I love this shot by Matt:

You can find more pics from tour in Matt’s excellent Flickr photostream.

Yesterday’s set list was:

New Untitled
Cedar Smoke
Dancing Alone
Santa Fe
Empty Fields
Tokyo After Midnight
Snakecharmer
(Intermission)
Garden at Dusk
Heart Still/Beating
Sixteen Hours
On the Road to Shiraz/2 the Night
La Luna
Backwards Firefly
Jump
(Encore)
Future Green
Barcelona Nights

[aiming a video camera] …at anything doesn’t collect what is meaningful to me. I need someone to gather it in with all their senses, mix it round in their head, and make it over into words.

Anathem by Neal Stephenson

Grand Ball Celebration
The Grand Ball celebration will be held at the historic Bishop’s Lodge Resort & Spa. The evening celebrations start with entertainment by the internationally known guitarist, Ottmar Liebert. Followed by dinner, dancing, silent auction (art pieces by 12 of Santa Fe’s well known santeros and santeras) and finally, the raffle drawing of the Rev. Msgr. Jerome y Alire’s vintage 1967 Restored VW Beetle with 2nd prize: 2 nights at Bishops Lodge, 3rd prize: original painting by artist Greg DeLucca, 4th prize: white cultured freshwater pearl necklace by Carrie Lynn Korzak. Tickets are $125 each and may be purchased by contacting Wanda Vint @ wanda.vint@cbsfa.org or 505-989-9102. ONLY 300 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD.

I decided to do this performance on August 7th with the band.

More info about this album can be found here.

Information about the album

Journal about the process of creating Petals On the Path – with rehearsal recordings and photos

ListeningLounge (our own mp3 download store)

iTunes – Petals On the Path

Amazon – Petals On the Path

You can find the HD FLAC (24/88.2) version of Petals On the Path at HDTracks

SPECIAL SHOW – The Best of Flamenco + Arabic Pop
For the last show of Flamenco + Arabic Pop on WYBC, I culled through the sixty shows which came before it for the best songs we’ve ever played, and the ones most representative of the Flamenco + Arabic Pop spirit. It wasn’t easy, turning over sixty hours into almost two and a half, but I’m happy with what resulted, and I think it leaves Flamenco + Arabic Pop on a good note. It also featured a world premiere of Backwards Firefly, a song from Ottmar Liebert’s upcoming album, Petals on the Path; thanks so much to Ottmar for allowing us that opportunity.

He who seeks Truth
Shall find Beauty

If we seek truth we shall find Beauty

- Moshe Safdie, Architect

A Key Concept for Neurodiversity: Niche Construction
When I suggest that neurodiverse individuals, such as those with autism or ADHD, might have been labeled gifted in other times and in other cultures, the quick retort is: “Well, we don’t live in other times or cultures. People have to adapt to the culture they’re in right now.” So what does the person who is a round peg have to do to fit into a square hole? Answer: Shave off enough of its wood to fit, uncomfortably, usually, into the square hole. That’s one solution. The other solution is to round off some of the square hole so that the round peg can stay a round peg and still fit in. That’s niche construction. In other words, I’m saying that people with neurodiverse brains can create special niches for themselves where they can be their unique selves. An example would be a person with ADHD in a job that requires novelty, thrills, and creativity. Instead of suffering in a 9 to 5 desk job (an example of poor niche construction), they create a career for themselves that allows them to be who they are. Another example: a person on the autistic spectrum who has keen mathematical skill working as a computer programmer in Silicon Valley, instead of wasting away in a group home somewhere. Niche construction is what animals have done for eons: the bird building a nest, the beaver building a dam. They’re modifying the environment to suit their unique needs. We need to make niche construction a key tool in improving the lives of individuals with autism, learning disabilities, ADHD, mood disorders, schizophrenia, and other neurological conditions. Yes, there will always be the need to adapt to the way the world is, and there are medications, behavior modification programs, and other adaptational programs that can help accomplish this. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that we can also help neurodiverse individuals be who they are and still fit in.
(Via Neurodiversity – The Book)

Temple Grandin spoke brilliantly on that theme at TED. Check this out:

neo bohemia – bicycle

Two bicycle sticker designs that I have been working on. Clear stickers with the kanji in either black or white with my red stamp. Thought that they should be presented today.

And here is what the sticker looks like on a biycle:

Sure, we may know this. But, it slips my mind all the time.

All that and a marvelous moon!

Spring – East Coast

Summer – West Coast

Thanks Y.

Optional: make a donation to Direct Aid Iraq.

Total cost should be about a buck, for the CD-R with case, plus the donation, if applicable.

Happy Holidays!

PS: Of course, you can also give a gift certificate for our ListeningLounge