After 36 hrs of sleepless transit by train, plane & dog bus, stepping cautiously through Newark (airport only) & Boston, palpably feeling that heavy east coast energy, I arrived in my new home: Lewiston, Maine. It's actually two cities separated by a river: Lewiston & Auburn, chicly referred to as LA.
With a friend's help, I found living space in alternative culture group house w/in 24 hr of arrival. Very cool house - clean, organized - with cool, interesting people with interests overlapping mine.
Lewiston is an ... intriguing city. Not as big as Eugene, but more of a city because it looks & feels like a city. The architecture is old, some of it massive, including a huge Gothic cathedral & old mills. The Androscoggin River is spectacular, water flowing over granite. Pics coming.
After only 24 hrs, I can ...say w/ confidence based in experience that there is more to this city than meets the eye in Internet descriptions. One example: this film is about Lewiston. I met one of those involved in producing the film yesterday.
I like it here ... so far. I'm going to touch the Atlantic soon, & explore the western mountains. Then, I'm going to earn a living & have fun doing it. Ah, life. The adventure continues ...
Read more ...
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
July 17, 2010: Near the Atlantic
In my last post, I wrote:
Now, two flights & 15 hours later, I'm sitting on the floor of Boston Logan airport on my small, backpacking sleeping pad, a 3/4 length thermarest. It's 10:30 pm here. (I've been awake since 3 am. Tired? Who's tired?)
My bus for the next leg of my journey - northward to Maine, just north of the "other" Portland, to visit a very special person - leaves from Boston's South Station at 6 am. I've got to be there at 5 am. The information person here said, "Sleep here. It's safer. Security is not good at South Station."
So, I'll stay here, then take a cab to the bus station in the morning around 4:45 am. Why not get a hotel? you ask. In Boston? On my budget? Not a chance.
Sleep is probably out of the question. See, they pump this lite, poppy jazz into the airport all night, punctuated every 5 minutes by loud PA's & ads about all the stuff you can buy at the airport. Then, of course, there are the TSA warnings not to leave your luggage unattended, etc.
The only bummer: all the restaurants and bars in the airport are closed. (Even at 9 pm when I got here. Wow, & this is Boston.) The saving grace: there's a 24 hour Dunkin Donuts downstairs. (I'll bet they're good & fresh, too.)
And, they've got wifi. So, I'm just gonna sit here & surf the web until I fall over asleep. I've set my cell alarm for 4:30 am. (Bet I'll sleep well tomorrow night.)
Only bummer, if I go to the toilet, I've got to drag all my luggage: a large Gregory expedition backpack, an REI beast wheeled duffel and my Gregory 35 liter day pack. Just over 100 lbs in all. (Hey, I'm going to be here for months ... at least. My life in bags.)
OK, sleep feels a long ways off. I'm going to lug it all downstairs now to get some donuts, then come back up here & surf some more.
Then, this week, I've got to start figuring out how to earn a living here as an independent educator teaching systems sciences, Gaia theory & Earth shaking climate change.
"So, where to next?This morning at 7 am, I boarded a plane in Portland, OR (PDX).
Not sure exactly yet, but certainly in a general eastward direction."
Now, two flights & 15 hours later, I'm sitting on the floor of Boston Logan airport on my small, backpacking sleeping pad, a 3/4 length thermarest. It's 10:30 pm here. (I've been awake since 3 am. Tired? Who's tired?)
My bus for the next leg of my journey - northward to Maine, just north of the "other" Portland, to visit a very special person - leaves from Boston's South Station at 6 am. I've got to be there at 5 am. The information person here said, "Sleep here. It's safer. Security is not good at South Station."
So, I'll stay here, then take a cab to the bus station in the morning around 4:45 am. Why not get a hotel? you ask. In Boston? On my budget? Not a chance.
Sleep is probably out of the question. See, they pump this lite, poppy jazz into the airport all night, punctuated every 5 minutes by loud PA's & ads about all the stuff you can buy at the airport. Then, of course, there are the TSA warnings not to leave your luggage unattended, etc.
The only bummer: all the restaurants and bars in the airport are closed. (Even at 9 pm when I got here. Wow, & this is Boston.) The saving grace: there's a 24 hour Dunkin Donuts downstairs. (I'll bet they're good & fresh, too.)
And, they've got wifi. So, I'm just gonna sit here & surf the web until I fall over asleep. I've set my cell alarm for 4:30 am. (Bet I'll sleep well tomorrow night.)
Only bummer, if I go to the toilet, I've got to drag all my luggage: a large Gregory expedition backpack, an REI beast wheeled duffel and my Gregory 35 liter day pack. Just over 100 lbs in all. (Hey, I'm going to be here for months ... at least. My life in bags.)
OK, sleep feels a long ways off. I'm going to lug it all downstairs now to get some donuts, then come back up here & surf some more.
Then, this week, I've got to start figuring out how to earn a living here as an independent educator teaching systems sciences, Gaia theory & Earth shaking climate change.
Only 5 more hours. I can deal with this. Read more ..."You're listening to Airwaves, the sound of Boston Logan!"
Sunday, July 11, 2010
July, 2010 : Portland
Well, I'm overdue for an update. Here goes.
I've been living in Portland (OR) for the last 3 weeks. It's good to be somewhere else than Eugene, now. In fact, it feels really good.
Don't get me wrong. Despite the presence of too many nut jobs - including alien worshipers & Mayan calendar fanatics - Eugene has its strong points. And I'm pleased to say that I have some friends there (along with almost as many enemies, me thinks :-o). But it's not for me. Felt like too much of a retirement community.
Portland is much more to my liking, even though I'm only here for a few more weeks before hitting the road in the direction of "the other Portland", in Maine. (Yes, there are a surprising number of towns & cities in the US named "Portland", but for me, only two are relevant ... now.)
Funny, Eugene is Oregon's second (or is it third?) largest city, but I never thought of it as a city. Like other small bergs I've lived in, I saw it as an overgrown town. It just doesn't have the characteristics that make a it "city": large, impersonal, not home-grown & (pseudo) friendly.
Portland does. It's a cultural mecca, diverse to the extreme, gritty (but not dirty; a friend commented on how clean it is compared to her home city of Chicago). There are things happening in Portland that define the imagination. Bridge Festival comes to mind, when they're going to shut down (to traffic) Hawthorne Bridge for two weeks of parties, including laying sod on the pavement.
It also has a dark underbelly, that cultural dark side characterized by people - some punk/grungers, but not exclusively - wearing stylish black & screaming (at least psychically) about ... well, everything. That's necessary for a culture if it is to be healthy: for living entities - whether individuals or societies - express their anger & angst lest it creep up and destroy it from the inside as a result of denial, covered up by fax happiness. I think sweet little Eugene lacked a healthy expression of its dark side.
There were interesting things happening in Eugene, but for some reason I found few of them to be of interest. Maybe I didn't look hard enough, being so caught up in my day-to-day struggles to keep the school open. Then, there is the Oregon Country Fair, that paragon of Eugene culture, the high point of the year for many, which is happening as I write this. Never did like it, even though I once was able to get one of the coveted overnight passes. Yes, yes, I'm in a tiny minority. Maybe some other day, I'll write about why. For now, time to move on.
But in Portland, there is so much going on as to be difficult to choose what to do on any given day/night. Music, film, food, people ... even just sitting in one of the many little community enclaves and watching people: Belmont, Hawthorne (around the Bagdad theater), Alberta, even a little oyster bar just south of seedy Burnside on the west bank of the Willamette near (one of the many) Saturday market.
I've spent lots of time - LOTS of time - on mass transit here. I mostly stay out in Beaverton (bedroom community west of the city) in a sublet room in a townhouse. Getting to city center takes 15 min on bus (76 or 78), then 35 min on the Max (blue or red line). And of course, lots of waiting time for the bus, especially late night and on the weekend, when they only run once every half or full hour.
Such an interesting experience, being totally dependent on mass transit. My bike is here, but I've not used it at all this trip. Just too easy to bus, train and walk anywhere I need to go. And being without a vehicle for the first time since I was 16 - sold my truck - has been a bit challenging, but mostly great: no fuel costs, insurance, maintenance, parking hassles, traffic. I just sit back & leave the driving to ... others.
If anything, there is too much to do here. Too many distractions, too much good food, too much good beer (don't get me started about all the breweries). As a result, I'm not getting nearly as much work done as I "need" to. The new web sites are lagging behind schedule (though I am making some progress).
Last week, I joined a long-lost friend from Albuquerque for a 4 day trip around Mt. Hood: an afternoon/evening in Hood River, a camp out (in a noisy campground) on the southern flanks of Hood, a trip up to Timberline where there were skiers (in July, no less) on the melting glaciers, capped off by a night in Portland eating good food, drinking good beer, and staying at the (in)famous Jupiter Hotel attached to Doug Fir. Delicious time off. Reminded me how much I just needed to chill out for a while.
I also find it easier to disappear here, to blend into the social background. As a loner who prefers to spend a lot of time to myself, I find that comforting in some ambiguous way, at least for now. I seek some down time for a while.
_______________
So, where to next?
Not sure exactly yet, but certainly in a general eastward direction. I'm pretty sure I want to be out of Portland, and out of Oregon, for my birthday (late July). Feels symbolic, somehow, especially since this one is a decadal change for me.
I'm considering the possibility of stopping off for a few days in western Wyoming, in the Bridger Teton National Forest, including Bridger Wilderness. Jim Bridger was one of my direct ancestors on my mom's side.
The problem with that is its remoteness: getting to it, let alone around it, is a problem for a guy without wheels. Still, I'm looking into ways to make it happen.
The other possibility, and it's feeling stronger right now, is just to hop a plane to Maine, go to the coast - some rocky shoreline on the Atlantic - & watch waves break for a week while sleeping in a tent.
And of course, I need to be at UMass in Amherst, MA in mid-August to participate in a short course by Lynn Margulis (by invitation; note to self: write Lynn this week).
Ah, life. So many places to go, so little time. Read more ...
I've been living in Portland (OR) for the last 3 weeks. It's good to be somewhere else than Eugene, now. In fact, it feels really good.
Don't get me wrong. Despite the presence of too many nut jobs - including alien worshipers & Mayan calendar fanatics - Eugene has its strong points. And I'm pleased to say that I have some friends there (along with almost as many enemies, me thinks :-o). But it's not for me. Felt like too much of a retirement community.
Portland is much more to my liking, even though I'm only here for a few more weeks before hitting the road in the direction of "the other Portland", in Maine. (Yes, there are a surprising number of towns & cities in the US named "Portland", but for me, only two are relevant ... now.)
Funny, Eugene is Oregon's second (or is it third?) largest city, but I never thought of it as a city. Like other small bergs I've lived in, I saw it as an overgrown town. It just doesn't have the characteristics that make a it "city": large, impersonal, not home-grown & (pseudo) friendly.
Portland does. It's a cultural mecca, diverse to the extreme, gritty (but not dirty; a friend commented on how clean it is compared to her home city of Chicago). There are things happening in Portland that define the imagination. Bridge Festival comes to mind, when they're going to shut down (to traffic) Hawthorne Bridge for two weeks of parties, including laying sod on the pavement.
It also has a dark underbelly, that cultural dark side characterized by people - some punk/grungers, but not exclusively - wearing stylish black & screaming (at least psychically) about ... well, everything. That's necessary for a culture if it is to be healthy: for living entities - whether individuals or societies - express their anger & angst lest it creep up and destroy it from the inside as a result of denial, covered up by fax happiness. I think sweet little Eugene lacked a healthy expression of its dark side.
There were interesting things happening in Eugene, but for some reason I found few of them to be of interest. Maybe I didn't look hard enough, being so caught up in my day-to-day struggles to keep the school open. Then, there is the Oregon Country Fair, that paragon of Eugene culture, the high point of the year for many, which is happening as I write this. Never did like it, even though I once was able to get one of the coveted overnight passes. Yes, yes, I'm in a tiny minority. Maybe some other day, I'll write about why. For now, time to move on.
But in Portland, there is so much going on as to be difficult to choose what to do on any given day/night. Music, film, food, people ... even just sitting in one of the many little community enclaves and watching people: Belmont, Hawthorne (around the Bagdad theater), Alberta, even a little oyster bar just south of seedy Burnside on the west bank of the Willamette near (one of the many) Saturday market.
I've spent lots of time - LOTS of time - on mass transit here. I mostly stay out in Beaverton (bedroom community west of the city) in a sublet room in a townhouse. Getting to city center takes 15 min on bus (76 or 78), then 35 min on the Max (blue or red line). And of course, lots of waiting time for the bus, especially late night and on the weekend, when they only run once every half or full hour.
Such an interesting experience, being totally dependent on mass transit. My bike is here, but I've not used it at all this trip. Just too easy to bus, train and walk anywhere I need to go. And being without a vehicle for the first time since I was 16 - sold my truck - has been a bit challenging, but mostly great: no fuel costs, insurance, maintenance, parking hassles, traffic. I just sit back & leave the driving to ... others.
If anything, there is too much to do here. Too many distractions, too much good food, too much good beer (don't get me started about all the breweries). As a result, I'm not getting nearly as much work done as I "need" to. The new web sites are lagging behind schedule (though I am making some progress).
Last week, I joined a long-lost friend from Albuquerque for a 4 day trip around Mt. Hood: an afternoon/evening in Hood River, a camp out (in a noisy campground) on the southern flanks of Hood, a trip up to Timberline where there were skiers (in July, no less) on the melting glaciers, capped off by a night in Portland eating good food, drinking good beer, and staying at the (in)famous Jupiter Hotel attached to Doug Fir. Delicious time off. Reminded me how much I just needed to chill out for a while.
I also find it easier to disappear here, to blend into the social background. As a loner who prefers to spend a lot of time to myself, I find that comforting in some ambiguous way, at least for now. I seek some down time for a while.
_______________
So, where to next?
Not sure exactly yet, but certainly in a general eastward direction. I'm pretty sure I want to be out of Portland, and out of Oregon, for my birthday (late July). Feels symbolic, somehow, especially since this one is a decadal change for me.
I'm considering the possibility of stopping off for a few days in western Wyoming, in the Bridger Teton National Forest, including Bridger Wilderness. Jim Bridger was one of my direct ancestors on my mom's side.
The problem with that is its remoteness: getting to it, let alone around it, is a problem for a guy without wheels. Still, I'm looking into ways to make it happen.
The other possibility, and it's feeling stronger right now, is just to hop a plane to Maine, go to the coast - some rocky shoreline on the Atlantic - & watch waves break for a week while sleeping in a tent.
And of course, I need to be at UMass in Amherst, MA in mid-August to participate in a short course by Lynn Margulis (by invitation; note to self: write Lynn this week).
Ah, life. So many places to go, so little time. Read more ...
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
June, 2010 : Leaving Eugene
It's been an interesting ten years here.
But now, I'm almost done.
Finishing classes this week -
last one is tonight -
then a week to finish packing.
Then, it's off to P'town for a while
- right about summer solstice -
w/ a droid & a netbook.
From there, where, when? Who can say?
Two new web sites cooking.
Just need some time to work on them.
This could be a real adventure.
I'm ready for it. Time to move on.
More to come ... Read more ...
But now, I'm almost done.
Finishing classes this week -
last one is tonight -
then a week to finish packing.
Then, it's off to P'town for a while
- right about summer solstice -
w/ a droid & a netbook.
From there, where, when? Who can say?
Two new web sites cooking.
Just need some time to work on them.
This could be a real adventure.
I'm ready for it. Time to move on.
More to come ... Read more ...
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
May, 2010
Such an interesting name
for a month: May.
Others are more unique.
January, February, April, June, July,
September, October, November, December.
None of those have double meanings.
But May is also a request,
as in "May I?", or an option,
as in, "I may [do this or that]."
So, in this post, over the next few days,
I'm going to explore stuff that I may do in May.
On the list :
for a month: May.
Others are more unique.
January, February, April, June, July,
September, October, November, December.
None of those have double meanings.
But May is also a request,
as in "May I?", or an option,
as in, "I may [do this or that]."
So, in this post, over the next few days,
I'm going to explore stuff that I may do in May.
On the list :
- create a web site
- here's a second one
- teach a class about Gaia
- treat my shoulder tendinitis
- prepare to travel in the NE
- other stuff that i'll figure out
Thursday, April 15, 2010
April : Moving On, Part 2
{ Updated 05.03.10 - see post script. }
I was away from Eugene from Monday, April 5
until yesterday afternoon on a business & pleasure road trip.
Most of that time was spent with a close friend in the coast range, walking, eating, sleeping amongst old Maple groves & ferns with a river flowing a few feet away. There were massive clear cuts nearby. We also spent an afternoon on the Pacific coast at Seal Rock near Newport, Oregon. We spent much time discussing our book & the phase transition that the academy is undergoing.
The remainder of my time was spent in Portland, talking with friends & colleagues about my next professional steps. I'm certain, now, that those next personal steps will begin there.
Yesterday, I arrived back in Eugene from Portland - actually Tigard - at approximately 4 pm after 8 hours of travel. Yes, EUG is only 2 hours from PDX by car, but I'm car challenged now - by choice - & even though Portland has a fine mass transit system, making the connections between "local" & "inter-city" is time consuming. My travels, therefore, included - in order - walking, Trimet bus (from Tigard to Beaverton transit center), Max (blue line to downtown, then green line to greyhound station), Greyhound (3 hr, 10 min), Eugene city bus (#41), then walking to the studio.
It was a long, interesting, at times strange trip.
Maybe I'll write more about it another time.
But for now, here's a summary of where I'm at.
I constantly remind myself of the context within which I'm living, represented extremely well by the books The End of the Long Summer (Dumanoski) & Everyday Survival (Gonzales). Both are helping me create a new mental model of reality for myself; I hope to share that model & the process of developing it with as many others as possible during my next decade.
Coming back to Eugene yesterday did not feel good; it doesn't feel like home, now. That made me sad. I've learned much in Eugene, & have met many good people, some of whom have helped me greatly to develop the curriculum, to attempt to build a school. I thank those people deeply & sincerely; we tried.
But I regret to say that now I'm eager to move on. I feel restless. Nomads are like that. When we get ready to go, it's like holding back wild horses. Yet, I've got things that I want to do here before I leave, including: 1) jettisoning 90-95% of my possessions; I'm going to travel light for a while; & 2) offering one more set of classes in Eugene - including at least one advanced course with some of my favorite students - during April & May, perhaps extending into June.
I passionately want to offer these courses in Eugene; I'm going to work to do so. But how long I stay in Eugene (past May 1) will depend in large part on how much I am able to support myself here by selling my services; more on that below.
During the next 2 months, I'm going to begin a migration up to Portland, Oregon on my way to the northeast coast - including "the other Portland". I feel a strong potential for next steps - both professional & personal - in the Portland's. I need to be there for a while (even though I want to be in the woods).
We have begun the process of shutting down Euglena Academy. We are dissolving the board of directors, & un-incorporating (is that a word?) the non-profit. (It just didn't work; too many obstacles at the wrong time; more on that story in a future post.) The academy web site is still up, but inactive - frozen in a state of development (phase 1) since March. We'll be archiving it soon.
The hardest parts of leaving Eugene will be saying goodbye to colleagues, friends, students & - toughest of all - the studio, the concrete & steel cave into which I've invested ten years of love, sweat, blood & money. Walking away from that is going to be tough, but it has nothing to do with the money.
But, other places are calling me more now, so I must go. I'm nomadic at heart; I knew when I came to Eugene in 2000 that it wouldn't be my last stop - there are aspects of this town that I like & other parts that I abhor; besides, there are several other places that I want to experience. But I had hoped to at least leave with the academy intact if not thriving. Que sera, ce la vi, & other "whatever" phrases.
So, here's what's next for me.
Update, May 3.We've met that condition. I'm staying in Eugene until mid May to fulfill my commitment to teach courses.
I'm now teaching one advanced class (by invitation only) about cell biology & non-equilibrium thermodynamics that explains life in radically new & exciting way, & about to begin a class based on the book Animate Earth. (That class may actually be run on two evenings, Tuesday & Wednesday.)
After that, I'll be heading first to P'town, Oregon, then to Portland, Maine.
Please contact me (see profile) if:
I was away from Eugene from Monday, April 5
until yesterday afternoon on a business & pleasure road trip.
Most of that time was spent with a close friend in the coast range, walking, eating, sleeping amongst old Maple groves & ferns with a river flowing a few feet away. There were massive clear cuts nearby. We also spent an afternoon on the Pacific coast at Seal Rock near Newport, Oregon. We spent much time discussing our book & the phase transition that the academy is undergoing.
The remainder of my time was spent in Portland, talking with friends & colleagues about my next professional steps. I'm certain, now, that those next personal steps will begin there.
Yesterday, I arrived back in Eugene from Portland - actually Tigard - at approximately 4 pm after 8 hours of travel. Yes, EUG is only 2 hours from PDX by car, but I'm car challenged now - by choice - & even though Portland has a fine mass transit system, making the connections between "local" & "inter-city" is time consuming. My travels, therefore, included - in order - walking, Trimet bus (from Tigard to Beaverton transit center), Max (blue line to downtown, then green line to greyhound station), Greyhound (3 hr, 10 min), Eugene city bus (#41), then walking to the studio.
It was a long, interesting, at times strange trip.
Maybe I'll write more about it another time.
But for now, here's a summary of where I'm at.
I constantly remind myself of the context within which I'm living, represented extremely well by the books The End of the Long Summer (Dumanoski) & Everyday Survival (Gonzales). Both are helping me create a new mental model of reality for myself; I hope to share that model & the process of developing it with as many others as possible during my next decade.
Coming back to Eugene yesterday did not feel good; it doesn't feel like home, now. That made me sad. I've learned much in Eugene, & have met many good people, some of whom have helped me greatly to develop the curriculum, to attempt to build a school. I thank those people deeply & sincerely; we tried.
But I regret to say that now I'm eager to move on. I feel restless. Nomads are like that. When we get ready to go, it's like holding back wild horses. Yet, I've got things that I want to do here before I leave, including: 1) jettisoning 90-95% of my possessions; I'm going to travel light for a while; & 2) offering one more set of classes in Eugene - including at least one advanced course with some of my favorite students - during April & May, perhaps extending into June.
I passionately want to offer these courses in Eugene; I'm going to work to do so. But how long I stay in Eugene (past May 1) will depend in large part on how much I am able to support myself here by selling my services; more on that below.
During the next 2 months, I'm going to begin a migration up to Portland, Oregon on my way to the northeast coast - including "the other Portland". I feel a strong potential for next steps - both professional & personal - in the Portland's. I need to be there for a while (even though I want to be in the woods).
We have begun the process of shutting down Euglena Academy. We are dissolving the board of directors, & un-incorporating (is that a word?) the non-profit. (It just didn't work; too many obstacles at the wrong time; more on that story in a future post.) The academy web site is still up, but inactive - frozen in a state of development (phase 1) since March. We'll be archiving it soon.
The hardest parts of leaving Eugene will be saying goodbye to colleagues, friends, students & - toughest of all - the studio, the concrete & steel cave into which I've invested ten years of love, sweat, blood & money. Walking away from that is going to be tough, but it has nothing to do with the money.
But, other places are calling me more now, so I must go. I'm nomadic at heart; I knew when I came to Eugene in 2000 that it wouldn't be my last stop - there are aspects of this town that I like & other parts that I abhor; besides, there are several other places that I want to experience. But I had hoped to at least leave with the academy intact if not thriving. Que sera, ce la vi, & other "whatever" phrases.
So, here's what's next for me.
- Obviously, I'm resigning as dean & instructor of (the now defunct) academy, & am building a new business model for myself as an independent alternative "educator" - presenter, performer, poet, percussionist, writer, consultant, curriculum developer ... - again. Yes, again. I had started doing that, but foolishly listened to advice from people that told me I couldn't earn a living with education outside of a non-profit model.
Let me be clear: the problem wasn't the non-profit. I supported the idea of making the academy a non-profit; that was my original intention when I opened it in 2000. My problem is with an assertion that one cannot earn a living as an educator without a non-profit.
Hogwash. I have a fine service to sell that I've developed over a decade. IMO, I offer a fine set of courses - both introductory & advanced - not available anywhere else in the region, now riding under a new banner called A Story of Gaia. They relate to the book that I'm working on. A new web site is under-development for StoryofGaia.com, but I have established this temporary one until it is finished.
I intend to earn a living selling my services independently. What I need next - after getting the new web site up - are agents & promoters; we're enacting a plan for that. If you are interested in being one, please contact me.
- I am now seeking students for classes, tutoring & consulting during April, May & June in EUG. These will be my last classes in Eugene for about 6 months, probably until December, 2010.
- I no longer sell my services "by the class", but by the hour. My new system is very simple & flexible. I'll be using it during my travels. This is the kernel of it: my total fees per hour of class are $100 *, but I am very flexible about how they are paid. That $100 can come from 1 to 20 (max) people for a class or tutoring session. I am open to negotiation for some barter for services like food, shelter & medicine. If you have questions, please ask.
(Apologies to those who hate the capitalist model, but I need food, clothing, shelter, medical & dental care, time to write my book & websites - all ways of sharing my knowledge. I also sorely need to take some days off in Gaia - which I've done far too little of in the last decade, tied to academy as I have been. So $100/hour is just what I need to get by. It is a reasonable fee, IMO, given my background & professional skills. Please also note that: 1) for every 1 hour in class, I spend a minimum of 2 outside class prepping for it, so I'm not really earning $100/hour; 2) * different fees apply for corporations & professional organizations.)
- If I can earn enough in EUG to pay overhead for the studio - $1300 - & meet my personal needs (see above), then I'll stay here as long as June. Otherwise, thanks, but I gotta go.
Update, May 3.We've met that condition. I'm staying in Eugene until mid May to fulfill my commitment to teach courses.
I'm now teaching one advanced class (by invitation only) about cell biology & non-equilibrium thermodynamics that explains life in radically new & exciting way, & about to begin a class based on the book Animate Earth. (That class may actually be run on two evenings, Tuesday & Wednesday.)
After that, I'll be heading first to P'town, Oregon, then to Portland, Maine.
Please contact me (see profile) if:
- you are interested in participating in these courses person or by distance learning.
- you live in Portland, Oregon, & wish to be updated about classes, tutoring & consulting there.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Everyday Survival : Moving On
I'm about make a large phase transition. I've known that it was coming; it began about a year ago, & has been building slowly.
But from now to June,
I'm going to pop to a
new attractor state.
May will be the last month that I'll be in Eugene for ... a while.
The factors driving this transition are:
You can start reading it here. But I strongly recommend that you buy a few copies: one to read, others to give to friends. Trust me on this: you & as many others as possible need to read ES & deeply grok it's message & meaning. Not only does your survival depend on it, but so does the survival of our species.
Let me say that more explicitly. If some proportion of humans are to survive what Dumanoski writes about in ELS, we need to not just intellectually understand, but grok what Gonzales is talking about in ES. It's time to wake up to what we really are as humans & what we are doing.
I feel strongly enough about this that I'm suggesting that if you are "employed", that you quit your job, read this book, then do something else. I think that global conditions demand nothing less of us.
Effectively, I'm doing just that : I'm quitting my job, at least as I've been practicing it for the last few years. I'm going to reinvent it, changing the way I work, the way I recruit students & clients, how my seminars & classes operate, how I charge for my time. (I'll describe all that elsewhere.)
To employ one of Gonzales key ideas, I'm changing the mental model of my job , & writing a new mental script for a new one, because the old model & script weren't working well for me.
In a synergistic linkage with The End of the Long Summer, ES is offering the intellectual, pedagagical & philosophical catalyst that I've needed to "move on" to the next steps in my life, both personal & professional. Some of those next steps will be here; some will be taken elsewhere.
My next step - starting in April in Eugene - is focusing on A Story of Gaia, teaching it to as many people as I can here & elsewhere in the coming year.
What's the connection? Both Dumanoski's & Gonzales' books are far more deeply intelligible for those who have studied the ideas woven into A Story of Gaia. (A new web site for that project will be unveiled ... soon ... I'll announce it here.)
That introductory curriculum & my advanced courses that extend from it support Dumanoski & Gonzales theses greatly, making them comprehensible from a perspective of systems sciences, including non-linear dynamics, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, emergence, autopoiesis, geophysiology & computational systems.
My next professional steps include traveling to meet new people with big ideas that are congruent with ELS & ES - including Dumanoski & Gonzales - to interact with them to ... begin to dream & manifest ... what's next for humanity & Gaia ...
And personally, it means traveling & being near the person that is most important in my life right now - Kate Boverman, my best friend, co-author & co-developer of A Story of Gaia.
Importantly, it also means being outside of this concrete & steel cave that I've been cloistered in for the better part of a decade, spending more time living "outside" - that's inside Gaia.
I've already started that with long daily walks, sometimes nearby in a little area we call the SKEL - Stone Knolls Ecosystem Laboratory - but often to the banks of the Willamette River. I'm planning to increasing the time that I'm teaching in those places while I'm in Eugene.
OK. Get ready, set ...
~as Read more ...
But from now to June,
I'm going to pop to a
new attractor state.
May will be the last month that I'll be in Eugene for ... a while.
The factors driving this transition are:
- staff challenges & changes at Euglena Academy that are motivating some very substantive changes in the structure, focus & process of the academy - stay tuned for news ...
- new levels of understanding about the status of Earth's metabolic system, aka Gaia, mostly extending from Diane Dumanoski's book The End of the Long Summer (ELS)
- love
- nomadic wanderlust
- a new professional agent
- being tired of my life as I've lived it for the last decade (hey, it's been fun, but ...)
- needing - not just wanting, but needing - a change of location, because for reasons I'll explain elsewhere, Eugene just isn't working for me right now. I'll be leaving in June. I will return - because I have unfinished business here - but I'm just not sure yet when that will be. What does this mean for Euglena Studio in EUG? Stay tuned ...
You can start reading it here. But I strongly recommend that you buy a few copies: one to read, others to give to friends. Trust me on this: you & as many others as possible need to read ES & deeply grok it's message & meaning. Not only does your survival depend on it, but so does the survival of our species.
Let me say that more explicitly. If some proportion of humans are to survive what Dumanoski writes about in ELS, we need to not just intellectually understand, but grok what Gonzales is talking about in ES. It's time to wake up to what we really are as humans & what we are doing.
I feel strongly enough about this that I'm suggesting that if you are "employed", that you quit your job, read this book, then do something else. I think that global conditions demand nothing less of us.
Effectively, I'm doing just that : I'm quitting my job, at least as I've been practicing it for the last few years. I'm going to reinvent it, changing the way I work, the way I recruit students & clients, how my seminars & classes operate, how I charge for my time. (I'll describe all that elsewhere.)
To employ one of Gonzales key ideas, I'm changing the mental model of my job , & writing a new mental script for a new one, because the old model & script weren't working well for me.
In a synergistic linkage with The End of the Long Summer, ES is offering the intellectual, pedagagical & philosophical catalyst that I've needed to "move on" to the next steps in my life, both personal & professional. Some of those next steps will be here; some will be taken elsewhere.
My next step - starting in April in Eugene - is focusing on A Story of Gaia, teaching it to as many people as I can here & elsewhere in the coming year.
What's the connection? Both Dumanoski's & Gonzales' books are far more deeply intelligible for those who have studied the ideas woven into A Story of Gaia. (A new web site for that project will be unveiled ... soon ... I'll announce it here.)
That introductory curriculum & my advanced courses that extend from it support Dumanoski & Gonzales theses greatly, making them comprehensible from a perspective of systems sciences, including non-linear dynamics, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, emergence, autopoiesis, geophysiology & computational systems.
My next professional steps include traveling to meet new people with big ideas that are congruent with ELS & ES - including Dumanoski & Gonzales - to interact with them to ... begin to dream & manifest ... what's next for humanity & Gaia ...
And personally, it means traveling & being near the person that is most important in my life right now - Kate Boverman, my best friend, co-author & co-developer of A Story of Gaia.
Importantly, it also means being outside of this concrete & steel cave that I've been cloistered in for the better part of a decade, spending more time living "outside" - that's inside Gaia.
I've already started that with long daily walks, sometimes nearby in a little area we call the SKEL - Stone Knolls Ecosystem Laboratory - but often to the banks of the Willamette River. I'm planning to increasing the time that I'm teaching in those places while I'm in Eugene.
OK. Get ready, set ...
~as Read more ...
Friday, March 12, 2010
A Story of Gaia
This is the first draft (things have changed some since the first writing) of a chapter in a story of Gaia, the planetary-scale metabolism & homeostasis within which we live.
Gaia is one of - the ? - most important ideas of our time - scientifically & culturally - yet it receives near zero attention in media & public.
That needs to change.
Why? Because as Diane Dumanoski points out in The End of the Long Summer : Why We Must Remake Civilization to Survive on a Volatile Earth, the future of our species - our continued existence on Earth ... er, in Gaia - probably depends on it.
I've developed a new short-course series about Gaia that will:
_________________
Gaia is one of - the ? - most important ideas of our time - scientifically & culturally - yet it receives near zero attention in media & public.
That needs to change.
Why? Because as Diane Dumanoski points out in The End of the Long Summer : Why We Must Remake Civilization to Survive on a Volatile Earth, the future of our species - our continued existence on Earth ... er, in Gaia - probably depends on it.
I've developed a new short-course series about Gaia that will:
- be the foundation of my summer tour; ramping up, full swing by June;
- represent a substantive portion of a book that I'm outlining. Below is a first draft description of that series, also available as a one-page (front/back) Adobe pdf flier. (Contact me if you'd like a copy.)
_________________
A Story of Gaia
A set of linked & integrated short courses about our living Earth, systems sciences & climate change
by Alder Stone Fuller
Courses
- Gaia 1 : The Fractal Edges of Chaos in Nature : Sciences, Mathematics, Models & Intuition : Science (v non-science), critical thinking, hypothesis testing, theory, models, non-linearity, randomness v chaos, fractals, power laws & computational systems.
- Gaia 2 : Why Organization Exists : Energy, Gradients, Self-Organization & Emergence : Non-equilibrium thermodynamics - energy, gradients, dissipative systems, self-organization - & emergence theory. Self-organization & emergence are flip sides of the same coin;
that is, each is only fully understood in terms of the other. - Gaia 3 : Life, Health & Evolution : Autopoiesis, Symbiosis, Organisms & Gaia : Life, metabolism, homeostasis, physiology, health, healing & evolution on organism & planetary scales. (This is my newest course of the series. For a detailed outline of course topics, please see this page.)
- Gaia 4 : Animate Earth : Science, Intuition & Gaia based on the book of that title by Stephan Harding. (Note: the previous three courses are not required prerequisites, but those having studied in one or more will net greater understanding.)
- Adaptability 1 : Survivability & Adaptability on a Volatile Earth Based on The End of the Long Summer by Diane Dumanoski & Everyday Survival by Laurence Gonzales, which address the nature of the problems we face & the strategies & mental attitude that we must adopt in order to deal with them.
- Adaptability 2: A Capricious Beast : Understanding Abrupt, Chaotic Climate Change : An in-depth examination of type II climate change from the context of systems sciences, especially non-linear dynamics, non-equilibrium thermodynamics & geophysiology & published studies.
- Adaptability 3 : Preparing for & Surviving Abrupt, Chaotic Climate Change : How to increase survival & adaptability at personal, community & regional levels; meeting basic human needs during large-scale climate change : water, food, shelter, energy, health care, clothing, fiber, transportation, security, psychology ....
Why?
Humanity is at a bifurcation point. With climate change, we face the largest geologic & evolutionary event of our species' history. We need to begin to live on Earth differently grounded in a new model of nature based in systems sciences, especially geophysiology or Gaia theory.
This set of linked, highly-integrated courses offers relevant information useful for progress towards that goal. It offers a radical new view of Earth, life, & the nature of reality that will change one's perspective, help one understand one's own life, health & healing in the context of planetary health. With well-honed narratives & simple graphics, these courses tell a story of Gaia, our living planet which we must now come to know deeply. It has been designed for both student & teacher training in a short time - ranging from one intensive weekend to one month.
Read more ...
This set of linked, highly-integrated courses offers relevant information useful for progress towards that goal. It offers a radical new view of Earth, life, & the nature of reality that will change one's perspective, help one understand one's own life, health & healing in the context of planetary health. With well-honed narratives & simple graphics, these courses tell a story of Gaia, our living planet which we must now come to know deeply. It has been designed for both student & teacher training in a short time - ranging from one intensive weekend to one month.
Logistics
- Each course is composed of ~10 hours of lectures with ample discussion time plus optional extra outdoor lab time. Notes are provided for all courses. Those hours can be distributed in periods ranging from 1 weekend (or any 2-day period) to 1 week to 1 month. Activity hours extend from over a 4 hour period of lecture (main), lab & discussion (optional), but participants are offered choices into what components they choose.
- Each is extensible to 6, 8, 10 or 12 days/weeks to cover 1.5, 2, 2.5 or 3 times the information, respectively. All are also expandable into existing advanced courses that will add much depth to each topic.
- The set addresses all core principles of systems sciences, Gaia theory & climate change. Topics within each course are woven into a whole, & each course is part of the story told by the set. They can be studied concurrently or sequentially in any order although the order above may yield fastest gain.
- Include field trips into Gaia when possible. This is a set of classes deserves to be taught outside - in Gaia - using low tech equipment - chalk, charts, etc - but works equally well inside with computer & audio-visual gear.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Alder Stone : A Transition
I've decided to transition to a different name
both for this blog & for me: Alder Stone.
Why? Three reasons.
First, Stone is my given middle name, a family name on my father's side. Why not use it more, at least informally?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to legally change my name. Fuller will remain on the books as my "official" last name for the business as usual crowd, for book titles, etc.
No, this is a more informal change,
perhaps known more among my friends.
I switched from Ollar (old English for alder) to Alder in 2000 (when I learned the meaning of "Ollar") to signify substantive changes in my life : the transition from Albuquerque to the Pacific NW; my first Burning Man experience; entry into rave culture; my move to Eugene...
I recognized then that alders are great trees with an important niche: they're nitrogen fixers that colonize damaged areas like burns or blow downs. In addition, with their roots often near stream banks,
I already knew that the surname Fuller referred to craftspeople
who used a type of clay - Fuller's earth - in processing wool.
So, when I learned that my first name translated into modern English as "Alder", I came to understand that all of my names are "of the Earth". How fitting for a biologist who teaches Gaia theory, right?
So why not give stone it's due in 2010?
As a fringe benefit, Alder Stone rolls
off the tongue more easily than Alder Fuller.
Second, I have a great fondness for stones. Yesterday, I spent part of the afternoon on the west bank of the Willamette near a rocky rapid with exposed dry stones. On them I stood, stretched, stepped, hopped - from stone to stone - & balanced. Doing so reminded me how much I love to walk on their uneven topography.
I've always - since early childhood - been attracted to stones. I was a "rock hound" early on; earned a ribbon in a middle school county science fair for a rock display.
Ilike to climb stones. Sometimes as whole mountains, but often just large boulders. In recent months, I've come to understand that I'm not really attracted to mountains per se so much as much as the stones that they are made of.
That is, for me, it's not so much the height as the stones. A large rocky outcrop in a moderately jagged terrain is as attractive to me as a 10,000' peak, especially when the latter is made of basalt that is crumbly, like here in western Oregon. Basalt will be even harder to walk on as the glaciers on western mountains recede further & faster.
When I lived in Albuquerque, where there exists world-class granite walls, I spent a lot of time bouldering. I miss that in Oregon; there's basalt everywhere, but it's crumbly, not usually very good for bouldering. I'm seeking harder rocks now. Granite. (As it turns out, I have a lead about where I can find a large amount of that to climb on next summer, but that's a tale for another day.)
And third, as James Lovelock would say, stones are the bones of Gaia. I like that metaphor.
So, yeah. I think I'll just go informally by Alder Stone for a while & see how that feels.
both for this blog & for me: Alder Stone.
Why? Three reasons.
First, Stone is my given middle name, a family name on my father's side. Why not use it more, at least informally?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to legally change my name. Fuller will remain on the books as my "official" last name for the business as usual crowd, for book titles, etc.
No, this is a more informal change,
perhaps known more among my friends.
I switched from Ollar (old English for alder) to Alder in 2000 (when I learned the meaning of "Ollar") to signify substantive changes in my life : the transition from Albuquerque to the Pacific NW; my first Burning Man experience; entry into rave culture; my move to Eugene...
I recognized then that alders are great trees with an important niche: they're nitrogen fixers that colonize damaged areas like burns or blow downs. In addition, with their roots often near stream banks,
I already knew that the surname Fuller referred to craftspeople
who used a type of clay - Fuller's earth - in processing wool.
So, when I learned that my first name translated into modern English as "Alder", I came to understand that all of my names are "of the Earth". How fitting for a biologist who teaches Gaia theory, right?
So why not give stone it's due in 2010?
As a fringe benefit, Alder Stone rolls
off the tongue more easily than Alder Fuller.
Second, I have a great fondness for stones. Yesterday, I spent part of the afternoon on the west bank of the Willamette near a rocky rapid with exposed dry stones. On them I stood, stretched, stepped, hopped - from stone to stone - & balanced. Doing so reminded me how much I love to walk on their uneven topography.
I've always - since early childhood - been attracted to stones. I was a "rock hound" early on; earned a ribbon in a middle school county science fair for a rock display.
I
That is, for me, it's not so much the height as the stones. A large rocky outcrop in a moderately jagged terrain is as attractive to me as a 10,000' peak, especially when the latter is made of basalt that is crumbly, like here in western Oregon. Basalt will be even harder to walk on as the glaciers on western mountains recede further & faster.
When I lived in Albuquerque, where there exists world-class granite walls, I spent a lot of time bouldering. I miss that in Oregon; there's basalt everywhere, but it's crumbly, not usually very good for bouldering. I'm seeking harder rocks now. Granite. (As it turns out, I have a lead about where I can find a large amount of that to climb on next summer, but that's a tale for another day.)
And third, as James Lovelock would say, stones are the bones of Gaia. I like that metaphor.
So, yeah. I think I'll just go informally by Alder Stone for a while & see how that feels.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Brigid, Imbolc & Gaia
In pagan & neopagan calendars, Tuesday, February 2 is celebrated as Brigid or Imbolc honoring the Irish goddess (*) Brigit or Brighid. It is a celebration of the ending of winter, the approach of spring, of renewal & birth. Days are noticeably longer - especially to those of us in northern latitudes.
In Christian cultures, the day is called Candlemas & a different woman is celebrated, though even she shares roots with Brigid.
To each their own, I suppose. However, modern mainstream patriarchal religions - especially Christianity - have often usurped older Earth-centered, "pagan" holidays for their own agendas. Yule was upstaged by Christmas strategically placed a few days after winter solstice. Spring equinox, or Eostre, became "Easter"; Samhain was renamed Halloween.
I'm one who wishes now to reclaim those celebrations. Need a holiday to honor your gods? Cool. Have a nice day. But please roll your own, & leave the Earth-centered ones alone.
For purely secular cultures, Feb 2 - today - is called ground hog day. The degree of trivialization of the day - & the idea it encompasses, especially the human relationship to Gaia - by present day celebrations of "ground hog day" is ... well, absurd.
I mean, I like ground hogs. They're cool & all, especially when left alone in nature where they belong instead of caged in preparation for some secular ritual sponsored by corporations.
Oh, by the way, in my neighborhood, there are no groundhogs. However, the nutria are seeing their shadows today, so I guess there's more winter left. Se la vi.
So, given that Brigid is my favorite of all such Earth-centered - dare I say, "Gaian" - celebrations, I'm going to devote this post to it, its history, its significance to me & human cultures, & its relationship to life, Gaia, geophysiology & adaptability in the face of global ecological collapse.
This description excerpted from Wikipedia's article on Brigid captures the heart of her spirit for me, & touches on her relevance to contemporary human cultures, or - more to the point - what human cultures must become next if our species is to survive what's coming our way:
It is emerging in conjunction with a substantive personal & professional transition - including the design of a new set of 4-week long short courses about systems, life & Gaia - & reach a stable state sometime before the end of today - Feb 2 - when I'll re-post it to reflect the true date of the day.
Until then, this post represents
a set of evolving drafts,
an evolution ...
_______________
* I am a student of mythology, particularly of the writings of the late Joseph Campbell. I am a non-religious person with a spiritual element: I acknowledge spirituality simply as an awareness that there are larger entities of which I am a part. Gaia is one of those.
However, I use the words "god" & "goddess" in a metaphorical or mythological way, not literal. I'm not a fundamentalist that literally interprets metaphors, especially spiritual ones. Like Campbell, I recognize them as poetic representations of guiding principles & values.
Based on her quote below from The End of the Long Summer, Diane Dumanoski would seem to agree.
In Christian cultures, the day is called Candlemas & a different woman is celebrated, though even she shares roots with Brigid.
To each their own, I suppose. However, modern mainstream patriarchal religions - especially Christianity - have often usurped older Earth-centered, "pagan" holidays for their own agendas. Yule was upstaged by Christmas strategically placed a few days after winter solstice. Spring equinox, or Eostre, became "Easter"; Samhain was renamed Halloween.
I'm one who wishes now to reclaim those celebrations. Need a holiday to honor your gods? Cool. Have a nice day. But please roll your own, & leave the Earth-centered ones alone.
For purely secular cultures, Feb 2 - today - is called ground hog day. The degree of trivialization of the day - & the idea it encompasses, especially the human relationship to Gaia - by present day celebrations of "ground hog day" is ... well, absurd.
I mean, I like ground hogs. They're cool & all, especially when left alone in nature where they belong instead of caged in preparation for some secular ritual sponsored by corporations.
Oh, by the way, in my neighborhood, there are no groundhogs. However, the nutria are seeing their shadows today, so I guess there's more winter left. Se la vi.
So, given that Brigid is my favorite of all such Earth-centered - dare I say, "Gaian" - celebrations, I'm going to devote this post to it, its history, its significance to me & human cultures, & its relationship to life, Gaia, geophysiology & adaptability in the face of global ecological collapse.
This description excerpted from Wikipedia's article on Brigid captures the heart of her spirit for me, & touches on her relevance to contemporary human cultures, or - more to the point - what human cultures must become next if our species is to survive what's coming our way:
She is the goddess of all things perceived to be of relatively high dimensions such as high-rising flames, highlands, hill-forts and upland areas; and of activities and states conceived as psychologically lofty and elevated, such as wisdom, excellence, perfection, high intelligence, poetic eloquence, craftsmanship (especially blacksmithing), healing ability, druidic knowledge and skill in warfare.This essay is a meditation, a writing ritual, for Brigid & Gaia.
It is emerging in conjunction with a substantive personal & professional transition - including the design of a new set of 4-week long short courses about systems, life & Gaia - & reach a stable state sometime before the end of today - Feb 2 - when I'll re-post it to reflect the true date of the day.
Until then, this post represents
a set of evolving drafts,
an evolution ...
_______________
* I am a student of mythology, particularly of the writings of the late Joseph Campbell. I am a non-religious person with a spiritual element: I acknowledge spirituality simply as an awareness that there are larger entities of which I am a part. Gaia is one of those.
However, I use the words "god" & "goddess" in a metaphorical or mythological way, not literal. I'm not a fundamentalist that literally interprets metaphors, especially spiritual ones. Like Campbell, I recognize them as poetic representations of guiding principles & values.
Based on her quote below from The End of the Long Summer, Diane Dumanoski would seem to agree.
“Through Gaia as metaphor, it is possible to glimpse the organic unity of the Earth & be awed by our own existence within this rich, complex, & wondrous whole. And in both its scientific & metaphoric aspects, this new view of the Earth provides the foundation for a new cultural map that can guide us in the planetary era.”Read more ...
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