do a bunch of pull-ups ... either way, I'm going to be in for a long two weeks of Olympics. I'd better get the Kleenex ready...

Snow Day

Several things happened today that I feel inclined to tell the internets about. The first is that I managed to drag myself out of bed at a reasonable hour this morning (9:30) and drive up the "hill" to Sugar Bowl for a day on the slopes. This is a good thing since I spent valuable moneys on a pass that I need to use a few more times to make it worth its money. I'll be damned if I waste my $25 by not buying enough discounted $60 lift-tickets to allow the pass to pay for itself! Luckily, unlike the last time I tried to go play in the snow, the weather this afternoon was quite agreeable and the snow was good. Around 3:30 some fog descended and made things a bit touch-and-go so I bailed off the mountain just in time to dodge the rain. I'd say I played my hand quite well today.

The second lovely thing that happened today came in the form of a package from my dear sweet and lovely girlfriend in Seattle containing some personalized Hershey's kisses, a box of Hot Tamales and a frickin fedora. Allow me to repeat myself. FEDORA! Seriously amazing and wonderful this one is - the girlfriend not the fedora, although that is quite lovely as well. I am now sitting stuffing chocolate into my face and listening to the Dntel station on Pandora radio (I would absolutely recommend you and your loved ones check this out), basking in the glow of a day spent on slopes and thinking of those who care a lot about me. I hope that they know just how much I care about them in return. Happy almost-Valentine's Day, yall. Enjoy the night...

-M

Opening Words

So, opening words ...

Scotch and electronic music. I have been craving it (the electronic music) since this evening when I closed shop at the bakery I work at (Flour Garden, to all of you Nevada County friendlies out there) and we tried to listen to Justice's "Genesis" to a lackluster display of bass and heart by our aging speaker system. Needless to say, the experience was disappointing.

...

Ok, so a quick aside: is it just me, or are there other people out there in the world that have tremendous difficulty spelling the word "disappointing"? Ironic, don't you think?

...

Alright, so where were we? Oh, right, the scotch... During the holidays, a time many agree is in much need of *hrm* remedying with such engagements as drinking heavily, my parents stumbled upon a great bargain on some Glenlivet - 2 for $30 or some such nonsense - and proceeded to buy several. With the winter being a somewhat long and family-filled one, somewhat needless to say, our final bottle is on its last legs. Seeing as my parents seem to drink the stuff like they paid for it (psh, I know!), I figured I'd treat myself to a bottle of something special to savor and enjoy for a while. I'm contemplating a nice Highland Park 12yr, or perhaps a good Glenfiddich. Any thoughts? Yes, I know, asking questions to the dark expanses of the interwebs has its setbacks (mainly a lack of answer), but sometimes the solitary voice of one is enlightening. Along this train of thought, let me share with you (all ... or one, whoever) a few words from a man who I consider my favorite poet. Gary Snyder wrote in his Cold Mountain Poems:

Once at Cold Mountain, troubles cease--

No more tangled, hung-up mind,

I idly scribble poems on the rock cliffs,

Taking whatever comes, like a drifting boat.

I often find myself returning to these poems because they inspire in me a sense of contentment, yet enthusiasm for what comes next. Gary always has a tone as if he is holding some sort of secret, but not a form of information. What he wields is something that transcends what we can "know," something that only really exists how we can experience. It seems that these days I am somewhat lacking in the experiencing phase of life, living mainly in the hour-to-hour life of working and sleeping and filling the time in between mindlessly. Perhaps it would behoove me to make a goal of doing at least one thing every day that challenges me to experience something I have either never done before, or do not know the outcome of. The lovely lady in my life would be ever so proud of me if I made a list at this point, so here it goes.

Goals for tomorrow:

1. Wake up - this will be unhurried
2. Drink coffee - this will be delicious
3. Do Yoga - this will be painful
4. Do something that I have never done before - this will be fulfilling
5. Carry on - this will be business as usual

Alright, well, that's it for me for tonight. Hope wherever you are, whoever you are, you are having a lovely evening/morning and this finds you in good health and high spirits. Check back in again soon for updates on how my day is gone and what's new in the world as far as I see it.

All the best,

M

Also, enjoy this: