Both Hands Emerge as the Supreme Extinction

2011-09-23T04:32:00.000-07:00

Announcing New Paintings from Charles Shannon(Chester Schambleton) 2010-2011. These are the beginning of a new Series of paintings by Artist Chester Schambleton. All works are copyright Chester Schambleton and Charles Shannon. Any interest in showing or purchasing these works please contact chesterschambleton@gmail.com.

Sweden Flora and Fauna Part 3 July 2011

2011-08-16T05:33:00.001-07:00

Sweden Flora part 2 July 2011

2011-08-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Flora of Sweden, July 2011 dedicated to my Great Grandmother.

2011-08-16T04:30:00.000-07:00

Istanbul, not Constantinople part 4 of 4

2011-08-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

Instanbul, not Constantinople part 3

2011-07-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

Istanbul, no Constantinople Part 2

2011-07-19T04:35:00.000-07:00

Instanbul, not Constantinople Part 1

2011-07-18T04:26:00.000-07:00

BCNifitti

2009-09-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

Granada y Madrid

2009-08-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

Granada Grafitti

2009-08-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Grafitti, Granada and Madrid Part 1

2009-06-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Aloof, Deceptive, Diabolic and Fearful

2009-06-18T02:14:00.000-07:00

Flamenco in Granada

2009-06-18T02:01:00.000-07:00

2009-05-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

Brazil, they make em beautiful there, the girls....I like that they have Victoria Secret model's in here, they're exceptional creatures. I like those colors. 2004, five years ago. Preparing for the inevitable. So there's this artist I like in France, Sophie Calle. A thought of one food. Moods like colors, then she photographed em. The blue group, the yellow group. Everything on the plate was the same shape and then she would eat em.

2009-02-11T02:26:00.000-08:00

blind drip

2009-01-26T01:49:00.000-08:00

blind drip behind the dumpster oasis
drawn to that which is drawn to;
drizzle bomble my umbrella sir rust
and make sure there are no those.

diversify the syntax of this puppeteer's words,
head caution from his movements as well;
the i have to have will end
and with that the collapse engulfs

erase the undertow of these pigskin footprints,
erase the impact of these rigid desires;
i will not tumble again,
i will not miss that spot next time.

blind drip behind the canal of my eye,
deleted by that which also is deleted;
dripping bubble traveling on a string,
this porcupine love life must end.

Drive up San Fran last week/Muir Woods

2008-12-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

Eat my insides first

2008-11-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

The jonquil must manifest itself
as periwinkle to some spectrum;
dichotomize this vision quest of
tragic proportions and help me
crinkle the hinge to create a
mycenaean escape route.
The deguerrotype of this
lipsynced dodder
gives us one chance
each time to grapple the jovial edge.
Homogenized rights are discarded
like a proxy of voluminous bubbles
rising to the surface.
The not so humble attempt to placate
the cultivated populace
climatizes the backfire of latent halide.

birdz and spiderz

2008-10-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

like pretty little roses
these soldiers died
containing the last war
of infinity versus negative infinity

negative connotations
quickly were seen as perfect;
impel instant transformation
as braneworld recognizes itself

problematic sums of zero
fight their way to the surface
for the chance to pluck energy lines
to gather, sort, and distribute abundantly

alas, there are no recipients
except for everything;
the delicacy of temporal entities
fills the vessel with enough confusion

the goal is to encompass the sparkle
to harness what needs not be harnessed

Cabron! Leo's last show. Radio Room 9-13-08

2008-09-14T21:41:00.001-07:00

Montezuma Yoga, Grafitti, and my final week...

2008-08-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Swimming in a waterfall in Montezuma.
Susan and the aptly named Mr. C (the dog) attempting to tackle the waterfall.
Trees growing out of rocks, what will they think of next?
Yes, that is bamboo. It's much taller than you can see. My question is where are all the damn pandas?
Separate leg forehead to knee.
Finger stand
Standing Backward Bend
Standing Bow Pulling Pose
Some fresh graffiti right outside the studio in San Pedro.

Well, this is my last week of doing karma yoga in Costa Rica. I have enjoyed my time here and it has been challenging teaching in Spanish and trying to learn the language. The hardest part is answering the phones. People talk a million miles an hour and don't seem to understand the need to slow down to somebody who obviously can't hear very well. I wish I had increased my Spanish skills, but the language is damn difficult! Actually, there is so much slang here that even when I can pick out words that I know, I still don't understand a lot of the language. I am going back to San Diego and am going to be teaching there for a while and see what other opportunities arise.

Monteverde

2008-07-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

These are pics from the weekend in Monteverde. Monteverde is a cloud forest. A pretty amazing place...rainforests, animals, and green!
Part monkey, part idiot.
My future home.
Yes, growth is plentiful here. Trees grow on other trees, plants grow on telephone lines, flowers grow on rocks with no dirt. It's amazing.

This is that translucent butterfly. They don't like to pose for photos, so it was a little difficult.
Here's the frog everyone sees on Costa Rican postcards.
Photos courtesy of Susan A.

Manuel Antonio

2008-07-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

These are photos from the beautiful Manuel Antonio Park on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. This place is a tie for the most beautiful place I've ever been to. Beautiful black beaches and crazy rock formations, rainforest up until the water. Monkeys, sloths, pizotes, racoons, and giant lizards.

Photos courtesy Susan A.

Disney War

2008-07-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

Some grafitti from Barrio California and Barrio San Pedro. All photos courtesy Susan A.

Out and about in the city

2008-06-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

One of Costa Rica's popular rock-latin-punk bands Evolucion. www.evolucioncr.com
Hanging out in barrio california between the studio in San Pedro and San Jose.
Walking down the stairs of the studio.
This is it...the studio, where all the magic happens.

Estuve Buscando por hongos

2008-06-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

One specimen that was found.
Hiking through the Mountains just outside of San Jose.
All you see is green.
Trying to make friends...

This is my look between prestige and I haven't gone to the bathroom yet today.

Pics from Alex's Camera from Puerto Viejo

2008-06-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

Walking in the Ocean...
This is where everybody bikes, the road that follows the beach, where the crabs cross and you are constantly dodging giant crabs.
Alex and I and Laura's house for dinner.
This is the house for sale that I wanted. It was in perfect condition. I think much less than 100,000 dollars and right on the beach.
The forest right up to the beach. You can walk here, or most people ride there bikes through the forest, it's an awesome ride.
Having dinner at Alex's Friend Laura's house on the first night in Puerto Viejo.
Eating Rondon with Bill, one of Alex's neighbors.

Capoeira, Hiking in the Mountains, and lots of reggae

2008-06-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Things have been really nice here and the weather has improved. It rains everyday, but it usually comes and goes quickly. I've heard some pretty crazy thunder and lightning. I kept thinking, what are the chances that I would get struck by lightning in Costa Rica? After viewing some sweet Capoeira last week, I attended a class on Monday and it kicked my butt. Capoeira is a martial art-dramatic dance that expresses the way Brazilians fought. There is no contact, but because it's a dance, you are always moving. There are some pretty crazy headstands, one arm stands, headstands, etc. It was really cool. I am going to continue taking classes here and hopefully I'll get the hang of it. Alex and I went hiking in the mountains outside of San Jose this weekend. The weather was extremely compliant with our plans. It was cool, because we were only 20 minutes outside of the city, but there was some amazing views, houses and nature. We're going to head out to Monteverde next weekend and check out some of the cloud forests. On the bus rides I've been on, you drive through rainforest, through clouds on narrow roads with waterfalls on the side of the road. I've mainly been working to increase my understanding of spanish and to work on my Bikram dialogue for class. The classes are improving and I am teaching 95% in Spanish. There is a good group of students here and I am trying to bring more students to the studio. I am going to be posting pictures soon, but I am shooting film, and I so am waiting for Alex to email me his pics of Puerto Viejo and hiking. Pics on their way!!! There seems to be no distinguishment between good and bad music here. Everybody likes everything, no matter how they look or dress. Obviously that's a stereotype, but from what I've seen, people who have good taste in music also have bad taste in music. I like some of the reggae and dub, but there is a spanish-rap-reggae-dmx sound going on here in the bars. I'm enjoying the art and culture scene here. There are lots of artisans that make jewelry and sell them on the streets. There are lots of live music, museums, and cultural events going on, especially because I am close to the University of Costa Rica.

Semana 2

2008-06-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Week one has definitely been tough and rewarding so far. I have been teaching all of the classes in Spanish because it doesn´t seem like a lot of the people speak english that I am working with. It is a sort of minimalist dialogue class, which seems to me to be more yogi like than the normal Bikram class....Anyway, I went into the city last Friday and checked out the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's in an old brewery\distillery so it provides really interesting spaces for the art. I saw some really cool work and some progressive work combing sewing and photography. I haven't done much photography here yet because I've been working so hard on studying the Spanish Bikram dialogue and studying Spanish in General. This past weekend, I went to Puerto Viejo along the south Atlantic border close to Panama. It's a very beautiful place and it was so nice to finally see the beach. It is a very Jamaican influenced community with a very slow life. We rented bikes and rode along the beach and tried to avoid the millions of giant crabs crossing the road for food. There was a lot of roots and reggae music, cool people and beautiful scenery. Everybody has a bike and a hammock and just hangs out. Some people have little boutiques and stores where they sell their items. The forest goes right up to the beach and it provides amazing protection from the elements. Lots of beautiful waves and surf, lots of cute old houses. The bus ride there and back is amazing. Rainforests, crazy perspectives of clouds, coconuts, bananas, and noni are everywhere. I have been having a fun time here so far and I am really enjoying how nice and calm the people are. Alex is the owner of the studio and I have been travelling with him. He´s been taking pictures of me that I hope to post soon.

Costa Rica

2008-05-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

I just arrived in San Jose and I am pretty excited so far. I met up with one of the studio owners and got the keys to the studio. The studio was a little difficult to find because the streets do not names as far as I have seen so far. I am going to explore the city and get some food right now, but I am really excited to be here. The studio is small but it is nice. There are lots of pictures on the walls of Bikram instructors doing the poses. I will stay posted and hopefully write something more interesting later.

New Endeavors

2008-05-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm off to Costa Rica. I'll be leaving at the end of May for 3 months to teach Bikram Yoga. I'm super excited about being there. I'll be spending time both at San Jose the capital and Playa Jaco. It should be fun. I have the opportunity to run a studio down there. More details later...

Photos of my Postures

2008-04-09T14:56:00.001-07:00

Alexis helped me shoot some photos of my practice. Still working on those all the postures especially the beginning ones! I still have a left hip/si joint issue(s), so my hip is off on some of the poses.

FORD-AWD

2007-12-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Mr. Glenn Hall of San Diego decided to run me over last Thursday. A long story short, after having the right of way and standing my ground, Mr. Hall decided to get back in his Ford SUV with the license plate 'FORD-AWD' and hit me as he was going around the corner. If you ask me that's assault with a deadly weapon. Since I don't have any real injuries except for some cuts on my legs where I fell to the ground, the lawyers that I have been talking too don't seem to think I have a lawsuit other than the original amount for the bicycle. The accident was directly in front of a police station to boot. I have filed a claim with his insurance agency and hopefully I will get a settlement soon so I can get a new bike. The estimate was for $800. I should demand to get paid in Euros or Pounds just like some celebrities tired of the Bush driven US economy. The bike doesn't look that bad in the pictures, but basically all of the components need to be replaced to get the bike back to normal....so I'm thinking about a new bike. I wish there was someway to penalize Mr. Hall other than his premiums going up 10 bucks a month. He should have to ride a beach cruiser around San Diego as his only form of transportation for a month to humble his lead foot and hot head. I'm just waiting to hear from the insurance agency to see how much I'll get. He thought I should be riding on the sidewalk and I should have promptly moved from his way. Well, at least the police informed him that bicyclists have the SAME rights as cars and have to follow the same traffic laws. Not to mention it is unsafe and illegal to ride on the sidewalk. It would be nice to have driving tests address the issues of cyclists. It's a shame that people don't have any idea about the laws regarding bikes. Thanks to Kathy at sdcbc.org for helping me with legal issues and advice. The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition is dedicated to bicycle advocacy and making improvements for riders.

Sevilla, Spain

2007-09-14T13:22:00.001-07:00

This is Sevilla Spain, a city on the southwestern end a couple of hours from the Straight of Gibralter. Lots of bridges a prevalent in the city. As you can see, tons of graffiti and really good stuff all over the bridges.

Granada: The Complete Alhambra Set

2007-09-14T13:06:00.001-07:00

These are the final shots for the Alhambra Palace in Granada. It was the last Moroccoan city in Spain. One of the most awesome places I've ever been. Caves, Flamenco, and orange peel bread are just some of the perks of this Spanish city.

The Northatlantic's Last Show in San Diego

2007-07-29T17:27:00.001-07:00

These are pictures from The Northatlantic's last show at the Black Box Studios in Golden Hill. It was a pretty sweaty affair all in all, but well worth it. Ghost Buffalo from Denver played, as well as Get Your Death On from San Diego. I stumbled across an awesome poem that sort of seemed appropriate:

Snakes are coiled upon the granite.
Horsemen ride into the west.
Moons are rising on the planet
where the worst must suffer like the rest.

Pears are ripe and peaches falling.
Suns are setting in the east.
Women wail, and men are calling
to the god that's in them, and to the beast.

Love is waiting for a lover.
Generations kneel for peace.
What men lose, Man will recover
polishing the brains his bones release.

Truth Conceals itself in error.
History reveals its face:
days of ecstasy and terror
invent the future that invents the race.

-Donald Lehmkuhl, 1974

advanced class

2007-07-02T14:38:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the images from Bikram's advanced series. Some of these postures are pretty impressive. I just found out that the advanced series is offered twice a week in San Diego, so I'm going to take advantage of that, not that I can do more than 20 percent of the series!

pinhole

2007-06-25T23:20:00.000-07:00

let’s transition into this universe made of dust and mold;

what a confusion circumnavigating the labrynth of scheme.

shall we rest our confidence in the carbon of the future

as this ominous stillness gravitates us to the core?

up and down, we look to the depths of patterned familiarity,

left and right, falling, regaining stasis,

standing, stoppage.

back and forth we go; help me to conjure up change.

a snail’s pace, this trance is laborous and precise

as we witness astonishment flaten to a thin sheet of aloofness.

unclear, nonexistent conspiracies are folded up and put away.

foresight is transpicious and although it’s presented conversely,

envision a pinhole that envelops into fractal geometry.

we end up tiptoeing through our toetapping days

trying to step forward to get a bitter taste of reality.

attempting to slide this shoehorn between energy and static,

coming close, cusping the distance between glassy blinks,

our eyes are open, but are unaware of such instances.

wide open to opposite directions,

desiring an adhock plank to any such adventure.

wanting to queue this bridge,

our crossovers stop needing such a defined substructure.

ending quiesence or at least pretending,

this is the beginning the antithesis of acquiesence has promised.

do you think eternity desires to live

as infinity converges towards this enveloping pinhole?

last days in hawaii

2007-06-19T04:42:00.001-07:00

a flower with a minute pond growing in its center

me on the beach at the end of waikiki near diamond head

luk, a good friend from training trying to squish my head

friends from graduation looking stunning

These are images from my last days in Hawaii. I've been a hamster on a treadmill for 9 weeks and I only had a couple of days free off the wheel. It was actually kind of weird having time off. The graduation went well on Saturday. I am now officially a certified Bikram's Yoga Instructor. Can you believe it? I am teaching on Wednesday morning at 9:00am. I'm working through the last bits of dialogue and am really looking forward to teaching. It's sad to leave Hawaii on such empty terms, but that's the way it is. By empty, I only refer to the ending of my time here. It's just a little sad to be working so hard and then poof! it's all over.

I am going to be moving to Portland the first week of August. It's going to be a really good move and I have made some friends that are really cool. I'm really looking forward to a change of pace and scenery. I think it will be good for the art and writing I do and a general higher quality of living. There are so many transitions to get to the next period of my life. I'm excited to get there, but I still have lots of hard work before I get there.

the theory of everything

2007-06-11T02:11:00.000-07:00

life of surreal
life of such surreal
experience delivering of time
because is man because
spine sad
nice bikram's the practiced one
this only time
amazing compliments man
definitely inspiring
definitely twist
definitely is a delivering from the gettting
to only the best the end
that time
how tonight
because spine behind said delivering practice
it's this amazing wednesday
sad spine got back life
so such bikram's I end
twist!

Nearing the end is difficult in a lot of ways and easy in a lot of others. It's going to be nice to feel my sacrum again, or to have hamstrings again. A lot of people are pretending to be close to people that they are not as some sort of salvage mechanism. I'm excited about getting back to teach. I'm teaching on Wednesday the 20th at 9:00am! I'm reworking previous dialogue and am going to be doing more to make sure I have the dialogue the best that I can. I have two make up classes this week, so on Tuesday and Thursday I will be doing three classes per day. I did a triple last week on Thursday and was fine, although a little bushed after class trois. I got a pretty sweet stomach wrinkle tan earlier this week after sitting in a chair too long in the sun. it looks like I put sunscreen on my whole chest except for two lines laterally across my stomach! Graduation is next Saturday. There's going to be a small ceremony, then dinner at the Hilton. Supposedly Bikram is paying for 55 bucks a head for dinner. You think you'd get a quantity discount with more than 500 students and family attending the event. The talent show gave some students the long waited opportunity to publicly make fun of the staff and it's now trite phrases. 'Trust the process,' and 'manifest impeccable form' are two noteworthy candidates. This week is all Bikram, Rajashree and senior teachers for the yoga classes. These teachers will insure the training ends in a bang and we might all just explode. If it's any indication of how hot/humid it is here, since week 6, every teacher including Bikram has opened the exterior doors to allow the breeze to come into the room for oxygen. I'm also looking forward to paying resonable prices for food. I don't see how people can get used to paying double for their groceries. Minimum wage isn't higher here. Maybe that's why there's so many crazy people here, like the guy who yelled out the passenger side of a car for five minutes about kicking some guys ass and reminiscent of something Bikram would say he screamed, 'I've never done coke, but I like it.' This guy continued to scream incoherently as his friend sped embarassingly down the road. Nutso. Anyway, things are good and in a week, I'm going to be a certified bikram yogi. crazy.

winding down

2007-05-31T05:10:00.000-07:00

The time is coming to a close. There are only a few weeks left and they are flying at light speed. How silly it sounds that I will long for this torture and long nights. Why will I miss the tiresome 1am bike rides? This is best thing I've ever done in my life by far. I've never worked so hard and had so much fun. I can't explain how thoroughly fulfilling this is. I hope teaching will satiate that need for an intense pushing of character that my body has latched onto here.

spaghetti and football

2007-05-25T03:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight was interesting navigating the slick streets of Honolulu. A guy about a hundred yards ahead of me got side swiped and consequently wiped out. No helmet equals no good. He seemed to be okay, although in shock and startled. He was then trying to race past me on a mountain bike, on the sidewalk, and talking on his cellphone, recalling the incident. I rode with him all the way into downtown. I don't understand how people ride around without awareness.

Training is going well. The room is super hot, but I've mostly adjusted to it. Tonight's class was especially difficult, although I powered through the diziness. Everything is good with this stage of the process. Things seem to be falling into place, and the hard work is reaping its benefits. I've finally been realizing how fast this has been going. This is definitely the strongest focus and strength I've ever had. It will be interesting to see how my body readapts to normal life. Sleep.

Speaking of sleep, Bikram is returning tomorrow and we will have our first evening lecture in 3 weeks. Let's just hope that he doesn't lecture until ungodly hours. Today we had an extensive and metaphorical lecture on fascia. Jon Burras said 'fascia' 152 times in and during the lecture of the same name. The first 45 minutes were uncounted, but there were probably 152 more fascias said. The power of positive thought.

Focus Focus Fascia Focus

quincunx

2007-05-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

Tapdancing on this local atmosphere,
the minute and subtle are solely visible.
Tiny red threads that squiggle on the carpet,
Specs of sand stuck to your ankle,
Scents of movements and change.
The reality of reality,
hewn from incandescence and discards.
Teetering on the brink of existence,
the nature of nature winces.
Twinkle this night with exploding colors
and promises of a new tomorrow.
The twin quincuncial crux
dissolving life into inferior fifths.
These dissected squares
show the whole as an illusive pattern.
They show that time and congruity
are not synonyms;
Happenstance and serendipity
are built into the substructure.
The pressure underpinning breathe,
showing the untouchable relief.
Humdrum paths approach infinity
branching off here and there for confused escape.
Welcome to our invisible notions of indentured supremity.
Hollyhocks await your denied entry into the freedom
that lies just around the cavernous branches of consciousness.
The illusion of our illusion debilitates decision and progress.
Jump and float
or slouch and writhe.
Endeavor towards one path and you loop to the opposite.
Hold tight to the fleeting moments which
innervate the glimpses of grace and beauty.
The squares of the quincunx
converge into a singular optical notion
which clarifies path, purpose, breathe and blood flow.
So as we flow towards our nourishing end,
the neon tracks light the way to a hopscotch cul de sac.
Pierce the dark backdrop
and climb into tunnels that obscure directionality indefinitely.
Welcome to our invisible notions of indentured supremity.

adversity

2007-05-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

There is no possible way I can explain the stress, hard work, and insanity that was last week. My hips, lower back, and knees are so sore. We are engrossed with the memorization of our dialogue and so we are reciting one posture each day. I am doing very well with that aspect, although the most common criticisms that I have are that I'm too serious, not joyous, detached, and/or not fun. I'm told not to change my personality, yet be a little more fun(ny) or joyous. Whenever I'm doing something like that, I'm in a meditative state, like being in the darkroom or riding my bike. I like how Iggy Pop puts it:

And, ah... when I'm in the grips of it, I don't feel pleasure and I don't feel pain, either physically or emotionally. Do you understand what I'm talking about? Have you ever, have you ever felt like that? When you just, when you just, you couldn't feel anything, and you didn't want to either. You know, like that? Do you understand what I'm saying, sir?

I'm working on it. I'll flip these sardonic ways. I will acquiesce.

So then somebody decided to steal my bike saddle. Cool. The bike ride was fun on Saturday after visiting Shark's Cove. My thighs felt like they were going to explode. So on Sunday I walked to the bike store and bought a very expensive seat and the wrong sized stem. Cool again. I got to trek it back to the bike shop on my lunch break today. Yeah um...still cool. I guess somebody needed the seat more than me.

I'm going to keep on plugging this week. My hips have to open up soon. Over and out.

another day

2007-05-08T03:38:00.000-07:00

Bikram is out of town this week, which is nice because we actually have a cap on the length of the evenings. We are working in posture clinics with our dialogue that we're memorizing. Learning the dialogue rapidly is challenging. I had a lot of practice in high school, so it isn't so difficult for me. It's amazing some of the ESL students here can do the dialogue so well. I can't imagine trying to take anatomy tests or memorize dialogue in French, or Spanish, or another language for that matter. My birthday came and went as another day. No pomp, no circumstance, not even a good yoga class. That's just means that a good one is coming soon.

This training is going by very quickly, and it's going to be over in the blink of an eye. I wish it wasn't so much of a roller coaster, as a daily building on strength and flexibility. One day I'm great, the next lousy. Bikram says that you are either given strength or flexibility naturally and you work on the other in yoga. I would have said that strength was what I had going for me, but most days it doesn't seem like I'm strong or flexible. I'm hoping to level off and balance out soon. My lower back and hips are still real tight and sore, but they seem to be opening up slowly.

So, ummm, yeah this gigantic centepede was found in the dryer as I was lifting my clothes out. Apparently, centepedes are some of the meanest and most feared creatures in Hawai'i. I'm glad that I found my first one dead. Still a daunting sight. Try not to have nightmares about multitudinous amounts of angry centepedes attacking your throat whilst you sleep. What?

Reflection, Foresight

2007-05-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

This is one of my most signature photos. It's called hollowarms. This photo is how I feel about my life right now. The ominous tunnel of life; pockets of fake light that trick you as you stumble through the half dim luminesence, and a very precarious quandry. Left, Right, or plunge Straight through our fears and phobias in our war with the world. My eyes are open and I'm not deviating from my path.

A picture of my 4 years ago at the peak of miserability. I aptly named it the fattest picture ever. At least I've shed that skin of yesteryear. I just wanted to post it because people don't believe that I used to be 200 pounds.

no sleep tonight

2007-05-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

Bikram lectured until 1:30am tonight. I will hopefully get three hours of sleep. I had my best yoga class so far in the training tonight. I was really focused with my effort and my mind.

Circumvent this existence

2007-05-01T03:20:00.000-07:00

Thorasics? Lumbars? I want to see the xrays.
Please don't take responsibility for me.
Ischial Tuberosity? I want to see the proof.
I would like to proceed.

Internalizing this change is slow.
Walking upright requires a spine.
I'd like to just be for a second.
My spine dug a hole to Shanghai.

Will I wake up in time
to witness this transformation,
Or will the delusional perils
plague my easily swayed notions?

Circumvent this existence.
Lollygag and stall.

tomorrow should be hot

2007-04-27T03:29:00.000-07:00

Today was the perfect day for a half day. We had the evening of because of Bikram's booksigning. We all got autographed copies of his book. He signed mine "chester," but it was signed upside down and on the back cover. Some one didn't put the sleeve on right. It's kind of funny. They just installed 14 more heats in the yoga room. It has been slightly cooler, but now we will have a heat stroke. I am drinking about 8 litres of water each day. I'm excited for the weekend so I can sleep in on Sunday. Chinatown is about 3 blocks away from where I'm staying, and that's where all the cheap produce is. I have to go back this weekend to pick up some fruit. I decided to cut my hair tonight. You might not be able to tell from the picture, but it's basically the same, just short on the sides. I needed a change. I'm happy with it. Sleepy time.

atrocity exhibition

2007-04-24T03:53:00.000-07:00

And I picked on the whims of a thousand or more,
Still pursuing the path that's been buried for years,
All the dead wood from cities and jungles on fire,
Can't replace or relate, can't release or repair,
Take my hand and I'll show you what was and will be.

-Ian Curtis, Joy Division, from 'Atrocity Exhibition' (1980)

I'm almost finished with Ian Curtis' biography, so I thought I would include some lyrics of his. Ian hanged himself 11 days after my birthday in 1980 directly preceeding their first U.S. tour.

I was justly frustrated with yesterday (after being locked out for several hours) and so I carried my frustration with me through to today. I was and have been very stressed, without finding release. Everything just seems so overwhelming. All my free time consists of preparing for something else. Do I have enought food, water, toiletries, clothes, or reading material? Is my phone, computer, and ipod charged? Worry, worry, worry. I pride myself on being prepared for a range of situations, but those things can become stressful and that's the last thing I want right now. What are you going to do? Bikram's right: this will all be over in two minutes. I am going to wake up and it's going to be over. I will long for every second of these days. On a tangent, I am curious about preparing for the past. I haven't thought this one through, so don't expect anything too logical or profound(not that I am normally profound, or logical for that matter). If the future and the past are only the mind's contruct to explain the abstract, then why couldn't one prepare for the past? Maybe we only truly reexperience the past through dreams, so maybe I can prepare certain items to address past problems and relive them without pain or second guessing. More on this later...

doesn't crash just yet

2007-04-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

The foot's proclivity for step, the mind's propensity for uniqeness, the passive acceptance of consciousness; we all tread this planet and search for our identity. Will I find my identity in this career that pays the bills, will I find my life in the subgenre of culture that I identify with, will I find sense in that which appears to lack sense. 182 fish leapt out of the ocean while I stumbled through infinite green. 10,479 drops of rain fell on my helmet as I rode oscillating up and down, up and down on the cavernous road. 33,294 key strokes have performed their function on this idyllic day. Do these events create inner substructures that form our existential grid? Will the next wave culture shock reverse our arbitrary, subjective notions of morality? I'm seen unrealized, just us figure victims; side and I lose in such a half interesting bottom.

Long night Thursday

2007-04-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

I'm super exhausted. Two yoga classes a day are tough, and it's only the beginning! That's the good news. Today, it poured really hard the entire ride and so I was covered in mud, all over my legs, all over my bike, and all over my backpack. However, I got to go in the ocean for the first time today! I walked over right after the morning yoga class and waded in the salt water. It felt really good on my sore muscles. We have to sit in these chairs that look comfortable, but are extremely bad for the lower back and tailbone. I'm looking forward to this weekend. I have a Saturday morning yoga class, but then the weekend's mine. I think I am just going to sleep for 36 hours straight. Time to sleep.

2007-04-17T01:57:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the first official day of yoga. It's going to be a very interesting journey. I'm really eager to see this unrealized transformation. Some of these people have such amazing stories of how they got here. People half paralyzed from smoking crack cocaine for so long, alcoholics, car crash victims, and family/spouse death victims. I'm just like, uh, I just kind of want to figure out myself. I didn't lose 70 pounds or come from extraordinary circumstances. I think I'm definitely here for the spiritual aspect more than others. Our first yoga class today was interesting. We were all about four inches away from our neighbor side to side and 1 inch top to bottom. Three more people wouldn't fit in the room. I think I just want to sleep now.

Orientation

2007-04-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it appears that I'm going to start off every entry, "Well,." So I showed up for orientation yesterday four hours early, which was really awesome. At least that gave me some time to soak up the beautiful Honolulu weather. Not that San Diego's weather is bad, but it's a nice break from the overcast mornings and chilly nights. Orientation was definitely interesting just on the sheer fact of how many people were there. I thought the teacher training group would be small since it's the first session in Honolulu. 315 bodies are going to become teachers soon, including me. It seems that only about 50 or so are males. Most of the people here for yoga are women in their late 30's/early 40's. I found out that we are going to have Saturday yoga classes. I was hoping to be at the beach all weekend. I want to go hiking/camping, but it will be a short trip if I can't leave Friday night. Oh well.

It was cool because they fed us last night. There were lots of options with tofu and grilled veggies. Rajashree decided to sit at our table which was a really awesome experience. Rajashree is Bikram's wife and she teaches and runs a lot of the courses. She developed the Bikram's pregnancy yoga and she also does a program for children with cancer called 'karma for kids'. She was really beautiful and intelligent and nice. We were able to talk with her for a while as she ate her food. It's really interesting to be that close to a wealth of knowledge. We were all sponges soaking up her wisdom.

I'm excited about starting today. I haven't had a yoga class since last Wednesday and my body is going through withdrawls. I have to wait until later in the day before I get my yoga class, but I'll be reporting here shortly for lecturing and reciting of the first posture. Everybody is really nervous. I'm not so bad, I just want to get it over with. Only time will tell.

Day Two Adventures

2007-04-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well, day two was a pretty cool and adventurous day. I got my bike reassembled and took off onto the streets of Honolulu. Riding in Honolulu is pretty fun although there are a ton of cars and no real bike lane. Navigating the streets can be a little bit interesting, especially when there are crazy potholes and gaping gorges in the road. The ride I rode around, familiarized myself with the city on a general level, bought a new yoga mat, and bought a ton of groceries. I don't know if that was such a good idea considering that the fridge here is sort of no bueno. The temperature is only like half of what it's supposed to be, so it looks like I'm going to have to massively consume my vegetables before they go bad.

I've just been hanging out with Billy and Jason and some other friends. Everybody is really nice here. What an amazing notion. I am really enjoying being here so far. It's not that large of a place, but there are things constantly going on here. I went to a fashion show on the top of a rooftop yesterday. And the day before, I went to see 'As You Like It', a modernized Shakespeare play.

I have to report tomorrow for the Bikram's orientation. I'm excited to get started with the yoga. I know it's going to be a lot of work, but I'm ready to dive in. I'll probably eat those words in about a week when I am writing about how difficult it is. We'll see.

First day in Hawai'i

2007-04-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally made it. I myself wasn't convinced that this would actually come to fruition until I was actually here. These pictures show the view from the place that I am staying at in Honolulu. The weather is perfect right now. It's warm and slightly humid, but definitely not hot. I think I'm going to like the warm weather here. I'm so tired of the San Diego gloom of the last couple of years....

I got my bike all put together today. I had no trouble taking it on the plane and I didn't even have to pay extra. I'm very excited about riding around the island. I'm going to ride tomorrow to check out where the hotel is in Waikiki. It's only a couple of miles, so it should be an easy ride. I don't really have any plans for the next couple of days, except to work on my yoga dialogue. I need to get about 6 pages memorized by Sunday. I am working on it, and I recorded the dialogue on my ipod, so that will help with the memorization.

I think I'm going to go for a walk and check out the neighborhood. If I find anything interesting, I'll definitely share my experiences...

Sunday

2007-03-26T00:27:00.000-07:00

Today is how I would want every Sunday to be, without stress and very unstructured. I abhor the weekends when all I am doing is running errands and being a good consumer. Make any other day that, but not Sunday. Anyway, I am on my second day of my DMSO treatment. DMSO is like magical pixie farie dust that nobody has heard of for healing everything from arthritis to muscle strains to reversing effects of Down's Syndrome. I am using it to treat my knee from the muscle problems in most likely the vastus medialis muscle. I have been doing acupunture, taking msm, flax, eating right, not biking, wearing a knee brace, using chinese herb linament, moxa....DMSO penetrates the skin to expedite regrowth of tissue and muscle among a pretty hefty list of other things. Anyway, when I apply it locally, I can feel it doing its job. I am hoping this will be the solution to my now 8 month old nagging problem. I should be able to see results very soon, so keep your fingers crossed, or uncrossed for that matter.

I've also been working on my Bikram Dialogue. I have to have the majority of the poses memorized by the time I get to the teacher training on April 15. It is a little tedious just because of the inconsistencies between different sections. Sometimes the phrases are reversed, sometimes they are abbreviated, and sometimes they are just different from what I've heard any teacher say.

I am also reading Daniel Quinn's Beyond Civilization. This is great for people that are frustrated with the typical Daniel Quinn style of writing where the socratic method becomes a little too tedious. This is a no b.s. approach for Quinn and he does give some very thorough examples of what how different minds can think and how stupid doing the same thing that doesn't work is. He is definitely a tribalist, because it has been a model for over 3 million years of human existence that has worked. I am really inspired by this text in particular, where others I have sort of been confused about what to do. The industrial revolution didn't happen overnight neither does transitioning into a different way of living. Businesses can be structed in ways that make them more beneficial for their employees and thus making them into more of a tribal way of life. I highly recommend reading this book to anyone who is concerned with the bleakness of the future.

Time to read and sleep.

Berlin

2007-03-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

I have this growing feeling that everything in my life has been done. By that I mean that I feel like I am a character in a video game or a book whose past, present, and future are already completed. I'm just present to experience the things that I've already done. I can envision this book already completed or not, and I am writing what's already there.
It's not that I'm opposed to this, but I go back and forth with the text I read and have trouble descerning what the right way for me is, if there is a right way. Maybe I'll forge my own way combining a little from each wisdom. I am so caught in a world where you are a this or a that emphatically. Most times you are very defined terms. You need to be something that you can easily comunicate to others. You need to be inside the box or outside the box, but not waivering in between. It's so cliche to not want to be a definition. I guess everybody says they want that, but aren't sure what that means.
Maybe I'll be stronger and wiser if I continue to forge my own path, or maybe I'll just be more confused. Maybe I won't be alive tomorrow. That's the reality of life. I may make grand plans, but I can only live in the present.

I guess that's the problem: I feel like I need something to supplement myself because I am missing some pieces. Or some of those pieces are dormant and need something to draw them to the surface.

Bilbao

2007-03-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

The following are pictures of Bilbao, Spain taken with my Lomo Fisheye 2 during mid December 2006. All the images are hand process Black and White, then scanned with minimal editing. Some text accompanies the pictures, which is from my journal while I was there.
I'm having this intense feeling that I need a sponge to soak up something: something to soak up a minute, a hour, a day of this trip. Things are never the same and you will never be able to relive moments that you enjoy. At the same time, nobody can take those memories away from you.
The inner frustration that causes the outer frustration that causes the inner frustration.
It's a cycle, but where did the cycle begin and how do I end it?
Maybe confusion only brings confusion and it is cyclical, with periods of clarity and then returning to its normal state.
If that's the way it's going to be, then I wish someone authoritative would just let me know.
A postcard or an email would work.
My life is the monotony of a bumpy log, or a bumpy train as it were.
Time to end this sappy drivel,
Bilbao is not even close!

Morocco Part 2

2007-03-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is Part 2 of my Moroccoan photos from my Lomo Fisheye 2. These are all shot on 35mm Black and White film, scanned, and edited minimally. These are all photos from Marrakesh, Morocco. We were there the week of the International Film Festival in late November 2006. All of the double exposures are done on film, there is no digital manipulation or layering of the images.

Morocco Part 1

2007-03-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

The following are selected pictures from my Lomo Fisheye 2 and selected excerpts from my journal. These are pictures from Fes and Marrakesh, Morocco at the end of November 2006.
This train ride has been filled with small roaches. I'm not so much bothered by them. When the toilet flushes, a hole opens directly to the train tracks. A nice way to leave a little bit of you behind.
Roaches are gross, but it's not like they bit or anything. What are you going to do?
She had a Disneyland fantasy of Morocco and I admit that I had a slightly different vision...
Most of the places on Fridays as we found out, don't open until later. We decided to walk towards the Kasbah and the medina.
There are donkeys and mules that pass by carrying god knows what: oil of sorts, propane, wood, animal skins, or beverages like portable vending machines. These animals look terrible. Some of their legs look sprained and their eyes tell you the misery that is their lives. Nobody cares.
There was a weird dichotomy between the old culture and the youthful one. Belts and jeans that say Armani and Diesel on them, next to people selling oranges, traditional garb, and spices.
It is amazing how cheap some things are there. We went to the markets and got bread, tomatoes, avocados, cucumber, a bag of olives, onion, and bananas for about 2 bucks.
Don't get me wrong, the stares were still there, but they didn't have hate and violence behind them. In my opinion, they were more about the curiosity of different cultures.
In the short time we were in Fes, we experiended a completely different country, one a lot cleaner, one a lot more cultural, and one vastly more accomodating.

The train ride was nice to Fes except the compartments were kind of cramped. We met a very nice an on the ride who spoke very good English and he recommended a guide in Fes because of the complexity of the medina.

2007-03-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

These are the Northatlantic photos from the Metro show in Chicago last October.

Cabron at Voz Alta

2007-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

These are the Cabron pictures from the Voz Alta show where they played with Mr. Tube and the Objects. My apologies to Cabron for getting them done in a snails pace. The above photo of Shane looks like a Francis Bacon portrait.

The Daily Routine

2007-03-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

I just finished taking a self-portrait for the completion of my Bikram's Yoga application. The photo is oh so lovely(only because I photoshoped all of the zits off). Anyway, I am about to develop some film for Cabron....I am sure everybody hates me because I am so slow in developing film, and slow in completing tasks in general. It's me.