Sunday Papers: Benjamin Franklin

“He who would trade freedom for security deserves neither”"


On the turntable: Hank Williams III, "Live at Ground Zero"

Autumn Morning

Sun crests the Sangres.
Glowing stalks of lavender
Sway in the breeze.

On the turntable: Pat Metheny, "Travels"

Sunday Papers: John Steinbeck

"We do not take a trip; a trip takes us."


On the turntable: Wynton Marsalis, "Standards"

The 'We' in Economy

One theme that permeated my stay in the US was the many shapes that economic woe can take.
Beside the usual price increases, it played out in ways btoht expected and unexpected.

My friend Joseph has had a hard time selling the hay he grows since many people have sold their animals, unable to afford their upkeep.

One Sunday we visit the artist market at the Santa Fe Railyard. We get in a conversation with a steel artist, who tells us that he will soon discontinue his work because of the dramatic increase of not only the materials, but also the parts for his machine. He plans to sell it all and take up oil painting.

In a single issue of the Santa Fe Reporter, I see discount offers for both of the city's major yoga studios.

On every road trip, we find that the cafes and restaurants that look most intriguing (i.e.-most progressive) inevitably have closed. This despite our Moon Guide having been published in 2009.

The lack of snow, and the terrible fires of summer, have seriously damaged tourist business in a multitude of mountains towns across the northern part of the state. One cafe owner tells me how the nearby ski resort exaserbated the situation in exaggereating the snow conditions, which infuriated many potential return customers.

My mother works for the church, running an organization that gives aid to the poor. Everytime I visit her, she fields two or three calls a day from someone out of work, someone whose utilities have been cut off.

Yet on Madison Ave, the waltz goes on. And the government once again rearranges the deck chair on the Titanic...

(I'm sure I'll revisit this topic, having forgotten many examples that I'd planned on exploring. Plus, it'll be interesting to see how Japan has been faring since I left, especially with the triple disaster of March 2011. This post will no doubt be expanded sometime...)


On the turntable: Oingo Boingo, "Dead Man's Party"

Sunday Papers Tenth Anniversary Edition

I mourn those who lost their lives that day. And I mourn those who were killed in their memory.

America, I hope you get over your national nervous breakdown soon. Ten years of violence and suspicion just weren't worth it.

Perhaps if we didn't cling so tightly to our identity as Americans. Seems to me that we are 'people' first...

Cusp

The autumn chill, still in infancy, dancing about my bare legs as a means of introduction. Remembering its older sibling, I am smart in wearing a long sleeved top, a seasoned defense measure.

Autumn has been birthed quickly. What's unique this year is the notable absence of the midwifery of storms. The new season had been in hiding amongst the white shawls draping the Sangre de Cristo, the Jemez.

This morning, autumn colludes with a wind that bites with new teeth. I stand amidst it, greeting it with a smile. Then I turn and step back into the warm house, still clinging to the memory of summer, warmed by yesterday's sun.

On the turntable: CSN, "Deja Vu"

Sunday Papers: Colin Fletcher

"As we look around the world today, it seems difficult to avoid the conclusion that many of our current problems stem from the application of engineering overlays to biological systems."


On the turntable: Pink Floyd, "The Wall"
On the nighttable: Jack Loeffler, "Adventures with Ed"