First day of July
Daily dose of buddhism from Beliefnet.com:
Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves. The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath. Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are all sacred.
-Thich Nhat Hanh, "Miracle of Mindfulness"
How to make cheese!
29th of June, 2008
Blanche DuBois (Street Car Named Desire): Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.
In some cases, it is so much easier to love a stranger...
27th of June, 2008
Checking out Tumbler and it's embed code
23rd of June 2008
I was looking at the painting above by Klimt, "The Maiden"... admiring his use of blue in the outlines of the figures as well as the hues of blues, greens, lavenders, rose, and yellows within the whites of their skin. I have to say it reminds me of how i like to paint skin. No, i seriously don't think my painting can compare to the talent of Klimt. I can just relate to his way of painting skin. These thoughts left me with the slightest urge to want to paint another portrait, almost tasting the vibration of blues against lavendars and swimming in whites in my imagination.
The reason for telling you this is simply that I am pleased to feel inspiration at this moment. The bosses have not yet arrived and so i was able to hastily sketch out an idea for a NEW painting. I hope this feeling builds upon itself as I have been truly depressed with my lack of desire to paint.
19th of June 2008
and now for something completely different...
Some time ago an internet friend from Scotland told me about Mr. Trump's plan to build a golf course out of 2.5 miles of 4,000-year-old coastal sand dunes in Aberdeenshire. he wanted to know if i had heard news of this. Well, this morning is the first time i have actually heard about it in our media - via NPR.
The description of the luxury golf resort according to Golf.com goes like this:
The billionaire property developer aims to turn sand dunes at the Menie Estate, 15 miles north of Aberdeen, into a $2 billion golf resort with a pair of 18-hole courses, a luxurious 450-bedroom hotel, 950 vacation homes, 36 golf villas and 500 upscale homes.
Trump's thing is that it will bring jobs et al to the area, boosting the economy and benefitting everyone there.
Of course he is being met with quite a bit of opposition from folks there in Scotland and around the world. To the point that Trump has stated if not for his mother being from Scotland he would have already given up the battle.
His mother, Mary Macleod, was born in the village of Tong outside Stornoway before coming to New York in 1930. I know nothing of Mary Macleod, however i would be willing to bet her life in Tong back in the 20's was not a glamorous or easy one.
I can't understand justifying destruction of native habitat that is home to bird species such as: Redshanks, Skylarks, Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Pink-footed Geese, and Curlews (not to mention all the other species of flora and fauna living there - and to which his own mother probably derived delight from while watching herself) so that a handfull of priveledged people can burn tons of jet fuel flying to and from this remote resort - a place which will surely be one major water-guzzling and waste-generating monster - by using his sentimental ties to the homeland of his mother who most-likely lived a much simpler life in her homeland than any of the tourists who would come to take advantage of such a resort.
damn! i really need to learn how to write, that last paragraph is one sentence.
The friend who originally told me about all this, mentioned housing is becoming a real problem in Scotland. Foreclosures and rising costs of land and houses is taking its toll on many a family he knows of. Afterall, Scotland IS an island with no ability to expand outward. Keeping this in mind, Trump wants to stick 950 vacation homes and 500 upscale houses next to local folks who are struggling to make ends meet?
Then there is the water bit. I heard on NPR this morning that a single golf course in Palm Springs uses a MILLION gallons of water A DAY to keep the green so green. NPR mentioned a family of four uses that much in 4 years. Trump plans to put TWO golf courses out there, a luxury hotel, and a total of over 1,450 vacation homes, villas, and fancy houses... where is all the fresh water going to come from to supply these notorious water-guzzlers? According to the NPR article, Audubon International estimates that the average American course uses 312,000 gallons of water per day. According to a paper published by ZeroWaste.org regarding the need for green hotels, It is estimated that by 2010, water use will increase to approximately 475 gallons per day for each room in high luxury hotel facilities. So, not even taking into account the villas and vacation houses and based on the above numbers, just the hotel and golf courses have the potential for using 837,750 gallons of water in a SINGLE day - that equals 305,778,750 gallons of water a year. Hmmmmmm... Where's all that water going to come from in Donald's precious Scotland?
I have to think about these numbers a little more. According to the USGS website, the average person (i wonder how they determined the average water-consumer considering the vast differences in living conditions across the globe?) uses 80-100 gallons of water a day for activities like showering, brushing teeth, shaving, washing dishes, flushing toilets, washing laundry, drinking, etc... The World Almanac says the average joe uses about 123 gallons a day. I'll go with a happy medium and say 100 for the sake of easy math... So, my estimate of water use for the hotel and two courses for one year would be enough water to provide a man with 100 gallons of water a day for 8,377 years - OR, more reasonably, 100 gallons of water delivered daily to 100 people for 83 years - or 100 gallons a day for an entire year for 8,377 people. Did i do that math right??!
It seems that while sticking a huge luxury complex on the island of Scotland may boost the economy, certainly during the remainder of Donald's lifetime, however, in the long run Scotland is likely to find herself saddled with the burden of fueling and watering such a place in order to maintain the tourist appeal, so as to keep all those jobs, and who will go with out water to keep over-indulgent tourists happy?
Speaking of water... although it isn't regarding Scotland, found this interesting site that gives the status of drought conditions across the U.S., U.S. Drought Monitor. I stumbled across it looking for information about how much water Trump's LA golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes uses in light of the Executive Order issued to address the recent drought status proclaimed by Governor Schwarzenegger
AND i can't help but wonder what the amount of fertilizer and pesticides going into maintaining the proposed course in Scotland will do to the surrounding natural habitat as it runs off. OH Wait! What about the energy required to run this resort??? Geez that is another mind-boggling waste of resources. I have a loooong way to go before i can call myself an environmentalist or a conservationalist... but even i think this luxury crap is a blatant smack in the face to the local folks who do cherish their natural surroundings and future generations who will have to deal with all our disgraceful over-indulgent actions.
It just seems like a billionaire man who really cares about the homeland of his mother and who seemingly takes great pride in his Scottish heritage could be a little more creative (surely have the resources to access creativity) and think of something truly complimentary, beneficial, and sustaining...something that demonstrates pride and celebrates the unique qualities of the area. Not some garish luxury golf course that mockingly stomps all over, defacing and replacing the original habitat just so a handful of self-indulgent people can golf "the best golf course in the world" while being pampered in a luxury hotel.
Obviously it all boils down to money. Which begs the question, how much money DOES one single man need to amass in his lifetime? Considering Trump has more than likely lived at least 1/2 his allotment of life, isn't it time he tried to do something a bit more meaningful with the cash other than simply try to make more of it with little regard for whom/what he disrupts and destroys along the way?
This whole thing reminds me of Tillman Fertita and his habit of buying up beautiful places only to turn them into Fertita Land. One place close to my heart is Kemah, Texas where i lived as a teen. The waterfront had it's own culture and people came from all around to partake in the local fishing town's world. Fertita bought up the waterfront, filled it with restaurant chains, choo-choos and ferris wheels. And no longer do people bring their children to enjoy the culture of waterfront life, cast nets, or fish... nope, now they come for a freakin' ferris wheel and to gorge themselves in the "context" of a place that doesn't even exist anymore except for the bay. IMHO, we lose something of ourselves as well as foresake our children when we no longer partake in the pure joy that is derived from our natural surroundings. Slapping a ferris wheel on top of once interesting landscape removes our focus from what is naturally grande and needs to be cherished.
sorry for deviating, back to the original thought...
I have not known many Scottish folk in my life, but the people I have had the pleasure of spending any amount of time around shared one certain characteristic, and that is a great pride in their country - it's heritage and it's natural resources. Mr. Trump's plan to help the economy by trouncing all over a chunk of their remaining natural areas flies in the face of everything he claims to hold in such high regard: the homeland of his dear mother and his own heritage.
Oh, and then in contrast, there is this fellow: Mr. Malcolm Forbes, along with his mum, Molly. I say god bless them. They may not be worth much in assets, they may not be as shrewd or saavy as Trump, however, they too ARE "native species" inhabiting Aberdeenshire with a REAL appreciation of and love for the land they have lived on for many years. Molly believes she lives in paradise right now, exactly the way it is and even though i have never been there myself i have to agree with her. The two of them seem to be custodians over something to easily forgotten in our quest for the almighty dollar.
eh hem... okay... stomps away from my soapbox now.
The weekend went racing by, here and gone in the blink of an eye.
Jamie and Shannon joined in the festivity, places to go, people to see...
First stop, Mai's. The best Vietnamese eatery in Houston
Next, it's the Yale Street Arts Market; kicking off the heat with the first night market of the summer months. The music of the Danielle Reich Trio delightfully bounced around our heads.
Mary
Marie
Montrose Patriot
Final destination before heading home: The Boom Boom Room!
On the way home we encountered a herd of neon bunnies crossing the freeway.
On a completely unrelated note, This past weekend many peoples came up and told me they heard i was going to make an artcar :-) kinda cool that it peaked some interest, i'm definitely flattered. It has felt good to have a small burst of inspiration coursing through my veins again. Unfortunately, the job situation is looking a little "iffy" and so the car will be put on hold until finances stabilize. I hope that my muse will be patient with me, logical me and creative me generally don't play well together, with one or the other consuming day-to-day me. If that makes any sense at all i don't know, but it is the best i can do at the moment.
Until and whenever and if i can realize her - here's a website dedicated to her as a cosmic place-holder, hopefully a guarantee that she will infact exist one day.
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