Byodo-in temple, Hawaii

Here's my dad at the temple and a longshot of the temple itself.

Byodo-in temple, Hawaii

Here's my dad at the temple and a longshot of the temple itself.

Watching New Love as It Sears the Brain - New York Times

Yikes.

Makes sense, though.

Watching New Love as It Sears the Brain - New York Times: "New love can look for all the world like mental illness, a blend of mania, dementia and obsession that cuts people off from friends and family and prompts out-of-character behavior - compulsive phone calling, serenades, yelling from rooftops - that could almost be mistaken for psychosis.
Skip to next paragraph
Susan Farley, top; Michael Falco for The New York Times

Dr. Lucy Brown, above, and Dr. Helen Fisher, left, analyzed 2,500 brain images from 17 college students in the throes of new love - a drive, Dr. Fisher said, that 'can be stronger than the will to live.'
Readers
Forum: Can Love Be Explained Through the Biology of the Brain?
American Physiological Society

A new study suggests that an area of the brain known as the caudate is associated with passion.

Now for the first time, neuroscientists have produced brain scan images of this fevered activity, before it settles into the wine and roses phase of romance or the joint holiday card routines of long-term commitment.

"

Hawaii

Was fun.

Been feeling funny ever since I took the piece of volcanic rock home
though...

Female Orgasm: Proof Of God / Science can't explain it, evolution can't understand it and men can only lie there in awe

Woozy from the redeye back from Hawaii. Maybe this is funny and interesting, maybe it's not. (The article, not the subject).

Female Orgasm: Proof Of God / Science can't explain it, evolution can't understand it and men can only lie there in awe: "Maybe, in other words, the female orgasm doesn't need a purely biological purpose. Maybe it's about something more. Maybe it has -- dare we say it? -- a spiritual purpose. Vibrational. Transcendental. Gasp! Hide the children.

Well, why not? Have you seen a wild female orgasm lately? Have you borne witness? Because you really, really should. One good look and the fact comes clear: The thing is at once directly hardwired to the deep chthonic Earth while at the same time has the bright shimmering cosmos on speed dial. It's true. It's obvious. Any good and deeply felt female climax is clearly a subatomic vibrational pulse of such unusual and kaleidoscopic frequency that the only ones who can truly hear its messages are purple orchids and bright red snakes and the aliens who built the Great Pyramids. All hail.

So then. If you want to argue that anything has been lost to the mists of time and awareness, let's argue that. Let's lament the demise of that link, the great orgasmic disconnect, the massive cultural spin downward toward sexual terror and orgasmic stagnation and Laura Bush.

In other words, let's argue that the female orgasm, far from becoming obsolete and useless, is more necessary and vital than ever before, because it is the orgasm that allows us a glimpse of what lies beyond, of what we can become, of all that there is and all we want to be and all we want to become and it's all wrapped up in a white-hot moment of transcendental moaning hope. Plus, as I understand it, they're just tremendous amounts of fun.

So now, if Lloyd's book is to be believed, the fact that women are losing the orgasmic impulse, the fact that the female water slide is not worshipped and studied and taught like a joyful religion or glorious deity in this dazed and confused and Bush-ravaged culture, and the sad fact that every girl is not given a new Hitachi Magic Wand as a beautiful rite of passage when she hits 14, these are more than merely the great tragedies of our age. They might very well be the things keeping us from progressing at all.

Which is to say, deny the power of the mystico-erotic spiritual gasp at your peril. Look to science to explain away all our slick needful quiverings as mere rote mechanical factions, and watch the spirit wither and cringe and say uh, hello, over here, please, what the hell is wrong with you people?

The female orgasm is just useless fun? Just a vestigial remnant of our licentious monkey ancestors, increasingly obsolete and something that will soon be completely replaced with lots of yawning and sighing and a slow steady gaze at the ceiling as she ponders paint colors for the kitchen while the man sweats and grunts and enjoys 2.3 minutes of primitive emasculated gorilla lust? Hardly. Leave that for the Republicans and the Christian Right.

Woman's orgasm has no evolutionary purpose? Bull. Woman's orgasm is proof of evolution, baby. Spiritual, karmic, celestial evolution. It is what propels us forward, brings us light and awareness and deep laughing cosmic moan and makes much of life worth living. And if we lose our grip on that notion and insist on devolving at our current rate, we will be in deep trouble indeed.

Magic Wands all around, Dr. Lloyd. It's the right thing to do.

Honolulu Weather Forecasts on Yahoo! Weather

Will be in Honolulu all weekend for my cousin Allan's wedding. weather forecast for the whole weekend: high 89, low 75. nice.

Lauryn Hill sighting!

Pitchfork: Track Reviews: "Lauryn Hill: 'I Find It Hard to Say'
genre: r&b

Think a pitch-shifted Gladys with a smoking habit: Lauryn Hill's burnt mahogany alto is luminous, like the silky black sun wrapped in the effigy of night. Her tone, while gruff and world-weary, channels all the sanctified soul of a Saturday sinner-cum-Sunday saint; if the faintest trace of pain stains her churchified motherwail, it's inevitably washed over with a swath of pure beauty, and the hope that it doesn't take a lightyear to illuminate dark days.

'I Find It Hard to Say', being the latest from the former Fugee (and not that other song from Unplugged a few years ago), exemplifies this lucid dynamism, showcasing bluesy ruminations atop a jittery backbeat that sounds as if it's suited to the sort of no-count nightspot where hardened workaday men go to get drunk, fight, and find God in fiery cups of hell juice. Yet at a little past the two minute-mark, Ms. Hill's cryptic but quasi-religious lyrics climax into a multi-tracked orgy of angelic ad-libs, providing a contrast to the song's melodramatic backdrop. Call it sorrowful or sacrosanct-- here L-Boogie's old-soul aura serves as a beacon for all miseducated lost ones. [Will Dukes]

"

The ORIGINAL Metrosexual Quiz

The ORIGINAL Metrosexual Quiz

I scored a 27, but like I pointed out, if I had body hair of any kind, I'd wax it. So the test's a bit flawed.

Mo'

I once talked with a co-worker named Shelly, who was suddenly amazed to realize that her son Oscar had spen "more time out than in." Meaning he'd been out of the womb over 9 months.

And I'm starting to wonder about the Next Life Stage (sly Wells Fargo tagline reference) in which I've spent more time as an independent adult than as a kid.

This all has to change. I'm casting about for a new therapist, and what I'd really like to do is give him or her an incentive-laden contract. You get X dollars if I y. You get 5x if I y for 3 years. Et cetera.

Because the last thing I want to do is pay to sit around and talk about how miserable I am. That'd be like Blogger suddenly charging, or you, suddenly charging to soak up this nonsense.

So, goals for post-Hawaii:
Start yoga.
Find a therapist.
Start settling into a routine. That doesn't involve heavy drug or alcohol intake.
Get everything sold or onto a shelf in my apartment.

Random blahs

Big ups to Christo & Astrid (great LA names) for rescuing me from a night of Trader Joe's salmon, red wine and Law & Order: CI. Well, maybe except for that last part.

We had dinner at La Caban(y)a. Mainly margaritas actually. The girl that I thought was Kirsten Dunst at our Coachella weekend was there, too. (Not really interested, for some reasons, blondes haven't been on the agenda for a long... time).

Today was a really long day. There was a new biz client in the agency at 8:30, and the agency was asked to be there at 8. With my insomnia, exciting Wells Fargo deadlines (sarcasm) and dwindling sleeping pills, I got there at 6:45.

Ack.

Add into that all of the Wendy stuff, and I haven't exactly been very functional this week. Not in an unproductive way, just non-functional and
'game face'. Both my CD and new friend Taryn asked if I was OK, today. No, I'm a fucking zombie, and I'm not having fun. Not that I can really say that, because Taryn's looking at my blog now, and who knows if it's been passed on to other folks, too. Crap on a stick.

And maybe it's the pills or the lack of sleep, but in a lot of ways, I could really give a fuck. Or, it could be an annual spring meltdown (see last year (Crush/Molly, 2002-Adoption, 2003-back injury.)

The hard part right now is believing that something better will come out of these current changes than the previous changes. And because of those doubts, why the fuck bother trying to assimilate into a new place, no matter how many friends I have down here already or could make at the office/circle/BurningMan crew, etc.

Almost worse yet is realizing that the drinking and drugs are going to do nothing but delay growth/change, so that I find myself sitting at home, bored, not drinking, with no cable, no Halo, no desire to call anyone and yet buoyed by a nice mix of SSRI's that keep me from really breaking down.

Born, again

About time I republished a link to the Born Magazine project on
international adoption. This article on Yahoo! is as good an excuse as easy.

Everything is
Illuminated (reminder: move the mouse to different locations and the
way the story is told changes. Interactive, yo.)

Yahoo article

Study: Kids Adopted From Abroad Adapt Well

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer 1 hour, 50 minutes ago

CHICAGO - The scenario is increasingly common ? eager parents adopt children
born in hardship an ocean away, hoping to create a cohesive family against
seemingly daunting odds.

And yet, children adopted from abroad seem to adjust remarkably well,
according to a new study that challenges the widely held notion that these
youngsters are badly damaged emotionally and prone to disruptive behavior.

The analysis of more than 50 years of international data found youngsters
adopted from abroad are only slightly more likely than nonadopted children
to have behavioral problems such as aggressiveness and anxiety. And they
actually seem to have fewer problems than children adopted within their own
countries.

"The first years of life should not be considered as inevitable destiny. On
the contrary, most children grab the new chance offered to them," said
researchers Femmie Juffer and Marinus H. van IJzendoorn of Leiden University
in the Netherlands.

The results are generally reassuring for international adoption ? a growing
trend involving more than 40,000 children a year moving among more than 100
countries, the researchers said.

"Our findings may help them fight the stereotype that is often associated
with international adoption," the researchers said.

The study appears in Wednesday's
Journal of the American Medical Association.

The authors pooled results from 137 studies on adoptions by parents living
in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.

The analysis involved studies on adoption between 1950 and 2005, involving
more than 30,000 adoptees and more than 100,000 nonadopted children.

During that time, adoption has evolved from being a "shameful secret" to
being celebrated and often very visible, especially with the relatively
recent phenomenon of white parents adopting Chinese children, according to a
JAMA editorial by Dr. Laurie C. Miller of Tufts-New England Medical Center.
In the United States alone, parents have adopted more than 230,000 children
from other countries since 1989, she said.

Miller said sensationalized stories about severely disturbed children
adopted from abroad have been widespread in the media, which may have skewed
perceptions of these children.

In the study, behavior problems were relatively uncommon in all groups
studied, but adopted children in general had more of them than nonadopted
youngsters, regardless of where the adoption took place. That is not
surprising, since both groups often suffer deprivation and come from broken
families.

Internationally adopted children had a 20 percent higher chance of being
disruptive than nonadopted children, and a 10 percent higher chance of being
anxious or withdrawn. They also were twice as likely as nonadopted children
to receive mental health services ? results that the authors said were much
better than expected given these children's often troubled early start in
life.

The results might reflect the parents who adopt foreign children, said Dr.
Gregory Plemmons of Vanderbilt University's clinic for international
adoptees. These parents often are high-achieving and financially well-off,
and tend to seek out services like counseling for their children, Plemmons
said.

Children adopted within their own countries had an 36 percent higher chance
of being anxious or withdrawn than the international adoptees did, and a 50
percent higher chance of being aggressive or disruptive, the study found.

These children were four times more likely than nonadopted children and
twice as likely as internationally adopted children to receive mental health
services. Also, domestically adopted youngsters had a 60 percent higher
chance of having behavior problems than nonadopted children.

Plemmons theorized that children adopted domestically might suffer from the
instability of living with different foster families before getting adopted.

again! again!: Stats

Jen Leo posted from Vegas with much more interesting stats than I think I'll currently drum up.

again! again!: Status

Location: Beachpad, Venice, CA

Mood: Foul.

# of tasks accomplished today: 1. Maybe.

Dad's birthday today: Check.
Called Dad: Check.

Crap. I don't feel much like doing this.

More tomorrow.

JAMES - SIT DOWN LYRICS

I'm sure I've blogged these lyrics before, but this is the most comforting sad song I know.

Bummed out. Realizing that I'm passing up a chance for happiness with someone pretty wonderful. And not liking myself very much for that.

The live version of this song brings chills to my arms. 10,000 Mancunians singing along at the G-Mex in Manchester.

JAMES - SIT DOWN LYRICS: "’ll sing myself to sleep
A song from the darkest hour
Secrets I can’t keep
Inside of the day
Swing from high to deep
Extremes of sweet and sour
Hope that God exists
I hope I pray

Drawn by the undertow
My life is out of control
I believe this wave will bear my weight
So let it flow

Oh sit down
Oh sit down
Oh sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down, down
In sympathy

Now I’m relieved to hear
That you’ve been to some far out places
It’s hard to carry on
When you feel all alone
Now I’ve swung back down again
It’s worse than it was before
If I hadn’t seen such riches
I could live with being poor

Oh sit down
Oh sit down
Oh sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down, down
In sympathy

Those who feel the breath of sadness
Sit down next to me
Those who find they’re touched by madness
Sit down next to me
Those who find themselves ridiculous
Sit down next to me
In love, in fear, in hate, in tears
In love, in fear, in hate, in tears
In love, in fear, in hate, in tears
In love, in fear, in hate"

aurgasm: Mint Royale :: your favorite music you've never heard

so, i've been remiss with my posting, sharing, pretending to be busy in the California sun.

new mp3s coming soon. but go listen to this.

aurgasm: Mint Royale :: your favorite music you've never heard: "Mint Royale
vocal brighton downtempo // big beat
The starry-eyed look of love. The romantic dance under the lantern-lit tree. The music swells and supports that perfect moment, amalgamating the texture of her dress, her soft fingers curling around your nape, her breath combing down your cheek. Mint Royale, a duo that was once mistook as a pseudonym for Norman Cook, traditionally leans on the more brash party big beat sound, but in 'Little Words' they deliver a soulful ballad of calming intent. It fits the perfect soundtrack moment where two strangers fall for each other, dance in the warm summer air, and land in a place of congruent love.
Falling back into bed with her never felt so good."

wall

The weekend approaches.

My friends Chris & Eric are running a dj night in downtown LA. I'm not
feeling extremely up for it.

And some friends of Kate are having a Burning Man type party, but I'm not
really sure what the point of befriending new people is right now. And I've
no desire just to go to one of these things and get fucked up.

Tomorrow, the Relax the Back recliner is delivered (via Ebay, 1/2 price.) An
adult piece of furniture. That's cool.

And ArtWalk on Sunday should be alright.

Everyone's all a flutter about this: http://sithsense.com

This POW wall is at the end of the alley behind my house. It's a convenient
marker telling people where to turn into my alley.

Cheers.
m

I once caught a child this big

And this thing is kitty-corner to my office. I don't have the fear of clowns
that most do, but there is something vaguely disconcerting about this.

walk street beach shot

My new place is extremely close to the beach, located on what's known as a
'walk street', a sort of wide sidewalk/alley thing that we can talk about in
a later post about Abbot Kinney and Venice's history.

Despite the great location, I'm kinda bummed out right now.

The reality of work's setting in, and I'm feeling lonely
(semi-self-imposed), and I wonder if I'll ever work past the same problems
I've been facing.

I should go sit on the beach for a while.

More this weekend. Trying to take it easy on the partying for a little
while.

Ouch! The Tylenol site

I'm not sure how I feel about this kind of stuff. On one hand, it must be great to work with these types of artists, but on the other foot, it feels like someone's being target marketed.

I guess my question is: does it work?

Ouch

50cent's gunshot countdown spot

I like it. To borrow a phrase from the old Inspiral Carpets T-shirt, it's Cool as Fuck.

50cent

rockstar_soe2

Strange animated commercial for some video game released by RockStar, the Grand Theft Auto people.

I like the line at the bottom. Troy did you write that?

rockstar_soe2

BUILD YOU OWN NIKE SHOE -- ABOVE TIMES SQUARE

Any of you New Yorkers seen or done this? I love the idea.

BUILD YOU OWN NIKE SHOE -- ABOVE TIMES SQUARE: "BUILD YOU OWN NIKE SHOE -- ABOVE TIMES SQUARE
New Billboard Promotion Is Activated by Mobile Phones
May 09, 2005
QwikFIND ID: AAQ55L
By Kris Oser

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In its customary way of going for ever bigger and more different promotions, Nike has purchased a build-your-own-shoe media placement on the 27-story-high Reuters sign on the Reuters Building in Times Square.
The Nike build-a-shoe sign on the Reuters building in Times Square. Click to see larger photo.

Real-time designing
The promotion, which is part of the sports apparel giant's NikeID campaign, lets passersby with a cell phone to call a toll-free number to access the technology and use the dial pad to choose aspects of a sneaker they prefer and build it in real time on the sign. After first picking out the colors of the laces, swoosh, uppers and mid-sole of the sport shoe and then customizing it with initials or other personal tags, the consumer is sent an SMS message with a picture of the personalized shoe and the Web address (www.nyc.nikeid.com) where it can be purchased. The technology is available between noon and 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

'The more you allow people to stop what they are doing and interact with a brand, the better it's going to be,' said John Mayo-Smith, vice president of technology at R/GA, the interactive agency that handled the campaign. 'But just as important, the people who are watching the sign are getting a brand experience, too.'

Nike would not comment for this story.

Midtown marketing
'It fits in well with the other kinds of marketing that go on in that part of Manhattan,' such as the Today Show's live broadcasts from Rockefeller Center, visible to all who pass, said Joe Wilcox, senior analyst at online market research firm Jupiter Research.

The effort also makes good use of proven technologies, he pointed out, like using a mobile phone to make a call and the key pad to design the shoe. 'Too often there's this newfangled approach to emerging technology, and people try to use what doesn't really work well.'

The campaign debuted last Monday. Reuters.com, which sells space on the sign, did not have results data, but the news service said that 1.5 million people see the sign every day."

stupid beach

stupid beach

More photos

From flickr.

Some nice b&w shots of my building.

My new commute

More posts to come, but here's my difficult LA commute of 0.3 miles.