June 2003

In a Groove
Seattle
Monday June 30, 2003
Damn, I am in a groove. All cylindars are firing. I think I last felt complete happiness about work, home, relationships, self maybe four years ago when I'd finished my PhD, my book was coming out, and Catalyst had launched. Even then I think the groove was mostly a work thing. The work thing is definitely humming and the most recent public demonstration of this was our huge announcement today. Beyond work, things are also stellar, with no traces of concern or anxiety and overwhelming feelings of love, creativity, and empowerment. I know that things go in cycles, so there will certainly be some dips in the road ahead, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm getting pretty good at living life.

Pride Day
Seattle
Monday June 30, 2003
Yesterday was superb. We ate, drank, and were merry on the Gay Pride parade route, conveniently located right in front of Mark & Mikelle's pad. We hung out with strangers, gave a drunk homeless fella a stalk of celery (and $5), listened to the sounds of "DJ SARS," watched Kelly enthusiastically greet passersby, enjoyed BBQ shrimp, and dodged the intermitent rain. It was more fun than anyone should be allowed to have. Despite showering before I left for work today, Elaine stopped me during the day to note: "You have glitter on your face, you know that, right?" I think this has come to be expected behavior from me. Some pictures are here. Now that Pride Day is behind me I suppose I can plan on 364 days of Shame.

Progress
Seattle
Monday June 30, 2003
Dia stenciled the service station on Saturday and painted the logo on Sunday . . . progress is being made.

Joygantic Update #9
Seattle
Saturday June 28, 2003
Back in April I had grand plans for rapidly moving Joygantic into the future with MoveableType--lots of automation, powerful features, easier posting, etc. Well it's still a good idea, but I guess I need to learn to add, like, six months to any personal project that doesn't have an external deadline associated with it. So much going on that I refuse to speculate when the makeover will happen, I'll just surprise you all. One result, though, of not transitioning to Web-based publishing is that I haven't updated all week, which is why you'll see retroactive posting below.

Urchins, Whales, and Horseys, Oh My!
Seattle
Saturday June 28, 2003
Jeremy just got back from Japan. Jeremy loves food and never refuses a culinary challenge, including the dish prepared with squid that is dropped live in vats of soy sauce and left to swim around until it dies. He's the only other person I know who regularly takes pictures of his food.

We Didn't Get to Go to the Strip Club
Seattle
Friday June 27, 2003
Alas, while on vacation I missed Mark's bachelor party. Tonight Mikelle's bachelorette party started at our house so I had to make myself scarce which was the perfect excuse to spend time with Mark. Homer joined us for the first several hours of conversation and beer drinking, sitting outside on a gorgeous summer night where the sky still glowed at 10:30pm. While we only knew each other casually prior to tonight I can now firmly declare myself a fan of Homer. At some point we transitioned to the elegant Jade Pagoda just down the street. I just love Mark. I want to shout that from the rooftops. Hanging out together is like taking a warm bath. I always feel comforted, relaxed, and notice that my skin seems healthier.

ToST
Seattle
Thursday June 26, 2003
I've added ToST ("a stone's throw from Lenin") to my favorites list along with Des Amis, about which I've previously gushed. Great room, great people, great music. I don't often go out on school nights but last night I was invited by Brian to have drinks before the show, which I intended to skip but ended up seeing most of it (Dahlia, a wonderful Portland duo that sounds like a downtempo mixmaster paired with less-depressive Kate Bush). After a long day at the frontlines of the Digital Media Revolution it was exilhirating to talk to an assemblage of folks that includes a pair of filmmakers, a hip hop producer, a music promoter/kingpin (I'm sure "kingpin" would make Brian laugh) and lots of other creative people--the sorts of people who are actually creating that "media" I spend my time working to digitize and, well, sell.

IFP!
Seattle
Tuesday June 24, 2003
If you've ever heard of the "Independent Spirit" awards--the Oscars of indy film--then you've been exposed to the work of the Independent Film Project. I heard today from Lara that the IFP has decided to sponsor the completion of her film Seattle Groove. This doesn't mean instant funding, but in taking Lara under their wing she now has cred with funders, non-profit status and should have a much easier time raising the cash needed to get the film completed. This is huge and so very cool. So if you're looking for a good cause to donate to, may I suggest: Seattle Groove.

Will the Real Me Please Stand Up
Seattle
Tuesday June 24, 2003
While sorting through mail that had stacked up while we were on vacation I discovered that my identity has been stolen. As best as I can figure out, some unknown person who knew my name, address and SSN setup a credit line with Dell Computers and had a simple time getting them to ship $3,500 worth of computers (I presume) to somewhere in Tacoma. I received a statement telling me my first payment was due as I was opening my mail. Calls to the Dell fraud department, the credit bureau, the police, and my lawyer have all been made. I still have to investigate the Federal Trade Commission identity theft site and file an avadavit next. If anyone comes up to you and says they're me, I suggest you ask to see a passport.

Third Party Observation
Seattle
Monday June 23, 2003
Today a colleague greeted me, newly returned from vacation, thusly: "Wow, looks like you got some sun . . . and you look . . . different [leans forward to scrutinize my face] . . . you don't have bags under your eyes!" Which is interesting, because I never knew I had bags under my eyes, but apparently I did.

Thinking About Love
Seattle
Sunday June 22, 2003
I've been thinking about love lately. Dia provided a definition of love a few years ago that resonates with me: love is joyful acceptance. That's pretty good, I think. Our week in Mexico provided an opportunity for more discussion on the topic; this is something Dia has been thinking a lot about as well. Lara, who's also been thinking a lot about love argues that love is. I think that's good. The only part of love that's been hard for me (which is to say, the only part that matters) has been the joyful acceptance of people in my life--putting aside warts, annoyances, judgments, just embracing, with a take-their-breath-away hug another person for who they are, not who they might be or who they have the potential to become. This, of course, has to first apply to one's self, which is probably the toughest part of all. Part of me wishes it hadn't taken thirty-some-odd years to figure this out--I have a list of people in my head that I wish I'd loved properly--but a bigger part of me is just happy that I've figured this out, period. I look around in my life as it stands on Sunday June 22, 2003 and I am profoundly moved at how much love I am able to experience/share/enable/have in my life. That's all I wanted to say.

Isla Joygantic
Seattle
Sunday June 22, 2003

We are back home thoroughly relaxed from vacation. Well, actually I'm back home: Dia left for San Francisco about ten hours after our return from Mexico and is coming back home tomorrow. Not much to report on the vacation, as we did pretty much nothing. Enjoyed plenty of cerveza and ceviche, read books, slept, swam, watched sunsets. We did no shopping, sought out no Mayan ruins or other points of cultural importance, we just . . . relaxed. And fell head over heels for Isla Mujeres. Back to work tomorrow, but no crises occurred in my absence and the 600 emails that I scanned seem routine, if voluminous. Batteries recharged, we now dive into a frenetic 90 days that will include jumpstarting Dia's "Tutor for Every Child" project, visits from both sets of parents and a wedding in Utah, with Burning Man projects filling the rest of the summer.

Gone Fishing
Seattle
Wednesday June 11, 2003
Today was extraordinary--a nice mixture of adrenaline and calm. We are on approach to vacation. Joygantic will be offline until, well, maybe June 25th.

Short-timer
Seattle
Monday June 9, 2003
I spent the evening with Sandra, which is something I need to do more often. By the end of the week she will no longer be a co-worker, which is just fine since she wants to tend her garden and if I am forced to put her in a box, no question it's labelled "friend." Let me just take a moment to comment on Sandra's extraordinary attitude. There. I'm done. That's all I wanted to say. Well, OK, the italicized attitude could give the wrong impression (like she's full of attitude or something). My point would be that among all of the amazing people I'm had a chance to know, Sandra displays a calm, introspective, scrutinizing-without-being-unjustly-critical take on herself that at this very moment is propelling her toward something even more beautiful than she has already created for herself. That's what I call progress.

Open for Business
Seattle
Sunday June 8, 2003
The Triple S Spiritual Service Station is open for business. At least conceptually.

Solstice Approaching
Seattle
Sunday June 8, 2003
The coming solstice is the only explanation I can find for the bursting energy I'm feeling around Joygantic Central these days. The basement now looks like a workshop, projects are blooming, a myriad of things are coming together. Our thrifting yielded an OXO salad spinner for $3, newer but other wise identical to the one that broke in our kitchen the day before. I'm telling you people, the fates don't align much more completely than that. The weekend has had that rhythm seems to only shows up for me in the summer, one where time just gets bent and all sorts of wonderful things fill up the hours. We saw the sun come up today from a loft in SoDo filled with musicians doing amazing things in the midst of a joyous crowd. After sleep, friends assembled for some painting, great food, and a picture perfect Sunday evening. Life is good.

PR Coup
Seattle
Friday June 6, 2003
There is always an angle. Which had to be what the marketing team JWC Environmental thought as they worked to figure out how to get a PR boost by tying their company--a maker of sewage treatment machinery--to Finding Nemo, one of this summer's hottest films. I think they pulled it off quite nicely. [via MeFi]

Pork Cheeks
Seattle
Friday June 6, 2003
In Italy, one takes a passagata, a leisurely stroll after the evening meal. In my world, things are inverted: I take a leisurely stroll everyday before my midday meal--in the cafeteria. I stroll passed the hot entree station ("oh my, it's chicken tender day"), I saunter by soup ("mmm. . . soup made from yesterday's entree"),and pause at the salad/sandwich bar. It's not about dealing with the vast array of healthy and tasty choices but more about coaxing myself to eat something. Which is a terribly longwinded way of saying that three years of this cafeteria have tired me out, but not so much so that I can pull it together and bring a lunch. So perhaps you can understand why the unexpected highlight of my day was the lunch care package Andy excitedly deposited in my office. He had just returned from Salumi, where a not-so-secret surprise lunch had taken place with guest chef Mario Batali, who happens to be the son of the owner of the venue, Salumi. My reward was my first (and I think I can definitely say last) taste of tripe, a few bites beautiful fava beans with balsamic vinegar and mushrooms, and a portion of absolutely amazing lasagna with fresh fennel and pork cheeks.

Forecast
Seattle
Tuesday June 3, 2003
Work energy: hi
Playa energy: hi
Dealing with life energy: med
Blogging energy: lo
Available Time: scattered showers

When Birds Attack
Seattle
Tuesday June 3, 2003
I will take a moment to share that as I went to pick up Zippy the Wonder Car to drive home from dinner by all appearances Zippy had been attacked by a flock of eagles (I don't think eagles exactly flock) returning from a night at the Golden Corral Family Buffet and Grill. You get the picture.

House Moving
Seattle
Tuesday June 3, 2003
Mark has captured Sunday's big house move in pictures, which means I don't have to write anything about it. In other news, I soldered my first bits of EL wire, made more difficult by my initial paper to remove the paper coating one of the wires. Note to self: paper doesn't solder well.

Q&A
Seattle
Monday June 2, 2003
Q: So, how many gigabytes of music do you have?
A: A shitloadabytes.

. . . . INFO. . . .

FAQ
Email Mark
Email Dia

. . . . STUFF . . . .

Vista
Happy 2003
Tickets

. . . . WHEREABOUTS . . . .

Mark
Los Angeles 8.4-8.5 (maybe)

Dia
Las Vegas 7.31-8.3

Mark & Dia
Cancun 6.12-6.19
Solstice Parade 6.21
Salt Lake City 7.3-7.6
San Juans 7.24-7.26
Mary & Kerry Visit 8.11-8.13
Black Rock City 8.22-9.5
Brazil 11.16-12.3
CA 12.23-12.30 (maybe)

. . . . ARCHIVE . . . .

April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
July/August 2001
April/May/June 2001
January/February/March 2001