pikolint

You know you’re back in Berkeley when you get excited by:
~ homemade political signs hung on lamp posts
~ Obama signs in every other window
~ 5 Priuses in the span of 2 blocks
~ non-generic clothing, colorful hair, and beautiful tattoos
~ tasty food served in restaurants at reasonable prices (so far I’ve had Mexican, Japanese, and Indian!)
~ [...]

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After a long day of work and dinner with colleagues, Alán called me as he walked home late at night.  Dinner, of course, also included a shared bottle of wine.  He sounded relaxed and happy, which is important because I know he expends a lot of energy at work.  Hearing his voice calms me; street [...]

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O Scuddha Buddha! I saw you parked today, a little moped with a name plate. A scooter with spirit. You made me pause and smile. You made me ponder your presence. I imagined you carrying a person who moves about her world with respect and wisdom, who exercises a quirky humor, [...]

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I love the characters who make Berkeley what it is, but the beauty and madness of the Bowl (this is a link to a great article well worth reading!) can bring out the best and worst in people:
Michael Pollan, author of the best-selling book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” is a Bowl regular who calls the store [...]

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I went to see a neurologist today. He took my medical history, tested my reflexes, checked my eyes, and asked me a bunch of questions: “What’s today’s date?” “What are the days of the week?” “Can you name the days of the week backwards?” “Who’s running for president?” “Who’s [...]

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My sister pointed me to this commentary by Eve Ensler about Palin this morning:
If the Polar Bears don’t move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, “Drill Drill Drill.” I think of teeth when I [...]

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On my usual walk to campus the other day, while lost in my own thoughts, a car pulled up to the intersection at a red light. The driver had his windows rolled down to enjoy the summer breeze, and on his stereo he played the Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ Safari” at a volume loud enough [...]

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Yesterday, I posted an article that suggested that McCain’s “touchstone” virtue was signified in the word “honor” whereas Obama is most closely identified with “empathy.” So much for the honor that supposedly governs McCain’s world view. Take a look at the falsehoods and distortions coming from the McCain campaign:

“Blizzard of Lies”
“McCain and Palin’s [...]

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(image from Fat Knowledge)
Every election cycle, I end up yet again attempting to understand the conservative world view. During the last presidential election season, I read George Lakoff’s Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think and Don’t Think of an Elephant, which I found intriguing, especially given his emphasis on unpacking metaphors and [...]

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In line with my interest in things small is this “capsule dose” of Paradise Lost on Twitter. Maud Newton provides us with what amounts to a virtual, intravenous drip version of Milton’s epic.

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