heathervescent

what this is about, accd to you and google

I'm a conflicted blog writer. I write mostly for myself, my memory and because I like to create images with words. I like to transcribe experiences into text. I might polish up the actual events a bit, but it's not hyperbole. I write to remember who I was. I go back and read my blog. I remember what I was going through, what I was thinking and can see immediately how I have changed, evolved, what I have learned. What goals I have reached, what I was struggling with in the past, that today, seems so small. I often wonder why I write much of this in a very public place, for anyone to read.

The answer comes down to, I'm lazy and I type fast.

I also keep this blog public to expose my thoughts/stories/obserations. The good ones and the bad ones. The good stories inspire people, motivate them to evolve, do things they dream of or are just plain fun (explosions, unicorns, the desert). And the bad stuff, well, I write about them to expose those things. I don't want them to be bottled up inside of me. My blog is my witness - as you, the readers are too.

It's this part of my blog writing that I fear the most. I'm afraid what people might think when they read about the heather that is less than ass-kicking. The heather that questions her motivations, the world's motivations, the heather that has lost her faith. The heather that struggles to understand people, hoping, waiting for the best, and constantly disappointed in the unevolved unawareness. (Hey, I am 10 times harder on myself than any other individual.)

Bottom-line: I'm a human struggling to transcend the animal meat and this blog is one track on that path.

But, just because I write this blog for my own reasons, doesn't mean you come here for the same ones.  In fact, you are probably here for very different reasons.

Maybe you just want to find out the next geek dinner and don't care about my philosophical ramblings (hey, I don't blame you, I'm self-absorbed about my observations and analysis of my world). Maybe you're stalking me (a fair amount of you do search for my name and I don't blame you either, I'm an interesting person). But more likely, you're on my blog because you're looking for Aeon Flux Costumes, you want to learn how to write goodbye letters to someone or more recently you've heard about Craig Hightower's death.

So although I write this blog to probe the deep thoughts in my mind, google brings you here for your own reasons. I hope you find what you came for. And if you didn't, I hope you enjoyed the stories.

Exploding Cupcakes: Genius

Here is a picture for your mind. Before I create it, take a moment to clear your mental palate. Take a drink of water from the well of silence.

I love cake and I especially love bringing cake to a birthday party. Yesterday I went to celebrate a friend's such date, and I made cupcakes for the occasion. As I was decorating them, I was trying to think what would be appropriate. Frosting bullets? Marzipan firecrackers? An engine block? A wrench?

Well, we dug around and found some most appropriate candles - little red ones. I'm sure you know which ones I'm talking about. Think back to childhood and independence celebrations. They were really there for decoration, but I should have known better - knowing whose birthday it was.

What started out as cupcakes fit for the cover of better homes and gardens, ended up a salt/peter chocolate sprinkle exploded chocolate mess. Frosting liberated from the cupcakes was deposited on shirts, eyebrows and in hair. Not to mention the earsplitting !!BANG!! Yes, not only were the cupcakes on fire when I got there, they exploded all over the guests. They were pretty yummy too.

So, I think I've just added a new weapon to the hbomb arsenal. Here's the haiku Therm came up after I harassed him and Stuart about counting during our conversation.

I'm doing haiku
that is why I am counting
don't fuck with me bitch

I love my friends.

On Seeing

You see what you want to see. If you don't like what you are seeing,  change what you want to see. Or maybe you are seeing a reflection of yourself. If you don't like that, maybe it's time to change yourself.

On Ruthlessness, Masks and Egotism

Ruthlessness = no pity
No ego
No self-importance
Self pity is just ego
Ruthlessness is no pity
Ruthlessness is no ego
Ego is self importance
Ego is self pity
Ruthlessness hidden by egotism is a tricky ball of string to unravel.

But I have here a skein. Taken me 14 years to unravel.
I know what I will weave with it.

And I will create it for you.
Because generosity is another side of my ruthlessness.

On Dreams, On Living

It's not about how to achieve your dreams
It's how to lead your life
If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself
the dreams will come to you.
- Randy Pausch

Wow! That is one of the most inspiring things I have heard in a long time. And, yes, I did hear it. Thanks to superviva for the pointer.

Don’t miss this Wall Street Journal article and short video in which Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor, full of happy, positive energy—yet soon to die of pancreatic cancer—delivers his “final” speech.

Achieving your dreams, or goals goes hand in hand with living my life. As I live and work to achieve these things I desire, I get to practice being the person I want to be. I get to test out new ways of being, trying new methods, giving people breaks, expecting the best from them - just as I do that for myself.

Because life is not an us vs them fight.

Nobody is doing anything to anyone, let alone to a warrior - Nyei

There are infinitely more beautiful and amazing things to focus on in this reality. Projects to do, ideas to create. There is only one person worth fighting against - and that's my old self - to change, to mold myself, into the best person I can. It's a never ending process.

Countdown to Blastoff

I was pondering death yesterday when the boyfriend sent me this article.

I am now 55 years old. Like a lot of people in middle age my late-night thoughts bend to contemplations about how short my remaining time is. Even with increasing  longevity there is not enough time to do all that I want. Nowhere close. <snip>

I decided to take the idea of number days seriously, and to revisit my earlier experience of counting down my remaining time on this lovely mortal plane. My hope was that a reckoning of my numbered days would help me account for how I spend each precious 24 hours, and to focus my attention and energy on those few tasks and projects I deem most important to me. Indeed, it might help me decide which ones are most important, which is the harder assignment.

I thought this was an interesting concept, so I estimated my death date and created a countdown. Apparently I will die (although I have died before and will yet again) on September 16, 2054. That gives me 17,145 days left.

More Geek Events: She's Geeky & StartupLA

Update, update, update! More geek events, more geek events to announce!!!!!! Here's what I'm doing the last week in October.

First I am going to kick it in Mountain View at the Computer History Museum with a bunch of geeky girls at the She's Geeky unconference!I'm wrangling up a crew of SoCal ladies to represent to the Valley. Here me NorCal - we're gonna Represent.

More details here!

And a little closer to home: it's Startup LA hosted by UCLA on Friday October 26th and Sunday October 27th. Registration is open and if you are fast, you can snag a $25 ticket.

Have you noticed that Silicon Valley and the Bay Area get all the attention when it comes to entrepreneurship and technology? Well, things are about to change, and you can be a part of it. Different that other conferences for entrepreneurs, students, and investors, StartupLA is one that is structured yet free flowing, blending scheduled speakers and presentations with open topics that guests can sign-up for the day of the event.  Attend panel topics ranging from pitching to VCs and raising money, to legal startup advice, to marketing. You can enter the business plan competition or just come to network.

StartupLA is a new conference committed to building the startup community in Los Angeles.

I'm personally really excited about StartupLA because it's taking my vision of creating a sustainable LA technology community to the next level. Plus I'm excited to check out our panels.

Evolve /=/ Die

The universe wants you to evolve. To do so, you must die. Therefore you can choose to evolve or die and in evolving you will die. However, instead of an existential death at the end of the line, you will be reborn and become something else.

Personally, I prefer to know what I am killing and choose my death and it's time. (Hey, we're good friends my death and I.) It's what I become that constantly surprises and terrifies me.

April Fools

Four months ago I replaced my car battery, but I never bothered to update the date. Having the wrong date has proven quite delightful. In the middle of July, I looked down at the clock and exclaimed - "hey, it's my birthday!" (It's really in January.) Later in the month, I was driving around with my uber-collaborator Carmen, and she asked me "Why is it my birthday?" My car was registering her birth date - although we had already celebrated it months prior.

Today I had a delightful laugh when I went to pick up my pal Ewan at the airport. It was April Fools. And what an April fools day it is. I mean, it's not even April, so of course it's a fool! That sure lightened up my recent deep mood.

Time Again

It's time to find the passion again. Where have you gone?

What do I want to do next? Who do I want to be next? All these things I have worked for - what do I want to do with them next? Where do they want to go? What is my role with them? Is my time with them done?

A brief analysis of my life/goals this year has shown success (no surprise here). Success and boredom. I don't want to build a kingdom with myself as Queen reigning over it. That is too obvious and easy. I've been saying recently that I want to be a queen - but that's not true. I want the fluidity to be whomever I want to be. My friend writes about this formlessness impeccably. On the surface, I have it. But deeper, I have work to do. I'm tied to things. I get caught up in the wind of ego - mine and others. And yet, I am detached. Stuff rolls off, I pick what I want to react too and how I want to react (yes, I play many fools and bitches in my "re-actions"). Being enlightened doesn't always mean you have to act enlightened.

I've created, achieved what the universe asked. So now what? I want an adventure. Something delightful, with new and exciting collaborators, financial success, a tie to the past that is a slingshot to the future. I want to work on building empires, taking things to the mainstream masses, although I don't want to be tied to the empire. I'm conflicted about using myself as the face of that empire (whatever that may be). And even if I were to be a face of any empire - the empire of heathervescent - that face, that branded heathervescent - is not the heathervescent. (Oh Taoism, how you sneak in here from that mad scientists house!)

I want to be that elusive mythical builder. Known to all, open to all and secret. I want to onstage, in a spotlight where there is no audience.

I think it's time to go underground again. You know, the only way up is down. The remembering on the edge of remembering. The path maker cairns in  LED lights at a rainy AIR concert at the Greek Theatre.

A Pause on the Road to Freedom

Note: This is a 1 hour long video. Unless you are interested in historical Gurdjieff stuff, you might want to skip it. For me, it reminds me of a few years in Berkeley - a pause on my road to freedom.

Red Bull Air Races

IMG_6596.JPG
Originally uploaded by bam0027.

They do whaaaa????? Airplanes racing around cones like stunt car school? Uh-huh. Yeah. This is totally awesome and crazy and I wish I could check it out.

Geek Dinner Group Shot

Geek Dinner Group Shot
Originally uploaded by eecue.

And here we are all.

Photo by Dave Bullock / eecue

Pi @ the Geek Dinner

Pi
Originally uploaded by eecue.

I missed the pi smack down - apparently Mark Michael could recite it to 40 places. Me - I just bought pie.

Photo by the awesome Dave Bullock / eecue

I Get a Standing Ovation at the Geek Dinner

Heather Vescent Gettting a Standing Ovation
Originally uploaded by eecue.

Since this is my blog, for my own memory, I collect photos that have been taken of me. I gave up taking photos a couple years ago when I decided to focusing on doing the activity and leaving the photography to these awesome photographers - like eecue - Dave Bullock!

This is from the mixed bag - but still a great time geek dinner this week. Dave also has more awesome photos from the evening. Did I mention - awesome? It was in so many ways. Thanks Dave!

About Last Night - g33k d1nner recap

The geek dinner last night was a mixed bag. It was awesome to be back at the Electric Lotus. The food was great, the tables were overflowing with over 20 different dishes, our waiter Arthur kicked ass and there was pie! Dave Bullock also took awesome photos! (Can't wait to see them! I still owe you that drink.) There were 3 in attendance (other than myself) from the original LA geek dinner: Crystal, Jory and Sam.

Yesterday I wrote a post collecting the geek events happening in SoCal through the rest of the year. There are 15 events on the list and I forgot to include LA Flash Stuff and CodeCamp. Two years ago, I could not find one geek type event. Today, there is something happening almost every week in all areas of the LA Metro Area. This is AWESOME and a testament to our community.

But it's not all good. We have growing pains. Last night, those growing pains came in the form of 20+ no shows to a $20 price fixed dinner. They didn't update their RSVP or even email me to say they weren't coming. (This doesn't include the two people who were physically ill and contacted me. I had people waiting to attend and people took your places.)

$20 x 20 = $400 to cover the no-shows. In addition, some people didn't pay their bar tabs and/or didn't tip the waiter. The total additional we had to cover was about $450!!!!!

Which we did it thanks to everyone chipping in additional $$ with Sanjay and Bino covering the majority. CJ took care of the shirked bartabs and tips. You guys totally rock!

But the situation did not rock. It showed a lack of responsibility and was unfair to those who did show up by increasing the cost of the dinner.

20+ people flaked on their commitment. Almost 50% of the RSVPs. Other people didn't pay for what they consumed and the community had to cover their ass. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE behavior for ADULTS! Instead of unleashing my wrath (remember, I'm into guns, fire and unicorns) on the no shows (many of whom I am friends with), I want to ask the community, what should we do about this?

I have the names of everyone who RSVPed. I printed the closed list and checked off everyone who showed up and paid. I know who flaked. Should I -

1. Contact the noshows and ask them to paypal $21 ($20 + fee) to pay back the people who covered their ass.
2. Publish the names and publicly humiliate the people who didn't show up?
3. Take a chill pill and say, "It's just money."
4. Give me a better option

I try to make the geek dinners as accessible as possible by keeping the cost down and as easy to attend. I organize this event without any remuneration, using time from my billable hours (I'm independent and don't have a corporate day job). I do this to build the community I want to participate in.

Should I enforce pre-pay? Should we skip dinner and move this to a drinking/bar environment? What can be done to make sure this doesn't happen again? And please let me know what we should do about the no-shows. I don't think it's fair that we had to come up with $450 to cover their asses.

On Tricksters

“Tricksters are boundary crossers; they destabilize structures,” Hansen explains. Many, if not all, cultures have trickster characters in their histories. For the Greeks it was Hermes. At least one characteristic of the trickster archetype should be obvious, a propensity for deceit. Tricksters, by definition, violate taboos and break social norms. They often have extravagant, unusual sexual tastes. Tricksters are also marginalized by society; however, to consider them unwilling recipients of discrimination is not altogether fair. Tricksters themselves often do not desire to be a part of the establishment, yet they are often, by their own anti-establishment views, fully embedded in the rich edifice of culture. The most significant generalization that can be made of all tricksters is that they are associated with disorder. The archetype of the trickster has tangible effects in many societies.
- Michael Shermer, Skeptics Society Newsletter

In questioning the boundaries, the trickster not only destabilizes the structure, but also makes it stronger. The above paragraph has a lot of generalizations about trickster characteristics, focusing primarily on the chaosness of tricksterness. But that is only one side to the yin/yang of the Trickster. The trickster's role is to stir the pot so patterns and order can be pulled, created, defined, discovered. The first step to creating order, is to manage the chaos. But that first step is so close to the chaos, it's hard to see the difference.

How do I know? Because my sacred hunting grounds are the knife edge between chaos and order, between the known and the unknown. You must have guts of steel to venture into chaos, balls and courage to capture your prey, cunning ruthlessness to cross the line, and it never ever goes by the book (there is no book).

LA Geek Event Roll-up

The LA Tech scene has, like, exploded in the last few months. This time last year I organized the second BarcampLA and the geek dinner at uWink. This year we have.... (and I'm not organizing all of this, thank gods!)

• Sept Geek Dinner - Tonight!
• Ewan's in LA Dinner - Sept 25th, location TBD
• PodcampSoCal, Ontario - Sept 27 - the day before NewMedia Expo
• New Media Expo, Ontario - Sept 28-30
• Community Buildrs on Sept 27
• Oct Geek Dinner - Oct 16
• Community Buildrs - last week of Oct
• StartupLA - Oct 26 & 27 @ UCLA
• MobileCampLA on Oct 28
• BarcampLA 4 on Nov 3 & 4
• Launch a Startup geek event on Nov 9-11
• Barcamp San Diego 2 - Nov 10-11
• Nov geek dinner on Nov 13
• Community Buildrs - sometime in Nov
• Twiistup3 on Dec 3
• Dec geek dinner on Dec 18

I also happen to know there will be another Lunch 2.0 soon, and Community Buildrs usually happens the last Thursday of the month.

And yeah, I know we need a calendar. I'm working on it. Until then, just check back with my blog/this page or join the list.

ps. Did I miss something? Let me know and I'll add it.

Happy Birthday NeilalieN

Shout out across the nation - all the way from Los Angeles to New York City: Happy Birthday NeilalieN!

Although I haven't seen Neil in person since slightly post-Intervista, we've followed each other on the interwebs for more than a decade. I had planned to head to NY to get an update from him personally, but alas, LA has her hold on me.

So Neil - I hope you had an awesome birthday. I'll make it to NYC, when the time is right. Until then, enjoy the warm Pacific breeze I'm sending your way.

xx

-Heather

I like the cars that go BOOM!

TikiFkos were playing  "Tigre and Bunny's - cars go boom" mashup and I couldn't help myself. Jenna caught my classic car-b-que activities on film. The "Heather" she is complaining to, is me. Thanks for taking one for me Jenna. xoxo, your BBF (your bad best friend)

oh yeah, and I this was one of the times I blew the door off the car-b-que. Perhaps you can imagine the effect at 3:30 in the morning. The sky lights up with a flash of boom, and then I pull a pizza out of the pizza oven (on the other side). pps. notice the unicorn hood ornament!

Overheard: Burial

I had a rough couple days this week. Spin down recalibration is always hard for me and some really bad customer service interactions exacerbated my attitude. What happened was I overdosed on people. Most people don't see the introverted Heather and laugh when I mention her - but it's a major (> 50%) part of my self. I am most comfortable alone with my thoughts in nature. Burning Man seems like it would be a great place for nature rejuvenation, but it's exactly the opposite for me. It's 24/7 being around people, the taunt of desolate wasteland.

So yesterday I took off to kiss the pavement. Drive twisty roads that hopefully would not be full of vehicles. Feel the wind in my hair, gaze upon mountains of rock. My hand on the stick shift - in control of my wheels, my destination. Responsible for my attitude. I headed to the Malibu roads via Topanga. Winding my way up Topanga to Tuna, Saddleback, Stuart, Mulholland, Piuma and roads I don't know their names. It was me with the top down and trucks: landscapers, garbage trucks, phone and cable trucks. A lone motorcycle. I stopped and hiked up to the cistern platform. I used to go here for lunch breaks. It was deadly hot and I didn't feel like hiking into the valley, so I sat under some bushes and started reading a book I brought - listening to the birds rustling, the crow caws, the wind blowing up the hills - smelling the valley.

Some time later a car pulled up and some teenagers got out. I heard them come up the path and wondered if they would see me. I expected them to pass on the path and I would be left to the silence again. But they stopped nearby - apparently not noticing me.

I could not help to overhear their pet burial. They came to this place to bury their pet bird. Two girls and a guy. They dug a grave with a stick, buried it, said some last words, made a little shrine and left.

After they left I continued reading for a bit and then decided to leave. I went over to the burial site - a moist part of earth with a stick and three rocks on top of it. The birds in the bushes rustled and chirped. I thought - what a gift from the universe - to overhear a burial. That made me think that maybe I'd do my own burial. So I did. And when I left that place I was lighter than when I arrived.

Sept 18th g33k d1nner: almost full

Well, well, well, it's time again for geeks to eat en mass again. The September geek dinner is back at our original location: The Electric Lotus.

Deets for Tuesday, Sept 18th.

• Dinner starts at 8pm. You can come early for drinks.
• Electric Lotus, Los Feliz, 4656 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, California (map)
• Valet parking in the back
• Price fixed dinner (inc tax + tip) for $20, please bring cash. Drinks are on your own.
• We're supposed to be in the side room.
• Reservation under "Heather"
• RSVP on upcoming. We're limited to 50 people and about to hit that.
• Bring your geek gear to show off. I've got a new phone (that's not an iphone - so take that! ;) )

New for this geek dinner: Directions from your Phone!
Dial Directions is a new service that lets any cell phone user call "DIR-ECT-IONS" (347-327-4667 on their keypad), request any destination address or store location, and receive directions instantly by text message. No GPS or web plan needed.

Tuyen Ho at Dial Directions has been kind enough to set this up for our dinner on Tuesday. Check it out. From your cell phone,
- Dial 347-328-4667 which spells DIR-ECT-IONS
- Say event "LA Geek Dinner"
- Say your start address (or intersection).
- Receive instant driving directions by text message.

Let me know if you try this out.

Disclaimer: I'm pimping this because it sounds cool and usable to us. DD did not pay for mention, although I do think they should sponsor a future geek dinner... ;)

Mantra Songs

It's guilty pleasure time: PM Dawn style. Here are some videos/songs I listen to on a practically daily basis. Paper Doll is one of my all time favs. Reality used to be a friend of mine is an old friend of mine. PM Dawn happens to be playing at the Knitting Factory Monday night and I am so there! In the meantime, enjoy these vids.

Re-integrated Problems

Well, it's all done. Playa unpacked, laundry done, and camping gear put neatly away. It even looks better than before. How's that for kicking ass? Way to go Heather. Pat on the back!

Well, you see the problem is this. When you are hyper-efficient and you've wound yourself up it's great to get things done, but then you're done and still wound up and hyper-efficient then I am kind of at a loss.

I'm at one of these lulls right now. Don't get me wrong, I have stuff to do, but it pales in comparison to the work last month. And I've fallen into the bored trap, where I latch onto an idea/s, because I am intrigued by the idea, just to play it out chink style, to stir the pot.

But that's a lame reason to do those things. It's time to get disciplined. To get back to a calm focus. Because there are still a few things I'd like to accomplish this year. And now, is as good as any, to do them.

Above/Below Mirror Reflections

That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above, corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracle of the One Thing.
- Hermes Trismegistus

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower:
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
- William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

---
reminded by Folio of Kiki Smith's Constellation Exhibit from The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

I'm a tech Vixen!

According to this article in Wired about Lunch 2.0!

Search company ThisNext hosted the first ever Lunch 2.0 meetup in Los Angeles on Friday. The company's Santa Monica office, built for a staff of 12, was swamped with over 80 people all stuffing their faces with free food. Los Angeles, it seems, has a strong startup community that's itching to take on the Valley.

Well, I wouldn't say take on the Valley, but I would say leverage our assets. And yeah, LA has a lot of assets - all the way from a thriving VC community, content creators, tons of ideas, great weather and beautiful (and smart) people.

---

ManJose,

We got your new gig and girlfriend down here. Not only will you blow us away with your insane coding skills, you can surf or rock climb or ski or hike, catch awesome movies @ the Arclight, pretend to care about the Hwood club scene or eat any kind of authentic ethnic food. You won't necessarily have to work on the weekends, so you'll have plenty of time to visit Fry's for your side project. You'd better move fast though, cause our housing prices are coming close to Bay Area levels.

If you need any additional convincing, just drop me line.

<3,

-heathervescent

Playa Thanks

Here's my #6: Saying Thank you

• Thank you neon crew for early hang time, different perspectives and kicking ass.
• Thank you Hippy for your footie PJ chaps
• Thank you Jet Fuel and Kasey for welding a new door for the car-b-que (so I could blow it off twice)
• Thank you Barzilla for great nights on the playa!
• Thank you Jenna for making pizzas in the dark of the night - BFF!!!!
• Thank you moon for being eclipsed
• Thank you rainbow for making the unicorns worth bringing to the playa. Seeing Linda and Annatude dancing with you on their heads was worth it.
• Thank you smoke daddy for the ball and chain
• Thank you Norm for you know what
• Thank you V-Run for power-cooking
• Thank you Ellen for organizing the Nurse Rampage and who ever handed me the megaphone. Rampaging in the whiteout rocked!
• Thank you to the damn texans - it was awesome having you in the village.
• Thank you car-b-que for fire, food and minor injuries
• Thank you butane, propane, oxy-acetylene balloons and pallets of wood.
• Thank you leather gloves
• Thank you Cat for playing Culture Club, Pat Benatar and Britney Spears at Death Guild
• Thank you mommyvescent and Giang for sending home baked treats to the playa

Thank you world for existing. And thank you desert for letting us crazy human beings invade your silence, solitude for a moment in time. We are but blips in your landmass river of time.

Post cards from the Playa

To everyone who text messaged me your mailing address, I did indeed send you a postcard or letter from the playa. They went out on Saturday (a week ago) and playa mail takes a bit of time, so hold tight, and let's hope you get it. I did receive two AWESOME playa care packages. My mom sent home baked brownies, better than sex cake and oatmeal cookies with bacardi infused raisins. These blew my mind after being on playa for more than a week. Then my friend Giang sent me some amazing homebaked cookies. I don't know what I ate - I had never had them before. Were they some traditional Australian treats? Whatever they were we loved them. I especially liked the round orange/yellow ones.

Linda was hosting high tea (with earl grey served in China!!!) and everyone loved the treats. Thanks!

I didn't receive any postcards (although I heard some were sent), so apologies. Next year, I'm running the Gigsville post office, so hopefully we'll have a better mail delivery service going.

And I must say, I really do love receiving the care packages on playa. A few years ago Mike Pusateri sent me one (my first) and I've loved getting them ever since. Thanks Mike, Mom and Giang for reminding me of civilization in the desert.

This Next rocked Lunch 2.0 - LA

Lunch 2.0 - Gordon Gould (?) CEO of ThisNext, our hosts
Originally uploaded by dewelch.

Big shout out to Andrew and everyone at This Next for hosting a most kick ass Lunch 2.0. So many familiar faces and lots of new ones. I had a great time, I met a ton of people, caught up with lots of people and ate a sandwich and two cupcakes. (Cupcakes - YUM!)

Great work everyone. We'll see you all again soon!

On Persistence

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
- Calvin Coolidge

(not the whole quote, but a nice part)

Hollaback Zombies in San Francisco

It's official. The Hollaback Zombies are performing at Bootie SF on October 13th at DNA Lounge. This time I will be living out my dream as a banana. Details forthcoming, but watch this space.

How to get out of the midwest

by heathervescent

1. Fall in Love
2. Have some money - you don't have to have a lot, but some (try not to be in credit card debt)
3. Pick a place
4. Pack all your belonging into your car
5. Drive there
6. Find a place to live (sublet - craigslist)
7. Find a job
8. Tada - Your life has changed

You don't necessarily have to do this in this particular order. The most important, critical thing, is that you take one audacious step towards your goal of leaving. The only thing holding you back is yourself. And that's the way it is in everything.

It's not going to be pretty at first, and you're going to have to work hard, and you'll probably make some mistakes, but if it's really what you want to do with your life - DO NOT PUT IT OFF. (Don't be rash though, either.)

Welcome to Gigsville, now step back

Welcome to Gigsville, now step back
Originally uploaded by Splat Worldwide.

This is what I do. I make the cars go boom.

Heathervescent & the Unicorned Car-b-que

Heathervescent & the Unicorned Car-b-que
Originally uploaded by Splat Worldwide.

Work well done! The burning of the unicorns. Thanks to Splat for capturing the shot! Yay!

Me and a Unicorn

Here's Zarka's unicorn (inspired by Rainbow Unicorn Camp dream) that I took to the playa wired up on the car-b-que, with a rainbow behind it. (Later we poured kerosine on it and burned it - photos of that coming up soon.)

I was beautifully surprised (but not really surprised, because I knew there was a reason I would create such a crazy camp as Rainbow Unicorn - dude I live in the vortex of syncronicity) when the real rainbow showed up. Double Rainbow in fact. I guess I shouldn't be disappointed that no one else notices my complete fluid alignment with the universe. But sometimes, I wish someone would notice - and give me a freaking award for it. Because yeah, I do it for myself, but I also do it to show that it can be done.

On second thought. Maybe that double rainbow was my award. Maybe being me is reward in itself.

cut loose

Everything is in flux. Movement in the clock tower. The monkey mind speaks

• all bets are off
• make it all optional
• "I don't know my future"
• Live life like I'm on vacation
• there is no baseline

I could freak out about the destination unknown, but it's my most recent opportunity to make my future exactly the way I want it. Theme Song for the day: Destination unknown (click to play). Lyrics after the jump.

How can you reset the baseline, when the baseline is arbitrary?

The Rainbow Connection

Doc took this photo of Gigsville, yes, that's a unicorn in the front row. Yes, that's a rainbow behind us. Rainbow Unicorn Camp, yay!

Burning Man Oil Rig Explodes into a 300+ ft Fire Ball / Mushroom Cloud at Burning Man 2007

Burning Man Oil Rig Explodes into a 300+ ft Fire Ball / Mushroom Cloud at Burning Man 2007
Originally uploaded by !Habit Forming.

This was the highlight of the burn. The Oil rig burning with a larger than life fireworks display complete with music including the star spangled banner.

Hats off to Habit Forming for capturing this photo.

BTW - they ended up using only 1/3 of the fuel they were planning to use because this burn was rescheduled to burn night because of storms on Friday.

Double Rainbow from the Red Nose

Post-storm at Burning Man 2007
Originally uploaded by mr_nightshade.

Here's a photo shot from across the city from Gigsville of the double rainbows. Awesome shot Mr. Nightshade!

Playa enlightenment

Each year, a general theme becomes apparent. This year, two showed their faces. Here they are.

1. There is no baseline
2. Unicorns are the new Hardcore

Baselines are arbitrary. They are like lines in the sand - they can be drawn anywhere and mean anything. These lines in the sand are also the beginning of my exploration with boundaries and segmentation.

As far as unicorns are concerned, don't think they spend their days prancing and preening. Nope. Unicorns are the new hardcore. I will explain later, but trust me on this.

A Playa Love Story - A girl, a car and fire

I remember the first time I saw him. It was night on the playa four years ago. I was walking back from the bathroom and I spied his flickering flame. I thought to myself, was that really a VW bus on fire? I had stepped into my ring of fire.

Injuries Enumerated & Solutions Suggested

I've been lucky that I've gotten away injury free for this many Burning Man's (and desert camping trips). But this year my number came up. Luckily I limped away with only minor ouchies. Some of my other camp-mates were not so lucky. (xo Booger & Elliot, I'm sending you my xxx). Here's what I got:

1. Twisted Ankle - because I was running away from the car-b-que (about to explode)
2. Minor burns on my arms from stoking the car-b-que fire
3. Some splinters from carrying loads (about 6 pallets) of wood to the car-b-que
4. A small scalp burn and singed hair from flying exploding embers (they were my fault)
5. Some hurt feelings

My mom suggested these solutions, which I'll share because they're good.

For the ankle --

soak the ankle in epsom salts.  You can reheat the epsom salt water in the microwave  and you can soak a small towel in the solution and lay it across you pooor booboo.   It will help to take the ache away.  Also at Costco ( and maybe a walgreens--- you can get some Tiger Balm (walmart) or some patches called "Salon Pas"  in a small green box. --- perfect for your injury.   

Now for the burns ---   

aloe vera, and if you can get your hands on it --Sulfadine cream ----esp for burns --helps the rapid regrowth of skin.

Now ... for your hurt feelings....

just soak in the misery of them and remember how they feel --- so you know how others feel when you inadvertently hurt their feelings...     It's called developing compassion for others and it keeps us humble.
This too will pass......

Thanks Mom!

Reminder: Lunch 2.0 on Friday

Whew - I'm probably back and still covered in dust, but I wanted to remind you of the inaugural Lunch 2.0 - yes - yet another geek tech event has landed in LA. (Go LA geeks!) Thanks to Andrew Warner  for motivation and initiative and ThisNext for hosting. Looks like there are going to be about 100+- people in attendance. Way to go!

Details:
Friday, September 7 @ 12:05 PM

ThisNext's Office (map)
1409 3rd Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401 Map
310-463-9345

RSVP here: http://www.mixergy.com/r/?lk=LpxAyOXrijuczHh

About Lunch 2.0:

Lunch 2.0, the popular Silicon Valley get-together, is coming to LA, thanks to ThisNext. Let's all meet at ThisNext's office to eat their lunch. It'll be a good place to really get to know other ambitious SoCal techies.

Packing it up. Civilization Return.

I took.
I went and took.
And now I am not the same.
What did I leave in return?
My change.

- - - - - - - -

One cannot relive, re think
enough of the power of water over rock
Not a little water, a trickle over a pebble
But the crashing of ten Niagra's in the heart of South America.

Nature rises out of these small border towns.
She is strong.
The plastic products can not sugir her breath -
the mist of her climax, water over rock.

We climbed to the top to watch the swallows.
I saw the vultures waiting.
I could not give my body, bloody water over rock.

Out of these small border towns filled with
plastic Chinese Christmas tree decorations.
I was changed by water over rock.

------------

I love the earth.  And when I feel her power, I want to die. The sunset over the Missouri River. The falls at Iguazu. The Jagged Sierras. And many other places.  I am a witness to this beauty.  I am left breathless.  And so I will remember myself in those effervescent moments in the river of time.

Burning Man is not my desert

I told you a little bit about my desert and how I like to experience it. Today, I want to tell you that Burning Man is NOT like that desert experience. When you go to Burning Man, you are not leaving civilization. You are not in a desolate, barren place. It is instead a blank canvas on which many possibilities in human creativity are realized.

Burning Man is the intersection of two worlds. The natural world - everything on this earth came from the earth. Everything has been refined. Every single thing you'll see on the playa (or today wherever you are) came from the earth. And the human world. Man taking these raw materials and transforming them into magical fantastic creations.

At burning man, we are all actors on a stage. We've disconnected from our everyday life and take on the persona of someone else. This disconnect allows something new to happen - call it magic. It's a bath in this type of energy. It's addictive to shed your stinky character and be something different.

The first time I was on the playa, I was disgusted. I hated the destruction of the desert quietude with the racour of dance clubs. The destruction of the cracked surface into a fine powder. This was another way people - supposedly enlightened people - we just abusing nature. But then I saw this is not about Nature. It's about humanity. (And it's not about people living in harmony with nature either.) It's an opportunity to leave everything behind, and become like the playa - a blank canvas on which a picture will be painted. A new story to be lived. It's a disconnect. A view, that the life you think you have to live, is the only way.

Because it's not.

But you don't have to go to Burning Man to get that. But you won't find a wider display of human creativity anywhere on the planet.

On Doing

It does not matter what you do, only that you do it. - Ghandi