Jeff Lives Here

Connections

2011-09-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about friends and compatibilities. Old friends provide all kinds of wonderful history, and connection, among other things. But I am finding a certain lack of friends in certain areas of my life--I don't have many comic-book-reading friends. Or friends who are feminists-who-read-feminist-theory-and-blogs. Or friends who are kinky. Or friends who like film noir. I have all of

Ready! Set! Go!

2011-08-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Read and heard recently that one way to help improve one's day-to-day life is to begin the day with some positive habits, thoughts and feelings. Sort of setting the tone. It would be easy for me to think of such advice as trite. In fact, I often do! Yet, I've had some experiences lately that have led me to experiment with doing this and seeing how it goes. For one, I find that when I listen to

Decluttering: Week Two!

2011-08-01T11:16:00.001-07:00

So, last week I started my decluttering project. That project started with cleaning my bathroom, which included being on my hands and knees, scrubbing the entire floor by hand, trying to get it cleaner than a mop can. It included my reorganizing everything to get it off of the counter, and even included moving my little happy buddha in there, to inspire me in the morning while I'm brushing my

The Road to Decluttering

2011-07-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

So today I am embarking on something new: I'm cleaning my bathroom tonight. Ok, that's not new-new. I mean, I've cleaned my bathroom before. No, really, I have. But tonight is (hopefully) the beginning of a shifting set of habits. See, I have a clutter problem. It's not Hoarder-level, but it's something that has been in my life for my entire life. I remember being in high school, and a

Return to Reading

2011-04-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

A few years back, when I discovered that there was (at the time) a pretty good alternative to iTunes in emusic, I started buying and listening to music more than I had been in a long, long time. Every month I would buy a few albums, which was something that hadn't happened since I was in college (the first time). I have since moved on from emusic (and haven't found a good replacement yet--any

Connecting the Work with the Good

2011-01-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

"Do your chores and you get to watch TV." I wonder how much that sort of reward system contributed to my tendency towards clutter? Instead, I need to reconnect the doing of "chores" with enjoying my life. Do my chores and I get to live in a clean house, enjoy good food, wear clean clothes. Part of reconnecting this is to consciously enjoy the fruits of my efforts--when the dishes are done, I take

Some Hopes and Plans for 2011

2010-12-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

I just took a look, and it seems that I was smart enough to not make a list of goals for 2010 last year at this time. Ah well, I'm going to do it this time. Maybe not goals, but...intentions. Hopes. Plans. Ideas-about-doing. * Continue and improve upon my daily meditation practice. It seems to be helping my life quite a bit, so I'd like to do some more focused meditations, a few more long-ish

Pushing the New Tools to the Limit

2010-12-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

I'm excited that I have new tools in my emotional sanity toolbox: Exercise, meditation, yoga, deep breaths, and a recognition that everything changes, which means that whatever crap I'm dealing with now will shift and change, and whatever pain I'm feeling won't last forever.But this week I am pushing some of those tools to the limit--I'm not getting much sleep at all (mostly because of dogsitting

Slow and Steady Gratitude

2010-12-24T10:12:00.001-08:00

December can be depression-inducing for me. I like the lights and sweet treats that Xmas brings, but the weather gets to me, as does the hectic-ness that we're all swept up in, even if we decide to craft gifts (note to self: get better at decoupage before *next* Xmas, so gifts don't such quite so much). Also, as a new year approaches, I have to be very careful to not be too hard on myself for

It's Scary Out There In Blogland

2010-10-22T14:50:00.001-07:00

I'm venturing out into blogland a little again. It's a weird feeling. I used to write online with such vehemence, usually some bitterness and sadness, though there were lots of happy posts as well. Now I just don't have as much of the emotional need to write, it seems, though I have some intellectual need to write, to explore my ideas, to have conversations with myself and with others about stuff

Food, Entertainment and Oblivion

2010-06-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Recently I have tried to change a particular habit: I am attempting to disengage mealtime eating from media consumption--mostly, I just stopped watching movies, browsing on the internets, and even reading while I have breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I've noticed a couple of things that have really surprised me (though in retrospect, I'm not sure they should have).First off, I'm surprised at how

Changing Habits: Food As Entertainment

2010-06-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been working on changing some very deeply ingrained habits, seeing what happens. This is both in the spirit of challenging myself and also with the hope that I can improve my moods and my life over the long term. Some things that I've changed over the past few years, to some degree:Making exercise a part of my daily life, not just in a "going to the gym" sort of way, but as a habit,

Social

2010-04-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Something odd has happened over the last few years: I've become more social. What this means for me is that I more often enjoy being around other folks, even in groups, than I have at any other point in my life. Some of this has been a conscious move on my part: When Kareem and Jessie moved away, I knew that I had to do a lot to get out of my funk about it, and also to get away from the

Learning 'Bout Body

2010-02-26T14:01:00.000-08:00

Things I'm learning:-- I basically love most of the foods that I should be eating more of. -- Potassium, and probably calcium and magnesium, help your body process salt. Don't get enough of them, and you have problems with high blood pressure.-- 5-HTP, which is a supplement that seems to help Very Much in keeping depressive-ish stuff at bay, may be part of the cause of my high blood pressure. --

That's Irony, Right?

2010-01-19T08:12:00.000-08:00

Came across this shirt while researching symbols for genders, and thought it sadly/comically ironic that this t-shirt, showing an interlinking of female/trans/male symbols, comes in black or white, for women:

Noticing Happy Things

2010-01-07T15:46:00.001-08:00

This morning, a guy with a big leaf blower, blowing leaves onto the street from the sidewalk, noticed me on my bike, and made sure I didn't get covered in dust and leaves.Yesterday, I saw the cutest thing: Stocky young man walking a stocky bulldog puppy. The man smiled at me, the most darling little smile from a tough looking guy.Yesterday, my boss made me a chocolate milkshake with his new

Foggy

2009-12-29T12:40:00.001-08:00

Thick pea-soup lingering on the lakeAnd around my cerebellum.Need a breeze or two to blow it all away.But not just yet, please.

Slightly Bitter Xmas Eve Masculinity Poem

2009-12-24T17:56:00.001-08:00

short notes sent in bitssaying thank you, thank you, thank youfor being the man you arenotes kept short becausethere are...other menwith masculinitiesnot mirrored so much by mewith traditions of masculinitythat harmstill yet attract,still yet warrant attention,and timethank you, thank you, thank you,no time to talkhave to go give timeand wordsand heartand tearsto the men not so much like you at

The Absurdists: Courtesy of Dinosaur Comics

2009-12-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

The comic begins here, and just gets better:

Paths

2009-10-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

I started a hand-written, pen-and-paper journal again a few weeks back. I had forgotten what an utterly different experience it is to write my thoughts down in that way. I don't know that the output is all that different, though it is mostly likely affected by the medium in ways that I'm not aware of. It just feels different. There's a familiarity to it that has pluses and minuses, frankly--the

Josie Rocks it On CNN

2009-09-10T09:05:00.001-07:00

Adventures in Feminist Dating

2009-09-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

I think this may have applied to a few dates I've had, as I do tend to blather on about the feminism.

Thought Train to: Are Manifestos Religious-ish?

2009-07-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

I was thinking this morning about what I tend to not enjoy about some self-help books. Lots of times what turns me off isn't the ideas behind them, but the way that those ideas are presented as capital-t Truth. The way my brain works, all I can do is turn statements of so-called absolute truth over and over in my head, uprooting any truthiness (thank you, Mr. Colbert). Yet if similar

Long Time No Blog

2009-07-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

I just don't have as much to say these days. Or at least: I don't have as much to say in this forum. But no, I think it's more than that, because I find myself picking and choosing conversations I want to have (even conversations with myself) carefully these days. I'm picky with who I want to argue/discuss things with, and what I care to argue/discuss. More picky than I used to be, at any

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2009-06-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Lex was kind enough to take me on a long-ish (for me, not for her) bike ride up to the top of San Bruno mountain, from her place in the mission:Ok, maybe saying we biked up this is more impressive:It's good to have friends, though about 3/4 of the way up the mountain, I was thinking that hermitage might be the way to go...

Life with Less Depression

2009-06-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Life with less depression is...odd. I'm not used to it yet. I feel an oncoming storm, the symptoms I feel when things are about to get Really Bad, and then: They don't get Really Bad. They get rough, and I ride it out, and then I come out the other side--relatively quickly these days. Which is not to say that I am not dealing with anxiety and depression still, because I am; but things feel

Finally, An Argument Against Religious Zealots

2009-06-04T08:02:00.001-07:00

My brain never seems to tire of coming up with more little arguments for why various religions are bogus. Here's the one it came up with while I did yoga this morning (irony?):Regarding Xtians who believe they have the One True Religion:First, think about the literally billions of people who have believed in a different god than you. Next, recognize that it's pretty prideful to imagine that you

Who Do I Want to Be?

2009-06-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

I can't decide if I'd rather be Jay Smooth or Dan Charnas. What a bunch of insightful-yet-witty cultural commentary. Originally from Ill Doctrine.

The Support of Scripture

2009-06-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

This is exactly the problem I have with "faith"--and with so-called certain knowledge based on interpretation:Scott Roeder, 51, of Merriam, Kan., whom authorities have described as a suspect in Sunday’s fatal shooting here of George Tiller, the doctor who had been a focal point for abortion opponents for decades, was once a subscriber and occasional contributor to a newsletter, Prayer and Action

20090513 Altar Boy

2009-05-13T10:25:00.001-07:00

20090513 Altar BoyMonday night during my setup for my meditation class, the instructor asked me to light the candles on the altar. I don't know if it's called an altar. Statues and fresh flowers and candles live there. I said that I would, and proceeded to light the candles, but I felt like I was violating the space, felt like it wasn't quite my place. And yet, that's one of the things that I

Exercise, V2

2009-05-11T14:17:00.001-07:00

So I've been slowly increasing the amount of exercise I get again. Almost a year ago, I stopped doing my weight training and cardio training. It didn't happen overnight, but it happened quickly, after an illness. I think that I got bored, and getting sick was a good excuse to drop the exercise. Related to the boredom, it has also become clear to me that I really want to exercise in ways that are

Someone Needs A Hug

2009-05-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Just discovered the wonderful art of Francesca Berrini. Swoon.

Compassion for My Self Can Be Hard to Come By

2009-04-23T12:22:00.001-07:00

Yama mara is rooted in the fear of death. We arekilling the moment by controlling our experience. We want to hold onto what we have. We want every experience to confirm us andcongratulate us and make us feel completely together. We say the yamamara is fear of death, but it's actually fear of life. We can turnthis arrow into a flower by using the desire to control as a reminderto experience

Things I Know Today

2009-04-22T13:34:00.001-07:00

Things I Know TodaySwimming in the pool and then laying out in the sunshine (with spf50) for a bit during my lunch hour makes me feel decadent.I know my eating habits are shifting when I have a banana and an avocado for lunch.Having a date tonight makes my day feel more fun, no matter how the date turns out.I like being busy at work. Doing art makes me feel calm and connected to the world.

Waterboarding Song

2009-04-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

A song created from the memos about waterboarding. Some cognitive dissonance between medium and message goes a long way to letting the horror of it sink in, I think.

Enduring and Recovering

2009-04-16T10:29:00.001-07:00

Hit a rough spot emotionally last night. I don't experience these rough spots as sadness, or stress--I experience them as a strong sort of apathy that feels like a veil placed over my whole body, but mostly over my face and chest. It's a very particular feeling. My new habit is to just roll with it, feel it, let myself feel it. In addition, I give myself permission to take some time to do all of

Depression Like Clockwork

2009-04-15T16:15:00.001-07:00

Depression Like ClockworkJust got back from Washington state last night, and right on schedule after a visit with Kareem, Jessie and Max, I'm feeling an emotional downturn. This time, some of it has to do with coming back after vacation and facing real life and all of that. But I think part of it is just leaving my friends behind again, after getting some time with them. It rained the whole time

Dang.

2009-04-15T12:31:00.001-07:00

Religious Holidays Do Get to Me, Still

2009-04-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

One of the things I'm working on with compassion practice in meditation is this: I'm trying to be understanding about all of us trying to coexist on a planet with all sorts of different beliefs (and belief systems). I'm trying to better understand my anger toward hateful street preachers, my own hatred toward born-again Xtian parents who disown gay kids (sometimes helping to drive them to

Change As a Shell Game

2009-04-08T09:45:00.001-07:00

I'm finding that looking at pictures of Obama visiting troops in Iraq make me as angry as pictures of Bush Jr. doing the same crap. So I'm adding to them. And if you think I'm bad, check out this: Leon Kuhn.

Catch-Up

2009-04-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

I've not been so much into the writing these days, but here are some catch-ups, for those still reading:Started volunteering at the East Bay Meditation Center. I really like the people there, and doing something good for that community, and my larger community of Oakland, which definitely needs some healing. I won't be doing a whole lot for them at first, but it may expand as time goes on. At

Service

2009-04-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today I have my first meeting that should lead to a regular volunteering gig for the East Bay Meditation Center. I'm really excited about it, on several levels. First of all, I totally lucked out with having this center so near the rest of my life in Oakland. And it's an atypical center, atypical in some of the ways that are important to me: They are making all efforts to be a center for the

Benefit Performance for SF Women Against Rape

2009-03-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

(Click to embiggen.)Update: I got peeps. Thanks for everybody who came out Friday night. Hope there are a few stragglers so I don't feel completely alone tonight. :)Hey y'all. If anybody out there is in the Bay Area, you might come see a great show I'm involved in, details below.TWO DATES!MARCH 13 @ 8PMMARCH 14 @ 9PMBox office opens 1 hr prior to show time.Tickets at door only.$10- $20 sliding

Listening and Being Listened To

2009-03-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Since I was in grade school(!), I've been defined by others and have self-identified with, being a "listener". That is, friends and strangers tell me they feel like they can tell me anything, and they often do tell me lots. I get a lot out of this: When people tell me about themselves, it's a sharing, a gift. Another facet of it is that I like being needed to some degree, and it feels like

Charles Schultz: Bruthal Motherf*cker

2009-03-09T10:03:00.001-07:00

Maybe this isn't as brutal to some--perhaps it just resonates more for me than for others, but dang, this is harsh. And familiar.

How I "Slept" Last Night

2009-03-06T08:19:00.001-08:00

This was pretty much me and my dreams last night.

New V-day Show I'm In

2009-03-05T09:08:00.001-08:00

(Click to embiggen.)Hey y'all. If anybody out there is in the Bay Area, you might come see a great show I'm involved in, details below.TWO DATES!MARCH 13 @ 8PMMARCH 14 @ 9PMBox office opens 1 hr prior to show time.Tickets at door only.$10- $20 sliding scaleVIP Reception to follow performance on Saturday March 14.$20 admission to performance gets you in for food, drinks, and fun!INTERSECTION FOR

The Meditation and Yoga Thing

2009-02-27T09:55:00.000-08:00

So I've been doing some daily meditation and yoga for a few weeks now. It's been interesting. Just like when I started doing mild weight training a few years back, I promised myself this time that I would just ease myself into it all, let myself take breaks if and when I wanted, not try to do too much too soon. So I do a little 15 minute (or so) yoga/meditation practice in the morning, after I

Alien Nation

2009-02-27T09:25:00.001-08:00

Fridays can be lonely. I'm starting to feel the more long-term effects of having Kareem and Jessie gone; also likely feeling the effects of growing older in a culture that can be, at times, alienating. I'm trying to quell that stuff a bit: Meditation groups, doing a little theater, reaching out to people for new friendships and trying to keep my older friendships alive. I do a lot of work in

Clear Headed

2009-02-26T08:47:00.001-08:00

Karma-Chameleon

2009-02-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

From Pema Chodron's Comfortable with Uncertainty:"What Is Karma?Karma is a difficult subject. Basically it means that what happens in your life is osmehow a result of things that you have done before. That's why you are encouraged to work with what happens to you rather than blame it on others. This kind of teaching on karma can easily be misunderstood. People get into a heavy-duty

Life Updates

2009-02-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

Some things that are going on in my life:I finally got my face up on the big screen, when The Men's Story Project movie got its premiere at the Roxy in SF on Sunday. My parents happened to be in the area this weekend, so my mom and stepdad got to see the show. It was a trip sitting next to my mother watching myself up there on the big screen, and having her laugh at the parts of the movie that I

Writing On Not Writing

2009-02-04T10:19:00.001-08:00

20090204I don't write in any journal right now, or at least not much. I blog once in a while. I send out emails to friends about what's going on in my life right now from time to time. But I don't have a sustained running account of my emotional life in the way that I have often had. This isn't simply about "not blogging" anymore, though it is that, too. I'm trying to not see the

Uncomfortable Juxtaposition

2009-01-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

From Pema Chodron's Uncomfortable with Uncertainty:It's daring not to shut anyone out of our hearts, not to make anyone an enemy. If we begin to live like this, we'll find that we actually can't define someone as completely right or completely wrong anymore. Life is more slippery and playful than that. Trying to find absolute rights and wrongs is a trick we play on ourselves to feel secure and

I Can Haz Joolry

2009-01-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

A recent gmail ad when I logged into gmail:Jewelry for girl Geeks - sjd.stewartdollhousecreations.com - Time to show off your inner Girl Geekiness.Perhaps I have missed my calling?

Paging Dr. Freud

2009-01-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

For those who don't get the joke.

Poo Bear

2009-01-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

Oh Lio, how I love you.

Inaugurate!

2009-01-20T09:20:00.001-08:00

Wow. Obama actually just mentioned "non-believers" (in god) as part of the positive patchwork of the US...I'm pretty surprised.

Sunny Day

2009-01-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

I got my stuff together this morning and headed out for my ride to work. Lots on my mind. It was an interesting weekend: Met quite a few new people, did quite a bit that I've never done before. Talked to friends about sad stuff, talked to a few people about happy stuff. Meditated a lot, but the whirl of a weekend still left my brain a little inundated with thoughts. I wheeled my bike out of

Intelligent Design?

2009-01-07T08:23:00.001-08:00

Please somebody give Matt Bors lots of money. There are at least 5 jokes in the strip below (I'm including God wearing a Jesus-fish t-shirt): Bonus points for the phrase "sadistic sky voyeur".

Monogamy Over Breakfast

2009-01-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

Yet another way in which monogamy isn't for me. Thank you, Cat and Girl.

God Speaks (at Obama's Inauguration)

2008-12-24T08:55:00.001-08:00

Matt Bors is one of my new fave cartoonists. There are several little jokes within this one strip:Click to embiggen, and see the "Jesus Inside" T-shirt God is wearing on the first panel...

Xmas Glory

2008-12-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

"...glory to your new Borg king..."

axl and tom

2008-12-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

Juicy

2008-12-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

"The irony is that what we most want to avoid in our lives is crucial to awakening bodhichitta. These juicy emotional spots are where a warrior gains wisdom and compassion. Of course, we'll want to get out of these spots far more often than we'll want to stay. That's why self-compassion and courage are vital. Without loving-kindness, staying with pain is just warfare."-- Pema ChodronBoy do I

WTFCS?*

2008-12-17T08:22:00.000-08:00

I suppose it's just my poor memory, but I can't remember the adults ever talking in Peanuts, even from offscreen. This is seriously freaking me out.Yesterday:Something I did that I'm happy about: Good sex.Something I wished I had done: Left the house.Today:Something I want to do that is good for me: Learn at work.Something I'm sad about: No Max/Kareem/Jessie this Xmas.Something I'm happy about

2008-12-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday:Something I did that I'm happy about: Talked to Kareem.Something I wished I had done: Gone to work.Today:Something I want to do that is good for me: Get outside.Something I'm sad about: I'm almost 40, and I'm worried about money.Something I'm happy about: A nice fire in the fireplace on a cold, cold day.

Some things.

2008-12-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

Something I did yesterday that I'm happy about: Went to rehearsal, though it was raining and icky out.Something I wished I had done yesterday: Stayed home from rehearsal, so I wouldn't get sick.Something I want to do that is good for me today: Do some writing.Something I'm sad about today: Sick again.Something I'm happy about today: Pizza and pomegranate seven up.

Have a Ball!

2008-12-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

Respecting Religion

2008-12-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal is really cracking me up these days. While it's sometimes pretty misogynist, it's mostly just over-the-top angry at the world, and sometimes, just sometimes, that's really funny to me. I like this strip in particular because it pretty much sums up one of the main things that bothers me about talking with religious folk who don't recognize that playing the "faith

A Life More, and Also Less, Ordinary

2008-12-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

Far be it from me to claim that I'm a trumpet player who has a life full of travel and women. I also wouldn't claim to be somebody who is fond of late nights. (I can't really use age as an excuse here--I just have never been prone to them, with a few exceptions involving love, sex and gaming.) And yet, this strip struck a chord with me because of some things that have been going through my

Cognitive Dissonance

2008-12-05T14:25:00.000-08:00

Ani D playing for the wall street journal:Singing:"Don't let the sellers of stuffpower enoughto rob you of your grace..."

Comics Cheer Me Up

2008-12-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder what it is about my personality that makes me like comic strips so much. I used to read the comics every morning before school, from 6th grade or so up until...well, now. Ok, maybe I took a break in college, but I still liked to read them when I could. If there had been good internets back then, I'm sure I would have read them every day. I guess comics help prime my happy

Familiar Paths

2008-11-26T15:53:00.001-08:00

There are definitely ways in which Buddhist ideas, at least the way Pema Chodron describes them, are very familiar. I suppose this is sort of like the familiarity of so-called "moral teachings" from the bible (e.g. The Golden Rule isn't a only a Christian doctrine--there are lots of other ways in which it makes sense). I like it when something Pema says resonates with my common-sense intuitions

Up Here

2008-11-26T08:30:00.001-08:00

I think F-Minus is pure genius sometimes.Now all that's left is to put this comic on a T-shirt.

Sociology Never Looked So Interesting

2008-11-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

A new (to me) site: Sociological Images. It's well put-together and always interesting. Today they had some racism comic book covers, including this one:

Isn't Soulforce a Video Game?

2008-11-25T09:20:00.000-08:00

Religious people fighting an uphill battle, from campus to campus, by bus:On a chilly but brilliantly sunlit Friday morning, about two dozen people have gathered along the sidewalk near the main entrance to Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas. The group includes a local lesbian couple who have been together for 35 years, a young African-American trans-man who came out of the closet a

New Gods

2008-11-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

Found a new (to me) webcomic recently. It's generally pretty funny (though it delves into misogyny a bit from time to time) in that bleak-humor sort of way. Also, lots of blasphemy, which is always fun for me. Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal:

Men's Story Project Online

2008-11-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

Well, considering the only person besides me who is still reading this blog already saw the show, it may be silly to post this, but I'm proud of it, dammit, and hopefully one or two people go ahead and go see more of the Men's Story Project online. I'm proud of my piece, but I'm more proud that I got to work with the other men of the show, and the woman who got the whole dang thing put together

Twu Wuv

2008-11-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure this comic is about Lio having sex with a squid:But perhaps I'm just confusing love and sex.

Tired Now

2008-11-13T15:06:00.001-08:00

Tired NowI now that this all comes in waves, but today I'm definitely less exuberant about my exercise regimen. I still exercised during lunch, and I plan to do my yoga routine tonight, but yeah, my body aches, I'm hungrier than I have been recently, and I'm a little bit sleepy after my afternoon workout. This is totally normal for me, I know--after a few weeks my energy level will level off, but

Healthy Flow

2008-11-12T14:37:00.001-08:00

It's been about four months now since I've been going to the gym regularly, and about that long since I have been going to yoga regularly. I have still been riding my bike to and from work (as well as, well, most other places I go), and I've still been eating less than I did over a year ago. I think I'm probably still healthier now than I have been for most of my life--at the same time, I have

Say Uncle

2008-11-12T11:16:00.001-08:00

I want to be the cool uncle, but it turns out, I'm the stop-that-put-that-down-no-running-stop-teasing-the-dog uncle. When I was growing up, I would go to Iowa to stay with my grandparents during the summer, and at least once during the summer my uncle would take me canoeing and camping. I always looked forward to this, but even then i don't think I knew how many immensely pleasant memories I

Some Fear, Some Giggles

2008-11-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

I settled into my seat on the plane going to Seattle the other day, got my books out, got my mp3 player out, got ready to take off. I had bought myself a new book as a treat (part of trying to get over fear of flying is reinforcing the pleasure that can be had by flying), and had been reading it in the airport while I waited for my (late) plane to show up. As I settled in, I looked up and there

Mormonitis

2008-11-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

From Bad Reporter:To be (more than) fair, there are lots of mormons who were against Prop 8...

Home Invasion

2008-11-04T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hope everybody is voting today...I tried this morning but the line was too long, so I'll be there after work. Next time, absentee ballot for certain.This cheered me up, sort of, this morning, because it's pretty much how I see Prop 8:

Nader/Gonzalez '08

2008-11-03T09:53:00.000-08:00

I'm sort of in a state of disbelief about my own mental states, but I think I'm going to vote for Nader/Gonzalez in the presidential election, especially after having read Gonzalez's piece about Obama's rhetoric vs. his voting record. Gonzalez gives us lots of good, substantive information, and then adds on a few tidbits that were almost convincing in and of themselves:On March 2, 2007 Obama

Fight or Flight or Sit Down and Shut Up

2008-10-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

Cross-posted on my meditation blog.Started reading The Zen Path Through Depression by Philip Martin. It's interesting. I'm finding these days that sometimes I just like little books, especially when they're about meditation. Maybe it's that I can't handle much spiritual talk before I get critical and bored. Or maybe it's that I like to take some of the ideas and ponder them, and there more

On Having Things To Say

2008-10-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

It's nice to have things to say, but I don't want overly much drama in my life just so that I have things to say. I've been quiet here lately, mostly because I've been quiet in life lately (and, after all, Jeff Lives Here). There have been things going on, there was sickness, there was falling for somebody, there was me and a group of inspiring men on a stage, (there were supportive friends who

Thinking On Dying

2008-10-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

Apparently, thinking about death--especially one's own death--before making a decision, has a significant effect on that decision. There's even a name for studying this effect: Terror Management Theory and Mortal Salience.A large body of evidence shows that momentarily making death salient, typically by asking people to think about themselves dying, intensifies people’s strivings to protect and

What the $*@& is Going On As Regards Financial Markets?

2008-10-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't pretend to understand things, but I sure do understand a lot more about the mortgage crisis as well as the credit crisis after having listened to two shows from This American Life. Show #355 gives lots of simple, clear info on the mortgage crisis, which is a nice intro to Show #365, which gives a lot of clear info on the credit crisis. The shows are available for free streaming

Taking Ourselves Seriously

2008-10-21T09:13:00.001-07:00

Just in case you think your wedding didn't turn out the way you had hoped:

Second Men's Story Project Performance TONIGHT

2008-10-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

Free performance, and donations at the door will benefit SF Women Against Rape, which works with people all genders in prevention and response to gender-based violence.

Understanding White Privilege Through Meditation

2008-10-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

Had my first meeting with a class at the East Bay Meditation Center that has been set up for white people to learn, in the context of meditation to some degree, about their own racism, and about living in a "multicultural" world. It's a strange feeling, being in a room full of white people (with white facilitators), talking and meditating about race. One of the best parts of the class was a

Conversation Stoppers

2008-10-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

#4: "I'm a philosopher" used to do the trick quite nicely, as well.

Help Me Wanda

2008-10-01T09:20:00.001-07:00

...or At Least Get a Minor In Economics

2008-09-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

Not really how I feel. Most of the time. But sometimes.

Swimming In Flux

2008-09-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

I've been posting less and less here, and doing more and more writing in an offline journal. I've also been meditating more, and any of the blogging that was coming from the more compulsive facets of my personality has fallen away, somewhat, at least a good deal of the time. I started a meditation journal a bit ago, and I've decided to start posting some of the thoughts I come up with there,

I Want This Guy On My Team

2008-09-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah. I pick him. That guy there. The high-strung one who knows how to punch.

Too Little, Too Late, Yet Strangely Satisfying

2008-09-18T06:25:00.000-07:00