OMG!!! - totally offensive!

Someone sent me this video. I can not believe it. This is out of control. This is preposterous. And very funny.

Hollow & Empty

I did a long meditation today; hollow and empty. Profound. Cleansing. Rejuvenating. Life giving. It basically used my breath to hollow and empty the body. It is beyond words. out.

Houston

Headed to Houston tomorrow, nope we ain't got a problem. Bringing camera and involved in several sessions. More late.

Love this Shot

Bike, originally uploaded by lmpicard.

From Amsterdam

Amsterdam Spaces

I really enjoyed the new public architecture and investment in public spaces that Amsterdam has made and is making in its waterfront. Two new buildings here in this image (background of my ORANGE bike) are the library and (music) conservatory. The Conservatorium van Amsterdam - which in April 2008 opened is on Oosterdokskade (just behind the Centraal Station) is totally worth a visit - wow.

The architect, contemporary Dutchman Frits van Dongen of CIE, is said to employ a bit of a Japanese aesthetic noting how the hallways are on the exterior of the building (to shield spaces from noise), while the classrooms, practice rooms and performing spaces are on the interior. There is a BUS underground parking and access to prevent clutter of the architecture - really nice touch. I also explored another amazing residential building by this architect Het Funen Park.

The library (on the Left in second image) was also very amazing. It reminding me of the care of Rem's building in Seattle in that the emphasis is on the books, but this building inside felt more approachable. The architect for the Library, Jo Coenen is sorta the "state" architect and has a beautiful portfolio.

I'm Home

Just getting my sleep together...
Getting onto some new good routines. Took lots of GREAT pictures in Iseo, Milan and Amsterdam. Will share more later. Here is one of me in my Milan Apartment with my wacky 14mm lens. Ciao.

Out of Country

I'm frantically getting ready to get out of country. Yes, I'm headed for Europe again, but without my bike. What? That's right. SO many of you have asked..."what say you Lisa?" Well... my yoga teacher has convinced me to go to the lakes region for "pony yoga". That's right, can you see a little downward dog on equine? Me neither. We are studying with Dona Holleman and we learn centeredness on the mat, then reinforce our centered energy on the horse.

I complete the trip of loft investigations in Milan and Amsterdam with my new camera. To track this fun (which starts on Saturday), look here. I will be making all further posts until the 21st of October here.

Oh and my brother sent me this video for my birthday... some of the images I've never, ever seen before. Very cool. You can check it out here.

ID Photo Shoot

ID, originally uploaded by lmpicard.

My buddy murph and I did a walking photo shoot um up on Sunday of the ID in Seattle. You can check out my photostream in flicker by clicking on the image above. We discovered parts of our fine city neither of us has seen. The Panama Hotel tea cafe being one. It was gorgeous, warm and a great place to hang for an hour or two.

Sick, $700B Sick

$700B. I'm disgusted. I actually wrote all my congressional reps (and I can't say I've ever done that before). Its an irrational, knee jerk, grab a cement truck because we "think" there is a crack in the levy approach. This is no different than the authority to bomb the crap out of Iraq (i.e. no plan). How much have we spent on that? Futures! Futures I tell you.

Why can't we be like Warren Buffet, hell he invests rather than "bails out" freaking companies. Why can't the american tax payer be an investor for once? So we need to act, yeah... I get it. The stock market went down 700 pts upon the failure to approve by the house. Then the market rose 400 the next day. Why did the market decline another 140 pts after the house signed? Because the bill doesn't freakin matter. Look - Paulson came from Wall Street. His buddies are hurting. Got it?

What matters in our current economic constraints is that we make capital available to companies, agencies and individuals that need it (as a loan not as a corporate hand out). Why can't we take equity in those companies and share in the rise of value rather than "bail out" companies that benefited from the "free market". Funny how free market proponents like free markets until it needs to "pluck" them from the gene pool. We need those gordon geckos to finally leave our collective gene pool. My solution now? With the $'s allocation...I say we fire Paulson and hire Economic Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz to run the "fund". His plan is really similar to what european countries have done in tough credit crunches and what any investor would expect. So we get Joe to decide where the $700B goes (oh wait I think its $1T after the senate got its way). Read it HERE

Needed my brakes today!

Zero G, originally uploaded by lmpicard.

Sile and I went for a 70 mile ride in the blistering wind and pouring rain. It actually was a magical ride. When its 60 and raining, with beautiful fall color and you have all this wonderful moisture hitting your face... it is quite nice.

Sile was a buzz. She was giddy at how she was facing the elements and getting 70 miles under her belt when all others failed to get outside today. I think she is a little competitive.

Air Space

I played this tonight.
http://www.palinbingo.com/

I didn't win. But I'm not sure if anyone else did either. Hmmmm.

Collective Conscious

The world is a worrying. I hear comments from friends fretting about the value of their IRA, potential of job loss, etc. If you can visualize and feel your own reality and not that of the collective worry, you shall soon FLY like the reptile that came upon land, you shall rise from the ashes around you like the phoenix, you shall BE better than everyone else imagined; yet not better than YOU imagined... because YOU always imagined better. See your own reality. Be your own reality. Believe in your own potential; not the fear of the collective conscious. Namaste.

SNL

Gotta admit this is hilarious!

Snow Lake Hike

Hike, originally uploaded by lmpicard.

My dear friend from Connecticut and I went for a little jaunt up to Snow Lake yesterday. It was a magical day. I have not been up to the alpine lakes in a while. Although everyone an their mother seemed to be up at Snow lake... Deb and I had great fun with my new camera.

Greenspan = Deadpan?

Former FED Chairman Alan Greenspan argues (according to Businessweek) "that the price of eliminating giant speculative losses is a lower standard of living."

Short hand? If we don't let wall street bet big, they don't get to live high on the hog. Duh?

So...
Alan buddy, are you saying that... IF we regulate banks and/or investors FROM being able to engage in Las Vegas style investing (shall we say speculative losses) THIS regulation of the FREE MARKET precludes Wall Street CEO's from having an adequate standard of living (say like having a G4 aircraft for weekend trips at the Hamptons?). I guess with the masterminding of the BIG BAILOUT, they (you) get to keep a high standard of living while the rest of america pays for it.

Bravo buddy.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
So Free Market economics is really only some of the time. Got it.

5D arrived

So I finally got my high end dig. Here are my first actuations. Jett wasn't so happy. Diggin' my super wide lens. Needless to say there will be much better shots on my blog... once I figure out how to use it.

We Own AIG

Congrats to us all, we now own another financial institution. As I sit here this early Wednesday morning on September 17th, I ponder the obvious; the single fact that our entire society, culture, imprint, economy - call it our collective DNA mindset is completely focused on the need to grow. Growth, growth, growth. The obsession of every company and thus its entire value in the market is its ability to grow. The faster, the bigger, the more we can line the pockets of its management with obscene quantities of money and experience real (or fabricated) profits the more we value that company. Is it necessary? What ever happened to our expectation that a normal market return is 7%? Can't we be happy at something that just holds our standard of living? Must we thirst to grab 20, 30 or 50% growth? Beyond that need, don't we see it just robs us of our future?

We learn yet again...
Such growth is not sustainable.

We learn yet again...
This growth only steals from the future;
a bit like charging up your credit cards only to pay later.

We learn yet again...
that truth continues to teach; however painful and despite our listening.

We own, fannie, freddie and AIG now. Maybe to diversify our portfolio we now need a major thirft? WaMu anyone? They are certainly begging for deposits with cheap CD's - which is their begging for mo' money (to cover bad loans and shrinking deposits).

Ford with 65 miles to gallon

Just read in business week that Ford has a vehicle that can easily go 65 miles to the gallon. It won't sell it in the US. Whaaaaaaaat? They say because its diesel they will not have enough demand because prices are too high. They also say it will take it $350M to build a diesel plant in Mexico to offer in the US.

Wait a minute.
Ford is getting its clock cleaned by Toyota and Honda in this country because those auto companies are selling high efficiency vehicles in the US (albeit hybrids). Oh, oh, oh....
AND they want the feds (the US tax payer) to give it "bailout" money to help it because it continued to make BIG ASS vehicles that now are no longer in favor? Let's do the math...

Ford looses $1.0 Billion (yes that is Billion not Million) in cash EVERY month for its expense laden company YET it will not spend a fraction of that monthly loss to build a factory in Mexico to save its ass in the BIGGEST auto market in the world?

Well...
Maybe if you proposed to build the plant in the US then you'd be justified to ask for Fed $'s.

Good night Ford. With decisions like that... you deserve to die on the vine like Lehman.

A spin with da boys

I did a spin with the boys this morning. Good fun. Here is the route and details (if you care):


View BIG Map

Saturday's Ride

View Larger Map
It was a great early spin for the TPR women; starting at 8am and finishing around noon. It was Sile, me, Cathy and Cindi. Phenomenal weather with that crisp little bit of fall in the air. Yes, its coming... Suck it up (the sunshine that is). The ride details are here.