more treasure hunting

I'd like to be doing more treasure hunting and creating and crafting, and less online learning. The inevitable glitches within and between software and hardware, and the enormous amount of time invested, can be very draining. A few days up on the mountain will do me good.

[photo by N. Spear]

the Zen of acting

Ben Kingsley was interviewed in the newspaper this week about his upcoming role in the Scorsese film "Shutter Island" and talked about how every detail of his character’s costuming is important, because if he looks down at his own shoes (even if they’re never seen by the audience) and they’re not appropriate to the character, or period, or conditions, his performance would suffer. It is an enormous investment to think through all the personal choices his character would make, but through the process, I absolutely understand that he comes to know his character, to become intimate with him, and we all benefit from the richness of his investment. He says that before every take he goes “to zero. Then I’m ready to receive all the energy of the set, the lighting, especially completely open to the other actors, uncluttered, no preconceptions, know my dialogue backwards. I find that a very gratifying and joyful way to work.” Man, I love him for saying that! Is there any better way to be in the world?

Haiku Saturday

how reluctantly
the bee emerges from deep
within the peony

[Basho]

Schoolyard Pizza Oven

We helped to build this little beauty over the weekend. It's part of the Albert Einstein School's "edible schoolyard" program. The gardens on the grounds are taking shape and they have a small farmer's market each week too.

Americano for here, please

The independent coffee shop just feels better...Espresso Mio being my local favorite...followed closely by Costellos when in Irvington...and then Peets...no longer a small shop, but it has a certain Portland-via-Berkeley appeal for me.


In Italy, on the island of Capri, this family run shop wouldn't think of giving you a disposable non-recyclable paper cup with a molded plastic lid, even with 10% post consumer recyled content, when you could take a breath and enjoy your morning espresso on the spot. Italians seem puzzled, in general, by our habit of walking down the street with food and drink in hand.

Now Starbucks has done right by many...offering health insurance to employees working just 20 hours per week...creating recording projects for voice actors like us...and motivating the outpouring of love in the video you see here...


Click here: YouTube - 156 Countries Sing Together for the Starbucks Love Project (Thank you Peter, for sending the link.)

...but why? why I ask you? can I not get a ceramic mug at our neighborhood Starbucks?

I'll put a small ceramic cup into my tennis bag in case I'm surprised again by wet courts and an invitation to our local Starbucks. Nothing is less fun for me than having to choose between time with friends and my environmental conscience. All you need is love.

Haiku Saturday

droplet on bare branch
reflecting upside-down world
seeking solid ground

How's your manifesting?

I was new to Southern California when this question was posed by my chiropractor. It seemed kind of weird, very So Cal, maybe a little woo-woo for me...

But then things began to manifest...or I should say I started noticing that my "manifesting" was actually humming right along.

I read an article about bicycle safety that said you should always cover your eyes for riding, using clear goggles at night, to protect from rocks that can shoot out from under a car tire in motion. Good advice. I pictured the goggles I wanted, and they appeared within a couple of days, left behind by a construction crew in the neighborhood.

I carried around an extra 50 pounds for about 10 years, but I kept my driver's license weight at a number that I thought was as high as my scale should ever be. Once my life came back into balance, my weight hit that very number and stuck. It stays right there, on the money.

And this New Year, I focused on two things: writing more and creating two new client relationships. The new clients appeared, and I'm being asked to write more and more, both professionally and in the acting class I'm taking.

There are two excellent Zen teachers in PB. I admire their writing and their energy, but their practice center is out of my cycling comfort zone. One of these gifted teachers has started leading meditation every Wednesday, right down the street. I'm showing up as often as I can.

I was very clear with the hospice organization I volunteer with, that I'd like to work with someone in my own zip code, so I can cycle to my appointments. That person appeared yesterday.

So it's like that. I've started trusting that I can create my own reality. It's very concrete and not as "out there" as I once thought. I'm really grateful.

How's your manifesting?