The wind sends vivid ripple across the clear autumnal skies.
Despite the shimmering offshores, blue skies, and warm water- this morning the world was ugly. At our worst, humans tend to make the beautiful, ugly; at our best we do the opposite. This morning I watched a narrow stream of men paddling against the current of a 4 foot SSE swell; each in silent competition with the other. Continue reading
SELF EXPRESSION AS SELF PRESERVATION
I am a tired and worn man sitting on a bench beneath a willow tree. The willow tree is many years older than I, but is neither tired nor worn. Staring out over an ancient glacial lake I contemplate the slow progression of ice that over several millenia carved out the mountain range jutting out over the town. The lake is a clear, cold blue and a light breeze from the Northwest sends ripples towards the shore. I am part of the slow progression that has formed this beauty around me. I am an infinitesimally small component… yet having taken even just one breath- I am permanently etched into the branches of history. Continue reading
How a democratic government utilizes resources is a reflection of the will of the people- and thus of cultural attitudes. President Obama’s healthcare reform has revealed the character of the healthcare industry and the American people alike. As a country we should be frustrated with the government’s early fumble of the roll-out- yet we should not lose sight of the greater context.
Swimming in my sleep,
Upon a lake of dreams, I drift
Over indeterminate quantities of emptiness.
From the Angkor Kingdom to the Pol Pot regime to a backpacker mecca; Cambodia is a country seemingly in constant flux. Several regions enjoy a thriving tourism scene, while the country as a whole has maintained an ‘off the radar’ travel status. It may not seem this way if you spend an evening soaked in house music, cheap liquor and sweat on the beaches of Sihanoukville. Yet take a few days to visit lesser traveled destinations such as Battambang, and it could feel as though you have fallen off the edge of the Earth.
The beautiful half-European
half-Japanese girls
that live and grow in the Oamrau limestone,
warm and welcoming, mountain home
tumble in the dying leaves, laughing.
In the deep Southern sunset,
Coat collars high
We were born of stars,
surely we will someday
shine again, and dance
with the atmosphere and wind
I remember a night in mid-November,
Over the precipice of nature’s raw aspect
and the violent Southern sea
we pledged allegiance to an absence,
an oath to an enduring yet hollow mystery
Continue reading
One of the greatest aspects of surfing in New Zealand is the variety on tap. The West coast of the North Island juts abruptly out into the Tasman Sea and is graced with a consistent battering of swell. Nearly every day it seems there is a window to score a wave somewhere. However on the occasion that it is flat, or more likely severely onshore, west coast surfers are condemned to driving to the complete opposite side of the country- a mere two hour drive away.
Handful Of Dust 