Facebook is diverting my creativity

As I spend time on FB it diverts attention from other creative elements. It is oh so interesting to check into the antics of my friends all over the globe but the pastime often robs energy from other endeavors.
Daily employment is enough of a drain and now this private contact medium that is so ever present draws me in. Like an Heroin addict I ask myself how did this happen to me.
What I hope to eventually is follow a path to a computer free day, a Facebook Sabbath if you will freeing me from obligatory visits to Farmville, birthday reminders recent posts & event invitations.
By the way check out the recent photos I just uplaoded to my FB page they are bringing in the comments.

Hightime for Art

Dabbling on the edge of painting I spent the week with an artist who has taught me a great deal about acrylics. My talent in this area is limited but watching a master paint can still inspire an adult with toddler skills to pick up a brush.
During a rainy Northern California week we celebrated our collective birthdays touring the sights, partaking in the fruits of this land and transforming a bare wood cabinet into a painting we call "Thunder Road".
I am most proud of the way it hangs in the kitchen holding our stemmed glasses and canned goods.

Legion Of Honor SF

As a recent transplant to the West Coast I am constantly making new discoveries, most of them pleasant.

A museum that I have never heard of is the Legion Of Honor http://www.famsf.org/legion/.

A magnificent building itself houses these great works of art. A fit setting for this collection of major masters. The permanent artists include well known sculptors including Rodin. Most everyone knows the Thinker. But what about a silver Hercules battling a six headed dragon? They are all there.

There is always a temporary exhibition, currently we see Cartier Jewelers. Prior to that Egyptian Art and Mummies filled the massive granite hall.\

It is located on cliffs overlooking the Bay with a great view of Bridge Golden Gate Bridge.

Twenty bucks will get you in and you can always become a member. It might be worth it depending on how often you go.

There are also nice hiking trails all around, eventually taking one to Lands End.

Years End on the west coast....

As the days click down to the end of the decade we will no doubt be exposed to the medias projection of the last decade. We will also be seeing our own personal experience of the last ten years reflect in minds.

My vision of time passing has taught me many lessons. At the moment the key word for me is flexibility. Important for both our bodies and minds. This conceptual framework has enabled me to adapt to the many changes that I have gone through.

I remember a quote from an old J.Geils Song "It's not what we been through but how we been through it"

My wish is for peace.

Happy Halloween

Location. Oakland CA.

Hard for an East Coaster to get used to front porches with pumpkins, cactus and purple flowers.
I remember so many New England Halloweens where the cold rain poured down on the costumes but not dampening the spirit. Not much chance of that happening here.

Don't forget to fall back on Sunday though, wherever you are.

Old Photos

People accumulate possessions. Many of them are touchstones from important periods of their lives. Life is not infinite and people pass on. These mementos move on down to the next generation.

When my Father died I took over some his personal memorabilia collection. He kept his Military photos in Khaki cloth covered notebook sealed with a brass buckle-the notebook appears to be US Army issued.

He never shared them with me while alive but in his death they became a part of my memory of him.

The poses show soldiers relaxing listening to a phonograph played on a victrola and enjoying the bonds that brought them close. A brotherhood that no doubt motivated slaughter to defend each other.

I keep those yellowing pieces of paper in a safe place and scanned to the hard drive.

They inspire perspectives in both general and personal history

ARIZMENDI BAKERY

Those of you who really know me are aware that I have been a Bakery Boy my whole life.
In my past in NYC I had friendly relationships with smiling bakery ladies. One whom regularly opened the bakery door early just for me, allowing me to choose my own Black & White put it in a bag and leaving the exact change on the counter. They always seemed to have a special smile for me recognizing my extreme zeal for the products they sold.
In my new California neighborhood there is this unique bakery that sells a more wholesome product but nonetheless has drawn my regular attention. Although the don't carry the frosted delights of my youth some of the scones, muffins and "chocolate things" produced there have now made me a regular.
The worker/owners don't yet recognize me and they don't carry the look of the NY pastry ladies who all reminded me of my Mother but the bakery does make a nice breakfast. Arizmendi for the time being has become my go to place making my Saturday morning hunt for something to make my weekend special the place to be.

ART

Inspiration is revealed by observation, emotion and action. I can feel inspired by something and sometimes the thought will pass like sand through the fingers. The act of utilizing that thought to create art is long lasting.

The cigar box top is inspired by leaving Petticoat Hill for a new life in California. The cigar box was forever in our chicken coop. A receptacle neighbors threw money in to pay for the eggs. It was with for over a decade.

I toasted the edges in an open fire and let it cool. I then coated it multiple times with varnish until it had an ashy yet shiny veneer. Finishing it off I posted it to an Oak board as a frame applying even more coats of glossy varnish.

The result is what you see. For me a reminder of times passed.

Point Isabel

There is a paradise for dogs and their owners at this Park in Costa Contra County in Northern California. http://www.ebparks.org/parks/pt_isabel
It has every conceivable feature that makes a dog park great. Extensive clear trails, grassy meadows, rocky cliffs, breath taking vistas and the San Francisco Bay.
The dogs can run free, swim and cavort with a multitude of friendly canines. It appears big dogs and little pooches equally enjoy this fantastic place.
There is a the snack shop serves delicious coffee and there is even a shop that has stations in it so you can give your pet a nice hot soapy bath. They even supply the towels.
I have encountered some places where no matter what mood you are in the place puts a smile on your face. Point Isabel CA is one of them.
Do you know of a place that does the same for you? Let me know.

WORK

We spend most of our waking lives at work–in occupations often chosen by our unthinking younger selves. And yet we rarely ask ourselves how we got there or what our occupations mean to us.

I have been thinking do we choose our careers or do they in some way choose us.

How are lives are shaped by our jobs is incredible. Many of our social circles revolve around our careers. Interests, readings, classes all may entail stuff we do for our job.

Most of us have moved into their current profession when we were young, not realizing that now years later how enmeshed we are. Sometimes climbing up the ladder other times languishing at the same desk for years.

How many of us have thought if I had to it all over again I would do it differently?

How many would say I would do it exactly the same?

Back to the East Coast, but just for the weekend

It was a special occasion that drove us from our new digs on the western shores of America back to New England. Graduation of someone we deeply love and are devoted too. Not much else would have gotten us back at this time.
Ceremonies with pomp and circumstances are what is expected and this graduation was no exception.
Speeches, bagpipes, processionals with lavish dinners led the way from being a student living on a verdant green campus to an unfamiliar vague status, that has yet to be defined.
This emotional turnover will be realized over the summer and hopefully the transformational energy will blossom onto a new stage of life.
The road ahead lies with promise and happy trails.
Congratulations Class of 2009.

Meteorologist required here. Experience necessary.

Weather on the west coast makes me confused. After living in New England as long as I did I knew that when hot weather is about to change to cooler temps most of the time the cold front is preceeded by a storm. Sometimes these storms accompanied by thunder and lightening are so powerfully violent the house shakes. That is not the case on the left coast.
After just experiencing an unusual few days of 90 degree temps cold air just blew in with a strong gusts, dramatically dropping 30 degrees in 24 hours. No rain no nuthin. Strange to me how this occurs but one of the many wonderous new natural phenomena that I am observing.

As for the house shaking here in the Bay Area that is something I have not yet felt and not really looking forward to. In fact thinking about that can keep me awake at night.

Photo show as metaphor.

http://share.shutterfly.com/view/flashShareSlideshow.jsp?sid=8AYsm7hy1bslEmw

More than a cookie?

This week we had the opporunity to introduce to my new west coast friends the famous Black & White. I had no idea how this NYC staple was so rare in this part of the country. Some people have never heard of them, few had seen them referenced on "Seinfeld", others thought that they were found only in Italian bakeries. Most importantly the vast majority had never tasted one.
This was their big chance then. They were consumed with gusto by these B&W virgins. Some eating the vanilla first, others the chocolate and others switching back and forth. A projective personality test meaning something with the results being anecdotal at best.

The cookie itself also lends itself to a variety of conversations about race relations. It is interesting that when a Black & White is found in Europe it is called an American Cookie or Amerikaner.

As for me after frosting about two dozen, I found that less fun than I thought. By the way the vanilla is frosted first because, the vanilla can be more easily converted to chocolate. Impossible the the other way around.

I had the remote fantasy of opening a little speciality bakery offering the signature Black & White here in the bay area but after making two dozen I think I changed my mind.

RELOCATION

Getting down to it. Having to decide about roots. The whole process comes around too quick but we have reached an inevitable crossroad.

We have a chosen a house with issues and controversy.
Not an abode that is beyond repair, but one with takes on some risk and requiring of hard work .
I am used to being busy around the farm so I will be grateful to once again be tending to a home. Making a place that an inspector reported suffered from ten years of neglect, once again sparkle and shine.

There are some key structural issues requiring more examination, evaluation, negotiation & resolution.

Hopefully no party will dig in their heels, making the reality impossible. The goal for me is to make this house our happy home in the city.

Yes Oakland...

A friend of mine was talking via email about SF/Oakland and some of the comparisons between the two sister cities. I thought about it for awhile and then came up with the following observation. After I sent it to him he suggested I blog it. Thanks Lenny for the idea. Sometimes you need old friends to inspire.

Both cities are heavily Asian influenced, both have great restaurants.
SF has the Giant’s, Oakland has the “A’s”.
SF has great museums and Golden Gate Park.
Oakland has some cool hiking trails that go on forever and you can let your dog run off leash but you have to watch out for the deer and the cougars.
SF has better night life but Oakland has the Oracle Arena and Raider stadium.
The hills in Oakland are on the outskirts of town while the hills in SF run through the city and make it a challenge to walk around.
Oakland may have more crime but there are parts of SF that are not too close behind.
The weather in Oakland is far superior, with less fog.
The home prices in both cities are dropping fast.
Oakland has more Soul.
Alameda is an island oasis between the two with cute Victorian houses and great shopping, good schools and home values that are surprisingly holding their own.
That is my quick read on it.

The Times They are a changin

Recently I have thought about Barack Obama and how his election and upcoming inauguration as President has made patriotism an in thing, the new trend. This is the strongest surge of feeling American pride that I have witnessed in a long time. When you see this happening it makes one feel that there is something positive happening in our country and "we shall overcome" whatever problems we are currently facing. I was talking to a friend back in Brooklyn who has been keenly involved in this campaign about this observation. Shortly therafter this article by politiical columnist Robert Creamer made its way to my inbox.
He elaborates and elaborates but it is a good read.

Happy Inaugauration day everybody!

Political organizer and strategist: Robert Creamer
January 19, 2009

It just doesn't square with the right wing narrative. They painted Barack Obama as an unpatriotic, "terrorist sympathizing" candidate whose values are foreign to the American way of life. How could it be that his ascendance to the presidency should be the occasion for the new patriotic spirit sweeping America?
Yesterday on the mall in Washington hundreds of thousands belted out "This Land is Your Land" led by 90-year-old labor activist and folk singer Pete Seeger who was blacklisted in the 50s. The eyes of white middle aged working guys moistened as they listened to a black children's choir sing "America the Beautiful". And throughout the crowd -- even among the aging 60s activists who had struggled against the Vietnam War -- there was a genuine, deep admiration for the men and women who risk it all every day in our armed forces.
And it's not just in Washington. As unlikely as it might seem to the right, the election of Barack Hussein Obama has caused an intense feeling of patriotism to well up across the country. I think there are four reasons why:
First and foremost, Obama and his call to service -- to commitment -- has touched our most fundamental self interest -- our desire for meaning. Obama understands that to have a real sense of significance, you have to have a commitment to something outside of yourself. You have to be willing to sacrifice. The right wing's belief that if every one simply pursues their own individual interest the "invisible hand" will assure that the public interest is served doesn't work in practice -- a lesson delivered graphically by the 2008 crash of Wall Street. But more important, it doesn't address our overwhelming need to live lives that mean something.
Eight years ago, my wife, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, decided that -- as painful as it was -- she should attend the swearing in of George W. Bush. I accompanied her and sat with the other Congressional spouses. Most of the spouses that year were Republicans women who were decked out in diamonds and furs. Bush's speech was pretty unremarkable, with few applause lines - at least until he called for tax cuts. With that the fur bedecked spouse section leapt to its feet and gave the new president a standing ovation. How far we had come from "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
The last eight years have demonstrated that true patriotism isn't about xenophobia. It isn't about "where's mine". It isn't about Bush's call on everyone to "go shop" after September 11. Patriotism is about commitment to other people - and willingness to sacrifice for the common good. And that's why President Elect Obama chose to commemorate Martin Luther King Day- his last day before taking the oath - by calling on Americans to participate in a day of service.
Second, Obama -- his campaign and his transition - have been unequivocal in their willingness to hold up and unapologetically celebrate the principles that lie at the heart of traditional progressive American values: unity not division; hope and optimism not fear and cynicism; tolerance not prejudice; that it's the right thing to help your neighbor not just yourself; that we're all in this together -- not all in this alone.
They have refused to allow the right wing to claim the symbols of America for their nationalistic, exclusionary vision of "patriotism". Instead Obama has reattached those symbols to the traditional progressive values that have always defined what is best in America. In his new book, The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be, political strategist and author Mike Lux documents that tradition and challenges us all to be part of creating its next chapter.
Third, the new patriotism results from relief. Americans are relieved that they once again can be proud of the way their government acts in the world. Obama has pledged unequivocally to end torture, secret prisons, the practice of capturing people on the streets of foreign nations to "rendition" them (or disappear them) to other countries. He has pledged to end the Neo-Con doctrines of unilateralism and pre-emptive war. In other words he has pledge to return America to its standing as a moral leader in the world -- a country that holds fast to the principles of human rights - a country that understands that if our children are to be prosperous and free, the children of every nation must have that opportunity as well. Americans are relieved that in our dealings with the world, we have returned to the progressive principles elaborated by John Kennedy in his inaugural address 48 years ago:
Now the trumpet summons us again -- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" -- a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
Finally, the election of Obama makes us proud of ourselves. We are proud that we have elected the first African American president. We are proud that from the all-white "Norman Rockwell" communities of Iowa; to the roadside bar with "Rednecks for Obama" on the marquee; to the suburbs of Philadelphia -- our fellow Americans have been willing to put centuries of prejudice behind them. And we are proud that we have reaffirmed America's founding principle: that we are a society that truly believes that all human beings are created equal; that America truly is a society where every child, of whatever background, can aspire to be President of the United States -- or anything else he or she wants to be.
Tomorrow will be a day that Americans will remember for years to come. It will be a day when most Americans -- whatever their partisan bent -- will feel particularly good about our country. But it will also be a day when people around the globe look at America differently than they did the day before. And they too will be inspired that everyday Americans mobilized successfully to take our country back -- that America did not fail them. The world will celebrate that we chose to chart a future governed by the American principles that they have long admired -- not the arrogance and selfishness they had come to loath.
So tomorrow the celebration will not be limited to the mall in Washington, or the inaugural events that that exploded across our country. America flags will be waved by people of every background, on every continent. Tomorrow will be a day to be especially proud to be an American -- an American citizen of a new World.
Robert Creamer is a long time political organizer and strategist and author of the recent book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com.

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll

William Zanzinger who is immortalized in a chilling portrayal by Bob Dylan dies of natural causes at age 69.

This ballad always gave me chills reflecting the injustice of this world.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/zantzinger-who-inspired-bob-dylan-ballad-dies/?hp

Personal Photo of 2008

It is the road and open sky that is ahead of us. Last year at this time I would have never thought that I would making this life change. It is the unexpected path that has been placed before me and I have chosen to take the walk. It has been a long drive across this country and eventually landing on a warm, comfortable island in the San Francisco Bay. So far removed from the harsh New England winter that my people back east are being forced to endure.

Not only geographical has these changes been but also the abrupt lifestyle switch. Wrapped up in this upheaval is searching and landing a new Social Work job and now looking for a new home to contain our dreams for the future in these strange economic times.

We have been a part of a social shift in which we witnessed our country elect a new leader who promises change and hope. The task before him and the rest of our world is filled with risk. We are all on the road moving forward toward a new era that can provide challenges and hopefully rewards and an improved life for all.

My Chanukkah Miracle

I think a miracle is when the force perhaps G-D makes the impossible, possible. This is a very minor miracle if one at all, but I do have a story to tell.

After recently relocating I have felt displaced from my community. Hanukkah crept up in me and I found myself looking to purchase candles on the first day of the holiday. There were no appropriate candles to be found in several stores and supermarkets. I said if I can't find the Hanukkah candles I am going to move back east. In desperation I phoned the local synagogue and asked the voice on the other end if they knew where I could buy Hanukkah candles. He said they are hard to find here but he could give me a box if I got to the synagogue in 15 minutes. I did not know where the place was but I located it on the map and off I went. I found the temple with no problem and there at the front was the box and a man who introduced himself as the Rabbi. I told him of the problem and he asked me to not be a stranger and off I went content with the knowledge that we as a family can celebrate the Holiday.

I am not a particularly religious man but I enjoy the rituals and traditions that keep the culture alive through the generations. To me having successfully be able to follow them is important.

The other more significant miracle is the fact the we have made this transition into a new location and are adapting to a new life in here in California. Yes miracles do happen to people everyday if you are able to recognize them.