Author: Will Dao

are you there readers? it's me, not you.
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concrete jungle

i recently read nymag’s article, “the concrete jungle” and it reminded me of a story that mrs. anderson told us about her experience one day meditating on mount shasta.  she said that she felt overwhelmed with sadness and felt the stress of the earth.  she apologized to mother nature for everything that man has done to destroy her.  suddenly, mother nature spoke back, telling mrs. anderson that everything’s going to be alright.  earth has been around for millennia and has survived catastrophe after catastrophe.  but humans — they’re the ones that should be worried.

i’m not sure that’s a feel-good story, but yay for mom nats and boo to humans.

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california

returned from a trip up the pacific coast to mendocino and humboldt counties two nights ago.  california is a vast, diverse, beautiful state.  some of the scenery mgs and i saw were out of this world.  there were several times when i believed that heaven is a place on earth:  standing on the shores of “dunes beach” gazing at the distant waves while the sun played peek-a-boo through the fog; anywhere along the coastline where ice whites met algae greens met stone blacks; sitting in a hot, outdoor jacuzzi as cold droplets of rain fell on my face.

it was a vacation from funemployment, but now i need a vacation from my vacation.  why does it always seem like there is SO MUCH TO DO?

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“enemy”

a friend updated her status with the following scripture:

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. –Matt 5:44

while i know this was posted with good intentions, i’m not feeling the word enemy – especially today on 9/11.

merriam-webster defines enemy as:

1
: one that is antagonistic to another; especially : one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent
2
: something harmful or deadly <alcohol was his greatest enemy>
3
a : a military adversary b : a hostile unit or force

yes – there are a minority of extremists who have caused harm, destruction, and oppression and who definitely fit into this category, but enemy has been used to describe everyone else, too — victims of discrimination, harm, destruction, and oppression in this country and abroad, our brothers and sisters of muslim faith… and the muslim faith itself.

the connotation of enemy suggests someone or entity that is the opposite of your friend. this is problematic because differences of opinion, ideology, religion or worldview doesn’t automatically mean someone is not your friend.  if anything, it means you’d have to be MORE compassionate towards, patient with, understanding of, willing to learn from, and work harder to exist among them … not someone you attack, antagonize or hate.

anyway — my two cents for the day.  what are your thoughts???

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budgeting

to the person who invented capitalism and the shackles we know today as “money,” i dedicate this song to you:

in re-evaluating my budget — and this is assuming i don’t find temp work for these next few months — my daily allowance is exactly $20.  what’s really depressing is that $20 is a lot more than a lot of people around the world have to spend — some in a week, some in a month.  but while i’m extremely grateful for these 2 hamiltons, i am also wondering what i can (or can’t) do anymore.

shopping = out of the question
eating = smaller meals and less dining out, which isn’t all that bad
drinking = somehow all socializing centers around drinking these days and i’m wondering if i need to allot a separate beverage budget?
concerts = not unless it’s free or paid for — though if the latter, i usually feel obligated to treat for dinner

well, if anything, this will be the most fascinating experiment i will have embarked on in awhile.  let’s see how far i can stretch my my 20 smackaroos… adventures to be posted!

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breakfast smoothie

this morning i opened the fridge and realized i forgot to buy eggs for breakfast!  necessity is the mother of all invention (… hunger in this case) so i combed through the fridge to see what i could make instead.   we had a lot of fruit – both frozen and fresh – so i decided to create a breakfast smoothie.   i didn’t have a chance to take a picture of the finished product this morning —  it was so good, mgs and i devoured it pretty quickly.  BUT it was super healthy and super easy to make.   i paired it with an english muffin (use butter, jam or whatever your preferred spread is) and, of course — bacon.

serves 2 / prep time: 10 minutes

ingredients
8-10 frozen strawberries
1 banana chopped into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 of an avocado
fistful of raspberries
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon granola

1. throw all fruit – strawberries first since they’re frozen – and soy milk into a blender.  crush at high speed until the strawberries are reduced then switch to liquefy until you get a smooth consistency.

2. to serve, pour the smoothie into a glass tumbler.  sprinkle the granola on top.  if preparing other dishes (such as heating up your english muffins or bacon), leave in fridge to chill until it’s time to eat.

as simple as that.  it was so healthy that i didn’t feel bad for stuffing my face with this for lunch:

ike's sandwich