“Live out of your imagination, not your history.”—Stephen Covey

In 2004, UNESCO released a list of top Creative Cities in the world.  I’m not sure if UNESCO should be in the business of listing “Top Ten” lists of anything, but I realized in disappointment I’ve only been to two of these cities.

• UNESCO Cities of Craft and Folk Art
  • Aswan, 
  • Egypt
  • Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
  • Kanazawa, Japan
• UNESCO Cities of Design
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Montreal, Canada
  • Nagoya, Japan
  • Kobe, Japan
  • Shenzhen, China
• UNESCO City of Film
  • Bradford, UK
• UNESCO City of Gastronomy
  • Popayan, Colombia
• UNESCO Cities of Literature
  • Edinburgh, UK
  • Melbourne, Australia
  • Iowa City, USA
• UNESCO Cities of Music
  • Bologna, Italy
  • Seville, Spain
  • Glasgow, UK
  • Ghent, Belgium
• UNESCO City of Media Arts
  • Lyon, France

There was a time in my life where I wanted to build organic buildings, working in cob and strawbale.

http://currystonedesignprize.com/recipients/2009/handmade_building

It’s stuff like this that inspires me.  They built a gorgeous building out of nothing more than dirt and water.  And of course, some sweat labor.  However, in the developing world, it’s much easier/cheaper to train people to use materials at hand than to import expensive and environmentally damaging things like cement!

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/09/21/philadelphia-free-li-1.html

 Just minutes ago, the Pennsylvania State senate passed bill 1828 by a vote of 32 to 17. For all of you who have been following the saga over the city’s budget crisis, this is indeed the legislation that was needed for the City of Philadelphia to avoid the “Doomsday” Plan C budget scenario, which would have resulted in the layoff of 3,000 city employees and forced the closing of all libraries.

Nobody tagged me, but I wanted in on this meme so I stole if from Zac Johnson.

If someone doesn’t invite you to the party, you can still crash it.

This is How It Works:

* Each player must post these rules first.* Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.* People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.* At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. Hulk

While other kids liked to be Superman, Spiderman or Batman, growing up I liked to be the Incredible Hulk. I guess there was something about being a giant loner who only wanted to be alone appealed to me. Yes, I guess my childhood was lonely at times.

2. Internet Poker

For three months, I tried to be an internet poker player. I played religiously, 12 hours a day reading as many different poker books as I could. I never lost any money, but I only made about 300 USD. When I realized I was only making 3 USD per day, I woke up and realized that poker was not the way for me.3. Travel

I love to travel. I have been to over 25 countries and lived in six. I speak four languages. I like to travel because every time I get off a plane, train or automobile, I take advantage of the opportunity to re-invent myself. Sometimes I’m the soulful artist, the chatty salesman or even the unsophisticated farmer. It’s fun, because they are all aspects of the same person. I just get to let them out and have some fun.

4. Cats

I was born in the year of the cat according to Vietnamese astrology. As a result, I’ve always wanted to be a cat. I take stray cats home from off the street and feed other people’s cats. I know that someday I will wake up and be one of those “crazy cat people” but for now, I think me and my cat are fine. My feline friends are simply among the smartest in the animal kingdom. They are lazy, selfish and people (including myself) love them for it.

5. I was fat.

Or at least, that’s what everyone tells me. I don’t think I’m fat now. I’m 5′8″ and I weigh 190 lbs. People are always surprised when I tell them how much I weigh. However, BMI and body fat indexes all tell me that I am marginally obese, and that I will die soon. Even though i think they’re crazy, I would like to get down to 180lbs. Growing up, everyone in my family called me “Fatty” which was cruel and insensitive. Even as an adult, it tears me up inside when someone says something about my weight, or even someone else’s weight.6. My father

My father passed away about 2 and a half years ago, and I never let anyone forget it. I miss him dearly, though we were close, we never had good conversation. I think that is often the way with men who are too similar and who love each other too much. We were never able to drop the bullshit and open up to ourselves. Or at the end, I was unable to open up to him. I see him when I sleep though, and it helps with the hurt.

I didn’t think it would still hurt like this.

7. My mother

After my mother’s passing, I sold my house and cars and left town. I rarely come back to see my mother, though my mother makes it a pointed effort to come see me. Last year she visited three times for a total of four months. She’s already come once for one month, and will come again in the fall. She wants me to come home, but right now, it does not seem likely. She’s 5 feet tall, speaks 5 languages and thinks that I am still 5 years old.

8. My dream

I want to be a writer. I want to be a “wordy motherfucker” and be able to spin touching tales that move people. That’s why I try to write this blog, other blogs, and am a copywriter for a couple companies. Though this stuff is not emotionally charged or full of passion, it is my practice. Every article, every paragraph, every sentence I write brings me one step closer to my dream.

I may never reach my dream, but I will always keep reaching towards it.

Bloggers that I want to know more about.

Come on guys, I’d love to see you guys contribute to this meme. Eventually, I will get up to four, but for now, these are the people who come to mind.

• Harry Park - Go Tubeless
• John Cow - Mad Cow fever!
• Kumiko - Her Cash Quest
• Leo Babuta - Meditating quietly on the making life easy

Lately, my friends have been giving me a lot of grief about my schedule.  I lead a busy life, working from the early hours of the day and packing in my work day with meetings and business lunches.  Work tends to end after 8pm, whereupon I work on some independent projects or teach swing dancing, and then, thereabout 10pm, I have time for socializing with my friends.

 I am reminded of why I do this by this recent post on Thrilling Heroics.

http://www.thrillingheroics.com/2009/09/a-reminder-of-the-shortness-of-life.html

My nephew Phillip died a couple years ago from an osteosarcoma, aka bone cancer.  It’s a disease that hits kids as they make the transition from childhood to adulthood.  Phillip had it for two years before succumbing to the disease.

Phillip was braver and tougher than any kid had a right to be, nor ever needed to be.  He lived with his family in North Carolina while my own life was largely in California.  My father at that time was fighting and losing his own battle with lung cancer.  Though geographically distant, Phillip and I worked hard to connect and bond.

We chatted on the Internet daily, downloaded the same Japanese cartoons and discussed new and innovative ways to cook ramen.  Actually, he liked to break new ground in ramen gastronomy, whereas I just nudged him along.  I like to think that I lightened his worrisome load a little bit.

Is it morbid to think of Phillip when I have a bad day?  That Phillip would’ve given anything to stay in this world?  Certainly, it is very tempting to be melancholy and make a mountain out of a molehill.  I dunno.  This post seems to be rambling, and will probably do me more good than anyone else.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”—Mark Twain

Ok, maybe my library history wasn’t quite like this…

I read this today, and it made me sad.

The Philadelphia Free Library system is broke, and they’re shutting it down, including cancelling “all branch and regional library programs, programs for children and teens, after school programs, computer classes, and programs for adults” and “all children programs, programs to support small businesses and job seekers, computer classes and after school programs” and “all library visits to schools, day care centers, senior centers and other community centers” and “all community meetings” and “all GED, ABE and ESL program.”

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/09/13/philadelphia-free-li.htmlLibraries were one of the cornerstones of my childhood.  I remember convincing my mother to sit with me for a one hour computer certification class so I would have permission to use the old Apple 2+ that they had in the basement of the old Penfield Public Library.It was built in an old courthouse, and it even had a little secret chamber in the kids rooms.When you are poor and have a lot of time on your hands, there are few things better than a public library.I remember sitting in the library and hauling away huge bags of books.I felt like I owned the books, and in actuality, I had the opportunity to possess the ideas contained therein.To the poor, to me, the message I took away was to value what you knew, and not what you owned.Or in other words, possession of ideas was more important than possession of objects.With the closure of the public library system,  I can’t help but think that the divide between the haves and have-nots will only grow.