Whedon

I like these quotes from josh whedon:

 

You have, which is a rare thing, that ability and the responsibility to listen to the dissent in yourself, to at least give it the floor, because it is the key — not only to consciousness, but to real growth. To accept duality is to earn identity. And identity is something that you are constantly earning. It is not just who you are. It is a process that you must be active in.

Whedon goes on to encourage us to try embracing rather than eradicating those inner paradoxes of which we’re all woven:

This contradiction, and this tension … it never goes away. And if you think that achieving something, if you think that solving something, if you think a career or a relationship will quiet that voice, it will not. If you think that happiness means total peace, you will never be happy. Peace comes from the acceptance of the part of you that can never be at peace. It will always be in conflict. If you accept that, everything gets a lot better.

Brad Pitt quote

"For a long time I thought I did too much damage -– drug damage," he said. "I was a bit of a drifter. A guy who felt he grew up in something of a vacuum and wanted to see things, wanted to be inspired. I followed that other thing. I spent years f**king off. But then I got burnt out and felt that I was wasting my opportunity. It was a conscious change. This was about a decade ago. It was an epiphany -– a decision not to squander my opportunities. It was a feeling of get up. Because otherwise, what’s the point?"

Stoppard quote

From "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead"
A Play by Tom Stoppard

Guil: "...Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over...Death is not anything...death is not...It's the absence of presence, nothing more...the endless time of never coming back...a gap you can't see, and when the wind blows through it, it makes no sound..."

My nephew Kyle

Eighteen and a half years ago, I moved to San Francisco from Los Angeles so I could witness and participate in the life of my first nephew. Kyle was born on May 11, 1995 and we (Todd, Leigh, Dru, and Anne) were thrilled. A blonde happy child, Kyle turned 18 years old today, and I couldn't more proud of him. It's been a joy to have been an integral part of his childhood and I couldn't be happier about the young man who's emerging. Happy Birthday Kyle Stillman!

License plates

Stumbled upon this old car parked near my neighborhood - love those classic license plates.

Rumi

"What you seek is seeking you.”

Rumi

May 6th

I think I'd rather be at Venice Beach today

Muggy in SF

Something's in the air today.

The Mysterious Door

From the gardens at the Getty Museum in LA

"The Impossible"

Watched "The Impossible" last night. I wasn't prepared for how devastating it was emotionally. Based on one family's experience of the 2004 Thailand Tsunami, it was very hard to watch at times. Both Ewen McGregor and Naomi Watts give fantastic performances and the three child actors are absolutely remarkable. Watching the footage of the tsunami, I too thought how impossible it would be to survive, but somehow they did.