Spirit Rock

today was beautiful. my-soon-to-be sister-in-law, Mardie, and i spent the entire day at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County (N of SF) at a daylong meditation retreat called the Foundations of Vipassana Practice with Mark Coleman. basically it was all about being mindful. here's the class's description:

"The Buddha stated that the practice of mindfulness is a vehicle for liberation and freedom. In this day of silence of sitting and walking meditation we will explore the fundamental aspects of Vipassana (Insight) Meditation. There will be thorough meditation instructions, Dharma teachings and discussion that will help bring to light the practice of mindfulness - the most essential Buddhist meditation practice."

we did 20 and 30-minute meditations -- sitting, walking, standing, eating and sitting some more. it felt so good to be still, breathe and enjoy the present with a new developed appreciation for being human... so calm, refreshed and clear-headed -- it's amazing.

the Strip

out on the town. cruzin the Strip in Vegas last night after my design day meeting in Pahrump. i stayed at the Monte Carlo and visited the Bellagio and NYNY.

playgroung PR

I just found this article about my build in Tulsa (11 Nov 05). Check me out... Also, check out this awesome little promo video about a recent KaBOOM! build in Boston.

back to the grind

okay. (if anybody's out there) i may be little late on the uptake, but nearly 2 weeks into the new year, and i'm starting out just great. no really. things are going relatively well for me. (relatively as in relative to what life has offered me thus far... not relative to the rest of the world b/c i can't even imagine going there... it's unfathomable.)

i returned home to SF on the 3rd from my home in the mountains of north carolina. being with the fam was great, but a little hectic and a little stressful. with that many loved ones around, everyone wants to know everyone else's business, so there's very little privacy most of the time. regardless, it was nice to rest and be thankful for family, food and... new life. yes! there will soon be a new Deifell among us -- the first of the next generation! child of my brother David and his wife Elizabeth! it's so exciting!... and yet i'm so far away. :(

nevertheless, it was nice to return west and to call this place home too. i'm settling in again... but not for long b/c soon the travel for work will pick up again. i leave for a day trip to Pahrump, NV, (65 miles west of Las Vegas) tomorrow to begin another playground project there with the Salvation Army. next week i go to Columbia, MD, to take a course and a test in playground safety in order to become a certified playground installer. the following week we have our staff retreat in Hershey, PA... to know more about where i am and when, see my itinerary list to the right.

other trivia about the life of hope-alicious:
-"hope-alicious" replaced "hoperino" at Burning Man 2004
-bought my tix to BM 2005 (and i can't wait!)
-got a new jacket & pants for biking to work during the cold, rainy season here
-eating healthier: little to no sugar, more greens, more balance, etc.
-tried out an indoor rock-climbing gym near my house (as a guest of my roommate)
-skipped my yoga class tonight b/c i'm poor now (after the holidays and BM tix)
-attending Spirit Rock mediation center this saturday for an all day meditation retreat... more on that to come.

holidaze

i don't know what it is, but writing has just become a chore lately. i have so much to say, but not the voice for it on paper. i haven't been particularly busy lately, just distracted. now so much has happened that i don't know where to begin...

today my entire immediate family, et al, celebrated christmas--opening presents, one by one, around a freshly-picked, minimally-decorated tree from the High Country (Boone, NC). we're all together this holiday season in our mountain house in Black Mountain, NC. being together and in the mountains is a divine experience. it so rare that we can (1) gather together like this (2) in a place we all consider "home." i love it. it's fun to share stories, laughter, pictures, lessons, gifts, food and good times with them... i am blessed to be a part of this family.

more stories later... for now it's just nice free from work this week.

fourth build

From the director of program management (12/10):

[This week] Hope was in Panama City leading a build with The Home Depot and the Boys and Girls Club of Bay County. She and Bobby (her Second)definitely appreciated the good Florida weather. Hope ran a good Build Day and in spite of a lower turnout than expected - throughout the day there were 70 volunteers from The Home Depot and 40 from the community but only 50 of these volunteers worked at any given time. CJ did the install and did an OK job. In addition to building the playground and carrying the mulch, a few volunteers helped to fix up a sandbox and paint logos (of The Home Depot, KaBOOM! and the Boys and Girls Club) on the walls of a building that faced the playground. They volunteers enjoyed the beautiful weather and the edlicious breakfast of French Toast and sausage which was provided and cooked by a Board Member! In addition, the kids inspired the volunteers with the cheers they led at the Board Cutting. There was a lot of media out for the build, including NBC (who came out twice), ABC, The News Herald (a local paper) and 2 radio stations who did live remotes and also helped volunteer! The day ended with an on-time Board Cutting ceremony where the kids did cheers for the volunteers.

House Concert

okay, i am still alive and kickin' it. sorry i dropped off my blogspot for a while. it seems as though i'm online so much for work that i haven't devoted any online time to personal webspace. here are some highlights since my last posting:

-assisted another project manager's playground build in Fort Myers, FL
-celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents in Wethersfield, CT
-hung out with two friends in NYC--Marit Milien(a former Swedish exchange student that lived w/ us in 1995) and John Boyd (a childhood friend from summers in western NC)
-have done loads of paperwork, conference calling, emailing and planning for my current project in Panama City, FL (build day = this friday, december 10)
-saw The Incredibles and Ray in the theater
and...
-helped my brother Tony and his fiance Mardie host a house concert with The Weepies.

here's an email about the event that Mardie wrote to friends and family:







From: Mardie Oakes
Subject: The Weepies concert

Hi everyone,

Our house concert was wonderful last night! Hope and Bryan (Tony's college friend) worked with us all day to get the place ready for 60 people to decend [including Julia Butterfly Hill!]. The coolest part for me was when the Weepies were warming up before people came. I was cooking in the kitchen and they were playing in the living room. I often cook and listen to their CD from the stereo in the living room, so it felt very familiar, but every time they stopped in the middle of a song I'd start smiling uncontrollably because it would vividly remind me that they were REALLY playing in the living room. Everyone seemed to really like them - we had about 55 people come (the picture of the crowd is terrible but shows you how we packed them in) and my guess is they sold about 60 CDs - people were getting lots for Christmas gifts. They are just finishing a 40 show 4 month tour, and we were the last of 7 house concerts and they said ours was the best - we had very friendly and open people, great space and lighting, and just a good "vibe" - of course they may tell everyone that but it seemed for real to us!

Love Mardie

messy build in Tulsa

Here is what KaBOOM!'s National Director of Project Management wrote about my build last week... Of course she only said the good stuff.
-----------------------------------
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2004 2:57 PM
Subject: Tulsa Build

The first KaBOOM! playground in Tulsa, OK build was completed yesterday with the incredible Hope leading the way! Congratulations Hope!

At about 6 a.m. Hope, Isaac and I arrived on site at the YMCA Thornton Family Branch in Tulsa. The torrential rains from the day and night before had turned the playground site into a swimming pool. Not only were the holes filled with water, but literally, the entire site was flooded. Fortunately the tornado's (yes, tornado's in Nov) had touched down in areas nearby but not at this site. With the use of sump pumps and a bucket brigade, the site was changed from a pool into a mudpit by kick-off.

Hope kicked off the day at 8:30 a.m. asking the 140 volunteers to consider the people who have fought for our freedom in the past and who were currently fighting and to please honor them with a moment of silence in honor of Veteran's Day (a very nice touch!). Following the solemn moment we got to business with the expectations for the day and the why's behind our being there. The kick off was wrapped up with a rowdy The Home Depot cheer! And we were off and working in the 44 degree weather!

The day progressed with mitten-handed volunteers working hard and enthusiastically. In addition to the playground, volunteers installed a pathway from the parking lot to the playground, cleaned and weeded the riverbed that ran along the site, built a playhouse and constructed six picnic tables.

The ribs and beans from Texas Roadhouse helped to warm us up at lunchtime. And if that didn't work, the pre-schoolers songs melted the chill away. Kurt Franklin, District Manager did an incredible job of rallying the 120 THD volunteers and 25 community volunteers back to work after warming up at lunch by encouraging us to "finish the day as strong as we started it". By 2:45 the playground was finished and the board cutting underway! The matrix, rock blocks, spiral slide, tire swing, triple shoot out and regular swings were all beautifully in place and stood taunting the kids out to play. A group of students from a neighboring elementary school joined us for the board cutting sharing their excitement for the addition of the unfenced structure as it will be open to the public and for use by the approximate 5000 children aged 5-12 who live in the area or who belong to the Y.

Special PM highlight: Hope did a great job trouble shooting the tough weather conditions and in keeping folks motivated. She also impressively kept pushing the cp who needed refocused on THD sponsorship of the playground-- example: as soon as Hope noticed the signs on the prep day that were equal in size acknowledging THD along with all the businesses who supported the project, Hope called THD and asked them to bring banners out so two huge THD banners ended up flanking the wall of appreciation to all of the supporters.

VIPs:
Susan Plank, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Tulsa
Laura Haley Butler, ED of the YMCA
John Grace, YMCA Metropolitan Board of Directors
Stacy Bruce, Director of the Thornton Family YMCA
Phil Tipton, Chief Operating Officer of YMCA
Representative of the Mayor's office - Clay Bird
Kurt Franklin, District Manager THD
Seven store managers from the THD
Ola Kusyk, Division Manager for Community Affairs, THD

Media:
ABC
FOX
NBC
Tulsa World newspaper
Tulsa Kids magazine
----------------------------------
Overall it was a success, but I definitely didn't quite have all my shit together... Let's just say a learn a WHOLE lot on this project... as far as what not to do or what to do better during the planning process.

2004 election results

Hmmm... food for thought.

in shock

like half of Americans and virtually all the rest of the world's population, i am in shock.

while the results of Tuesday's election are sinking in, i still find myself searching for another answer... what will the democratic party do to help carry us through the next four years? can they do anything? can we do anything? will the Bush administration completely destroy us?... the radio was consoling at first, but then it began to feed my depression, disbelief, frustration and anger even more... still at a loss for words, i feel like the struggle is over and we've lost all hope. the momentum, endurance and collective energy against the Right has hit a brickwall, and now we feel powerless in the hands of our own government. some democracy this is... or is it?

all this week, i've felt very sick to my stomach. i've wanted to move far far away, but for the first time in my life, i'm actually very afraid of the insurmountable anti-Americanism out there. will we ever again be safe to venture outside our borders? right now, we are a disgrace to all humanity, and i have never been more ashamed of being an American.

i've considered doing door-to-door evangelism (it's the only way they'll understand) to convert the souls that were lost to the darkside... thanks to their ignorance and fear, the "evil-doer" now has absolute and corruptive power, and the world as we know it is in fact coming to an end.... i've thought very seriously about what Kerry said in his concession speech: "the danger of division in our country and the need -- the desperate need for unity, for finding the common ground, coming together." somehow though, i don't really believe that's ever going to happen... until the our administration's dictatorship falls. only then can it begin to re-focus on its own people and recover its founding principles--freedom and democracy...

tell me, what can i do to reclaim my civic responsibility after being shot down on Tuesday? how can I embrace my "freedom" and "privilege" of being a citizen of this not-so-great nation?... hope is not yet completely lost, right?

last minute travel, halloween and dia de los muertos

before shit hits the fan, i thought i'd leave a small update on my whereabouts.

last Thursday, i was given a new playground project in Panama City, FL... and discovered that i would have to fly there that night for a playground design day meeting that very next afternoon (Friday)... FYI, it isn't typical nor ideal that work gave me such short notice, but sometimes it happens... while i wasn't at all prepared mentally to have to travel so last minute, i submitted to my calling and went. in the end, i was really glad i did... after a red-eye flight to the east coast, i checked into my beach-front hotel early, rested some, and took a long walk along the beach. it was really refreshing to feel the sun, the ocean's breeze, and the soft white sands beneath my feet... then, i went to the Boys and Girls Club to lead what would be a very successful meeting.

after coming back to SF on saturday, i took a serious nap and then geared up to go to a masquerade ball (and fundraising event) at the Marin Headlands Center for the Arts. since my brother and his fiance have been artists in residence there, i had the privilege of being able to go to this annual event! unfortunately, since i waited too long to get my ticket for it, i ended up sneaking through the backdoor with another artist (so as not to jeopardize my brother's relationship with the Center)... in short, it was a great party--good people, awesomely creative costumes, art installations and lighting, fun music (a salsa band and a house dj), delicious food, and all in a beautiful setting... i crashed there that night, woke up an hour too early the next morning, and joined about 20 other residents for a very tasty brunch.

that afternoon, i crossed back into the city, got ready for another evening of halloween festivities, and went out to meet some friends in the Castro. we party-hopped a bit and then breezed through the street's madness--giving us just enough time to see a bit of the holiday hype there. truthfully, i would have liked to stayed a bit longer to people-watch, but instead, i kept up with the people that brought me there... i was home by 1.

tomorrow is another day, but i have a very bad feeling about it...

ironically, it is also the Day of the Dead. i plan to take to the streets and join the "dia de los muertos" procession through the mission district tomorrow night. as we celebrate those that have gone before us, i pray that we not continue to dig the grave of our own nation.

lunar eclipse

did you catch a glimpse of one of the many marvels of our galaxy, today? how the world turns. it's beautiful.

Motorcycle Diaries, houseparty and the Bridge School Benefit

last weekend, i went (with a co-worker, her roommate and my brother's fiance) to the Clay Theatres on Fillmore to see Motorcycle Diaries ... what a powerful testimony of how traveling (off the beaten path) can change someone's worldview dramatically. this film is very moving and definitely a must-see, especially for fellow Latin Americanists. noteworthy elements: the beautiful South American landscape (from Argentina to Colombia), the social commentary, the inspirational humanitarianism, the reality, the eye-opening experiences of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and the cast of actors. brilliant.

also, my roomies and I had our first houseparty on Saturday. despite the rain, there was a pretty good turnout. I made margaritas and ended up having one too many. :-( after a successful recovery Sunday afternoon, I joined my brother Tony's friend at the Bridge School Benefit at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA. (it was very random that I went... I had no idea that it was even going on until I got offered the ticket on Sunday at 12:30!) I was able to catch Los Lonely Boys, Sonic Youth, Ben Harper, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tony Bennett, before I had to leave due to cold toes.

that's all for now... I'm procrastinating at work, mostly b/c I don't have a lot on my plate right now. I can't complain. it's a nice break.

you deserve this!

here's an old link that a friend sent me a while back. i just came across it again and thought i'd share it with the world. type in your name at in the window that pops up. it will make smile.

http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~geoffo/humour/flattery.html

a couple must-sees

I'm home in SF this week, but the weather is a bit miserable. (The commute was terrible this morning!) The winter is beginning to creep in, and it's cold and rainy here. Thank goodness I'm able to borrow my brother Tony's car this week, b/c otherwise I'd probably get sick from biking in this weather. I'm not looking forward to the time that I won't be able to borrow his car this winter.

This past weekend I went to see the Broun Fellinis at SF's the Boom Boom Room. They are incredibly eccletic and talented. Influenced by the traditions of jazz, funk, Afrocentric Hip Hop, Dub, film music and African/Indian trance sounds, this trio is a must see!

Last weekend, I went to Bruno's to see the Jessica Lurie Ensemble--an excellent "avant-jazz" solo project of Jessica Lurie.

Also, I watched the first DVD of the series "Angels in America". (Winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Winner of the 1993 Tony Award for Best Play.) Also a must see... if you haven't already.