Radical Transparency

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December 03, 2008

Another Reason to Love China

Please click this link.

It's an article about two pounds of very old marijuana.  Two pounds of very old marijuana found in a tomb in the desert in China.

My favorite quote is from the caption next to a picture of a rubber-gloved scientist tweezing a bit of the weed into a container for him to bring home and "test" over the weekend:

Scientists are unsure if the marijuana was grown for more spiritual or medical purposes, but it's evident that the man was buried with a lot of it.

I only smoked the greens in China a couple of times.  It was not locally sourced.  It was American, smuggled back from a medical marijuana farm in Mendocino County, CA. 

And there is a very serious story behind it.  One that involves a lawyer, outsourcing the manufacture of clipping and gardening tools to a factory in Shenzhen, political dilemmas, cash in buried mason jars, socially responsible investment, and a SWAT team.  It's probably best told when everyone listening is stoned.

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December 02, 2008

Secret Flowers

I just read the first chapter of East of Eden again.  Because I couldn't resist.  Too good not to want back in, even if just for a moment.

And, of course, as not so secretly expected, I found something new.

I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers.

I don't have those kinds of memories.  I have snapshots and impressions and a handful of incomplete, skeletal stories, but I don't remember my imagination.  Not as far back as childhood names for grasses anyway.

I can tap imagination memory a little bit in relation to sports and music.  I remember counting down, commentating, and launching three pointers to take playoff games to OT.  I remember walking out on a spotlit stage, long hair swinging, and hearing the crowd explode as I picked up my guitar.

But I think that's where it stops.  Or that's where my access stops.  At the moment anyway.  I do hear faint echoes of crawling around pretending to be animals.  I know stories of my days dressed up as Robin Hood and carrying a quarterstaff.  I can't imagine my mind wasn't racing all day every day.  And I hope I'll someday dig deeper into those memories.

But not today.  No secret flowers for me.

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December 02, 2008

Where's the Emotion?

This quiet little Pownce acquisition has me curious.

Six Apart bought the company, hired the founders, and gave all the users their (our) two weeks notice.

Just seems weird.  Like there's a great story behind it somewhere, and we're not going to hear it for a long time.

But maybe that's just because I want there to be (and am pretty well convinced there is) always a great story to be told. In all situations. About everything.

But back to Pownce for a second.

I want to know what it's like to be Leah Culver right now.  Pownce was her thing.  She built it.  As a founder and a developer.  And now, unceremoniously, she's saying goodbye.

Why?  How? 

Is Leah crying or relieved or swimming in money or tired or sick of doing the entrepreneur thing?

Someday we'll find out I guess.

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December 01, 2008

A Good Song, a Fair Friend, and Bowl of Beer Nuts

A couple of weekends ago, Casey recommended The Felice Brothers.

Martha followed a couple of days later with Langhorne Slim.

Much to love about this song, including, of course, the sponsorship message at the end.

Colette is track 6 on Langhorne Slim, but this is not the studio version.  I first heard it on Hype Machine, clicked through to the blog that originally posted it, stole it, and now offer it back to the world.

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06 Colette by Langhorne Slim   (download)

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November 30, 2008

Like a Bubble on a Windy Day

Back on my computer for the first time since Wednesday.  Everything's been mobile since then.  Broken eyes.  Tired thumbs. 

And so much to sift and study and write.

But not yet.  First, a song.  A country song.  For the sand hills of North Carolina. 

FOR The South, but not OF The South. 

California country, hippie country.  The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.  One of my favorite musical names. 

And one of my favorite rhymes:

Whoa little Jennifer
I'd give a penny for
What you got on your mind

Ripplin' Waters is track 11 on Symphonion Dream.

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   (download)

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November 29, 2008

Three Lines Are All You Need Sometimes

Learned a new poem this morning:
 
If I should die before I wake
Feed Jake
He's been a good dog
 
Apparently that's pulled from the hook of a hillbilly campfire song. I think it works just fine all by its lonesome.

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November 28, 2008

Confession

I love having the hiccups. Sneezing is amazing too. But hiccups (hiccoughs?) are my favorite.

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November 27, 2008

How to Start a Fight

Nathan is 12. Gigi is his mother. Nathan is hungry.

Nathan: How much longer until dinner?
Gigi: Do you want a piece of cheese?
 
Bad answer.

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November 26, 2008

A Pump Fake

The stories were plentiful on the drive to North Carolina. One started with one of my favorite opening lines of all time:
 
I outran a cop here once...
 
Sadly (and almost inexplicably, actually), the story went nowhere from there, but man did that line have me drooling.

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November 25, 2008

New Old Material

Eight and a half hours in the car with my grandfather tomorrow, and I want new stories.

I've heard millions.  Hal and I have been close for longer than I can remember.  But I know there are more.

And, tomorrow, I hope, they're mine.

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