apple juice

you have to click through to this article, just for the picture if nothing else: Gas-Tax Holiday = Cheap Votes

a gas-tax holiday is the worst idea i have ever heard. it will save you $30. it will create more profits for oil companies (as they raise prices to fill the gap), it will set back important transportation projects across the country, and it will encourage people to drive more, not less, creating more pollution and pumping more CO2 into the atmosphere.

bad bad stupid stupid. we should do the exact opposite. raise the gas tax. raise it by a dollar and dedicate it to transit projects.

encourage people to drive less.

encourage people to drive smaller cars.

encourage people to take transit.

one more reason to not vote for the old politics of John McCain and Hillary Clinton. time for a change. don’t believe me?

It is great to see that we finally have some national unity on energy policy. Unfortunately, the unifying idea is so ridiculous, so unworthy of the people aspiring to lead our nation, it takes your breath away

thomas friedman – “dumb as we wanna be“

it was a really hard weekend. but in the end, it was good. liz deserved two big memorial services. her life and legacy live on in so many people. the memorial service was overwhelming. so many times i almost had it together only to lose it. matt asked me to tell my story about the supernova again. i felt honored to be able to share it again to so many people. it was hard getting up there. i started with a story about the weather:

every time matt and liz came home, we would bug them about moving back. but the weather is so nice in LA, they would say. after spending a few days out there, it’s pretty hard to disagree with that. and so for the memorial service on April 26th, a date and time that should be well into spring temperatures around here, we had snow. yep snow. i think liz was up in heaven somewhere laughing at us all.

the star tribune heard about matt‘s story and wrote about it: Without Liz, but not alone

this morning, after going to church, and having breakfast with my family, i finally was able to take a nap, and really sleep. i don’t think i’ve slept that well in about a month.

liz’s story continues on in my mind and in reminders that i see everywhere. matt came over yesterday after the service and sat down on our couch. the last time they were here was when they told us about their pregnancy. what’s new with you guys, they said as they came in and sat down on that chilly day. not too much, we replied, what’s new with you? we were hoping you’d ask us that, they said. big grins spread across their faces.

the sadness that remains in those memories turns to joy though as i think about all of the things we will experience in the future with matt and madeline. so much to look forward to, and so many happy stories to share with each other when we look back.

today is april 24th. on april 23rd, i was upset that i didn’t ride to work. i still hadn’t ridden to work. so on april 24th, i woke up a bit earlier, found my gear, packed my bag, and headed off.

five minutes in to the ride, i felt something.

rain.

ten minutes into the ride, it was misting. fifteen minutes, somewhere between rain and downpour. the ride takes about 40 minutes.

but, all of this rain and exercise made me feel pretty good. i don’t think i could claim a good heart rate for nearly a month. i don’t even want to think about the last time i actually, officially, exercised.

my brain was fired up and ready to go when i arrived. that felt good too. i shared a few ideas.

it was a pretty good day. and then it was time to ride home. i stepped outside for a second. one or two drops. i thanked those who had offered me a carpool, i was going to brave it. i changed back into my bike clothes. walked back to my office. packed up. rolled out the back door.

it’s pouring.

i waved at the kids firing their ceramics. jake hollered at me – “change your mind about the ride?”

“nope! I’m going for it!”

it is hard to not feel small and insignificant in los angeles. flying into the city gives you a vast breathtaking view of the homes and workplaces of millions upon millions of people. it stretches on as far as you can see north and south along the coast.

driving on the highways further enhances this state of mind. so many people traveling in cars from one place to another. where is everyone going? the nature of living and working here does not create the traditional travel between home and work. its a giant flowing mass of people heading in every direction.

but

when i think of it in this way, the feeling of connectedness begins to flow over me, and i can’t help but be overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for matt in this time. listening to him tell story after story of stranger and friend alike who have brought him food, bought him gifts, given to his fund. it’s amazing. truly amazing. it makes you believe again in peace and hope and love. it makes you believe in other people, and in this little girl:

i wish it could always be like this. it shouldn’t have to come from loss. i wish that we could see ourselves connected to our friends and neighbors and strangers a bit more often.

community is such an important word.

a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals

it’s one of the reasons that i really love my job. over and above the work that is technology, there is work in trying to teach students about community. we try to teach them to have a “deep sense of social responsibility” — that they are connected to one another in a community. that what they do affects their fellow human being, whether they know it or not. theirs is a generation of people that will be required to share common goals. if they do not, we will devolve further into the individual person. thinking about himself or herself. trying to get theirs. tossed to and fro in their cars. small and insignificant in the growing city.

but

if we come together, as a community, with common goals. i know we will find connectedness, peace, and love. i have seen it with my own eyes.

I thought about these two videos almost daily since i’ve seen them:

this video of Jill Bolte Taylor

and this presentation — new thinking on climate change

she believes in connectedness. he is optimistic that we will come together. i believe both of them.

Smog over Downtown, originally uploaded by ajc3.

Just arrived at Matt’s safe and sound. He’s in the shower, and Madeline is sleeping so I thought I’d post a quick picture. This was taken out of the window of the plane as we were landing. Downtown LA is barely visible in the smog.

i’m just about to pack up and head to la to spend the weekend with matt and madeline. i’m going to try some of the fresh fruit this time (didn’t get to last time) and we’re going to check out record store day (thanks in advance anya!) i won’t be able to buy too many cds because i’m just bringing one bag.

but i think there will be a lot of pictures, a lot of music, a lot of listening and a lot of talking. sounds good to me…

i also heard steve guttenberg may drop by to make it 3 men and a baby. (did you know that leonard nimoy directed? what does spock know about babies?)

(i want to start off by noting that 98% of the time, I love the food at my school. there is a wide variety of soups, entries, salads, and desserts. it’s tasty, and it’s free. this post is in no way meant to criticize our food service, which truly does a tremendous job.)

however, about once a month, horrible rhyming words pop up on my calendar. brunch for lunch.

brunch for lunch consists of: deep-fried french toast sticks, eggs, and sausage links.

i’m sure this combination is wildly popular amongst our youngest students, and i understand why it makes a regular appearance on the menu, but from my perspective, it’s a good excuse to try and take lunch off campus.

even though i had no invitations for a strategy meeting at chipotle, lady luck shined on me.

I left my seat in search of croutons. on days like these, it is important to be creative. since i was only receiving minimal satisfaction from the breakfast items, i also had a bowl of chicken soup. however this soup was lacking something, and that something was croutons.

as i strode towards the salad bar, i immediately became distracted. what is this big bowl of green? i spied a new addition. guacamole!

new plan. grab a bowl and load it up with guacamole and chips before anyone else sees this delicacy.

i returned to the table extremely pleased with myself. steve looked up slowly upon my return. the other members of the table looked over. “what is that. . .?”

without any further words, all six of my table-mates slowly stood so as to not attract attention and headed towards the salad bar. all six returned with guacamole.

i finished the day with a happy belly.