Oden

Last Minutes with ODEN from Eliot Rausch + Phos Pictures on Vimeo.

Dali x Kuniyoshi

Voluptas Mors, photograph by Philippe Halsman (in collaboration with Salvador Dalí), 1951

Most people know of Salvador Dali; a Spanish painter, whose imaginative
renderings catapulted the surrealist movement pre-World War II. Dali’s imagination was distinctively authentic, eccentrically unique, and far-out groovy, man! But from where did his imagination propagate? Perhaps you can find slight similarities in
Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s woodblock prints, circa 1840-ish, and Dali's collaborative work, Voluptas Mors, that has wiggled it's way into pop-culture.

Give Thanks Every day

The world needs more role models, and we all need to realize we encounter role models everyday. Observe and learn from people, cultures, and nature; observe and learn from your surroundings in a positve manor.

"The greatest patience is humility. "

Farewell San Francisco

After a four year stint we decided to press on into familiar AND uncharted territories, with hopes of establishing a new base camp. The food options better be good...

!Quimtime!

Quim Cardona; it's always a pleasure!

Eastern Exposure Zero

In 1996 I had just entered the 9th grade in Plant City, FL, at a high school strategically surrounded by cow fields. Upon entering this school I had been on a ten year streak of juking out defenders, eating orange slices at half-time, and drilling soccer balls into the upper 90’s. I had also been skating for about a year, really not knowing what I was doing or what actual skateboarding was. My central Floridian suburb kept me safe and secluded from urban America and the lurking street skateboarding scene. This new found interest in thrashing eventually led me astray from my traditional team sport, partly because of the lack of scheduling involved, but mainly because of schralping’s over abundance of personal freedom, much like the feeling obtained from creating art. High school introduced me to some older shredders who then popped my street-skating-cherry, in and around downtown Tampa. I quickly saw the likes of Jeff Lenoce, Chris Williams, Josh Stewart, and a handful of other locals within the city's circumference. Around this time I started my first part-time job at a bicycle shop that reveled in skateboarding. It was then that I bought one of my first skateboarding VHS tapes, Easter Exposure Zero. I quickly and completely dorked-out so hard with this nine minute video, that still to this day, almost 15 years later, while re-visiting it again for the first time in years via YouTube (17,105 views on YouTube, but I must have watched that tape 18,000+), I can almost predict what clip and or skater follows the previous clip. It’s amazing how our minds’ memory works…

Anyhow, the fact that I can watch a skateboard video from 15 years ago and still be inspired and enthused about it, because of the trick selection, the look of the locations, and the individual skate styles of those in the film (blah blah blah), sums up the argument that skateboarding is in fact an art form (at least in my opinion!); it’s timeless, much like a painting or a traditional, academic form of art.

Anticancer

It's about food, mental and physical activities, and a positive outlook on your life

Las Vegas is Dangerous

Raoul and Dr. Gonzo in Las Vegas Painting by Daniel Bergren

The Quintessence of Continued Existence

“Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest Lion or it will be killed.

Every morning in Africa, a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle; when the Sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

Harvest Moon

Tomorrow the sun will pass directly over the earth’s equator and the Fall Equinox will be underway, or perhaps it will have taken place. Along with the Fall Equinox, star gazers and horizon hunters will be awed by the Harvest Moon, a concurrence that hasn’t happened in 19 years, as well as a small star-like light close to the moon; “star-like” because it’s not actually a star, but the planet Jupiter. This will be the closet Jupiter has come to Planet Earth since 1963.

“Harvest Moon” was coined by Native Americans, denoting the proper time to harvest crops and bring the yield in pre-winter weather, and to give thanks to all living things of the fields and earth that provided them with life. Let’s give thanks

Photograph by Jeff Kiessel, Ludington Daily News/AP

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, ' My son, the battle is between two ' wolves ' inside us all.

One is Evil. - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. '

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: ' Which wolf wins? '

The old Cherokee simply replied, ' The one you feed. '

Surviving The Tokyo Metro; Yokohama To Ueno

This would be me, as an North American Brontosaurus romping through the Far East

Elementary students in a Ueno park

I was cruising the World Wide Web when I stumbled upon a video that captured the Japanese insanity known as the Tokyo Metro system. I was immediately thrown back almost four years in time to the most memorable year of my existence thus far; 14 months teaching English in Yokohama with my wife. Yokohama is not as clustered as Tokyo, but it does boast the second largest population in Japan. Luckily for Teresa and I our commutes to and from work were civil in comparison to that of central Tokyo.
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art

On a fine winter’s day Teresa and I had gone to Ueno to see the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art. We arrived early and spent about six hours in Ueno, viewing the exhibit, strolling through the local parks and byways, and smiling at the stray cats the congregate around Buddhist temples for a free meal of compassion. We entered the Ueno train station close to 6PM on a week day, and to our surprise the station was extremely crowded with business folks, students, and house wives returning from shopping sprees. We nervously waited in line as two trains came and went with no room for the extended queue. Finally it was our turn, and like these films, we were pushed in and somewhat separated from one another. Praise the Gods and my genes for making me a foot taller than the rest of those sardines, and putting my head above the stench of sweat, blood, and tears; I could breathe! We must have been on that train for 25 minutes, riding from Ueno to Yokohama. I was paired with the fattest man I have ever seen on a Japanese train, and I could see and smell the sweat seeping through his jacket. A small woman, perhaps a solid 4’11” in height, was smashed into the same blob’s side, and truth be told she was gasping for air and did seem to pass out more than once. Because I stomp through Japan like a brontosaurus with all the black haired deinonychus running around under my stride, I was grasping the bars on the train ceiling that the locals had dreamed of one day touching (these bars are the cleanest by far, free of hand oils and cough spat spray). I could see Teresa’s buttocks mashed into another man’s groin, and despite her torture and my annoyance there was absolutely nothing either of us could do. At each stop a few people would exit the train only to have more enter, and by the time we reached Yokohama station we all emerged through the train doors like water flowing through a hose. After acclimating to the fresh air on the platform we dodged through the stairways to cross over to our local, comfy, quiet train line where the seats seemed to glisten like a misplaced quarter on a sidewalk.

Local art


Feline Refuge
The ride home


trains in Tokyo

Ode to the Gulf of Mexico

Once upon a time...This can't be happening...

Today at 13:30 I stepped outside ready and reeling to eat lunch. I hesitated on which direction to head and where to eat when I was called upon by a lady looking for Oxfam America donations. Since I hadn’t decided on where to eat I asked her what my donation would support. She started rattling off global issues when I interrupted her with a smile; “I understand people are suffering in distant lands and I feel for them, but what about the oil gushing from the Gulf of Mexico’s bowels? What is your company doing for the Gulf right now???” Well, she of course mentioned BP isn’t doing anything, or so it seems, and in the meantime Oxfam America is educating the Gulf locals on how to handle the worst disaster of 2010 on a neighborhood level; i.e. proper clothing for clean up, educating people on the toxic affects of the oil, etc etc. So, being the believer of good souls that I am, I declined the monthly contribution option, handed her $10 cash, and quickly filled out my “one-time gift contribution form”.

I’m going to start this off by stating two things; 1. I believe the US gov’t monitors anti-USA conspiracy trash talking via internet blog flagging, of sorts, and 2. This is my opinion, which I am entitled to here in the good ol’ United States of America, so I’m going to disregard #1 and go with #2. I feel this oil spill crisis could have been handled long before it became the worst disaster in 2010. Now, everyone is up-to-date on what’s going on in the Gulf with the BP oil gusher, so there is no reason for me to recap what Fox News has clearly outlined. However, what I am extremely confused and irritated about is why the US Gov’t was contacting, or communicating with, the director of Avatar to set up a better live feed rather than stopping this underwater North American tectonic plate bleed??? Are they serious??? Rather than stopping the oil and billing BP after the fact, since BP can’t get the gear stick out of their arse and into drive, we’re concerned about underwater cameras!!!??? Is this a scam for people to buy more Avatar DVDs, because everyone and their momma have seen that film at least twice in the theatre!!! Seriously, there are only two words that can describe this pathetic waste of time tactic; 1. STALLING and 2. BULLSHIT. Really people, do they take us for idiots???

Right, so I gave that lady $10. I don’t give away money I work hard for unless I know it’s going to good use. Don’t get me wrong, I randomly will give money out to individuals within the huge homeless population here in San Francisco, $27 being the highest one-time donation straight out of the ATM from my account into a man’s hands, but there was good reason for that; we chatted for an hour, he told me jokes, he sang an acapella big band style, he new the year in which my silk vintage tie was produced, and he had the best schpeel for why he needed exactly $27 I have ever heard, even though it was indeed a scam. I’m not cheap with my money, I’m smart with my money; paper notes that really don’t mean squat in the grand scheme of things…what happened to gold and silver?!! Anyway, I gave that lady ten clams with the hope that it will do something. Why do I care? Well, my brother and I grew up on Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota, FL. We, along with close friends of ours, have canoed the Wakulla River in Tallahassee, the Alafia River in Hillsborough county, swam at South Beach in Miami, stared in awe as we drove through the Florida Everglades, climbed through mangrove forests, snorkeled in the Florida Keys, swam with manatees, watched dolphins make sweet love, and this list could go on and on. If I made six figures a year and drove some posh yupped-out Hummer whilst my Louis Vuitton-leather enclosed blackberry rang with my the latest investment update, I would have signed up for that monthly donation, as well as donated more funds to other non-profits who are directly in contact with the Gulf borders of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and of course my beloved Florida. Alas, I am just a humble middle class citizen who wishes Poseidon would arise from slumber only to send a hurricane/water spout/massive lightning bolt straight for BP’s jugular while plugging that damned oil leak with his big toe.

…A week ago I swam at Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach with my brother-in-law and my wife; at their home beaches. Pensacola is one of the closest Florida beach towns to that infamous oil trickle, with sands whiter than the after affects of staring at the sun for too long. It was said that their hotel bookings and seafood orders have nearly stopped and that tar balls have started to surface and wash ashore on their beaches. I’ve heard of a visible oil sheen creeping into one of their main bays. It’s really hard to believe that that could have been my last Gulf swim, free of pollution and floating aquatic corpses. And what’s even sadder is many US residents aren’t able to envision the spectacular beauty of Florida’s Gulf Coast, where the best mainland American beaches were once known to reside. All I can do now is hope that THE MAN has flagged my blog, having read my opinion, and perhaps passed it along to people who could help solve this problem…and I hope that The Gulf of Mexico will fully recover with in my life span so I may wade and swim once more with the memories of my youth.

Love and Compassion

Conquer the angry man by love.
Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness.
Conquer the miser with generosity.
Conquer the liar with truth.
The Dhammapada

Thank you Yuri Shibuya

Senju Kannon

Senju Kannon, or 1000 armed Kannon; Kannon means “the One who sees and hears all” AKA Lord of Compassion/Goddess of Mercy/Kannon Bodhisattva

Live, Laugh, Love

"Laughter is the shortest distance between people." - Victor Borge

"Laughter can be more satisfying than honor, more precious than money, more heart-cleansing than prayer." - Harriet Rochlin

"He deserves Paradise who makes his companions laugh." - The Koran

"Time spent laughing is time spent with the Gods." - Japanese proverb

“The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.” – Richard Fenyman

T&A Union

Marriage is a social unification or legal contract between individuals that manifests kinship. When thinking of genealogy, or the ol’ family tree, marriage can represent anew branch reaching towards the sun, seeking fresh air and desiring growth. This cultivation of new bark and boughs can represent two people maturing and flourishing with one another, and possibly sowing the seeds for future twigs, branches, and leaves in an upwardly course, in a direction of development.

I asked Teresa to grow with me, to weather the storms and to reach for the Sun, and she said yes. So just for clarification, the T&A branch has sprouted with unmistakable growth.

Look out for a Momma T interview, coming soon…

Gin Ho Le; Nectar of the Gods

Alice teaches me 5,000 year old traditional Chinese medicine

With autumn under way and winter approaching, I think it’s time for the world to spread the good word of an easily infused, throat soothing, vitamin C packing, hot elixir that is sure to throw up 300 Spartan-like shields against any bird, swine, giraffe, aardvark, or humpback whale influenzas. Personally, I’m not into the flu-shot remedy gimmicks that can now be purchased in airport terminals or at Wal-Mart. I believe in seasonal foods, herbal concoctions, and advice from knowledgeable Chinese ladies (pictured above) who have studied and created herbal mixtures with their own hands and in their own kitchens, with their mothers and grandmothers.

All praises to the interconnected power of oral traditions!

I know give to you what Juan Ponce De Leon was searching for in northern Florida almost 500 years ago, a simple libation that will help, heal, and keep your hard earned clams where they should be; in your pocket and away from the pharmaceutical conglomerates. I now present to you, my brothers and sisters, “Gin Ho Le” (as in Ginger, Honey, and Lemon) [gin-ho-lay]***

GinHoLe

-8 oz. boiling to hot water
-Graded ginger (don’t be afraid to drink it); to taste
-Honey; to taste
-Fresh lemon juice with a sliver soaking and floating, to taste

Autumn foods:
Carrot, Chinese Cabbage, Pumpkin, Sweet potato, Lettuce, Lotus Root, Turnip, Shiitake mushrooms, Apple, Pear, Grape, Fig, mackerel, Salmon, Oyster, Pacific Saury

Winter foods:
Carrot, Daikon (white raddish), Chinese Cabbage, Rutabaga, Celeriac, Turnip, Brussels Sprouts, Pumpkin, Beetroot, Parsnip, Red Cabbage, Leek, Cabbage, Shallot, Pear, Tangerine, Sea Bass (Grouper), Scallop, Pacific Yellowtail Tuna, Pacific Cod, Monkfish, Halibut, Lobster, Mussels, Stone Crab

***There have been no recorded side effects and or over doses of this magical potion, so please gulp until your body and mind are content.

Korean BBQ

I ate at a Korean BBQ restaurant last night for the first time and I must say that it was amazing. Our kitchen is familiar with Korean spicy soups, Korean seaweed, and the ever-popular probiotic, kimchi, but last night’s dinner of veggie dishes, barbequed meats, fried fish, soups, and tea and alcohol hit the spot and filled my belly, proper. Another aspect of that Asian style restaurant that I feel is an essential and beneficial part of the over-all dining experience is sharing your food.

Here’s some info on kimchi, a dish everyone should try: Kimchi is spicy and can also be sweet, and it’s made of various vegetables and contains a high concentration of dietary fiber, while being low in calories. One serving provides up to 80% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C and carotene. Kimchi may contain onions, garlic, and peppers, all of which are salutary. The vegetables being made into kimchi also contribute to the overall nutritional value. Kimchi is rich in vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium, and iron, and contains a number of lactic acid bacteria, among those the typical species Lactobacillus kimchii.

Kimchi is on a list of top five "World's Healthiest Foods" for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly reducing cancer growth. However, over consumption of kimchi, and other any other foods high in sodium, could possibly lead to gastric cancer (most likely due to nitrates and salt).

So remember, moderation is key when consuming food, and in all aspects of life.

"When you go to war both sides lose totally." - Yoko Ono

"It just was a gradual development over the years. I mean last year was 'all you need is love.' This year, it's 'all you need is love and peace, baby.' Give peace a chance, and remember Love. The only hope for us is peace. Violence begets violence. You can have peace as soon as you like if we all pull together. You're all geniuses, and you're all beautiful. You don't need anyone to tell you who you are. You are what you are. Get out there and get peace, think peace, and live peace and breathe peace, and you'll get it as soon as you like." - John Lennon

"The cynicism that you have is not your real soul." - Yoko

"Possession isn't nine-tenths of the law. It's nine-tenths of the problem." - John