Moment

I want to share this with as many people as I can.



One of the most powerful, beautiful things I have ever seen! Thank you.

I never wanted it to end. Then I realized that I am living it. I am those people, it is still going on, and I can not only contribute to it, but I can also document it in my own way! WOW!

Zeitoun

It is 2:48pm and I have been reading since about 7 am. Just last night I sent a friend an email stating that the new Dave Eggers book was off to a slow start. One sitting and 337 pages later, I think it is safe to say it picks up steam.

I am a sucker for demarcating unique and carefully crafted prose in the books I read. Highlighter in hand, I scour books for passages that may somehow be of use to me at later times, and Eggers has always been provided me with page after page of highlight worthy prose, but his latest book Zeitoun is different. I read all day and nary a page was marked.

In Zeitoun, Eggers subtly removes himself from the story. The language is concise, crisp, journalistic, and inconspicuous. There is little emotion, embellishment, or superfluities of any kind. Instead he unfolds an economic, yet beautifully told story of the failures of the US government in the wake of Hurricane Katrina through the experience of one family.

This book will not wow you with its complexity, but rather it will engross you with its simplicity. While the book lacks expressive prose, the experiences it narrates will have you shaking your head in disbelief.

A timeless story of loss, anger, and hope. Dave Eggers proves once again that as a writer he is merely a voice of the voiceless. I am glad to see, once again, that anything he touches turns to gold.

Food of the Gods

While McKenna's main thesis is that hallucinogenic plants played a major role in the development of human self-awareness, consciousness, language, and religion, he also in the spirit of Derrick Jensen and Daniel Quinn, painstakingly tries to show us that human beings have lost our way since the age of aggressive agriculture, and that for true redemption we need to look back and reconnect with our original tribal, more feminine, earth connected roots.

He makes great claims about the importance of hallucinogenic plants and the role they played in the evolution of our species and the need to reconnect with the plants that led us to our collective consciousness.

While at times repetitive, pedantic, and a bit too "hippy-dippy" this is an excellent and easy read for anyone interested in evolution, human consciousness, and the role of hallucinogenic plants and the future of our planet.

Also a great historical recap of the role of other "drugs" like sugar, tea, and coffee on human history. All together a fascinating book. Glad I read it.

Appreciation for Words

I was getting ready to head off to bed, when my daughter started crying. Well she wasn't crying, but sort of fussing and moaning in her sleep. She was caught in a bad dream and wasn't sure what to do. I sat by her bed, stroked her forehead, shhh shhh for a while, and told her that her daddy was there and everything was alright.

Not sure how to put this experience into words, but it made me have a greater appreciation for words like: meaning, purpose, love, and contentment. The best way for me to help make the world a better place is spending time with my little best friend who I can support, encourage, and father.

The Book of Daniel

Not to sound too hyperbolic, but this may go down as one of my top ten books. Every sentence is like a delicious morsel I never wanted to end. A perfect blend of politics, history, sadism, and human sorrow. The Book of Daniel should be the next book you read!