this ain't livin'

Haul Road | 24Jul06

Yesterday my father and I went to the Haul Road, which is just north of City Limits.

The haul road used to be utilized by logging trucks moving lumber up and down the coast–now it’s merely occupied by an assortment of assiduously jogging yuppies, bicyclists, tourist scum, equestrians, and, yesterday, us. A number of locals frequent the Haul, actually, because it’s ideal for ambling, dog walking, and cooling off in hot weather thanks to the consistent ocean breezes.

The Haul is technically a stretch of decaying blacktop, but there are various paths which go out onto the headlands, like this one. The parks department has let the grass get rather high here–it’s a bit of a fire hazard. It’s fun for short people like me though because we can disappear in the thick grasses.

As you can see, yesterday was rather beautiful, if one is into blue skies and painfully hot weather.

The haul road is how I wish the mill property could be, just open space upon which people can wander. I dislike this driving need for development, for land to be “useful” in some traditional sense. Can’t land just hang out and be a couch potato?

We clambered down onto the beach after awhile, and sat to look at the ocean. The surf was soothing, not too rough but exciting enough to be frothy and enticing. It was also starkly, brilliantly blue, swishing around between the rocks and playing with the seaweed.

That dark cloud on the horizon is just strands of fog, actually, not the forces of evil preparing to descend upon us.

On days like yesterday, the water looks so inviting, like slipping in and swimming would be pleasant. I know this for a fact not to be true, but sometimes it’s nice to dream.

It was a good day to be lazy on the beach, indeed.

[beach]

95 Theses | 23Jul06

This heat is killing me. Every day I wake up in a torpor and stagger to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face, to no avail. I’ve been essentially living in a yukata in a feeble attempt to fight the heat but sadly it’s not permissable outside the house wear and at least once a day I find myself forced into the constriction of actual clothing. I find myself strongly opposed to social norms right now, because they involve me torturing myself with fabric when all I want to do is lie in the shade by a nice little stream, cooling off.

I seriously cannot comprehend how people live in this weather. Today I stood in the shower with cold water streaming for 10 minutes and it was heavenly until I got out and it was still hot. My brain has slowed, my appetite has dwindled away, and I live a life of day to day misery longing for the clammy fog.

My other adaptation is to move by night. I find myself able to think more clearly in the coolness of the night, even though it’s still warm enough to force me to leave all the windows open. At night I plumb the depths of the internet in an attempt to catch up on everything I missed during the day when I was lying in a heaving puddle on the bathroom floor with Loki because it’s the coolest place in the house.

Thus it is that I find myself reading a new version of the 95 Theses, updated for the modern world. There’s some important information in these new theses, information which is relevant not only to the computer inclined but to the world in general, like number three: “all corporations are not on your side.”

There are also some excellent recommendations, like “express your opinion in public” and “do not follow the Electronic Frontier Foundation, participate in it.”

Above all, these theses are here to remind us that we need to be active. We need to speak out instead of remaining silent. We need to participate in our societies. We need to interact with the world if we want to change it, and this is something I think a lot of people, including myself, forget sometimes. Yes, blogging is a powerful tool, and it’s great when it can be used effectively to reach thousands (or millions) of readers. But I feel sometimes that just writing is not enough. I should be out proactively pounding the streets in pursuit of what I believe in, bringing down yuppie civilization and unschooling our children and farming organically.

It’s something we were talking about at dinner, that there’s a large shadow economy in this county which consists primarily of people who don’t contribute and don’t give back, even though many of them are making a great deal of money. One might argue that it’s hard to contribute to society when what you do is illegal and much of your life is dedicated to concealing the truth of what you do. And there’s no excuse for the rest of us making a legitimate living to reject our community.

Anonymous donation is still feasible. Participating in your community, volunteering, helping out–these are all things any of us can do, and things I remember more of us doing. I grew up in Caspar, a town where we knew all our neighbors and helped each other other. We were like a giant happy family, and when that family shattered thanks to a handful of assholes, it was a great tragedy. It was a greater tragedy, though, that none of us spoke out–we all decided to leave rather than facing the source of strife. We gave up rather than retrenching and building a better home.

Tonight I have been thinking about how we fail to recognize the value of community and of making the communities we live in stronger. Part of this is activism, and part of it is compassion. What have you done for something or someone in your community lately? How are you helping to make a stronger, more awesome world? Or are you so wrapped up in your own deal that you have forgotten to look around you, like a growing number of us? Shall we live forever in fractionated communities of people who barely know each other, or is it time to come together to build something great?

Or is it too late?

We have responsibilities, we members of the human family, to “…not allow corporations to get away with assisting oppressive regimes. Let your voice be heard,” to “decide what is offensive for yourself- don’t let the government decide it for you. If you do not, pretty soon, you may only see one side of every argument,” to “most of all- have fun.”

So why aren’t we doing it, in our 9-5 grinds, in our hastening down the street in avoidance of human interaction, in our failure to register the world around us? What has happened to society that we think it’s acceptable to answer cell phones in the midst of a group of loving friends, that we turn to computers rather than people for comfort, that we build safe and comfortable bubbles in which nothing of wonder and interest ever happens?

I don’t know. Perhaps it’s late and I’m rambling and I have heat stroke. But I think we need to question what we’re doing here, because I don’t see it going anywhere good.

That is all.

Raw | 22Jul06

Tonight I went to a raw dinner party, which was an interesting experience. I have to say, having not been overwhelmed by raw food in the past, I was really impressed with this meal. Usually I find myself hungry directly after consuming a raw banquet, and I was surprised to learn that I felt…full..about three quarters of the way through the meal and almost didn’t finish dessert. The food was dense and rich and packed with flavour in a way a lot of cooked food doesn’t approach.

All the food was organic, and a lot of it was locally sourced. This is something I’m really striving for in my own life so it was wonderful to have a fully vegan, “environmentally correct” meal. I wish I could eat this well every day, in the sense that it was good for me and good for the earth. Balanced, even.

We started with an almond pesto torte, made with almond cheese sandwiching a layer of fresh tomato pesto and sundried tomato pesto, drizzled with infused oil and served with flax crackers. Think a crazy rich pate like dish. It was creamy, and the interplay of flavor was complex and fun. The crackers crisped in a satisfying way in the mouth and foiled the flavours of the torte brilliantly. It sounds cliche because a lot of raw fooders say this, but the flavours really did feel more vibrant and alive in the dish. It was, uhm, really good.

We followed with a fresh tomato gazpacho soup which had a confetti of cucumber, radishes, and avocado. It was the perfect summer soup–cool in temperature yet spicy on the tongue. Fun. The tomato flavour really came through in a strong way–I felt like I was standing in our old garden in Elk in the late afternoon eating slightly cooled tomatoes from the vine. I also liked the radishes. Some of my dining companions disagreed so I stole their soup. Eat it or lose it, I always say.

Our entree was a traditional Caesar salad, which was in fact anything but traditional since it had no eggs, anchovies, croutons, or parmesan. Instead, it featured hearts of romaine, herbed croutons (which were not as crunchy as traditional croutons, sadly, more…chewy in texture), rawmesan, a creamy dressing and cracked fresh pepper. I was a little skeptical of the salad for entree ploy, I admit, but it was delicious. Especially after the rich appetizer, it was the perfect savory finish to that portion of dinner. Alas, I was among company so I couldn’t lick the plate.

We followed with an amuse-bouche which had a rich chocolate base with a layer of coconut over it, with a single almond perched on top. I forget what it was called, but it was really good. I looked around vainly in hopes of more, because I’m fairly certain I could eat them all day every day for the rest of my life. It was a living Mounds bar, and oh god was it good. Yes.

We finished with cashew vanilla ice cream served with fresh berries and a chocoalte brownie. It was also damn skippy. The first few bites tasted a little odd to me but then I got into it and demolished my bowl in short order. It’s true, I’m a sucker for frozen dessert products. And cashews.

It was certainly an eye opening meal. I hadn’t had a fully raw meal before, and I was a bit apprehensive about the whole affair. I don’t think I could ever convert to being totally raw, but it made me understand how it might be possible, how you could be fulfilled eating vibrant living foods every day. All of the dishes tasted…more…to me. Now, I’ve had some superb cooked meals too, with excellent plays of vibrant, delicious flavours, don’t get me wrong. But something about this hot summer night and this food was perfect–I was fully sated by the meal, and delighted with the new experience for my palate. It might be something I try more often, that’s for sure.

It also seemed like a lot of work, something which may not be practical for most diners. But it would be fun to try now and then, to push the envelope of food options. I always like to think of myself as a fearless food explorer, up for any challenge, and I’m glad I met raw food with an open stomach.

[raw food]

Making it dead | 22Jul06

Reading the roundup on the stem cell veto on Thursday, I was struck by this statement, from the mouth of White House Spokesman Tony Snow:

“The president is not going to get on the slippery slope of taking something that is living and making it dead for the purpose of research.”

That’s something I can get behind. I generally don’t approve of making things dead for the purpose of research. Indeed, I think it’s rather rude. Can’t you study things that are already dead? Or perhaps find an alternate method for finding out the answer to your pressing question?

I don’t know about you, but I am dying to know what Mr. Bush’s thoughts on animal testing are.

According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 214 animals die in American Laboratories every minute. They are burned, electrocuted, tormented with chemicals and psychological experiments. They are cats and dogs just like the ones I know most of my readers have at home. They are rats, pigs, mice, monkeys, gerbils, horses, guinea pigs, sheep–just about any non-human animal you can think of.

Sadly, most of these experiments are for cosmetics and household products–things which could be tested in other, less harmful ways. Countless animals also suffer in pursuit of “pure research,” which essentially consists of the experimenter doing whatever ou pleases and then writing an article about it. The majority of medical experimentation falls under this category–repeats of old experiments, experiments which later turn out to be irrelevant to humans, and pointless exploration to prove common knowledge (do animals like having pain inflicted upon them? Well, no. What a shocking result.)

Most of this testing is conducted with the assistance of funding from the US Government, which means that you are paying for animal torture. It’s virtually impossible, however, to get access to an animal lab–I tried, when I was at (famous university) and was repeatedly denied. Many college students are actually not aware that their university or college tests on animals and maintains a lab, because facilities are routinely hidden underground.

Animal testing is a huge industry, and it is propelled by the companies that make billions of dollars from it. A growing number of medical professionals and scientists are speaking out against animal testing, because not only is it ethically wrong but it’s usually scientifically wrong as well. It is not reasonable to generalize experiment results across species, and yet this is done every day by animal labs. Remember Thalidomide? It was tested rigorously in a number of species (except for humans) with no ill effects.

But don’t just read what I have to say about it–there is a wealth of material available on vivisection and animal testing from a variety of sources, like the National Anti-Vivisection Society, The Humane Society of the United States, The Fund for Animals, PETA-People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Some of the information you will find is graphic and unpleasant, and I hope it has the desired effect–to drive you to change your lifestyle and encourage others to do the same.

Speak with your voice, speak at the polls, and speak with your pocketbooks–help put a stop to animal testing.

Charles Magel said this about animal testing:

Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: ‘Because the animals are like us.’ Ask the experimenters why it is morally OK to experiment on animals, and the answer is: ‘Because the animals are not like us.’ Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction.

None of us are blame-free. I don’t live an entirely harmless lifestyle, although I strive to make it that way. But I don’t use products which are tested on animals, and I read up on the constantly evolving world of alternatives to animal testing. There’s no good reason to make things dead for research anymore, Mr. Bush. You are absolutely right, and I wish that you would use the power vested in you to put a stop to animal torture in the United States.

[animal testing]

Congratulations | 21Jul06

To the newest pair of parents in town. May your child’s life be filled with excellence, every day.

p.s. I saw this site and thought instantly of you two.

Friday Cat Blogging | 21Jul06

Hi, my name is Loki, and I enjoy hanging out in places I shouldn’t be, looking cute in the hopes that no one will get mad.

Often in the mornings I like to weasel myself onto the window sill to spy on the goings on around town. I’m technically allowed to be here but when I push the window screen out I have crossed the border into dangerous territory.

I am certainly not allowed on the towels.

Not that it would stop me or anything.

[cat blogging]

In praise of fruit | 21Jul06

So I went to Harvest yesterday and ended up buying around $100 worth of produce.

I know what seduced me–it was the abundance of summery goodness in the produce section. Which, thank god, is where I left it the last time I was at Harvest, which brings me to my primary complaint about my shopping experience which is WHERE THE FUCK DID EVERYTHING GO? I understand that they remodeled to make more room and that some stuff might move. But did they really need to disembowel the entire store? I mean, seriously. I went into the bulk section for some almonds and ran smack dab into a case of merlot. I went to the cooler where the yoghurt used to be and there was no yoghurt. Is there yoghurt, somewhere, in the new Harvest? Because I could not find any goddamn yoghurt and I was very angry about it. This is almost worse than the old Harvest trick of ordering products that I fall in love with and then never carrying them again. I am not happy about the new direction Harvest is going in, it’s uncomfortably yuppie for me. I do not approve.

I wrote them a detailed complaint and stuck it in the comment box but I don’t respect a response when they have so clearly capitulated to the yuppie foolishness. Pretty soon they’ll be getting rid of all the vaguely white trash foods and replacing them with all organic white truffle oil hand pressed by certified Italian virgins. And by the way, could you please make an effort to carry the non-shitty flavours of Kettle Chips, like Chipotle Chile Barbeque? Because the options you have would make the Baby Jesus Cry. Also please could you start carrying Voyant, because my friend A dragged me all over Fort Bragg looking for it last night? Thank you.

Where is the love, Harvest?

Uhm, anyway, so fruit.

I bought a lot of fruit, and it is very yummy. That’s pretty much all, honestly. I’ve been gorging myself on cherries and apricots and strawberries, melon and bananas. My fridge is packed to the gills–so much, in fact, that every time I open it I have to move fast to catch a honeydew melon that otherwise might escape and run wild through my house. And everyone knows that once a melon escapes, it’s virtually impossible to get back. And then you find it all shriveled up under the couch months later. And you say “ah ha, that’s what that smell was.”

I am digging it. God, I love summer for the richness of fruit that happens, and in the dark of the winter I will think back to these days of lying on the bed, mouth filled with cherries, with deep bitterness. My lips are bright red from all the cherries I’ve eaten. I’m probably going to get a tummy ache.

And you know what? I’m going to love it.

Because I’m like a cow that strays into the orchard and can’t stop myself from eating until I feel physically ill. Fresh produce is the bees knees. Cats pajamas. Anyway.

I’m sure my imminent tummyache from all this produce will make me nice and grumpy so I can write a good political diatribe, but for now you’re going to have to satisfy yourselves with the thought that these cherries, right now, that I am eating, are fucking awesome.

[fruit]

Self-referential | 20Jul06

The Pew Internet Life project released results on Wednesday for their survey about bloggers and blogging. You can access pdf files of the survey results and interview questions here. It’s certainly amazing to see where social networking and the internet have brought us, eh?

The survey is interesting to me for a variety of reasons. As anyone who actively blogs knows, bloggers come from all walks of life, and the Pew results confirm that. Most bloggers appear casual, picking up blogging as a hobby and not devoting that much time to it. (I’m among the 10% of bloggers that spends 10 or more hours a week working on my blog…which, by the way, costs a shocking amount of money to host annually, in part thanks to the large database.) Blogging is as much or as little as you want it to be, thanks to self publishing systems like Blogger (where I got my start), LiveJournal, and Typepad.

Bloggers are also apparently more diverse–English is the second most popular language, and only 60% of us are white. (Now, granted, that is a lot of white folks. But when 74% of internet users are white, it’s awesome to see some more minority voices there.) Blogging also seems to be evenly split between the sexes, although more than half of us are under thirty. (And, uhm, I actually do hang out in my pajamas most of the time when I’m writing. Sorry to reinforce that stereotype.)

It’s good to see blogging being treated as a serious media and source of information exchange, and gratifying to see leading groups like the Pew Foundation studying and attempting to quantify it. (Though they could have done with a much wider survey sample.) Even newspapers have blogs now–clearly it’s not a fad that’s going to go away any time soon.

There’s been a lot of buzz about blogging in the last few years, especially after the 2004 unelection. There’s something in the nature of instant publishing that can be shared with the world that appeals to me, and also terrifies me. Primarily, it’s a pain in the ass sifting through the millions of blogs out there in search of good material. It’s also sad to see a handful of heavyweights leading the blogging world–it’s why I encourage things like link exchange and the ever widening assortment of carnivals, because it gives me a chance to see what other people are writing, not just Wonkette, The Daily Kos, Dooce, and so on.

But blogging is changing the shape of our society in a lot of ways, and as a new media that’s something which should be addressed. Bloggers are lobbying for candidates. Bloggers are whistleblowing about issues in the workplace, spreading information, sharing ideas and tools for living. Bloggers write about food and share recipes, or chronicle adventures around the world–if it’s something I’m interested in, there’s a good chance that a blog on it exists somewhere. It’s a pretty neat thing. I can follow events all over the country in small towns (apparently only 13% of bloggers live in rural areas..which makes sense given the growing urban population) just like this one by hopping from blog to blog, collecting information and photographs as I go. I feel like I’m in Perils of Our Girl Reporters sometimes.

I really enjoy reading blogs written by people living in other countries, to give me an on the ground idea of what’s going on. It’s surprising how much isn’t covered in the American media, or how many facts are distorted–while blogs cannot be considered an utterly reliable source, they often provide new insight on global issues for me. It’s possible to learn a lot from the material other people provide, given that the reader is willing to sift through it all and make calculated conclusions about it.

Extensions of the blogging world like flickr (warning, graphic images) allow me to see what’s going on in other parts of the world, to bring a visceral meaning to news reports about bombings, for example. It’s like taking a little field trip to a magical land, or hell.

I also love reading about other people’s work lives. I can be a doctor for a day, or a forester, if I want to. I’d love to see more youth utilizing blogs to research potential careers. But it’s also just fun to live vicariously through someone, even if just for a little while. If I ever wondered what it would be like to be a grocer, a stunt pilot, or a blacksmith, I can read all about it.

Blogs are also constantly challenging media boundaries, and legal trouble has resulted from blogging, particularly work blogging. You might get dooced, or just get a talking to. There seems to be a constant struggle to define which forms of free speech are to be permitted in the blogosphere, and when commentary crosses the line into libel or defamation. Is it illegal to criticize a workplace? No, it’s not–but people will and have been fired for it, sadly. Sometimes the little guy wins after all, though. Issues of privacy and security have become much larger in the past few years, with bloggers in other parts of the world being imprisoned for their words.

We are fortunate in the United States in that political bloggers are still able to express their opinions. Hopefully it will always be that way–but our anonymity may be seriously at risk, given that many ISPs cave to subpoenas (or provide that kind of information to the government willingly). Offshore hosting is probably the most intelligent thing for radical bloggers if they want any sort of protections.

I suspect that blogging is the new fifth column, undermining traditional media and society. Certainly, it offers certain bonuses many newspapers take advantage of–instant reporting, for example. However, like all internet sources, blogs are not reliable and may never be, because of their open nature. Anyone can post a blog–and it sounds like a whole lot of people do–and even more read. This can be a dangerous tool, can’t it?

[blogging]

My New Housemate | 19Jul06

I came from work today and found my new housemate perching on top of the toilet.

It didn’t seem like a terribly awesome place to hang out but ou was looking pretty into it, so I decided to leave things as they were.

Later, I caught ou investigating one of my houseplants:

I hope ou sticks around, assuming Loki doesn’t get all crazy style. Loki’s pretty into insect visitors, and not in a friendly way. But I told him ladybugs are good insects. They eat the naughty ones.

To be honest, he doesn’t seem sold on the whole thing just yet. I love ladybugs, though. They look like little clockwork toys.

Trespassers Welcome | 19Jul06

The thing about growing up in a rural area is that one becomes accustomed to going more or less where one pleases, as long as basic rules of respect and common decency are followed. For example, walkers are expected to close gates behind them so that livestock don’t escape. Mushroomers, hunters, birders, and wildflower pickers should refrain from harvesting on private land. If you notice a hazard such as broken fencing, a fallen tree, downed livestock, or some such, it is courtesy to clear it or alert the owner of the land so that action can be taken.

Certain caution must be taken in trespassing or straying off the trail if one suspects that some local agriculture may be going on. A general good rule of thumb is not to leave the trail in state parks, not to enter heavily fenced land, not to pursue a trail which leads past aggressive dogs, and to follow your instincts. If the land feels sketchy, you leave.

However, there seems to be a new breed of landowner around here–self righteous yuppies who plaster their lands with “NO TRESPASSING” signs. Recently, some land near my father’s house was thus posted and one of the neighbors realized that it was actually deeded Coastal Access land, and must by law be made accessible to anyone who wishes to go there. The neighbors successfully sued for access, forcing the owners to open up a trail. (Which I noticed on my last trip out there was carefully boarded by fencing, forcing walkers to keep to a narrow corridor which is of course also not wheelchair accessible). I’m not a fan of this not welcome mentality, despite my general hostile attitude to tourists, yuppies, and the other scum who make my life here unbearable sometimes. When we caretook for a huge stretch of land, we had “trespassers welcome” signs, because we liked having walkers on the land.

Not only did it feel neighborly, but they often alerted us to problems, neat wildflowers growing in the woods, and other things. Our easy-going attitude about use of the land by the public was welcomed, and people never vandalized or were in other ways disrespectful to the land.

Many of the places I go to and write about are privately held, and many of them are not welcome to trespassers because they are owned by private corporations. (And some of them, such as the Georgia Pacific Land or Treasure Island, also have hazards and the company will bear liability if walkers are injured.) When I walk on private land I make a choice and a calculated risk–so far, I have never been accosted by landowners although I have done my fair share of dodging around corners to avoid detection.

On the land held by individuals, I often run into the owners who are sometimes hesitant at first but usually warm up when they realize I mean them no harm. (And also that I don’t intend to publicly post the location of their land so that they can be swarmed by the curious.) I have as much respect and love for hidden areas of the land that they do–I just don’t happen to have the funds to own a chunk of my own.

I’m also not a big fan of property ownership in general–I find it ludicrous that people claim to “own” the earth, or “have the title to” a stretch of land. If I ever pay an obscene amount of money for the privilege of being a land steward, I intend to welcome all respectful comers, because the land isn’t truly “mine” to grant or deny access to.

Sadly, my friend A had an unpleasant experience around trespassing lately. She parked her vehicle on land which, unbeknownst to her, was privately owned. Nowhere was the land posted “private: no trespassing,” nor was it fenced. She went for a stroll with her dog and returned to find her tyres slashed and a nasty note on her windshield, which had been broken. Then she had the pleasure of hiking back to a more traveled roadway in order to find a ride back to town.

When she finally got in touch with law enforcement, they blew her off, something which surprises me.

Is trespassing illegal? Sure, it’s a Class C Misdemeanor. Generally, however, it is recommended that land-owners verbally (or in writing) notify people who are trespassing, especially if the land is poorly posted. (For example, you can access privately held land through public lands, and not realized that you have strayed over the border if the private land isn’t posted or fenced where you crossed over.) Trespassing, in short, involves knowing action. Landowners are expected to clearly post their property, and trespassers will not be prosecuted, usually, if they leave upon request and have not “interfered with” the property in some way.

Those who knowingly trespass can be prosecuted, and those who damage property can as well. Vandals should be prosecuted, because they ruin the fun for the rest of us.

But vandalism to the property of the trespasser is not, to my knowledge, legal. It’s one thing to tow a vehicle and leave a note saying “you trespassed, you were towed.” It would make the landowner kind of an asshole to do it without warning, but it’s not unreasonable and is well within legal limits. However, slashing tyres and shooting out windshields is not legal. Nor is it courteous, responsible, or sane. I hope that the local law enforcement gets their act together and goes after this person, because ou needs to learn that there are more logical ways of dealing with trespassers.

Especially since I’m getting a strong urge to go poop on ou’s porch right now.

Furthermore, such an aggressive reaction to trespassers is usually a strong indication that something illegal (such as marijuana growing or meth manufacture) is going on. Wouldn’t it behoove the sheriff to drive out and take a look? Maybe the landowner is just a grumpy asshole…or maybe the sheriff is about to make a big bust.

[trespassing]