SFMOMA Sessions
Thursday, February 2
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third Street Meet artist Wangechi Mutu and enjoy cocktails by Oronoco, the first super-premium white rum. SFMOMA Sessions brings a lounge vibe, imaginative art, creative cocktails, smooth grooves, and like-minded individuals to a world-renowned art institution. This event celebrates the exhibition New Work: Wangechi Mutu.
• 6:30 p.m., Artist talk with Wangechi Mutu
• 7 to 9 p.m., Party featuring cocktails by Oronoco
Continue the party next door: Enjoy 2-for-1 cocktails at XYZ in the W Hotel from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. (Must present Sessions ticket). For tickets and more information, visit www.sfmoma.org.

wangechi mutu doesn't seem to have a site, but here's some info on him.

i will be glad when i my travel schedule normalizes ...

i have to travel tomorrow night, so i won't make it to this event on friday. i wish i could. i mean, who wouldn't want to hear a guy tell his story about how he did good and made money doing it. i hope it has a good turnout.

San Francisco Zen Center invites you to a reception and lecture by Yvon Chouinard

Zen and the Education of a Reluctant Businessman

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006

Reception 6:30 p.m.
Lecture 7:30 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Center
1187 Franklin Street at Geary
San Francisco, California (Directions | Parking)

Please join us prior to the lecture for a reception with a sampling of Fair Trade and organic delectables provided by Greens Restuarant, Capricorn Coffees, Adina World Beat Beverages, and Equal Exchange, Inc. This reception will also be graced by Sistahs of the Drum, a percussion ensemble from Oakland.

Yvon Chouinard is founder and owner of Patagonia, Inc. He began by designing, manufacturing, and distributing rock climbing equipment in the late 1950s. His tinkering led to an improved ice axe. In 1964 he produced his first mail order catalog, a one-page mimeographed sheet containing advice not to expect fast delivery during climbing season. In 1991, facing declining sales, Chouinard applied the Buddhist principle ahimsa, or "do no harm," and commissioned an eco-audit of the company's operations. Following the audit, Chouinard made the risky decision to use only organic fibers in Patagonia's cotton products. Sales and profits rebounded. "Every time we've done the right thing, it's ended up making us more money," Chouinard says. Patagonia instituted an Earth Tax, pledging 1% of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. In 2001, Chouinard, along with Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, started One Percent For The Planet, an alliance of businesses that contribute at least 1% of their net annual sales to environmental organizations. His book Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman was published in 2005.

oddly, new year's day has come and gone, and i haven't made any resolutions. i haven't really thought much about what i want to start doing, stop doing, or accomplish this year. this is strange for me, and it makes me feel a little off balance.

i thought i would do mental exercise while in sydney, and i did. kinda. i decided that i wanted to return to sydney within the next year to year and a half and hopefully spend a month or more. i guess that's a resolution.

i know that i can make resolutions at any time, but *resolution* sounds like a dirty word to me. when i asked my friend the other night at dinner if she had done any of that resolution stuff, i struggled to find a word other than *resolution* to use. interestingly, she nor the others i've asked about this have made any. that seemed a little weird to me, too.

maybe it's just obvious this year, and i don't need to think about it. i started a new job. i want to get good at it. i need/want to prove to myself and others that i can do this job. with that success, then i may be able to do the sydney adventure.

i haven't been exercising much lately, and that's something i would like to get back into regularly. my friends reminded me of the importance of having a routine when working from home and how i should make sure to build my work schedule around my work-out schedule. i haven't figured out the latter yet. i need to do that this week. part of the problem is that i'm in sd some of the time, and that causes some disruption. i should just take advantage of the gym at work. they even have a tennis court outside my building. maybe this is my year to start playing tennis again. it's been probably 20 years since i last played. wow. now i'm feeling old.

******

i read a friend's 'year in (p)review' recently and in considering a response to it, i started reading through some of my old entries. my writing has declined dramatically over the last 6-8 months. probably something else to consider. nonetheless, if i had to sum up my year in a word, it would be travel.

i was really lucky in 05. i went to nyc twice, chicago twice, san diego multiple times, santa monica, sayulita, hong kong, taipei, rome, florence, amalfi, and sydney. i feel like i'm missing something, but maybe not.

i started last year with an unexpected relationship which renewed my confidence that i could actually *really* like someone. although it's over, i learned about myself and gained several friendships along the way.

i'm not sure what's in store for this year, but as a friend of mine reminded me last year, isn't the fun of reading a book not knowing how it will turn out and having it revealed along the way? i looked at him oddly when he said that to me and thought he couldn't be more cliche. however, there's some truth in it, and i approach this year with anticipation.