walking earth

A story about a hike: Robert Louis Stevenson State Park

2012-01-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago in Calistoga, California, I went on a hike with a new friend from San Francisco. The story I wrote engages with ideas of the non-human. I'm trying to depict how the vast mountains and nature intersect with the social experience of the hike. Once again, the story "Howling" is hosted on Cowbird, but I'll also post the text below if you click read more.

Hikers came down the steep, shadowy trail. At each foot fall, their leg muscles absorbed force, arms bounding at the elbows, as gravity drew them through constellations of movement to the car lot at the bottom of the mountain...

"You have no idea," one man announced to no one in particular, smiling as if he had a secret. He descended triumphantly, "The wind up there is rough."

The man wore shorts, and the hood of his windbreaker was down his back and askew to one side.

The woman paused for a moment, worried she had not dressed to cut the wind.

"What do you recommend?" the woman asked.

His hair was salt and pepper gray and wind-blown into ridges

"Do you not recommend the hike?" she asked.

The hiker sized the woman up, and conceded an obligatory pep talk. His tone quickly shifted.

"No, you can do it. It's awesome," he said. "You can totally do it."

The man hiking with the woman joined in.

"How long did it take you guys?"

"It took us about two hours to hike up," said the gray-haired man, "and about an hour and a half down."

The winding paths of the lower forest eventually gave way to a wide, sunny trail. At the edge of it were the asymmetrical forms of unprotected trees, battered as they had been by the force of wind. The conversation between the two people was first stories of friends, and then observations about the trail, narratives about their jobs, and then pondering the flora. They wondered what were the pale-leafed bushes that scaled up the mountain in vast arrays. Were they sage, the woman wondered, like they had in the Texas hill country?

The man stopped and said to listen. Low and then higher pitched, a woo-woo'ing was heard, softer and then rising to a height. It was like the pursing blow on the top of a soda bottle.

"Let's take some sound," the woman said.

Unzipping her vinyl backpack, she brought out a recorder. She followed him across the gravel and climbed up the rocks at the edge. It was a vista, with two distinct ranges of mountains beyond. They looked into the forests in the valley, and then back up to the sky. They gazed into the distance at the haze.

And from a distance, California looked back them: the two forms minuscule against Mount St. Helena. From that vantage, the hikers appeared to have a lot to learn. They had yet to discover, for example, that from the highest summit, from behind the blue mountains, the Pacific ocean would appear as a swath of blinding light at the horizon. They had yet to see the warm glow through their closed eyes, as the rays of California sun seeped into their brains. The hikers didn't know that on the top of the mountain, there would be a far greater wind. For the moment, the grandeur was only half-seen, their knowledge provisional.

"It's really blowing," the man said. "You can hear the howling."

Conspicuous Stitchery San Jose

2012-01-06T16:05:00.000-08:00

I dropped off something to have embroidered today at this "Conspicuous Stitchery" shop right near my house. Yes, I did meet Cam, the owner. He's just as over-the-top Goth sexuality meets nineties grunge flair as he looks in the portrait. A huge banner of this portrait is hanging right over the register. It's like the picture is saying, "Look into my eyes, and order a monogrammed baseball hat with a skull design. I dare you not to." As you might expect, I kind of had a hard time talking to him. I had just never met *anyone* like him. He was a super kind and helpful person though, so don't let the eye sex death grip fool you.

Gif of the mountain haze in San Jose

2012-01-05T11:09:00.001-08:00

Only my second attempt at a gif file. I think I can do a lot better, but just so you know, it's easy to do through the free sites. Couple uploads and a click. I'm wondering if you surrender your image rights when you upload to the sites....

Memorial Cross park

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

While I was running errands around town, I stumbled upon a small park near the airport. It was a little strange. I can't recall city parks in Texas with religious statues and certainly not Catholic ones. As the city of San Jose website explains, the park (Memorial Cross Park) was actually the site of the second mission of the Franciscan friars from the 18th century. So, there's definitely a historic reason to justify it, but the park is even moreso odd because it totally contrasts with the neighborhood surrounding it.

It's in the middle of an industrial area with the airport one side. The video below especially shows the contrast of the airport and the busy intersection, and then the manicured sanctity of the park with its mammoth cross. The ancient within an industrial core...St. Francis embattled and isolated within the concrete that is modern day San Jose. See the picture set on my Flickr stream.

Decay and the American dream

2012-01-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

Just shared the photograph of San Carlos street via Cowbird. If you haven't checked out the stories there, you really should, yo.

Iconic San Jose

2012-01-01T21:58:00.000-08:00

From top to bottom: 'Western Appliance,' San Carlos St.; 'bikers,' Irving St.; 'home with snow flake,' Villa St.; 'palms on the Alameda 1'; 'palms on the Alameda 2'; Herbert Hoover middle school; 'the Alameda motel'; 'Harding and Stockton'; 'conversion van,' Stockton Av.

Manhole covers 2011

2012-01-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

Far from a comprehensive list, but here is a partial catalog of the cities I have visited in manhole covers. In 2012, I promise not to miss a municipality. The other three photos are mine, but I had to borrow Austin and New Orleans.

Image credit: "Austin, manhole cover" via @Larry Miller

Image Credit: "manhole cover" via @shil

New Years in California

2011-12-31T22:14:00.000-08:00

The year 2011 was a universe of time. So many memories with so many special people. It's easy to feel love and to feel gratitude and also to feel true sadness for friends and family I miss so dearly. My heart is in my throat, and I'm overcome with my love for you. Happy New Years from California!

Trip away from San Jose: a belated Thanksgiving post

2011-12-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

How did I neglect to take a single photo of my family's Thanksgiving celebration in Texas? I did however, take photos and video while driving across the great state (from Austin, Texas to Sour Lake, Texas). The photos are from the passenger's seat, which gave them a blurred ephemeral quality. It's interesting to see the contrast as you move from the pastoral rolling plains of central Texas to the industrial core of southeast Texas. Outsiders may think there is only one Texas...but there are many Texases. My beautiful sister Anna makes the cut again. After all, she was kind enough to give me a ride!

Check out the set on my Flickr page. The video below is driving near Conroe, Texas, just a little north of Houston.

Echo Systems story...

2011-12-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

Another Cowbird drama, this time one called Echo Systems about the dangers of traveling to a yoga session. I am retelling these stories from experience, but I'm writing in a third-person narrative. i.e. the "woman" is yours truly. Happy reading!

"By the way" story

2011-12-10T15:58:00.001-08:00

I just began writing stories on cowbird. This story "By the Way" is a story of my trip to the Santa Clara farmer's market on Franklin square. Enjoy

Late Fall in the Silicon Valley

2011-12-10T00:12:00.001-08:00

'Autumn Leaves over Santa Clara'

The quarter is over at Santa Clara, and the students are all on their way home for the winter holiday. It's strange to be preparing for Christmas, when the trees across the valley just turned color a few weeks ago. A late November/early December fall. Piles of leaves wait on the curb to be picked up, and the winds have started to blow. It's a La Niña year. To be honest, I'm a bit tired and a bit befuddled as to what comes next. The end the school term came so fast. For now, enjoy the oranges and yellows of the Silicon valley.

Moonlit Egypt in San Jose

2011-11-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Biking home at dusk, I caught this photograph of the Rosicrucean Egyptian museum by moonlight. Isis would be proud.

"It's already happening": Spiritual Retreat in Danville, CA

2011-11-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I took this magic photograph of a reed-filled pond with its background of willow trees and a gardener's cottage. I know what you're thinking, but you can't Photoshop something this pretty. The Franciscans just really know what they're doing when it comes to gardening. More evidence in the photo set after the break.

I took these images on retreat in the hills of northern California 45 minutes away from San Jose. I went for three days to study with my friend and spiritual teacher, Dr. Alexander Shaia. If you talk spirituality with me, you'll hear me mention Alexander's research on the four Gospel texts. I buy his book for family and recommend it to friends. I held a bible study at my house last year. I think it's major. For those of us troubled by the divisive interpretations of scripture that characterize present-day Christianity, I believe Alexander's approach can save Christianity for us. It has for me.

To sum it up, we've been trained that the scriptures pass down the original rules of the church (dogma), or we think the scriptures pass down the biography of Jesus (history). Christians argue amongst themselves about these dogmas and histories. Not to mention how we've used scriptures to demean other faith traditions, or to justify our undue judgment of marginalized groups. However, an intercultural scholar of religion and psychology, Alexander deepens our understanding beyond history and dogma, which are only part of the story. He argues that Gospel is meant to be lived. The four books, he says, were composed and put together to share a four-fold journey (a process).

According to Alexander, the early church gives us "the way," a way to make it through pain with God's help, a path towards union within communities. In this articulation Alexander calls quadratos, it's Matthew that helps us "face change," Mark that helps us "move through suffering," John that helps us "receive joy," and Luke that helps us "mature" and give back to others. This path assists us through daily life and through times of trial. "The way" is the grace to move forward in each phase and season.

Despite the fact that I've been using quadratos as part of my spiritual practice since 2008, it took this weekend to identify where I currently am on the journey. Getting this new job in California has been a gift. But teaching four courses, researching for my dissertation, and learning a new university has launched me into intense work and intense feelings. I've had a surge of creative energy, an energy that's pushed me through the work but that's also made me feel "ungrounded." I've been virtually buzzing. It was great to have that moment this weekend when I realized that my frenetic energy was unrecognized joy. Ahhhh.....right. I'm on the third part of the journey: the part of the journey, Alexander says, where you receive the boon. For me, the photograph of the fountain at the beginning of the post captures the calm I began to feel within the energy, the center from where I can experience that joy.

Everyone on the retreat seemed to be moved by Alexander's approach. I met lovely people, including a group of retired sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (PBVM) and a fellow faculty member from Santa Clara. One fellow retreat attendant particularly struck a chord. She was a taciturn woman who (after a bit of prompting) shared her story about being involved in social justice movements. Turns out, she's protested every war and invasion over the last twenty years; she's organized people in her area against environmental degradation, and most recently, she's been on the ground occupying Oakland. I won't ever forget her. Her guarded and understated manner and the integrity of her life choices held a challenge. For me, this woman's call to justice was the essence of faith. This is what the Gospel gives us. The message calls for us to mature in our faith and to live as the early Christians lived: in diverse communities undergoing change together.

Egyptian Spirituality in San Jose

2011-10-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Photos from the Rosicrucean Egyptian Museum by nradley

From the highways, San Jose is beautiful. Think palm trees and surrounding mountains. From the streets, San Jose is kind of decaying. Think aging strip malls, retro motels, and gritty sidewalks from the 1960s. I've been to a few newer places like Santana Row, a higher-end shopping development. But, in general, there is kind of an aging ordinariness about San Jose, almost, I'd hazard to say, a feeling of complacency with a uniquely California tone. I think its the majesty of the mountains paired with a fading American idealism. But, when you go deeper, there's a mystical undercurrent I've experienced here and there. Take for instance the Rosicrucean Egyptian Museum, the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in America, where I visited several weeks ago. As I toured the museum for about an hour, I said to my friend Phil that I was getting a little spooked. Mummies are, in fact, kind of spooky, and the museum has four, including a child mummy. I won't post pictures of the mummies, since I feel you should have a good reason to take a picture of a dead body. If you're hankering, you can look at them on the Rosicrucean site.

Life-size tomb by nradley

There's the retro 1980s feel to the museum that might have contributed to the spooky feeling. In an old school museum with velvet drapes and glass cases, there's some unconscious sense that's hard to articulate, but might be something like walking onto a horror movie set. Yet, for all this, there was something else: A this-isn't-like-other-museums-I've-been-to-before feeling.

Lobby of the Roscicrucean

Indeed, as it turns out, the museum is not only a public cultural site, but is also an educational center and sacred site for people who believe in Egyptian spiritual practices. That is, it's not just a museum but a sort of church for the Rosicrucean Order, or the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis. When I read this, I got a feeling like when I think about the Masons, another quasi-secret 'society' that acts as a public civic organization across America. They never have windows on their buildings, right? It's that feeling that someone has a secret...shhhhhhh. I'll never tell. Creepy. The Rosicrucean Order is an "initiatic" tradition, which means, like the Masons, or Scientology, that you learn secret knowledge as you move from stage to stage. The word initiation implies you have to go through ritual processes, or that existing members of the group shepherd you through progressive exposure to knowledge. To be fair, the Christian tradition, and in particular the Catholic tradition, of which I'm a part, is also initiatic. I'm guessing the difference is that the beliefs of the religion are written down and distributed. Every weird thing Catholics believe is available for your perusal the Catechism, or published in papal epistles for everyone to see. Also, to be fair, I'm pretty sure there are secret societies in Catholicism, too. I think Opus Dei might be like this? I'm talking off the cuff here, so you folks weigh in if you know more than me.

As I learn about San Jose, it seems to have places of luminosity, places of strange, hidden beliefs. Maybe, as I learn more, the city will cease to seem ordinary. Or maybe in California, secret mysticism is as ordinary as skateboarding while drinking out of a coffee mug. I saw a college student doing just that this morning, by the way. Stay tuned in the coming days for a more mundane post about skateboarding. I'm imagining it will be titled: "What I've learned about skateboarding." Love from California, Noel.

Finally, Santa Clara!

2011-09-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

My first walk on the Santa Clara University campus was a couple months ago. I've waited to post about it for two good reasons. Number one...it was still summer. I had a dissertation to write. I wanted to be in between SCU and Utexas for a little while longer. In between Austin and San Jose. In between graduate student and faculty at a new school. Number two reason I didn't yet post any pictures...I didn't want to seem like I was bragging, because the university where I work is very pretty and, from certain angles, staggeringly beautiful.

Santa Clara orientation starts this afternoon, so I have to get with the program. I'm over the worry about being a braggart. So, enjoy the pretty. Part of the pretty in these pictures is my sister, who just so happened to have a work trip to *San Jose* a couple weeks ago.

Santa Clara University Library

2011-08-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy trying to finish my dissertation before the Santa Clara University quarter begins. One of the neat things about the library here is the Automatic Retrieval System (ARS). Even though I don't have my faculty card yet, I can use this ah-may-zing system. Makes me think of the movie, The Matrix. Check the SCU library video, which depicts it much better than my snapshots.

This blog entry is solely to make me feel better about my sense of direction

2011-08-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

This screenshot from Googlemaps shows my hometown for the past ten years: Austin, Texas. By my count, there are four major highways Highway 1 (Mopac), 290, 183, and I-35. If you're feeling crazy, you can add Loop 360. Is 130 the toll road? Anyway, don't worry about 130. Also, note the general orientation here: the square-ish north-to-south, Texas-like style of thinking in the lay out.

Take your happy ass to California, and this is what you get. I count four major Highways here: 101, 880 (aka 17), 680, 280. Then, there are the three highways that begin with 80....85, 87, 82. Also notice that instead of the very square North-to-South Texas cognitive style, there's more of a circular branching into two off-shoots type shape. It's not that it's unreasonable. There's a lot of people and cars they're managing on these roads. And let's be real. Part of the reason that there's not as many roads from Austin is, as the commonplace goes, Austin residents often have a mild disdain for the *other* parts of the state. On the other hand, there are as many roads in Silicon Valley as there are good (and beautiful) places to go. But my mind (already compromised by too much dissertation writing) is reeling. Double the major roads? What's with all the 8s? Which direction is north exactly? Well, I am gonna learn it, folks, but it might take some time.

Going to the wrong place gets you to other places

2011-08-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today, I was lost for 45 minutes. On Tuesday, I was lost for 30 minutes, and then on the same day, lost for about another hour. I drive towards mountains; I drive away from mountains. I take highways named 880, 280, 82, 101, and 1. They go north and south. South too far, and then north too far. I try to turn around but end up penentrating miles into new parts of town. My instincts don't help, usually veering me in some strange direction. If I bring a map, it usually helps. But maps don't eradicate the mistakes and that feeling that I might never...get...home. I am a person with a good sense of direction, but seriously, the bay area is complicated. My roommate was amazed yesterday that I didn't have GPS, and I'm starting to understand why. Today, I felt I could possibly break down and have a little pity party. Read: shed tears.

It was one of my first days in town when I was trying to find somewhere I could develop film from my new plastic cameras. The first place I visited was Superior Color Lab. It wasn't a place to develop film, but the owner (G.W. Griffith, sorry still haven't learned his real name) was very kind. He drew me the following two maps.

They take me over the hill (towards Santa Cruz) via the scenic routes. Places to take pictures. I'm going to use these maps really soon. But until then, they simply symbolize to me the collaboration, the kindness, and the inherent human instinct to help people who are lost. I think it's a beautiful part of our experience, and we shouldn't take it for granted.

The longer I am here, and the more times I get lost, the more these maps mean to me.

Drum Circle 311

2011-08-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

Say your roommate invited you to a concert, courtesy of Facebook, where you are going to hang with Facebook interns in the temperate weather of Mountain View, California and listen to Sublime and 311. What would you do? Another scenario. Say you were a member of the band 311, and you needed a big shock-and-awe concert trick, and the best thing about your band was probably the drummer. What would you do? Answer to the latter question: you'd probably start a drum circle.

As to the former question... I don't know what you would do, but I drove myself to Mountain View and had a right good time. Surreal, but very fun.

Where the sidewalk ends...in San Jose

2011-08-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Shel Silverstein wrote a poem called "Where the Sidewalk Ends," which is also the name of his book of poems so many of us read in the 1980s as little children. Silverstein seemed to understand that sidewalks signify our embedded place within an ideological matrix.

< ; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

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font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">Here's a game. Start looking below your feet while you are walking. Below your feet....at the sidewalks. See what you find. Are the sidewalks cracked and buckling from tree roots? Are they pale and new? Are there imprints and date stamps from the cement company? I bet you'll be surprised. You'll probably find a narrative about development, about movement through urban spaces, about the social values of your town or city. Above are some pictures from the streets of San Jose. I didn't stop at sidewalks, because once I started looking, I also got very interested in all the utilities and the companies that install and maintain them. It is, in fact, a very good game. Just don't get run over playing. Walk safely, friends.

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<; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">p.s. if you end up taking some images, or having an interesting experiences, please let us know. If blogger doesn't let you post links, I'll publish them for you!

Lost images of San Jose

2011-08-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

The above images were the first roll taken with my plastic camera and successfully developed. The owner at Foto Express, San Jose, said he was sorry but the other roll of film hadn't made it, i.e. it came out blank. The blank roll was enclosed in my photo envelope, as proof of futility and loss. When I said I was a born again analog photographer, he offered to help me with my camera. I can check to make sure it doesn't happen again.

The other 'successful' roll of film came as negatives in a sleeve, and burned on a CD. You can view the entire roll of pictures from my photostream on Flickr. The two attempted sets of images cost $14.95 without any prints. It isn't cheap. But still doable. There's actually a lot of pleasure in this whole process, including the triggering of memories of my young life taking pictures and developing them the photo lab at Target. The wait for those photographs of me and my friends and young loves entailed some form of exquisite desire.

There are certain things I *really like* about the images from the plastic camera, including the sense of mystery and shadow. The thing I don't like is that I have no control over the focus and that so many of them are blurry. Hold the camera still, Beavis. What do you think? Have any of you gone back to analog lately? I'm wondering how much we gain. I certainly have gained more than I have lost so far.

Sushi Boats: The Answer to the World Economy

2011-08-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

After running errands this afternoon, I decided to go out eat. I was at a shopping center with a Chili's, Panera, a Subway, and a Pollo Loco (home of the $1 chicken al carbon taco!); you get the picture. But, as I often do, I pondered, and sat there in the parking lot, and thought. And what I thought was, with Great Britain torn asunder, with the U.S. downgraded credit rating, with the debt ceiling debacle so recently behind us, and what with all the dear sweet under-employed friends and family I know, how in the world can I pay into mainstream corporate restaurants, even for just this once? No, if there was any day I was going to eat at a chain, it wasn't going to be Wednesday, August 10, 2011.

And you know what you get when you avoid corporate restaurants? Sushi boats. Now, the restaurant I went to had a conveyor belt (no water) and plastic plates instead of little wooden boats. But the concept is the same. See the Youtube video below for a visual. You sit around a bar and watch the food pass. Perfect for eating alone. I met a very friendly, very San Jose-computer-programmer-type man with a ponytail and a WolfSpiritMoon shirt, who told me all the good things to order. My favorite was the red snapper (a less common menu item) and a Mexican-inspired sushi roll: salmon with avocado, jalapeno, and a "special sauce." It was seared to delicious perfection.

The restaurant was called Sushi Maru, in Japantown. I didn't save the economy by going to Sushi Maru. I didn't make some grand political statement or march in an anti-capitalist rally. Neither did I find out the history of sushi boats, or experience some deeper, more profound encounter with the folks in the restaurant. But I did think about it all. I wondered, what are we going to do? What legacy are we leaving for these young kids entering college, for the elderly, for the poor? I pray that we can come together as a civil society and figure out a way forward in the political process.

Maybe the answer has something to do with sushi boats? Okay, maybe not. I just don't have time to write a good transition, or I'm never going to finish writing my dissertation. By the way, I love this man in the Youtube video (Jeremiah Christopher) describing the floating sushi boats. "The boats are coming down....with food on them." He's stunningly handsome. He's even adorable when he eats with his mouth full and talks into the camera. Hmm. I guess that might be debatable. Cheers to the bay area and to sushi!

Hiking Rancho San Antonio

2011-08-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have been here in California for two weeks, 3 days and a few odd hours. Lifetimes have happened in a short span. I have hiked up and down my neighborhood (Garden Alameda), thrifted and vintage shopped, attended a classical Indian dance recital, took endless photos (two rolls with one of my new plastic cameras), purchased a succulent with its attendant gnats, explored my new campus, texted endlessly with friends and family in Texas and Louisiana, wrote an completely acceptable number of pages of my dissertation, met my new boss and colleagues for lunch, and made an official inquiry with the postal service about a box from my campus office that never arrived with my other box. I know....that last part...a little distressing. I've had dreams about that box, where it has something really important in it. Although I don't remember exactly what was in the box, I know it wasn't anything confidential. I suspect it was some books I borrowed from members of my committee + some of my own books. I can accept some things just drop off the earth sometimes, but it would be great if the box and its contents showed.

Other than the misplaced box, California has been kind, easy to navigate and friendly, sooooo beautiful: the weather temperate and even a little cool for my cold blood. People have asked me whether I have gone to San Francisco yet. Although I haven't wanted to leave the nest, a song they keep playing on the radio "Save me, San Francisco" has kinda started my mind in that direction. Hmmmm, not sure about the lyric where the speaker, an exile from SF in Seattle, claims the coffees there are "So caffeinated" that he wishes "they had been Golden-gated." Also, if the speaker "had to wish on a star...he'd hitch it to a cable car." Listen to the whole thing for other gems.

But I did at least move in the direction of the bay with my friend Olin, a former UT-colleague, and now a fellow faculty member at Santa Clara....I know, isn't that great?! Gotta love the Texas connection! On Friday, we went for a hike at Rancho San Antonio. I took pictures on my plastic camera and ended up trying to take lots of images of spider webs, which probably won't turn out. But those will be developed later. Here I have taken a few with Olin's digital camera. You can see the bay! You can see mountains! And whole cities!

And a wider shot, where you can see a little more of the bay. I'll try to update later with what cities are below.

Rancho San Antonio is an open space preserve run by the state of California. You can see it is in relation to San Jose, just about 15 minutes west.

Screenshot of Google Map San Jose to Rancho San Antonio

Finally, this is the last shot I took with Olin's camera. I'm a little proud of it (blush, head down, shuffling feet). It's a thistle. Actually, it's two thistles. :) I'm hoping time will allow for me to take a photography class in the near future. That way my pictures will get more and more purty for y'all.

2011-08-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

In my search for a dry cleaner in San Jose, I found proof for the existence of living prototypes of characters from Arrested Development. Meet Phil Ackerly, a bay area magician.

With long-time fans of AD, this clip will probably resonate, but with which character, Job Bluth or Tobias Fünke? Here's Gob in season two.

And Tobias.

I'll let you decide.

Palms over San Jose

2011-08-05T21:22:00.001-07:00

Keeping up with the Joneses Cali-style

2011-08-03T16:19:00.001-07:00

digitalbodies' photostream on Flickr.

Driving from Palo Alto back to San Jose today, two of my new colleagues and I caught sight of a tricked-out Prius. Yes, in fact, it is true; the little device on the very top was a wind-generated electric device.

Living in the (Silicon) Valley

2011-08-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

If you've never lived in a valley, it takes a little getting used to. I mean, spatially. Like how it feels as a human body in space to live sandwiched between--surrounded by--mountains. The east mountains of the valley appear to be closest to where I live. Check out the brownish-looking mountains in the first picture, the Diablo Range.

View From 10th Floor by @LibraryatNight

But right from my same neighborhood, if I just walk ten minutes west, I can start to see the west boundary of the valley, the Santa Cruz mountains, the second picture. See how they're more covered with plant life/forests and more green? A few mornings ago, I learned the brown mountains are that way because further east is more arid, while the foggy, more humid weather closer to the coast contributes to the green mountains. From certain places and vantage points, it's easy to see both ranges at the same time. I know. Weird.

San Jose California by @the_tahoe_guy

It was the owner of a photo lab in town, D.W. Griffith, who explained about the mountain ecologies changing from one side of the valley to the other. Griffith also called going over the Santa Cruz mountains: going "over the hill," which means basically, you're at the coast. Blow my mind, California. I didn't get Griffith's first name; at this point, I'm going off his email address. But I'll include more info in a follow up post, including the maps he drew for me of scenic routes driving "over the hill" and lots of photography tips.

And hey, California, if I get any of this wrong, please correct me. Comment or contact me, and let me know more about your beautiful state, which is now also mine, although just partly, to experience for a time. With respect, as always, and presently in awe of your manifold glories, your resident Texan, Noel.

San Jose in bullets

2011-07-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

Image Credit: Dark Room Flyer Via darkroomatdebug.com

A partial list of San Jose, California places I'm hoping to visit and write about in the next week. (More bullets after the break!)

Dark Room De Bug to develop my pictures from my new plastic cameras
Gallery AD (Anno Domini) to lust after the Diana, the ultimate of plastic cameras
Capital Flea Market Sundays before the church crowd overtakes "less-civilized" marketers
Faber's Cyclery to commission a bike. No website proper for the S. First St. shop, but there are several cool documentaries (Zimiendorf's film, Bernardo Grijalva's photographs)
$5 dollar salsa dancing at The Miraido Studio in Japantown
Vintage Santa Clara XXVIII to sip wine & munch gourmet eats in Mission gardens, which are adjacent to the English building where I'll be working as a lecturer come fall.
Hatha yoga at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, a couple blocks from my house
A return trip to Time Tunnel Toys to say thanks for a couple of these tips. Follow them on Twitter @timetunneltoys.

Hukilau Hawaiian restaurant, San Jose

2011-07-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Image of Lychee Fruit Martini via the Food Network

Here's how to optimize your Friday night at Hukilau. Get there around 6:45 or so. Sit in the less lively back room (the Tiki room). Order a Lychee Martini and do some people watching for the next hour or so as all ages and types file in until it is a full house. The food was tasty (maybe a 3.5 out of 5 stars). We had mahi mahi, spam musubi, ahi poke with octopus (maybe get it seared; my friend thought his tuna was too raw).

At 8pm, the Hawaiian band starts. My favorite part was the impromptu hula dancing by family members of the band. Two of the women took off their shoes and danced with that understated grace the hula communicates so well. Dessert (a macadamia nut brownie) was just okay. But all in all, my most enjoyable night yet in San Jose. I am planning to go back to the area soon to do some salsa dancing at Miraido Studio, exploring some of the sushi restaurants and the rest of Japantown.

99 cent venture

2011-07-25T14:54:00.001-07:00

99 cent venture, a set on Flickr.

Couldn't really get into a photo groove in the dollar store...bunches of people. Didn't want to get in the way. But it's a start. The captions make them better.

budget for the 99cent store

2011-07-25T12:27:00.001-07:00

budget for the 99cent store, a photo by digitalbodies on Flickr.

About to go to the 99 cent store with my landlord. Giving myself a $10 dollar budget, plus tax. Pictures to follow.

Norway Story via San Jose Mercury

2011-07-25T10:06:00.001-07:00

Norway Story via San Jose Mercury, a set on Flickr.

The San Jose Mercury juxtaposes the Norway shooting of campers in Oslo with a feature on Yosemite. Strange

San Jose classical Indian dance

2011-07-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Image Credit: The Half-Male, Half-Female Form of Shiva (Shiva Ardhanarishvara) Via The Met

First week in San Jose and already the opportunity to see new things. Went to a classical Indian recital tonight, featuring two local dancers (Anjana Dasu and Anu Ranganathan). My favorite dance tonight was the "Ardhanaarennateshwara Strotram." I"ll quote from the program so that you'll know as much as I do:

"Siva's manifestation as Ardhanaareenateshwara fuses male and female energies into one. While his left half embodies his consort Parvati, his right is his own male form."

Many of the videos I have found show two dancers (representing the male and female energies), such as the one below. Note: the video below isn't classical Indian dance. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but it just seemed too cool not to include it. Only a few hundred people have viewed it. What are we watching, anyway?

The recital tonight represented the prayer as one dancer (Dasu). It was the left and right arms that gave the cues for the shifts between characterizations. Watching Dasu shift between the left and right side gestures throughout the dance was a revelation. Here's an approximation of what I saw (at least, I think so).

Dasu and Ranganthan are both young professionals in the San Jose area, who also teach at the dance company. It was pretty much a full house at about $8 a ticket, and I was happy to get a $1 Samosa at intermission. Was one of the only non-Asian/Indian audience members, by the way. How do we intermix a bit better as to not miss the good stuff? Ranganthan was also a revelation, by the way; I wept watching her dance the Mahalinga Kavuthavam.

Also learned tonight that classical Khmer dance in Cambodia is related to classical Indian dance and that one of the few Khmer dancers who escaped the Cambodian genocide in the 1990s lives in San Francisco. I believe this is her, Charya Burt.

Here's to San Jose, my roommate who got me tickets, and her mother (Hanh-Huy) who was my date and my educator for the night. Namaste.

Feels like soaking the sunshine.

2011-07-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

Feels like soaking the sunshine., a photo by digitalbodies on Flickr.

something new tonight

2011-07-24T12:43:00.001-07:00

Via Abhinya Dance Company

Going with my landlord Hanh-Huy to see this dance company near the house tonight.

Walking the city of San Jose

2011-07-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

The slideshow is better with the captions I wrote, so you might want to click through to Picasa to read them! Cheers, Noel