Nathan profile picture

Nathan

Back on the rails.

About Me


Centered. Wide open. Transparent. Inquisitive. Ambitious?
I love this
“Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn’t easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize.
To begin with, for you to be here now, trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and intriguingly obliging manner to create you. It’s an arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once. For the next many years (we hope) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, cooperative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally underappreciated state known as existence." ---Bill Bryson
"I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd, I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth." -Walt Whitman

My Interests

Will power, quiet genius, jazz clubs, art shows, weirdos,trees, extremely tall foliage, befriending the elderly, PBS, name/photo changes, environmental technology, hot coffee purchased and poured over ice...NOT purchased iced cofee, coffee, clear-grain adult beverages, goode grammer, Chopin (the composer AND the clear grain adult beverage), foreign language, Thai, Korean and Indian food, Indian food, Thai food (I know, I know), tofu, beans. I have a rather unhealthy obsession with avocados as well. I like it when people answer "what" questions with "no". I'm interested in people that assume responsibility for their actions.

I'd like to meet:

Texas.

Music:

Astrud Gilberto, Bjork, Chopin, Elliott Smith (nobody makes the word "fuck" sound more beautiful and elegant), Radiohead, M.M.W., Jack Johnson, Sade, Telefon Tel Aviv, Debussy, Freddie Hubbard, Erik Satie, Autechre, Weezer, Deftones, Curtis Mayfield, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prefuse73, almost all oldies/motown/soul (just don't make pop music like they used to), Ella Fitzgerald, Miles, Thelonious, Louis Armstrong, RJD2, Aceyalone, Savath and Savalas, Tribe Called Quest, DJ Hive, Shadow, Ben Webster, Cut Chemist, Black Heart Procession, Immortal Tecnique, The Shins, Downtempo/Dn'B, Tabla/Middle Eastern/bhangra/Indian...love it. I like CCR and CSN&Y too...I don't know if that makes me a hick, a hippy, or perhaps a hickey...

Movies:

Army of Darkness, Better Off Dead, Arthur, City of God, Shawshank Redemption, Swing Kids, Vacation, Fried Green Tomatoes, -Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall, Spring-, I love Hucklebee's, Garden State, Kundun, Royal Tenenbaums, Donnie Darko, Grosse Point Blank (most Cusack flicks), Kill Bill 2, Lost in Translation, Shawn of the Dead, Anchorman

Television:

That 70's show. Always. Arrested Development, Nova, Biography, Discovery, History and National Geographic channels...love it. Family Guy...but I think American Dad IS BETTER. Conan anybody??!!

Books:

^^The hidden determinants of human behaviour^^ I read A LOT. I'm very, VERY smart, people. I like the big books, with important stuff in 'em. Very small words...cool, good words. I'm reading an Amy Sedaris and Steven Colbert book called "Wigfield" right now...thanks to Michele. It's hilarious...my favorite quote thus far is "It turns out it's pretty hard to exercise your right to vote when you're on fire." Cleary you can see why I have an affinity for it.

Heroes:

Bertrand Russell, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Leonardo Davinci...and other good- hearted free thinking mofos

My Blog

Berkeleys not what it used to be, and certainly not the place to be when its hot

The collective funk is overwhelming. I'm going back on the road. This trip could dwarf all others. I hope to travel as long as I possibly can. I started at my sister's in Berkeley. She's a sorori...
Posted by Nathan on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:50:00 PST

I’m convinced that...

when I go to sleep at night my mp3 player headphones come to life and twist themselves into hundreds of intricate knots. I wonder how much more I could get done everyday if I didn't have to sit and u...
Posted by Nathan on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:48:00 PST

"The New Atheists"

This is the name recently given to a group of prominent intellectual atheists--Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. I don't know too much about the others, but Dawkins I have read up ...
Posted by Nathan on Wed, 14 May 2008 05:36:00 PST

"Im not religious, Im spiritual"

This is the stock answer people give in the bay area when asked about their religious status. Actually it seems to be the case in most metropolitan areas. I just watched a Fox news segment where a w...
Posted by Nathan on Fri, 02 May 2008 12:15:00 PST

Why Im 95% unhappy with Gore right now

I just finished his book "The Assault on Reason", and I have to say the biggest thing that struck me about it was how annoying it was. With a title like that I had high hopes. I imagined how he w...
Posted by Nathan on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:33:00 PST

How sad...this is a big part of what’s wrong with the world

This was sent to my email a few weeks ago, I think it’s rather alarming that people get wrapped up in such toxic thinking. If you’re going to believe in a god, at least make sure that it&...
Posted by Nathan on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:54:00 PST

180

In the last 6 months or so it almost seems I’ve been turned inside out. I changed just about everything I could change. I went from living in a house to living in an apartment, which I actuall...
Posted by Nathan on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:44:00 PST

Deceit

My friend John told me a short story about an old man he struck up a conversation with. He asked the old man "if you could give me any advice, what would it be?" "ALWAYS tell the truth" he replied. ...
Posted by Nathan on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:06:00 PST

blog

Many times lately the thought of writing a blog has crossed my mind. I wondered why I was so prolific before, but now am blog-dry as a bone. I think I've put all that insight and self realization to...
Posted by Nathan on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:15:00 PST

Update...personal and political

I know I've been MIA for a bit, but I thought I'd pop my head in real quick and try to make up for lost time.I'm worried about the race for the white house.  Edwards is a joke, and I don't think ...
Posted by Nathan on Sun, 14 Oct 2007 05:39:00 PST