Thankfully the snow held off as we began the long drive home to Maine from Virginia.

This morning I awoke to a fresh dusting of snow. We all appreciated the “heat wave,” that was underway in VA. We were able to have a nice picnic on the lawn at the McGuffy center in Charlottesville–in shortsleeves, nonetheless.

For now, back home, muddling through stuff to prepare for this exciting New Year ahead. I will post on some things this week, but for now I’m slogging through emails, work and laundry.

This spring Jan and John Atkinson hosted me in San Diego. I just received word from them that their son Rob died last week. He was crossing the road when a car hit him.

I did not know Robert, but I was blessed to share more life experiences with his parents, in just brief moments, than some people I’ve known my entire life. Their love of Robert helped to transmit his “being” to me, and I understood how incredible,  interesting, loving and dedicated this young man was. I even thought about him often and wondered if we would ever meet. I felt some connection to him, that surely had to do with the impression his parents made on me–but it was more than just that.

I hope you will join me in sending peace, strength and blessings to the Atkinsons.  I have learned enough in this life to know this Universe has its own mysterious balance, and many events within it do not seem kind, nor just. What helps us survive all the crazy in our world is our faith, and support from others.

Jan and Jon are the co-state coordinators for the Department of Peace. (DOP) Rob worked with the Student Peace Alliance (SPA)and hoped to work for the DOP. In lieu of flowers, please, consider a donation to the SPA in Rob’s name.

For more about Rob, please visit this memorial page his frat brothers have set up.

I’m dedicating “The Battle of Evermore,” to Rob, a Led Zeppelin song inspired by LOTR The Return of the King. Beautiful lyrics.

The by-ways, highways, routes, lanes, and country roads of America reflect a regions culture;  offer up stories to the traveler that can not be found on the interstates. Sure if you need to zoom along from point A to point B, jump on the slab. You will notice that in America, we share an overarching culture, consumerism. If you want guarantees, take the Interstate.

Familiarity is guaranteed. Off the Interstate’s spine clings all the big box stores, fast food joints and commercial hotels where Pakistani clerks name Joey hand you registration cards. Sometimes these consumerist landmarks are a blessing, when all you want is what you already know;  especially after a 400, 11 hour, scooter ride. On the other roads, people will wave to you from their front porch.

Today, tucked away in my road journal I found this (unused??) sheet of directions. I cringed. Note how I highlighted every other line, to make visibility easier. My poor Richards version of a GPS, secured by a donated map clip. Needless to say, I had a lot of patience with this system. Then Chad gave me his GPS in Seattle, but with only 3,000 miles of the trip left, out of 22,000.

However, in retrospect, the perpetual excitement to discover our country, with it’s many geographical and cultural surprises, far outweighed the irritation of always scribbling (or printing) 34+ lines of directions–just to complete a 150 mile drive.

Not much to say about Day 6 other than there is only one day left!

I’ve already started a new grocery list that will just increase the spending limit by about $5 each, if that. News of worse times ahead is the primary motivation, but I’ve also realized in this week what I can do without. I would much rather cut back on my expensive high octane caffeine intake, get my energy through exercise and have money left over for travel, emergency funds and luxuries. We can also live without the amount of wine/beer/chocolate/nuts that we always seem to buy.

Rationing butter and cheese has also brought awareness that we can cut back on our intake of those expensive items and still have delicious foods.

I’m still boggled about rising food costs. In Maine food costs are up more than 6.3% because oil price jumped this year. Even though oil prices have dropped, I doubt food prices will follow.

Here is the equation.
My income is < My expenses.
Credit is not available and I haven’t found a good job. Take our current recession into consideration and you can understand my fear and frustration.
Economically, there are tough times all around.  Well, except for John Thain, (and the other merry men of Wall St.) who is asking for a $10 million bonus–indicating his annual income must be over double digits.
Although taking the FSC was a school project, it will become a lifestyle until things improve. I’m not really disappointed, either. What winds up on my table is plenty more than in other countries. Sometimes, less is more.
“The less you eat the longer you live, so the more you get to eat.”

Despite going to the gym I didn’t have much of an appetite all day.

Breakfast
Oatmeal, fried egg

Lunch
Didn’t really have one. Just snacked on a carrot and leftover oatmeal cookies and popcorn.

Dinner
Potatoes and left over kale. Really scrumptious.

Follow this link for an article that claims $1 a meal is too little to live on in a day.

The comments accurately reflect the debate on poverty and government assistance.

The article was published in Maine. Something to consider is that with the price of oil rising so high earlier this year, the price of food has gone up. Here in Maine, we are pretty far away from CA and FL where the citrus and fruits grow in abundance. While oil has fallen, food price is likely to stay up. Food costs have risen by a minimum of 6.3% this year.

Today we had the family photo at the mall. Which consists of 12 people kicking Santa Claus out of his big chair and basically using the Christmas backdrop.   Afterwards, we did some window shopping. We aren’t spending any money this week, other than food, gas and bills. Our own personal motivation for accepting this FSC is to gain awareness of our food cravings and consumer expenses. With tight economic times we want to better identify what is a need versus a desire.

Smells of food cooking a noon filled the mall but didn’t really phase me. I was craving a double shot of espresso, was making rationalizations why I should have it and have it with an apple fritter. I then recognized that my little espresso ritual makes me happy and I don’t want to associate happiness with consumer purchases! So we came home and SHOCKING, I made popcorn. Then we cooked up a leftover black bean soup (it was thick) and spinach quesadilla.

The kid came home with McDonalds that her grandmother bought her (bad purchase). Both of our mothers have been worried about us since finding out that we are eating on a $21 weekly budget. They have both offered us money. It’s nice to feel coddled, and it’s kinda of funny that our moms can’t imagine eating for so little money. We are doing fine. The challenge is almost over.

Tonight was kale, lentils and rice. An argument earlier in the week about the categorization of peanut butter was forgotten when we both realized we could use it to make peanut butter oatmeal cookies. We used 2 TBS of peanut butter to make the cookies.

It was another day of savory food on a teensy budget.

Kale is super nutritious. It is more bitter than spinach, so kids don’t really like it. I use 1/4-1/2 cup of finely minced garlic. I saute the garlic in a blend of olive oil and sesame oil. After about 5 minutes I throw in a whole bunch (literally, a bunch) of kale, stems removed. Next, take sesame seeds and sprinkle them in the pot. It takes a big stockpot to do this. The water remaining on the kale from cleaning it helps blanch the garlic. Quickly throw on the lid and let it pressure steam for a 90 seconds. Turn the kale frequently to fully incorporate the garlic and sesame seeds. When it turns a nice, darker green and wilts down, pull it out of the pot immediately.

Breakfast
oatmeal. reheated potatoes with one egg, shared.

Lunch
Black bean and spinach quesadilla. Remaining Black beans and rice.

Snack
Popcorn

Dinner
Kale, lentils, and rice

Desert
Peanut butter oatmeal cookies.

Today I made black bean soup as our main dish. It was quite the time consuming venture. However, it was absolutely delicious.

Breakfast was oatmeal, of course. We had no official lunch after the gym. We reheated some of the left over potatoes with a fried egg on top. Popcorn, our most excellent staple, was made.

I had forgotten to soak the beans overnight and had to rely on the quick soak method. See cook’s tip at the bottom of the blog.

Friday was a day of cheating and rationalization. I used a stalk of celery in the soup and a jalapeno. At the beginning of the challenge we hid everything that was off limits in the fridge crispers. My recipe for the soup was a hybrid of two different recipes I found online.

The soup absolutely seduced my taste buds. It probably would have been just fine without the celery and jalapeno, but I felt ornery and used them. Our take on this challenge is that no one actually lives on food stamps for just one week. Had we the full monthly budget, we would be able to purchase little things like celery for soup stock. Doing this challenge within the vacuum of seven days is unrealistic–but so far we have (mostly) managed $1 a meal.

For some very savory meals too, I might add.
The soup was served over top of rice and a jalapeno cornbread would have perfectly complimented it.

After dinner we went to J&A’s to play Carcassonne. They offered us chip and pineapple/cream cheese dip. We accepted and ate them with gusto. Had we been at home, we wouldn’t have had them. We honestly didn’t care and believe that low income people probably accept free food. It’s ridiculous to think they wouldn’t.

There was a lot of discussion about the FSC and welfare.  I’ve still thinking my position through. A has worked with people on welfare for years and feel as though the system is abused. She notices a lot of entitlement from people on welfare and doesn’t see the gov’t aid as a catalyst to help people stand on their own, but rather a crutch.
Day3 meals
Breakfast
Oatmeal

Lunch
Potatoes with fried egg

Dinner
Black bean soup over rice

Recipe for black bean soup:
Produce sauteed in this order:
One yellow onion, medium size
4 cloves of garlic
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 jalapeno
*All produce finely chopped
I started beans cooking while veggies sauteed, because I was short on time
Transferred veggies after 15 mins., into bean pot
Added 4 TBS. of veggie stock
A bay leave would have been nice, but I didn’t have any
After one hour of cooking I added 1.5 TBS of cumin and chili powder
1TSP. white pepper

The soup took about 3 hours to cook, with a lot of stirring.
I removed 2/3 of the mixture and pureed it in my food processor, then returned it to the pot.
I added 1/4 cup tabasco and a pinch of cardamon.
About 4 TBS of lime juice
Then it simmered until beans were completely soft.

**cooks note**
Quick soak on beans
Cover beans in 3 inches of H2O. Bring to a boil and cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Take off heat, cover, and let set for an hour before boiling.

It’s getting late in the night, so this will be brief.
I woke up today really energized, not sure exactly why. I’m adapting to my new coffee brand. The oatmeal hasn’t grown old yet, even though it is longing for some fruit to keep it company.

Snacks and chocolate.
I went to the gym today and pushed myself a little harder than usual. I stopped off to buy some poster board for an art project and felt taunted by all the available chocolate;  so organized, so colorful. Dinner wasn’t ready when I arrived, but I snacked on a healthy carrot. The kid poked fun at us and our “weird” diet;  hers was the only plate with meat and steamed veggies.

I think the boost in energy has to do with the pride that we are doing this project. We are doing it fully, not just cheating behind your backs. I’m learning to let go of false desires. We do not need most of the food with which we stuff ourselves. Freeing myself from this behavior will allow me to be truly full. I don’t think that mindset is accomplished in one week, mind you. Food is both medicine and poison. Urges for it and over consumption of things with no value should be minded. Eating crappy food is the equivalent of bombarding yourself with too much TV.

We’re considering integrating this budget into our lives more permanently, just without all the other rules.
It feels great to put so much thought into what you put in your mouth and body.

D made rice pudding tonight. We were all frantic about having some chocolate, so we used our leftover dollar to buy the 88 cent chocolate bar we already had in our cabinet. Homemade rice pudding with a small piece of chocolate is one of the best desserts! WIthout the chocolate it cost under 1.00 to make about 6 big servings.

We had an arguement today over the status of butter. Is it a commodity or a condiment?
We spent $1.25 buying the half pound of butter.  But is it possible butter is a freebie? We tried to loosely define condiment as anything that you could find at the condiment station in a shop. Regardless, if we don’t refund our money for the butter, then we have reached our maximum expenditures.

We will be fine, though. Actually we will have a leftover surplus of oatmeal, rice, and black beans.

Day 3 meals
Breakfast
oatmeal

Lunch
Scrambled egg, cheese, and spinach burrito with sauteed onions, garlic and some hot sauce.

Snack
Popcorn. We finally got our Braggs Amino Acids back from J&A. If you’ve never tried it, you are missing out.
Carrot
Lentils and Rice

Dinner
Salad
Thinly sliced potatoes seasoned with cumin and dried red chilis. Delicious.

Dessert
Rice pudding with chocolate

**pics posted tomorrow

Well, with the end of Day 2 approaching, that means I only have 5 more days left drinking horrible coffee. Is that selfish? This is good training for an even worse economic climate or a social upheaval. I like to think I can live a life without dependence on substances–sugar, coffee, smokes, alcohol; things that don’t elevate ones consciousness.

So, the coffee isn’t all that horrible, but for an expert barista and coffee snob, it’s bad.

The food, however, is pretty decent.

I think some of our challenges are psychological. Knowing we can’t have things makes us crave them even more. Apparently, we snack a lot in the day, something to be more intentional about in the future. We decided nuts would have been a good investment, but then again, nuts are expensive. We really could have used a grocery/health food store with good bulk. Then we could have purchased small amounts of many different grains, falafel, hummus mixes and created more variety in our meals.

For hunger pains today we made a batch of popcorn in the hot air popper. A good investment at $20–requires no oil and doesn’t spike the gas/electricity bill as high as the stove top method. I felt famished around 7:30.  We took the kid to the Christmas parade and tree lighting. The aromas from all the restaurants almost rendered our resolve useless. But we conquered our cravings to duck in the local brewery.

Something interesting here.  Our original plan for today, from last week, was to invite the family over for a big chili dinner and then attend the parade together. We canceled because chili for others wasn’t in our budget. Also, D’s friend wanted to buy us a meal, or donate food to our cause. It would have been a great night to go out, I’ve been waiting to meet this particular family since August, and we had all the kids with us. The rules of the FSC state that you can’t accept freebies. Not even enticing, free coffee at the office or an innocent potluck.

Aren’t poor people resourceful? And social? Don’t people supplement food stamps with food banks? If I actually had a $84 budget for the month–you can bet I would be attending art openings, potlucks, soupkitchens and cruising Whole Foods for samples. Perhaps the logistics of social events are harder for low income families to manage?

Maybe the rules were put in place to prevent Congressmen from relying on their fancy luncheons, brunches and catered dinners?

Today I spent more money on the dogs food than I did for my weekly budget. Chocolate would top the night off nicely, along with some wine, but it is good for the spirit to go without. Sacrifice for awareness.

Day 2 meals
Breakfast
Oatmeal. No fruit like usual. Just ginger, cinnamon and clove spices.

Lunch
Hefty salad with cucumber, lentils from last night, carrots, cheese, and onion

Snack
Popcorn with soy sauce sprayed on (pump bottle)

Dinner
Cheese and sauteed spinach, garlic, onion and olive (condiment) quesadillas
Side dish lentils and rice from last night

See, that’s still better eats than millions of people will have. Give thanks!

I spent a lot of time in the grocery store today, making sure I was getting the best deals. I told the produce clerk about the challenge and he said that he spends $160 a month for two people. We discussed that it would almost be easier to do this over a months time, as I could spend more money on bigger quantities. For example, rice and potatoes.

Thankfully, Maine has no food tax;  people on food stamps also don’t pay food tax.

December 2

Breakfast:
oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar

Lunch:
Heaping salad and cornbread

Dinner:
Heaping bowl of rice, with matching amount of lentils. On top: sauteed spinach, garlic, and onion.

I’m really quite full. If I get any cravings, I have popcorn and a hot air popper. Not having snacks around will make you fall off the rail faster. Living on this budget can only be done by actually cooking, which is time consuming AND one is prone to have cravings while cooking. Popcorn is a good, cheap solution.

Purchases made for $40.61:

1 lb. bag Black Beans 1.89
1 lb. bag of lentil beans 1.89
8 flour tortillas 1.69
12 eggs 1.59
2 lb bag rice 2.13
42 oz quick oats 2.75
32oz popcorn 1.59
110zOrganic Coffee 3.39
1lb carrots 1.29
5lb potatoes 3.49
2 bulbs garlic 1.58
Cucumber .59
1 bunch of Kale 2.49
1lb yellow onion .99
large container spring mix 6.00
1 lb cheese 3.84
half lb butter 1.25
one apple .49
cornbread 1.73
***this is overestimated. We already had it around the house from Tday and Daphne insisted we eat it. It accounts for milk, egg and cornbread mixture.

Today I will begin the Food Stamp Challenge, which means I have a $21 budget for the entire week.  Daphne is also doing this, so we have the advantage of a combined budget of $42. This was an optional homework assignment for her, but I was really insistent that we take the challenge. I hope our actions will help us bring some awareness about poverty and hunger to the people in our immediate life–if not beyond.

We will be video documenting our experience as well as blogging about it, here.

My impression, so far, Day 1, after a bowl of oatmeal, is that this won’t be horrible.  I don’t rely on meat, milk, and bread as part of my diet. I’ve been exposed to the world of bulk grains and beans. My concern is that I won’t get the amount of produce, fruits and veggies that are a big part of my diet.

We are putting together our menu today and getting ready to shop. So far my biggest compromise is coffee. I will be purchasing schwaggy, low grade octane–something like Chock Full O’Nuts I suppose. Since we are doing this for just one week, there is a vacuum.   If this was our lifestyle, we would likely have certain staples around in bulk.

However, as noted in a Sentinel article about the journalist who took the challenge, “the challenges of timing - and of the very adequacy of benefit - are quite real for actual food stamp recipients.”

Daphne and I live below poverty level, without a doubt. Food just happens to be one of the things a large portion of our income goes toward. We don’t eat out very often, because we are better cooks than most people. We don’t buy a lot of consumer crap, by choice.

Rules:

1. Can not attend any free luncheons, brunches, potlucks or take free food from your family. (does this imply that poor people are not social?)
2. Can not use any foods already in the house. The exceptions are spices and condiments.

Her daughter will be exempt from this, as we only have her 3 nights this week anyhow.

For other reading, please consult the blog which chronicles House Representatives taking the challenge. Wanna join us?
http://foodstampchallenge.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/05/index.html

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/20/oregon_gov_joining_food_stamp_project/
Cheers!

So there are still some tales to be told from my time on the road. Hopefully, a lot of my readers have me in their RSS feeds when I do start catching up. I’ve been scribbling for money for some other folks–to explain my hiatus.

Here is list of links to those articles, give them a click:
The Art of the Possible:  A website dedicated to “Liberals and libertarians on common ground… and otherwise.”
These are in descending order from last published. Unfortunately, the website has closed temporarily. (Now I have more time to write) I prefer my earliest writings for this site.
The archive of my writing is HERE.

The Second Road: Where life and recovery intersect. I am a project development assistant for this website. Back in April I was approached to help out with beta-testing and my responsibilities have grown threefold since then. I’m really hopeful this website will launch hard soon, as it is an amazing resource for people in recovery. I could not imagine if I needed, attending 12 step meetings. However, this website is great as a compliment/and/or alternative. The key thing to remember: people don’t have to recover alone.

My archive of writing there is HERE.

For a taste of my writing over there:
Are you all in?
The word addiction is hard to define. It is often used in casual situations, “I’m so addicted to chocolate,” or “I’m so hooked on that soap opera.”
As stated in the book I’m currently reading;

“the DSM_IV defines substance dependence as a pattern of continued use of any substance despite the fact that it has become harmful to the person using it. This means that even though a “drug” causes problems in a person’s health, daily function, or other important aspects of life, the addict is unable to stop using it.”

As in, there is no more control.

So, when a person loses sight of consequences due to risky behaviors there is an indication of addiction. The need for something overcomes rationality.

Does consumerism fall into this category? Aside from the economic travesties on U.S. shoulders, due in part to living outside of one’s means–what about this past Black Friday?

What about the 34 year old employee who lost his life this Friday during a stampede of people so obsessively driven to get material goods that they reverted into primitive animals? Or the pregnant woman who miscarried her baby due to the same stampede?

Doesn’t shopping also trigger the primitive brain-reward circuitry? Of course, consumerism is good for the country, at least it was until the credit bubble popped.

Compulsive shopping can create massive financial, marital, legal and family problems. These consequences are identical in nature to the consequences created from drug addiction or alcoholism.

However, the end product is beneficial not just for country, but also for the wealthy billionaires who influence (I daresay control) our political and economic systems. I don’t see much consumerism or financial education at the college preparatory or collegiate level. In fact, a majority of Americans, when polled, could make no sense of the mortgage loans they signed.

In short, we have a culture that glorifies consumerism; the latest popular acquisitions elevate ones status. Isn’t it too an addiction?

On compulsive shopping:

Behaviors that may indicate a compulsive shopping problem:

* Shopping or spending money as a result of feeling angry, depressed , anxious, or lonely
* Having arguments with others about your shopping habits
* Feeling lost without credit cards - actually going into withdrawal without them
* Buying items on credit, rather than with cash
* Describing a rush or a feeling of euphoria with spending
* Feeling guilty, ashamed, or embarrassed after a spending spree
* Lying about how much money was spent or owning up to buying something, but lying about how much it actually cost
* Thinking obsessively about money
* Spending a lot of time juggling accounts or bills to accommodate spending

While reading about the man who unfortunately passed away this Thanksgiving weekend, I stumbled upon other related material. Sadly, addicts fall under criticism for their pursuit of a buzz, from a drug that often holds them in a grip. But it seems as though a majority of people in our world seek entertainment, release, a quick thrill–at the expense of another, or without consideration of the ultimate cost.

Like this fellow who was arrested for peeing on a woman in her final moments; unconscious on the ground and dying from pancreatic failure. Anderson and onlookers laughed as they filmed the lewd actions, saying, “this will make a good youtube video.”

In short, drugs and drug users are easy to pinpoint and persecute. But aside from those witchtrials–what about the rest of the people in our so called developed societies–who are in constant pursuit of an escape or temporary consumer fix? Is not the need for power and status as dangerous, if not more so, as use of a substance? The widespread quantification of oppressive, cruel, unkind, megalomaniac, and excessive consumeristic actions worldwide would be greater than that of substance abusers.

I’m all in. I’m all in to make myself better, and the world within my reach. I’m all in to free myself from instant gratification and help those in need when I can.

I found a beautiful passage to share with you in closing, written about the above action by Anderson.

I make a difference in this world, for good or ill. There is no neutral. There is no Switzerland. There is only saying no to the indignities one human visits upon another—prejudice, hatred, humiliation and pain—or saying yes. And silence, the craven averting of one’s gaze so the offense may take place out of view, is not a no. It is not ambiguous. It is a yes. Yes, go ahead, just don’t do it to me. It is a permission, and a plea. I’ll sacrifice her if you’ll let me on my merry way. We routinely cede our expectations of goodness for guarantees of safety, but only our own, and we can no longer fool ourselves that men like Anthony Anderson are aberrations; they are, in the void of unyielding solidarity our self-interest has left, inevitabilities.

There is no neutral. You’re in or you’re fucking out.

I’m all in.

©2008 Joni Kabana
photo courtesy of Joni

That is my dear friend of 10+years, Erika, from Portland, OR. In the background, I believe, is her sister.

Also randomly found on the internet, on Google Maps Streetview–my scooter. And a block away–ME. This was a big, although creepy, surprise. I stumbled across this because Mikie Taps, on Modern Buddy, posted that he showed up on Streetview. Well that reminded me that last year I met a Lady Google driver. They drive around in cars with an Orwellian camera mounted on top, recording all that they see. Including me in front of the liquor store, in my Corazzo jacket. I couldn’t be more proud!

UPDATED, with illustration by Ben Heine, a talented artist in Belgium.
Really, an honor for him to chose my letter.

Dear Friends and Family,

Here it is the eve of a historic election.  For so many people, 1.20.09 is a very important date–but not if we don’t vote wisely.
What is voting wisely?
The ability to see beyond propaganda, party lines, and America’s borders.
Voting wisely is to first sit quietly and ask yourself what you want our future to look like.

After lengthy deliberation, I decided to endorse Barack Obama–just about 6 weeks ago. I met thousands of wonderful Americans while traveling 22,000 miles on a historic Peace ride. I chose to steer our conversations away from politics, because they are often divisive; instead I emphasized how important it is for each individual to know exactly what they want for themselves, their community and their country. And what they are willing to give to see those beliefs take root.  Our visions our powerful.

A personal ideology and daily action within one’s community is imperative. I consider voting a very, very small part of my duty as a citizen in a democratic republic. What our government does during the next two or four or eight years is largely a function of what we do, not just of whom we elect.

What many of you told me was that you came out to support the Peace ride because I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t pointing fingers. I wasn’t criticizing you for your beliefs. One of the people who joined me at the end of the ride, in Washington D.C., was a son in a long lineage of soldiers–whose ancestors are buried at Arlington Cemetery.  He said he joined me that special day because of my  declaration that our fate depends on us, not just those in charge and that anger is not what fosters change.

Obama has this leadership quality. Many question if his campaign was run with more integrity than McCain. Politics is a dirty business, sure. However, McCain is not the man I would want to represent my nation. Not with the blatant lies made in relation to Obama’s friendship with terrorists, which generated hate.  We’ve had a 7 years of division and hunting terrorists. We don’t need to losely throw that word around.

At first, I feared Obama was full of empty rhetoric. I did my research. But more importantly, I used critical thinking. A person who tells you Obama is not experienced enough might have done their research, but they have not utilized critical thinking to weigh in all the factors. Just because someone might have more experience does not mean they have the character for such an esteemed position. Partisanship and fear will make people vote for the candidate who merely has years of experience, but whose personaliy does not make for an esteemed leader. Obama has proven that he has determination (climbing a ladder), dedication, intelligence (magna cum laude, law school), undersanding of the American people (ability to raise such a grassroot support)and level headed manner under pressure (see all three debates).

Think about how great it would be to have an eloquent, passionate, level headed President speak for our country. It is not just rhetoric, Obama inspires people, he gives us hope. Our country needs that now. Our world needs that now. How wonderful would it be to have a diplomat in the office? Someone who will use force if needed, but also understands a greater power–the dialogue it takes to reach common ground. It is not a sign of weakness to confront your alleged enemies. For all religious fans–it is what your God teaches. People think pacifism is easy and weak. Folks, that’s silly. It takes a lot of effort to develop and maintain relationships, especially with people who hold different beliefs. It is a skill McCain does not have. In this age of globalization, it will be required for us to co-exist with others.

Yes, McCain has experience. He is experienced in an old paradigm of thought which can not lead us into a better future. He has hundreds of lobbyists working for him. Obama’s campaign does not. I’m happy that Obama collected so much money online, setting a record. I would rather him do this than be indebted to lobbyists. I want a transparent governement. McCain was in the bottom 5th of his class. If you have been unhappy with President Bush’s leadership, remember that he too had experience, as well as bad grades in college. I’m not alluding that McCain is Bush, I’m saying that a high IQ isn’t a bad thing to have in office.

Beware the hysteria, friends.
Think about the facts. Think about the anger and lies that have come from McCain. Think about his age. Think about the severe lack of experience his VP has. She was chosen to attract female voters. The gamble that his campaign took when choosing Palin is indicative of the risky, impulsive behavior McCain will continue to make if elected President. She was chosen so that anytime someone says she has no experience, a conservative could say, “Well, then Obama has no experience.” It was a sharp, tactical move, sure. But weigh the facts. Palin didn’t even know what her duties as VP would be. She is a governor of the least populated state in America. Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard! He studied Constitutional law! There is no comparison.

The greater American public aren’t just ready for change, they are changing. In the past 8 years, we have just collectively witnessed an American decay.  Logically, at this point in our history, with our power, money and experience, this country should be better poised to better serve its citizens and lead the world. Instead, we have witnessed an erosion of the Constitution, our economic system, and our international standing.

I spoke with my mother the other day. Sadly, she lost half of her savings in the market crash. On top of that, she is paying her taxpayer money towards the very people who gambled with her money. On top of that, her health care expenses will be raised in 2009. She has worked hard her whole life. She now has cancer, and she is, point blank, screwed. She is the great all American statistic that candidates court.

With great sadness I find that most of my family are voting opposite of me. We go over the list of things that are wrong, and they agree. They agree about McCain’s character and policy flaws. But they can’t break free of their thinking.
I’m asking you to do so. And to tell others how important it is that the election be won by a Democratic landslide.

In years past, I voted, or considered a third party vote.
But this year, I want a landslide. I want Obama to win overwhelmingly.

I quote David Swanson here, as he says it best;

“… if the Democrats win the House and Senate seats that optimists predict, and if the presidential election is a popular and electoral landslide. I want that landslide understood as a landslide for peace and against Republican war mongering. It can be understood as such despite Obama’s own support for war, because most Americans are unaware of that. In the simplest terms, McCain has been labeled the war candidate and Obama the peace candidate.
We can better seize on that and compel Obama to actually be a peace president if he wins overwhelmingly. I understand that Bush claimed a mandate on the basis of the narrowest conceivable (and not even true) victory, but his supporters control the media. To claim a mandate, Obama needs a landslide. And if the Democrats take large majorities in both houses, including 60 or more senate seats (possibly including one or two independents caucusing with the Democrats), then Emanuel’s excuse strategy evaporates. If the majority of Americans demand something, the Democrats will have to either deliver or admit to not being democrats with a small d. If Obama does not win a landslide over McCain, I will be ashamed to show my face abroad; I want this as a message to the world.”

I’ve been volunteering for the Obama campaign, and I tell people on the other end of the phone; “thanks for listening for just three minutes. Our time is precious, yes, but think about how much of it we willingly waste each day. Think about the greater things we have to lose in this election and sacrifice just three minutes of your time to listen, think and teach others.”

I am not in any way glorifying Obama’s entire platform. I simply would rather see him in the White House than McCain–and I’m taking an hour of my time to write this to you. To beg and plead with you to put aside your fears, your stubborn allegiance to third parties that won’t win, and take off your Republican hats. People say there isn’t too much difference between the two parties anymore anyhow–so why not vote for the man who visibly handles himself with more integrity than McCain?
Please, get out there and vote, but remember how easy it is to do things that are fare more important on the other 729 days every two years.

Vote with your heart and your head. Seem impossible? Not really. If you really listened to your heart, not me, not the media, not your party, I think you would hear the truth: the times- they are a changing.

Sometimes that change comes from the people and sometimes it’s forced upon us. Together, let’s create the world we are prepared to handle.

With respect,
Alix B.

I continued to write about acetaminophen today, over on AoTP. The article isn’t quite as personal, although inspired by personal events;  asking questions about regulation and free market standards in the pharm industry.

START:

Did you know that acetaminophen is used in an effort to control the brown snake population in Guam? All it takes is one mouse stuffed with 80mg of acetaminophen; a pretty desirable remedy in Guam where they spend upwards of 1 million to control the invasive species.

Me either.

Not until I wound up in a hospital on Friday, in Jackson, MS, caring for my father–who will soon meet his demise from acute liver failure. The source? Tylenol.

Don’t worry, that’s about as personal as this blog gets.
Now, to kill a human it takes a little bit more than 80g. In my father’s case, he was popping about 10 grams a day–or 20 pills. He was in a ton of pain from previous surgeries, on his knees and prostate.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE:

I apologize once again for the delay on trip reports. Unexpectedly, I am in Jackson, MS, after receiving a call that my father is dying from acute liver failure.

I never thought it would be Tylenol that brought about my father’s demise. The past three days I’ve been holding the hand of a man who will die from acute liver failure– due to Tylenol. We always suspected it would be the lifetime of drinking–not an over-the-counter pain reliever.

Of course, the man has a case history of liver disease, something that was unknown to me, but it was not something that was going to kill him, because he has ceased heavy drinking for 4 years now. He has relapsed just a few times, supposedly only for a day or two at a time.

However, the presence of liver disease or the consumption of alcohol require that you limit your Tylenol intake to half of the suggested dose.

Now, the suggested dose is in question. The hospital doctors have said told us it is 6-8 grams a day. Tylenol’s website indicates that it is 4grams, as does a bottle. That means 8 pills. My father was taking 10 grams a day, 20 pills, in addition to some ibuprofen. He is in pain from a lot of other physical complications.

Point blank, acetaminophen is dangerous. I’ve been researching it for days. Lobbyists are also dangerous. Lobbyists interfere with petitions that demand bottles containing acetaminophen use specific language to indicate the health threat. Sure, millions of people use the stuff without harm, but thousands annually are developing liver disease from acetaminophen.

“Each year, overdoses of acetaminophen (sold as Tylenol and other brands) account for more than 56,000 emergency room visits and an estimated 458 deaths from acute liver failure, reports the March issue of the Harvard Women’s Health Watch. And according to a new study from the U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group, acetaminophen-related liver failure appears to be on the rise

Contributing to the increase were people who were unintentionally taking two or more medications containing acetaminophen. For instance, it is found in headache/pain reliever, but also in sinus and allergy medication.”

Warnings on the generic and name brand bottles read, “ask your doctor,” or “may cause liver damage.”

Now, I may get hit by a car when I jaywalk. It’s not definite. It is proven to be definite that you will develop liver disease from Tylenol when you take more than the recommended amount, especially if you drink a lot of alcohol. Even just socially! This means the warnings should be more direct. Now, tobacco doesn’t kill every user, but enough correlation between tobacco and lung cancer, low fetal birthweight, premature births, and mouth cancer has landed a warning on every pack.

CAUTION: Acetaminophen does cause liver damage if abused.

Do not take more than 4 grams a day, studies show a direct correlation between overdose and liver failure.

Even little non pharmaceutical me can propose the necessary strong language. However, many doctors, scientists, and editoralists were way ahead of me.

“….suggested that a strategy restricting but not banning over-the-counter sales of acetaminophen containing medications may be necessary to prevent accidental overdoses.

This approach was taken in the United Kingdom in 1998, when over-the-counter sales of acetaminophen were restricted to 16 g,” he wrote. “In the four years following the change in legislation there was a 30% reduction in patients with severe acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure admitted to specialist liver units and liver transplant centers.

In France, where only half that much acetaminophen can be bought at one time “this measure is highly effective in minimizing severe acetaminophen hepatotoxicity,” Dr. O’Grady added.”

I suppose it’s one thing when you hear it in the news, and another when you’re feeding mashed potatoes to your jaundiced father and asking if he wants to hold an early birthday party, because he won’t be alive in one month–or even two weeks for the next one.

I guess you could say alcoholism did kill him, because his case history is preventing him from being a candidate for liver transplant. In a discussion yesterday, I asked the doctor if he would be placed at the top of the list for a transplant, based on need. He said yes, IF he qualified, but he doesn’t. He directly said, “a liver is a valuable thing and your father has indicated that his first one was of no value, therefore he doesn’t qualify for a second.”

Well, I’m sure Ted Kennedy could get one if he wanted, even though the doctor has a point. I’m torn though, because it is a free market, right? At what point does the health care industry, proven not to understand addiction, get the final word on whether or not my father truly did recover and is therefore entitled to a new liver?

Either way, I won’t be washing this headache down with Tylenol……

It’s raining here in Maine. My Tour Master rain suit is holding up really well, but not for scooter rides–for dog walks.  We are now officially under a hurricane warning; the first in 17 years. Thankfully, I  squeezed in some riding time before the rains hit. On a nice day ride Thurday, I clocked about 55 miles. That includes getting lost, which all in all, is a pretty nice way to see the state. I’m feeling inspired to finish the remaining blogs for the 08 trip, but meanwhile, I’m getting paid to blog elsewhere.  The ride felt FAST. Wicked fast, almost dangerous. Of course, it rocked.

Today I wrote a guest blog at AOTP, and my approach was inspired by David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech to the graduating class at Kenyon. I connected with it for many reasons; one being that he didn’t come across as anything other than a mellow, well educated guy having a chat with you over a beer, offering advice learned.

It is wisdom ever necessary right now. So I’m posting the speech in its entirety, here. Please, go read the AOTP article, help make sure I can keep my writing gig over there by leaving some comments. (desperate, I know)

Is this appropriate conduct, this reposting in entirety? Hmm? Well, I’ll just keep it up until someone asks me to take it down. Fair enough, right?

START

There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys, how’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What the hell is water?”

If at this moment, you’re worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise old fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don’t be. I am not the wise old fish. The immediate point of the fish story is that the most obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk about. Stated as an English sentence, of course, this is just a banal platitude — but the fact is that, in the day-to-day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have life-or-death importance. That may sound like hyperbole, or abstract nonsense.

A huge percentage of the stuff that I tend to be automatically certain of is, it turns out, totally wrong and deluded. Here’s one example of the utter wrongness of something I tend to be automatically sure of: Everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe, the realest, most vivid and important person in existence. We rarely talk about this sort of natural, basic self-centeredness, because it’s so socially repulsive, but it’s pretty much the same for all of us, deep down. It is our default-setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth. Think about it: There is no experience you’ve had that you were not at the absolute center of. The world as you experience it is right there in front of you, or behind you, to the left or right of you, on your TV, or your monitor, or whatever. Other people’s thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are so immediate, urgent, real — you get the idea. But please don’t worry that I’m getting ready to preach to you about compassion or other-directedness or the so-called “virtues.” This is not a matter of virtue — it’s a matter of my choosing to do the work of somehow altering or getting free of my natural, hard-wired default-setting, which is to be deeply and literally self-centered, and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self.

People who can adjust their natural default-setting this way are often described as being “well adjusted,” which I suggest to you is not an accidental term.

Given the triumphal academic setting here, an obvious question is how much of this work of adjusting our default-setting involves actual knowledge or intellect. This question gets tricky. Probably the most dangerous thing about college education, at least in my own case, is that it enables my tendency to over-intellectualize stuff, to get lost in abstract arguments inside my head instead of simply paying attention to what’s going on right in front of me. Paying attention to what’s going on inside me. As I’m sure you guys know by now, it is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue inside your own head. Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal-arts cliché about “teaching you how to think” is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: “Learning how to think” really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about “the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master.” This, like many clichés, so lame and unexciting on the surface, actually expresses a great and terrible truth. It is not the least bit coincidental that adults who commit suicide with firearms almost always shoot themselves in the head. And the truth is that most of these suicides are actually dead long before they pull the trigger. And I submit that this is what the real, no-bull- value of your liberal-arts education is supposed to be about: How to keep from going through your comfortable, prosperous, respectable adult life dead, unconscious, a slave to your head and to your natural default-setting of being uniquely, completely, imperially alone, day in and day out.

That may sound like hyperbole, or abstract nonsense. So let’s get concrete. The plain fact is that you graduating seniors do not yet have any clue what “day in, day out” really means. There happen to be whole large parts of adult American life that nobody talks about in commencement speeches. One such part involves boredom, routine, and petty frustration. The parents and older folks here will know all too well what I’m talking about.

“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day.”

By way of example, let’s say it’s an average day, and you get up in the morning, go to your challenging job, and you work hard for nine or ten hours, and at the end of the day you’re tired, and you’re stressed out, and all you want is to go home and have a good supper and maybe unwind for a couple of hours and then hit the rack early because you have to get up the next day and do it all again. But then you remember there’s no food at home — you haven’t had time to shop this week, because of your challenging job — and so now after work you have to get in your car and drive to the supermarket. It’s the end of the workday, and the traffic’s very bad, so getting to the store takes way longer than it should, and when you finally get there the supermarket is very crowded, because of course it’s the time of day when all the other people with jobs also try to squeeze in some grocery shopping, and the store’s hideously, fluorescently lit, and infused with soul-killing Muzak or corporate pop, and it’s pretty much the last place you want to be, but you can’t just get in and quickly out: You have to wander all over the huge, overlit store’s crowded aisles to find the stuff you want, and you have to maneuver your junky cart through all these other tired, hurried people with carts, and of course there are also the glacially slow old people and the spacey people and the ADHD kids who all block the aisle and you have to grit your teeth and try to be polite as you ask them to let you by, and eventually, finally, you get all your supper supplies, except now it turns out there aren’t enough checkout lanes open even though it’s the end-of-the-day-rush, so the checkout line is incredibly long, which is stupid and infuriating, but you can’t take your fury out on the frantic lady working the register.

Anyway, you finally get to the checkout line’s front, and pay for your food, and wait to get your check or card authenticated by a machine, and then get told to “Have a nice day” in a voice that is the absolute voice of death, and then you have to take your creepy flimsy plastic bags of groceries in your cart through the crowded, bumpy, littery parking lot, and try to load the bags in your car in such a way that everything doesn’t fall out of the bags and roll around in the trunk on the way home, and then you have to drive all the way home through slow, heavy, SUV-intensive rush-hour traffic, etcetera, etcetera.

The point is that petty, frustrating crap like this is exactly where the work of choosing comes in. Because the traffic jams and crowded aisles and long checkout lines give me time to think, and if I don’t make a conscious decision about how to think and what to pay attention to, I’m going to be pissed and miserable every time I have to food-shop, because my natural default-setting is the certainty that situations like this are really all about me, about my hungriness and my fatigue and my desire to just get home, and it’s going to seem, for all the world, like everybody else is just in my way, and who are all these people in my way? And look at how repulsive most of them are and how stupid and cow-like and dead-eyed and nonhuman they seem here in the checkout line, or at how annoying and rude it is that people are talking loudly on cell phones in the middle of the line, and look at how deeply unfair this is: I’ve worked really hard all day and I’m starved and tired and I can’t even get home to eat and unwind because of all these stupid g-d- people.

Or, of course, if I’m in a more socially conscious form of my default-setting, I can spend time in the end-of-the-day traffic jam being angry and disgusted at all the huge, stupid, lane-blocking SUV’s and Hummers and V-12 pickup trucks burning their wasteful, selfish, forty-gallon tanks of gas, and I can dwell on the fact that the patriotic or religious bumper stickers always seem to be on the biggest, most disgustingly selfish vehicles driven by the ugliest, most inconsiderate and aggressive drivers, who are usually talking on cell phones as they cut people off in order to get just twenty stupid feet ahead in a traffic jam, and I can think about how our children’s children will despise us for wasting all the future’s fuel and probably screwing up the climate, and how spoiled and stupid and disgusting we all are, and how it all just sucks, and so on and so forth…

Look, if I choose to think this way, fine, lots of us do — except that thinking this way tends to be so easy and automatic it doesn’t have to be a choice. Thinking this way is my natural default-setting. It’s the automatic, unconscious way that I experience the boring, frustrating, crowded parts of adult life when I’m operating on the automatic, unconscious belief that I am the center of the world and that my immediate needs and feelings are what should determine the world’s priorities. The thing is that there are obviously different ways to think about these kinds of situations. In this traffic, all these vehicles stuck and idling in my way: It’s not impossible that some of these people in SUV’s have been in horrible auto accidents in the past and now find driving so traumatic that their therapist has all but ordered them to get a huge, heavy SUV so they can feel safe enough to drive; or that the Hummer that just cut me off is maybe being driven by a father whose little child is hurt or sick in the seat next to him, and he’s trying to rush to the hospital, and he’s in a way bigger, more legitimate hurry than I am — it is actually I who am in his way. Or I can choose to force myself to consider the likelihood that everyone else in the supermarket’s checkout line is just as bored and frustrated as I am, and that some of these people probably have much harder, more tedious or painful lives than I do, overall.

Again, please don’t think that I’m giving you moral advice, or that I’m saying you’re “supposed to” think this way, or that anyone expects you to just automatically do it, because it’s hard, it takes will and mental effort, and if you’re like me, some days you won’t be able to do it, or you just flat-out won’t want to. But most days, if you’re aware enough to give yourself a choice, you can choose to look differently at this fat, dead-eyed, over-made-lady who just screamed at her little child in the checkout line — maybe she’s not usually like this; maybe she’s been up three straight nights holding the hand of her husband who’s dying of bone cancer, or maybe this very lady is the low-wage clerk at the Motor Vehicles Dept. who just yesterday helped your spouse resolve a nightmarish red-tape problem through some small act of bureaucratic kindness. Of course, none of this is likely, but it’s also not impossible — it just depends on what you want to consider. If you’re automatically sure that you know what reality is and who and what is really important — if you want to operate on your default-setting — then you, like me, will not consider possibilities that aren’t pointless and annoying. But if you’ve really learned how to think, how to pay attention, then you will know you have other options. It will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, loud, slow, consumer-hell-type situation as not only meaningful but sacred, on fire with the same force that lit the stars — compassion, love, the sub-surface unity of all things. Not that that mystical stuff’s necessarily true: The only thing that’s capital-T True is that you get to decide how you’re going to try to see it. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn’t. You get to decide what to worship…

Because here’s something else that’s true. In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of God or spiritual-type thing to worship — be it J.C. or Allah, be it Yahweh or the Wiccan mother-goddess or the Four Noble Truths or some infrangible set of ethical principles — is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things — if they are where you tap real meaning in life — then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. On one level, we all know this stuff already — it’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, bromides, epigrams, parables: the skeleton of every great story. The trick is keeping the truth up-front in daily consciousness. Worship power — you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart — you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on.

Look, the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they’re evil or sinful; it is that they are unconscious. They are default-settings. They’re the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that’s what you’re doing. And the world will not discourage you from operating on your default-settings, because the world of men and money and power hums along quite nicely on the fuel of fear and contempt and frustration and craving and the worship of self. Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom to be lords of our own tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the center of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talked about in the great outside world of winning and achieving and displaying. The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. That is real freedom. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default-setting, the “rat race” — the constant gnawing sense of having had and lost some infinite thing.

I know that this stuff probably doesn’t sound fun and breezy or grandly inspirational. What it is, so far as I can see, is the truth with a whole lot of rhetorical bullshit pared away. Obviously, you can think of it whatever you wish. But please don’t dismiss it as some finger-wagging Dr. Laura sermon. None of this is about morality, or religion, or dogma, or big fancy questions of life after death. The capital-T Truth is about life before death. It is about making it to 30, or maybe 50, without wanting to shoot yourself in the head. It is about simple awareness — awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, that we have to keep reminding ourselves, over and over: “This is water, this is water.”

It is unimaginably hard to do this, to stay conscious and alive, day in and day out.

Did you know that today, September 21st, we celebrate an International Day of Peace?
This particular global day of Peace is especially significant because the Peace sign turned 50 this year.
The United Nations General Assembly declared that this day be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace.

It must be said that the “ideals of Peace,” can only reflect the cultural diversity of all humans inhabiting our planet.

For some, Peace today might mean their house doesn’t get blown to rubble, their child murdered and wife raped. For some, Peace will be a return to God after committing a horrible terrorist act in his name. It is difficult to conceive of a universal definition of Peace when each country faces obstacles beyond our immediate perspective. It is more difficult to conceive of this definition of Peace when we see such tiny effort from our global leaders to cultivate Peace.

The possibility of Peace seems quite overwhelming. Peace making isn’t easy. Quite simply, sometimes it’s hard to solve old problems with new tools.  The thing we need to focus on the most is peace building; how to create and maintain a culture of Peace for our future–our grandchildrens future. Just because it is difficult to resolve old conflicts with new emerging intellect/consciousness does not mean Peace is impossible.

There are many actions occurring today, nationally and worldwide. CLICK over to the official website to find a local event. Send a text message to a world leader–and let it rip! You can send in your video responses to this website.

And don’t forget–I’ve been looking for your definition of Peace for a long time. Do your part today by leaving your definition of Peace here.

Me? I’ll be participating in a 12 noon Peace meditation; every time zone around the globe is participating at 12noon. (their time)  And then you can find me on the zooming around on the scooter!

John sent this photo to me on the perfect day. Peter and Amy have maintained the Peace sign I mowed into their lawn back in June. It looks great, definitely nicer than mine(the 2nd photo), which I mowed into the lawn on Thursday. Then again, their 5 million dollar home overlooking the Pacific was far nicer than mine too……

Peace-Alix

So where has my scooter been for 6 weeks? Did anything happen to it?
Nope. Something happened to my sanity without having it to ride for 6 weeks, but that’s another story. Today I was reunited with Audre.
As a flashback for y’all, my trip started and ended in Washington D.C. and my family and friends were still in VA. That meant I was still 1,000 miles from Maine, where I moved before the trip.

My partner and the kid met me at the finish line and wanted me to ride home with them. Understood. That and I was exhausted. I felt pretty lucky I just covered 22,683 miles without incident. I didn’t want to push my luck–I started imagining a crappy ending to the whole thing. I was told to ship it home and so I did.

That said, today J showed up at the house, heard the situation and got N to loan me his truck. 3 hours later I was in Boston. They loaded the crate into the truck. 3 hours later we were back home and dove into the crate.

MAD PROPS TO SCOOT RICHMOND. They are heroic. They built a crate to withstand a hurricane. They said I would need a crowbar–but really it took a drill. After popping off one side, there she was–Audre.

And she was nestled in so snug, with brilliant reinforcement at every compromising point. Really, the thought that went into the crate was obvious–topped off with two huge spray painted Peace signs.

On top of it, I find a glove compartment organizer decked out with Peace signs, a surprise from Rob Taylor. THANKS ROB!!!

The four of us realized that even if we tossed the crate out of the truckbed–the contents would be fine. But, of course, we just gingerly slid the back end off, and then drove the truck forward for the remaining part to slide off. Easy Peasey.

20 minutes later, after sawing through the reinforcements and releasing the tires–Audre was free.

I checked the oil, poured in some gas. Tried to start her–no diggity.
I checked the fuel valve and it was undone. Put it together, tightened the clamps. Attempted start again, no luck.

For some reason, after loosening the nut above the fuel valve, she started.

And the back tire spun like a caged Kentucky Derby horse pawing the ground. After a 10 minute warm up–the jacket, gloves, and helmet were on and we were off.

It was a chilly, short and BLISSFUL ride home. So good to finally have all my things in one place. It’s the first time I’ve ridden here in Maine, and I’m glad to have a couple weeks of decent weather left to explore.

N was also a hero today, probably because he rides a motorcycle and can empathize with my withdrawals–he helped unload tonight. Did the majority of it actually.

I think he wants me to teach his lady to ride my scooter so she can get one!!!!
Thanks Scoot Richmond. That was an impressive piece of work!
Look forward to those final posts–I’ve had writers block without the scoot!
Finally, all is good again.

The economy hit a new low this week, and in every part of the country, people are feeling it. The recent financial disasters — from the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the historic drop in the stock market — are not just a string of bad luck. They are the result of years of bad decisions made in favor of big corporate special interests instead of America’s working families.

More than 600,000 Americans have lost their jobs since January. Home foreclosures are skyrocketing, and home values are plunging. Gas prices are at an all-time high, and we’re still spending more than $10 billion every month on a war in Iraq that should never have been waged.

John McCain’s campaign is doing everything it can to focus attention on false personal attacks and distractions — but there’s too much at stake for that kind of politics.

I need your help to get the conversation back on track.