A Portland Sunset

I hope to take many of these. Perhaps I'll even try for a sunrise as
well. Well...

From Tree Farm to Front Room

All in an afternoon. It's been so great to have family and friends in
town. We live a rich life indeed.

Gettin' Our Tree

Tis The Season

I might be a day late, but my contribution to Make Something Day is
traditional egg nog. True, it won't be ready until Christmastime, but
it's a process begun now. And it's coming on the heels of an amazing
Amber I brewed for Thanksgiving. Yah, I'm in the zone.

Thankful For: Walkable Yummy Coffee Options

Thankful For: A Beautiful Turkey

My secret spice: Smoked Paprika.

Thankful For: Friends and Family in Town

Thankful For: Sidewalk Grafitti

Thankful For: Another Day of Sun

Thankful For: Not Feeling Alone

Thankful For: Not Being Crushed by a Mattress

Got My New Shoes On

I seldom buy myself new clothes. Part of it is simple non-neccesity
and part of it is cheapness. I can throw down tons of cash on a nice
meal, but you'll almost never see me sporting expensive
clothes...unless someone has given them to me.

Well today, after putting it off for many years, I bought myself a
nice pair of boots. Inspired by all my man-boot wearing friends, I
joined the ranks of the fashionistas. Well, my socks still droop and
I'm still wearing boxers from college and these pants have holes near
no mans land. But they do match the nice H&M sweater Craig-Lora gave me.

Yah, I'm The Shit.

Thanks Nelson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant?" Who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking So that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us: it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, We unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, Our presence automatically liberates others.

I know many folks have referenced this, but it comes back to me from time to time as I reflect on the guilt and fear that keep so many of us shackled. The self-hatred that we carry for knowing our influence in the world.

I have had conversation after conversation about the place of the educated, middle-class white American male in this world. There is so much grief around our history.

But is refusing power better than using power? Aren't all great movements of the people realized when they found their found their voice...and their ability to influence. Isn't that why we tell story? Because we feel that we must influence one another? Perhaps that sounds a bit strong, but...

True, influence for power's sake is a most dangerous place, but ought we deny the soil beneath our feet? It tell us where we stand. And we must not lie to ourselves.

So where do we go from here?

Breathing

They Frame Our Memories

Haunting My Kitchen With Brilliant Light

More Ghosts

Ghosts in Our House

The light has been falling in beautiful ways around the house.

Cloves Smell Like Fall

SPIN

Who bought us a gift subscription to this magazine?

Ryan Sharp
714.293.6780
ryan@SharpSeven.com

Back to Work

It's fun to be back, producing other artists. If you're a singer-songwrite who's looking for a hand recording a record, hit me up. And check out some of the stuff I've done for other artists here.

Seattle Sunset

Washington Countryside

I'm taking a 3.5 hour ride on Amtrak to Seattle to spend 5.5 hours
there and return home after dark. Hoping to be inspired by Mr. Pete
Rollins, connect with a handful of folks, read some of Middlesex and
look out my window and (hopefully) see Mt. St. Helens.

Morning Walk

Influenza

Two nights ago, I slept like crap. And then I woke up vomitting.
Holly's dad (who is with us this week) caught the bug as well.

So yesterday I was in bed all day. Aching, feverish, queezy. Finally
started to feel better around 7pm. Crashed just after.

And this morning, Boom! Holly's got it too. I still feel heavily
drugged on Tylenol PM.

I hate getting sick.

Ryan Sharp
714.293.6780
ryan@SharpSeven.com

Forecasted to Rain

But I keep laughing...

The Weather

I thank the Infinite every day that we have sun. I am looking forward to the rainy season, but I also know that once it's here, it won't be leaving quickly.

The last few days have had very, very slight showers followed by sunny afternoons. So yesterday, we bought a tree and a few shrubs (yes, now I have shubbery). We planted them as well as some blueberry bushes in the back. They already look beautiful.

This is the smoke tree we bought...

Lunchtime

Yet another meal from Pine State. Yum. So grateful they're a block away.

Autumn Take 2

Fragile Iconoclast

My friend Bryan teaches some graphic design classes in Seattle. Turns out one of his students knows The Cobalt Season and for a class project redesigned the disc art for Fragile Iconoclast. Thought I'd share it with you.

The Mississippi District

Last Days of Fall

Simply Perfect

Making Broccoli soup from scratch and listening to Jordan's Banks.
Thanks to the Evans for getting us Simply in Season and thanks to Troy
for the soul-music.

Obama "Takes" It

Party

I am not a registered Dem, but we're accompanying friends to their
friend's celebration tonight at the convention center. It should be fun!

Nov 4th

Our First Portland Blackout

Doing My Part

What a Great Weekend

Dan, Bethany, and Adam came up this weekend to hang. They flew in Thursday night and left this morning. It was a fun, relaxing, full few days.

Let's see, we had gastronomical delights every few hours, including wine tasting out in Hood River. We walked the neighborhoods and parks of SE Portland, rain and shine. We made food, made wine, and then consumed more wine than we ever could have made. We dreamed. We watched movies. We talked about ideals and nuanced realities. We built rain barrels and watched them fill up and water the yard. We talked. We laughed. We smoked hookah.

It was an amazing time. Holly will soon be posting some pics over on Pax's blog, I'm sure. And huge thanks to Brad and Birgitta and Maddax and Vienna for coming over to our house yesterday to hang with Pax so that the SF-ers and former SF-ers could go do tasting sans child.

Here's another time lapse video from last night, making and eating dinner and watching Grizzly Man and smoking hookah.

Making Dinner and Wine

Thanks Longbrake for the tipoff to Gawker.