Acceptance of the Present Moment

According to Wikipedia, "Zen ... is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism notable for its emphasis on mindful acceptance of the present moment..." I think this will be the last post on Zen Buddhism, since Erika has finally accepted the jackhammers, or at least learned to tune them out. PG&E really is inexplicably digging up the exact same holes they dug up before. And more! Here is Peter sleeping peacefully through the jackhammers that are so loud it is impossible to hold a conversation...actually he drifted off to dream land when they started up. Amazing.

Cats and Babies have this whole acceptance of the present moment thing down. Everything is immediate. I am HUNGRY NOW. Feed me!!! I'm exhausted - I'm going to sleep. Right now. They don't worry about the past or the future. It's all about RIGHT NOW. Jackhammers are hammering! So what. Sleep through it or leave.

In other, more interesting news, Peter went wine tasting for the first time up at our favorite place in Sonoma - David Coffaro. This man could probably teach a class in Buddhism as well. He is just doing what he loves to do every day, and he's been doing it for some 15 years or so. And the love shows - lovely wine, lovely spot to visit. The barrel tasting is especially fun.

And speaking of wine, Erika and Martin finally drank the 2000 Barolo that has been hanging around since their honeymoon in Italy, which took place exactly 2 years ago. It survived all 5 moves just fine, and did a fine job enhancing the steaks purchased at Erika's new favorite market - Avedano's. Have we mentioned lately that we love Bernal Heights? Erika and Peter are making new discoveries about what is walking distance from the apartment. It helps when there is proper motivation at the end of the walk, such as the good steaks and chocolate hazelnut gelato at Avedano's. Or pretty much anything at the Bi-Rite Creamery near Dolores park, which was a favorite destination when the weather was warmer. Yesterday they made it all the way to Heartfelt on Cortland. Where else can you find a stuffed microbe for your favorite little budding scientist? I'm not kidding.

I'm hanging around the house these days, saving my energy for the weekend and the return of Poker Night! Well, Poker Afternoon actually since Erika and Martin don't stay up much past 9pm these days.