Encinitas

Today we went to Encinitas. Actually we drove to a job interview in Clairmemont. /start rant It was a cattle call type interview. The man was 20 minutes late. he had bleached hair. The interview blew off because "I had too many jobs" and didn't stay in one place for too long". So what? People who don't stay long in one place don't have to eat? The idiocy of bureaucracy really gets to me. When I returned home I shaved my resume a bit.

Heed this advice. I had to be hit with it twice. Some people are just slow learners but I am willing to share my experience if it can help somebody. So don't put more than last 3 jobs on your resume. /end of rant

Where were we? Oh, yes. We took the way back through Encinitas and stopped there to walk familiar ground. We have not been to Encinitas for 10 years and were curious to see the changes. Well, half of the town was turned into the shopping centre that has not been there before. They are also digging a huge hole in the earth, presumably to build more offices or another shopping centre (as though they do not have enough. Here's the picture of this monstrosity.
Encinitas is also a headquarters of Self-Realization fellowship: a brand of yoga that poses like Christianity. Well, actually yoga studios, massage, acupuncture and like businesses are very popular there. And it's okay, nothing wrong with that. But when I see this
To me it's a mocking of any true spirituality. This thing was there 10 years ago but back then I though it was cute. Now I think it's irritating and undignified.

Shopping Mall Dumb 1

Get the teen-age buck @ the mall! (Tomasito photo 2009)

Shopping Malls=Dumbing Down Centers

1

One of the greatest concentrations of ill-will and stupidity presently visible in the USA and, unfortunately, in much of the “developed” world are the shopping malls.

These monsters have destroyed almost all conventional small towns by providing huge parking lots outside, but not too far outside, of said towns and maintaining carefully controlled areas where “shoppers” can mindlessly wander---free from the hassles of exposing themselves to sunlight or perhaps panhandlers or street thugs and to be happily separated from their money in national chain stores which are identical in every shopping mall.

Pedestrian traffic is allowed INSIDE the mall—and safe walking space is provided IN the parking lots, but shoppers must have cars to reach the mall parking lots.

This eliminates those shoppers who don't have cars—well, who cares about them anyway since they obviously don't have the money to spend on the frivolous trash sold in the mall chains.

Tomasito, 2009


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Mexican Solution?

Empty Storefront, Escondido. (Tanya photo 2009)


More About Empty Downtown Escondido

We have noticed that there has been a change in the demography of Escondido since we first visited about ten years ago.

In that decade it has become a LOT more "Mexican".

And a few of the smallest downtown storefront shops--mostly off Grand--but not FAR off--are now a Mexican Bakery and a Mexican fast-food place.

They must generate enough cash-flow to survive in the lowest-rent part of downtown.

Tomasito, 2009


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Empty Downtown

Empty Downtown. (Tanya photo, 2009)

Empty Downtown Escondido, CA.

Downtown Escondido is nice.

There are trees lining the main street (Grand Avenue) and the buildings are neat and clean--maybe a bit old--but very serviceable.

But as I said earlier--there are a lot of empty stores. And the places that are still in business are not the kind that generate a lot of pedestrian traffic or cash flow.

The problem is not unusual, of course. The high-volume stores have moved out to the parts of town where they can offer huge parking lots to the masses of shoppers who drive everywhere.

The traffic is not extreme in downtown Escondido--there are off-street parking lots and there is usually space right on the thoroughfares--but the masses prefer to spend their money at the easy parking--no walking--acreage away from the town center.

Too bad for those of us who LIKE to walk and who enjoy the kind of down-home ambiance of an earlier day. But we are certainly not spending those masses of dollars.

But I DO wonder what good use might be put to all those square feet of empty buildings.

Tomasito, 2009



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Dark Monitor

Yesterday as I turned my computer on I noticed a very strange thing. My monitor all of a sudden became quite dark: not dark on the point of unusability but certainly too dark to look at the digital pictures. I scanned my computer fro viruses and found 1 trojan (after a quick scan) and nothing after a full scan performed afterwords.

I don't think it's a trojan but I mention it as a thing that has happened at the same time.

It is very strange. By accident I found out that than tweaking the gamma set somewhat brightens it up but it is back to dark after restarting or a period of inactivity.

And yes. my monitor brightness setting is set to maximum.

If anyone knows what the matter with it and be willing to tell me, I'd appreciate it very much. It's really weird.

Deer Park Monastery. Part 2.

Today we went again to Deer Park monastery: a Buddhist community and retreat that welcomes guests every Thurday and Sunday. We went earlier so we could participate in so-called walking meditation.

Well... walking meditation as the name implies is when you walk and meditate at the same time. The walk is very slow so I caught myself gazing at the plants which I would probably do anyway. A nun who gave a little introductory talk before the walk said that we participants should feel like one body, eh... not gonna happen with total strangers on the first day.

The walking was interrupted for no particular reason like every 5 or 10 minutes. I guess those are "the moments of mindfulness". So I'd say it was all right, nothing really special. I am the kind of person who does not fall into ecstatic rapture just because a bunch of Buddhists do something that is dictated by common sense. Here, I said it.

After the talk was the usual "dharma discussion" who was led by the same guy who were there last time. The usual alcoholic anonymous type of talk. Nothing really funny. And then the meal... Sometimes I wonder if people visited them less frequently if it were not for the meals.

Silent meal reminded me of the people eating in the homeless shelter: the same kind of concentrated look about them and silence. The food was not particularly good to my taste but then I am an excellent vegetarian cook even if I say so myself.

One mystery became clear. The was a dish there (nasty!) that tasted just like meat. Well, it turned out to be fake meat or not meat at all but some kind of tofu derivative. That is the closest meat tasting tofu I've ever tasted. Though I must admit I do not like tofu and soy product in general but it might fool people who like meat. I certainly could hardly tell a difference and my taste is pretty sensitive.

This time the dinner was held in a dining hall with people sitting on chairs (much better than in siddhasana like before) and for some reason they kind of rushed through it this time. No complain from me though. No sir!

After dinner we walked the same path this time laughing and talking and taking pictures of the plants. And that was it!

Scones

I went to see the Stone of Scone
But all I found was the scone of stone

Anonymous

Scones that are about to be eaten with tea
The last of the scones

Only the crumbs are left