Bonafide hustler

Today I gchatted about conspiracy theories (which I am a conspiracy theorist, well mainly the belief that the people with money rule the world and control the masses, the office is like a prison which they have created to sedate us, the corporations control the government ect. ect.), and listened to the M.I.A. song Paper Planes about 100 times.

In other news, Barney Frank introduced a marijuana decriminalization bill to Congress, which has little chance of getting passed (see above comments)...but its still definitely a step in the right direction! You could have up to 100 grams, or 3.5 ounces, without penalty.

Also, Swami Swami Ramdev is planning to build a $20 million dollar yoga and Ayurveda center in Texas. I would maybe consider working there one day, but I doubt I would like to live in Texas or work at such a large facility. I'm probably going to do something on a smaller scale, if thats where my path in life takes me. My advice from my spiritual advisor today, is that if you don't know what to do in life, or not sure what path to take, just say to yourself "Let it work" and rest in a state of inaction and be worry free. Because there are other forces at work that you probably just aren't aware of or can't see, that are aligning for your future path.

Mellifluous Monday

A must-read article on the Future of Physics. If you read only one physics article I post here, this should be it! I think its interesting that when the moon is full, at high tide, the land near Geneva rises 25 cm, and the LHC's circumference increases by 1 millimeter, and the beam energy changes by 0.02 percent. The experimenters must allow for this effect. Another interesting fact, the proton velocity in the LHC is 99.9999991% of light speed.

More on the LHC from the New Yorker, a Crash Course

A chill song I've been listening to today: Ghost Hardware

Mix by Dave J



Image: Bubble chamber

Stuff White People Like

You've probably already seen this but I'll post it anyway, because BYT did their own version of the website...I would also say that almost all of these apply to me.

Stuff White People Like

BYT Version


<3

Tree of Life

by Gustav Klimt

Jazz in Albuquerque

Spiritual centers: This topic has interested me ever since I talked to an Acupuncturist who told me that the major spiritual centers in the world, or any place where many people have reached enlightenment or have felt drawn to, usually has a large crystal/mineral deposit underneath it when you look at the geology of the area. I thought this was an interesting idea because I had read about a spot in Tibet where many Dalai Lamas and monks had come to meditate and were enlightened, I wonder if it had something to do with the minerals there.

I began thinking about this after I heard this story on npr yesterday, about Jazz in Albuquerque. I came across a few Ayurveda schools in Albuquerque when I was doing some research earlier this year, and I was wondering if maybe it is one of these spiritual centers that people are drawn to. I don't like the term "New Age", but it also reminded me of this interesting website I read about Asheville, NC.

The Story of Stuff

For now, my blog has a black background in order to save energy but there's still a debate over whether or not a black background will save energy due to a longer reading time vs. a white screen.

For those in the Old Town Alexandria area, morning Sadhana at Pure Prana is free! Although it is at 5 am on Monday morning:

"By adhering to Yogi Bhajan's urging to practice yoga before sunrise, we work on our personal issues in the most neutral time of the day (called the Ambrosial Hours), and we catch the awakening waves of the earth which sustain us throughout the day."

Wiki category of the day: Herbs
Wiki category of the day pt.2: Spices

The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard, what a great link that I think is very important for all consumers to watch.

The future of particle physics: how the LHC works

Question of the day: Do you believe in the evolution of human consciousness?

Quote of the day: "You couldn't fit me in a blog"- Vincent, in response to the comment that I should make my blog about his life.

Amazing Stat: California uses more gas than China

From WIRED Science:

"Given all the news coverage about the rise of the Chinese economy, you could be forgiven for thinking that the world's most populous country is hogging all the world's resources, while the developed nations are fighting for scraps.

But, at least with transportation fuel, you'd be wrong. California alone uses more gasoline than any country in the world (except the US as a whole, of course). That means California's 20 billion gallon gasoline and diesel habit is greater than China's! (Or Russia's. Or India's. Or Brazil's. Or Germany's.)

That's according to the California Energy Commission's State Alternative Fuels Plan, which was posted online last Christmas Eve (pdf). The whole report makes for some fascinating reading because it's a blueprint for a low-carbon and renewable transportation fuel future. The dominant takeaway: it ain't going to be easy.

One more choice statistic: gasoline usage in California has increased 50 percent, that's 10 6.7 billion gallons, since 1988. Has there been anything close to a commensurate increase in quality of life here to accompany that rise in energy use?

But China's oil thirst is growing -- to almost 20 billion gallons in 2007 -- and perhaps as early as this year, China's 1.3 billion people will overtake California's 37 million people in total gasoline and diesel usage."

Pretty much sums up my day at work

Flowchart: The Procrastination Loop

Surf Sequence

Surf Sequence Parts 1-5 by Ansel Adams, Moon and Half Dome, and Aspens:

Hustlin'

Sunscreen info from the Environmental Working Group

Soulful Relationships by Steve Pavlina, I like this point that he makes:

Everyone you meet in your life — even total strangers — is already intimately connected to you. The idea that we are all separate and distinct beings is nothing but an illusion. We are all parts of a larger whole, like individual cells in a body.

Gridskipper Washington DC: is a blog about travel and leisure, written especially for urban dwellers who appreciate the need to get off the grid from time to time.

A Midsummer Guide To Berry Picking in DMV

Wiki-of-the-day, the Golden Ratio

Oceolot kitten image-thank you Marcus

Let Go

Christine sent me this statue from her travels in India.
Thank you Christine!

Feng Shui Tips: Bedroom

Feng shui, "Earth Acupuncture", is the practice of clearing space in order to allow qi to flow positively. Above all, the most important part of Feng Shui is that you feel comfortable in your space. Basically, use common sense, and make the best choices possible for the unique space you are working with. We talked a little bit about feng shui in my Chinese Medicine class, and I have picked up some tips through books and articles I have read, here are a few:

Position of bed in bedroom: Ideally, it should be with the feet facing the door, but have the bed moved to the right or the left corner of the room, depending on which side the door is on. The bed should be as far away from the door as possible. In the case that someone enters the room, you will have the most time to react to them, as well as events in your life. This position of the bed indicates that you have more control over your space, and your life. Be sure the bed is accessible from both sides. Secondly, if an option, the bed would ideally have the head in the east and the foot in the west, for meditative sleep.


No clutter: An important part of feng shui is to not let your space get cluttered or untidy. Keeping your space clean is a good practice. Clutter can cause qi to have a negative flow, or stagnate, and getting rid of it will help the qi to flow naturally and positively again through your space and your life.

Crystals: Crystals can be positioned at strategic locations to bring more energy to those locations, depending on what areas of your life you are focusing on. I like to hang a small crystal in my window (I also like the rainbows created when sunlight hits the crystal--it reminds me of the electromagnetic spectrum.)

Plants: Plants bring good qi to a room. Below is a picture of a plant and salt crystal in my bedroom.
Mirrors: Should not face the bed. Should not be placed so that your image is distorted in any way when you look at the mirror.

Bedroom overall: Have proper balance, but should have more yin energy, as it is a place to sleep and recharge. Be aware of the effects of images and colors you choose. Do not have a TV in your bedroom and if so, try to have it somewhere that it can be covered, like in a piece of furniture that can be closed if the TV is not in use. Limit electronics as much as possible in the bedroom, due to the electromagnetic frequencies. Do not have anything under the bed, this will also impede the flow of qi. The center of the room should be open, do not place anything directly in the center.

Theologue by Alex Grey

My favorite musician

Scott M- experimental jazz/hip hop

Cookbook

I love this cookbook! Thank you Jen for recommending it.

"One of the best happy hours you've never heard of" (before reading below)

It's tonight! (And Every Wed.) I'm planning on going. This happy hour is ideal for many reasons: mediterranean lounge setting, good drinks (ketel one specials!), and of course, pleasantly chill music thats hard to find elsewhere in DC.

Teddy

One of my favorite short stories, Teddy, by J.D. Salinger

"You know what was in that apple? Logic. Logic and intellectual stuff. That was all that was in it. So--this is my point--what you have to do is vomit it up if you want to see things as they really are. I mean if you vomit it up, then you won't have any more trouble with blocks of wood and stuff. You won't see everything stopping off all the time. And you'll know what your arm really is, if you're interested. Do you know what I mean? Do you follow me?"

Superfoods, among other things, including the Eagle Nebula

I rode my bike this morning to work, as usual, and also included the superfood spirulina in my breakfast smoothie.

SciCentral: "The gateway to the best science news sources"

Brightest Young Things: A website for living in DC, whats going on in the city, ect. --Thanks Bloom!

Shenandoah National Park

Lunchtime quote: "SOBER - Son of a bitch, Everything's real"

In Defense of Food

The book I most recently read, an excellent response to the "supposedly incredibly complicated and confusing question of what we humans should eat in order to be maximally healthy."

Its not as hard as it seems

One of my favorite radio stations here in DC, especially from 10 pm to 11 pm for the Decipher Stream (hip hop): WPFW 89.3

Some days, I think I would like to be a Zen monk, here are some good tips for living like one.
The Zen Habits blog is a decent blog overall, I haven't spent too much time on it besides skimming a few articles.

Deoxy.org I've spent a lot of time on this website a few years ago, some of the stuff is a bit out there, but a lot of it is interesting. Its kind of hard to navigate, the pull down menu at the top with "deoxy.org" in it is a list of links to all the other topics on the website.

Quantum Entanglement, a wikipedia explanation.

The Earth Sangha is an environmental meditation group in Alexandria

Taoism quote: In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired. In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped. - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

p.s. if youre reading this....I miss you Jen & Jenny!!