turns

Revisiting an old theme, this is my focus:
-play tai ji, gung fu
-play music
-write

so, besides that, I spend tremendous energy reading, making sushi, biking, swimming, hiking, bla bla bla.

Lately, I've spent almost no time doing the first two things on that list.  Over the last few years I've written clearly about how those are the most important parts of my life.  So?

Anyways, a good meditation, to think on that, and remember those things that are so important to me.  I'm moving to a new place on Monday, hopefully the new space and the extra time not spent looking for a place to live and thinking about moving (my last five months or so) will afford me the energy to refocus.

lies

heavy.  heavy.

quote

"In the present critical unrest of our world, where we find the greatest ideologically warring powers on our planet puppeting, through Vietnam, the dissensions into warrings of Cambodians, Laotians, Thais, and Burmese, it is clearly seen that the only differences between those Southeast Asian peoples are the rivers by which they go inland and upland -- to the same source of life-supporting water.  It is easy to understand why the Dalai Lama was located in Tibet, at the source of all their water.  That source epitomized God as the physical life-giver and -taker."

-Bucky Fuller, Speculative Prehistory of Humanity

Bucky Fuller

Critical Path is better and better.  In order to comprehend as much as possible, I've let up reading other books.  It got to the point where trying to read four or five books at once was crowding my brain.  A good experiment, though...

I get to move into my new house in Arcata in less than two weeks! Stoked on that, it's been a long time coming.  Recently the Sushi Spot crew went on a big rafting trip to the Trinity.  We spent a few nights at a nice campground with beautiful weather at ~100 degrees F.  The river was a blast to cruise down on a raft, I rode through rapids with just a life jacket and jumped off many rocks.  Got a little sunburned too.

Still struggling to sharpen my knives.  Well, knife.  I have finally figured out (perhaps) the whole development of the burr and all that leading to a fairly wicked sharp edge on my gyuto.  For some reason though I can't get the back third of my yanagi to sharpen; maybe I'm trying too hard.  I'm down to sharpen my knives every day, but I wonder also that my gyuto's edge begins to soften after about 10 hours of heavy use.  This might have to do with the fairly steep included angle of the edge, or I just have a lot more to learn about sharpening.  I'm still just using the one stone, a 1200x Bester.

I find that I'm missing the company of some few old friends who live far away now.  Perhaps a selfish apprehension, I wish to share my love of life with them at this moment.

beach days

Hit Trinidad beach this afternoon, it was beautiful as the fog lifted.  All the surfers and my inability to enter the waves due to cold left me wishing for a wetsuit and a board.  Since I have that money now, I'm going to do it.  All reports are that learning to surf in Humboldt County requires some serious cajones and a lot of dedication.  Whatever, everything else does too.  I just want to be out in all that water...

I'm headed back out, my girl had to run and do some shopping with a friend, so I'm taking my uncle's all steel Miyato road bike out to Clam Beach for some chill time and head space.  I love the Summer.

multiplicity

The staggering variety and wonder of life on this spaceship inspires me.

Masters of Rowdy Bliss

I'm listening to Miles Davis - Blue Miles - "'Round Midnight."  NOPE! Scratch that, distracted by Ron Carter and Herbie Hancock playing "Agitation" in Stockholm, Sweden, in '67 on YouTube.  What an amazing time I live in.  I am showered with blessings :D

Hannah bought a book for us called Pronoia.  It took me a few days to pick it up, really, as I'm attempting to read the books I listed earlier at the same time.  The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz, and The Morning of the Magicians by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier.  Just to make things easy I'm listening to Wayne Shorter solo on "Footprints" from the same concert. I'm also reading the latest Modern Drummer which features Paul Gilbert's drummer and amazing hand-made artisan cymbals from Turkey, a book my coworker Jake offered me titled The Japanese Kitchen by Kimiko Barber, which is excellent although I've only read through the introductory history and ways to use old rice to make fabulous food.  I've recently read and viewed many books dealing with my current Profession, sushi crafting (including The Story of Sushi once titled The Zen of Fish.) and been overwhelmed with new things to study and learn.  I'm attempting to mold myself into a virtuoso pianist and multi-percussionist, an erudite multi-instrumentalist of inspirational artistry.  I've brainstormed purchasing software, hardware, and books on recording myself so that I can broadcast my multifaceted beauty over YouTube, Facebook, and the internet in general.  Maybe this blog too.

It doesn't even look like Miles is working hard for this show.  Playing the trumpet is like breathing for him.  I have to achieve this for myself as well.  The channel just changed to John Coltrane playing Alabama with his quartet: McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones and Himself in 1963.

This feels slightly similar to previous late night interludes extruding text for papers to win glorious A grades from adoring teachers without all the pressure and stress, but plenty of boundless developing joyful exuberance.

I love my life, and life, and all of this THIS.

mind blown

Went to harmony fest, that was a learning experience.  Good memories and some silly mistakes that I won't have to make again.  Since then Hannah and I went camping out on the Smith river, amongst beautiful coastal redwoods.  I've read and learned a lot about sushi, and have been working out and practicing my instruments again.  Life is fucking amazing.  Clay has a girlfriend for the first time since I've known him, and Jeff is getting laid too.  Excellent.  I've been taking lots of pictures; I'm considering buying a nice camera.  Who knows where yet one more hobby will take me.  Recently I've wanted to surf, so I'm looking for a wetsuit.  The search for a house in Arcata is picking up, but it remains frustrating.

Seeing Frank Zappa's Son at Harmony was a great moment, his vibes player was inspiring.  I'm reading Quantum Psychology, The Four Agreements, and Pronoia simultaneously as an experiment.