Thoughts for tonight

From Zen and the Beat Way (Alan Watts):
Agriculture and industrialism … have created a glut of material goods and a great poverty of time. Most people have a way of life devoid of everything except maintaining and servicing their material existence 12 to 14 hours every day. In contrast, the Aborigines [spent] 12 to 14 [...]

Waterfront Schmaterfront

Ukee, Toff … don’t let those developers snow you into letting go of the waterfront as a public resource. I spent about two hours walking the shores of False Creek, ALL of which is public walkway.
The land must be worth bazillions, and developers must have lusted after it and lobbied for it like crazy. But [...]

TEA FOR TWO

I’ve been reconnecting with old friends at a variety of java joints all over town, and guzzling in the process larger-than-usual quantities of tea, steamed milk, chai and (once) Perrier, but never coffee. I’m talking (or at least trying to talk) more frankly than is my wont, and deliberately asking about schools, spiritual paths and [...]

MERCH LUST

I dropped in to Tom Lee Music on Granville St. today. They’ve filled out their hand percussion section since i was there last, and i found and tapped on Mountain Rhythm’s well made frame drums. a cadillac version of the Remo cheapie i’ve been spending hours a day on for months now.
Unfortunately, frame drums, though [...]

WHY I LOVE ZEN (& AL WATTS)

Interviewer: What is Zen?
Alan Watts: [Soft chuckling.]
Interviewer: Would you care to enlarge on that?
Alan Watts: [Loud laughing.]
—Front matter of Zen and the Beat Way (1997)

I borrowed the book from the Vancouver Public Library yesterday with my spankin’ new BC OneCard, good at every public library in B.C. That’s like gold for the homeless wanderer, [...]

FEY DREAMS

Odd dreams last night, involving organized gangs. The gang leader, a courteous, grey-haired gentleman, wanted me to do some work for him, but i played coy because i was already working in some unspecified but shady capacity with a competing gang. He was starting to put pressure on me, though nobody actually said “drive-by shooting” [...]