Small Claims Court, etc.

In pursuit of justice, I soar into the small claims court this afternoon. Little do people know that earlier this morning, I have trekked to the pediatrician with child in tow to find that he is actually NOT choking to death, and has NO strep germs. Nor do they know that I have been on a call to figure out complex solar finance structures, and figure out what RMBS securitization entails, while cooking a chicken in the oven for lunch.

Charlie is front and center in court - the case should be remembered as Charlie vs Delta Air Lines. The horrible ordeals endured by Charlie and my friends who had to care for him were revealed despite feeble attempts by Delta Air Lines to deflect attention to unrelated issues. I thought of wearing "before" and "after" photos of Charlie on my T-shirt, but other issues prevented me from getting my act together. So, to save the defendant from humiliation, the court has taken the case into "submission" (whatever that means) and the order will be mailed. I can smell victory, but my stomach hurts like crazy. I didn't think I was nervous, but I suppose I was. A whopping $3700 of claims - at one point, the judge asks whether "this is for the dog", to which I reply that the dog is still alive albeit very neurotic. She hastens to clarify that she did not mean it that way, but simply wanted to know if all $3700 was for the dog's travel arrangements, which they unfortunately are.

As I walk in the door to the house, said dog greets me, and immediately climbs up on the sofa and rests his chin on the cushions. Visions of Charlie and Snoopy overlap as I imagine the psychiatrist asking about post-trauma impacts.

2 months

It is exactly 2 months since we came back from the summer in France. My screensaver has photos from the summer. It feels so close yet so far away now, and so much fun (granted, the cleaning, shopping and laundry have faded into the background of memory in a place labeled "trauma"). What is left is the essence - the growing nieces, nephews, kids, and the extensive uncle, aunt, cousins, parents, grandparents in law. The history that we have been through and continue to walk through together... photos are great in capturing the moment.

This week, I have been good. I have cleaned, shopped, and laundered (as I have done for the past couple of decades), and have done my swimming/meditation every day. I now know who comes when to do what at the pool. I have also deactivated from Facebook after being accused twice of stalking my daughter. Now really... who has time for that kind of crap? In addition, it had started to feel like too much information on everyone. I have been told about the virtues of Twitter, but am not convinced enough. Pork ribs and root vegetables for dinner ensure that no cold germs should attack me.

OMG ETC.

A friend of mine was nice enough to tell me she gets bits and pieces of my life through this blog.

The quest for passion and livelihood continues. The most recent reincarnation is in marrying clean tech with finance. I find myself zooming up and down the 280 highway in pursuit of the perfect combination of good for the Earth and good for the family.

I am happy to learn that the Mill Valley Refuse which services garbage collection in my neighborhood has incorporated composting. I now have a little pot with a lid for my tea bags, coffee grinds, chicken bones and such. Compared to Japan, where we use tea leaves and newspaper strips to sweep up dust, and coffee grinds to deodorize cigarette butts, the US has always been very decadent in its garbage disposal.

After a 30 minute dip in the local pool, I stop by the library to pick up a book to discover my true self. Just like Eat, Pray, Love, the author of this book finds herself in the bathroom praying for help. I find this so typical of women. Why don't we just plunk ourselves in the living room to ask for salvation??? No, we have to go to the least favored chamber of the house to break down. Have we not evolved from the days when we waded out to the fields to give birth to life?

Silicon Valley

I have been zooming up and down the Pacific strip between Tiburon and San Jose. I am now convinced that clean tech is the next Messiah. So, I peddle my ware to get my foot in the door so to speak. During the course of "networking", I meet many, many interesting people, some more interesting than others. What strikes me as very unique and great, is the openness of people in Silicon Valley. In traditional finance, folks don't let others in on what they know. They spread their elbows out wide parallel to the Earth, and deter others from getting in. In Silicon Valley, people seem to know that what comes 'round goes 'round, and are very open about introducing newcomers to their contacts. This is what probably makes Silicon Valley great, despite having no natural advantage to being the innovation capital of the world.