A day in the Life

Last Saturday Gavin and I spent a lot of time together. I took a few photos and documented our progress through the day.

We started at the big park in Hercules:

















Then we made our way down the long path from that park and we saw goats clearing a hillside:

















We got past the goats without incident and came to the Hercules community pool. I had no idea this existed, but finding it was cool and bumped my opinion of Hercules up a bit.

















On the way back we found some blackberries. I ate them. They were good.

















We got back to the car and stopped at Kinder's Meats before heading home. Gavin's first butcher shop. We picked up two Rib Eyes and then we went home. We put Gavin to bed and I proceeded to grill up those steaks. Baked potato and braised Brussel Sprouts to accompany.

















It was a good day.

American Guru

Many years ago, Teri and I had a conversation about the rise of the American Guru. I think this was back in 2000 or so. I can remember going to friends houses and having dinner and drinks and late night conversation that would progress towards religion and belief systems and the universe, and eventually someone would volunteer that they had been reading a particular author that had a firm grasp of the metaphysical, spiritual, and physical nature of the universe. And then silence…..

So this type of encounter happened a few times with a few friends and family, and Teri and I started to comment on how these American Guru’s were popping up all over the place. They were influencing how our friends saw the universe - perhaps they were personifying a perspective our friends harbored on “how things worked”. Or maybe they were satisfying the need for a post-monotheistic understanding of man’s purpose on the planet. Maybe these gurus presented the perfect mix of successful capitalism combined with non-threatening mysticism – the idea that you can be rich and mystical – or even better – practicing the guru’s spiritualism would lead to financial wealth. Now that’s attractive. Buy a book, read it, live it, and get rich.

Whatever the reason for their popularity, the phenomenon hasn’t gone away in the 8 years since we started talking about it. If anything, the Guru’s have grown into substantial religious and quasi-religious movements. I say quasi-religious because some of them don’t advocate the belief in any particular religious movement, more so the belief in general spirituality, or the belief in the power of the human mind – the power of intention if you will…

It seems like there are a couple of recurring themes that the Gurus address:
• The universe runs on love [see commandment 9]
• Everything resonates at a certain frequency –the universe, the planet, the people, the rocks - and you, or trained guides have the power to manipulate those frequencies.
• You “attract” what you “put out there”
• Love forms metaphysical bonds

Expressing views about the nature of the universe and human relationships is not enough for the American Guru though – and this may be what sets the American Guru apart from others. The accompanying capitalism:
• Classes
• Certifications
• Retreats
• Seminars
• Franchise Opportunities [!]

The most prominent Gurus in my perspective [or at least the ones I’ve heard of]:
• Dr. Wayne Dyer – aka "The Father of Motivation"
• Dr. Deepak Chopra
• Dr. John DeMartini
• Dr. Eric Pearl - Author of "The Reconnection"
• Suze Orman - sure she's not a spiritual healer in the traditional sense, but finances are as close to spirituality as some people get.
• Robert Kiyosaki - Author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"
• Oprah

Maybe there is a documentary opportunity here, a chance to understand the common bonds [and make no mistake, there is a thread that runs through many of their teachings - Kyosaki and Orman excepted] of the Guru’s and the qualities that make them attractive to everyday folks. Perhaps, something that endeavors to explain their continued success in America. Somehow, I imagine it would be a best seller.

New Camera - Sony DSC H50

Our old camera, a Canon Powershot SD600, kicked the bucket last week. It wasn't that old, but it had logged a few thousand photos, and a few buckets of drool from Gavin, so it wasn't too surprising. We've moved on to the Sony DSC H50 for a few reasons - massive zoom lens, wonderfully intuitive interface, lots of megapixels, and general comfort. We used to own a Fujifilm FinePix s5100 - it was stolen before we even scratched the surface on all the features. We loved the feel of that camera, and the power of a strong zoom lens. For a while the memory was too painful to go off and buy another - it was a Christmas present that we gave to each other :-( but we've recovered strong and jumped back into the superzoom fray.

Gavin and I went out to the mall last weekend and I snapped a few photos to test out the camera.

Sweet Potato Pancakes for America's Birthday

We had pancakes for breakfast, but no ordinary pancakes. Since Teri has been making Gavin's food, we've got lots of organic pureed goodness around the house. Last Christmas, we bought the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield as a Christmas gift for some family. A little later we decided we wanted it for ourselves - the premise is sound and we happen to have a lot of the ingredients that form the crux of the book - namely purees that you can mix into food to add a bit of health and flavor. Adding sweet potato was Teri's idea, but we consulted the book to see how much was recommended. Just a half a cup - which is a half cup more sweet potato than we would've eaten today.

The 'cakes turned out delicious. Their color, was almost golden, and the flavor was subtle. They were extra moist, so a slightly thinner batter may be in order next time. They almost didn't need syrup.