Facebook daily dose

It's been almost three years that I actively participate into Facebook and enjoy the medium. It's true that among my 300 or so “friends,” only ten percent (if that) do ninety percent of the posting, but that's alright with me. That leaves the rest silent spectators (some might call them “voyeurs”) or those just ignoring what goes on inside that busy universe.

It keeps me in close touch with people I know and appreciate, plus gives me a forum of sorts when I feel strongly about an event, a cause or when I want to share something I care about with that community. It also stimulates my thinking, feeds my creativity and make my life that more interesting. In spite of all the negative comments that circulates about Facebook, I keep on liking it, must admit that my community of friend seems to use the tool responsibly and I find it as positive experience!

Leaving home

As we prepare to hit the road and leave Park City for a few days, I feel torn between the spirit of adventure and the ease and comfort available at our home-sweet-home. I can't believe it; I used to be able to leave on the spot to go places; I couldn't wait. Not anymore. I simply love my nest too much. I've become the home-buddy I use to despise.

Is it attachment to Park City and all the activities we love or the fact that our little abode is dialed-up that no other place in the world can offer a better experience? I can't really say, but not even the thought of moving to the Taj-Mahal can get me excited anymore!

The art of weeding

Year in, year out, we spend quite a bit of time weeding our garden. It's not like it rains too much, it's more because the weather is too dry in the summer and we don't water our lawn. The result is simple and predictable, as soon as our lawn turns temporarily yellow, weeds invade in large numbers and while I can't tell you the name of these pesky creatures with their long roots that suck up all water in sight, I can see them well. Last week, my wife convinced me that it was time to taking action and acting we did.

Kneeling on the ground and armed with one of the simplest garden tool tool ever created, we're prying these invading intruders out of existence, or at least we think we are! If you aren't yet into meditation, yoga or any other mind-stabilizing program, I recommend weeding. With it, time flies, any cerebral activity stops and very soon it's pure mental relaxation. Nirvana? I've not reached that stage yet, but I do reward myself with a cool beer, when my legs and back ache too much and when I consider that I'm done for the day...

Hollyhock season

You might call them weeds as they appear to behave like such in the way these flowers reproduced themselves, seem to grow totally carefree and appear to love Utah's high desert, dry weather. Since the beginning of the month our hollyhocks have been in full bloom with their flowers varying widely in their coloration from dark purple, to red and all the way to white.

We let them grow along our fence upon which I have engineered a clever way of retaining them in case of raging wind or sudden and violent rainstorm. That particular location is where they're allowed to reproduce with their large, flat coin-shaped seeds that seem to grow easily wherever they drop. I'm told that an individual plant might only live a handful of years, but by that time, chances are good it will leave plenty of offspring, so I'm not worried of running out of hollyhocks...

Innovation-obsessed

The bright spotlight recently focused on Steve Jobs is totally well-deserved and honors the few human beings that have stuck their neck out, creating products and concepts out of almost nothing, taking huge risks for the sake of churning up innovation we can all use and enjoy.

These bright individuals have been doing more than just managing or exceeding expectations: They've anticipated them, which isn't an easy task and requires an imagination, an inquisitive mind plus a careful observation and understanding of what's around us. They break tired paradigms by inventing new ones and like no others, they stand constantly into other people shoes! This type of folks whether they're Steve Jobs or Georges Salomon in the teeny-weeny ski industry, are constantly searching for what's hiding behind the future's blind corner and are creating the never-seen-before.

They are the antithesis of the mediocre people that surround us, starting with politicians and other “greedy,” exploitative and unimaginative business people that are in full reaction mode, all the time. Makes me say that the “creative” vanguard is the strict opposite of the “extractive” old-boys-club that rapes the earth. We all know too many of these forgettable human beings and for the good of humanity and a better tomorrow, we need a lot more of the visionary kind!

Climbing Chevran

In school, physical education always was a dreaded moment. I wasn't good at anything and was repeatedly told about it. I was clumsy, couldn't run fast, couldn't jump high and couldn't climb the rope. For the most part, my physical ed teachers made fun of me and predicted that I would become a big, fat, go-nowhere boy.

Even tough I had continually told my classmates that I was a pretty good skier (which wasn't even true,) I had a hard time fitting into that performance-obsessed boy world. That was until I was in my last year of high school that things turned around. Monsieur Deruaz, our teacher that year, took our group for a fast hike up to Mont Chevran, a small peak , elevation 3,849 feet, towering over the small industrial city of Cluses, France.

It normally took a couple of hours to climb the 2,300 feet vertical and pretty soon I grew wings and was in the head group, finding myself in the mountain environment I had been brought up in and was so found of. Eventually as the summit approached and the group was stretched far apart, I went up faster and faster, took the lead and before the teacher, became the first to reach the top. I had made my point and in the process showed myself that everything was indeed possible.

Back-to-school blue

Yesterday was back-to-school day all over Park City and I tried to remember how it felt to begin a new school year, sometimes get some new clothes, walk into stiff new shoes and show off a new notebook, a few pen and pencils. It was a sense of rebirth, of renewal and for me – who most of the time was a lackluster student – a providential opportunity for a second chance; a bit like a convict would feel as his sentence were suspended.

Even when I try hard, I can't think of much fear or worries crossing my mind on that day of new beginnings. My hopes were high, my intentions pure and surprisingly good; yet, generally that adrenaline surge petered out a week or so later. But as short as it lasted, that feeling of starting again was wonderful and I hardly could rediscover it when I began new jobs; by that time, my innocence was gone, my cynicism growing and my apprehensions omnipresent. Boy, do I regret these back to school days!

Where's Muammar Gaddafi?

Yesterday, I had nothing to better do and the “rebels” asked me to watch Gaddafi for a while, as they were storming his stronghold. I said okay. He seemed quite composed and suddenly asked me if I minded if he went out just five minute to buy a new pair of large Courrèges sunglasses. I said “fine, but don't be late returning or don't get distracted by the Slavic nurses that you might see in the store.”

With what's going on these days in Tripoli, one could understand. At 6 pm he had not showed up yet and the rebels looked pretty upset at me. I personally know he'll return and I assume that he stopped by R.E.I. to check out their shipment of new tents. He always loved tents. I know, deep inside, Muammar is a good guy, if only NATO and the rebels gave the man a little bit of slack!

Who paid Strauss-Kahn ransom?

When a French citizen is held hostage, it's quite usual, that in the end, the French government pays the ransom and, voila, the poor individual is suddenly free. Since the innocent Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been held hostage by the New-York thugs, I was praying every night that the Almighty would push Nicolas Sarkozy to open up the French purse strings and get his prodigal son safe and sound back to France, but nothing happened.

The poor old man was likely to be marooned forever in America. Then, his good wife, who still believe she can be France's First Lady, did what it took to convince her New-York hometown buddies to pull whatever string they could find or imagine to get her hubby back to France, I guess with still plenty of fierce ants inside his pants; what else! So next time, you're held hostage anywhere, make sure to call Anne Sinclair first. She's got more money than France, Germany and the United States combined and if you can help her get what she wants, she'll call on her friends and you'll be okay!

My simple financial remedy...

While the Republican field of presidential candidate keeps on growing with irrational candidates like Texas Governor Rick Perry, I'm thinking that our Nation's finances only need a simple, bi-partisan fix. Get a balanced budget amendment, raise taxes if we need it, control spending and spending abuse and keep its promises to those who have earned Medicare and Social Security status. Simple, possible, equitable. Now let's go back to work!

Best for Last?

When I wrote that we were fed up with too many concerts and that it was “too much of a good thing” I was dead wrong! For the first time in years, we decided to attend the concert at nearby Canyons. We had heard on the radio, in the morning, that it would be a good show. We didn't even know who was playing and didn't bother to check. We got a hotel room at the resort and went on to sit on the lawn for the concert that was to begin at 6 pm.

The clouds were a bit threatening and we didn't know what to expect, until that circus troop or marching band complete with dancers and acrobats on stilts exploded onto the stage and kept us glued and rocking through a rain shower and till the very, very end. They're the MarchFourth Marching Band from Portland, Oregon. If you live in America and haven't seen them do it as soon as possible. If you live elsewhere, emigrate! The best show we've seen this season, bar none; we give it a resounding 10 out of 10! Okay, we're not done yet, there are two more of these concerts on our calendar...

The GoPro implant

I love my GoPro video cam so much, that I've finally decided to make it permanent – on my head – that is. Recently, I found out that a Singapore head surgeon will do house-calls to implant the small inner workings of a GoPro video camera into anyone's head that has good brains and is full of common sense. One of the benefit is that you can mentally replay and view with your own eyes what you've been filming and when deep into your forehead, the device is finally user friendly.

The cost is high, but hey, I've always been used to pay for quality. The operation went very well, their was no extra opening made beyond the tiny lens diameter so healing time will be quick and painless. In a few days, I'll begin making new in-motion videos without the need for head straps or helmet!

I wanted to be a rock star

While I was a teenager, I wanted to become a rock star. I liked the lifestyle, the constant exposure and most probably, the resulting fame. For a variety of reasons, including my lack of commitment to learning music, my lukewarm interest for playing an instrument and my chronic laziness at the time, I simply didn't.

I know, I had other excuses, but I won't even begin getting there. Well, last night, we saw three acts, including the Goo Goo Dolls, Parachute and Michelle Branch, and I decided I was happy I didn't chose that line of work. Too much to do, too much stress and endless travel. I know you missed some great hits by me not being there, but just get used to it!

Too much of a good thing?

In the summer, Park City turns into concert town USA, mostly through the efforts of a non-profit called Mountain Town Music that inundate the community with free concerts and wants to turn Park City into the Austin of the Rocky Mountains. Out of the lot, many of these bands that play are excellent, some are so-so and a few are bad. That how things work when the law of large numbers comes into the equation.

We enjoy going at these concerts as well as attending a few paying ones with bigger names and heightened expectations; yet, we've found that some of these touring stars are sometime no better than an unknown local band that performs well with a public, knows how to work up a crowd and makes up for a memorable and participative concert. There is also a danger in having too many “free” things. We end up not valuing them enough and appreciation drops considerably. We say good things come into small packages and after being offered a plethora of entertainment, audiences often get an indigestion!

Who could have predicted?

Here's another snapshot shot from 40 years ago this month, taken off Bourke Street, in Mount Buller, Australia. Three young French guys who don't really know what life will bring them in terms of surprises, personal lives and career. I bet that if someone had asked them at that moment what they'd plan to do when they'd “grow-up”, they wouldn't have had the foggiest idea about where they'd see themselves four decade later. So I asked the collective question and for once, got the right answer!

Reasonable, smart and successful!

After hearing an endless stream of stupidity coming from our mostly Republican politic class, it's refreshing to watch the Charlie Rose's interview of Warren Buffet.

A glance into afterlife (Part 4)...

If you happen to see this series for the first time, begin your reading on August 10.

Today, we'll travel “south” to Hell. As you might expect, this is a very busy place, quite noisy too and super hot. Occupants who return to their senses in that particular spot are rarely surprised. Most were expecting it to be their final destination anyway so they don't seem shocked or traumatized, one can even read on their expression a natural eagerness to find out how they can cope with the place, and more often than not, how they'll beat the system. To begin with, the place is dark, cavernous and looks more like a coal mine than a resort for those who've misbehaved in excess. Plenty of areas where you can hide, plot or just do bad, out of the guards' view. There's even a form of feisty energy that permeates the air... Here, nothing is as smooth, well ordained and predictable as in Heaven.

Chaos seems to be part and parcel of that busy place. You'll see a similar scene in terms of age and physical condition of the guests, but you'll hear them screaming out of their lungs or at least complaining or swearing all the time. If you are interested in seeing next of kin, you'll do it fairly easy and generally those friends or family who have been there before you will prove to be quite helpful, loquacious and ready to offer a crash course in daily survival.

The problem is that people landing in that place are constantly harassed by demons and seem to have very little time free for themselves. It's not that any kind of work is required, but everyone is always picked on and hurt physically or mentally. The key is to be able to hide, organize, survive without being bothered and create a space that is liveable and interesting. Think of it as a forever-work-in-progess. No too bad for a first impression and we'll return to explore it more completely...

The end of the slides... era!

Yesterday was clean-up day and we worked inside our little garden shack reorganizing the mess I've been so good at creating over the past few years. I first sorted out a multitude of pieces of wood, trim, shelving, you name it, and then I starred at my slide collection. For those of you who only know digital photography, there was a time - not so long ago - when pictures were stored on 35 mm slides.

So until a day ago, I was still the proud owner of some two thousand such items that I had finally digitized four years ago, and discovered in the process that many of them were already badly faded or discolored. Well, when I saw them all lined-up in their original Kodak boxes that contained the once-high-tech plastic carousel, I delicately placed the whole collection inside my wheelbarrow before dumping it unceremoniously inside our large garbage can.

I can only hope that its re-incarnation under the quite virtual form of jpeg or jpg files (which by the way, stands for “Joint Photographic Experts Group”) will last at least as long as these venerable slides have since some of their oldest specimen were well into their forties! I must confess that had a tinge of nostalgia and felt a bit guilty as I watched these little guys tumble into a horrible and wide open garbage can...

A glance into afterlife (Part 3)...

If you happen to see this series for the first time, begin your reading on August 10.

Today, we'll explore Heaven. We assume that you've just passed away and after all the special effect (the tunnel, the light, etc.) you've been extremely lucky and able to shave enough points to be eligible for a coveted, eternal spot, in Paradise.

Your first reaction might be to seek to see your family members and friends that have left earth before you did and catch up with them. Okay, the place is quite intimidating; it's flooded with light, very white, ultra-spacious and mostly filled with old and limping folks seemingly deeply lost into their own contemplation. You first get a sense that you don't quite belong there (and after all, you might be perfectly right!) You ask for directions, inquire about some names you are most interested about. Some haven't made it there, and you soon figure out they must be in that “other place,” and when you see individual dear to you, they don't go out of their way to give you a bear hug; they'll tell you “Gee, you look old now!” and that's about it.

Then they'll just welcome you with aloofness, perhaps asking you “how was your transfer?” give you a few pointers before returning to their contemplation. That's actually what all people seem to do at that level. They marvel in the sights of God, his Son and the Holly Ghost. Soon, you locate the famous characters and become enthralled by their mere sight and this is likely to last forever. So you've got your entertainment and all your needs are filled; you won't need bungee-jumping or fast-car racing anymore to get the flow of adrenaline going, you simply stare at what's going on and it's guaranteed to work forever.

Soon you discover that any interaction among your peers is insignificant and basically nonexistent. You're now eternally lost into contemplation; talk about variety! This is probably why you won't find me forever marooned in that place if I can help it, but on the other hand, this might also be your never-ending cup of tea!

When eight clowns debate...

Last night we watch the Republican candidate debate on Fox News and were appalled by the low level of intelligence, understanding and resourcefulness displayed by most of them. Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty went at each others, Rick Santorum was sporting his frozen facial expression and was stuck into his ideology, New Gingrich put Chris Wallace, the reporter, in his place but aside from that exploit was lost in nostalgia between the Reagan and Clinton eras.

Herman Cain sometimes made sense, but most of it sounded like a southern preacher, Mitt Romney was uninspiring as ever and our other Utahn, Jon Hunstman, didn't have the guts to call a spade a spade when asked why his company only employed 2,000 Americans out of a 12,000 total workforce. He should have said “because it's cheaper overseas...” as opposed to begin ranting about the EPA. What all did extremely well, in the GOP tradition, was bash Obama, but none of them offered constructive solutions to the country's problems. As one of the online commentators said: “Wait till one of these debate Obama!”

A glance into afterlife (Part 2)...

The next worry that comes to mind is of course location. Where are the places in question (Heaven and Hell) located? Is it in our galaxy or where exactly in the universe? You might object to that question by saying it doesn't matter, but I personally like to know where I'm sent. As a logical segue way, I also wonder if there will be day and night or daylight 24/7?

My sense goes for the later. Since we wont use any energy, we're unlikely to require any rest, except perhaps for those of us sent to hell that would be tormented on a continuous basis. Based on that assumption, we won't have personal bedrooms, bathrooms and, of course, closets since we won't own any clothes! I'm just wondering what the folks sent to Heaven will do all day...

Probably sit around in a stadium setting and watch God below and that will suffice in terms of action. I believe it would be foolish to expect riding a bike, sailing, playing golf, climbing mountains, snow-skiing or gardening. Perhaps reading or playing dominoes might be okay? I know it, the action will have to be found in hell, but a more complete description of each respective place is coming soon!

A glance into afterlife...

If you believe in afterlife, how do you picture it? It's not that I'm a believer in life after death, but I find the idea entertaining and, based on my religious upbringing, I will try today to describe how I see that state if it ever was to be. So read on and let's have some fun with it!

My first question of course is what will be our resurrection age? By this I mean that if you die at 55 will you resurrect as a 25 years old or precisely a person already aged 55 as we should? My sense is that we'll resurrect at the age we reached when we died, so get prepared to see crowds of old folks wherever you'll end up, be it paradise or hell. My next question is about our state of repair; in other words if we died bald, will our hair grow back as we get to the other side? If we have a prosthetic leg, will we regain a natural one? If we have a bad joint, will it be fully functional again? My bet is that you won't get anything fixed, so better get that artificial hip, right here and now, before you departure time.

The next topic that comes to mind is clothing. Are we going to get a gown or will we just be all naked? My bet is that with the intense heat of Hell and the smooth climate control in Heaven, we'll won't have to worry about designer's jeans. Given the prevalence of old people in the thereafter, it's not going to be that nice a sight. Are we going to still eat and drink as we pass the threshold? I don't think so, as there would be far too many of us to satisfy; our celestial bodies would be set forever without any need for replenishing or growing; what we have on entrance day is what we'll keep.

The same is likely to hold true about sex life. None of the crucial points of contacts is likely to remain functional and libido will be a figment of our earthly past. So as you see it, so far, not so good. Don't get discouraged yet; we'll delve deeper into that subject in upcoming blogs.

Influencing the political world?

I'm not a fearful person, but the only danger category that really spooks me are my American politicians. Up until recently, I thought they were just incompetent, but now I've found out that they're equally as dangerous. Their recent idiotic posturing on the debt ceiling negotiations (I'm pointing my finger at the “extreme-right” Tea Party members and their fellow Republicans) has been costly to the Nation and to all of us in terms of Market lost valuation over the past few days.

There is no question that these individuals (my two senators and my House representative) don't deserve to be sent to Washington for another term and should be voted out as soon as possible. Their “no new taxes” mantra pales in meaning against the trillion of dollars they've just cost the Nation and the citizens they're supposed to represent. It's clearer to me than ever before that we need pragmatic negotiators and not ideologues.

The extreme-right, the Tea Party or the Religious Right can all pack up and leave the Country as far as I am concerned, and join the ranks of the Talibans that are about as bone-headed as the majority of Congress has become. With that in mind, I'm wracking mine to find a way to communicating my disgust at that situation and make every American understand that the longer these fellows stay in power, the more we'll be exposed to extreme danger!

Congress on vacation?

If you followed the day on Wall Street, you may wonder why President Obama hasn't recalled both Chambers and demanded that they come to Washington and finally begin working to get our country's financial situation squared away. What is he waiting for and why is Congress enjoying a totally undeserved vacation after the three-ring circus number they've treated us with?

I don't see any sense of urgency anywhere and can't understand why this is not the case. Leadership demands courage and those who are in such position and lack that essential ingredient don't deserve to lead. They should follow, or better yet, as Lee Iacocca once said “...get out of the way!”

August weather?

I've always been of the opinion that after August 15, autumn is definitely up in the air, in and around Park City. After the cool summer we just had, it seems that this cooler weather has already arrived amongst us. Last night, we went to see a great concert bringing together the Salt Lake Symphony Orchestra with a quartette of singers from Broadway who performed some rather well known rock tunes, all included into current and past Broadway performances.

The show was wonderful, but we literally froze as we had not taken the elementary precautions of dressing up or bringing winter clothes along. A polar fleece top and a skimpy blanket couldn't do the job of keeping us warm after the intermission and night suddenly began to fall. This morning, the temperature was just 41 degrees. Yes, Fall is really up in the air!

The Republicans' fault

The colossal market nosedive and recent downgrade of the Natioin by S&P should be squarely placed on the shoulders of the Republican Party and their extremist Tea Party fellows. Pure and simple. The Democrats are bad, but not as wicked as the Republicans.

If I had to put the blame on the recent political three-ring circus and subsequent financial fiasco, I'd say: Tea Party 50%, Other Republicans 35%, All Dems 10% and Barack Obama 5%. This retribution scale is something the Nation needs to remember come next November 2012. We should ship the entire Republican Caucus of the House of Representative on a one-way ticket to Afghanistan and have them chase the Taliban. It certainly will be the other way around!

Wall Street blues

It's hard to watch the stock market crash and yet to remain stoic, especially if you have something invested. It's a lot easy to ride the top of the waves and think we are heros for having made smart and timely investments and pad ourselves on the back as we bathe in glory. The bottom of the barrel is not a fun place to be; not just as far as Wall Street is concerned, but all other life circumstances.

We accept elation but can't deal with humiliation and that's just human nature, I guess. It's hard to remember the precepts of Mr. Warren Buffett: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.” My maxim is somewhat similar but applies to almost any situation: “When we're a the top, the next move is down and when we hit rock bottom, the next ride is up!”

I found a car!

Yesterday, as I was picking mushrooms (again!) my zigzagging through the hills brought me to what is called Daly Chute #10 at Deer Valley Resort. I crossed the steepest portion of that chute about 100 feet away from the top still rimmed with some leftover cornice snow.

As usual, in summer, I was shocked by how steep, the easiest of all Daly Chutes looked and as my glance went down the ragged gully, it stopped on what appeared to be the rear end of a car mostly covered with dirt and overgrown with vegetation. I carefully proceeded down the seasonal creek bed formed by the snow-melt and got close enough to what appeared to be a bright-red, Chevrolet Corvair Coupe, built sometime in the sixties.

I didn't lean over the broken door window to check if the passengers were okay and kept going down the hill. So if you don't want to get stuck in a rut next time you decide to descend Daly Chute #10, don't take your car, even if it's the most rugged SUV. Don't even hike down, trust me, stay on your skis!

Albino chanterelles?

Today, I decided to go mushroom hunting for the first time this season. At about mid afternoon, I boarded the Canyons gondola and began my frantic search for these rare delicacies in Utah. This past spring and early summer have been so wet that I thought I would be damned if I couldn't find a few of these little guys. Right off the bat, I found a few, tiny, all fresh ceps and went on up the hill. After more than one hour I only found one other lonely cep and I had to turn around to catch the last gondola that was leaving at 5 pm.

On my way down, my eyes still were scanning like crazy and I spotted a few lactaires and as I was getting close to the gondola, I stumble upon some mushrooms that looked exactly like chanterelles and were all white instead of golden! I picked them and later when I returned home, I checked what these oddities were and found out that it was a north American variation of the classic chanterelle that can be found in the Pacific Northwest and California (plus today, in Utah of course!)

That chanterelle is called the Cantharellus subalbidus if you want to know everything, in comparison to the Cantharellus formosus or Cantharellus cibarius (the golden variety.) This albino version is considered even tastier than the golden one. We'll see and I'll let you know.

Mediocre Politicians

The Beatles could have written that one: “Mediocre and Politicians are two words that go together well...” After the American Congress finally reached an agreement, its substance was nil or almost, so don't ever expect great things coming from politicians. Just expect the worst and then you'll be trilled what they're just able to be mediocre at anything they touch.

Our terrible system of political corruption has made them evolve into a cast in folks that would be incapable holding a normal job, so instead of having peddling cars or carpets, we've installed them at the pinnacle, in the position to running – should I write “ruining” our Nation. Shame on all of us for degenerating in such a fashion, because a mediocre Nation probably deserves mediocre politicians...

Happy in Hell, Miserable in Heaven...

I've never been a big fan of Heaven. From what has been described to me of that place, it sounds like a boring spot where its occupants are consumed into dumb happiness, contemplation and idleness. Not my kind of scene. I prefer action, I love live and I want to get somewhere all the time. I have therefore come to the conclusion that heaven would be the end of me and is probably not a good place for me to visit. Hell instead is the location where – I hope – all my good friends will eventually regroup and together, we will have – what else – a hell of a good time!

I'm not making that up; folks who live in idyllic place often grow restless, dissatisfied and are inviting psychological problems.

This may sound masochistic, but look no further than California for some abundant examples of people hitting the deep end and behaving very strangely. Conversely, those living in harsh, difficult environment tend to grow into real “mensch”, so that why I believe in the danger of heaven and the formative virtue of hell, but, hey, you may disagree with that!