This is unbelievable...I just had to post this to make sure I'm not going crazy. I admit, I haven't seen him in about 5 months, but omg it seems like 5 years! Congrats Alex, and you better send in your app to Juilliard!!

I love eBay :)

So I know I intended to post more often the last time I was here, but as you all know life has a tendancy to move in unexpected ways. Case in point...my little bro just got sent off to Iraq. I could't believe it at first, but got this picture to confirm. It's pretty crazy and unreal, as he just looks like a kid with a machine gun. Worse yet, he got shipped off only a few days before the big 21. What a bummer! That's just one of those mile stone ages in the U.S. that everyone looks forward to for a very long time. To think that most people here worry about what bar they are going to, while my bro is wondering if he'll survive the next year just blows me away. There are certain events in life that you know will mark someone forever, and war is definitely one of them. I cannot fathom the things he will do and/or see, but I know that he will do the best he can, and grow stronger from it. After all, that is the only thing that each and everyone of us can do...do the best we can with what we are given in the time we have.

Being somewhat of a floating seedling, with my love affair with traveling and exploring new places, I have struggled with furnishing my living quarters. I enjoy living a simplistic lifestyle, and have gradually tried to escape the notion to buy buy buy as most of us are conditioned to believe as we are raised. Needless to say, my current apartment is quite bare. It's just such a hassle to move stuff around, as many people realize when they relocate. You never truly know how much stuff you have until you have to box it up.

I must admit that it's pretty funny how I left California last week as a snowboarder, and have since returned as a dog musher. Despite my crazy excitement for starting off my new career as the next Shaun White, I managed to succumb to injury the first day on the slopes. I hyperextended my left knee twice (tried to shake it off after the first time), and was out for the count the rest of the trip.

Fortunately though, I ended up signing up for a dog sled ride in my crippled state. The beautiful pup in the picture is Lucky, and he was one of the 10 dogs that pulled us for an hour around the mountain. It was probably about the coolest thing that I have done in snow next to skiing and boarding (and maybe snow angels :). I also found out that one of the mushers that runs this company took their best dogs and headed up to Alaska for the Iditarod. If you have not heard of this insane race, you are not alone. It is not for the faint of heart, as it requires massive amounts of discipline and sleep deprivation. To find out more you can click here.

So now that I'm back home, I've just been resting the leg and trying to give it all the TLC it needs so I can get back on the bike instead of polluting the air twice daily going to and from work. Speaking of which, I happened to pick up a great book on my vacation on reducing your carbon footprint. It's called "The Carbon Buster's Home Energy Handbook", by Godo Stoyke. I've barely gotten into it so far, but already it's talked about the impact of manufacturing goods, as well as the best car to drive. I think one of the best parts about it though is that the author breaks down each item into two scenarios...one is for the strict financial benefit (carbon miser), and the other is for the environmental benefit (carbon buster). I highly recommend you check it out, whether you're a newbie or experienced off-grid eco warrior.

Now I'm off to churn out another day of work, and then it's going to be time for R&R this weekend!

As another year has come and gone, I cannot believe how short it all seemed. So many changes took place in my life, as well as in the world, that time just melted away. Why does it feel like the world stepped into a new era of consciousness? Was it just due to events that occurred in my own life that allowed me to see this place differently, or have more people stepped up than ever before in hopes of making this world a better place?

I think that it was a combination of both. Growing up in the midwest in a traditional family was good in many ways, but also gave way to a sheltered sort of life. Ever since I've moved to the west coast, I have begun to see so many new things in this world that I never imagined. I consider myself fortunate to live where I do now, as I feel like the majority of the country is oblivious to many things that go on in this world. It's not that we have bad people living here, I think that it's mainy a lack of education. Also, many people are set in their ways, and will refute anything you tell them.

On the other hand though, things definitely are changing for the better. With more and more people getting fed up with politics, the media, and mediocrity, I have seen an uprising of sorts. From global warming issues to the energy crisis, people are realizing it's now or never.

So if 2007 was that good, I can't fathom what will happen in 2008. Everyone of us is capable of making positive change, and every little thing we do will either go toward improving this place or destroying it. So whether it's turning off the water when brushing your teeth, commuting by bike, or buying food locally, let's leave less of an impact this year than last.

"If you have the ability, the resources, and the opportunity to do good and you do nothing, that can be evil." -Y. Chouinard

If you have not read Yvon Chouinard's (founder/owner of Patagonia) book Let My People Go Surfing, then go out to your library/book store and pick it up. You will not be disappointed.

"...if all the world ate (and farmed) the way the United States does, we would exhaust all known global fossil fuel reserves in just over seven years. According to National Geographic, it takes eight barrels of oil to produce one cow."

"Instead of adapting precautionary principles, we embrace new technologies, like nuclear power, genetically modified foods, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals with an atitude of 'innocent until proved guilty,' and it's left up to you and me to establish the guilt."

"I don't really believe that humans are evil; it's just that we are not very intelligent animals. No animal is so stupid and greedy as to foul its own nest--except humans. We are certainly not smart enough to foretell the long-term results of our everyday actions. The brilliant scientist or entrepreneur businessman who invents or develops a new technology is often incapable of seeing the dark side of his ideas, whether it's atomic energy, television, or farmed salmon.

"The problem is a failure of the imagination. In the sycophantic biography of George W. Bush The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush, by David Frum, the worst thing said about him is that he was 'uncurious.' Uncurious people do not lead examined lives; they cannot see causes that lie deeper than the surface. They believe in blind faith, and the most frightening thing about blind faith is that it in turn leads to an inability, even an unwillingness, to accept facts."

- Yvon Chouinard (p. 202 Let My People Go Surfing)

Let me county thy ways:

1. It's December 4th, and a sunny 75 degrees.

2. It's December 4th, and I am still cycling to work.

3. Year round farmers markets.

4. Ocean, mountains, forests, deserts, trails, etc.

5. Arnold.

6. Organic Athlete.

7. San Francisco, LA, Napa Valley, Ojai, San Diego, Santa Monica, Malibu, and the O.C.

8. Green Living.

9. Solar Power.

10. People not afraid to be themselves and live their dreams.

Gotta love the Google!

"A PV array covering 1.5% of the European land mass would be enough to supply current global energy demand."

I feel blessed to be involved in solar photovoltaics (PV). It's pretty amazing to me how we can produce so much energy from so little. Solar systems are some of the simplest designs that I have ever dealt with. Very few parts to deal with, hardly any maintenance, and clean! It's a shame that it has taken us so long to finally start to integrate renewable energy as a viable source. California has done some amazing things as far as incentives and rebates go to encourage homeowners (especially McMansions) to produce their own energy. Now we just need to get the rest of the country to step up.

The problem is that it all comes down to the bottom dollar. When looking at the strict economics of things, not many alternatives can compete with fossil fuels. This is because it was and has been our primary source of power. There's an abundance of power plants right now, but unfortunately not an abundance of resources. Not to mention the damage done to the atmosphere via the burning of these fuels. However, the good news is that as more and more states make renewables more affordable, the less fossil plants will be built.

The first and foremost thing that you can do right now is to simply make small changes in your current home. Change your lightbulbs to cfl's. Turn down your heat/ac when away for extended periods of time. Make sure your insulation is doing it's job. Fix the seals on your windows. And simply use less...we consume so much more than the rest of the world that it's pretty sad. But I can rant and rave about that another day :)

So what it all comes down to is that things are changing for the better, and the future is looking pretty exciting. And if you want to know more about solar and if it is right for you, send me a message!