14...

1. The smell of cilantro lingering on my fingertips for hours.

2. Raw ceviche is one of my favorite quick fix meals. Cube some portabella mushrooms, avocado & tomato, marinate in lots of fresh squeezed lime juice, a bit of garlic and tons of freshly chopped cilantro. I usually make it in a jar so I can keep shaking it or turning it over to let the juices coat everything evenly and let it sit for a few hours for fullest flavor.

3. Liah is awesome. She was kind enough to let me come over and pick her brain for an hour or so and discuss SEO stuff for my site, affiliate programs and some general blogging stuff. Definitely a very helpful information session.

4. Walking the Haight is oh so fun. I love all the crazy, funky shops, the cafes, the variety of humans, and the old spirit of the 60s lurking in the corners.

5. The Love of Ganesha is one of my favorite shops on the Haight. They have such beautiful skirts and jewelry, all of which are affordable, and the people are so sweet and always offer me a cup of tea.

6. Braindrops is another of my favorite shops on the Haight. It's a tattoo and piercing shop, and though I don't know how good their tattoo artists are, I am in love with their piercing staff and jewelry selection. They have some gorgeous pieces made of glass, wood, stone, and other mineralized & fossilized items, as well as some beautiful earrings made from antlers. I remember seeing a sign above their vintage pieces that said everything was made from old, found bone and animal items so nothing was hunted to create the jewelry, but am unsure if that applies to some of the newer pieces. I'll have to ask next time I'm in.

7. Watching the Muppet Movie in Dolores Park was tons of fun. I didn't remember all those Hare Krshna jokes from when I was a kid. Hilarious. Dolores Park Movie Night is one of my favorite free things to do here in the summer.

8. Cheb i Sabbah is one of my absolute favorite local DJs. He's from Algeria, but blends all sorts of global sounds, with a heavy influence on one of my personal favorites, classical Indian music. He does a Thursday night weekly party at Bollyhood Cafe that is always an interesting experience, whether packed or empty. I had a really great time there tonight, dancing, laughing and meeting new people.

9. New Friends. I just need to give a big thanks to all the new people who have come into my life recently. It's amazing what you can attract into your life when you make a conscious effort to cut ties with certain kinds of people and surround yourself with only those that push you to be your highest self and express your true nature. We're all on different paths, and my life would certainly not be the same if I was not surrounded by such amazing people who always challenge me and push me to be the best me.

10. Purging. In preperation for my raw foods blog and site, I have been spending a fair amount of time writing my personal story about my healing journey from the age of 15 to the present. It's been really cathartic to put the whole thing into words from start to finish. I am sure it will need tons of editing before I have a final draft ready, and I thank the friends who help me with that in advance. The outside perspective will be a big help.

11. Marble composition books are my favorite thing to write in. I like to keep it old school. There's just something about them.

12. Bic pens are for some reason my favorite. I have no idea why, but they're such a basic design, and whenever I use them my handwriting is always so much neater, and somehow the words flow much easier. Perhaps that last big is just psychological, or maybe the fact that it looks neater provides clarity of mind which allows the thoughts to flow more freely. Who knows, really? And does it even matter? I just like them.

13. Lemons smell so amazing. And they're used to flavor lots of raw foodie dishes, so I'm getting lots of vitamin C. And dare I mention the fresh strawberry lemonade I've been making? Mmmmm.

14. Planning for NY is exciting. I made my first trip back in over 2 years a few months ago, and it was weird because it had been a long time and I am so different, and so was it, yet eerily the same. First trips back to old homes are always a bit odd. I'm really excited to go this time though, for a whole myriad of reasons.

15. Autumn in New England is probably my favorite time of year back east, so the anticipation of walking through Central Park amongst the bright crimson, glowing oranges and blinding yellows has me going to bed smiling. I can't wait!

16. Agreements to be seen. Picking up the past and trying to find a place for it that is more current and in the present is always interesting when time has lapsed. I am not worried, as it feels right, but I am a bit curious about how things will play out.

17. Raw red pepper flax crackers are responsible for the delicious smells coming out of my kitchen. I can't wait until they're done dehydrating and I can eat one.

18. Making your own food is one of the best feelings. I've always cooked, even when I was a kid. But this new realm of making my own crackers, breads, granolas and everything is something else entirely. I'm making things that normally come in packages and are made in factories with tons of added chemicals, but not these - they're straight from my kitchen made of only the freshest, most beautiful ingredients I can find. I'm all about homesteading. Now if only I could afford some land!

19. Sticking to a normal sleep schedule even though I don't have a normal job anymore and am working from home on my own, much more meaningful projects is a wonderful and strange feeling. I'm learning to be more disciplined about this, and though years ago I would have frowned upon rising before 9am when I didn't have to be somewhere, I now really enjoy it. It helps that since going raw, I am no longer groggy and exhausted in the mornings and wake up happy and smiling.

20. Helping people plan trips is fun. I've gotten so much valuable experience from driving across America so many times, and it's great to share that information with travelers.

21. Heavy eyelids mean it's time to go to bed. I haven't been this tired in awhile. I got an exceptional amount of work done today.

13 is lucky...

1. Wear Sunscreen video. I had read the essay many years ago, but today my friend showed me the video version, and it's really amazing. These are definitely things we need to be reminded of more often, so I'm glad I got to see this today. Thanks, Caitanya!



2. SFBC Volunteer Night rocks my world. I love all the volunteer work I do for the Bike Coalition, but volunteer night is definitely something special and I've met a lot of great folks who always come out.

3. Super productive days. I got a lot done today, and it was nice to just plow through a bunch of things without taking a break like I had been doing the last few days.

4. To-do lists are so much fun to make. I really enjoy them. And today came the ultimate satisfaction of crossing out a bunch of items, instead of just a few. Fun fun fun.

5. Business planning in phases is something I never really did before. I used to just list out the things I needed to do, but now I've worked out different phases to be more organized and move swiftly through the process.

6. Having the house to myself felt great. My friend is visiting, and it's been lots of fun, but i need a balance of alone time to be productive and stay feeling good, plus I am used to living alone, so today was absolutely wonderful.

7. The SFBC days without bike lanes widget is awesome, and I've now added it to my blog and my facebook page. You can get your own here.

8. Travel Journal Contests. I love that Flavorpill keeps doing these amazing contests. I hope one day I will be selected to take photos and blog on their travel journal, so I can be one step closer to attaining my travel photographer goals.

9. Walking around like you have a secret produces this awesome Mona Lisa smile that causes everyone on the street to be drawn to you. Try it. I swear it works.

10. Domain name hunting allows you to see some really weird websites. For example, I checked to see if purehealing.com was available, and it's sitting vacant while someone is trying to make a fortune selling it, so I got a good laugh and then checked pure-healing.com which was all about herpes and genital warts. Totally not what I was expecting.

11. Going to bed early. It's the first night all week that I'm going to make a conscious effort to get to bed near my old time, just like when I had a job. I just feel way more productive if I start working at 9am instead of 10 or 11.

12. Handmade dolls are awesome. Now I'll have enough free time to finish mine. I looked at what I had started a year or 2 ago, and it made me happy to finally take it out of the box.

13. Glittery thread adds a little special touch.

14. Black sequins walk the fine line of classy/trashy. I love walking the line.

15. A good knife makes all the difference in the world when it comes to whipping up quick, delicious raw meals.

16. Things made out of wood. It's so much nicer than plastic, and those natural anti-bacterial aspects & not polluting the planet through chemical manufacturing are huge added bonuses.

17. Free notebooks are helping me keep track of things these days.

18. Free dinner has filled my tummy and kept me from opening my wallet.

19. A sense of community is one of my favorite things about San Francisco. And community here comes in so many forms - it can be music, your local neighborhood, people on bikes, the art scene, raw foodists, DIY fashionistas...whatever you seek, we've got. In a city of outcasts, can we still be considered that?

20. Anita is one of many lovely people I've met through volunteering with the SFBC. She's just super warm, friendly and her eyes and smile always light up the room. I'm always glad when our paths cross.

21. A quiet apartment makes it easier to clear the head and focus on what really counts.

the 12th day...

1. Waking up on a Monday and not having to dread going to work! I'm really loving this whole getting fired thing. I used to wake up every morning filled with dread and anxiety, and stress about how bad it would be at work, especially on Mondays. Now that is all over with, and I wake up smiling and feeling free. If this had happened to me a year ago, I would have had extreme anxiety, stress and probably would have fallen into a depression, but those days are gone.

2. Having time to focus on what really matters is wonderful. Being given the opportunity to devote yourself to following your soul purpose is such an amazing feeling. My last job taught me a lot about time management & scheduling, which is helping me schedule myself and hold strongly to disciplined work habits so that I can stay on track. This is something I struggled with in previous undertakings, and this time I feel able to practically apply it.

3. Synchronicity multiplying. I swear, it totally multiplies when you go raw, and when you focus more on staying on the right path. I think eating raw provides you with the clarity and awareness to be able to pay closer attention. Upon getting fired, everything else started to synch up so effortlessly, and all the pieces started falling into place immediately, and it's growing more and more each day. It's truly amazing.

4. My Saladacco is one of the greatest raw kitchen tools I own. A Saladacco is simply a spiral slicer for fruits and veggies. I use it to make pasta noodles out of zucchini, pad Thai noodles out of carrots or squash, and ravioli casings out of beets. Last night I made zucchini with a pasta sauce of fresh garlic, basil & tomatoes, and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast as a Parmesan cheese substitute. The flavors are even richer than "real" pasta and sauce that's been simmered for hours, and the whole meal only took 10 minutes to make. Awesome.

5. Hiking in the dark is fun, especially with good conversation, and a full day of watching elk.

6. Work-trades. My yoga studio has been kind enough to let me trade them work for yoga classes. Every Tuesday afternoon, I'll be straightening up the yoga props and sweeping the floor in exchange for lovely anasura classes, so I can hold steady to my practice without spending money. Thank you, Yoga Tree.

7. iCal is keeping me on top of my game and helping me allot time for everything.

8. Free Museum days. Went to the SF MoMa and Yerba Buena Galleries for free first Tuesdays and saw a few intriguing projects that stimulated my mind and soul. A lot of art at Yerba Buena that invited the audience to participate and remove art from the "do no touch" modalities of most museums. Active participation is always a good thing.

9. Living where you can see the stars is a constant reminder of how small we are, and the infinite nature in the universe. I love the lack of light pollution and smog here that allow me to stay connected to one of my favorite things.

10. Extra Action Marching Band. Walking home last night, we heard the sounds of Extra Action from a block or 2 away, and I recognized the sounds and thought it must be them, and surely it was. I love them! They essentially marched in and took over my local watering hole, Place Pigalle and got a swarm of people to follow them in and dance on the furniture. It was fantastic - band girls in sparkly costumes dancing on the pool table, sweaty half-naked trumpet players, and a giant mob dancing along with them.

11. Watching the fog roll in from afar is one of my favorite magical things about this city, and after all this time, I still never get tired of it. It dances over the city, hovering over homes and blanketing them with purplish mystery.

12. Sushi Zone is home of a true master chef. It's a wonderful tiny hole in the wall, long wait for a table but totally worth every second sort of places full of character and kindness. From the twig hands on the clock, to the drawn on fish tale above a print hanging on the wall, to the subtle bit of dill gently tucked underneath the salmon sashimi, the true marks of human beings' attention to detail make this place one of my favorite sushi restaurants in the city. And my god, does it taste amazing!

13. Madrone is another amazing local watering hole. The art on the walls is always amazing, there is always a great DJ and tons of fun events, and they play the weirdest videos in the background. But most importantly, the atmosphere is just so chill, laid back and full of character, so I always feel at home.

14. San Francisco Hills because there's always a view and it feels great climbing them!

15. Good listeners are wonderful. Never underestimate the value of lending someone your ear. Often times people need to be heard more than they need actual advice. It's catharsis, and by listening, you can allow them to sort out their own problems and find their own strengths.

16. October Peaches. I love living somewhere where I can still get locally grown, organic, juicy peaches from the farmer's market when it's almost the middle of October. Fantastic.

17. Pumpkins are everywhere! The rows outside the market reminded me how much I love driving through the farmlands outside the city and seeing these huge pumpkin patches, so hopefully this weekend on my way up to Ft. Bragg I will see plenty. They make me smile and reminisce about Charlie Brown.

18. Smiles from strangers are a daily occurrence in San Francisco and you don't have to be the one to initiate. It's nice.

19. Loud crazy people walking down my block entertain me while I work on my computer.

20. Pomegranates for only $1 from the farmer's market. I'm going to experiment with some new raw desserts.

21. Walking everywhere. Now that I don't have to be at work, I can walk all around town instead of being stuck on the bus. I love being outside all day, and enjoying the rest of our Indian summer.

elevensies...

1. The arrival of Wes, one of my old friends from NY. It'll be his first visit to the West Coast, which is going to be amazing. I'm excited to show him all the Bay Area has to offer...not really possible in a week, but it'll give him a small taste. And I just really like picking people up at the airport. I guess it's because I get to welcome them from the get-go and set the proper tone for their adventure.

2. Fig Cashew Smoothies my favorite breakfast these days. I know I mentioned this in my ode to figs, but it's truly worthy of it's own blessing. I love the way the fig taste lingers on. I love that I live somewhere where fig season last from May until December.

3. Love Fest. I probably won't get to blog this weekend because of this & a day trip to Pt. Reyes, so I'll give thanks for this now. It's one of my favorite annual SF events and I always have a great time dancing in the streets in front of city hall, meeting great people, and listening to breaks, dubstep and old school jungle. There's something for everyone there. It's basically like the Berlin Love Parade, but a tad smaller, and they had to change the name. Fun fun! Here are some photos from last year's debauchery.

4. Less of a need for sleep. The more raw I become, the more energy I have and the less sleep I need. Those that know me well, know that I love the peaceful solitude mornings, but unfortunately have a really rough time getting up to enjoy them and am usually slow and bogged down early in the morning. This has been a problem since high school and I used to need to sleep anywhere between 8-12 hours (12 only during the darkest depressions), except for when I would go through manic phases, during which I only needed 4-5 hours a night for a few months straight and would be frantically running around high as a kite, so it wasn't really a good stable and rested feeling. Right now I'm at about 6.5 hours most nights and feeling really good, stable, alert, calm and energetic. I've heard some people who are raw awhile only need 4 hours. Imagine all the things I could get done and all the extra lounging around I could do outside.

5. The VP debate was hilarious. As was the Palin flow chart I saw this morning. Pretty spot on.

6. The energy I get from plants. I know I always felt this energetic connection to nature, but ever since I've gone raw, it has grown exponentially, just when I thought it couldn't get any deeper. That's true abundance. It's fascinating - now when I sit around a lot of trees and meditate, I can feel the individual molecules, and sometimes see them moving around. It's hard to explain without sounding crazy, but it's true. I just sat at my little island during lunch, and what I experienced was amazing.

7. BhangraFest. Dholrhythms, the people responsible for my favorite monthly Bhangra party, are throwing their first annual Bhangra Festival. It will consist of a series of free classes, workshops and performances, along with other events. I heart Bhangra. It's one of the most energetic forms of music ever.

8. Getting Fired is priceless. I know it seems odd to be grateful for losing something, but I had a huge ear to ear grin when they told me. Any time I have lost something in the past, what I gained from that loss in growth was so much more valuable. I am so glad I will not have to deal with my boss and his negativity & verbal abuse anymore. Work was so draining, stressful, emotionally taxing, degrading and getting out of bed every day was becoming a huge struggle, which left me with little energy to pursue the things that really matter. They basically granted me my freedom. I am extremely thankful, and know that this is for the best because now I don't have to tolerate being treated that way. And most importantly, now I can focus my time and energy on feeling good about being alive, doing healing work, and pursuing my raw foods business and art, which is what I am meant to be doing anyway. It's true - there is no way to not end up exactly where you need to be. Life will keep presenting you with the gifts you need until you learn how to stop viewing them as disasters and accept them for the blessings they are.

9. My sister. I know I counted family on here before, but this one is specific. I just feel incredibly blessed to see how her life has been transforming these past few months. She's been wanting change for awhile now, and she knew she needed it, even though it took a little longer for things to come together. When they finally did, it allowed her to blossom more into herself and who she is becoming right now is so wonderful and I'm really enjoying seeing who she becomes each day.

10. Supportive networks are so important! Thank you to everyone who is lending their support and positive energy to help me manifest this next chapter in my life as I forge forward with my own business plans. And thank you to everyone who was there for me every time I had a huge issue at work with my boss and was hysterically sobbing about it and needed to vent so I wouldn't explode. I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did without all of you. Your words gave me strength to keep pushing and fighting for what is right.

11. Broken glass looks pretty. Especially if it's mirrored. Even as a child, I was fascinated by it, and loved the sound of it shattering.

12. Laughter is really amazing and beautiful. I've spent the last 5 hours laughing, giggling, and marveling out how life presents us with exactly what we need, when we need it.

13. Time. As I look at the list of things I've been feeling the need to do this past week, I remember several times where I thought how easy it is to do all those things - all I need is more time. Time to read more raw books, time to blog more, time to market my abilities, time to do anything but waste time doing something I don't love. And then today I was granted my wish. So here's to the blessing of having time to do all the things I need to do to make what happens next happen now.

14. A simpler life is what I was seeking, and now it is what I am creating. Looking back at my life in NYC 3 years ago, and how much has changed for the better. I am in control now. Fate really is elastic - you just have to really believe it to find the strength to stretch it in the right direction.

15. Herbivore's Green Juice is a mix of celery, apple, spinach, parsley, mint, ginger, lime, and spirulina made fresh with the perfect balance of each ingredient to totally satisfy me. It's about to be my late and refreshing dinner.

16. Ana & Eva who are growing up to be such amazing, intelligent, beautiful young women. I still remember them being 4 years old in the Metropolitan Museum of Art asking me about God and now they're in High School talking to me about boys. Ha ha. I love it. I will see them again soon.

17. Biljana for being the most marvelous cousin a girl could ask for. She's so full of love. Just pure love. All the time. She's always there for me and lends support, wisdom and patience. She's so beautiful, inside and out, so talented. She's raised Ana & Eva to be such amazing creatures, and seeing her relationship with Matthew is one of my prime examples of why I believe in soul mates and finding the one. They give me such hope for what is to come in my life.

18. Lists. I have just written a very productive one for this next week and each little piece plays a part in something bigger. Once I have crossed off each item, I will be left with something incredible.

19. harman/kardon for making the beautifully designed SoundSticks I purchased in 2000. Not only are they absolutely gorgeous to look at, but they still sound amazing (even with one speaker) and that subwoofer...it's mind blowing. I honestly would not be as productive as I am without them.

20. High Fidelity for being one of the most quotable movies ever.

21. Today is the best day ever.

deset dana....

1. Purslane is amazing. I'm still buzzing from the salad I had last night for dinner. It's funny that it's considered a weed in the United States, when in reality wild edibles are chock full of nutrients. It's funny that people will pluck it from their garden and just throw it away instead of eating it. It contains more Omega-3s than any other leafy vegetable plant, loads of vitamins, and was also used in Greek medicine for its beneficial healing properties. I'd really like to sign up for a local wild edibles walk so I can learn more about foraging food and get beyond purslane and nettle.

2. Wild Blackberries. Since I'm talking about foraging...I have two favorite local spots where I like to pick and eat wild berries, each worth of their own spot on this list. There is nothing like the taste of a sun-kissed, freshly picked, super juicy blackberry melting in your mouth.

3. Lands End Labyrinth The trail near the Lands End Labyrinth in SF has some tasty berries, and the smell of fresh fennel mixed with ocean air is invigorating. The Labyrinth itself is an amazing place to catch a great view of the city, and do a little ritual if that's your thing.

4. Berkeley Bulb is one of the most magical places in the Bay Area - it's just pure expression. Also referred to as the Albany Bulb, this one-time dump, is now full of tons of crazy art made from trash and wood scraps. There are tons of brambles loaded with berries to take home, a really neat castle to have a picnic at, a bike graveyard, and last time I was there, I encountered a hermit who talks to God. I really wanted to talk to him, but was with a bunch of people and didn't want him to feel like a spectacle. I've heard that his shack and the library were burned to the ground, but have not seen it with my own eyes so I'm not sure. I hope not. The bulb is a very special place, not just to me, but to many in the Bay Area who cherish creativity and ingenuity.

5. Truth In Advertising. This lovely little video was snagged from my friend Brad's blog and he snagged it from Vimeo. I love the truth. It's a wonderful thing.


Gas Signs Truth in Advertising. from Donny Miller on Vimeo.

6. Bailout Truisms. My friend Jeff sent me this and I really wish every American could see it. Props to Marcy Kaptur.


7. Jenny Holzer. Since I'm talking about truth and truisms, it only makes sense that I give thanks to one of the greatest and most inspiring artists of all time, Jenny Holzer. She is someone I first learned about in college and I immediately devoured as much of her work as I could. Throughout the years, I've seen her work all over the globe, and I am always left inspired to live honestly, with integrity and to create work that hopefully will one day have has much of an impact as hers.

8. Liu Bolin. I saw some of his work in a group show of Chinese artists at Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery. I love the whole process of painting a person to camouflage them to fit in with their surroundings. Is it really any different what people do with clothing, makeup, cars and all these material things to try and fit into the commercial industrialized world? It makes me think of tribal people.

9. Madhu's updates make my inbox sparkle. I met Madhu last winter at the Pt. Reyes Hostel and we bonded over our addiction to travel, our love of photography, nature, and Indian music. And since she lived in SF, we became friends. She left a little while ago to go on another globe trekking adventure, and I really love receiving these email updates from all over the planet. Her most recent one is about Ladakh, which she describes as "a kind of beauty that forces you to hear your own silence." I love hearing what parts of themselves my friends uncover and nourish when they travel. It's so inspirational...Ladakh is now definitely on my list.

10. My boss traveling gives me 2 more days without stress and negativity. Hurray.

11. Miranda July is my hero. When I first saw 'Me, You and Everyone We Know' I was awestruck. It was such a poignant commentary on communication and love in today's society. Then I read some of her short stories, and saw some short films. Amazing. Then she wowed me with this project. Then she came out with a project called 'Learning To Love You More' which is a series of art projects that you do to learn to love yourself more. While that may sound sort of like a self-help book (which perhaps it is in some ways) it's really more about self-exploration. It's love through a deeper knowledge of the true self via creation, expression and experience. It turned into a book, and several museum exhibits around the world, and pretty soon people began starting their own blogs to show their progress of the assignments and it spread like wildfire. Oh, Miranda July and your interactive, participatory love, you truly are a blessing.

12. Cashews are amazing.

13. Free lunch at work, which means I can eat my own yummy salad for dinner or lunch tomorrow instead and save a few bucks.

14. Dr-Cow makes the best cashew cheese I have ever had in my entire life. I see they now make a cream cheese, though I haven't seen that at Rainbow yet.

15. Books in general. And my mom for getting me hooked on them as soon as I could read.

16. Budget Traveler's Guide To Sleeping in Airports is for those who are on a super tight budget and need to rest their weary heads between countries.

17. Yesterday I know it's important to stay in the present, but I want to give gratitude to yesterday, because I realized how much easier it is to write about all that I'm grateful for when I'm in a nicer, more comfortable environment like home. The day will come soon when I will be working from there more often, and can leave the office world behind, and yesterday was a glimpse at how wonderful it can be. I can't wait!

18. Banana dates. I picked up some of these fresh from the farmer's market. They were delicious! A weird sort of texture, and flavor, but I liked it. Until now, I'd only ever had dried dates. Raw is a whole different textural experience.

19. Carrot soap. I bought this new, super yummy smelling soap from Rainbow. It's pretty decadent.

20. Contact lenses. because I don't have to deal with glasses sliding down my nose and making my face sweat when it's hot out. Pretty amazing little things, those contacts.

21. Rose Quartz Oil from Sun's Eye is one of the best smells ever. I don't like perfume, so this is a nice natural scent to freshen things up a bit.

Dia Nueve...

1. Calling out of work. Even though I feel kind of icky still, I love sleeping in, and being able to spend the day at home working on my own stuff, cleaning, doing laundry and running errands. It's like an extra Sunday in the middle of the week.

2. Digital Mystikz. Their track entitled "Unexpected" has the most soothing bass lines ever and bass is what I need to feel better. Check out the "Dupstep Warz" mix too. Mmmmm...healing vibrations.

3. Laura Bruno. This is from the Petaluma Raw group:

"In 1998, Laura Bruno suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that lowered her IQ by almost 50 points and kept her totally disabled for four years. Despite medical doctors declaring her “permanently disabled,” Laura managed to make a full recovery and now uses her experience to help injured, ill and even “healthy” people improve their awareness and increase quality of life."

I'm still amazed at all the successful alternative healing I come across every day. I'll definitely be reading up on her more soon.

4. Tanya is one of my dearest friends in San Francisco and she spent a year traversing the globe before moving here. Listening to her tales of adventure is so inspiring and keeps me learning about new places to add to my ever growing must see list.

5. We Like It Raw. This is without a doubt, my favorite raw food blog & community. I've learned so much through this site, and connected with a lot of really amazing people over the past few months.

6. Dr. Alejandro Junger. This interview I listened to today from We Like It Raw was extremely inspiring. His story of all he went through to get to where he is now is just really fascinating. Sometimes the journey is long and hard, but it's always worth it.

7. Strawberries. Not too many weeks left for fresh local berries at the farmer's market, so I bought 1/2 a flat and have been making various smoothies all week. Strawberry agave cashew, strawberry almond milk cacao banana, and even some fresh strawberry lemonade. Yum.

8. Zach. How does one person have so much energy? I'm envious. He's a great friend to have, a talented reiki healer, amazing conversationalist, eternally positive person, he possesses a passion and enthusiasm for all things in life, and for someone so young, he understands so much about life that a lot of people twice his age don't. I'm very thankful to have gotten to know him over the past several months.

9. Ryan McGinness is one of the greatest graphic designers on the planet. I finally framed and hung up the print I got from his 'Worlds Within Worlds' exhibit at Deitch in 2003 and now every day is better. So many intricate details to take in and explore...I love the beauty and complexity of his work. I met him some years ago at Printed Matter, and he was such a charming, humble guy.

10. Printed Matter deserves it own post. It is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of publications made by artists
and has one of the most amazing collections of art books you'll ever see. They also publish larger editions of art books. Next time you're in Manhattan, check them out. I used to spend a lot of time there getting inspiration and motivation for my own work.

11. Amoeba is insane. I've been to tons of music stores all over the planet, and this one is by far the greatest. It's an old bowling alley converted into aisle upon aisle of CDs, records and other music paraphernalia. They have a wall of old 45s that makes me drool.

12. Cafe La Vie is my favorite local cafe. They make the best chai in town, the vibe is so chill and laid back, the people who work there are great, and George, the owner, is a really great guy and tries to help some of the people in the community who need help.

13. Kurt Vonnegut has just made my life better in so many ways. Besides the obvious reasons why I love his books, I also really love this framed photo I took of a wheat paste on Bowery St NYC back in the late 90s. It was one of his quotes and says,"Music for me is proof of the existence of God." It's been hanging on the wall of every apartment I've had since I printed it.

14. Juan Doe. I met this guy at open studios in 5 Pointz back in 2004 and being the big Alfred Hitchcock/Flavor Flav fan that I am, I bought a print of his piece called 'Ace' from his American Sooku series. Apparently he has disappeared from the internet. I hope he's in hiding creating tons more amazing work.

15. Art Hanging. Today I am rearranging things on my walls, and hanging up a lot more art in my apartment that was waiting to be framed, which explains all these other individual blessings about artists. But in general, I just love doing this in all my apartments. Each piece on my wall has a history, and every time I hang things up, I can smile fondly at the memories I have created. My life has truly been a good one, and I have been blessed to experience many great things.

16. Hot Showers are one of the best parts of waking up.

17. Lavender Laundry Detergent for keeping it natural and fresh.

18. Avocados are by far one of my favorite foods. One day I will have a yard so I can plant some avocado trees.

19. Raw Lavender Pomegranate Cheesecake. I got a piece for like $2 as the Alive! booth was closing, and man was it delicious! I'd like to get my hands on the recipe so I can tweak it to perfection.

20. Lichens. Over the past 2 years I've become a bit obsessed with them. They're all over the place in nature, and every time I go hiking, I photograph them for the 'Art Imitates Life/Life Imitates Art' project I'm working on. I'm amazed at all the vibrant colours lichens can be, and am always overwhelmed by the beauty of things as they are reclaimed by nature. This is not a new theme in my work - it goes back to my earliest days of photography - but I've been really digging into it lately. So much so, that I brought some fluorescent yellow lichens and various colours of sulphur tinged soil back from Lassen with me and am using them to create some handmade work. I think my work is evolving more into works created from nature, which feels so natural (no pun intended) and right for me.

21. Olafur Eliasson. How can I talk about lichens and moss and works created from nature without giving gratitude to this man? I saw his 'Take Your Time' exhibit at the SF MoMA last year and it was absolutely incredible. His giant wall of moss and a lot of his photographs really inspired me. I can't wait to go to Iceland in June and see some of the things that have inspired him in real life.