A favorite photo and a vivid memory from the past year: sunset in the desert in Tucson.  Taken February 2010.

If you are seeking, seek us with joy

For we live in the kingdom of joy.

Do not give your heart to anything else

But to the love of those who are clear joy,

Do not stray into the neighborhood of despair.

For there are hopes: they are real, they exist –

Do not go in the direction of darkness -

I tell you: suns exist.

- Jalal-ud-Din Rumi

And so I close the book (and this blog) on 31 — feeling immensely grateful that this past year was full of so much….well, living….full-sensory living….sinking my teeth into the fattiest most unctuous bits of life.  Some bits were tastier than others, I’ll admit, and the flavor of certain experiences linger a little longer on the mind’s palate than I’d like them to.  But in total, it was a beautiful year, and I feel blessed tonight to be able to say that. 

And with that, I bid a fond farewell to 31.  ….And extend an exuberant greeting to 32.

-CB

As I took the wrapper off my brand new yoga mat this evening, I found the following quote printed on the underside of the wrapper:  The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.  A thought to chew on as I close out my 31st year and usher in my 32nd.

Post-half-marathon recovery: hefeweizen at Venice Beach boardwalk beer garden.

It’s 78 degrees and sunny in LA today…just stunning.  One of those days when I really love living here.  To take advantage of this intoxicating weather, I went on a long ride this morning with the bike group I joined recently.  40 miles up the coast from Santa Monica to Malibu.  A gorgeous ride.  This pic of Nik and the Pacific Ocean was snapped by Scott.

A watercolor sky – another sunset photo from my office.  Photo snapped by Heather.

“A simple trick from the backyard astronomer: if you are having trouble seeing something, look slightly away from it. The most light-sensitive parts of our eyes (those we need to see dim objects) are on the edges of the region we normally use for focusing.” — Carolyn’s “About Me” description on her tumblr blog.

There is a friendly homeless man in my neighborhood who wears a pirate hat and an eye patch, and asks passersby innocuous questions.  He’s asked me a couple of times what I’ve been reading when he walked by me while I was sitting at the outdoor cafe in my building with my head buried in a book.  And his follow-up response is always, “Arg!”  On my walk to work this morning, I saw that someone had dedicated their sidewalk artwork to our friendly neighborhood pirate.

Holiday decorations are still in full bloom on my block.  Picture taken by Carolyn Clark en route to noodles + sake dinner on Wednesday.