Adios Amigos!

Hey Y'all! I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again. So, this will be my last "Oregon Tale". I'm hope you've enjoyed reading some of this stuff. It's been fun sharing my thoughts with you.

Last week I went into Portland to help my friend Erika celebrate her 21st birthday. It was a pretty wild night - I went to a strip club for the first time. It was called Silverados, and there were a lot of men there and they didn't have a lot of clothes on.

Here are a couple of things I like about Portland:

Free bike-fixin' stations! So cool!

So many bicycle commuters - 8% of all commuters - 10 times the national average.

They name streets after me! They must want me to move here...

As I head back to the East Coast, I hope to bring some of the West Coast vibe with me in my soul. I'm packing away some patience, peace, calm, and beauty with me. I'm going to keep it in a jar, and whenever I feel overwhelmed or frantic I'll take a little sip of that sweet, sweet nectar. Let me know if you need some - I've got plenty to share!

Peace out homes. :-)

PS - If you've enjoyed reading this, let me know. Tell me your thoughts - let's discuss life. Send me an email (miles.e.davison@gmail.com) or a super-cool letter.

Here's my new address:

Miles Davison

3702 Spruce Street, MB 325

Philadelphia, PA 19104

My father had surgery today on his gallbladder and small intestine. I spoke to him yesterday, and he seemed to be in high spirits, which is cool considering he's been in the hospital for the past week. He told me a funny story about waking up in the middle of the night and ripping all the tubes out of his body - just like Neo does in the matrix when he wakes up in the pod full of goo (c'mon, you know the scene). Oh, and don't worry - it all worked out - he didn't need those silly tubes anyway!

It's tough being on the other side of the country, because I'd like to be there with him and help him through this, but we don't always get what we want when we want it.

Knowing that my Dad is in the hospital also makes me think about the idea of death. The first time I really tackled the idea of death, I was in fifth grade. We were in the car, and I asked my parents what happens to people when they die.

My father responded, and he said something like the following: "I don't know what happens to us when we die. I'm not sure if there's a heaven or a hell after death. However, I do believe that we human beings create our own heaven or hell here on Earth by the choices we make each day."

These words have stuck with me throughout the years, and I deeply believe their veracity. We choose. At work, at play, eating dinner, talking to your mom, sister, lover, friend; we choose. Heaven or hell. And, if we are mindful, we can make the right choice and create a blissful present for us and those we share it with. It's called the present because it is a gift. :-)

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to reflect more on the idea of death.

Let me start by saying this - for me the idea of death can be FUCKING TERRIFYING!!!! The idea that I might end and cease to exist is incomprehensible, paralyzing, and just plain sad.

But, in my more calm moments, I'm able to look beyond the fear. I'm still not sure what happens to us when we die, but here's my best guess...

I think all living things share energy (i.e. photosynthesis, vitamin D, calories, etc). This energy is shared by all parts of our world through a beautifully complex interdependent web. This energy is both physical and mental/spiritual (what you might call "soul" energy). When we die, our physical body gets recycled back into the web - I believe this is generally accepted as fact, no? So, I think it's logical to reason that our soul energy goes back into the web too. We're gone, but our energy goes back to the big-ass energy pool and gets used again, somehow and somewhere.

"So what" you ask?

Well, if we are a part of an INTERDEPENDENT web of physical and mental energy, then we are responsible for making sure our piece of the pie contributes to the whole. We're responsible for using the time we've been given (this gift) to create a little piece of "heaven" on Earth. Responsible for using this energy we've been given (both body and mind) such that we give it back a little better than we've found it. In this way, we can collectively work towards a better community, world, universe together, both for the here and now, and after we're gone. Because after we're gone, the energy that we've carried will remain .

Sources of inspiration for these ramblings come from Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series, Unitarian Universalism, my friend Acacia, Thich Nhat Hanh, and of course, my Daddy.

Dad, I'm thinking about you and praying for your health.

Peace and love to y'all.

Bittersweet Sixteen

I have sixteen days left here in Mac. Then a couple of days in NY before I head back to Philly, and grad school (gah!). Here's a list of things I may or may not do before I leave:

1. Go to Vodoo Doughnuts (aw yea)

2. Help the fabulous Erika Neilsen celebrate her 21st right!

3. Perhaps get my wisdom teeth out? :-/

4. Run, run, run

5. Give a lot of things to Goodwill, so I don't have to take them on the plane - I love to simplify!

6. Do reading for school :-/

7. Get ice cream at Alf's with Elvis the monkey

I like flowers. I think they're manly. :-)

This week, I had to share difficult information with two people who are very close to me. It was hard to do so, but I know it's the best thing in the end. If you have something to tell someone, go ahead and do it. Waiting will only hurt you both.

Stick it to 'em!

I finished my first hiking stick. :-) I'm not sure what kind of wood it is, but it is beautiful and it used to smell really good and sweet! Now it smells like the spar urethane that I sealed it with. :-/

Here's the process:

1. Go to a beautiful place (i.e. Olympic National Park)

2. Fall in love with a stick. For hiking, it helps if the stick is about shoulder height and relatively straight.

3. Strip off the bark. This is easier if the branch is still alive and wet. The bark comes off in long strips. If not, use a knife to whittle the stick. Be careful not to score the wood too deeply with a knife - this will make it harder to sand later.

4. Sand the wood using a fine sand paper. P220 to start, and P400 to polish.

5. Screw a hook into the bottom of the stick and hang it up in an open ventilated area using a string. WARNING: Hanging a stick from a string in your yard may confuse your housemates and neighbors. Just tell them it is an ancient kung fu training ritual.

6. Seal the wood. I used a clear spray can of spar urethane and put on three coats.

7. Cap the bottom. I used a copper plumbing cap from the hardware store. I then drilled a hole in the bottom and used a small screw to secure the cap. You can also use a rubber cap.

this kind of looks like a penis, doesn't it? :-/

Punchbowl Falls - Should you jump?

Yesterday, my friend Jacqui and I went hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. At the recommendation of a true Oregonian (Emily), we decided to hike the 12-mile Eagle Creek trail.

The trail weaves it's way through a lush forest canyon, passing innumerable waterfalls along the way. The climax of the hike is Tunnel Falls.

As you can see, there's a tunnel carved into the rock behind the falls. You can reach out and practically touch the falls - just don't reach too far - it's a 50ft drop to the rocks below!

On the way back we stopped for a while at Punchbowl Falls

We hiked down to the ridge overlooking the falls, where we met another pair of hikers. Greg was looking over the edge contemplating the 80-ft drop to the water below. I thought about jumping for a second, but decided it wasn't worth the risk. Greg thought differently - he went for it! You can see what the jump looks like here.

Looking over that edge got me thinking about risks. How do we know when to go for it, and when to play it safe? Which risks are worth taking?

Not all risks are jumping off an 80-ft cliff into a pool of freezing cold water ( btw, I'm actually glad I didn't jump this time). Most of the risks we face everyday are not physical, they're emotional. Telling your loved ones how you truly feel is a risk a bet most of us are constantly confronting. Sharing your feelings makes you feel whole, and honest, and light. But what about the other person? What about your relationship?

Relationships and trust are built on honesty.

So, take a deep breath, stop thinking so much, and JUMP!

I think you'll be glad you did.

Women Food and God

A few weeks ago my friend Tracey sent me the book Women Food and God, by Geneen Roth. It's a self-help book. If you know Tracey, you probably know that she LOVES self-help books. Right Tabner?

Even though I'm not a woman, and I don't believe in the Judeo-Christian conception of a father god sitting on a cloud up in the sky, I do like FOOD. One out of three ain't bad. So I read the book.

All joking aside, I've had my fair share of struggles with food. I haven't shared this with a lot of people, and my food issues tend to fly under the radar because on the surface I seem like a pretty healthy guy - right? However, I'm not always so healthy. In fact, my tendency to go on eating binges got so bad in college that I sought counseling. Things have slowly but surely improved since that time, but I'm still not at peace with eating.

So, if you're someone whose ever struggled in your relationship to food - which I think is most of us - I suggest you read this book. It's good. It gave me some new perspective and ideas, and it was an easy read. I'll even send you my copy if you ask nicely.

Ok, let's talk about less serious things...

I found this rubber ducky in the park today . Is it a doctor? Is it attending a gala? I don't understand it, but I sure do like it.

I finished building my new road racing bike today, and I took it for a little spin around Yamhill County. Name suggestions welcome and encouraged.

All who wander are not lost, but we sure were!

This past Sunday, I picked up Miss Christine Fallabel at the airport. After a brief stop at Trader Joes for some supplies and a refreshing yoga class in Portland, we headed north to Olympic National Park. We arrived up at the park in the early evening, and hiked a quick mile in to a beautiful campsite at the confluence of two rivers.

The next day (July 4), we went on an epic 14 mile hike...

This is what the trail looked like!

After getting lost in the woods for a few hours and hiking up (and down) some really steep hills, we arrived at Royal Lake. Unfortunately, it was a little too cool for a swim, but the ice covering the lake was gorgeous.

The Cathedral of Nature

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity..."

— John Muir

This week, I took two days off to go tramp around in the beautiful, wild, not-so-far-away places here in Oregon.

First I headed to Saddle Mountain. When I got to the turn off, there was a big orange sign and some construction equipment blocking the way. The sign said "ROAD CLOSED". But really, like that's going to stop me! I maneuvered my car around the sign and proceeded on up the mountain. Things were going well until about three miles in, when I spotted the construction crew. Oh shit. I stopped the car short and was about to turn the car around, hoping I could make a quick getaway, when I noticed that one of the crewman was actually waving me forward, probably to scold me for ignoring the obviously clear sign.

Well, no turning back now. I sheepishly pulled the car up and rolled down the window. "Go ahead through" he said, "It's clear the rest of the way from here". With both feelings of guilt and excitement, I proceeded on.

I'm glad I risked it. The hike was beautiful and challenging. When I reached the top there was a blinding fog, which, although it blocked the view, was marvelous in itself.

the view from the Saddle Mountain trail

Just a short drive from the mountain, I arrived in Cannon Beach, where I met up with the SHP cross-country bicycle group. I helped them assemble some bicycles and we broke break together. In the morning, while they reviewed policies, I went for a long walk on the beach. Believe it or not, I do really enjoy long walks on the beach. :-)

I walked out at low tide and found a secluded spot where I was all alone. The place felt instilled with magic, and I felt a rush of liveness and beauty flow over me. There were magnificent starfish clinging to the rocks, and I collected some sand dollars along the shoreline. On the way back, the tide had come in, and I had to wade through chest deep water. No matter, it was more than worth it!

Cannon Beach, OR

When I got home, I watched some of The National Parks: America's Best Idea, by Ken Burns. The first episode highlighted the life and writings of John Muir. Muir instantly became a hero of mine because of his adventurous spirit and his spiritual experience of wild places. Dude is on point.

Alpacas and Emerson

I went for a bike ride yesterday to visit the local "erratic rock" (a boulder that was transported here thousands of years ago by glacial flows). Once I was there, I took out a pen and some Emerson and dug in. From up on the hill, I had great views of the surrounding vineyards, and in the distance I think I could see Mt. Hood. It was a lovely, peaceful afternoon.

I've only started reading Emerson's "Nature", but I already feel like we are kindred spirits. Emerson radically changed American intellectual and spiritual thought by positioning the natural world at the center as something holy. His outlook seems most closely aligned to modern-day Pagans, who can be found reveling in the changing seasons during the solstice, but also makes me think of the U.U. principle about the "interdependent web of life, of which we are a part".

Emerson also encourages us to be mindful and intentionally engaged with the world, which reminds me of one of my favorite writers, the buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. But what I really love about Emerson is his uninhibited sense of joy.

He writes, "Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration. I am glad to the brink of fear." These lines remind me of my friend Sarah Edwards, who I feel most closely embodies this sentiment.

On the way back home, I stumbled upon a virtual sea of alpacas! Pretty awesome. They were surprisingly interested in me, which I found bizzare, but also kind of sublime. Perhaps I've found my calling?

Go jump in a lake!

Today is Wednesday, so it's my day off, of course. Yesterday, I heard a couple of different cyclists talk about riding at a place called Hagg Lake. So, when I decided to go for a bike ride today I had to be Hagg Lake-bound!

The lake was about 25 miles from Mac, so I downed a bowl of granola and blueberries, hopped on my bike and hit the road. The countryside on the way to the lake was dotted with farms and a few small towns. After a couple of hours I arrived at the lake...

This is Hagg Lake. It is very nice and very hilly.

My new bike likes the lake

I took a break in one of the picnic areas. There were a couple of people fishing, but besides that it was very still and peaceful on the lakeside. I decided to cool off with a dip in the lake. Hagg Lake is cool because they permit swimming pretty much anywhere in the gigantic lake (10 miles around). I didn't have a swimsuit with me, but bike shorts are a good substitute.

Normally I would run into the water and dive in as fast as I can. It's just what I do. But today, I was really struck by the peace and calm of the lake. I walked out into the lake slowly and carefully and just stood there for a while waist-deep in the water. Listening to the wind and the birds and watching the ripples in the water was the best part of my day.

10 years ago...

So, I was flipping through my address book this afternoon, and I came across this on the inside cover...

Needless to say, this is from a different time in my life. In the Spring of 2001 I was fifteen years old and a freshman in high school. I hung out with a "rough" group of proudly rebellious, delinquent, and really stupid teenagers (not stupid people, just a "phase" I like to think at least).

We enjoyed popular past times like smoking pot by the creek and hanging out at the elementary school and drinking Natural Ice until we got sick or got lucky. We pretty much always just got sick, which was probably for the best anyway...

My hormones were through the roof, and I really referred to women as "chicks". I really wanted to be cool, and I thought the way to do it was to be a tough guy and hook up with lots of "chicks".

Now it's ten years later, and my life is a little bit different. I just finished drinking a cup of tea and I'm listening to Joni Mitchell in my house in the Oregon countryside. I consider myself a feminist. My views on my own masculinity and my place in the world have changed so radically that it's hard to believe that I'm still in the same body. And yet, to deny or forget my fifteen year-old self would be dishonest. In many ways, those experiences still shape and influence who I am today. I've changed a lot, but I am still me. The ghosts of my past still linger inside me, and I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon. Rather than deny my past, I think it's important to continue to be honest with myself about the work I still need to do. While I am much more respectful of women than I once was, I am not always cognizant of how my actions effect those I care about.

It's incredible to think how much has happened between 15 and 25. I'm really excited for all of the adventures, mistakes, lessons, love, and the rest of it that's coming in these next ten years. Life is a wonderful experiment, and I'm a mad scientist!

In reflecting upon life and time, I also have a newfound respect for my elders. It's hard to fathom how much life they have lived. So here's to learning and loving and continuing on the best we know how.

New Things

This is my colleague Ben. Pink is his favorite color, and he wears a helmet because he is our captain of safety at Tommy's. Thanks for keeping us safe, Ben!

Tonight's Dinner:

Quinoa with local Asparagus and Fava Beans from the Farmer's Market. I washed it all down with a Portland Pale Ale. Looking forward to stinky pee tomorrow!

Tracey and I went hiking in the woods...

and also to the left coast!

This is my new bike. It's a Surly Long Haul Trucker. It's blue, and it's tricked out with the blue rims from my road bike (RIP Fred - I'm sorry I cracked your head tube, buddy) and blue racing tires. Your so jealous!

Also, I ran a 5k this morning. It was a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, which is all well and good, but that's not why I ran the race. The prize for the winner was a HELICOPTER RIDE!!!! Alas, I came in 2nd. Thus, no helicopter ride for this guy (not yet at least). I did however, make a new friend - the guy that beat me in the race. His name is Anthony. Good times.

State your mission

Hey Ya'll. Just got back from a great weekend of camping with Ms. Tracey Abner. Covered some of the same ground along the Willamette river that I biked on my x-country trip in '05. It was much easier to climb Santiam Pass (4,817ft) in a '91 Camry than it was on my touring bike. It was also less rewarding though, and the descent was not nearly as thrilling. So it goes.

We ran into a couple of x-country cyclists in Sisters, OR. There names are Josh and Teel, and it just so happens that they stopped at Tommy's bike shop last week. When they came by the shop I gave there bikes a little tune up and shared some words of wisdom from the road. Here's their website!

We stayed the weekend at camp Sherman along the Metolius River. The Metolius river is a natural spring that bubbles up from the beautiful green earth.

So, a few months ago Tracey and I decided to write personal mission statements. I wrote my first mission statement in high school as an assignment for health class (thanks Ms. Gai). I really loved the idea, so I decided to update mine.

Tracey and I each wrote a draft of our personal mission statements. We then shared them, gave feedback, and went back to the workshop. After some editing, we exchanged final drafts and tasked each other with making a beautiful presentation of our words. Here's a picture of me with my new mission statement (Thanks Tracey!).

And here's what it says:

To live simply - mend instead of replace, consume less, travel light

Enjoy the gifts that the present moment has to offer

Appreciate the importance of treating oneself with kindness - eat well, sleep well, and take your time

Revel often in the beauty and wonder of the natural world, of which you are a small part

Give the gift of presence by listening deeply and practicing empathy

Attend to and support my friends and family in living well and full

Embrace and participate in my community with my soul, my energy, my ideas and my critical mind, and my own two hands

Question social conventions and live life as just the wonderful experiment that it should be

Play like a child, laugh heartily, and remember that most times, it's not that deep

Remember taht all these things are interconnected

Read and revise this mission regularly

What's your mission?

Things I have learned so far during my short time as a bike mechanic:

While these lessons come from the bike shop, many can be applied to life in general...

Go slow

Remember what order things go in when you are taking them apart

Try simple solutions before more difficult ones

Size matters

Be careful

If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't

If you spend more time diagnosing problems at the start, you'll spend less time re-doing things later

Have fun

Relax, it's not that deep

Strive for excellence

Ask for help when you need it

'Berg Bikes: My dream come true

Going into my senior year of college, I was pretty far ahead on my coursework. I had the option of graduating a semester early, but instead, I decided to stick around. I took a half course load for my last two semesters and spent the rest of my team working in the Chapel. My job there was to plan programs and events that contributed to students' religious and spiritual lives, with a special focus on social justice. It was a sweet gig! I put together a Fair Trade sale, a Genocide Awareness night, and a super-rockin' Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans.

I also put a lot of time and energy into putting together a proposal for a Muhlenberg Bike Share program. While this might not seem to align exactly with my job description, my boss (the College Chaplain) allowed me the latitude to work on this project. This may have had something to do with the fact that the Chaplain was the advisor for the college's cycling club (of which I was the president).

Anywho, I busted my ass trying to get this program off the ground. I researched different bike share programs around the world, and came up with a plan that suited our campus. I put together a proposal detailing where the bikes would be kept and how they would be checked out. I wrote up a budget with estimated costs. I drafted liability waivers and sent them to a lawyer to be vetted. I met with college administrators and staff. I was on my A-game.

Sadly, and despite my best efforts, I left Muhlenberg in the Spring of '08 without seeing my plan come to fruition. I was disheartened, but I passed my plans along to an underclassman on Student Council in the hope that one day there might be a bicycle lending program at my alma mater.

AND NOW THERE ARE 'BERG BIKES HANGING FROM THE SKY!

My friend Jacy sent me these pictures recently. Apparently, the college's Environmental Action Club (EnAct) took my plans and made this ish happen. I can't tell you what joy it brings me to see this project come into being. I am so proud of the students there who took an idea and made it a reality.

It just goes to show that even when something doesn't seem to work out, you never know what kind of impact you might have today, tomorrow, or even years later. So keep on kickin' it and spreading the love, because hey, there are BIKES HANGING FROM THE FREAKING CEILING!!!! :-)

McMinnville (in photographs)

No one can hear you scream in space, but who cares if you have ICE CREAM! Yum.

This is where I work. It's a bicycle shoppe!

This is where I do yoga with the ladies and the occasional gentlemen. Solidarity fellas!

This beautiful tree stands at the center of the McMinnville city park

City Hall (a little smaller than the one in Philly)

Balancing my life

Anyone who knows me well, knows that the idea of balance is important to me. It's a major part of my value system and my spirituality. I've even considered getting some symbol of balance permanently tattooed on my body, but for now that's just a fun thought.

I see the importance of balance everywhere, from the food pyramid, to training for a half marathon, to tending a garden, one thing holds true - it's important to try to maintain balance.

Today I attended a service at First UU in Portland. The sermon was entitled "Perfect Equilibrium", and as you might expect, it spoke to me. I thought the minister, who was visiting from All Souls in NY (what, what), had a strong central thesis.

He spoke of balancing in terms of desire. Sometimes we should fulfill our desire, and sometimes we should abstain. But how do we decide? We decide by asking ourselves what is going to further our values and ideals. If fulfilling our desire will contribute to our values and ideals, then we should give ourselves the green light. On the other hand, if giving into our desire will detract from our values and ideals, well then maybe we should stay put.

I found this framework helpful for me, and it sharpened my concept of balance. It also got me thinking, that while I've trumped up the idea of balance in my life, I haven't given it the full attention it deserves.

I've failed to create balanced relationships. I'm coming to realize that many of my relationships, be they romantic, platonic, or familial, are out of whack. Either I give to much and I let the other person slide without asserting myself, or I take advantage of someone else's generosity, without giving them the attention or honesty they deserve. Either way, I am doing the relationship a disservice. But as they say, awareness is the first step towards change. So here goes...

Random thought: Today I locked my keys in my car at the ultimate frisbee game in Portland. Luckily for me, a nice woman called AAA. Right before AAA got there, my new friend Lee gerry-rigged some wire and duct tape and opened the door - presto! And we told the AAA guy that his services were no longer required -sorry dude! The whole experience got me wondering though - will AAA break in to anybody's car?!?!? I'm almost tempted to find out.

LOANS!

Is anyone else out there totally freaked out by the idea of loans?!?!? I just requested to borrow $40,000 to pay for my education next year. That means I'll be borrowing $80,000 to get my Masters degree in Social Work. Holy shit. That's more money than I've made in the last twenty six years. I could buy 80 really nice bicycles for that money. I could buy a corvette. There's so much I could do with that money.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Unfinished Business?

I've been having weird dreams lately. I'm also listening to Britney right now, but that's besides the point!

A few weeks ago I dreamt about wrestling in high school. As a senior in high school I was a pretty good wrestler. I was team captain, and going into the county finals I was seeded first. Over the season I had compiled a record of 34-1, with my one loss coming to someone from outside the county. I easily made my way through the tournament bracket, making quick work of my competition. The county title was in my sights... and then it all fell apart. I got caught in a freak move, and fell behind 5-0. It was all downhill after that. I ended up losing the match 18-1, thus ending my high school wrestling career.

Then recently, I've been having another dream - this one related to college. As a senior in college I had to work with a group on a final project. Our project looked at the idea of implicit racism and it's effect on college students. I thought it was pretty great, but we had some trouble with the data analysis, and our argument wasn't as powerful as I would have liked. Now, I keep having this recurring dream that I have to present a final paper, and I haven't prepared anything.

Weird.

I don't know why these dreams of "unfinished business" are coming up now. Maybe I'm sleeping too much (is that possible?). Maybe with grad school looming in the not-so-distant future, I'm afraid of leaving more business unfinished?

Are there things in your life that feel incomplete or unfinished? How do you deal with them?

Lonliness

Moving to Mac from Philly has been an adjustment. In Philadelphia, I had a very full life. I lived in a house with other 20-somethings who were always down for a beer and some chit-chat. I played soccer (Los Tejones!), dodgeball (Mucho Mundo!), kickball (Kickball Corps!), ultimate frisbee, and tooled around town on my bike. I was a regular at the Farmer's Market, and would regularly see friends on walks around town. Most weekends, I had a few options for which party or potluck to go to.

And I left all that to live in McMinnville, OR for the summer.

Now I live in a house with some perfectly friendly 60-somethings , who spend there evenings glued to the t.v. (It's been 6 years now since I've lived in a place with a television). There are no rec. sports leagues in Mac. I can drive into Portland for a frisbee game, but it's a 2 hour drive round trip! Luckily, I've made a few friends here, and they are my saving grace. I've also become a regular at the local yoga studio, which gives me some peace of mind.

But I'm still pretty lonely. The cast of Glee and Grey's have sadly become my not-so-local bestie's.

Slowly, but surely, I'm carving out a life here for myself. But being away from Philly has made me appreciate my life back home. I didn't realize the importance of Philly's social institutions in my life until they were gone. I think all of us need social institutions (rec sports leagues, book clubs, music venues, church, whatever else might be your cup of tea...) to create opportunities for the meaningful human interaction that we all crave. It's seems to me that there's a dearth of social institutions in many our communities in the U.S., as more and more people live private and empty lives at home in front of their televisions and computers.

So, please, if you have the chance to, go out there and find a way to connect. Join a knitting or drumming circle. Invite that guy you met last week at frisbee out for a beer. We're all we got, so we might as well be friends.

And as for me, I'll roll up my sleeves and see if I can dig up a social life here in sleepy Mactown.

Happy Trails...

Emily is here! Emily is my friend from Philly, and I'm working for her dad this summer at Tommy's bike shop. I drove out to Emily's house this morning. Her parents bought the house about 20 years ago. At the time, it was a "fixer upper". Now, it's a little slice of paradise. See below...

On five acres of land in Carlton, OR they have a beautiful flower and vegetable garden, a stable with two horses and pasture, and even a HUMUNGOUS old cannon (strictly for ascetic purposes, don't worry). It's really inspiring to see what Pat and Robbie have built for themselves out there.

This is Breezy!

Emily and I drove into Portland to go trail running on the Leif Erikson and Wildwood trails. The trails were great, and the weather was perfect. I was wearing my newish Vibrams (toe shoes) and my poor feet took a beating on the rocky trails - but no matter. We ate lunch and then sat in the park watching little hippy kids play in the water.

Later on, I came back to Emily's house where we helped her mom in the garden before having a DELICIOUS dinner! What a perfect day!

Emily likes gardening

Thought for the day: Making shit is so much more satisfying than buying shit. :-)

Artsy Fartsy

I've been feeling really crafty lately... I was inspired to make this paper crane by my friend Sandy. She's on a mission to make a thousand paper cranes with inspirational words on them (check out her blog, it's awesome!). Sandy leaves these cranes in public places for strangers to discover. I left this one on a counter at the McMinnville Post Office. Thanks Sandy!

To date, I've made ten of these stylish bracelets. Nine have been sent out in the mail, and one is on my dresser. It's reminded me how fun it is to be crafty and has gotten my artistic blood pumping.

Philosophical rant for the day: We too often focus on what is right and wrong. What is good and what is bad. Rules, laws, protocol. But life is rarely so black and white. We live in the gray areas in between. We muddle through the fog of moral uncertainty as we trip over our mistakes and our misunderstandings.

This fog, while occasionally frustrating, is actually beautiful. It gives life the depth of complexity and mystery, without which our lives would be a whole lot less interesting. So squint your eyes a little harder, and try to see your way forward. Remember the potholes where you've tripped before, and be wary as you move ahead. But no matter how careful you are, everyone falls sometimes. The fog makes some snares nearly invisible. So go on ahead, tripping and stumbling your way through this crazy life. I'll be there tripping and falling right next to you, laughing, crying, and smiling all the way.

On Saturday, I went to a beach wrestling tournament in Pacific City, OR.

Wikipedia has this to say about beach wrestling:

"Apparently in a bid to give wrestling greater appeal to television audiences, FILA adopted beach wrestling as an official discipline during 2004–2005. Beach wrestling is standing wrestling done by wrestlers, male or female, inside a sand-filled circle measuring 6 meters (20 ft) in diameter with only two weight categories, heavy and light. The objective is to throw an opponent or take the opponent to their back. The wrestlers wear swimsuits rather than special wrestling uniforms. Wrestlers may also wear spandex or athletic shorts."

Even though there were only two other guys in my division, I had a great time.

Setting up a hip toss - check out that nasty under hook!

I won the tournament and brought home the gold sand dollar and $10 prize money!

The beach was breathtakingly beautiful.

I also spent some time this weekend at the McMinnville UFO Festival. Aliens, Chewbacca, tinfoil, and so many other bizarre things. Good times.

Turtle Island

"...Americans, through our constant striving for convenience , are eradicating the raucous and edifying beauty of our true environment and replacing the beauty with a safe but completely "faux" environment."

"...we are each given only one dazzling moment of life here on Earth, and we must stand before that reality both humbled and elevated, subject to every law of our universe and grateful for our brief but intrinsic participations within it."

I pulled these two excerpts from The Last American Man, by Elizabeth Gilbert, which I received in the mail from a very special lady (thanks Chrissy!). I started reading this book a couple of days ago, and I found that it resonated deeply with some of my strongest beliefs. The book describes the life and work of Eustace Conway, an extremely heroic and strange man. Eustace lives in the woods in North Carolina on a 100 acres of property, and is completely self sufficient - he hunts and gathers for his food, builds his own shelters, and walks the walk when it comes to sustainability and living in harmony with the natural world.

The words in this book conjured up a lot of emotions in me. I felt inspired to live a similar life, but also guilty for how disconnected I am from the earth and it's other inhabitants. So, late Tuesday night, about twenty-five pages in, I decided to do something about it. I did some research about Turtle Island, and decided to apply for one of their 14 month internships. I was going to live in the woods. Hunt. Farm. Sew my own deerskin moccasins and chop firewood and feel like a million bucks (dollars or deer). :-)

Screw grad school and a future full of fluorescent lights and boxes. I was going to LIVE.

I went to bed smiling, exhilarated by the idea of my newfound life aspirations. Then I woke up Wednesday morning, and there, in my Inbox, was a response from Turtle Island. There was a ton of information about the internship and an invitation to follow up.

Holy shit. This was real.

Once the initial excitement started to wear off, I started to become aware of the other side of the coin... I started to ask myself. Do I want to spend all day chopping firewood? Would I be satisfied with an agrarian lifestyle? I still felt strongly about reconnecting with the earth, but at what cost? I like hot showers A LOT. I like heating in the winter and AC (or at least a fan!) in the summer. I wasn't sure that I was ready to give up all of my creature comforts...

Basically, I realized that while I do want and need to live a life more closely aligned with natural processes and the web of all existence, I'm also cool with making a few... exceptions. And besides, not all modern advances are out-of-sync with the universe, or are necessary harmful to us. The printing press, sliced bread, and modern medicine (for the most part), are just a few of the welcome human advances that bring about a better quality of without doing damage to the environment. We don't need to throw about the baby with the bathwater. We don't even need to throw out the bath water, especially if it's nice and warm!

So I think you should read the book. Hopefully, you'll have a crisis of conscious. Go ahead, plant a vegetable garden, or maybe spend sometime WWOOFing , but I won't be mad at ya if you don't decide to give up hot showers. I know I can't.

Make Art, Not Trash

So the other day at work I was replacing a worn out chain on a snazzy little road bike, and I got inspired. I have seen a bunch of jewelry and art made of bike components popping up all over the place. It's so trendy. It screams "I'm green, I'm hip, I like bikes!" So of course I needed to have some, but I wasn't going to pay $10 for some old piece of scrap metal, no way!

So I took the old chain home, cleaned it up, and made some fly wrist ornaments. Isn't this one with the red chain bangin'? Yeah, well, IT'S MINE!

Don't worry, you can have one too! I've already starting making some for other folks, and they'll be going out in the mail soon.

Let me know if you want to sport your bicycle pride on your wrist, and I'll hook you up with some homemade love.

Till next time,

Miles

PS - I watched the documentary Gasland last night. It's about the harmful effects of drilling for natural gas through a process called "fracking". Really important film to see. Watch the film and then let your elected officials know that we shouldn't destroy the Earth and our drinking water. God, we are so fucking dumb!

Welcome!

Hello there, and welcome to my blog. I've been an admirer of my blogger friends for some time now, but never thought I'd join the club myself. I also never thought I'd end up in a little country town in Oregon with lots of free time to explore and contemplate, but here I am.

Isn't life full of surprises?

Before I get started, I'd like to give credit where credit is due. Tracey Abner, for being my bestie and introducing me to the world of blogging. Ms. Rachel Weis, who showed me the sunnier side of New York both through words and as my personal tour guide. And last but surely not least, Chrissy, whose optimism and spirit encourage me to be more awesome.

So here we are - on my blog (AH!). For starters, what a terrible word: BLOG. It reminds me of that old horror fim, I think it was called "THE BLOB". It's this terrible movie where this giant ball of muck goes around town enveloping everything in it's path: dogs, people, homes, the forest, etc... anyone know what I'm talking about?

Well, I don't want my blog to be a BLOB. So, let's call it something different: like my happy place (Billy Madison ref.), or my fasrah (yes, I just made that word up). Seems as though I haven't found a suitable alternative yet... any suggestions?

Whatever you choose to call this space: welcome! So far, I'm enjoying writing this shit. I hope you enjoy reading it. :-)

Come back soon now, y'hear?

peacefully yours,

miles