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Jeff's page of favorites and linksclick here for my web log (the blogjam) (Don't, it's way out of date). 2004 In ReviewIn some ways "the year that wasn't." Not that it was bad, but selling the old house, moving into and re-modeling the new, plus being on the road so darned much leaves me with the overall feeling of "huh?". There were good things that happened. We did spend a week each in India, Nepal and Tibet. It seems like years ago though. For me I'm most excited about finally reaching a point it my career where I can dial it back from a crusade to just a job. I'm going to take a local job in 2005 where I can build some momentum in other areas of my life. Have lots of interests that I hope I can put some time and effort into. You know that saying "it's 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." I doubt if I'll be able to put in the 99% perspiration, but ideas go nowhere without at least 10% perspiration. While new houses tend to be a time and energy sink, I connect with this new house in a way I've connect only with the Lake House (the Martin house of the 80's that the Martins universally acclaim as the home in a random string of houses). I love the sunsets. Inspiring to me... I've always loved astronomy and have had a telescope since I was eight but hadn't done any observing in years and years. I bought a nice computerized reflector big enough to see bunches of deep sky objects. San Diego (well, inland an hour) is an ideal place to observe. I am really really really enjoying it. Really, really, really, really, really. We all need our meditative moments, I have the daily sunset thing now and the still-too-infrequent nights with the scope. Leigh has been doing the independent business thing this year with her interior plant services company. She will do well as she has good business development skills and a niche where it is relatively easy to hire employees. 2004 Favorite AlbumsThe Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium. Reminiscent of the 70's Acid-Rock and early Rush mythologies sans intelligible lyrics (note: I didn't say unintelligent lyrics. Like Alanis Morisette who after a hundred listens you figure out a phrase. Unlike Alanis lyrics where you say "ah, clever!" with the Volta you say "I'm not sure if that apparent non-sequitur was on purpose or not. Huh?"). But really complex tunes that compel you to listen more and are still foot tappy. Listen to Inertiatic ESP at http://themarsvolta.com. Muse - Absolution. Operatic Pop Rock. Upbeat, guitary, pianoey, vocally. Wailing guitar overlaid with falsetto? It works here. Thrash and ballads? In-your-face polished fun. Really fun in concert. They have a web site with tracks (muse.mu?). 2004 Favorite BooksRead a lot of Civil Rights books this year, but the ones that strike me as urgent, now, are: "Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World" by Tracy Kidder. Looking for an example of how to live a Christlike life without abandoning your professional gifts? Educational and inspirational. "The Uses of Haiti" by Paul Farmer. We may truly be the greatest country in the world, but we don't necessarily practice what we are so quick to preach. A great microcosm of how we let business interests corrupt our moral idealism. If you truly are at a loss why some folks around the world have issues with us, read this. "Chain of Command: From Guantanamo to Abu Graib" by Seymore Hirsch. What's really going in the White House, Afghanistan and the War on Terror? If the truth is somewhere between Bush's version and Hirsch's, my bet is that it's way, way closer to Seymore's. These books have led me to the conclusion that the biggest obstacle to a better world is the corruption of the entrusted, including, and perhaps especially, ours. OLD StuffHumorosities:Surfing Proves there is a God, Dude. (1995) Learning to Hang Glide in Alabama (1992) Brief List of FavoritesFavorite Beer: Stone Brewery Ruination Ale. 100+ IBU's, bursting with flavor, long aftertaste, and yet somehow still light. I need no other beer. I do not like beer at all. I love Ruination Ale. Favorite Tequila: Chinaco Blanco. To me this is the pure agave standard. Everything else is something else. Don Julio 1942 Anejo is great, but the oakiness taints the agave. I used to collect tequila. I now collect telescope equipment. I can sell telescope equipment that I've used and no longer want. Tequila, not so much. Favorite $20 bottle: Milagro Silver (great agave flavor). (Nov 04) Leigh and I discovered the West Wing only within the past 10 weeks and thanks to the magic of TV Series on DVD we have watched the first 48 episodes in sequence. (July 09: that was fun, the whole darned thing). We watched the first two or three seasons of 24, before we decided that we don't have the time to block out 17 consecutive hours to watch it, which is what we were doing. Daily Show! Poe is brilliant (the singer/songwriter, I don't know about the poet). Go buy "Haunted" it's my favorite album of all time (okay, four years later it's not my favorite album of all time, but I still put it in my top 10, maybe top five...). Alanis Morrisette is a great songwriter; her lyrics hold delightful surprises 100 listens in. First there was Kate Bush, Alanis take the baton... "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown is a great read, couldn't put it down. "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan is an engaging Fantasy series (and I hate fantasy as a genre). It's like Tolkein with the addition of female characters (which adds a lot) without the burden of each meal taking 30 pages to describe in detail. Warning the 10 books total around 10,000 pages; it's a major commitment. I'm on book 5, which I asked Leigh to hide until I get a few things done. By the way the Lord of the Rings movies are far superior than all the Science Fiction crap that Hollywood has produced in a long time. The BioTech Century. Profoundly Scary. MoviesRecent: 21 Grams (my vote for Best of 2003 (neglecting of course Lord of the Rings)). Less Recent:
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