Petrichor, I Love You.

At 5am yesterday morning I was awoken by the early spring rains. It had been a few weeks since the last rain graced us with its presence; the ground had dried out, a lot of the bulbs had quit blooming; in general spring seemed to have come to a stand still. As light came no later than 6:30, I was up and out of the house. The rain had diminished to a slight sprinkle and the air was filled with the smell of fresh rain. That smell is something we all seem to enjoy. It is something that everyone simply refers to as the "smell of fresh rain," but surely there is a word for it? The first few of us that arrived at work were talking about how good it smelled outside and how much it woke us up on such a dreary-looking day. After a little investigation, it turns out there is a word for the smell of fresh rain, it is 'petrichor.' Not only did the petrichor wake me up, it woke up the trees. Everything was so green, just in time for my evening run and just in time before day got dark again.

petrichor (PET-ri-kuhr) noun

The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.

[From petro- (rock), from Greek petros (stone) + ichor (the fluid that is supposed to flow in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology). Coined by researchers I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas.]

Structures for Inclusion

Last Thursday afternoon everyone from the studio loaded up and headed west. We were on our way to the Structures for Inclusion Conference in Dallas, Texas. This conference is focused on the social responsibilities of design. On Thursday night we stayed at the Blue Moon, a hostel in Lafayette, LA. It is a fantastic place, an old house with a bar and gardens outside, accompanied by good live music. This is their website www.bluemoonhostel.com . The next morning we had sweet potato pancakes for breakfast that I'm still craving. We continued on, got to Dallas about 5 pm, checked into the hotel and walked over to hear the key note speaker, Peter Fattinger. It was a great start to the conference. By the end of the weekend our heads were buzzing with excitement, dreams, ideas and a passion for everyone's livelihood. It was great to regain some focus on things I felt I'd lost. A new zeal for design! I suggest we all go to next year's SFI.
http://www.designcorps.org/SFI_Conference/Speakers.htm

Simple Food, Simple Goodness... and a Couch Monster

Last night as I was looking through my cabinets and refrigerator for something to prepare for dinner I became less and less inspired. While there were a number of things that seemed like they'd be good, I really didn't have the energy to prepare them. It had been a long but good weekend. I just needed something simple. Simple I kept it. First I had edamame sprinkled with sea salt, whole wheat pita with roasted red pepper hummus (store bought) with a glass of sweet tea, no ice, just chilled. Oh so good. I was left feeling like I needed something else to top it off before settling into the night. A few slices of brie and some apple with honey accompanied by a glass of single malt scotch, neat. It couldn't have left me more content. Just as I was getting comfortable to continue reading Listening Point, a monster arose from the couch. He looked at me, I petted his head, he went back to sleep. I read for a little while then turned in for the night. It was a perfect way to end a weekend.

Plastic Utensils Have Troubled Times

Of the approximately 40 billion plastic utensils made in the USA last year, most made it safely into garbage cans and on to land fills just after being used to shovel in some potato salad and banana pudding. Above are six utensils that didn't quite make it. God bless them.

The Fog is a Calming Stranger

I've recently discovered a more profound attachment to fog and emotion. I remember when I was a child, waking, looking outside and everything being compromised by the fog. While it was beautiful, it always seemed to be a nuisense; for one, it made it more dangerous for those driving their car, or at least that is what I heard people say. I wasn't driving a car.

Now that I take walks each morning and evening here on the Gulf Coast, I encounter fog on a fairly regular basis. It is a stranger that comes in from the ocean just for a little while, but has a presence that, for me, is calming; calm is an unforced happiness. It seems to make things stand a little more still than usual. It holds everything in place, blurring their edges, making them commit to a single form and making them commit to an honesty without revealing everything. It's as if everything gains a better understanding of itself and it's surroundings... Everything is calm. Then the fog leaves.

The above picture was taken at the end of my street this morning. There used to be houses under and between all the trees but Katrina cleaned them out. I think I like it best just as ocean side trees and meadow.

From Friday to New Orleans and Back

Last week was a long one so I had to make Friday night a good one. I left work, got home to eat a simple dinner of 16 bean soup and cheese toast, changed clothes, poured myself a walkin' cup of Pig's Nose Scotch and walked out the door. Within a few minutes I was sitting on Nadene and Stephen's front porch... they weren't home yet. When they arrived I welcomed them home with a tip of my cup and a hug, as if they were coming home for the first time in years or maybe just because we are all good friends who like to hug upon greeting. I like that. Soon Sarah arrived and we loaded up in Nadene's car. We were headed to New Orleans to see Nadene's boyfriend, Redmouth, play at a bar called Outer Banks. The car begin to role and next thing I knew a was waking up in Bay St. Louis. We were at a gas station. I knew for me to make it through the night I had to do something. I walked in and walked out... in hand was:
-1 Sparks in brown bag
-1 pack of Pop Rocks
-1 role of Rolo's
-1 bag of Zapp's Cajun Potato Chips
-1 pack Doublemint gum

In Fifteen minutes I was back in top form. We picked up Jody and Ben along the way. We found the bar; it was in a completely boarded up section of mid-city. It felt like we were the only ones alive. There was incredible density of beautiful old homes, carriage houses and shops all abandoned... quite was the night. Our feet shuffled toward the door. Inside, there was maybe 12-15 people, who I guess were alive just as we were. They were listening to a punk band that was finishing their set. Soon Redmouth played; solo. He sat atop a small wooden platform with a carefully positioned microphone beneath it. This is so he can tap his heels and toes while he played guitar and sings the blues. It was all very honest.

After his set we loaded up in hopes of finding food. Nothing was open but a convenience store. Convenient it was; they had corn dogs and 32oz High Life in a can. I soon fell back asleep and woke up again in Bay St. Louis in front of Ben's house. It was 4:00am. At that point everyone was thinking we'd just stay the night in The Bay. Then we all realized that we'd rather wake up in our own beds. Due to my power nap, I was able to drive us the rest of the way home. I pulled into my drive, the birds were rustling in the bushes and I was rustling into my house.

Music I'm Currently Enjoying

I have a lot I could talk about as far as what is going on here but it's just a bunch of work stuff that I find interesting but not to write about on this blog so for today I'm providing a list of some of my favorite music.

Albums:
-Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele , The Good Feeling Music of...
-TV on the Radio, Dear Science
-Beirut, The Flying Club Cup
-Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
-Nick Drake, Pink Moon
-Stevie Wonder, Fulfillingness' First Finale

Songs:
-The Black Heart Procession, It's a Crime I Never Told You About the Diamonds in Your Eyes
-Phosphorescent, Pick Up the Tempo
-Willie Nelson, Georgia on my Mind
-The Cure, 10:15 Saturday Night
-She & Him, Why do you Let me Stay Here?
-Serge Gainsbourg, Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais
-Smog, Rock Bottom Riser
-Stevie Wonder, Bird of Beauty
-Ween, It's Gonna be a Long Night