Radiohead -- Weird Fishes

Tim Reynolds

Have recently been learning / transcribing the Tim Reynolds tune "You Are My Sanity", which is one of my favorite tunes of his. Found this youtube video of Tim playing the tune at Radio City Music hall in NYC as a guest of Dave Matthews. Beautiful!

Downtown Santa Barbara

Spent my vacation Friday afternoon wandering the streets of downtown Santa Barbara, and visited the old Courthouse which has the best view of the city.

A Kayak Trip from Santa Barbara Wharf

A Kayak Trip from Santa Barbara Wharf

Now it is February. Into the breezy arms of a Santa Barbara spring came the Rabbit Year of Lunar Calendar. Bobo visited us last weekend. Having checked out three kayaks from the wharf underneath Brophy Bros, a favorite restaurant, we set off for a tranquil afternoon in the open water.

The tiny red Scrambler kayak came with a long white paddle. On the way out of the familiar wharf where yachts and sailboats dock, we stumbled upon a harbor seal sunbathing on a pipeline, amongst tens of gray pelicans, white egrets and noisy gulls. From the way he raised his big dreamy eyes at me, I recognized him at once – it was here, the very same spot where we met last weekend.

Prevailing wind combs the ocean from North to South. We found ourselves drifting in a salty whiff, above the flickering light and shadows, under a transparent sky. For some reason, thoughts of riding on a vast green field in a carriage alone in a spring time, somewhere in Southern China kept on coming back to me – could it be because of the rhythmic ups and downs? Or maybe it’s the intricate smells of invisible life around?

I still remember that period of time in childhood, when I used to believe in flying blankets. Sitting on a woven bamboo matt by the window, quietly and piously I waited for it to take off – I never told anybody what it was on my mind, so many a summer night, my parents thought I was just watching TV with them. And although my matt never took off, I never got disappointed, not until my first plane trip.

It is sea kayaking that awoke the old dream of flying blanket in me.

Fleeting sunrays and monotonous waves join and split all around us, weaving a intriguingly soothing rhythm. A sea lion swam close; his dark little face emerged and took a silent glance from behind one of our kayaks. Mark paddled hard to catch up with him, only to find him disappearing without a trace. Then I thought of a Lord Li poem, The Fisherman:

Like a leaf the boat drifts,
on a breeze the oar rests;
the barely visible line,
through a puny hook it threads.

Flowers spread on the shore afar
wine joggles in the bottomless jar.
The path to freedom is hereby paved,
miles and miles on the endless waves.

The path to true freedom he never was on, with his entire life smothered in royal luxury and partisan anxiety, ordered to commit suicide as a wartime prisoner in the end. Yet it was the glimpse of a desperate yearning, a hunger for something fresh and free that touched me deeply when I first read the poem. After all who truly lives a life of freedom, from the gains, losses and compromises woven by the intricate nets of human relations? We let our thoughts wonder from time to time, like kayaks drifting on the vast and salty sea, inhaling freshness and trueness, venting the urge to be free.

Thus I looked up afar – Channel Islands have concealed themselves behind the foggy horizon, where it’s hard to tell distant clouds from the ocean, and the ocean from the sky.

Mark's Seafood Pasta

A delicious dish which is relatively inexpensive and simple to prepare. Bon appetit.

~1.5 lbs shelled shrimp (or a combination of shrimp and scallops)
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp chicken bouillon
2 tsp dried crushed basil
2/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cans Italian style stewed tomatoes, partly drained
1 lb linguine
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Parsley

Saute onions in 2 tablespoons of butter and olive oil until tender. Stir in wine, bouillon, basil, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer 12-15 minutes until 2/3 of the liquid evaporates. Add seafood and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender (do not overcook). Stir in tomatoes and heat through. Toss with pasta, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.

Serves 4 generously. Goes well with Asparagus.

Google Art Project

Very cool . . . Google has opened the doors to the world's best art galleries online via Google Art Project!

Staycation / San Ysidro Canyon

Have really enjoyed being on vacation for a few days. The great thing about living in Santa Barbara is that if you do have some time off, there's less of a need to travel anywhere because you already live at a great vacation destination. The first day of vacation we rented some ocean kayaks from Santa Barbara Paddle Sports and paddled along the coast, starting at the Santa Barbara Harbor and paddling out seawards. Saw a seal and some pelicans up close, and got some beautiful views of the mountains, the city, and the open ocean. Yesterday played some tennis at UCSB, with the beautiful mountains again as a backdrop. Today as Sweewawa headed off for a day of teaching Physics and Math, I ventured out solo to explore another hiking trail -- picked the San Ysidro Canyon in the region of Montecito. This beautiful trail snakes along a creek and lush canyon, and ends up at a gorgeous 60-foot fall. Below find some photos from the excursion:



Cheers, Dr. Kowawa