Radical Transparency

Apparently, two blogs and a Twitter account isn't enough for me.  Apparently, I'm over my fear of multivoicedness.  And, apparently, I can't resist linking to Gabe and Max at every opportunity.

The Carrot Project Blog, as of a couple of hours ago, is happening.

And that means I'll be reorganizing a bit.  Thoughts about The Carrot Project there. Intermittently coherent rambling from a rookie social entrepreneur on A More Perfect Market.  Music and rumors about Himalayan dams on Radical Transparency.  Observations that fit into 140 characters on Twitter. 

Or something like that.  We'll see.

Loading mentions Retweet

My friend Tom is writing a novel, and, apparently, when you're writing a novel, you also do things like interview your friends about their early stage startup projects and send the results to the editors of socially responsible travel sites.

Late last night, Tom published the first ever article about The Carrot Project. 

And, speaking of first evers, in 2006, the same Tom invited me to make my first ever blog post.  And, still speaking of first evers, one year ago, the same Tom made the first ever comment on A More Perfect Market.

Hopefully, when the time comes, I can read fast enough to write him his first ever book review.

Loading mentions Retweet

Because I love it.

Because David Bowie made his first appearance on A More Perfect Market tonight.

Because:

I think I saw you in an ice cream parlor,
Drinking milkshakes cold and long,
Smiling and waving and looking so fine.
Don't think you knew you were in this song.

Five Years is track 1 on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

Click here to download:

01 Five Years.mp3 (4416 KB)

Loading mentions Retweet

A comment over on A More Perfect Market sent me running to the YouTubes to get a hit of Jeff Spicoli.

Gotta love the globe scene.



And why are so many teachers so mean? What good does it do anyone? I get that you need to keep kids under control, but don't Jedi Pied Pipers do that way more effectively than drill sergeants?

Just sayin.

Loading mentions Retweet

I just added an Inspiration list to the right hand sidebar on A More Perfect Market.

14 videos so far. 

As I was thinking about who and what to include, Ani DiFranco jumped to mind.  But I knew her only in audio, so I looked her up.  I was hoping I'd find a live performance of I'm No Heroine.  I found this instead...

I love musicians that smile.

Loading mentions Retweet

I wrote about Dickensian villain Don Blankenship yesterday on A More Perfect Market, and, as usual, I watched 15-20 minutes of my day disappear as I struggled to title the post.

I went with Gotta Love the Man's Mustache, Though.

And it was kind of a stretch of a title, because, honestly, at first, I wasn't really all that impressed with his mustache.  I mean it was definitely exciting to see that he had one, exciting to know that he was not afraid to rock sculpted facial hair.  But, at a glance, the mustache really didn't look like anything special.

At a glance.

Look closer, however, and notice the attention to detail.  Dude clearly does some serious maintenance.  Perfect straight lines from the corners of the mouth to the nostrils.  Extraordinary symmetry.  A classic trapezoid.

And it is totally weird that I'm writing this and thinking this and look at blurry far away pictures of coal executives and assume.  But I'm convinced that these observations are not only truths but extremely important truths to acknowledge and spread.

Loading mentions Retweet

Posts like this one remind me why I love this medium.

The drift of it.  The quickness.  The glimpse of real live thought.  Unexpected ideas pouring from forgotten or undiscovered connections.

I need to keep that in mind on A More Perfect Market.  I try too hard over there.

Loading mentions Retweet

Bizarre day.

Started early.  4am.  The smoke detector fire alarm system spit the dummy.  Word from the alarm people is that there are "critters" chewing on wires and causing trouble.

Thought about sustainable linoleum.

Drank green tea, which is a way more manageable drug for me than coffee. 

Ate a vegetarian turkey sandwich.  Wondered if it might have been tofurkey, which would have been awesome.

Remembered how glad I am that one of the Carrot Project investors is a lawyer.

Wrote an unplanned blog post.  Enjoyed the spontaneity of it.  But feel a little bit sad that I wasn't able to keep my favorite thought in tact.  So I'm reconnecting it here into its original four sentence form.  Out of context, of course.

While we're tiny and experimental and close to zero cost. Which we are right now.  And maybe will be forever.  If we're good.

Hung out just my mother, my father, my sister, and me.  Which never happens.  Divorce, geography, work, and omnipresent (and welcome) cousins make it difficult.  Talked about what a pain in the ass little kid I was.

Talked to Australia.  Heard fish stories and jokes.  Remembered the sounds of freediving on the Reef.

Looked for a good picture from my last trip to Oz.  Wanted to post it here and write a story.  Found a poem instead.  Might post it someday.  Not tonight.

Started listening to The Who.  Think I might need a tattoo.  Because I'm sleepy and delusional and amused at the fact that I started this post with the word bizarre.  Amused and maybe a little bit proud.

Tattoo is track 4 on Live at Leeds.

Click here to download:

04 Tattoo.mp3 (3477 KB)

Loading mentions Retweet

I just made one of my weirdest ever More Perfect Market blog posts.

It went in a totally unexpected direction. Storytelling took over. Unclear if I made the point I set out to make. And unclear if the story was really even a story.

But, if nothing else, the article did close it with a statement that I think works even better when standing alone:

It's a strange world out there. Beware. And enjoy.

Loading mentions Retweet