Quatrième journée...

1. Morning Visitors Jill came from Portland this morning and met me at work to get my keys. We haven't seen each other in almost 3 years (since I left NY) so it was a great way to start the day!

2. Bonfires Thanks to Burners Without Borders, several Black Rock artists, the Surfrider Foundation and a few other groups bound together, the fire pits (check the designs) at Ocean Beach were installed last year and we've been enjoying them ever since. The mixture of open heat and crackling logs and cool, fresh, ocean air is fantastic.

3. Stephanie sometimes she's not entirely aware of how truly amazing she is, and forgets that she's going to be extraordinary, because there simply is no other option in the plan. I like that we can help each other through the work madness just by talking daily. She's been an immense help in making my days here brighter.

4. Sprouting My kitchen is covered - I've got a colander full of chickpeas sprouting in one corner, and another full of mung beans, and I just love the whole process of watching life burst forth from within these tiny little pods. Enzymes are incredible. It's magical, and the living foods transfer their life force energy on to me which feels fantastic.

5. Caitanya because having friendships so full of trust, honesty, growth, change last this many years is a rare and beautiful thing to be cherished. This girl has no idea how important she is, and I am truly blessed to have her in my life. She forces me to look inside myself and seek out the changes I need, and I always feel I can openly speak my mind and she never judges and I always feel supported, even when I'm making decisions most people don't agree with. We've been through so many things from the old school jungle Spanish Harlem David bowie days in the late 90s in NYC to our present nature loving, hiking, spiritually seeking, weekend adventure, couchsurfing SF worlds. It's great when things come together that way.

6. Kale magical greens.

7. Akoha Jack is holding onto a mission card for me cuz I'm so excited to play! I'm going to borrow his words to describe it: "Akoha is basically a social reality game that encourages random acts of kindness. Every user is a player of the game. To play, you get a card with a mission on it. It'll be something like "buy someone a coffee." You complete the mission, and then when you're done, you hand the card off to the next person. Each card has a tracking number that tracks geolocation, time, date, and a story that goes with it. Basically, you get to see how far your random acts of kindness go." How awesome is that? Thanks, Jack!

8. Bon Iver for blessing my ipod this morning and making music so beautiful it makes my heart break. I got to see them (him, but technically a them) at Outside Lands this summer, and after a year of listening to 'Skinny Love' digitally, it was fantastic to finally hear them perform live.

9. Angela for keeping me entertained with her ever-changed g-chat status messages that force me to ask questions and get glimpses of her life 3000 miles away.

10. Excalibur Thanks to them I can now make flax crackers, raw quiches, crusts, and breads. I'm in heaven now!

11. Elsewhere for creating such an amazing opportunity. I hope to apply for sometime next year, when I've had more time to think of what sort of project to do there. I imagine it will have something to do with my childhood, as the space somehow reminds me of playing in my old basement in the Ocean Avenue house. It's such a unique space and there are so many options!

12. Virgin America for allowing Wes to make his first trip to the West Coast in comfort and style. So exciting!

13. Raw For 30 Days for giving people a chance to reverse their diabetes and giving them hope and support to heal themselves naturally. I finally got to watch the whole documentary, and it was really inspiring. Especially the guy Kirt, who decided he wants to become a naturopath. I know he is going to make a difference in people's lives. And Pam - her energy was great! I don't think it will be enough to convince my dad, but one never knows until they try so I think I'll try to get my hands on a copy to send to my parents.

14. The African Outlet My friend Horgan runs this fantastic shop around the corner from my house, and they bring such life to our neighborhood. There's always a party outside! Lots of great music, drumming, dancing, and the smell of sage and incense wafting down the block. It's part of what I love coming home to. And the store itself is an anomaly, I'm always amazed at how they can possibly fit that much stuff into such a small space! Horgan's energy is really amazing too - he's a great person to sit and talk to.

15. Fennel It grows wild in SF, so I get whiffs of it walking around the city. And oh, the taste! In salads with lemon, garlic and olive oil, or in a tart, or with cilantro yogurt sauce. Mmmmm, fennel.

16. Stuff White People Like for always making me laugh my ass off.

17. Arlene because she makes sure that I laugh at least once a day. She's one of the most giving, open-hearted, creative people I know and I am better for having known her. And talking to her about her relationship dysfunctions helps me better understand my own relationship dysfunctions which is helpful with eliminating patterns. She's also awesome because I got to play banana thief at work for an entire day, where I got to write ransom notes and plot diversionary tactics, which was way better than actually working.

18. Noma Shoyu because giving up soy sauce would have been hard.

19. Sunshine at noon no matter how grey it is in the mornings sometimes, by noon, the sun is almost always bright and shining. The weather is unpredictably predictable.

20. Herbivore for adding a few raw items to their already delicious menu. I hope the visiting Portlanders enjoy their lunch.

21. Fark no explanation necessary.