home

there's something about fall that feels like home to me. i think it's because i grew up in the woods, in a log cabin, and fall had a certain powerful sensory richness to it...the sweet smell of ripeness and earth, the glow of infinite shades of reds and yellows and oranges, the warmth of a fire in the fireplace.

there's a cozy little town near where i grew up, and 'round this time of the year they hold an annual harvest fair. there's apple picking and goat-cheese tasting and cider and doughnuts. and pumpkins. and robert grawi, the inventor of the gravikord, is always there, playing one of his magical instruments, doing duets with his flute-playing wife.

9/29 sonic fabric talk at parson's

this thursday evening, september 29th, i'll be giving a little talk and demonstration of sonic fabric for a group called "21F", a bunch of folks who are interested in the intersection of fashion and technology. more info on them here . Parson's School of Design, Design Lab, 7pm, 55 west 13th st, 9th floor.

tonglen

this really seems to help.

knitting & hurricane katrina

lately i have been compulsively knitting. there's something so soothing about it, meditative, about the tying of little knots, each one containing the essence of the precise moment during which it was tied. the wool might take on the smell of campfire or coffee or bread baking or the subway depending on where i am and what's going on around me when i'm doing it. and the energy of my thoughts, my feelings for the one i am knitting for, like little prayers tied into every knot. "may the one who wears this feel loved and protected and warm". and the things i am knitting now are also imbued with anger and sorrow for the ones who are suffering and towards the society that let it come to this. sure i blame the government for not sending more help sooner, but i blame them more because their ambivalence and lack of compassion sets a terrible example for our culture. i don't believe that it's only the government's job to take care of everyone...i believe it's everyone's job to take care of everyone, and that a good government should be like a good parent, teaching by example, encouraging those who have more than they need to share with those less fortunate. it's not only the poor people who need better education. it's the people with wealth who seem not to understand the toll they are taking on our entire culture, the instability they are causing to the infrastructure of this thing we call a "democracy", by not giving something back. in a democracy we can't only blame the government...we must blame ourselves when there are rifts this profound. may this experience inspire each of us to take action in whatever way we can...that is the mission, after all, of the kind of political system we aspire to here in the united states. i blame the government for teaching selfishness and greed (and for their atrocious, horrific handling of this tragedy in particular). it's up to us to rise above it.