Al Jarreau Making Things New

The following video is what I would like to do with my life--pure and utter freedom to freak out and have it fit in perfectly:

Life!!!

Life has been going up and down and around and around. I completed a painting for the first time in a long time, and things have picked up since then. I am going to be heading home for the holidays, so that shall be a nice little trip. Things on the farm are going well, and things with Flow are looking up (I think we are closer to figuring it all out, soon enough).

In the meantime, here is a video of the alcohol can stove I made from two soda pop cans--I am using denatured alcohol (about .8oz), and we boiled a full pot of coffee with it. Going to start using this little gem when camping--way lighter and more efficient than my whisper light gas stove.

The second video here is of Kurt Elling and Al Jarreau doing a little Vocalese version of Take Five. These two guys look like they are just having the best time--when is the last time you gazed into someone else's eyes and made noises and faces like that? We should start doing this more often--like every time you go to buy something at Walgreens, you have to get into a "Vocalese Scat" with the cashier, if you want your change--otherwise they keep the money. I think this would make for better living and good situations.

Home Alone Cooking

There is a large Food Trailer culture here in Austin: serving everything from half quails over polenta, to dirty pastor and donuts. In any event, I have often fancied myself an "Everyman's Chef". What I mean by this is: I look to the fridge and the pantry, and I create delectable meals from what's around. I don't have some refined palette, and I don't know how to saute to perfection, but I do like spicy, sweet, and comforting foods, and I know what I like when I taste it. That being said, perchance, if my life takes me that way, you may just see me in a trailer of my own, serving up my sweet surprises: "Happy Harry's House: Food that Feels Good!"

Tonight, I was inspired to use the bright purple cauliflower I got from my farmer's market job last Saturday. I also had three spuds my mom had bought while she was here. I also had, some mediocre sharp chedder cheese, and some homemade salsa (tomato, white onion, jalapeno, lime juice, avocado, cilantro, and some Sriracha and Valentina hot sauce). That being said, I decided to go for a little twist on the Twice Baked Potato.

We shall call this:

The Cauliflower and Spud Smash Bake w/ Salsa and Cheese

(below is my loose recipe that came together while I was in the kitchen)

So I first consulted the internet, and I got the idea to combine the cauliflower and potatoes from the following site, which had a sweet recipe for Cauliflower and Potato Mash.

Ingredients:

Potatoes

Cauliflower (purple if ya kind find it!)

Cheddar Cheese

Salsa

Anything else you think would go well: I happen to be frying sausage and onions at the time, so the greasy onions got tossed in. Come to think of it, could have thrown in the sausage too...but my roommate doesn't eat pork, so next time, next time.

Process:

1. Throw the potatoes into the oven at 400F, (don't forget to stab them with a fork--something my mom taught me).

2. Take your dogs for a walk for about 30mins or read a book, check an email, etc.

3. When you come back home, cut the cauliflower stock out, and take the remaining small bundels and throw them in a saute pan or a pot, with a lid. Throw in a little salt and a few Tbsp's of Butter (I used Earth Balance, for that is what we had).

4. Simmer on low heat. Once the cauliflower is cooked and tender to a fork poke, turn off the heat.

5. When the potatoes are baked, take them out, and let them cool a bit. Then cut off a small section of the potato (essentially a top--your keeping them as containers for your final smash to be placed in). Scoop the contents into a bowl, or if you are lucky like me, into your food processor--my roommate scored a used one, and the price was right.

6. In a large bowl or processor, combine: the scooped out portions of the potato, the cauliflower and accompanying buttery liquid, salsa, chedder cheese chunks, and whatever else you think would work.

7. Mash or process the contents to desired consistency. The processor turned it into a nice smooth puree.

8. Scoop the contents back into the potato skins, and really fill them up, since you will have more than what came out of them (I wound up eating some of the smash with the sausage and onions I was cooking).

9. Throw them back in the oven at 400F, and let them go for as long as you think they need--I had them in there for about 10 minutes, and the tops, because of the cheese I believe, had a nice little skin cooked on.

10. Enjoy them with some hot sauce, a cut of meat, and a beer (or class that up as needed--hot sauce ---> Au juis reduction; beer ---> Pinot; and so on).

And well you should have something like this (looks sort of like vomit, I guess...you could probably use food coloring, if you can't get purple cauliflower...or just let it be what it is):

A Little Off the Top

Photos from the last week. I have been working out on a farm, I have been selling produce for another farm (can you see the purple cauliflower?), I have been showing my mom around Austin, and I have been cutting my hair. My mom and I played a ton of disc golf (three different courses in fact), ate some great food, watched some improv comedy, and did a lot of walking. It was a great trip, and something to truly be thankful for. Other than that and farm work, i just got done chopping and trimming the new do--which I have continued to get positive feedback on, an seems to suite my general vibe currently.

Also, no pictures for this one, but spent Thanksgiving at the Alamo Drafthouse with my mom, and had a great Turkey Dinner while watching the UT vs. A&M game--unfortunately the Horns lost, but so it goes. Fortunately, we left the the venue just in time: I had parked near the theater, parallel parked in fact, amongst a bunch of cars on the corner of Trinity and 6th. Little did I know, that at a certain time, this turns into a police only area. I walked up to about 5 cop cars, and two tow trucks, one of which already had a car up on its bed. I ran up, the tow truck operator, who was flashing a light and looking inside my truck, told me to hold up, grabbed my ticket from the windsheild, talked to a cop, and then let me go!!! Thank you for a gracious holiday and California license plates!!!

RSA Animate - First as Tragedy, Then as Farce

A Month to the Day

Well it has been exactly one month since my last post. A lot has gone on, and I have thought of updating yee-ole'blog, several times, but flip-flopped on my drive to do so, and hence never did--until now.

I am still searching out employment, though I have some work on a farm next week, and an interview for tutoring on Monday. To fill up my free time I have been playing a lot of disc golf, hanging with the dogs, playing ultimate frisbee, and napping. I am glad that I am here, and although I have not found a new community yet, I have a good feeling about the abundance of people and possibilities that are present in this town. I am practicing patience, and attempting to be as present as possible.

Because I am gainfully UNemployed, I was able to hop a bus last week down to Mexico City--about 20 hrs each way: I road the greyhound to the border, walked across the border, and caught another bus all the way to DF. The Mexican bus lines are super comfortable and affordable. It was great seeing good friends, eating good food, hanging at old hang outs, and playing some sweet ultimate frisbee at ASF. I also attended two art shows: One, was the annual ASF art show, and I was able to give/receive tons of hugs/high-fives to former students. Two, and the impetus for my trip, was pablozeta's expo, EXPOZETA 2010, which was a blast (Click the link to check out a video of the event).

Here are some pictures from the last month:







And videos from the Blackberry:

ACL and Becoming a Local Native (to Austin)

Well, we arrived a day before the festival, and then it was all festival all the time. Well, we did go to First Thursdays on South Congress--a monthly freakout in the streets. We ate some pizza, saw some boobs, drank beer, marveled at the city, and saw some live music while playing ping pong. That night, and the days of the festival, we road our bikes about 6.2mi each way, and that was when we went directly and didn't meander through down town streets, and haunts and bars.

DAY 1 - Late arrival--walked in on the opening of Spoon--I love them but I needed a bratwurst and a beer. So we skedaddled to the food court. Then we jived and gyrated our way over to meet Joey's cousin, and saw some dude, who was discovered playing electric slide guitar in a church--he was good, but not great. We then pushed off to the Strokes, and I tell you what--THEY WERE AWESOME! The intoxicated front man was dropping quips an ad-libs amidst stumbling here and there, with his one leg in a walking cast. "A lot of attractive women come out of the wood work, when you start getting a little famous...I'm just sayin'...I calls it likes I sees it...I shoot from the hip," he drooled over the mic while sloshing around the stage. They played a lot of hits, which I had forgotten I knew. They rocked and Phish stunk--it was so frumpy dump dump, and Coombya My Lord, that we promptly headed out into the night. We ventured into down town Austin, and hit a bar called Kung-Fu: a great little place with board games, and arcade games from my youth. You may remember such titles as: Street Fighter II or Mortal Combat. I mean there was NBA JAM and Pacman and Donkey Kong, consequently Joe is phenomenal at video games, Gorlick and I, both noted this fact, but I digress. We also learned that ski-ball was free, but no one else knew that, so we got a ton of quarters for free. On our way home we got some tacos, I spoke some Spanish, and we watched some guy throw ice/snow balls at another friend across the street. It was all good--then biked it back and got philosophical about life.

DAY 2 - Early arrival and we locked in for a great spread including, DeadMau5, a little LCD Soundsystem, The XX, Monsters of Folk, Local Natives, and Muse. Local Natives were indeed the highlight for me, for I realized this: I had been listening to their album, Gorilla Manor, since February, and truly they had been the score to so many adventures over the last year, that to see them live, singing those songs, was sort of a phenomenal culmination of the several preceding months, and in my eyes, the perfect greeting to a new city. Then the next big thing was Muse. This was Joey's big band. He had the shirt, had already seen their concert in San Diego, and was enthusiastic to say the least. Although I did not know the songs that well, I respected the musicianship, the caliber of the performance, and the over the top theatrical rock (think a modern day Queen, with a little Radiohead esque vocal vibratto). Their laser show was also down right amazing, and it was, as Joe had promised, a fuckin' spectacle to behold. The show was good, and coupled with Joey's enthusiasm, it was awesome.

Day 3 - I hung around the house until later in the afternoon, and arrived just in time to see The Flaming Lips do their thing--they are gurus of the live show; they are mystical sage like rockers; they are awesome--I didn't know all the songs, but I didn't care, it rocked hard. I then saw The National after meeting up with my bud, Loren and his friend Dory. We jibber-jabbered, and then I headed off to food. We left the park for the last time, as The Eagles finished up, Hotel California.

Now, life has set in, and I am getting on it. Although, I have been inside a lot, I have been computer hunting for jobs, and amidst a lot of no replies from labor jobs, dog walking positions, writing jobs, and so forth, a diamond in the rough has presented itself: Tecolote Farms of Austin, TX. I got their info after looking at a Local Harvest page for their farm, which I was directed to by Greenling: an organic food delivery service which I applied to earlier that day. Well turns out that Katie and David, the proprietors of Tecolote, are UCSC graduates. It is freaking amazing to me, how Santa Cruz, although I am away, has found a way to dig itself into my life in the most beautiful of circumstances. I was fortunate enough to have the Mendozas down in Mexico City, frolicked with the infamous Bus Lady, while back in LA, and hopefully now, a job which will provide knowledge, hard work, income, and beautiful relationships (with earth and humans), will again be birthed from the beauty that is Santa Cruz, Ca. On that note, I have been reading my friend Mr. Free's blog, Glimpses of Freedem, and after a year abroad in Japan, he has come back to the gifts of Santa Cruz, and he is now fronting a live hip-hop ensemble. It is all very exciting stuff to watch someone harness their creative energy in such dynamic ways. In his blog, he spoke about how Native Americans, would navigate around Santa Cruz, when traveling the California coast line, in order to go around the known magnetic fields that resided there--perchance that magnetism is what allows us to find each other, even when we are in far away lands.

Took Flow to the vet today, and the prognosis is looking good--we are doing some blood work, and we are going to do some more blood work at the end of the month, and see how her electrolytes are being balanced. I have whittled her down to 2.5mg of Prednisone every other day, and she seems to be much more vibrant. The mantra I am repeating is: "There is as much to learn on the way out, as there is on the way in". How I apply this phrase here, which appeared to me during my Equinox labyrinth walk, is that I have learned a lot from Flow in my years, prior to this situation, and although I could try and rush to a conclusion (she has to have these pills at these doses, or she put be put down), I am taking my time to explore, learn, and understand what this new course is all about, and it feels good not to be hasty.

I have pictures...but I think they will have to wait. I am tired now, and I wrote much more than I was anticipating.

Update!

Well, it has been a few days of events.

Namely, since last I wrote I was struck with a difficult situation: After a day of hot hiking, Flow collapsed and went into a critical situation known as an Addisonian Crisis, which is associated with Addison's Disease. Addison's, in effect is a failure in the adrenal glands to produce the needed Corticosteroids in the system. Well, after nearly dying Flow pulled through, and $1600 later, she was diagnosed with this rare disease and told that she will need a shot a month and a pill a day for the rest of her life. My general skepticism of the Western Medical Institution, my dislike of pharmaceuticals, and my faith in the human body and the natural condition, leave me fighting tooth and nail this negative prognosis--the prognosis, with this regimen of pumping my dog with steroids, is actually good, and would allow her to live a normal life for many years, and then eventually the pills would kill her.

In any event, I am heading to Austin t find a new vet, and hopefully get a second opinion. The 10mg a day of prednisone they prescribed her has her twitchy, panting, and aggressive, so I am slowly weaning down her dose as we speak. I am going to wean her off them and hve her blood retested, along with the ATCH Addison's test they performed, which was done before she was fully stable from the crisis, and could lead to a false positive.

I am practicing worrying less about it all, and simply being positive and attentive to Flow. My mom was super invaluable in the whole process, and she offered me not only wisdom and perspective, but the venue to simply speak my emotions and concerns. Her and my dad helped with the bill, which will allow me to spend some money on a second opinion and further testing. I am going to be going to a doctor who runs a small practice, and whom started out as a military veterinarian back in the 60's--I am done with big business vet clinics!

Aside from that, I am on the road to Austin. The car is packed and the wheels are rolling. I am caravanning with my friend Joe who just graduated from the Navy SEALS, and who is moving out to Virginia Beach to meet up with his platoon. In any event, he is driving a big moving van, I am in the faithful 4Runner, and our respective dogs are riding with their respective owners. We are using walkie talkies to coordinate our driving efforts, and to talk about random shit from time to time. Today was a long haul from LA to Tuscon, AZ. Tomorrow, who knows where we will end, but it will most likely be a La Quinta Inn, as they charge $60 a night and no pet deposit for three dogs.

GOOD NIGHT!

Final Cut

The Other Night I road a good ride. I stopped and watched some softball in the Sepulveda Basin, noticed how the humidity cooled things down, drank a Chai Boba, and did some artwork. Here was the route:

View Larger Map

I bought a multipurpose shaver. I went to work on my newly shortened hair, and if I don't say so myself, I did a pretty damn good job--a Dapper Dan man would be proud.

Here is how I feel about it:

Slightly Sexy

Totally Happy

and...

Ah SHIT! I fuckin' look like a 90210 casting call reject...shiiiit.

My Harvest Moon

Walked a Labyrinth, thought about all the things I have planted during the past year, and I harvested my crop:

A Sweet "Choose Life" Tidbit

Went hiking today at Red Rocks, again. Aside from the great hike with the dogs, Tina, and Shaggy, the end of the trip proved fruitful, for saying yes to life:

As we approached our cars, two individuals had, what appeared to be, some sort of stick art piece, sticking out of their passenger side car door. My initial thought was, "Oh, perhaps these are some members of the Wicca sect or general earth lovers, who are here to perform some sort of ancient rite." As we got closer, and as I let the tail gate down for the dogs, I realized they were attempting to open their car door, as the keys were locked inside. They had several sticks in the top of the door, creating enough space for them to slip a stick with a piece of bent wire into the crack, which they were attempting to use to push in the unlock button. They just couldent quite get the leverage. So, I skedaddled back to my 4Runner, and I knew, amongst all of my things, I had something for them. I came back with a tent pole and duct tape. The wire they had, kept slipping off the button they were trying to push, so we made a little nub of duct tape at the end of the wire, and used the tent pole to push the L-shaped prod onto the button. Danny, Tina, and I looked on from the driver's side, and gave directions on placement, while Roby and Jackie jostled and pushed from their end. And there it was, that magical electronic click of all the door's opening. We all instantly cheered, and it was a hell of a moment!

I felt good that I could look to my truck as a resource and that I was able to provide tools to help solve a situation. I was happy that we all took the time to engage with strangers (thank you Burning Man) without fear or hesitancy. It was a great ending to a great day. Just got back, and washed the dogs, and life is good.

Moons, Missions, Life, and Photos