get your grammatical game in line.

nostrils flared - neighbor horse - napa, ca

seriously.  nothing irks me more than grammatical error--no sort worse than the misuse of your and you're.  

your=possessive

e.g. your mom has fluffy hair.

you're=contraction of the words you and are

e.g. you're an idiot if you don't know the difference between your and you're.

so next time you consider writing a card or a facebook message, take a split second to consider the difference.  would it make sense to say, i hope your having a great summer? no, it wouldn't.

to all of the things left on your plate.

i've always thought it was my calling to write and design greeting cards.  one of these days i'm just going to do it.  i'll design ten.  make a rough version of them.  distribute to friends, family, and a stranger or two, and see where the whole thing goes.  

and why not? and why not, and why not.

a different approach - earth day circa 2007 - isla vista, ca

i'm still on my ariel levy kick, so forgive me if my reading recommendations are a bit same-page this week.  but really, the woman can do no wrong as far as i'm concerned.  i not only think that she is a seriously skilled and readable writer, but her subjects are just as compelling.  in may of 2004, she wrote this great piece about stanley bosworth, the creator and head master at saint ann's school in new york--brooklyn if i'm not mistaken.  anyway, read it.  i was totally entertained with bosworth's banter and levy's weaving of the man's many-layered personality.

the article got me thinking about living and learning and pursuing things in an off-kilter manner.  but i realized, when reading bosworth's quotes, that truly remarkable thinkers don't even consider their thought process.  and the idea of consciously attempting to be less conscious and more free-to-fuck-the-world completely contradicts the point altogether.

when you are your best company.

view from a great spot - east beach - sf, ca

the walk from my house to the end of crissy field and back has become a fast favorite.  the final stretch in particular--just before reaching the warming hut--puts a perma smile on my face.  excellent people watching.  happy dogs all over the place. kids being kids.  and active people giving off their active-people vibes.  plus, when you put peter gabriel in the mix, the whole experience morphs into a spectacular sensory kaleidoscope.  find yourself there.  in both senses of the word.  

those who disobey their mothers.

that's right - beachside - isla vista, ca

so many things cracked me up today.  the following takes the cupcake.

setting: market street walgreens

character: chubby chinese kid

props: ruby red cell phone

dialogue: "did you get in trouble?" long, anxious pause.  his face squished up in apparent pain.  "please say no.  please say no.  please say no.  please say no. please say no."

i passed him before i could hear the outcome.  but i can totally recall being young and pissed at a friend who was selfish enough to f up just in time for the weekend.  you didn't put your power rangers away after you used them?  you snuck a lollipop on no-sugar saturday and got the damn thing stuck in your sisters hair?  now she has a bob?  way to go, idiot.  i guess i'll be jump-roping to a million by myself.  whatever, you don't even know how to count past one-hundred anyway.  

super duper friday excited.

 flamingo found - near a cactus - sb, ca

hello friday night.  

you are looking fine.  

can i have your number?

on this napkin you'll have mine.

oh, you say you're taken?

she lives across the bay?

well keep that bridge-and-tunnel, babe.

you're just another day.

a woman to inspire women.

the energy among us - statemynt - santa barbara, ca

get to know ariel levy.  her intelligence, her eloquence, her take on the world and the way she writes about the people in (on?) it blow my mind.  see.  mind blown. 

start here.

then go here. (which is actually where i started.  which brought me so many other places.)

then go here.

then go wherever it is that clicking takes you.

(you know how i get when i get obsessed with something/someone.)

canvas for the masses.

skyline - from the boat - sf, ca

think about all of the thoughts you trail behind as you move toward the next thing.  the places you just were--the places behind you--turn small within moments.  you're baffled.  that building was just towering above you.  twenty minutes later, it's pinky-sized and totally pinchable.  but gosh, to even consider scooping up all of the mind matter synapse frenzy that spilled along the way is out of the question.  your brain is just too much to contain.  mine is all over the place.

mason jar homes for future frog friends.

golden hour - up the road - napa, ca

my sister and i spent a serious amount of time in that creek right there. wading. digging. harvesting tadpoles. clearing brush. all while wearing improper footwear. seeing how well she and i have turned out, i'm semi-convinced that sloshing around for hours on end had a lot to do with it.

this white light? fade to bright.

the greenhouse - my front yard - napa, ca

i just finished watching the michael jackson memorial slash tribute.  and i'll tell you what.  i'm pretty bummed about the whole thing.  that music--his music--has so been a part of my growing up.  most notably during my free willy obsession.  most recently as part of the pick-me-up soundtrack to my  stomp home.  bearing witness to all of the grief across the world, i've begun to realize that some of the unity cliches used to describe the king of pop really are true.  i suppose 'man in the mirror' in my ipod sounds the same in your ipod as it does in the ipod of a kid all the way in moscow.  and you know what?  we're all feelin' it.