Weekend

Sometimes I just get too busy to write. I love down time to do nothing but watch the sun set, and I am lucky to have days of leisure - at least one day a week of down time. Unfortunately, these days of doing nothing are usually filled with all sorts of activities. Yesterday was one such day:

A morning of volunteering the services of my little truck to carry compost, then wood, all leading up to successful garden beds that were created for a local non-profit youth group, and potentially food for production and sale to local restaurants. It's amazing the wonderful people that I meet in this town, and days like Saturday reinforce that.

People tell me how wonderful it is that I do all the volunteer work that I do, and although I smile and say thank you, it's really a self-serving agenda that I have: I enjoy volunteering tremendously and meet some incredible people.

I have no pictures from yesterday, so instead I will show you the ten most dangerous intersections from The Herald. Fortunately, my driving continues to be minimal, especially in these areas. Although I can tell you a story about driving last night in my friend's borrowed shiny Mustang Saleen that sounds powerful and throaty, and had to be going well in excess of the posted speed limit on the Birch Bay-Lynden Road. But that's for another time.

Any more, eight knots is fast for me.

Weeks

Here's a dramatic sunrise over the Chuckanuts taken in Happy Valley. I dodn't take it, my housemate did. It's outside the store where I used to moonlight. It was a fun job, but like many things, it got old. At least biking the five or six miles each way a few times a week was pretty invigorating.

But anymore I am juggling many balls and spend much of my day glued to my two ccomputers, multi-taking to the point of madness, talking on the phone while pouring myself three or four cups of coffee, and finally prying myself away long enough to sometimes shower and run to errands. Why do I do this to myself?

But last night was one such reason. There is a group of entrepreneurs that meets every month to discuss their traivails and successes. I really don't quite understand specifically what an entrepreur is. Some people view it as someoneone that hits is big and makes beaucoup bucks. But that's not me, I would define one more as someone chronically broke with an ongoing stress headache that still manages to have low blood pressure and wonders why a (sometimes self-induced) tumultuous and chaotic life is the norm. I guess it's how I get my kicks.

And some day I'll tell you about my recent interest in learning the Korean language.

Sitting

Tonight I did something I haven't done for a long time, and that was to go to the Vipassana meditation at the Red Cedar Dharma Hall. I saw a friend on the street last week that prompted me to go, which I did, and soon remembered how refreshing and rejuvinating it was to medidate for forty-five minutes. What was more surprising was how I thirsted for this quiet time and had a good sitting.

Most times, my mind wanders hither and thither especially at these times lacking any sensory externalities and in time of quiet trying to sweep it of all cogent thought. I hope to go back next week, if not sooner. I once told a friend that I didn't have time to edidate, and she replied "exactly."

Afterwards, I should have turned towards home, but instead my bike pointed towards Fairhaven, where I took a five mile side trip in the wonderful drizzle that returned to Bellingham. It's still too early to be all sunny and cheery. I need another month or two to chill before I shift into Summer Mode.

Chief

The Whatcom Chief docks at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven on a test run Tuesday. The test made sure the ferry could successfully dock if negotiations fail with the Lummi Nation and the county to renew a lease at Gooseberry Point.–MARK MALIJAN|THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

Another beautiful day - both today and yesterday - although I spent it catching up on work-related things. Fortunately, I was able to spend time outside at the park reading a business plan and finishing it up last night. And today is off to a job interview. Although I've lived the free-wheeling life of a consultant for many years, it has worn me down. A regular job with a normal schedule and benefits can be quite palatable right now. Especially in an industry in which I have knowledge and experience.

So I am sitting here typing on this wondrous day in my suit and tie getting ready to walk over to the interview. The fact that I would be working four blocks from my house is a dream commute, by any standard.

Oh, and you will need to see some old pictures from the Bellingham Herald, as the batteries were found to be dead in my old HP camera Saturday when I carried it with me and had that perfect sunset shot lined up.

Today after my intereview I will bike down to the park to hopefully get some nice pictures, as the rain and clouds return tomorrow.

Theater

"Chaque joueur doit accepter les cartes que la vie lui distritribue. Mais une fois qu'il les a en main, lui seul peut décider comment jouer ses cartes pour gagner la partie." - Voltaire

Tonight is one of those nights where I am so glad that I live in Bellingham. Five minutes from my house (by bike) took me to the Rotunda Room at the Whatcom Museum, where I was able to see a wonderful play called the Misanthrope, by Moliere. The theatre company is comprised of some acquaintences of mine, and I was thoroughly impressed by the calibre of their perfromance; quality acting in an intimate theatre has a wonderful effect on my psyche.

And a few times a year I meet a woman of dazzling beauty in Bellingham who takes my breath away. Tonight was one such night. I wonder if I will see her again?

But earlier...I would like to say that I helped someone move today, but as happenstance would have it, they had just finished up when I arrived. I wasn't necessarily late, per se, they just got an early start. But it's always nice to have a good friend move back into town.especially when you don't need to move them.

Sun!

When I was much younger, I often times dreamed about moving to the West Coast and listening to Jackson Browne albums. Now I am living that life of buying an old turntable for my Techniques analogue receiver and the life seems to be pretty much what I expected. In the dreams, I ended up in sunny Southern California, although in actuality it turned out to be the rainy northwest corner versus the sunny southwest. But that's even better, since sometimes if life I don't know where I'm supposed to be until you end up there, and then it feels like I should've been there all along. And once there, it strikes you how life just seems to work in interesting ways and there's some grand scheme that is well beyond my comprehension or control.

But here I am in Bellingham, Washington, managing to pay the mortgage and enjoy the small things in life.

And oddly enough, I was in the garage a few weeks ago looking at my VW Weekender in need of some TLC. I came to the realization that this was the last thing I really wanted in life. My material wants in life had been satiated with this hundred dollar purchase (and what a steal for a hundred bucks). With a thousand bucks in work (carbs and reupholstery) it should be ready for a trip down the coast.

Here a picture taken a few minutes ago from the mother ship. In the distance is Mt Baker in its splendid glory. Can't wait to get out on my bike to run errands. Everyone is quite cheery these days when the sun appears.

Cascades

Some days, traveling to the Seattle Metro area can be a real drag. Today the weather was wonderful and Glacier Peak and Mt. Baker all the Cascades were strikingly resplendent. And so were the Olympic Mountains across the Sound. And my travels of calling on businesses took me into Redmond to see Microsoft's campus. I wonder if the company, likes its shoddy operating system, just shuts down for no apparent reason. And I wonder if the employees just never seem to work quite right after the first week.

But as always, it's nice to return to Bellingham and make it to the food bank to see the friends that I've made there over the past years. IT is also one of the two remaining things of regularity in my life: volunteering at the food bank on Wednesdays and putting the recycling oout on Tuesday mornings. But it's a life that I would not trade for anything esle.

And business just might be picking up. Pretty good considering the prolong lack of economic vigor that persists. And all indicators suggest that it will be until 2015 until we see any serious improvement. Others say that we will never see a return to the boom years and bubbles of your. Out financial markets are in shambles, and America is broke on all levels. I wonder when the media will assume its responsible role in society by addressing the true woes of the economy versus the broad indexes being driven by the hedge funds and institions versus the market fundamentals. Also, here is an interesting link showing the trillion dollars of garbage that the fed added to its coffers over the past few years. This is merely a slight example of the crummy debt out there. And than there's private equity debt (a trillion dollars), commercial real estate (another trillion), and the Option-ARMs recasting and Alt-A's resetting (another trillion). But at least the Dow Thiry was up .4% today, so things must be okay.

Uh-oh, something got me started...