sign of the times

words from my teacher and my teacher's teacher...

national treasure

trip out on this superman-like cave found deep beneath mexican soil in naica. gypsum + water from hot springs = selenite. the cave's chambers are so huge, a car can drive through! these formations are so unique, scientists are petitioning the mexican government to claim unesco world heritage status to protect them for future generations.

mr. farmer

i don't know if it is because the season is reaching its peak when all of the most gorgeously vibrant and luscious veggies and fruits are out on the market, if i just happened to catch the buzz around that is bringing this topic to light in the form of numerous documentaries, if i just started reading the book homegrown yesterday for the first time since my move from l.a. that i got from the author's little green grocer in echo park or if i stumbled upon some great blogs last week like small measure or the road to the farm but whatever the source maybe, i have caught the farming bug, it's official!

tonight at our favorite movie theater, a film about small farmers in america is being screened  as part of the taste your place week here in athens. when i saw the trailer for farmageddon, it sparked my memory bank that there was something else i had to research - it was about young farmers that are sprouting up all over the country - i had seen something about this topic in an article i read a couple months ago, but couldn't remember where. after a simple google search, i ended up finding not only the documentary i had in mind, but also another film on the same topic. wow - how super inspiring! 

it may just be a trend that is sweeping the nation, which i think is fantastic, it could also be that i find myself in the middle of the american heartland, surrounded by people that love what nature provides us by way of nourishment and comfort and are constantly innovating and coming up with inspiring ways to bring people together and share. whatever it is, i am loving it and want to end on the happy note that my sweet husband left me on while sharing my finds with him...

crystallizing

bjork is doing it again....

 

"crystals grow like plants"

"listen how they glow"

"listen how they grow"

jammin' on the one

every so often, something of the outer realms of the pure genius-sort captures my fancy and i wish so badly that i could be "that person" that came up with the idea. this one so happens to be in the food category, one of my all time favorites: jam. for a few years now, my mantra has been to get whisked away to farmland to have a family and bake pies and/or make jam all day. i am serious. but sometimes i am so inspired by my very dream when i come across something that is sheer perfection, that i almost have to give up on in because how can i ever make anything remotely comparable or try to compete? i know, this is a bit of a defeatist attitude, but you will see what i mean...

one of my all time favorite spots to pop in while on my daily route between the office in los feliz and echo park, was the cheese store of silver lake. great sandwiches. yes, the cheeses are fantastic, but what made those sandwiches come to life was the jam. jam on a ham sandwich? hell yeah. and this is how i came to discover the all-time best jam in the world by welovejam. even the name is perfect. not only was it jammin' on the sandwich i ate, it was apricot jam which is my favorite. and, it is of the blenheim varietal which is going extinct, so it is extra special. i immediately purchased a jar of the apricot jam and one of the fukushu kumquat marmalade. a couple weeks later, back to the cheese store for more. this time, plum jam! but which kind? elephant heart or mariposa? my head was spinning. ever since, i have been addicted, as is apparently everyone else that has tasted this wonder of a product. last week while back in los angeles, i did my ritual stop over in silver lake to pick up some essentials and the cheese store was on the top of my list for jam. to my heart's content, there was a new one to be discovered: montmorency cherry and blenheim apricot.

what i really can't believe is that it took me one year to look up the welovejam website. i knew whomever was behind this delectable product had to be cool, but when you read their website, you really get a sense of who they are and how they are 150% behind the cause: to make the most amazing jam ever. they dedicate their heart and soul to producing the highest quality and for that, i am grateful and rest assured that whenever i am inspired to get into the kitchen, i too will come up with a stroke of genius that will put a big smile on the faces of those around me, if only in a simple meal :)

a helping hand

i have been meditating on how i can help out japan. for some reason, this time around, i did not rush to make a donation to unicef or the red cross like the other times mother nature stomped her foot down and shook the earth in places like haiti and sent mad tsunamis to sri lanka and thailand. every little bit counts, not matter how it is given, and although japan of all places holds a special place in my heart, i felt stuck and wanted to make my donation a little more focused and specific. i knew that the right moment would surface so i decided to go about my business and focus on myself and the answer would come - patience pays.

this afternoon, while jumping around in my inbox a bit, i came across an email from materials and applications and decided to open it and see what the upcoming fund raising event for japan was all about: heartbeat drawing. i was so bummed that i am not los angeles that weekend to be able to attend, but the answer finally came to me: the fund raiser is a benefit for architecture for humanity in japan. bingo! this is where i knew i had to donate. i immediately followed the link to their website and not only do i think that the cause is a most noble one - actually aiding in reBUILDING the city of sendai, i was also greatly moved when i found another worldwide effort has been launched by students: paper cranes for japan.

it amazes and humbles me to see how many people around the world, starting from my circle of friends and their businesses, to other small business owners on a global scale, as well as non-profits and corporations alike, are helping out however they can and donating some or all of the proceeds from product sales or services. we need to remember that even as an individual, our help counts too. so if you haven't found your favorite way to give a helping hand yet, hopefully you will be as inspired as i am to help rebuild japan!

be careful what you wish for

in light of the new season that is upon us, i, like the blooming buds on tree-lined streets that surround, am emerging from transition. i now live in athens, georgia. it's official! and i am proud. when i first got swept up in love and realized the impending challenge that was ahead of me - getting very involved in a romance that was headed south, the deep south that is, i was a bit skeptical, i have to admit. although i now know to trust in the universe more than ever, and all it brings, i still never in a million years envisioned myself living in georgia. what the hell? i had total faith in the man behind the plan, but there was still some undefinable irking inside - my whole life is in so cal - and after all the years of travel and adventuring off into the unknown, for some reason, it was unsettling to think that now that i got my cake, i have to move to the other side of the country to eat it, even though both of our families and many friends are in the greater l.a. area., and start a whole new life there. oh woes me!





so i packed up everything (almost) and stuffed it into a 6x7x8 cube and off it went, my car having left days prior on a massive enclosed 18-wheeler. miraculously, all made it, mostly unscathed, and i am all the better because of it. my mind skips back to the frame of a tai chi posture: "change is difficult", and the voice of master zi rings in my ear, explaining the challenge of leaving the old behind and shifting our weight to what is new. and then i remember all of the times when i would wish to run off and get married, move to a farm (of the glamorous sonoma sort), leaving the often hectic or humdrum and sometimes risqué l.a. lifestyle behind to have babies and make pie and jam. so far, i seem to be right on schedule, only i landed in this most quirky concoction of southern hospitality meets college frat/sorority house culture and pub-lined streets, with the roots of the beginnings of alternative music and deep mountain hippie food coops and a damn good restaurant and sustainable agriculture scene to boot.

i now believe more than ever in the power of words and how when you direct your intentions and put energy behind them, the world is your oyster and magic really does exist - we are truly the creators of our reality. just believe.