Still Unpacking and More Updates

I just got back from a trip to Monterey, Ca.  Usually March is a most excellent month to visit this section of the northern California coast.  It can be quite clear and warm and there are little to no tourists. 

This year it was just surreal.  When we were still packing the nuclear reactors in Japan were in full on melt down and while I expected some craziness in California I really wasn't prepared for the amount of shocked reactions from people who knew I was going away.  There was genuine concern from my neighbor who I almost never talk to except when I'm going away so they can keep an eye on the house.  "Aren't you afraid of radiation?"  was the question. Ummm, aren't you?  We only live 3 hours inland, do people really think if radiation levels are high enough to be concerned about in Monterey that we are going to escape it in Chico?  I think that freaked them out a bit because I saw them heading down to CVS not too long after that, probably to buy iodine and duct tape. 

Speaking of Iodine I read more than one article in which drug stores were running out of this 'precious' commodity in California.  Which made me wonder what the other west coast states were doing, if they were reacting with the same level of crazy door slamming after the horse has left the barn.  I was on vacation though and didn't care enough to look it up.  I was also too busy listening to my new Ani De Franco Album purchase, which is what I generally do when something big happens. Step 1: assess what I can do.  Step 2: Do everything I can do.  Step 3: Keep calm and carry on. 

We did actually get one very nice sunny day down on the coast.  It had been our plan to day trip down to Big Sur and pay for a massage/soak pass at Esalen,  I was really really glad I hadn't paid in advance because it turns out the road had crumbled into the sea sometime between 5 and 6pm the night before. Apparently it was just time, the road had had enough.  People said they noticed cracks earlier in the day, which kinda begs the question, "Why didn't anyone report it?"  Anyway it's going to be a while before they get that fixed and the 101 detour is long and a pain in the ass, so we spent the day in Carmel instead. 

The rest of our trip was ruled by rain which gave us the excellent opportunity of checking out hole in the wall thrift shops and eateries.  We were a half vegetarian group and while I have said it before I will repeat it.  Lighthouse ave has everything you need in the way of eateries for the meat lovers and the vegetarians and you will not break the bank.  If you want good food, stay away from the wharf.  That touristy crap will cost you an arm and a leg and will taste just like every other chain restaurant in America.

Back from holiday I took to bed sick for two days, immensely grateful that I hadn't gotten sick away from home, there's nothing worse than being sick away from home, except maybe having to drive home sick...yeah that's a bit worse. 

But I also returned to boxes of awesome from Black Phoenix Trading Post and Alchemy Lab.  Boxes filled with serious scents like Black Tower, The Bow and Crown of Conquest, Doc Constantine's Medicine Show and Cthulhu.  Cthulhu was really the only disappointment, while everything else smelled close to what I imagined I couldn't get my head around Cthulhu smelling exactly like fabric softener.  I had also ordered a T-shirt from their Neil Gaiman collection, The Vampire Tarot and while they messed that order up by sending me their monthly special shirt, their customer service more than made up for it, a replacement was sent right away and I was told I could keep the "oops" shirt.  I had a lovely couple of messages from whomever was handling shipping and really cannot speak more highly of their service and products.  If you like scents you will fall in love here, merely reading the descriptions had me absorbed for the better part of a morning. 

Aside from everything in my house now smelling excellent I am feeling a bit odd.  The world is in an odd place isn't it?   I'm terribly disappointed in our President whose promise of "Hope" has fizzled to something like "Suck it."  I'm not understanding why he finds it necessary for us to be involved in Libya but not as involved as we could be in helping Japan which will be cleaning up for years to come and needing clean water and food for most of that time.  Plus, it's winter there, it's flippin' snowing out and people are displaced.  But I'm really not surprised I mean we still haven't taken care of our own mess in the Gulf of Mexico and Haiti is, well, exactly the same as it was before if not worse. 

Which reminds me, a water walk is being hosted on Saturday by Bridging the Gap by Giving which I hope to be participating in, cheer me on! It's a good organization and has been doing a lot of good work around the globe, but has anyone noticed that water is the single most needed thing in all these areas of disaster?  I fear small organizations like this just aren't going to be able to cover it all, which is why I am looking up plans for roman -style cisterns. Why aren't people planning to capture and use as much water as possible?  I plan to begin digging up my yard this spring, hopefully I can get some decent stone masons in here to make the arches...offers? 

Anyway.  I'm still unpacking and probably will be for a while as there's work to be done, a lot of it.  

Blog Notes from the Road

I'm working from the road this week. The 9-5 breadwinner in my household got a free room in exchange for attending boring conference discussions about paperwork and client service models for public mental health. So as it is in Monterey I packed up my laptop and jumped in the car. Free away from home writing inspiration for me!

My stereo went out last week so we had no music for the trip which worked out okay, we discussed the things tripping through my mind, like global human migration, worldwide responsibility for helping other countries and if we should if they clearly fucked up their own situation...We discussed indie music and my most favorite kind of musician the ones you can't describe, as in he/she plays this or that.

Also on my mind as we travelled were changes in the Monterey bay area. Santa Cruz has grown quite a bit and Monterey itself is filling up with strip malls like anywhere America. The old military base-turned college campus looks like it's tearing stuff down and selling space to Chili's and Bath and Body Works.

Monterey has lost some coastline, there is plastic on the shores in frightening proportions. I watched as a birthday balloon was tossed by a wave to the shore. I wondered where it had come from...what it's sad birthday story was....I always ascribe sad stories to trash at sea, it could have been a happy birthday, I don't know.

I began reflecting on these stomping grounds of Steinbeck which have changed so much just since the last time I was here, he I think wouldn't recognize or even feel comfortable here. Development wars for zoning seem to be being lost, I guess money can buy you whatever you want, at least ski-high hotels and Starbucks on every corner. Even the Hookers are displaced, had initially thought to go and look for where they may have ended up but alas some of my traveling companions necessitate a nixation of that plan.

I'm thinking of a write up, retrospective on Steinbeck, shall visit important Steinbeckian points of interest this week, which I'm sure will thrill the Brownies some of whom came with me, they are only interested in adventure, so I must think hard on how to sell it to them.

In any case This Day is beautiful sunny and warm, couldn't ask for better so off to walk the shores I go.

Oh yes and go check my article this week at http://www.subversify.com which talks about a revisiting of Hurricane Katrina as it relates to Haitian relief and disaster relief in general. Also check out all the other juicy non-status quo stuff up for offer this week.