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October 22, 2004
1, 2, 3, SHOP
As I sat down to write, I looked at the quarters and other change I had removed to the desk from my pocket, and remembered that I had thought about doing laundry this weekend. "What's going on with my sock supply," I wondered aloud, "that I have to do laundry two weekends in a row?" Well, I checked, and I have enough socks to last me into next Thursday. So there.
Plus, I want to buy more. Hand me down boots (I hope they fit!) are winging their way to me, as I seem to have lost my old pair :-(beloved Danners bought in preparation for my first New York winter). And so I want more socks.
Thorlo socks, I think. I own exactly one pair, and I think they're in Roseville, and I miss them. They are the most fantastic socks I've owned, not that I'm much of a sock connoisseur. And of course at the store today I encountered new brands of equally fantastic looking socks. The bottom line is: if I'm going to slog through a muddy, rainy, every-day-is-a-day-hike winter here at Heartwood, I'm going to do it with appropriate gear.
I am definitely on an "appropriate gear" kick. Today I drove all the way to Eureka in order to buy a backpack at the highly recommended Northern Mountain Supply.
oK, I was mainly going to get my alignment done, but I would have gone to Eureka just go to NMS sooner or later. Why not combine the two?
But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, you should know that I rose later than I wanted, as usual. The alarm started going off at 6:00am. I hit snooze every 15 minutes until 7:45, at which point I finally got up. It's been suggested that the change of seasons may be the culprit, which suggests a full spectrum lamp on a timer as a possible remedy.
But I this latest pattern still carries resistance, both to entering my bed and to leaving it. There's something there under the surface that needs to be changed. I have been trying consciously to access it for about four years now. Ahh well.
By the time I regained full consciousness, did energy tune-up, got in and out of the shower, and back in my room it was 8:20. I finished getting ready, got up to the Lodge in time to have a bowl of cereal, and hit the road a little after 9:00.
I paid too much for tires, but what was I supposed to do, driving on a donut tire? Ate lunch next door while it all happened, and left for Eureka on time.
The alignment people told me they could have sold me tires cheaper ("No shit, ya think? Shut up.") and then told me that my front left strut is leaking. I asked what that should mean to me, and the bottom line minimum that me and my wallet needed to know is: I have to get it fixed, sooner if not later.
While the alignment people (sounds like some mysterious UFO cult) did their futuro-neato alien technology things to the strange and magical horseless carriage that transports me, I wandered the streets of Eureka like someone who's been in a coma for thirty years. Or, like someone who's been living in an isolated mountain community for three weeks.
There were some neat stores, especially bookstores, but I didn't buy anything unplanned there. I did go to a mall before leaving town, though, and it was so weird. I haven't spent much time in malls in a long time... I was surprised that Zumiez no longer carries Ecko clothing, but Gottschalks has replaced half of their Young Men's section with it.
I remember back when the online Ecko survey asked "What three clothing brands are totally whack?" Ecko has become one of those "whack" brands. Every time I see their stuff the quality has decreased. Very sad, really. There's now nothing in the standard mall price range that I want to wear. Certain discounters and eBay remain my salvation.
Eventually I will learn to make more and more of my own clothes. When I finish school, I'll have more time to work on my knitting skills. I'd also like screen printing equipment... I've wanted it for a long time. Also in the mix, I've found places online that sell quality organic cotton clothing blanks suitable for garment dying, and I'd like to take some tailoring classes at some point.
So Northern Mountain Supply was very good, but not as amazing as I'd hoped.
Yes, the staff was friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and patient... but their selection of the type of bag I needed has been scaled way back. There was really only one choice for me.
Yes, they did have KINeSYSsunscreen, as promised on the KINeSYS website, but they only had one product in one size.
Anyway, I ended up getting an Emerald City (silver) from Dana Design. Hopefully no more unaligned body for me. :-) I wish the hip belt were fuller and the layout of the organizational pockets different, but maybe once I adapt it will turn out to be 100%, rather than 90%, better than what I've got.
I was planning to have dinner at the Lost Coast Brewery, but it was loud and crowded and I only really cared about their free Wi-Fi... well, my battery no longer holds a charge, and the only two tables with outlets were occupied by large parties.
So I left and had dinner in Redway, at the Mateel Cafe. It was good, but a tad overpriced. Of course, "a tad" rather than "way overpriced" means it's a value in this area. I had veggie lasagna that was very good, if a bit small in portion size. The sauce had a nice garlic bite. The house merlot was sufficient, although not worth what I paid for a glass.
I don't like that going out now mostly means compromising. This must be what it feels like to be an uncommitted vegan. I hold out hope that my eating options in San Francisco will be better. So far all I know is Urban Forage (and I'm not much for raw) and Millennium (too expensive to be a regular thing). And I don't even really know how those places compare to what I'm aiming for.
During my drive I had this vision of a restaurant that wasn't focused so much on some kind of one size fits all diet (doesn't matter if you're vegan, raw, Atkins, or something else) as much as on providing different menus to suit different bodies. Most Americans probably need to avoid moistening and warming foods, sure, but those of us who happen to have Vata constitutions sure would appreciate it!
Well I'm also looking forward to being at home, and working on my whole foods cooking skills. There are resources for that, I'll just need to be taking advantage of them.
On the way home, I did some experimentation with what I think is called "sounding" or "toning"... moving emotions, energy, and "stuff" with the voice, non-verbally. It's a new concept to me that I've been informally introduced to here at Heartwood, and I like the fact that I can do it in the car while driving, and that music can help rather than hinder. Most of my favorite tools don't have either of those qualities.
Basically let what I was feeling express as sound, and allowed myself the non-judgmental freedom to go with whatever wanted to come out. I wish I could have recorded it, it was quite weird, but effective.
The drive up the mountain was rainy and foggy. I was so glad to have new (and aligned) tires! I saw a raccoon and a frog on the way up. Yes, a frog... it was hopping across the road.
Sweet dreams to me, of frogs and whole foods, but not in the same context. Good day to you.
Posted by Josh A. at October 22, 2004 11:29 PM