With Or Without Us

I. WITH

Israeli history professor, Yuval Noah Harari, has written a fascinating exploration of our species in Sapiens. It's a thought-provoking and compelling distillation of the most relevant changes we've experienced over our brief stint on this planet. I wish I could time travel to 11,000 BC and see an epoch in which we were well-adapted to our context. 

II. WITHOUT

Meanwhile, Alan Weisman, uses our current knowledge of the world to hypothesize about what the earth would look like if our species suddenly disappeared. His book, The World Without Us, examines the potential legacy of the Anthropocene. It highlights the horror of what we have accomplished as well as the ultimate resiliency of nature. 

III. US

How do I hold my focus on this information? How is it that the most banal elements of our lives (plastic bags, tires) hold such destructive power? How do we suppress our appetites and the compulsions of the moment for the greater good? How do we both delight in and weep for our kind?

It's Our Anniversary!

Today, I found out that Evan collected troll dolls when he was a kid. I think this explains everything.

I am totally a collectable Jewish troll doll!

Personal Distillation

I'm pretty sure I'd boil down to:

1. Rilke's poem The Panther



2. Billie Holiday singing Them There Eyes



3. Juniper Ledge on Fallen Leaf Lake

4. San Francisco at the tail end of the 20th Century

5. Pride and Prejudice 



I am not sure how to frame the question, but I'm curious to know your answer...

The Brotherhood Of The Wrench

Photographer Freddy Fabris has finally created an homage to mechanics worthy of NOLS' Brotherhood of the Wrench (my heroes).

For those of us who haven't made the big time yet (joined the brotherhood, participated in a demolition derby, worked for an earthmoving company), we'll always have Diggerland.

This Happened

These guys...

opened for these guys...

at this thing...

That's about the definition of badass in my book. 

Adulting

So you're at your friend's house (which they own), laughing (because life becomes more and more ridiculous with each passing year) under their pergola (a word everyone present can use appropriately in conversation), enjoying a Sunday brunch (savory waffles, mimosas and coffee from a corner of the kitchen permanently dedicated to its creation) in celebration of a friend's birthday (which falls on the far rather than near side of thirty)...

That's how you'll know you've arrived. 

Welcome to the fringe benefits of aging!

I Love Evan Horn

My partner is finally headed home and we are gonna tear shit up this fall. And by that I mean heal after a particularly wrenching handful of months apart. This time around it felt like I was missing an especially crucial limb/organ in his absence. I can't wait for us both to feel whole again.