Running With The Whales there are somedays when the awake world is indistinguishable from the dream world today was one such day a cold and blustery day sailing a fresh dust of snow on the Olympic Ridge low fog and swirling clouds and ladders of rain in the distance but above us the sky was clear we saw one first the large black dorsal then the full body black and white spots and grey tail the massive Orca 10 meters off the starboard bow easily as long as this small but regal vessel of 75 years SV Juna he crossed our bow with grace and power an awesome sight to be so close the spirits are with us an omen of good fortune moments later they were everywhere WE are in the middle of the pod possibly 20 probably more they broached close by and too far out of reach to touch but not to see and feel the Orca spirit was everywhere as we ran with them surrounded by grace from the sea the sound they make as they surface and jettison air and spray! to be so close to that spray humbles you and gives you strength never one moment of fear or apprehension just awe and peace I sensed they knew we were here as they surround us in playful protection one must have kissed our keel the eerie but beautiful voice resonating through these wooden planks and ribs of this sophisticated lady wind engulfing her white sails gliding through this grey water I turn my head just in time to catch 4 up and out of the water together in perfect unison in silent power and effortless speed again this spirit medicine goes far beyond what these words can describe as quietly as they appeared they left us to continue our sail on the empty grey water of Puget Sound the sky is now grey and rain is on its way somedays you just have to not be scared of a little rain to call the nature spirits and be given a gift of deep healing that will last a lifetime today was one such day

THE RED PHONE the tournament is over I think I even played in it in fact I think I even won some kind of game everyone leaving now going home many friends are there all heading to the door in the crowd I hear a sound small and quiet yet quite loud at least to me I look down and there it is I high tech red phone like none I have seen this phone is like a red Ferrari sleek, and sexy and so glossy it might blind your eyes in the right light this phone has square buttons placed asymmetrically to one side like a sort of sliding letter game but instead of a letter in the center a small black number is etched into the upper right hand corner at the bottom of the grid one button has a complex Chinese Character in the middle this button does it all scrolls, calls up images, and owners ID its not a character I know yet I can read it a face pops up like a video name card this phone is hers she wears golden slippers and has skinny black glasses and is not chinese more friends in the hall people I know about 5 or more looking for something on the floor what have you lost a box of SD cards can you use the phone to find them? outside the bustling upstairs hall with windows at the top showing a blue night time sky a strange rectangular house sits vacant with a for rent sign hanging crooked on the door at the guard house of this rectangular place by the black iron gate to the outside world and next to what was once a horse stable I open a door a closet sized room filled with junk and scrapes of 2x4 my phone is on the floor with the screen face glowing blue the red Ferrari phone disintegrates in my hand and floats into the air back to the girl with golden slippers and skinny black glasses who is not chinese I leave through the gate seems everyone else from the hall went out another way as I am alone one more step then a few more and I too disappear

ATOMIC CURVE we’re headed for the atomic curve actually were there already look around read the comments after every bit of pointless yahoo news hate and greed everyone has an opinion the atomic curve of words the atomic curve makes the world at odds you said this we want that this island is ours even though on the map it should be yours the atomic curve of greed my god said you insulted us so we will instill fear and laugh as you kill yourselves in the name of religion under the umbrella of a deity the atomic curve of ideology no one seems to be listening today again another copycat who idolizes Columbine or wants to be a villain from a batman movie the way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to let a good guy with a gun put him down either way someone dies the atomic curve of heros and villains controlling guns would not could not make a difference what might help to lock those guns away from prying young hands pay a bit more attention to curious minds immersed in a virtual world of avatars behind closed doors the atomic curve of responsibility turn it off all the news even NPR regurgitating stories over and over again that in the end simply solidify walls of personal ideology and opinion I seem to remember that wall came down in 89 the atomic curve of media obsession I WANT to redirect the atomic curve to be about what we CAN do to pull the world together I would like to think the atomic curve is about listening and not reacting its easy for me to say I have no real world voice only 200 something friends on fakebook who only “like” silly pictures and ignore anything with content I still try to make a difference the atomic curve of persistence we chalk points on a board each time we yell low score wins at the end of a month all those points really makes me think there must be a better way when my 8 year old daughter marks us off 5 points a yell we are quickly out of space and out of time it is working I think this month less points as we make real efforts to not speak across the room and be more respectful of each other the atomic curve of reflection take action don’t delay do something now to make a difference play a game of chess with your kids instead of watching TV do this for the ones closest to our hearts who teach us things we could not learn without them the atomic curve is.... the future the atomic curve is ... change the atomic curve is our children maybe they can make it right next time around

FROM THE RED ROAD down the stairs and out the drive open the gate. please! my little road, xiao lu only locals here I get some looks that white guy in the funny suit cross 4 lanes-watch the cars they wont stop onto the path a red road by the sea. the pace is fast and obstacles abound people, scooters, cars, and trucks, and those 3 person bikes are the worst. but I fly with the wind which means it will be hard coming back close to school it gets trickier the hotels and cars, and places to eat people step out without a look past the opera house dodging bullets disguised as people. and those 3 person bikes are the worst. back across those that 4 lanes sea now its dense traffic flies and does not stop quick, make your move or give it up the bicycle I am on gets lots of looks its not from here brought from home its fast and black all tapped up an urban machine with a single fixed gear and funny mustache bars. the helmet and glasses and yellow clothes keep me visible, not for vanity I WANT to be seen, to survive I’ve have seen it all from this red road. my daily interface with a country anything is possible in this fast ride a bamboo pole smacked across my hand a ball rolls by, kids jump, the wedding photo entourage, lost in texting these people wont look up, cars fly out of blind drives and those 3 person bikes are the worst. up the hill and through Xiada zoom its fast lock that horse to my special pole now its dark a different pace strap on the lights buckle up here we go if you thought it was tough, in light night is not, for the faint of heart pick my way through the drones of traffic people, bikes, cars, busses all hungry, for a piece of me cross that 4 lane sea whose current is a raging river now. that first buss stop is tough a sea of people loitering about. food carts and candied fruit on a stick these are better in Beijing. the Opera house recently plays soap opera movies as the troupe is away a sprint up the hill halfway home men jump from the bushes in the dark a place to pee Chinese men will pee anywhere. half way up the willow tree beckons the benches now empty only ghosts sitting there. off the hill, I turn it up the crowd has thinned and I can open the pace watch the taxi stand and those 3 person bikes they’re the worst checkpoint 1 now blocked to cars. almost round the curves the wind fights hard I have to push my quads down tight no matter what, I keep my pace which means hard work as sweat drips off my face past the yellow key, almost home the sea pounds the beach the stars twinkle people in black emerge from the night like ghosts and those 3 person bikes are the worst. checkpoint 2 a policeman playing solitaire on a computer back across the 4 lane sea out here the current is slow, and empty back on my little road total darkness now almost home anything can happen on this last stretch a buss stop in the bushes out of my way!-3 monster earth movers with their high beams on I scoot off to the side-whew still alive, blind last night a Porsche zooms by from behind while a man on a garbage cart pedals home Open the gate I ring my bell these guys play with me and make me wait up the last hill left to my door, lights off and helmet unclipped 3 flights up the hardest part but I have yet, to succumb to the elevator. click click and I am in strip the armor the funny suit all yellow and a helmet, off with my bag peel off the gloves untie the shoes and wheel her in another day of life a rush to make you thrive I sit a moment to contemplate it feels so great to push the ride. heart is pumping, strong with blood my mind is engaged I take a breath in the wooden chair as a rain of sweat puddles on the floor and those 3 person bikes, are the worst

TINY GIFT I found the tiny purple lantern in a one room shop with infinite walls only as big as my 3rd fingernail with Lamborghini type detail small enough to wear as a necklace a bright but rich deep purple color not like anything I have ever seen the feeling and weight of a pure purple agate deep from the earth warm and smooth like a sea polished rock with a little silver hoop at the top for a chain 3/32 of inch from the bottom a small flair outwards on the sides and a minuscule indentation a line perfectly etched in the circumference a gently twist counterclockwise and a slight pull opens the line 2 millimeters from this tiny crevice emits the brightest whitest light strong enough to guide one through the deepest of darkness illuminating safe passage of the most treacherous sea and the densest fog life can produce a slight twist clockwise now and the light is off safely tucked away till next time I know right then I will pass this lantern on only to those who need it most