So I’m up here in Capitola, California. My sister has always been successful, she hangs around successful people, and her friend had a house on a cliff over the ocean no one was using. I sold some books in downtown Santa Cruz today. It’s so strange selling books, then again it’s not. I generally enjoy talking with people, and before you know it, they’re going into their purse, pulling out their wallet in exchange for books. I can’t wait until I get a translation/adaptation of Hamlet and Macbeth printed up. I really want that book out there. If I sell a thousand copies of that, I could die a happy man (except the part about the actress, which I hope in some miracle isn’t over).
It was confirmed yesterday that lunch is on with Professor Lessig, Tuesday 12:30. I’m so excited. Can you imagine? I remember watching the Charlie Rose interview, hoping it would unfold so a year from now you’d be able to look back and say the beginning of a peaceable reformation was there. It was. If you watch the conversation between them, you can see, another element added to it, you’re talking changing things for the better: http://www.charlierose.com/...
It certainly was there. Will certain forces still attempt to thwart it? I wouldn’t be surprised. You can only do what you can do, right?
Ideally Professor Lessig can see some of what I’m convinced of. Namely, the U.S. Constitution is written genius which provides for peaceable reformation. Whomever you’re angry at, Republicans, little old rich ladies, bomb-throwers, the homeless war vets in Santa Cruz, whatever, a peaceable reformation is what we need, or otherwise we’re going to lose The Vote. The Article V Convention will take private money out of public elections. Back at YearlyKos Chicago I asked Senator Dodd about The Vote and I recollect him being rather vague, as if his attention were focused elsewhere. Thus, the work Professor Lessig is doing, and has done all along leading to this, is awesome. I use the word awesome a lot, but what he’s done so far really is just that. He’ll recognize the idea that without transparent elections, no one has anything, and that’s the time to stand up and get work done that needs to be done. He’s the leading American intellectual of his time--hands down the rockstar of American intellectualism (and if other hangers-on we’re smart, they’d be championing what he is).
I’m very sorry I forgot the gadget that allows you to plug your camera card to load shots onto the laptop, otherwise I’d have photos to show. On the way here I stopped outside Salinas and got a few good shots of Sycamores. It gave me the idea to document Sycamores close to habitation as if they were people, put it in a coffee table book which shows people where the tree is, so they could go look at it, see how it’s holding up. That might seem a silly, but to see some of the extraordinary sycamore trees from central California, they’re so beautiful, you almost can’t help but looking at them as beings. I’ll post some photos to you when I’m back in Santa Barbara.
Unfortunately there are things I’d like to tell you diary, but I can’t. It just wouldn’t be right. But you know I love you, right? I love you very much, and I hope this text makes your holidays a little happier :)