Bundle of Joy [cat]

I love this little bundle of joy. She is such a good kitty; affectionate but not overly so, attentive, sweet, snuggly, and she likes all of the toys we give her. I have never had a pet that is so into toys like she is; M. said she hasn't either.

Little Wanda has brought so much happiness into our lives since we adopted her back in December. I am so glad to have made such a wonderfully sweet furry addition to our family!

Thankful - Where I Live [thoughts, california]

I shot these photos as the sun was just starting to set 15 minutes ago; it is now 6:15 and it is almost completely dark now, the quintessence of dusk.

I feel so thankful (and lucky!) to be living in Northern California. I do miss the city, but like M. expressed earlier, it feels like we're tucked away in the mountains yet SF is accessible in a half hours' time by both car and train.

SF is where my heart is - at least for right now; I will admit Portland seems to be whispering to me softly, but she's not quite calling my name yet.

There are certain values and aspects of an urban environment that are important to me that SF encompasses that seem to be present in Portland as well, but I have never been there and frankly, it is really difficult moving to a place you have never visited.

We've done this twice in six months and it's not as romantic and adventurous as it seems - it is expensive, stressful, and exhausting!

I really hope we can stay here or perhaps M. will choose another gig in the Bay area for her next position. She is happier here too so that makes things a little less stressful for us both being more comfortable in our location and living space.

Music.

I had this guitar at my parents' house in Florida so I  brought it back with me to California so I could start playing music more. It's something I've been wanting to get back into (it was such a huge part of my life at one point), but guitar is definitely not my forte (I prefer to play piano and drums) so I am often hesitant to pick it up. 

I guess that is how one improves though, right? Practice, practice, practice!

Plus, my girlfriend loves it when I play and sing to her - always a plus.

Zen. [skating]

I feel more zen on a skateboard than in any other instance I can think of, save one thing - surfing. I still want to get back into that, but I always will have concrete surfing.

Skate Park [masculinity]

I am getting ready to go check out the skate park in Walnut Creek. I'll admit I am intimidated.

Haiku [poetry, photography]

I took this photo last Friday and someone commented that it looked like you could write a haiku from the photograph; I thought I would try.

Rain falls through the trees
Rebirth through the cold water
No birds sing today

Rejoice [life, hope]

I cannot wait to be joyful again.
[photo: august 2009]






















We had a choice/
We chose rejoice

Ghost [past, reflections].

I am but a ghost.

I have always been haunted by my past; even after actively saying goodbye to my old self, my ghost, she still haunts me.

I am more at peace now, but you can't change (or forget) twenty years of a life.

You can't deny who you really are.

Brain on Acid [photography, projects]

Photographic interpretation of a brain on acid.

I have been needing a passion project, and I am all about the bare-bones, use-as-little-equipment as possible, DIY approach to my art, and this photograph was taken with only a camera.

Experimenting in light and motion.

Trip to Berkeley, The Bay Area, and Self Expression.

This past Sunday I took a trip to Berkeley to let M. have some downtime after our hectic week and so I could skate around and explore the city. I had a great time skating around all over Berkeley, and I happened upon this impromptu drum circle at the Ashby BART transit station while I was on my skateventure.

Things like these drum circles, things that encourage self expression, creativity, awareness, and thought, are the things that make me love the Bay Area and infinitely glad to be out of Southern California and back here in Northern California where I belong.

Since I moved here in 2008, I have been able to experiment, grow, and express myself in ways that I never would have been able to back in Florida; I have unearthed and discovered parts of myself that I don't think would ever have been mined had it not been for my move to SF.

It feels like home here.

I don't just mean that as a flippant sentence; I get this certain feeling when I am here in the Bay that I don't get anywhere else.

I did not feel it when I lived in LA, I definitely don't feel it when I am visiting my parents at home in Florida, but here, tucked away in the mountains, I feel it.

It feels peaceful, it feels zen.

It feels like home.

Back in San Francisco.

M. and I arrived back in the Bay area almost exactly a week ago at this time; in fact it was just one hour earlier (1:30am) that we pulled into the Extended Stay in Pleasant Hill after driving 8+ hours from the Los Angeles area with a screaming cat and everything we own in a U-Haul.

We were able to get four hours of sleep before M. had to be up the next morning for work at 6:00am; I had a doctor's appointment in the city at 10:00, so we were under a lot of stress as we rushed to get her to work on time.

Even after packing everything we own into a U-Haul by myself, driving over eight hours from Southern California back up to NorCal, being physically exhausted, hungry, and stressed to the max, nothing could wipe the grin off of my face as I approached The City from the East Bay.

I took this footage while driving over the Bay Bridge into the city for my doctor's appointment; perhaps an audiovisual "illustration" will be better able to express my joy at being back in Northern California because I can find no words for how truly wonderful it feels to be back in the bay.