Hoodwinked

I'm reading John Perkin's latest book, Hoodwinked. I have to hand it to him, he is a commensurate writer: Articulate, focused and interesting. There is no filler in his books, they are simply fact, followed by logical insight. He articulates many of my own intuitions about the current socioeconomic state of the world. I must admit that I have long felt that John Perkins is a rather creepy individual, very possibly a sociopath, judging from his own descriptions of his life as an Economic Hit Man. He exudes that pale, reptilian whiteness that CIA operatives and Bushes and Cheneys exude. I myself find that vibration to be particularly repellent. However, I now have to admit that, sociopath or not, he writes what he does out of conscience and goodwill. He seems to be a Dark Lord who decided to step out of the Darkness and come clean, and for that he deserves kudos.

Happiness Is A Cooked Puppy

The (Long) Road

Well, The Road sets a new precedent for the post-apocalyptic genre. The previous precedent was set by the high-energy The Road Warrior, which has been the be-all and end-all of post-apocalyptic films for the past 25 years. But now we've achieved a new level of realism and grimness. What most struck me about The Road was the astounding visual clarity of the cinematography. The vision of a devastated world was so expansive that I actually found it beautiful, even breath-taking. Which reduced the depressive aspects of the film (which are all-pervasive and found in every scene). Kudos to Robert Duvall, whose role as a heart-wrenching Old Man deserves an Oscar nomination, and to Guy Pearce, whose role as a Good Man is bar-none awesome (if brief). Also, kudos to Michael K Williams, as The Thief, for his creepy, haunted, knife-wielding countenance. The Boy, Kodi Smit-McPhee, is cute and likable, if somewhat squeaky and effeminate. Overall, the acting is top-notch. I give this cinematic masterpiece an A-. Check it out, if you want to know why I'm a hippie survivalist†

Beer Me

The Current Fantasy

I find myself trying to design a simple, permanent shelter that requires no utilities or grid input to function, while utilizing a structural design that maximizes utility, energy and thrift. So far the concept has evolved into a simple, one-piece ceramic dome. The roof funnels rainwater into integral tanks. Fireplaces and chimneys are built into the structure, as are skylights. Perhaps solar panels can be integrated into the roof. Perhaps the structure can be buried to a certain depth, or have dirt mounded on its sides, for camouflage and/or thermal mass. The idea here is that you can live in this structure as-is, ie: primitively, or you can outfit it with any degree of modern amenities. The real question is: Would people choose to live in such a structure hundreds of years in the low-tech, post-apocalyptic future, or would they shun it to live elsewhere? I pose the question because to me, a cliff cave is one of the most advantageous dwellings, and if I had the means to live in one, I would do so, even now. The age of the cave itself is not really a factor - if it is intact, all you really have to do is clean it up, bless it, and move in. Thus I envision the ceramic dome as filling the same niche as a cave dwelling.

The Vacation Dome

If I had a billion dollars, I would have a private vacation dome constructed at a secret remote location in Nevada. The Dome would contain a reproduction of a piece of Joshua Tree National Park. Rolling terrain with Joshua Trees, washes and rocks would culminate in a large rockpile. The Rockpile would have many special features: Running streams with waterfalls and different pools for swimming and hot-tubbing, "natural" caves, verandas and campsites, and an elaborate tunnel system. Some of the tunnels would resemble "man-made" passages and lead to "forgotten" bunkers. Deep inside the rockpile there would be a lounge complete with modern amenities such as a wet bar, movie theater, billiards table, mini-casino, single-lane bowling alley, cafe and luxury mini-hotel sleeping quarters. On the far side of the dome there would be an idyllic beach opening onto a miniature ocean complete with surfable waves and an island. The Dome would be constructed in such a way that I would have to spend a full year exploring it in my off-hours in order to discover all of its secrets. It would be capable of creating its own cyclical day and night, as well as its own weather, including rain, lightning storms, and wind, which could be controlled or set for random/cyclical variations. Streams could be turned on or off at will, changing landscapes. The dome would also double as a hardened, self-contained shelter from societal chaos and disasters†

Gobble Gobble

A fearless wild turkey has taken up residence in the small strip of urban forest a few blocks away at Piedmont Ave and Pleasant Valley Road. I can't imagine what it eats. It pays absolutely no attention to cars as it leisurely wanders across the street. Apparently it wandered over from the cemetery. It's been there for 3 weeks.

Stuff

* At the beginning of August I weighed 210. It's November 9th and I just pooped and now I weigh 190. No dieting - just eating organic, real, living foods (no sugar, flour or processed crap).
* I thought this was funny: A woman on a dating site sent me a flirt. The first thing I saw on her profile was: "In Search Of Intelligent Life. I DO NOT DATE ANYONE WITH FACE HAIR." So I responded to her flirt with the message: "As my photo indicates, I have facial hair." Her response: "yes but you have long hair and you like zombies i just wrote that on my profile because i don't like the santa beards". Ha ha ha!
* I dreamed about Windy Hill last night. Dang, that beautiful feeling has haunted me all day long. Man oh man, I have some good memories of that place. But it is the dreams that are the best. I wish I could live in those free, dark dreams.
* I took a class on acorns yesterday. We processed them, cooked them and ate them. Further experimentation is required, but the thing to remember is that acorns from White Oaks have very little tanic acid, and thus require very little leaching. That is important if you want to expedite the acorn process.
* I like simple solutions: Yoga, meditation, live foods, vegetable juice, Littlefoot, Shadow, Zoom.
* Flying is the best part of dreams. Flying amongst the trees in the forest.
* Gotta go juice up some kale. Bye!

Minor Health Miracles, cont.

Last month I went thru a 2-week phase where I ate a lot of carrots, and lo and behold, my vision got very, sparkling clear. It was cool and I want more of it, so I'm going for it again - 2 organic carrots every day, and I'll let you know when that sparklevision returns.

And then also, I have suffered from dandruff for my entire adult life. I quit using commercial shampoo and conditioner 2 weeks ago, and the day -- the DAY -- I switched to baking soda and vinegar, I stopped having dandruff. Holy shit!

*I would quit using toothpaste, but I have some Toms of Maine that I may as well use. When its gone, I'll switch to baking soda and salt.

*I have begun to do some very basic yoga stretches each day. They are known as the Five Rites, and I'll keep you posted.

*I have begun meditating every day. It's so nice to get in touch with some inner peace.

Me and David, back in the day.
The first beers were the best.