to me
Great Lou, what name should I put on the security list?

to
Hippie lou would be good. :-)

to me
Do you have id that says that? There's a security desk to check in

to
do you mean like a government id?  i have a business card that has it.

to me
Yes they check IDs, I don't know if they have to be government-issued IDs but not a business card.

to
ok...thanks for following up with me.  very interested in your program and your teachings so if you host it at a venue where i can come as hippie lou please keep me in mind.  with love, hl

architecture

i have built
my life
with curiosity
as its beams
as its bedrock
as its fuel
if there
is anything
i am a willing
slave to
curiosity is it
when i am curious
i am alive
i dance
i sing
i am on fire
i burn
i bloom. :)

hi,

really appreciate your patience with me - i often like to let things simmer a bit so i can respond in the best way possible.  it's part of my process of staying safe, and i'm really glad you're thinking about what staying safe means to you.  you're very important to me, and the fact that you're taking safety seriously is very comforting.

for me, staying safe means engaging in person with you and whomever else you decide to include in your process of discovery and healing.  i prefer working through things face to face for a variety of reasons; it's more personal and ultimately, i believe,
more effective.

i certainly have thoughts on what you have written above.  as i mentioned to you and your mom, i am willing to come to visit as your needs and interests require and you are certainly always welcome in new york city.  again, i am happy to engage
publicly with whomever you decide to include in the process.

as you know, i have a great deal of admiration and respect for you and am following your journey with keen interest.  if i can ever be of assistance to you now or in the future, please don't hesitate to be in touch.

with love, me

Will be thinking of you at 1 o'clock. Sending much love and good luck wishes your way. xoxo

Ufhhhh so my outfit is cute but my shirt is a little see through and you can kinda see my black bra underneath :( and I don't have a sweater.

Just be your beautiful self...you are awesome and they will be lucky to have you! :-)

I got the job!!!!!

Dave Matthews band-ants marching Check that song out awesome song

I am very glad you are writing for me.   I know a good writer when I see one.   I was also very impressed with the story and the poem.   Keep up the good work.     Let me know what your friends are saying about the Lark as well, and if they want me to e mail them a copy each time, just send it to me for the next issue.

carol k anthony is a genius of some sort, let us not worship her.  you really extracted the perfect portion of text from her book to get to the fucking point.  and you are left exactly where you are right now.  and you leave me exactly where i am right now.  and i don't blame you or myself or her for all that.  sucky to use the word, but it is called poetry.  and it's good.

Dear Hippielou,
It was a pleasure to meet you yesterday.
I feel as if I have met a true local identity.
If you are free at 12 noon today I will be at the Bluebird coffee shop with my friend who lives in E4th Street.
I stay with her when I visit New York.
We would love you to join us for a coffee on us.
Love,

i have been remiss...i wanted to thank both you and your friend for
wonderful communion, in the best sense of the word.

i wanted to get this note off to you sooner but it was such an
emotionally charged connection for me that it has taken a bit of
time to recover.

will be back in touch soon.

with love and kind regards, hippie lou

Thanks!! My mom sent me the same article!!! Hahahaha!!!!!! It was very interesting.

I saw you today! I was eating at the butchers daughter sitting at a table outside and called your name but you had head phones in!!!

was just talking to our friend - I want to bring back magic monday in some form - what do you think hippie lou💚

Dear Hippie Lou, sending you warm wishes, hoping you are spending time with your daughter. Thank you for your frienship, kindness and thoughtful advice. Peace and love --🐣

HIPPIE LOU!!!! i miss you.. when are you free for coffee or a drink to catch up?

Sorry I missed you Lou. I got caught up with my old friend. How are you today?

No problem whatsoever, i/e. Going with the flow is the way of the peripatetic school. :-)
Doing great, always available to hang out. :-)

I did a tour of the university yesterday! An 80 walkthrough
Cool OE. I've got an interview at 3 today, and I think a call at 5h30. Afterwards I'm free

Love love love!
You get it brother. You so get it.
Who better to be the vector of the peripatetic virus? None other than i/e :-)

Thankie Lou :) and I got a great copy of Zorba yesterday. I'm going to have to figure out how to spread the virus haha

Thank you very much for your wisdom and support. :-)

i was just gonna ask how the phone call went!
wow, so i'm assuming the call went well?
you're welcome, hippie lou! :)

It went ok...I don't think she really understood my intention on the call yesterday But today in person I made my intentions clear

got it. wow, that's great that you made your intentions clear today

Feel very at peace It was a great experience...brought a lot of clarity to what I am and what I'm not

that's wonderful and a positive sign. i'm so glad for you, hippie lou! i give you credit and props for that in person meeting. something like that is hard to do, which is why it takes a lot of courage.
oh yes, i'm sure!

You were a big help :-)

i'm glad! :)

So thank you again and thank you for your kind words You have been a great example for me to watch and learn from :-) It has been a profoundly enriching experience working with you I am grateful, truly.

you're welcome, hippie lou! :)
i'm thankful that you've been learning from me too, and i'm glad that the enrichment will continue!

Enriched soil is more fertile. Let's grow some social change! :-)
Or, more correctly, let's keep on cultivating and growing the garden of social change. :-)

yes, let's do that!!

Happy to meet you for coffee this Thursday at 1:30 as we planned two weeks ago.  I am keeping the time free but if for some reason you can't make it, please let me know.   I am working Thursday so if we are not  meeting then I can schedule clients or business calls at that time but if you do wish to meet I am happy to keep the time free. There's a place on  6th Ave and 11th, French  Roast that has a nice atmosphere and is quiet during the day. There's a smaller cozier place on 6th Ave and 12th that  I don't remember the name.  If there's a place that you like, let me know. Really would like to meet because I like fellow artists and unconventional people like you but if it does not work for you to meet then all the best to you just please let me know so that I can plan my day. Thanks :)

I love your pics and your profile. We may not be romantically suited, but I appreciate your sensibility.

Best,

Is your journalistic life consumed by more violence? My heart is heavy :/

Hi hippie Lou, I am in this tunnel of deep black news since yesterday. Just yesterday, but seems months...

The tunnel is black, truly. Very sorry for you and sending condolences. :/

Thank you Hippie Lou, you're really the first person that I met yhat understand what exactly means to be a reporter, absorbing (mostly) all the negativity

let's partner on a restaurant in the city or Brooklyn... NOW... or a pop-up... NOW
THU 5:02PM

i'm on board NOW
THU 6:33PM

put your feelers out... start talking to people xoxo
Chat Conversation End
Sent from Mobile

i was so touched to see your wonderful post on my fb wall.  i miss you a lot too and am so glad to see you back on fb (although i completely understand why ppl go off of it).

i don't come to dc a lot but hopefully the next time i do we can get together.  i am always thinking of you and if there's ever anything i can do for you, even if it's just to be there to listen, i will try my best.  with love, :) xo
SAT 9:30PM

Ok I have your number, i love you and I will call you. I need to come and visit you.

Very interesting. It just amazes me how you find all of these things.

Have a great day.

your quotes are wonderful, for starters.  and the rest is quite remarkable.  with kind regards, hippie lou

Yes, I realize not everyone quotes the great philosophers (like Walter Payton).  And, you did remark.  So, *gwarsh* thanks
Thursday – 10:52pm

btw, the hippies are right!
Friday – 12:20pm

hi that quote by walter payton is a great one!  the wonderful thing about insight is no one has a monopoly on it, it comes from anywhere and everywhere.  it behooves us to be listening to all channels.

Do you consider yourself a "Hippie" or a "Beatnik"?
Sent Yesterday

you ask an excellent question! i probably have elements of both, wonderful topic to discuss when we meet. how about you, do you identify with either group?
Sent 12:08pm

I think both groups honor peace & love & creativity so that's what I'm about.  Hippies are also associated with drugs and free sex and that's what I'm not about.  I get high on being healthy , doing yoga and engaging deeply in my creative process.
Sent 12:33pm

that is a great perspective. yes, i identify with peace and love and creativity too. and i love your process for getting "high"...i think it's wonderful and i share a similar process - although i'm not a practitioner several of the physical aspects of yoga. i hope to be sometime in the future.

with respect to drugs and "free" sex, i think both the beats and hippies were associated with them. they are not part of my life now, but i think both groups were experimental. experimenting with drugs, different "structures" of intimate relationships, eastern philosophy and practices, styles of dress, etc.

i respect experimentation as one of many tools one can use to try to improves one's life, improve the lives of others, and perhaps create a better world and move the human race a step forward. experimentation and exploration are still big parts of my life and probably always will be. :)

Heya Lou, would you kindly ask if you know anyone hiring? I'm looking to make a jump back.

do you have a linkedin account?  happy to help

Thanks Lou. I do. I'll send it to you after I put in my two weeks

well i could just give a generic description; it would be anonymous

Ah

if you feel like it, connect to hippie lou on linkedin
i wouldn't post anything without running it by you first

I'm connected with you haha

ok cool

Peripatetic skool

any general description of the kind of work you're looking for?

Anything in an office pretty much. I've done everything except waiting tables.
Thankie Lou. Much appreciated. See you soon.

ok, will do...thanks for asking me. :)

But of course! You're hippie lou!

hippie dippy!

Haha right-o

i have a friend that needs a place to stay somewhere in the nyc area; even a night or two would be helpful. she is kind and considerate, i can't recommend her highly enough. with love, hippie lou

For your friend: we don't really have enough space for guests, but I have an air mattress she is welcome to borrow if that is any help! Not sure if it is, but putting it out there just in case

you are the best, really really appreciate it.  i will keep you posted and thank you so much once again. :)

Of course. You know I've been there! If she becomes really in need please let me know and I'll try to make something work

ok...yes she is in crisis...exiting an abusive situation but we are working a lot of channels so i know something will work out.  thank you so much and i will keep you posted. :)

You have a dramatic history but your present life sounds like poetry.

I like poetry.

Alright I mixed it louder this time around.

Let me know your thoughts and be honest, The criticism is necessary for me to improve.

Thanks Lou  

Indeed! Thanks for giving me footage for my dream :)

i'm sorry its taking me so long to get back to you. i've been struggling to do just simple things lately.

i really loved your bio; very imaginative and playful while still staying pretty true to what you're actually up to nowadays.

So glad you sent in the electricity poem. definitely something that should be shared with a broader audience than just me (and my friend, who i shared it after the first time reading it).

 the second poem i've read twice and will probably keep reading until its fully absorbed. it feels really authentic, like your word choices are natural and not attempts to sound fancy.

Hippie Lou,

I don't know if you remember, but I am taking a video class. As my second video assignment - a critical view of a problem - I am attempting to make a video about homelessness in NYC and the right to shelter...  i received a suggestion that it would be great to give homelessness a face and a voice and I thought you might be able to find a person in the homeless community who would be open to talking for a minute or two in my video.  If this is too much of an imposition, let me know, and I totally understand.

Hi Dave,

Quite a powerful poem/chant there -- I can really hear your voice.

Glad you're doing well and creating!

Love,

super!

your words jump

off the page -

they don't hesitate

(no fear of heights or drowning)

they simply approach

the reader, asking

for a true,

immediate

response

Wow!

coffee soon
but
oxygen
everyday  <>--<>

Got it…
Nice poems. Speaking of electricity, we have had a brown out for the last 30 hours. Not fun. We do have internet connection working and that’s about it. I do have a generator that I turn on every few hours to keep the fridge from getting too warm.
We can go months without a power failure and then they can happy three or four times a week. Infuriating….

Hi Hippie Lou I like your poems specially the electricity. Are you coming to the photo group on Friday?

Electricity by Hippie Lou: An Impression + Recommendation

hippie lou, i really enjoyed reading this poem, because several sets of lines resonated with me, including the first few ("you, we / live to create... live to live / a life worth living) and later lines (" i don't need to / be judge / jury / executioner.")

one suggestion i have is to separate your poetry into stanzas / groups of lines, like you did in "hippie lou's bio". After reading about half the poem, the ux became less reader-friendly to me, because my eyes couldn't take a break from seeing one poetry line after another, while reading your words.

you talk about a very real, down-to-earth human experience in that poem, which i really appreciated reading about!

also, it's so refreshing to read poetry, because when i was a college sophomore, i wrote a lot of spoken word poetry, and performed at places like the nuyorican poets' cafe and the inspired word open mic.

when i was a teenager, i was very interested in youth speaks as well.

you are so supportive...i owe you an eternal
debt of gratitude.

with kind regards, d/q aka hippie lou

good stuff d/q!
you owe me only to keep up what you're doing because I firmly believe the energy you create will generate a much needed new beginning for all of us.
peace.
c/q

actually, i think he was your fan for a while... so good you have each other!

a friend had a question...she wanted to know if magnus carlsen (or
other recent world champions) surpassed bobby fischer in talent/skill.  i.e. could they beat him?

i assume this is a difficult question but i thought i would pass it along.

H.L.

Magnus was asked@a press conference whether Fischer or Kasparov would have prevailed in a match (forget@other recent champs). I will discuss w/U.

But his answer was that the Fischer of 1971-1972-i.e., Fischer-Taimanov 6-0; Fischer-Larsen qf 6-0; Fischer Petrosian sf 6 1/2-2 1/2; Fischer-Spassky WCC 12 1/2-8 1/2 was & continues to be an astounding accomplishment. The two 6-0 scores are the equivalent of a MLB pitcher throwing 2 consecutive no-hitters!!

But Carlsen went on to comment that while the Fischer of '71-72 was astounding, he played no games as WCC. Kasparov was WCC from 1985-2000, and the highest rated player until 2005-at a time when chess theory was exploding & the competition much stiffer than in Fischer's time.So Carlsen firmly believes GK was the greatest player in history-as i do.

As to Carlsen..well, we will see..😉

hello hippie lou,

i hope your week has started off pretty well since we chatted at madman espresso! i wanted to share a quote from the founder of To Write Love on Her Arms, an inspirational non-profit organization that encourages people wrestling with tough stuff like self-injury and major depression. I attached a photo of the quote to this e-mail, and I hope it gives you a dose of inspiration, hippie lou! :)

thank you for inspiring me to reach out to my 5th grade teacher on LinkedIn-- i wrote to her through a form on her school homepage, she doesn't have LinkedIn, so I was thrilled to find that form so I could type a message to her! If you want to see her profile page (on her current school's website), here it is!

And in an introductory packet for her 3rd grade students, she wrote, "I use a lot of positive reinforcement and patience in the classroom. :)" That sentence definitely captures my experience with her as a 5th grader!

happy tuesday!

Um the article mentions "gentleman". What about the flaneuse?
And we decided that no one is incognito in the street but all are cognizant of a presence.

Thank you-really liked that and the pea soup.

hello hippie lou!

i laughed, and for good reason, when you mentioned this quote at madman espresso, because it was so perfectly relevant to the situation i was talking about when you brought it up! :)

i hope you're enjoying your monday morning!

not sure...it's always a mystery!

i heard it this morning at a coffee shop.  that's always a good start for prospective songs of the day.

after a little research i realized it has a couple of cosmic connections to my life.  i remember liking it a lot when it first came out (1968).  little did i know the reference to nazareth in the song was to nazareth, pa, a place i would (decades later) live for ten years.  and i actually did a favor for someone when i first started staying in the e. village, taking their guitar out to the martin guitar factory in nazareth, which is alluded to in attempts to explain the song's meaning.

ps - i liked the pope's quote: "A selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged," he said.

This was awesome! and pretty funny. thanks for sharing, hippie

miss you. sending much peace and love your way

Wow, I needed to read this today. This quote resonates with me so strongly. Thank you, Hippie Lou!

Hippie Lou, thanks for the lovely dinner and for being patient with me during my crabby moment. It was so nice catching up with you and hearing about all the fruits of your love labor.
You are a bright star in the firmament!
Keep spreading peace and love.

even though we are impermanent, i treasure the moments we share together.  you are a big inspiration to me, and a role model too.

and always dreaming up new ways to encapsulate what i do.  never thought of my work as being "love labor."  but looking at it, yes, my labor is love.

and to think that someone who specialized in labor economics in grad school has overlooked this just shows me that your ability to teach and illuminate is endless.

hey!  good hearing from you. :)

although it might be hard to believe, she is just like us and the little boy in your wonderful story.  she is fragile, and sometimes she needs to go to her bedsheet underworld, a place where she feels safe, secure, seen, and soothed.

it is a testament to the power of your story - we are all like the little boy, we are all fragile.  and the bedsheet underworld is a great place to go to rejuvenate and nurture our own health and peace of mind.

i hope the whole world gets to read and understand your story...it's ok to go there, to create this underworld, and to keep ourselves and one another safe, secure, and healthy.

with much love, hippie lou :) xo

Sadly for your imagination no, but there was a lot of conversation about art, ideas and how you are a great sounding board for creative ideas :)

I am so sorry for not getting back to you.  I am often lackadaisical about responding to email...but I wanted to reassure you that there is no problem whatsoever...I had a wonderful time on Sunday and you should feel no compunction about magic mondays...it is very low key, no pressure whatsoever.  I just wanted you to know it was there if you ever needed it.

Once again, sorry for stressing you out.  With kind regards, hippie lou

Hi... Hippie Lou!!! I miss all of you already....😥.  Won't be able to make the last MM before I leave for tomorrow AM... Hugs and kisses to ALL......👩🏻😇😉

I haven't quite finished it. I am a bit tired, but I wanted to send this to you before I shut down.

thanks for thinking of me and sending it.  he (i'm assuming) might be making good points but, due to his language, i find the work inaccessible.

Get real, Dave. You are still a trained economist. You can't play the aw shucks I am just a simple hayseed game with me.

hi, i sincerely apologize for not being in touch...it has been a long time.  i meant to respond to your email but just never got around to it.

i'm not claiming to be a simple hayseed - i just prefer to operate in domains where i don't have to make a huge investment to understand a language, professional or otherwise.  perhaps i am lazy.  perhaps i believe transformational ideas can be expressed in clear, simple language, accessible to all.  i'm not in favor of and no longer traffic in languages where one has to be a member of the elite to understand them.  these languages divide, in my humble opinion.  these languages may hold the buried treasure of our brighter future so i fully admit, through my obstinacy and/or laziness, i may be missing out.

hoping this message finds you well.  with love and kind regards,

Dad I promise I will come down one of these weekends and I will spend the whole weekend with you I'm sorry if I'm being a bad daughter and not keeping my word when I say I'm coming and then I don't show up but I promise I will come down one of these weekends and I will spend the whole entire weekend with you okay. Im sorry :-/

I don't want you feeling badly or beating yourself up about it at all. You have done nothing wrong. The fact that you want to come visit me is as good as the visit itself. You are the best daughter anyone could hope for.

Thanks.

I love you very much :) xo

I love you to. Too **

:-) :-) :-)

Lol.

We have a lot to look forward to. :-) Together xo

ode to the coffee shop.

i have this romantic notion of what a coffee shop is.  a place of contemplation, reflection, community; an oasis of sorts; a melting pot; a place for serendipitous meetings, connections; a place for epiphanies, insights.  a shelter from the storm.  a place for something new, something different to take root and bloom.

the beautiful music, the beautiful baristas, the curated community, the hospitality; the warm hospitality.  a petri dish, a warm gel, for a counterculture to take root, to take bloom.  an idealistic vision, perhaps; a romantic one, but one nonetheless.

it is with such a view, such a perspective, that i find recent visits to local coffee shops so jarring.

yesterday, i was in la colombe on lafayette street listening to one woman loudly sell or talk about whatever her thing was.  words like platform/social/metrics/growth punctured the air.  punctured it.

then today, i got a bagel at konditori, a compact space near where i live.  in there was a guy who was having a conference call with his board of directors.  are you fucking kidding me?  do you think anyone waking up and enjoying the calm respite before the start of the day wants to hear that?

then over to el rey; a slightly larger but still intimate space.  a woman waiting, another enters.  the one that enters starts interviewing the other.  questions like, "so of all your classes in college, which were your favorites?"  again, are you fucking kidding me?  do you honestly think that ppl coming here in the morning want to hear your stupid fucking interview questions?  want to witness you put someone through this asinine, outdated, arcane, asymmetric ritual?

lest i stop here, i want to add laptops to the mix.  another local shop, bluebird, has wide open windows that look out to green trees beautifully lit by the rising sun.  on the window ledge are often perched laptops.

laptops laptops laptops.  the bane of my coffee house existence.  ppl sidle up next to you and pop them open.  some of them pound on the keyboard.  pound pound pound.  for me, they just kill the aesthetic.  starting with the visual.  and seeping through the rest of our senses to the soul.

many of my difficulties in life arise from having unrealistic expectations of the world.  the people in it.  and perhaps myself, too.  maybe i am a crabby old man.  perhaps i have unreasonable expectations of the coffee shop, the coffee house.

but to me, they are sacred spaces.  they are where people come together, to appreciate each other, to commune, in the best sense of the word.  to savor.  to appreciate.  to do all those things that one cannot do in our oft oppressive world.

would one conduct a job interview in a temple?  a conference call in an art gallery?  would one pull out a laptop and start hacking away in the theatre? in a concert hall?

here's to sacred spaces, to free spaces.

here's to the coffee shop.
here's to the coffee house.

long may it live.

Hippie Lou! It was so absolutely amazing to see you! I don't mean to be selfish, but you made my day, my week. I feel horrible that I left and wanted to grab a coffee with you. Im greatly looking forward to seeing you Sunday.

It has been some years now and the same thing has been going on. We all have things to do and I am trying to get you to understand the importance of what has to be done. I think that I have been standing up for what's right. Trying to do the right thing in life. I'm not sure how much more I can do. I am one person trying to do this. I have been asking when do you think you would be able to help out and no response from you.

My beloved brother... and friend... I do believe we are in fact on our way towards this GREAT social revolution.... do not despair... for the winds of change are a blowing....!!!!

Hi , I wanted you to know that our daily encounters were one of the highlights of my day.  For your presence I am grateful!

I wish you godspeed and everything your heart desires, now and forevermore.

With love, hippie lou


Sep 25 (1 day ago)

to me
Hi Lou,

Me too, you were/are a defining part of my journey. I was very sad to learn that I wouldn't get a chance to say goodbye, but they were determined to get me out of there ! Haha. All new faces now. I'm still allowed to stop by so I'll try to catch you one of these mornings before I push off.

Thanks for being steady and a very nice part of my mornings.

Sincerely,

Sure ty- not in school till November- let you know when I'm in the city-whatr u upto?

Sounds great and good question re what I'm up to. :-)
Trying to be useful in a myriad of ways.
I guess that's the short version. :-)

Great pics....

thanks! i like yours too :)

Nothing compared to yours

awww shucks :)

what do you like about them?

do you like having your photograph taken?

They are not ordinary.
You made me actually feel the picture. Like I was there.
Hard to explain. Almost like reading a book and living it while you are reading.
Yes I do.

Are you near the water? I have never been to your part of the city.

To me your photos tell a story. I like that.
Yes I am very close to the water. It's like a little oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle. We have a great little park here right on the water with a view of the Manhattan skyline and the runways to Laguardia. Love sitting there watching the planes take off and land with the Manhattan back drop. It's good sometimes to still feel like a kid..
Where do you live?

would you be interested in meeting for coffee?

Yes . Come and visit my park someday....
I manage a restaurant and have a crazy schedule What is yours like?

I would love that!

My schedule is not crazy...

I have so much respect for people in the hospitality industry...very demanding and requires a lot of sacrifice.

Thanks for the respect, thoughtfulness and kindness its refreshing to hear. Not too many understand .
Haha so you don't have a busy schedule?? That's nice to hear.
Would love to meet up one day, you can generate some of that laid back vibe onto me..

can u come help me? u can sleep here

How can I help?

come tomorrow and help w brunch! I'll pay for your bus here

Sounds like a dream experience! :-)

oh dream alright lol

I mean in a good way

I kkow

Hey Hippie lou i just read yr msg now at 7:39 pm i had to wait to see my new temporary resident doctor and get a tetaus shot and tested for hepatitis b and b the whole shebang. I feel badly for our mutual friend and im very happy for u! I want to and will keep in touch cuz u have transformed yrself into a shaman or an american monk. Henry miller is the writer 4 u now! Lets call each other meet for coffee and converse about videos poetry prose and our ongoing new narratives! Yr friend,

What a beautiful message! Yes, let's get together for a coffee, maybe next week?

Okay sounds groovy. I just got home so tired i just told my roommate that life is unfair but it should be and we can make it so or a least try i have an ent appointment next monday and will get a home visit next week from a caseworker when he tells me which day we can make big plans the true me is in my writing even text msgs or perhaps my writing wakes up when i write to u u shaman u. Thanks 4 yr reply! Keep them coming!

Hippie lou what i mean is that life is unfair but it should be fair and i will fight til my last drop of blood to make it so im so glad i know u. when i read yr text msgs i can hear the uplifting sound of yr utterly positive voice u listen and then speak both profoundly see u next week i pray night night ciao 4 now

I'm glad I know you as well. Hang in there and keep writing, keep listening, keep dreaming. with love, hippie lou :-)

Thank u so much for yr reply. Yes u hit the nail on the head u wrote what i need to hear and what i need to do with my life. Thank u. Lets talk and text and make a plan to meet next week. Yr new narrative brother, : )

People in CA are a whole different kinda person. So casual and aloof. BUT I'm taking care of myself- I have a great apt 10 minutes walk from town. I go to the beach when I can and can't wait to meet some real friends!!! I miss our peripatetic school

Strangest thing happened after I sent you that last text...minutes later a stranger in the street invited me to dinner. I accepted and we had a wonderful philosophical conversation! The lesson: ask the universe and you shall be provided for. Everything you taught me, manifested last night....

Honestly, I don't even set a price. I think a typical suggested donation for a class like that is $10-15, but your presence alone would be delightful :)

Sadly for your imagination no, but there was a lot of conversation about art, ideas and how you are a great sounding board for creative ideas :)

Hippie Lou, thanks for the lovely dinner and for being patient with me during my crabby moment. It was so nice catching up with you and hearing about all the fruits of your love labor.
You are a bright star in the firmament!
Keep spreading peace and love.

Dearest Hippie Lou,

Thank you so much for your postcard!! I'm grateful for your love and support-it really means a lot to me. Thank you thank you thank you.

Love and Light,

hi hippie lou,

i hope you don't mind that i replied to you now-- i feel like i should've gotten back to you earlier, so i feel a bit sad about that! but that's wonderful that you sent and wrote some post cards. they're definitely encouraging, for sure, since you wrote that you want to keep people company when they might be feeling lonely or in a bit of a personal haze.

i think discovering one of your postcards on a coffeeshop table, etc. would be great for someone who hasn't met you before! i'm not really feeling the postcard spinner idea, either..

it was awesome to see you and our mutual friend! yes, i thought our conversation was very rich-- i'm glad we were able to share those things as well, hippie lou! i've so appreciated your listening ear, encouragement, and understanding while i've shared my story with you. you've become a father-figure of sorts to me, which i appreciate so much as well!

i hope you enjoy your monday!

your postcard

Hi Dave

I think the card is great for keeping in touch. Bah facebook! We need to save the post office. Bring the postmaster general back to the cabinet. Have you ever read the Crying of Lot 49 by Pynchon? My neighbor used to keep office hours in a public place, a restaurant. She let her friends know. Sometimes she sat in the restaurant alone at a table. The man who married her saw her in the restaurant and eventually went up and introduced himself. I had thought of doing that as a low tech means of communicating with some degree of privacy from electronic surveillance, but never implemented it. The Cafe Figaro on Bleecker is a coffee house of the old school, and there is a better one, but I have forgotten the location and it may no longer bv be there. Also, some classical composer wrote something called the Coffee Contata about the first wave of coffee houses in Europe.

A few pages of Habermas On The Public Sphere (for class)...I guess I see what all the fuss about him is about now. Not bad.
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Hippie Lou thanks for turning me on to this. do you have it on pdf by chance?
Like · Reply · September 11 at 1:26pm

No pdf, sadly unsure emoticon I checked out one of the Uni's hard copies. I'm thinking of buying one myself though. The end notes are really rich for some references, including a book in German about English Coffeehouses of the 18th and 19th-centuries. Reminds me of our talks at Kava smile emoticon
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:24pm
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Hippie Lou my understanding is back then the coffeehouse was the public sphere smile emoticon
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:25pm

That's something Habermas highlights. But he keeps drawing from a particular text: Englische Kaffeehäuser als Sammelpunkte der literarischen Welt im Zeitalter von Dryden und Addison
See Translation
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:28pm

I understand the gist of the title now after learning some Danish--though, I'm sadly not as good at that yet as I really should be. I imagine learning German wouldn't be so hard after this. It's so rich with overlapping vocabulary.
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:30pm

Hippie Lou English coffeehouses as a rescue of the literary world in the era of Dryden and Addison?
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:34pm

That's what GT says, but "sammelpunkte" on its own comes out as collections...which is closer to what I would have guessed. But not knowing German, I wouldn't know which direction it really leans in. It's easy to see how collections and rescue can overlap in that rough context.
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:36pm

It's just nice seeing the scattered German words in parentheses in the text and being able to decipher the gist from the similarity of Danish terms.
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:37pm

Hippie Lou i like rescue...just had an aha moment! name a coffeehouse public sphere. no laptops! perhaps a metaphorical "rescue" of society could be incubated at such a place.
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:41pm

I think the laptop thing is interesting. People can still spark up a conversation over a computer. And computers are powerful tools for information's representation and discussion. I think it's just a matter of roping the thoughtful people into that loop (still one of my ambitions). In ten years, it won't be an issue anyway.
Like · Reply · 1 · September 11 at 2:46pm

Hippie Lou never saw someone speaking to you at kava while working on a laptop. or me for that matter. smile emoticon
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:48pm

Hippie Lou and what loop are you referring to (with regards to roping the thoughtful people into)?
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:49pm

Not at Kava, but at other shops, I've seen it at different places. It helps if you see other people programming and chat them up about what they're working on. Sometimes that works, sometimes not. That could easily be the case if computers were better translated to how non-programmers work.
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:50pm

Hippie Lou fyi - i often followed up our discussions with extensive use of a laptop...to look up and read about the ideas/references we discussed. so i think it is a good complement. but in the coffee shop i feel it attenuates interaction and human connection.
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:51pm

It could be looked into more. In Paris I was surprised how many analog readers and writers I saw at cafes. It was lovely.
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:53pm

Hippie Lou it's so funny...at the coffee shop i'm at now the three baristas i am closest to all regularly travel to paris. and they feel more at home there, i think.
Like · Reply · September 11 at 2:55pm

It would be interesting to see some survey numbers depicting trends on that. I've seen cognitive load comparisons for digital/analog tasks that reported less load for analog tasks, which, if still true today and further, if that remains true in 10, 20, 30 years, it could mean more conscious resources poured into the task at hand. I've been surprised to notice how much more easily it is to write on a computer now that I program. I don't think I would have the same approach to writing if I didn't learn the process analog first.

dude, makes my heart feel good.  next time i'm in nyc we'll grab a joe the three of us.  keep up your good work.  we really need a breakthrough!  cheers old friend.

HL! Please read this book by James Hillman: Re-visioning Psychology. It is completely blowing out my conception of non-material reality. I think you may find some commonalities with your own experiences of the psyche...AND, we need to get together, soon!

new challenges keep his thinking fresh.

You have a corporate headache that’s been getting worse for years. Or you have a new product, but you’re unsure how to market it.

Your best executives have tackled the issue, to no avail. You’ve brought in a health care consulting firm: ditto.

Try a whole new approach – economics.

"Economics is a science, like physical science, with laws," says Dave Webster, an economist who consults to the health care industry. “It's an extremely powerful tool to explain human and organizational behavior under a wide variety of circumstances. It allows you to make very good guesses about the future and explain problems that look insoluble, then design solutions to address those problems."

Webster wants clients to use Webster Consulting Group like a SWAT team to confront seemingly intractable problems or make predictions about apparently unpredictable markets.

He’s at his best when the conventional wisdom has failed or a situation has no precedent.

“I love running up against high-stakes, big problems that a bunch of people have tried to solve and can’t solve – and fix them. That’s just an incredible rush for me,” he says.

He's had some notable successes, including:

-- Helping Pasteur Merieux Connaught (now Sanofi Pasteur) raise the price of its flu vaccine when it thought the only way to compete was by lowering prices. The move doubled the entire company's profits in the first year;

-- Advising a prospective investor that a biotech company's stock was overvalued, because it planned to price its chief drug too high to penetrate the market;

-- Advising an optics company not to develop a new technology for combinatorial chemistry, just before the sector began a downslide.

Webster insists there's no mystery to his methods, although they're unorthodox.

Like all consultants, he does detailed research. Like some, he has a dynamic understanding of the complex health care industry, gained through his work at the healthcare consulting firm APM Inc. and as director of pricing for Pasteur Merieux Connaught.

But he has a powerful tool that most consultants and business executives lack: a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.

Given a problem, he bones up on the details, talks to people involved at all levels – executives, patients, doctors, hospitals, insurers, distributors, scientists, manufacturers, and regulators – then uses the laws of economics to identify key factors, root out faulty assumptions and arrive at a solution, which he refines with more input from the client.

"Our understanding of how these markets work helps us zero in on critical things to look at. That's what we have in a bottle that other folks don't," he says.

Nabil Lawandy, president and chief executive of Spectra Systems Corp., says Webster is a quick study whose methods work.

"Dave is really a brilliant guy who can apply his skills to commercialization in any industry, no matter what it is," Lawandy says. "I wouldn't hesitate to ask him to work on anything from nanotechnology to drug discovery."

Webster helped Spectra Systems at a critical time, when it was about to go public, by advising the company not to invest in developing a combinatorial chemistry machine, Lawandy says.

"He was able to really understand our technology as well as competing technologies, assess the industry's need for the technology – ours and others' – and essentially predicted the cooling off of this whole sector. That was critical for us, because we would have invested millions to develop a technology that ultimately would have fallen on weak demand," Lawandy says.

Paul Barone, who has worked in business development at several specialty pharmaceutical companies, likes to get Webster’s opinion before he decides whether to license a drug.

"I like to get an external view, a sort of sanity check," Barone says. "He's very responsive, very helpful, a smart guy, and very easy to work with."

Webster's ability to analyze existing and future markets also has helped investors.

Samir Devani, a biotechnology analyst at J.P. Morgan in London, asked Webster to help him value a firm that was about to launch a new drug for Gaucher disease, a rare but devastating illness. The company planned to price it at $90,000 per patient for a year’s treatment, and analysts valued the company accordingly (potential revenues from the new drug constituted nearly 90 percent of the firm’s value).

Webster determined that even though the new drug was better than an existing treatment, the therapeutic advantage wasn't great enough to induce patients or insurers to use it unless the price was much lower.

“The price that was going to maximize their revenue was around $35,000 to $40,000,” Webster says. “That was the price that would persuade enough people to adopt it.”

Based on Webster’s findings, Devani sent a report to major investors, who quickly sold their stock.

“It was very contrary to what the company was indicating, so it really added value,” Devani says. “The essence of our work is to try and give clients information they don’t have from other sources. That bit of work he did for us gave us something quite unique.”

Webster's first big success was at Pasteur Merieux Connaught, where he was hired as director of pricing in 1998. He quickly realized the company’s most intractable problem was an eight-year decline in the price of the flu vaccine..

Pasteur had tried repeatedly to raise its price, but always caved when big distributors threatened to buy from one of its three competitors.

All four manufacturers’ products were safe and effective, so Pasteur's executives and sales staff believed the only way to win market share was by undercutting their competitors on price. The vaccine had become so unprofitable that, shortly before Webster was hired, a major health care consulting firm advised Pasteur to drop out of the flu vaccine market altogether.

But after talking with sales staff and customers, Webster realized Pasteur excelled on two measures that strongly influenced buying decisions by doctors and mass immunization programs: early delivery and reliable supply. He persuaded executives that buyers would be willing to pay more for those advantages and the company hiked its price by 50 percent in 1999.

The move proved highly profitable for Pasteur, which at the time was a $450 million company. Revenues increased by $50 million in the first year, doubling the company's overall profits.

In his spare time, Webster likes to chew on some of the biggest problems confronting the health care industry, whether or not he has a client.

Recently, he's done a lot of thinking about how to tackle the thorniest issue confronting the pharmaceutical giants created by a series of mergers: The bigger a company gets, the fewer new drugs it develops. He's got some ideas about how to restructure companies and incentives to increase research and development productivity.

Most of all, he wants to avoid being pigeonholed as an expert in just one sector of the health care market. And while he welcomes repeat customers, he doesn't want his work to revolve around two or three big clients, because new challenges keep his thinking fresh.

"I love solving problems, I love working out solutions, but after I’m done, I want to move on," he says. "It wouldn't bother me if I worked for a client just once and did a great job for them."

-- By Katharine Pratt

Your insights are more than helpful. Your distinct writing style has really left it's mark. I only read W-Land, I'm saving the next one for my subway ride to ballet in an hour or so. I have a question. How does an artist soak up knowledge and style from another without 'plagarising'( for lack of a better term)?. The entire piece was sexy, it left me wanting more. But there were distinct sentences that I loved so much I wanted to adopt them, or at least share their effect on me with others.

Could you help me piece it together?

I tried calling, but, you know. I'd love to speak with you again. Sorry I was awkward at dinner in the village. I hope that won't deter you from breaking bread with me again.

Holler back Hippie Lou, the world needs you, I need you.

1/28/10

entanglement and anti matter .. thank you for the lunch and the sensitive beauty of your vulnerability

electricity (that's what i call it)

if it accumulates
an energy
on its own,
of its own volition,
then ok.

let's sit with it
open our hearts
and minds
open the circuit;
see what happens
see if the circuit closes
see if electricity flows.

let's listen to
the energy
let's follow the energy.
wherever it appears
when it fades
so do we.

perhaps to reappear
here or elsewhere
perhaps to reappear.

When in doubt about your art,spend all day and night walking around the city drunk with your hippie godfather....if you dont have one,you should find one

3/3/2010

Great pics....

thanks! i like yours too :)

Nothing compared to yours

what do you like about them?

They are not ordinary.
You made me actually feel the picture. Like I was there.
Hard to explain. Almost like reading a book and living it while you are reading.

Not only are you in tune with the spirit of the times but you believe you have at last found your special place and role in the world at large. It’s good to feel you are doing something worthwhile. It’s good to make a difference.

I ran into my friend, Hippie Lou, on Thursday. it was really nice seeing him. I've got to start getting in touch with friends more often. I may feel better if i do.

i love love,
i love intimacy
i see it
as a conduit
to learning
to healing
to sharing;
to seeing
the world in
a completely new
and different way;
it is electric
it is connection
it feels so good. :)

Hey, sir!  Wanted to be sure to invite you to this personally (not just as part of the mass-facebook-invites-that-nobody-ever-looks-at), as it's my first time back spinning at the old spot in well over a year, and you've always been one of the people who gets/appreciates the vibe I shoot for.

Also, haven't seen you around in a while, and this gives me a good excuse to shout you out.  Hope all's well w/ you!

Guess it's virtual coffee for now, Lou. I am (this) close to going out on the road again, in which case I promise you, if the Lord wills, I will buy you the best coffee money can buy. And maybe you can solve my problems then.

Hey hippie Lou, it was truly magical to meet you. Thanks for the coffee and insights, and on behalf of all three of us, I would like to say thank you for putting yourself out in the universe via postcard, so people like us might stumble across your path.
Until we meet again,

***

to the stardust trio!

sincere apologies for taking so long to get back to you, and thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful message.

i must say, it was magical to meet the three of you, truly.  i came away very inspired and wonderfully tired (from the walk, the exercise!).  the three of you are a living example of the power of connection:  how you came together, and your desire to travel together on a wonderful journey, a wonderful new life.  and you are putting yourself out there, taking chances; you are open to new experiences, you are open to learning.  you have found the way, and about 25 years sooner in life than i did.  don't ever change...keep the courage, keep the faith, and above all, keep using your magic!

i couldn't image a better trio with which to start my journey.  we accompanied each other, and we will accompany others. and that will make all the difference.

with all my heart, hippie lou

An economist being principled, who would have thought? Actually I have always seen that capacity in you.

 I am digging the blazer/sweats combo. I could not personally pull that off but you do it well. Happy 4th!

Hey friend, I'm looking for some advice. I've backed myself into kind of a tight spot housing wise, where I need to be out of my sublet asap but I have essentially no money to put down deposits on a new lease, and I'm having a hard time finding a sublet where my dog is welcome. Since you're the master of cobbled-together housing, I'm wondering if you know of anyone that possibly needs a house sitter or something similar? I'm more or less just trying to buy time at this point. Whoops!

What a lovely surprise I found in my mailbox this morning. Your postcard was waiting and brought me so much joy! So happy that you are making something beautiful of your life. You rock, hippie lou :)

Hi Hippie Lou, the pleasure was all mine man. Thank you for the Band of Gypsys pin -- that is really one of the greatest gifts I have ever received, and your handing me a postcard with you wearing that pin was some kind of brilliant magic trick. I enjoyed talking with both of you guys a lot, and listening to Mike play too. Come and visit any time, and I'll be sure to let you know when the next show is!

your essay is cryptic and your daughter is beautiful. What is your PhD in? And are you glad you pursued it? My son is thinking about applying to a sociology program and getting mixed feedback from his professors
Sent on May 29

Hi, thank you for the message and for your kind words re my daughter. i read somewhere that brevity is the soul of wit, and that idea has always stuck with me. my ph.d. is in economics. am i glad i pursued it? answering that question would have brevity rolling in the aisle, doubled over with laughter. to your son i would say, why not apply? one can always decline an acceptance. i'm happy to discuss it with you, very nice of you to be thinking of your son and trying to offer the best counsel possible.
Sent on May 29

Good point on the application but he is judiciously lazy and does'nt want to invest time and energy in the GRE and essays if he is not going to follow through .

I am a lawyer so offering best counsel is knee jerk at this point. But it is certainly a pleasure to do it for a child. Especially when they show an interest in your advice. Funny how I was the dumbest woman in the world until the last few years:)
Sent on May 31

i look at laziness in a bit of a strange way. it's one's body telling how excited one is about any given endeavor. a ph.d. takes, if nothing else, a lot of stamina and stick-to-it-iveness, so if one is feeling lazy about the application process, not a great harbinger if one's goal is getting the degree. if one's goal is learning something new, it's a different matter entirely.

i guess i'm saying if he doesn't feel excited about the application process, perhaps he should consider alternatives that he might be more excited about. no judgement here.

you have entered a beautiful phase in your relationship with your son. not sure i'm quite there yet, but will love it if and when it happens. and i've always been learning from my daughter. that's a great feeling too. :)
Sent on May 31

Daughters are different, I have one of those too. She is not interested in my counsel, it annoys her, at best. But when she is sick or lonely or wants to vent about her boyfriend, I do get the call. But maybe father/daughter has greater potential .......I have always heard that the same gender parent child relationships are more conflicted than opposite. Certainly true for me.

And I am not sure my son's hesitation is lack of interest as much as fear of rejection and a practical knowledge that he is going to have to earn a living. He is doing his master's thesis now and is certainly enamored of the learning and the research. Life is lot more challenging for this generation career wise than ever before
Sent on Jun 1

if he is enamored with learning and research, then i say go learn and do research! careers were for our generation. that mode of going through life works for fewer and fewer people, in my humble opinion. if one follows one's curiosity and interests, one will be able to weave the skills, experiences, and knowledge one has accumulated along the way into something that is useful to others.

he may not be able to (or want to) use the ph.d. degree in ways it is traditionally used, but it doesn't mean he shouldn't go through the program. if he likes learning and research, he can certainly find a program where he can do that. and the ways he can use what he has learned/experienced can be applied to a million things.

his professors may be advising him from their (outdated) paradigm, which is the only reason one should work to get a ph.d. is if one wants to teach at a university. they see those opportunities shrinking, ergo they advise your son that it might not be a good idea to get a ph.d.
Sent on Jun 3

Thanks. Very good advice. I would love for him to go for the PhD. I think he should follow his passions and I think he will be able to leverage it to earn a reasonable living and because every Jewish mother wants to raise a scholar:)

Hi hippie lou,
i recently stumbled upon one of your postcards and would love to take a walk with you.
Peace be with you,

Lou. I hope you really follow where I go because I need you in my life. I really believe in some ways your a guardian to my sanity. Grounding me whenever I need be. There are so many things wrong in my life and somehow whenever I speak to you I'm able to speak about the present. You teach me detachment from the things I need to be detached from and it's so godamn hard to be.

Thanks for stepping into my bar the day you did for that cup of coffee. What I thought was going to be a pretentious artist or some asshole movie director ended up being the person I learned to love, care and respect. I feel very privileged in knowing you and that you take the time of day to come enjoy a cup of coffee with me even if the bar divides us, our minds break through.

Congrats! You are "Box of Rain." You know how precious life is, and you know that happiness can be found around any corner.

Hippie Lou! I'll never forget singing 'Grudge Fuck' for you in front of whole foods on Houston St. I loved the looks of the passing Nancys.

quite the new york moment, eh lascivious?

Awesome! it makes me happy knowing you are having so much fun :)
Tue, 2:40 PM

serious work is at hand too, fyi ☺
Tue, 2:41 PM

very serious OK.
Tue, 2:41 PM

i'm having a "let's get to work" moment ☺
Tue, 2:43 PM

sounds like a good moment :)
Tue, 2:44 PM

i'm on the launching pad of a career in walking, drinking coffee, guitar playing, and related fields
Tue, 2:45 PM

ahh, you already know those fields very well... they are your strawberry fields :)
Tue, 2:46 PM

watch out for the rocketship!
Tue, 2:46 PM

taking cover!
Tue, 2:46 PM

Recounting this story to my great friend and sage to the world, Hippie Lou, I realized I had truly lost something that day, the ability to express my authentic truth as she desires to express herself through the flow of the goddess. I discovered that I no longer need to search outside of myself for the answers to great and transcendent art-making, but trust my own inner artistic integrity and know that whatever inside of mine desiring to be shared with the world is beautiful and worthy.

There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

for some reason when I read this I thought of you. Hope all is well!

I want to let people know about Jadina and her guided journeys on our behalf.

One morning several weeks ago I received a life-altering email from my friend Jadina Lilien.  In it, she offered to go on a guided journey on my behalf.  A very special guided journey.

I enthusiastically and gratefully took Jadina up on her kind offer. She went on a guided journey for me, and sent me a beautiful account of what she had seen.

To which I replied:

"Jadina, i am not often at a loss for words but this is such a case. the account of your journey taken on my behalf and its connection to my life and the clues and suggestions about the question i posed has had such a profound impact on me. i have spent a lot of time thinking about this question and talking to others about it and the insights from your journey are completely original and i'm sure will be very useful. it might take me a bit to process the journey, and i'm sure i'll have questions. i would love a piece of art work...i'm sure it will be amazing and evoke all sorts of spiritual energy...in me, perhaps in you, and perhaps in the cosmos."

I want to let people know about Jadina and her guided journeys on our behalf to any and all interested folks. If you have any questions about the experience or have questions about the specifics of the account of Jadina’s guided journey taken on hippie lou’s behalf, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

and you can connect with Jadina and find out about the details of her wonderful offer here.  :)

peace & love with kind regards, hippie lou

I met Mary Ellen Mark at a gallery opening that Hippie Lou dragged me to. I didn't know who she was but she was very friendly and nice to me... Now, in retrospect, I realized her friendliness was natural because she was the kind of person who could talk to anyone anywhere, it was a talent she used to photograph in the streets. She gave me her card, which I still have, and afterwards I researched who she was... How I wish I have asked her more questions about her art but feel very blessed to have had a chance to meet her.

Perhaps that is all you needed to know and learn from her. It seems that little interaction met the purpose

i am not educated, nor am i an expert in any particular field–but i am sincere and my sincerity is my credential.

And comes through masterfully in your postings! Honored to know you.

Howdy Lou,

Thanks again for taking care of my little man. I’m sure he’ll dig your vibe and he’ll warm up to you.  Cause you’re the closest thing to magic.

The most important thing to talk about is feeding.

Make sure to change his water once a day, preferably in the mornings.

On the counter in the kitchen is his dry food, they’re old sealed containers that used to carry mixed nuts. Inside is a ¼ cup instrument that makes it super easy for you to portion his food, just two scoops in the morning.

Doing this in the morning gives you the freedom to leave the apartment and do your hippie thing.  This portion would be enough to feed him most of the day… his breakfast and lunch in a way.
That just leaves one can of wet food to give him at night. They’re also on the counter in the kitchen… feel free to use any bowls you see around I think I have like 4 small ones. Clean them whenever you like.

The litterbox was cleaned before leaving it shouldn’t need a deep clean. If the level of litter looks too low, just top it off. It easy to forget but try to scoop out the litter once a day. I like to pretend I’m a miner sifting for gold.  The scooper is right next to the litter box.  Extra litter will be near by too.

There are various toys around for you to play with him if you’d like. He loves it and it a great way of getting his confidence. Sometimes it easy just to throw one of the cloth mice and see him chase it or the fishing pole toys, those work the best.

That’s all it takes to keep a cat alive and happy. It’s a walk in the park.

There’s 2 metrocards for you to use. One is a monthly unlimited I already started, the other one is a new one to use when the older one expires. No ones here to use them so you might as well.

Feel free to play around with my toys. The record player has a broken stylus sadly but there are plenty of guitars, synths, amps and pedals. The iMac is hooked up with my recording interface; with those speakers you can listen to The Dead like never before.  And of course the Internet, Wifi password is

So make yourself comfortable, this is your house for the next 2 weeks.  Turn on the AC, surf the web and sleep in. Everything in the fridge is free to eat., there’s coffee if you want to make it.

I think if covered everything but feel free to contact me via email. I’ll try to call and check in every now and again. Hopefully I can reach you at a good time.

Enjoy and Thank You

FYI, my aunts might drop by from time to time to clean up and dust the place. I can arrange a fair warning if you’d like.  I’d imagine they would come by the times your out and about strolling.

Feel free to email me, I’d love to hear from you!

I love your photos, you are a Cindy Sherman-type, what will he look like in the next pic?!

always dude
peace in the lower east
:)

i just made that up
i'm going to now copyright it and make millions of dollars
bwahahaha
your favorite topic
<3

later skater
you could sell hippie lou t-shirts and hats
with your face on the front
and the tag
peace in the lower east
i think that would sell like ... a lot
idk
try it out

i try to stay detached from hippie lou

Hi HL
I'm sorry I did not get back to you. I've been feeling totally out of it with a bad cold the last few days.  Turns out that tomorrow not good, have too much work to do. Maybe sometime next week?

I also realized that I know almost nothing about you.

do you still have a sense of possibility?

that's a hard question....
i am working on having it but I am not always successful...

sometimes a sense of possibility is like a premature baby
or a little duck egg
it needs an incubator
warmth, moisture, light
protection from the harsh environment
i hope to provide that for ppl
to keep their sense of possibility alive
while it is still nascent
until it can stand on its own
wobbly legs

:D sweet metaphor

if your sense of possibility ever needs warmth, moisture, and/or light, you know who to call!

lol! i got your number, hippie lou :)

Lou,

I just read your story. It was moving and so beautifully written. I don't have much more to say without sounding trite or cliche. All I can say again is thank you for sharing it with me. Happy people is one of my favorites too, hits really close to home both literally and figuratively.

I'm off to Florida for the summer,
I'm sure our paths will cross again soon.

Hippie,

Sorry for the somewhat late reply. I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated reading your story, and the fact that you placed it in a historical context made it really fascinating. It's incredible to see where you are in your life story now, and I felt inspired and reminded, for sure, that there's a lot more to life than the material (as great and intriguing as that can be), and what I want to invest in are the intangibles.

I hope you've enjoyed your week,

Hippie Lou,

Your story was amazing, inspiring and beautiful.  Thank you for sharing it with me.  I have more to say about it, which I'll do over lunch/early dinner soon.  I'll let you know when I have a moment.

Thanks again for the talk on the street the other day. It's strange...outside my family, there have only been one or two folks I've been comfortable opening up about the ordeal and you, my friend, are one of the (un)lucky ones.  Thank you.

See you soon!

Hippie,

Thanks so much for our raw, inspiring conversation from yesterday. I admire how you clarified the type of life you want to craft and the values you want to live by.

Please do send your story along to me here via e-mail, I'd love to read it. Like you suggested, I plan to start writing mine today or tomorrow.

I also wanted to say, I'd like to keep in touch with you!

Enjoy your Sunday,

Dave,

Thank you so much for sharing.

It is clear that you have been through a lot in your life. I was not aware of a lot of it.

I am thinking back to something I was moved to say at a Quaker Retreat a couple of weeks ago: "To love because I love, not because I am told to love: that is my challenge." It is our right to love as we are naturally led to love, not as we are coerced to love.

It is clear to me that you had the courage not only to leave behind the values of an abusive family, but to leave behind the values of an abusive society. It is the unfortunate tendency of those without that courage to cling ever more tightly to their abusive leaders, and to take the pain that this induces in them out on those who are leaving. Leaving for better gardens of course! The abuse runs deep, and only those who are strong enough to leave it comprehend its depths.

I commend you for everything that you have done and will continue to do. We have a lot of years ahead of us!

Thanks Lou! That made my day. Today's been a weird day. Depressing. Miss you too my friend.

How are things in hippie land?

 living the hippie lifestyle here, too. Peace and love and joy

mainly communication and respect. Which precedes peace

What have you been up to lately?

Haha wow you have a lot going on. I've been writing more recently too! Biking is cool too! I'm glad you're  staying active and taking care of yourself. How's your daughter doing?

Maybe this is the time that she wants to talk to you most? Ya never know

but you are her dad. So maybe you know

Maybe act like her mom but still like you. Idk if that makes sense

Well, she's a woman. She grew up with her mother as discipline a lot of her young adult life. Why not slightly balance things out?

No, you can't force anyone to do anything. It's about mutual respect. You've said it yourself

Of course . Take your own advice. Listen to your mind, body, and brain and it will balance out how often you listen to your heart. The whole body counts. She probably just wants to be accepted, similar to what it seems like you want from her. Mutual acceptance. So listen to her more than you listen to me. That'll probably help

#respectyourself #respect #thetruth #youarewise

Hippie Lou
Thank you for your words and for the effort you made yesterday, schlepping uptown to buy me tea. I'm happy the mantra resonates with you. It's yours.

I hope you find peace and fulfillment on your journey.

Hey, Lou you are one of the people in my life that made NYC special/tolerable. If you ever find yourself in Cali be sure to look me up. Going to miss our random meetings.

Hey, Im trying to wrap up a project--its dragging.  I would like to get together soon.  I want to know how the world's smartest beatnick is doing (including Ginsberg and Kerouack in that group).  What are you doing these days?  still blogging and strumming?  Maybe you should go full-metal Kerouack and write a novel for the young generation.  They are ready for it I think.  Lots and lots of disenchantment.

Anyway, I hear you were the master consultant on the pharma side

well, i think steve is being a bit generous

you made billions for some pharma company, a legend in your own time.
And then gave it all up to save the world.
so how is saving the world going?

a veritable candide, i guess
had to try to save myself first
still a work in progress
but i'm optimistic

De nada, Davito! I'm glad you're doing better. I'm sure there's lots of hard work involved in that. And beautiful weather is good medicine, too! Lots of love to you, too.

I just hate to see training go to waste. I do realize that some training should go to waste, be lost, or remembered only to be discredited. You are the best judge of what you can do. Or should do. I feel very negative about the marketing approach to causes and fundraising--especially when it smacks of "high production values." So maybe there is a parallel. Your studies in migration and your understanding of the economic drivers in bourgeois family formation and function  need to be shared. If you have to do it as a memoir do it that way. I recommend Detroit, a memoir by Charles LeDuff, who skewers mainstream journalism along the way (but recognizes what it can still do in the right hands). I am sorry for being pushy.

Hippie Lou it was a real pleasure catching up w you today!!! Thank u for sharing with me your insight and experiences, as always. You're always selfless when you impart me with advice. For that I'm grateful!

thank you, Hoppie Lou! I just read the first paragraph and it captured me. You always find such good stuff to read :)

Hippie Lou,
Thanks for the references on DD.
Miss our stimulating conversations. Would love to hear where your journey is taking you! Perhaps we could all meet here for a visit soon.
Take care for now

 What we need is breakthroughs in people. Ideally calmer ones than your own.

Maestro Hippie Lou you always come with acute attention to detail. Of course I meant larry but my hande typed mark who is behind Sophia apparatus thank you for checking on me !

Shared a lovely afternoon shootin' the shite with a dear friend, Hippie lou....When I'm at my saddest, a good friend can do what no medicine can touch....just smelling the air after a slight drizzle can do wonders as well...and life goes on....

Not an April's fool request, but an honest friend request.
thanks for everything you do and for being so ernest. xo
about an hour ago

oopsie, it is not 4/1/15... lol!

Thank you Hippie Lou ! I am positive that Dalaj Lama would not like to credit for words he did not say. I appreciate your investigating mind !

Hi!

As you say, it´s spring and it´s spring for me too!

Thank you so much for sharing this precious tale of your life. I appreciate your the depth, sincerity, beautiful words and amazing concepts. It´s very brave of you to share such tender times of your life.

It´s spring you say, it´s spring I say, and spring stays with me helping me walk my own path these very days, thank you!

Gilead is particularly venal but this is what you escaped from.


The Pharma Drug That Is Bankrupting America

How can Gilead Sciences charge $84,000 for a drug that costs less than $300 to produce?