Life...

-- Jack Kerouac

Life: the adventure of your lifetime

Life is the only thing that really keeps me going these days. Sheer existence is such a gas I can hardly stand it, man. I mean, hell. Even with all it's faults, pain, sorrow, suffering and sadness, the world is still undeniably full of truth and beauty. Anyone who tells you different has been jaded by their inability to participate.

Quick -- before you misconstrue what I just wrote and mentally crucify me for talking about "participation" from my obvious position of privilege as a White Male American -- let me tell you what I mean by that. Usually the jaded ones are the ones with privilege. When you're beat, when you're on the front lines of the daily grind and you're hungry for every drop of sweet goodness the heavenly dynamo has to offer, you realize real fast that cynicism isn't cool. You realize that playing at being world-weary won't win you any real respect, and that being world-weary/jaded/cynical for real is no fun at all.

Digging into life, that'll get you a lot of respect. Why? Because then you're something. You're coming up with output. You're putting off energy for other people to feel, not just sucking up (and cutting down) whatever's around you.

I'll tell you this, life is made worthwhile by hunger. It's a holy waltz of contrast that keeps the giant wheel spinning. Jump in the river.

By the way, I think I need a mentor. If the zen proverb has come true and the student [me] is ready and the master [you] are appearing, let me know.

Anyway, this is where I collect the various things that to me fall under the generalized heading of "life," as in "that's life," of "c'est la vie."

• Story
  Simple autobiographical outline with a little bit of the background and a high level view of the now. A few links and tales to tell. A growing chronology and accretion of content.

• Love
  Stuff about romance, crushes, pathos, soulmates and the neverending quest to make the divine scene.

• Sin/Vice
  The juicy bits. Not for those of young persuasion. Sex and drugs and rock'n'roll.

• Places
  Physical locales that figure big into my consciousness, where I love or hate to be, where I find myself returning to or longing to visit.

• Philosophy
  Thoughts on how to go about the task of living. Basic idea: get inspired, act out the inspiration, pass it on. A bit of elaboration and some cliche's I try to keep in mind.

• The Monkey Family
  My intentional neo-hippy family tribe. Maybe belongs under "people" but screw that, this is the stuff of life.